5. The Naked Time
WHY WE LIKE IT: The bare-chested swashbuckler Sulu is a hoot. Spock's battle with his human side is strong stuff.
WHY WE DON'T: The time warp at the end feels like it's from another episode, and Riley may or may not be your cup of tea.
REVIEW: This episode has tons of good moments, but I do wonder if it was too early to air it. Yes, it does a good job of developping the characters (some of them), but 4th on the schedule is too early for the Spock stuff, coming BEFORE the revelation of his human half in The Enemy Within.
The choice of giving stuff to do to Chapel, but not McCoy, Riley, but not Scott or Uhura, is all very debatable. I wasn't all that interested in Kirk's longing looks at Rand either. The real stars are Spock and Sulu.
Sulu provides comic relief, impressively swinging that sword around bare-chested. It's one of the best remembered thing about Sulu. As for Spock, that's where the drama lies. Spock's pain at never having told his mother he loved her is quite powerful. A strong moment with minimal direction; the acting speaks for itself.
The plot device to force this exploration of various characters is on the ridiculous side - alcoholic water or whatever - but the infections are well staged, with good sound design. I'm more puzzled by the time warp ending, which seems to tagged on only for Roddenberry to justify future trips into history, and thus the use of pre-existing sets and costumes. Well, it was never quite done that way after this, so what's the point. A stain on an otherwise good episode.
LESSON: Never cheat on your ship.
REWATCHABILITY - High: Despite its problems, the good moments are always watchable. A must for any fan of Spock or Sulu's.
Comments
How did that one slip past Standards and Practices?