the birds, the bees, and the Vulcans
Jun. 2nd, 2009 03:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kindkitMore TOS thoughts; spoilers for "Amok Time," "Who Mourns for Adonais," "The Changeling," and "Mirror, Mirror."
"Amok Time"
Would it be heresy to say I didn't think this episode was all that great?
It's possible that I was too spoiled; I knew the main events of the episode in advance and I've also read a fair amount of fic dealing with pon farr (often featuring detailed fansplanations that tried to make Vulcan sexual, reproductive, and marriage arrangements make some kind of sense). I guess it was all just a bit too unsubtle for me--the logical Vulcans have a profoundly illogical sexual system and an even more illogical taboo about it, oh isn't it just ironic ha ha? Meh.
Certainly from a Kirk/Spock shipper viewpoint there's a lot to like: Kirk risking his career for Spock, Kirk's "death" shocking Spock out of pon farr, and of course Spock's overjoyed reaction to seeing Kirk alive and well. Also the painfully/hilariously awkward scene where Spock has to explain pon farr to Kirk.
I really felt for Christine Chapel, and I wonder what the hell Spock was thinking when he asked her to make him some more plomeek soup. Was he just trying to be nice (and managing to give her the completely wrong impression) or was he considering her as a failsafe in case they didn't get to Vulcan on time? His line about how they can't deny their natures could go either way--he could be saying "I'm a Vulcan, I can't love you" or "I'm a Vulcan in pon farr, sexytiems nao plz!" In any case, Chapel was once again dignified and gracious despite everything; she's so happy at the end just to see Spock happy. If there had to be an unrequited love storyline, this is a pretty good way to handle it, although I think Majel Barrett gets the credit rather than the writers. She gives Chapel enough presence, enough self, that (unlike Janice Rand) Chapel never comes off as just the butt of a joke.
And I mustn't neglect to mention the episode's Stunning Revelation: Vulcans really like funny hats.
"Who Mourns for Adonais"
Great, more headdesky sexism! I wanted to slap McCoy for his smug little comment that any woman who is "all woman" will eventually get married and leave Starfleet. Kirk's reaction is kind of interesting: "I like to think of it not so much as losing an officer as gaining . . . actually, I'm losing an officer." THINK ABOUT IT, KIRK. Think about the ridiculous Starfleet policy (?) that makes married women leave the service. (Although in an earlier episode, the one with the wedding, there was no suggestion that the woman would be quitting.)
Anyway, Kirk's line and other such moments (like in "Tomorrow is Yesterday" when he corrects Captain Christopher's stunned response to seeing "a woman???" on board by saying, "Crewman") makes me think that he's much less sexist as a commanding officer than in his personal life. He may say things to potential conquests like "women will always be women," but on the job he does think of women and men as equally members of Starfleet. Which is something. This is reinforced at the end of the episode, when he appeals to Lieuenant Whatsername to put the claims of her shared humanity with the Enterprise crew over her romantic feelings for Apollo.
The episode skates very close to pro-atheist sentiments by demystifying the whole idea of gods; we're also told that Scotty "doesn't believe in gods." On the other hand, Kirk says, "Mankind has no need for gods; we find the one quite adequate." I wonder if that line was added later specifically to tone down the atheistical implications? Certainly, every self-proclaimed god or godlike being seen on the show thus far has turned out to be fraudulent, and most have been malicious.
I don't quite get Kirk's speechifying at the end. Why's he suddenly all "Would it have hurt us to have gathered a few laurel leaves?" It contradicts everything he said earlier.
Most of the episode is pure cheese and Apollo overacts dreadfully, but the stuff after he's defeated is rather nice. He tones the ranting down and becomes much more believable.
Random observations: Chekov needs a haircut, because he looks more like 12 than 22 (to me he looks younger than reboot!Chekov, and that's saying something). And Uhura is full of win--rewiring circuits, taking no crap from Spock, and even getting a well-deserved compliement from him.
"The Changeling"
Another scary computer. And the second computer driven to suicide by Kirk. No volunteering on the Samaritans' hotline for you, Captain.
Mostly this episode is about the banter and interplay, like Spock really enjoying when McCoy is put on the spot to explain what happened to Scotty, and Kirk looking hurt when Spock says that no, he really didn't think Kirk had it in him to be so logical. I especially love Kirk's awesomely campy playacting at the end about being Nomad's mother and how proud he would've been to say "my son the doctor." (And why mother rather than father? As Spock would say, fascinating.)
It surprised me that Uhura wasn't cured but instead had to be re-educated. She couldn't have been mindwiped completely, as she seemed to have retained childhood stuff (like using Swahili instead of English) and presumably kept her personal memories. Anyway, it led to the really sweet teaching scene between Chapel and Uhura, which made me smile.
"Mirror, Mirror"
Unfortunately, this episode and "Amok Time" are the ones I didn't take notes on because I didn't want to interrupt my watching. So now I've forgotten many details.
I remember the costumes, though! More gold lamé--maybe when the wardrobe folks were doing Apollo's costume from "Adonais" they got a bulk bargain on the stuff? I adore the piratey sashes and Kirk's chest-revealing blouse of shinyness. And how funny is it that the midriff-baring women's outfits in the Mirrorverse actually have longer skirts than the normal Starfleet uniforms?
Spock's Beard of Evil is damn sexy. I want to read lots of baddirtywrong Mirrorverse Kirk/Spock porn, please, with mindfuckery and power struggles.
