That Which Survives (Video; YouTube; Memory Alpha) is the episode where Mr. Spock is as annoying as he actually would be if you knew him, and you want to punch him in the face. Sadly, no one in this episode does so.
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There is, though, a holographic woman who kills by touch, an artificial planet, a black second-in-command in sickbay and a woman helmsman. There’s the continued confusion over how fast the Enterprise can go before it blows up, and a not-terrible plot. But mostly this episode is completely forgettable.
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Best Dialog
Spock: “Can you give me Warp 8?”
Scotty: “Aye, sir. And maybe a wee bit more. I’ll sit on top of the warp cores meself and nurse them.”
Spock: “That position would not only be unavailing; it would also be undignified.”
Grade
C
Is There In Truth No Beauty? (HD Video; Memory Alpha) starts right out by telling you that Medusans will make you crazy if you look at them.
Spock, of course, is exempt. He’s a Vulcan, so a snazzy visor will protect him from the crazy. And Dr. Miranda Jones is human and a telepath, but she’s exempt because… well, that’s part of the mystery.
This is a good episode. It’s got enough twists to fill out its length, and enough substance to make you think. Miranda is an interesting character and the Medusans are a clever– if gimmicky– idea. The ship goes to Warp 9.75 and they once again jump across the edge of the galaxy. There is a particularly badly-filmed and badly-choreographed fight scene. There is use of a fish eye lens to make the world seem alien, to good effect. It all plays well.
Spock as the Other
This is yet another episode, though, where Spock is imbued with special powers merely because he’s not human. I’m of two minds on this.
In the first case, it’s lazy writing. Space is dangerous because otherwise the show is boring. So we see lots of ways that space can be dangerous, and then the writer takes the easy way out and has Spock be different. He has super strength. Big ears mean big hearing. His eyes heal. Etc.
On the other hand, Spock becomes our foil. Kirk is a good character because he’s the best of humanity: curious and courageous and quick and determined. Spock can enhance the effect of this by being what Kirk is not. He’s too calculating to be a good leader; too cautious to take chances.
These are two different ways to approach the character, and one is distinctly better than the other, to my mind. This episode takes the wrong one, but is largely unsullied by it.
Grade
B+
