Highs and Lows
I don't think the quality's as consistently high as in Season One. In production order, Season Two takes several episodes to find its footing, with an initial production run of watchable, but relatively weak, fare such as Catspaw, Metamorphosis, and Friday's Child. Even once the season gets up to speed, there is inconsistency, with the series' first truly bad episodes coming in the form of The Apple and The Gamesters of Triskelion.
On the other hand, there are more highs in Season Two, as well. I tend to be very stingy about awarding episodes perfect "10's," something that's been commented on by a few people following these reviews. For me to give an episode full marks, I have to find it to be something special within the overall context of the series. This season saw me give two perfect "10's" in a row, with Amok Time followed by The Doomsday Machine.
Several other episodes this season also qualify among the series' greats: Mirror Mirror and The Trouble with Tribbles, with at least Honorable Mentions going to The Ultimate Computer and The Immunity Syndrome. When almost a quarter of the season ranks among the series' best episodes, it tends to indicate that, in the words of Frank Sinatra, "It was a very good year."
Of Parallel Earths and Shifts in Tone
Parallel Earths are to Season Two what superbeings were to Season One. Though most of the episodes in question are of pretty good quality, there are simply far too many of them. By the time the season takes us to The Planet of the Chicago Gangsters followed by The Nazi Planet, I find myself just desperately wanting to get away from planets that are "just like Earth."
That aside, the season's quality is tremendously high. However, there is a distinct shift in tone from Season One. The first season was fairly serious, with the Enterprise crew generally depicted in a manner convincing for a tight-knit military crew: They work well together, there are close friendships among the crew, but there is also a firm chain of command. They are not "family."
Season Two is where the more familiar "Enterprise family" feel that most people associate with TOS becomes prominent. With the notable exceptions of The Doomsday Machine and The Immunity Syndrome, Season One's disciplined military atmosphere has receded so far into the background as to barely even be present. The warmer atmosphere probably contributed to the show's enduring appeal, and it's very much the tone that the TOS movies would strive to emulate. But I have to admit, I personally preferred the crisper Season One atmosphere, and I do think that in making the Star Trek universe a warmer and friendlier place, something interesting was lost.
Speaking of shifting tones, Season Two sees the first real signs of "camp" in William Shatner's performance. His acting, very disciplined and occasionally even subtle through most of Season One, starts to tilt toward ham here, as Kirk begins to "emote" to sometimes comical effect. He's still good - at least, most of the time. But the hammier tendencies do emerge. Occasionally, they even start to detract - notably in Return to Tomorrow, in which Kirk's justly famous "Risk is our business" speech is oversold by Shatner to a degree that makes it impossible for me to watch with a straight face.
Season Three Wish List
I do hope Season Three sees an end to the "parallel Earth" episodes, just as Season Two has largely seen an end to the "superbeing" episodes. Both of these concepts have been thoroughly played out, and the series would be stronger just telling good, tight stories within the universe its created.
Other than that, most of my wishes are small. I'd like to see Shatner on a tighter reign in Season Three. Not too tight, mind you - much of the time, the Shatner!Ham! actually increases the series' entertainment value. But somebody needs to be on hand to tell him when it's time to dial it down a notch.
My single biggest wish, though, is just for the series to keep up the good work. For two seasons now, Star Trek has held up far better than most of its contemporaries in terms of quality storytelling. Season Two might have seen the show's first truly bad episodes, but bad episodes are still very rare exceptions to a series whose quality generally stands strong 45 years later.
Previous: Season One Overview
Next: Season Three Overview
Review Index
To receive new review updates, follow me:
On Twitter:
On Threads:
No comments:
Post a Comment