21. Court-Martial
WHY WE LIKE IT: Legal episodes always have a good speech or two. This one's no different.
WHY WE DON'T: A lot of dreadful acting.
REVIEW: I'm a fan of legal shows, and I generally like courtroom scenes in Star Trek, which hits the right balance between moving arguments and detective work (so a little Boston Legal, a little Matlock). How Spock hits upon the computer glitch and the final revelation of Finney's status are both high points of the episode, and Kirk's crew coming to his defense (and his own defiance) are well played.
Unfortunately, the episode is marred by some terrible acting and direction. Stone and Cogley are good characters, even Finny if a bit over-the-top, but Shaw's romance with Kirk is mannered and unbelievable. Perhaps it's her dialogue that's undeliverable. Likewise, Kirk's old classmates can't act themselves out of a paper bag, and Jamie's southern belle accent is incredibly melodramatic.
As for direction, the episode seems to have gone a bit long, and Kirk's voice-over intrudes to give us information that should have been part of a scene. Doesn't it also seem that Cogley knows Finney is alive because of Jamie's change of heart? We're never told since she disappears from the story after that.
LESSON: Next time you build a starship, don't put the jettison button so close to more actively used buttons. Typos can be deadly!
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: The court theatrics and the mystery remain interesting, but you have to ignore a lot of wooden acting and choppy editing to get through it.
WHY WE LIKE IT: Legal episodes always have a good speech or two. This one's no different.
WHY WE DON'T: A lot of dreadful acting.REVIEW: I'm a fan of legal shows, and I generally like courtroom scenes in Star Trek, which hits the right balance between moving arguments and detective work (so a little Boston Legal, a little Matlock). How Spock hits upon the computer glitch and the final revelation of Finney's status are both high points of the episode, and Kirk's crew coming to his defense (and his own defiance) are well played.
Unfortunately, the episode is marred by some terrible acting and direction. Stone and Cogley are good characters, even Finny if a bit over-the-top, but Shaw's romance with Kirk is mannered and unbelievable. Perhaps it's her dialogue that's undeliverable. Likewise, Kirk's old classmates can't act themselves out of a paper bag, and Jamie's southern belle accent is incredibly melodramatic.
As for direction, the episode seems to have gone a bit long, and Kirk's voice-over intrudes to give us information that should have been part of a scene. Doesn't it also seem that Cogley knows Finney is alive because of Jamie's change of heart? We're never told since she disappears from the story after that.
LESSON: Next time you build a starship, don't put the jettison button so close to more actively used buttons. Typos can be deadly!
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: The court theatrics and the mystery remain interesting, but you have to ignore a lot of wooden acting and choppy editing to get through it.
Comments