68. The EmpathFORMULA: The Cage + The Immunity Syndrome
WHY WE LIKE IT: Follows a strong theme and can actually be quite moving.
WHY WE DON'T: All too theatrical with its studio floors and barebones sets.
REVIEW: When I think of The Empath, what comes to mind first is the black sets, or rather, the absence of sets. Just props plopped in the middle of the black studio floor. So it was with surprise that I found myself quite enjoying this episode. Not at first, of course, since Gem's first moments, in over-the-top mime are overtly theatrical reminding us as well that this is all fakery. The similarities to The Cage were also not lost on me, though here, Kirk and crew are Vina to Gem's Pike (did that make sense?).
What won me over was the portrayal of the three friends, each not only able, but willing to give his life for the others. They're even ready to make the ultimate sacrifice so that their friend doesn't have to choose between them! This is a theme that returns again and again in the original series, culminating in "the good of the one/the many" of the films. I didn't really care that much about Gem as a character, but seeing the trio exemplify this theme throughout the episode actually brought a lump to my throat at times, in particular during McCoy's death throes, when the depth of friendship between Spock and McCoy is revealed.
The director of the episode drives the theme home by showing Gem in what I find to be a style reminiscent of The Passion of Joan of Arc, a French silent film that spent a lot of time on close-ups of Joan's tortured face. It's effective in making the mute expressive, and Kathryn Hays does a good job. For their part, the Vians are interesting antagonists because they aren't really villains, they've just become misguided a little. Once again, Kirk shines by pushing the right psychological buttons. Unfortunate that the final scene takes me right out of the episode, with Scotty telling a story about a merchant and a pearl... I don't know what it has to do with anything, and not since Kirk's changeling speech in The Changeling has something sounded so incongruous and writerly. The core of the episode can withstand its bad parts however.
LESSON: Well, it's one of life's big lessons, isn't it?
REWATCHABILITY - High: To my surprise, I found The Empath engaging and worthy. It's a hard thing to pull off after the number of "aliens play games with the crew" episodes we've seen to date, but credit must go to the show's stars, who by now, know their characters quite well, and the originality of a mute guest-star. Otherwise, it would just be a low-budget effort that would make even *this* Dr. Who fan cringe.
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