Return of the Archons - Mayhem Outside / Discussion Inside

[cgervasi]

In the beginning of The Return of the Archons, Kirk and his party seek refuge inside a hotel. They meet those three old men who are exempt from the festival on account of age. The man on the street says that hotel is a typical place for young people who've come for the festival to stay; it's not just for old people.

The people at the festival are trashing all the buildings on the street, breaking glass, looting, etc. Why is the hotel building spared? The men and Kirk's party don't seem worried that the festival participants will trash the hotel. Why not? Does the force that compels people to have the festival catharsis somehow tell them to avoid certain buildings? Is that hotel just lucky, or specially reinforced? Are the writers making a hidden point with this, or is just an unexplained fact that moves the plot along? It seems like a stark juxtaposition that the men and later Kirk's party have thoughtful discussions while the mayhem is going on outside. What's going on here?

 

[Timo]

I don't think a particularly complicated explanation is required. The house in which the old codgers huddle is a sturdily built one, and our heroes take refuge in an upper floor that cannot be reached from the street.

It may be by sheer chance that the windows at the lowermost floor (still well above street level) are intact after the night. But even if those were broken, it might be there are measures in place inside to prevent torches or Molotov's cocktails from doing damage.

In general, surprisingly few windows get broken anyway - we only see two display cases flanking a doorway thrashed, not windows leading into inhabited spaces. Perhaps that's the taboo in place: Landru saves on expenses by making the mob avoid breaking windows?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[EnsignHarper]

I don't think a particularly complicated explanation is required. The house in which the old codgers huddle is a sturdily built one, and our heroes take refuge in an upper floor that cannot be reached from the street.

It may be by sheer chance that the windows at the lowermost floor (still well above street level) are intact after the night. But even if those were broken, it might be there are measures in place inside to prevent torches or Molotov's cocktails from doing damage.

In general, surprisingly few windows get broken anyway - we only see two display cases flanking a doorway thrashed, not windows leading into inhabited spaces. Perhaps that's the taboo in place: Landru saves on expenses by making the mob avoid breaking windows?

Timo Saloniemi

If not Landru, certainly Bob Justman....

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

...and our heroes take refuge in an upper floor that cannot be reached from the street.

That was interesting, and actually pretty rare, for that to happen. Other than this episode, and The City on the Edge of Forever, our team was always housed planetside in ground-floor accommodations.

Actually, I'm not remembering offhand any other instances at all!

 

[cgervasi]

...and our heroes take refuge in an upper floor that cannot be reached from the street.

That was interesting, and actually pretty rare, for that to happen. Other than this episode, and The City on the Edge of Forever, our team was always housed planetside in ground-floor accommodations.

In both instances they use the accommodations to have detailed discussions. It's as if the height takes them out of the the thick of the action to give them time to talk. It's especially stark in Return of the Archons when there's heavy action going on outside and Kirk and his team look down on it and comment.