Wednesday, April 22, 2009

STAR TREK
THE ENEMY WITHIN


From Wikipedia:

"The Enemy Within" is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, and was broadcast on 6 October 1966. It is a first season episode #5, production #5, and was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Leo Penn.

Overview: A transporter mishap divides Captain Kirk into two versions of himself, one good and one evil, but neither is able to function separately for long.


More here.

Okay, this is definitely one of my favorites. Totally a Captain Kirk showcase. I mean, it's always a showcase when you have good Kirk versus evil Kirk, which happens twice more, in the second and third seasons, but this is the first time they did it, and it's quite a romp. Lots of Kirk pain-faces, lots of screaming and pumped up over-the-top acting for which Shatner has been lampooned repeatedly for many years. I mean, this one's fucking fantastic. And it ought to be: the teleplay was written by science fiction great Richard Matheson, who wrote several classic Twilight Zone episodes, the book I Am Legend, which has been turned into three movies including the Charlton Heston must-see The Omega Man, and the book Bid Time Return on which they based the wonderful scifi romance film Somewhere in Time starring Christophers Reeve and Plummer, and Jane Seymour. But it's not just the writing and Shatner's acting that's so notable. This is the first episode to really feel like Star Trek would eventually feel for the rest of the series. Good pacing, clear and unforced character relationships, nothing weird or out of place. This is easily one of the best the show had to offer.

You'll love it. And you'll love Sulu's space dog, too.



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