39. Metamorphosis
FORMULA: The Cage + The Galileo Seven + The Devil in the Dark
WHY WE LIKE IT: It's a beautiful love story...
WHY WE DON'T: ...between a man and a blob of light. (Actually, Hedford is more likeable as the Companion.)
REVIEW: By 21st-century standards, Metamorphosis dips liberally into melodrama, but I don't think that detracts too much from enjoying the episode. Nor does the shrewish Commissioner Hedford, coming off as a rather unpleasant, over-reacting character. What we basically have here is a potable love story between man and alien, and a sweet one at that.
Sure, Kirk, in my opinion, jumps to conclusions when he first calls it love, but he turns out to be right. Once communication with the Companion is established, its lilting female voice convinces us that it (ok, she) cares for Cochrane. He reacts humanly enough, recoiling at first, but admitting later that you can't spend 150 years of your life with an entity and not feeling something towards it. The father of warp drive is sympathetic in his first appearance, which helps us care about the love story. After all, this one is between two guest-stars, so we're not as close to it as we would be if one of the main characters were involved.
Hedford isn't as engaging a character, but we start to feel her pain as her last minutes approach. Then the Companion joins with her, her dialogue gets even more theatrical, but we do get a beautiful moment when she puts her scarf in front of her to see Cochrane as she used to. Also of note is the expansive planetary set (with moving clouds), and McCoy telling Kirk he should use a carrot instead of a stick. That's a nice moment that turns the episode on its head. Spock's reaction to being shocked is cool too, and another nice moment occurs when Kirk says farewell to Cochrane. The Captain is obviously moved, choked up.
These moments more than make up for the slower sections, such as anything happening aboard ship and the incessant effects shots as Cochrane calls on the Companion.
LESSON: Love knows no boundaries... though it'd be nice if we both had physical bodies, wouldn't it?
REWATCHABILITY - High: I was surprised at how engaged I was by this episode, and how well it worked despite its obvious theatricality. It's also of great interest for fans of First Contact wishing to compare the two Zefram Cochranes.
FORMULA: The Cage + The Galileo Seven + The Devil in the DarkWHY WE LIKE IT: It's a beautiful love story...
WHY WE DON'T: ...between a man and a blob of light. (Actually, Hedford is more likeable as the Companion.)
REVIEW: By 21st-century standards, Metamorphosis dips liberally into melodrama, but I don't think that detracts too much from enjoying the episode. Nor does the shrewish Commissioner Hedford, coming off as a rather unpleasant, over-reacting character. What we basically have here is a potable love story between man and alien, and a sweet one at that.
Sure, Kirk, in my opinion, jumps to conclusions when he first calls it love, but he turns out to be right. Once communication with the Companion is established, its lilting female voice convinces us that it (ok, she) cares for Cochrane. He reacts humanly enough, recoiling at first, but admitting later that you can't spend 150 years of your life with an entity and not feeling something towards it. The father of warp drive is sympathetic in his first appearance, which helps us care about the love story. After all, this one is between two guest-stars, so we're not as close to it as we would be if one of the main characters were involved.
Hedford isn't as engaging a character, but we start to feel her pain as her last minutes approach. Then the Companion joins with her, her dialogue gets even more theatrical, but we do get a beautiful moment when she puts her scarf in front of her to see Cochrane as she used to. Also of note is the expansive planetary set (with moving clouds), and McCoy telling Kirk he should use a carrot instead of a stick. That's a nice moment that turns the episode on its head. Spock's reaction to being shocked is cool too, and another nice moment occurs when Kirk says farewell to Cochrane. The Captain is obviously moved, choked up.
These moments more than make up for the slower sections, such as anything happening aboard ship and the incessant effects shots as Cochrane calls on the Companion.
LESSON: Love knows no boundaries... though it'd be nice if we both had physical bodies, wouldn't it?
REWATCHABILITY - High: I was surprised at how engaged I was by this episode, and how well it worked despite its obvious theatricality. It's also of great interest for fans of First Contact wishing to compare the two Zefram Cochranes.
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