STAR TREK
"Turnabout Intruder"

From Wikipedia:

"Turnabout Intruder" is a third season, as well as the final first-run, episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is episode #79, production #79, written by Arthur H. Singer, based on a story by Gene Roddenberry, and directed by Herb Wallerstein. This was the last original episode of Star Trek to air on NBC.

Originally scheduled to air at 10pm on Friday, March 28, 1969, the network pre-empted it at the last minute with a special report on former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had died earlier that day. On June 3, 1969, after an absence of 2 months, Star Trek was brought back on a new night and time: Tuesdays at 7:30pm EDT. "Turnabout Intruder" was the first episode to be shown in this new time slot.

Overview: Kirk becomes trapped in the body of a woman bent on killing him and taking over his command under his guise.

More here.

Watch it here.

(Note: this is not CBS.com--it's some pirate site. Apparently CBS has replaced all TOS stuff with the animated series, which is okay, I guess, because I can review those episodes now, too. Still, I wonder why they pulled the original show. Ah, it'll probably come back in a few months. Anyway, better go watch this one soon before the giant mega-media corporation threatens to sue these pirate guys.)

Notes and pics:

* It makes no sense that Star Fleet wouldn't allow women to be starship captains. Chalk it up to the fact that the show was made in the 1960s, and the women's lib movement was only just getting started. Still, given how far we've come, with female American soldiers killing and being killed over in the Middle East, and on and on, that the 21st century is somehow more progressive on gender issues than the 23rd century is just a bit hard to swallow.

But I do like the woman scorned theme we've got here. And I like a woman hating Kirk much more than I like a woman loving Kirk.

* The actress playing Dr. Lester is really good. This mutes the weird future chauvinism problem a bit, which is good.



* William Shatner is playing Kirk literally possessed by a crazy and evil woman. This is one of his best performances of the series. It suits his technique, and he just throws himself into it, having a grand time all the way. It might also have something to do with the fact that he knew this was the last one they were doing. Like the Beatles finally devoting themselves to Abbey Road after months of bickering and fucking around. Shatner is saying, "No, really, I'm a great fucking actor," and then pulling every trick out of his bag in an attempt to prove it.





* Kirk: "Quiet! QUIEEeet..." Oh man, he's pulling out all the stops.

* I love this guy playing the sleazy doctor. You kind of want to punch him in the face.



* Shatner uses his "uncertainty" technique while talking to Scotty over the communicator. We've seen it many times before, most notably when he talks to his lover about the Tantalus Device, "Yes...", in "Mirror, Mirror." Authentic and natural it's not, but it sure is interesting and cool. Another Shatner show-off moment.

* Nice little take from Shatner when Scotty starts off his sentence with "Dr. Lester..."

* So we have Shatner playing Lester who is, in turn, playing Kirk because she's inhabiting his body. Very Shakespearean, but also weird and cool. I only noticed this when Lester drops her Kirk act later in the sickbay. This is getting confusing, but in a fun way.

* Lester-as-Kirk: "Love! Him?" This is all classic Shatner. Is this one his absolute best performance? I'm starting to wonder.

* It's also very homoerotic in that Lester is apparently having some sleazy affair with the sleazy doctor. No wonder people write fantasy stories about Kirk being gay. I'm reminded of the relationship between the Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman characters in High Anxiety.

* Fabulous scene when Lester-as-Kirk removes McCoy from Kirk-as-Lester's case.



* Wonderful weird montage flashes to represent Kirk-as-Lester's in-and-out-of-consciousness state.

* The bridge scene when Lester-as-Kirk changes course is all very Caine Mutiny, which is welcome.

* Good scene with McCoy.

* Nice. He's trying to convince Kirk-as-Lester that he's insane. I love space madness.



* Lester-as-Kirk takes her the fuck down! Yeah!



* Love the logic-heavy scene with Lester and Spock,which ends in a quick mind meld, complete with traditional Spock music.



* Great idiot red shirts guarding Lester.



* Love Spock going totally rogue.



* An on ship court martial, very Star Trek.



* Lester-as-Kirk just gets totally screwy here. It's all in good fun, of course.

* Excellent speech of repudiation from Spock: "You are NOT Captain Kirk..."



* Oh yeah, Lester-as-Kirk is freaking out!



* I love that Scotty describes Lester-as-Kirk's behavior as "hysterical." That's kind of sexist writing in itself, given the circumstances.

* I love Scotty's no-nonsense argument for mutiny.



* Sulu: "The death penalty is FORBIDDEN." I've always loved this moment.



* Shatner's got some really nice pain-face work going on here for the momentary psyche reversal. Another classic Kirk moment.



* Oh nice. Kirk becomes femme fatale. This is sooooooo gay. But in a good way.



* Is that a brain sitting in a big jar on the lab table?

* Very cool. We haven't seen this pain-face since "Man Trap."

* And now she's just another crazy ex.



* The sleazy doctor's pretty pathetic here. You want to punch him in the face again.



* In spite of the ridiculously anachronistic narrative device that women in the future cannot be starship captains, this episode really hums and zings, mostly, it appears, because everybody knew this was going to be the last one. Shatner hasn't had this much fun since early in the show's run, and he seems more relaxed, totally within his element after three years playing the role. All the other regulars turn in very solid performances, and the guest stars work well, too. And the story itself is pretty good, too, if you don't think about Dr. Lester's career motivation too much. Lots of weirdness from the body exchange, and the trial's just a fucking hoot.

This really is something of an Abbey Road for Star Trek. A great show on its way out, making sure to turn in something to make them all proud. Four and a half stars.

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