STARDATE: 4978.5
The
U.S.S. Enterprise visits the Arcadian star system and the mining planet Mother-lode
in search of the con-man Harry Mudd (Roger Carmel), who is wanted in the Federation for fraud and
swindling. Harry surrenders rather than
face the wrath of the miners when they learn that he has falsified the results
of the love potion he is currently peddling.
Once
aboard the Enterprise, however, Mudd provides a sample of his love potion to
Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett), who soon uses it on Spock. The “love crystal” has its desired effect, and
transforms Spock into a love-sick, emotional basket-case.
When
Chapel and Mudd become trapped on an M-class planet inhabited by giant rock
creatures, Spock’s new-found emotions could cost them their lives…
As
a series that so often distinguishes itself as an avenue for mature, cerebral, sci-fi storytelling, it’s always a shame to witness a Star Trek: The Animated Series
installment like “Mudd’s Passion,” which is a sequel to “Mudd’s Women” and “I
Mudd,” but which treats its subject matter -- a love potion -- in a highly juvenile fashion.
In particular, the episode resolution, which
finds giant rock dinosaurs falling in love with each other after exposure to
the “crystals” is rather childish and silly.
Equally
insulting, however, is the depiction of Nurse Christine Chapel. T
This episode seems to forget that the
character is a professional woman, and a Starfleet officer to boot. No matter what her romantic feelings for Mr.
Spock, it hardly seems likely Chapel would work with a scoundrel like Harry Mudd
simply to make the science officer fall in love with her.
Similarly, Chapel essentially slips a fellow crew-member an illicit, untried
drug, and again, that seems like a court-martial offense. What if the crystals had killed Spock? What right had she to impose her will on him, using a dangerous substance?
I’m not a stickler for characters acting “perfect”
(a la The Next Generation), but Chapel’s behavior in this episode is absolutely
terribly, and unworthy of a Starfleet officer.
Yes, she makes a mistake, but this mistake is also a considerable lapse in
judgment.
In
toto, “Mudd’s Passion” doesn’t even cohere very well as a narrative. Chapel and Mudd just happen to leave the
Enterprise for a planet inhabited by giant rock monsters?
And there just happen to be two of them (and
a male and a female, at that?) The word “contrived”
doesn’t begin to cover the nature of this particular story. It's all designed to be funny, and charming, but again, just transmits as kind of insulting.
Despite
such problems, "Mudd's Passion" does boast some virtues. For one thing, this episode provides a great, rare close-up view of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s amazing shuttle deck, and fleet of
shuttles.
And for another, the episode
attempts to make the wholly worthwhile point that you can’t make one change in
a person without that change having a kind of domino-effect.
The love potion works all right, but the
period of love it generates is followed by a period of intense hate.
Like everything in life, there is a cost to
getting (by force and manipulation) what you think you desire most.
Next
week: “The Terratin Incident.”
John, I hope your family's summer is going well.
ReplyDeleteA very accurate review of "Mudd's Passion". A childish sequel to TOS Mudd episodes. As a young boy, I watched this first-run on Saturday morning during the 1973-74 season. Unfortunately, they chose to simplify it too much for us. The high point of the episode for me, like you, was seeing the hangar deck with all the various shuttlecrafts.
SGB
I have to highly disagree here. I thought the episode was thought provoking, touching and a testament to how far television had come. Oh, who am I kidding, your review nailed it.
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