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| Charlie Evans (Robert Walker, Jr.) has an unrequited crush on Janice Rand - and the power to make that dangerous! |
THE PLOT
The Enterprise completes a rendezvous with the Antares, a survey ship that found a single survivor of a starship crash on an otherwise uninhabited planet. Prior to being found by the Antares, Charlie Evans (Robert Walker, Jr.) never even saw another human being. Kirk develops a fast liking for the boy, and he decides to take him under his wing to provide a sort of "father figure" for young Charlie.
The adolescent Charlie develops a hopeless crush on the first woman he has ever seen: Yeoman Janice Rand. Normally, this is the sort of thing that could be solved by introducing him to a girl his own age, as Janice tries to do - or when that fails, by Kirk having a simple talk with the boy. But as gradually becomes clear, Charlie is anything but normal...
Charlie has powers that allow him to lash out in a way that would be horrifying in any adolescent. When Spock defeats him at chess while teaching him the game, Charlie melts the chess set with his mind. When a crewman laughs at him, Charlie makes him disappear. And when the survey ship attempts to warn the Enterprise about Charlie, he makes them disappear as well... permanently!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Beefcake: Apparently, sweat suits do not exist in the future, as Kirk goes shirtless in the gym while teaching Charlie a few basic throws. Some of the crew in the gym wear red robes, but that would never do for Kirk. "Kirk the Gambler" also makes an appearance during the climax when he tests - and finds - the limits of Charlie's abilities. This leads to an effective confrontation between an omnipotent teen who nevertheless has a teen's lack of wisdom and experience, and a comparatively powerless adult who nevertheless retains a sharp mind and a strong will.
Shatner continues to mostly impress in an episode that showcases Kirk's compassionate side. He takes it on himself to act as father figure to Charlie, explaining the blunt reality that there are many things in life that he can have and some things he can't, and that Janice is one of the things he can't have. He follows up that bluntness with kindness, and he builds a reasonable friendship with Charlie - which comes in useful when Charlie's powers begin to manifest.
Janice Rand: At this point in the series, Janice is more of a core member of the cast than many of the characters who would become regulars. Janice is initially compassionate to Charlie. After recognizing his crush, she tries to deflect his attentions onto an attractive girl closer to his own age. When that fails, she goes to Kirk to get his help. She notes that she's seen "that look" before, and that she doesn't want to "hurt" Charlie, but she will hurt him if she has to.
Villain of the Week: Charlie. Like the short story and Twilight Zone episode, It's a Good Life, this episode recognizes that children and teens are not inherently good, and that there's little more horrifying than a child/teen with godlike powers. Charlie has a strong desire to be liked, and he wants to do well in things he attempts - like almost any teen boy. Also like almost any teen, he is easily frustrated when he senses he isn't liked or when he does poorly at something. Think back on when you were a teenager. If you had the power, would you make someone "go away" if they laughed at you or were (by your perception) mean to you? Though obviously older than the character he's playing, Robert Walker Jr. does a good job of conveying Charlie's adolescent eagerness, confusion, and frustration. Even when he becomes a clear villain, Walker still doesn't play him as "evil," and he's all the more effective for that.
THOUGHTS
While not a favorite episode of mine, Charlie X is another intelligently scripted and well-acted early episode. The performances range from good to excellent. The story is also well structured. This was the first of several scripts by writer D. C. Fontana, and her strengths are already apparent. She finds moments for several members of the ensemble, with good scenes not only for Kirk and Janice, but also for Spock, McCoy, and Uhura. She also builds the situation effectively. The first Act, which could easily have been just a collection of incidents, works because Fontana maintains focus on Charlie's reactions, which are initially relatable... until the things he does grow more serious, in direct proportion with his frustrations.
Attempts to deal with Charlie are complicated not only by his powers, but also by the fact that he really has never interacted with other humans before. Janice's attempt to deflect Charlie's affections onto another girl might have worked - except that she isn't just a crush; she's the first woman Charlie has ever seen! In a very real sense, he's imprinted himself on her. What he does to that girl later in the episode is a bit horrific, even if it (and everything else he's done aboard the Enterprise) gets conveniently undone at the episode's finish.
This isn't an episode I'd tend to reach for if I were just in the mood to watch a TOS episode. That said, it is a good episode. It will never be a favorite of mine, but it holds up better than I had recalled, and it's easy to see why D. C. Fontana became one of the series' go-to writers.
Rating: 7/10
Previous Episode: The Naked Time
Next Episode: Balance of Terror
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