tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post4703669774328168161..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Star Trek 50th Anniversary Blogging: "The Enemy Within" (October 6, 1966)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-27194197506977924672016-04-03T03:02:48.091-04:002016-04-03T03:02:48.091-04:00"The Enemy Within" was written by the gr..."The Enemy Within" was written by the great Richard Matheson, whose observations about humans' darker emotions and common fears were so revelatory. This was the third time William Shatner performed a story by Matheson, who wrote both of Shatner's memorable excursions into The Twilight Zone, "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" and "Nick of Time". <br /><br />I always thought of Spock's bizarre comment to Rand as an early unsuccessful attempt on his part to execute a joke, which he poorly understood. I've often wondered if that wasn't an attempt to begin a point of character progression that was supposed to unfold over an arc of episodes but never really went anywhere--although Spock did become more adept with sarcastic wit in brief moments as time went on. Sherinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-64679435834530795002016-02-10T12:15:27.531-05:002016-02-10T12:15:27.531-05:00"The Enemy Within" has long been a favou..."The Enemy Within" has long been a favourite <b>Trek</b> of mine; I haven't seen it in years but I remember it still being impressive... even with those embedded, and distracting, production blips.<br /><br />I disagree that the episode is an "absolute mess from a visual standpoint". There are problems, of course, but hardly "absolute".<br /><br /><b>Star Trek</b> generally had fairly high production standards, but things did slip from time to time, with some episodes containing more sub-standards than others. (Wait till "Court Martial" rolls around: There's that standard 20th Century omni-directional mic being used as an audio tracker/scanner.)<br /><br />As a film/tv friend of mine would say: "You win some, you lose some."<br /><br />There are many ingredients for the "win" column here, such as Sol Kaplan's superb score. This episode is driven forward by Shatner, the music, and the editing. Jerry Finnerman's photography is also exemplary... as per the norm, it would seem.<br /><br />That flopped-shot reversed-facial-scratches ending, however, does pop you out of the story. It's a major blooper, no doubt about it. (Apparently the shot had to be reversed in editorial due to an action-axis problem in the original staging that had been done on the set.)<br /><br />By the way: The shuttlecraft was always in the cards, but the studio understandably did not want to spring for its (expensive) construction without assurances that the show would be picked up by NBC for the remainder of the first season. Once the green-light was given, designer Matt Jefferies' designs (interior and exterior) were realized by Thomas Kellogg, Gene Winfield, and their construction crew, at AMT's Speed and Custom Division in Phoenix, Arizona. Final cost: $24,000 (about $180,000 in today's cash... a cost-of-living adjustment, not a "production inflation" one).<br /><br />But, perhaps the <b>Star Trek</b> producers should have saved "The Enemy Within" for after the green-light.<br /><br />As for the episode's actual "story", <i>the</i> most important ingredient, is a great one. And, as you state, John, Shatner is great.<br /><br />One last point on an issue that you touch upon: Spock's 'behaviour' towards Yeoman Rand on the bridge could be considered today to be "workplace harassment". (As Spock said to Rand in "Miri", a later episode: "Think about it!")Barry Smighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02464450751543573690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-11986749432689526932016-02-09T20:31:46.324-05:002016-02-09T20:31:46.324-05:00John,
I'll have to respectfully disagree that ...John,<br />I'll have to respectfully disagree that "The Enemy Within" hasn't aged well, but I also can appreciate your points regarding the more dated aspects. I still enjoy the "rough around the edges" quality of this and other early first season episodes. "The Imposter" Kirk blasts a hole in an engineering tube when Spock administers the first-ever FVNP (Famous Vulcan Neck Pinch); a couple of scenes later, they're using that same hole in the wall to explain the burnout in the transporter circuits.<br />However, I am in full agreement with you about Spock's comments at the end of the show. Was what he said EVER acceptable, even in the 60's? Either Spock is trolling, decades before that phrase was so used, or in context, he was trying to provoke a reaction to analyze the Yeoman's emotions.<br />Okay, I'm rationalizing, in the same way I like to tell myself that the shuttlecraft hadn't been placed on the Enterprise yet, fan-explaining away their absence. I'm sure the show runners knew about this point also, but weren't about to let a great idea from a name writer slip away due to a technicality.<br />Not a very air-tight episode, but colorful, provocative and Shatner-iffic.<br />SteveAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13101722769411384962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-18735581315686599012016-02-09T16:52:41.990-05:002016-02-09T16:52:41.990-05:00John insightful review of this great episode for K...John insightful review of this great episode for Kirk(Shatner) mistakes included.<br /><br />SGBSGBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07137406272001346149noreply@blogger.com