And, um, that's pretty much my reaction. A little bit of, "Oh, cool, Spock is still basically Spock even in the Mirrorverse," and a lot of "What a brilliant pretext for smut!"
*****
"Amok Time"
Would it be heresy to say I didn't think this episode was all that great?
It's possible that I was too spoiled; I knew the main events of the episode in advance and I've also read a fair amount of fic dealing with pon farr (often featuring detailed fansplanations that tried to make Vulcan sexual, reproductive, and marriage arrangements make some kind of sense). I guess it was all just a bit too unsubtle for me--the logical Vulcans have a profoundly illogical sexual system and an even more illogical taboo about it, oh isn't it just ironic ha ha? Meh.
Certainly from a Kirk/Spock shipper viewpoint there's a lot to like: Kirk risking his career for Spock, Kirk's "death" shocking Spock out of pon farr, and of course Spock's overjoyed reaction to seeing Kirk alive and well. Also the painfully/hilariously awkward scene where Spock has to explain pon farr to Kirk.
I really felt for Christine Chapel, and I wonder what the hell Spock was thinking when he asked her to make him some more plomeek soup. Was he just trying to be nice (and managing to give her the completely wrong impression) or was he considering her as a failsafe in case they didn't get to Vulcan on time? His line about how they can't deny their natures could go either way--he could be saying "I'm a Vulcan, I can't love you" or "I'm a Vulcan in pon farr, sexytiems nao plz!" In any case, Chapel was once again dignified and gracious despite everything; she's so happy at the end just to see Spock happy. If there had to be an unrequited love storyline, this is a pretty good way to handle it, although I think Majel Barrett gets the credit rather than the writers. She gives Chapel enough presence, enough self, that (unlike Janice Rand) Chapel never comes off as just the butt of a joke.
And I mustn't neglect to mention the episode's Stunning Revelation: Vulcans really like funny hats.
"Who Mourns for Adonais"
Great, more headdesky sexism! I wanted to slap McCoy for his smug little comment that any woman who is "all woman" will eventually get married and leave Starfleet. Kirk's reaction is kind of interesting: "I like to think of it not so much as losing an officer as gaining . . . actually, I'm losing an officer." THINK ABOUT IT, KIRK. Think about the ridiculous Starfleet policy (?) that makes married women leave the service. (Although in an earlier episode, the one with the wedding, there was no suggestion that the woman would be quitting.)
Anyway, Kirk's line and other such moments (like in "Tomorrow is Yesterday" when he corrects Captain Christopher's stunned response to seeing "a woman???" on board by saying, "Crewman") makes me think that he's much less sexist as a commanding officer than in his personal life. He may say things to potential conquests like "women will always be women," but on the job he does think of women and men as equally members of Starfleet. Which is something. This is reinforced at the end of the episode, when he appeals to Lieuenant Whatsername to put the claims of her shared humanity with the Enterprise crew over her romantic feelings for Apollo.
The episode skates very close to pro-atheist sentiments by demystifying the whole idea of gods; we're also told that Scotty "doesn't believe in gods." On the other hand, Kirk says, "Mankind has no need for gods; we find the one quite adequate." I wonder if that line was added later specifically to tone down the atheistical implications? Certainly, every self-proclaimed god or godlike being seen on the show thus far has turned out to be fraudulent, and most have been malicious.
I don't quite get Kirk's speechifying at the end. Why's he suddenly all "Would it have hurt us to have gathered a few laurel leaves?" It contradicts everything he said earlier.
Most of the episode is pure cheese and Apollo overacts dreadfully, but the stuff after he's defeated is rather nice. He tones the ranting down and becomes much more believable.
Random observations: Chekov needs a haircut, because he looks more like 12 than 22 (to me he looks younger than reboot!Chekov, and that's saying something). And Uhura is full of win--rewiring circuits, taking no crap from Spock, and even getting a well-deserved compliement from him.
"The Changeling"
Another scary computer. And the second computer driven to suicide by Kirk. No volunteering on the Samaritans' hotline for you, Captain.
Mostly this episode is about the banter and interplay, like Spock really enjoying when McCoy is put on the spot to explain what happened to Scotty, and Kirk looking hurt when Spock says that no, he really didn't think Kirk had it in him to be so logical. I especially love Kirk's awesomely campy playacting at the end about being Nomad's mother and how proud he would've been to say "my son the doctor." (And why mother rather than father? As Spock would say, fascinating.)
It surprised me that Uhura wasn't cured but instead had to be re-educated. She couldn't have been mindwiped completely, as she seemed to have retained childhood stuff (like using Swahili instead of English) and presumably kept her personal memories. Anyway, it led to the really sweet teaching scene between Chapel and Uhura, which made me smile.
"Mirror, Mirror"
Unfortunately, this episode and "Amok Time" are the ones I didn't take notes on because I didn't want to interrupt my watching. So now I've forgotten many details.
I remember the costumes, though! More gold lamé--maybe when the wardrobe folks were doing Apollo's costume from "Adonais" they got a bulk bargain on the stuff? I adore the piratey sashes and Kirk's chest-revealing blouse of shinyness. And how funny is it that the midriff-baring women's outfits in the Mirrorverse actually have longer skirts than the normal Starfleet uniforms?
Spock's Beard of Evil is damn sexy. I want to read lots of baddirtywrong Mirrorverse Kirk/Spock porn, please, with mindfuckery and power struggles.
And, um, that's pretty much my reaction. A little bit of, "Oh, cool, Spock is still basically Spock even in the Mirrorverse," and a lot of "What a brilliant pretext for smut!"
*****
