Pendell

@pendell

Current Hyperfixation: Wizard of Oz

He/Him

I use outdated technology just for fun, listen to crappy music, and watch a lot of horror movies. Expect posts about These Things. I talk a lot.

Check tags like Star Trek Archive and Media Piracy to find things I share for others.

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Pendell @pendell2/3/2023, 4:17 AM

Alright, having finished TOS Season 3, I have a spicy take

The Tholian Web struck me as... pretty boring. Don't get me wrong, the Spock-Bones dynamic is the highlight and something that should've been done more, but the actual story is... Pretty nonsensical. The stakes are extremely vague and there's no clear rules as to either of the threats. The day is saved by mechanics so convoluted even Spock's technobabble can't make it sound sensible.

Anyways spicy take part 2 I really liked Wink of an Eye and it's probably my favorite episode of the season even over The Enterprise Incident. There's just something really charming about all the actors having to play red light green light the whole time and they do a lot of fun stuff with the concept (the scene where Spock drinks the irradiated water is my favorite, if you've seen it you'll know why). It also succeeded where The Tholian Web failed in laying out fairly clear rules for the danger at hand.

#star trek #star trek tos

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in reply to @pendell's post:

John Colagioia @jcolag2/3/2023, 1:26 PM

My last rewatch felt like an extended version of this, where it felt like the beloved episodes all bored me, but the most hated episodes either had a lot of interesting things going on in the background, or were mostly "bad" due to an uncomfortable topic and terrible acting.

The Tholian Web is an interesting case, where there's definitely an interesting story there, but it has nothing to do with the science fiction stuff or Kirk being in danger. Like, you have Spock admitting in passing that the Federation has a relationship with the Tholians and McCoy admitting that he maintains a stock of deadly chemical weapons for use on patients. Either of those seem like they could've supported a full episode, but instead we get twenty minutes of photographic effects...

Pendell @pendell2/3/2023, 9:32 PM

And honestly, Turnabout Intruder was actually a really good episode soured by like three or four lines of dialogue that made the entire thing extremely sexist. Legit if Gene had just left out those few lines it would probably be a beloved episode.

John Colagioia @jcolag2/4/2023, 12:12 AM

Right? Even if they kept the sexism, I feel like Turnabout Intruder's big sin is that we have no reason to care about Lester, so she might as well be a computer dictator or rubber suit.

The version of the episode in my head has Janice Rand returning to the crew. Give her some backstory about a new posting that went horribly but avoidably wrong, and that actually has some drama, even if Shatner Shatners all over the place.

Pendell @pendell2/4/2023, 12:17 AM

I honestly found the concept of "one of Kirk's old flames comes back to screw him over" really fascinating. Takes the trope of him getting the girl every episode and then her vanishing by the end never to be seen again and turns it on its head and if explored further could have given the episode some real depth that would have made it feel like a more fitting "finale".

John Colagioia @jcolag2/4/2023, 8:42 PM

Also valid, though my read of the series is that Kirk is hilariously inept with women. Other than Miri and...Lenore Karidian, maybe (Conscience of the King), they all get five minutes into his seduction routine and realize that he's trying to distract them from the A-plot.

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