THE PLOT
The Enterprise is in the grip of a space plague (*drink*), the only cure for which is a substance known as ryetalyn. The ship's sensors have detected ryetalyn on an apparently uninhabited planet. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beam down to secure it, only to find themselves confronted by Flint (James Daly), a man who has staked a claim to this world as his retreat from humanity.
After some negotiation, Flint agrees to help Kirk and his crew mine and process their cure. He then brings the three men to his palatial estate, which he shares with his ward, Rayna (Louise Sorel). As Flint's robot helper processes the ore, he entertains his guests. He takes particular care to push Rayna and Kirk together, then reacts with jealousy to their growing closeness. Spock advises Kirk to focus less on Rayna and more on the ryetalyn. But as Kirk pushes his attachment with Rayna ever further, he moves his entire crew toward a direct conflict with Flint - who has resources at his disposal that Kirk has yet to even guess at!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Kirk: Most of his third season performances have been marked by ham. That's actually been a good thing for many of the episodes, as Shatner's ham has created mild entertainment value in shows that otherwise would probably have had none. Presented with a quality script by a good writer, though, he can't quite shake the habit. After giving a mostly enjoyably subdued performance for the first forty minutes, he lets loose at the end. He declares to Rayna, "YOU love ME!" Then he delivers a speech commenting on how "the human spirit is FREE!" The first forty minutes of the episode provide a reminder of just how good Shatner can be, given material worth playing. It is clear, though, that no one is holding his leash anymore. With large swaths of the original production team gone, there is simply no one left to reign him in.
Spock: Pragmatic as always, Spock tries to keep Kirk focused on their immediate priority: the ryetalyn. He uses his tricorder to scan everything in Flint's home, and slowly puts the pieces together. He suspects the truth long before it is revealed. He shows his friendship for Kirk and his protectiveness of Kirk's feelings by trying to keep the captain from going into the forbidden room at the end, knowing that Kirk will be hurt by what they will find.
Dr. McCoy: McCoy, the humanist, defuses the initial confrontation with Flint by comparing the symptoms of the epidemic on Enterprise to the plague. This prompts Flint to recall the plague on Earth, making him more receptive to the idea of inviting them to his home. McCoy is charmed by Rayna, but remains focused on the ryetalyn. He more or less forgets about the girl once the robot improperly processes the drug the first time, and he calls out Flint for the cruelty of his plans. He also gets a short speech at the end, in which he explains to Spock why he feels sorry for Spock's inability to appreciate love (was he asleep during This Side of Paradise?) - a speech which is highly theatrical, but which Kelly's delivery really helps to sell.
Villain of the Week: Flint (James Daly) is one of the richer guest characters of the third season. He fills the role of the episode's villain, acting against Kirk in particular and the Enterprise crew in general. Still, he remains a thoughtful and even sympathetic character. Daly's performance is effective, and the script provides him some excellent dialogue, from a recollection of the sounds of rats dying during the plague to some highly memorable monologues near the end about love and death.
Hot Space Babes of the Week: Louise Sorel is Rayna, Flint's ward. Sorel is very good, investing Rayna with more substance than perhaps is there on the page. She is particularly strong when Kirk and Flint are fighting over her, and she declares, first weakly and then more strongly, "I will not be the cause of this."
THOUGHTS
Jerome Bixby returns with another well-written script. Requiem for Methuselah has obviously been written with an eye toward the series' greatly-depleted budget, and is yet another show which could easily be adapted into a stage play. In its staginess and its ending revelation, this is not far removed from the type of story regularly seen in Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. But that's hardly a knock, and Requiem for Methuselah is a reminder of much better days for Star Trek.
Bixby has carefully structured his story. He begins with a ticking clock. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy have only four hours before it will be too late to save the crew. That means that the entire episode takes place over only a few hours, making the action very compact. The intellectual plot, with the triangle of Flint, Kirk, and Rayna, is never allowed to become dry, because Bixby makes sure to introduced threats. First, there's the plague on Enterprise. Then there's Flint's robot. Finally, there is Flint himself, who shows near the end exactly how powerful he is.
Though vastly better than what we've been getting, this still falls short of being one of Trek'sgreats. There are definitely one or two speeches too many, and there are spots in the episode in which my attention begins to drift - if only for a minute or two. And though it's very thoughtful and works dramatically within the piece, the resolution of the Flint/Kirk/Rayna triangle still doesn't entirely convince.
In terms of both story and performances, however, this is the best episode since Day of the Dove. A thoughtful and carefully-crafted script, strong performances, and a production that makes good use of the limited budget available. After a run of shows that have ranged from "interesting failure" to "fun crap" to "just plain crap," the quality of this piece was extremely welcome.
Rating: 7/10.
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They only have four hours, or everyone on the ship will die, and Kirk falls in love? For one thing, most of us take more than FOUR LOUSY HOURS to fall in love with someone. For another thing, the Kirk we know from the first 2.5 seasons would be focused on the danger to his crew and would not need for Spock to remind him that FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY PEOPLE WILL DIE unless Kirk pays attention to the ryetalin and not the girl.
ReplyDeleteI thought the 6000-year-old man who'd been Brahms, DaVinci, and others was a very clever idea. I thought the love triangle was badly thought out and completely implausible.