63. Day of the DoveFORMULA: Errand of Mercy + Wolf in the Fold
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Klingons are finally back in full force.
WHY WE DON'T: Forced laughter makes for a bad ending even when it's part of the plot.
REVIEW: Yay! The Klingons make a comeback and they're much more defined here than they were in Errand of Mercy. I loved John Colicos as Kor, but Michael Ansara si more the warrior and less the slimy bureaucrat.The extras are also better realized, and though Klingon women are a far cry from what we'll know later, Mara still comes off as having a head on her shoulders.
I dare say the Klingons of the future will be based on Kang much more than Kor and Koloth. He has massive presence, gets a number of Klingon sayings in, and manages to give us cues about his culture simply in the way he carries himself. He writes off his own wife as a casualty of war, does the honorable thing at the end (but not without slapping Kirk hard in the back - nice touch), and might've won without the alien's interference. A worthy antagonist.
Other elements are less inspiring. The alien presence that feeds on violence isn't unlike Redjak, but it has far less personality. It gets into your head and changes your memories and attitudes, so it's a wonder the crew was able to beat it at all. If it can turn McCoy and Spock to violence, THESE TWO CHARACTERS SPECIFICALLY, I can't see how Kirk or a Klingon could have broken its hold.
There are other weaknesses, such as the abrupt ending, which still has the characters antagonistic, so why does the alien weaken? Chekov's assault on Mara is a well played moment, but I find it a little disturbing. You might give the scene to a guest-star, but to a junior member of the cast? Even if he's "not responsible", it's still a character we're supposed to like doing this. A very adult scene, to be sure, and a little jarring when compared to the rest of the rather more demure original series.
LESSON: An alien made me do it!
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: A great episode for the Klingons that makes a comment on the futility of war, but it is marred by huge plot holes, and unengaging villain, and some rather disturbing behavior on the part of the regulars.
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