59. The Paradise SyndromeFORMULA: This Side of Paradise + A Piece of the Action + The City on the Edge of Forever
WHY WE LIKE IT: A fair tragedy with high production values.
WHY WE DON'T: Shatner goes a little over the top with the "I AM KIROK!" stuff.
REVIEW: There seems to be a lot of money onscreen in The Paradise Syndrome, from the beautiful location shooting (NOT at Vasquez Rocks!) to the riverside village to the huge built monolith. And for all that, the episode leaves me cold any time we find ourselves on the planet. Maybe it's because of the annoying looping in all the outdoors scenes. Maybe it's because Kirk isn't himself - always be careful of what you take away from a character. Shatner goes over the top way too much between the screaming at the end, and the self-hugging when he's happy. I don't quite buy the whole Tahiti syndome thing for Kirk, even with amnesia.
I'm also turned off by the Natives here being played by white folks. Must be because we have a lot of Native actors here in Canada. Yes, I know it was another time in Hollywood, but with the ethnic variety on the Enterprise, did they have to resort to the old western tradition of using white actors here? A minor point perhaps, but add some stilted dialogue and you have a recipe for boredom.
Sure, there's a good tragedy in the making, with Miramanee doomed, not because of the asteroid, but because she can't possibly end up with Kirk at the end. You might think it's a brave move to kill off a pregnant woman, but it would have been braver to allow her to live and bear Kirk's child. As is, it's kind of cruel to the character, not that she had much personality, mind you. Kirk didn't so much fall in love with her (as with Edith Keeler), but was given her because of his status as a "god". Another missed opportunity: There might have been something to be done with the "god who bleeds" stuff, but that's pretty much forgotten after Salish attacks Kirk, only returning at the end as a means to dispatch Miramanee.
The best part of the episode, truth be told, is the subplot about deviating the asteroid. The dramatic tension goes up a notch every time we return to it, usually beautifully edited with Kirok and Miramanee frolicking in the woods with "all the time in the world". The Enterprise backing away from the asteroid for 2 months is a chilling idea, and well presented, with Spock never sleeping a single wink. All of that shipboard stuff is well played, and the tonal/musical solution is interesting and a neat piece of canon about Vulcan. The Preservers are likewise a nice idea, one they should've hit on a lot earlier, because the explanations for "parallel development" are getting strained by this point.
LESSON: If I get amnesia, I might forget how to use my phaser and communicator, but not to worry, my irrigation and food preservation skills will remain intact.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: Great production values makes the episode nice to look at, with a sweet (if a little dull) love story. The asteroid subplot is well handled and more watchable, since the main plot creates a less-than-engaging character in "Kirok".
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