An odd episode this one, it was almost in two halves for me.
I'll start right out by admitting that I can't stand Harry Mudd. Having said that the episode doesn't start out as badly as I'd feared. Harry, despite being annoying right off the bat, isn't the only source of amusement here, and in fact, it's the more subtle humour, like the effect of the women on the male officers that I found more enjoyable. De Kelley gets to stretch his acting muscles a little, as does Jimmy Doohan. It's odd that so far, Sulu's coming across as somewhat juvenile for all intents and purposes. Still, not exactly a complaint.
Sadly, the second half never quite lives up to the first IMO. Ultimately it didn't prove to be a story that I found to be particularly appealing or enjoyable for that matter, and whilst it may have been original to a degree at the time, I doubt I'd have liked it too much even if I'd seen it in the 60's. The story just wasn't engaging for me, and although this can sometimes be overcome by the quality of the character writing, there wasn't enough of it here to make a difference.
The weakest episode thusfar in my estimation I'm afraid, and I'm really, really not looking forward to the reappearance of Harry later on in the series :rolleyes:
What amazed me, watching this just now, is that despite the fact I can't stand the episode it still flew by, so I must have enjoyed something about it.
I don't dislike Harry Mudd as much as you do, James. Some of it I find quite amusing, some of it is irritating. What I hate most about this episode is the way they force the three women to pout into camera in soft focus (like it's going to make any of them look any less ugly :rolleyes: ) with that awful music and then seeing the men act like they've never seen a female before. It just doesn't work. And it's not like the crew is exclusively male, either. Hell, I'd take Uhura over any of this lot any day.
But there are some aspects of the episode that I do like. I like the set up. I like the way Kirk risks the Enterprise in order to rescue Mudd and his "cargo". I like the way that, in doing so, the Enterprise burns up all but one of its lithium crystals. I like the way that results in them having to go to the mining colony and the trade that ensues. I even like the way Kirk doesn't get - and actually doesn't want - the girl. That all works very well for me.
They never really explain why Ruth sets off McCoy's medical scanner in the way that she does, or even how the Venus drug works. It's a pill that turns them from old hags into beautiful young women, and it does their make-up at the same time. Hmmm. Really it's just an excuse for Roddenberry (for the story was his idea) to say you're only as beautiful as you feel inside. Awww bless. Soppy old sod.
It's undoubtedly the poorest episode so far, firmly rooted in the 60s in both its attitudes and its execution. I'm glad it's out of the way.