Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Conscience of the King







"The play. The play. The play's the thing, wherein we'll catch the conscience of the king."

This is a very dense episode; one that could even have been a two-parter if they had so desired. The story revolves around unmasking 'Kodos the Executioner' the man who killed 4000 colonists on Tarsus IV. Both Jim Kirk and Kevin Riley ( a communications officer aboard the Enterprise) were two of the nine people who witnessed the massacre 20 years ago. The other seven have all died in mysterious circumstances. The latest Dr. Tom Leighton, had called Kirk to Planet Q in the hope that Jim would back him up in exposing travelling thespian Anton Karidian as Kodos. Jim is unsure, but become suspicious when Tom is murdered whilst Karidian and his players are visiting. Thus begins a powerful and complicated tale with a performance of 'Hamlet' as the backdrop. There are two main plots. The first Jim's seduction of Lenore Karidian; the 19 year old daughter of Karidian; the second Spock's desperate struggle to get Jim to realize that he is the murderer's next target.
Firstly let's look at Jim and Lenore; what a complicated game of chess these two are playing with each other. Who is playing who? What are each one's motives and who will get hurt along the way? It seems that Jim has a game plan to seduce Lenore as a way of gaining information about her suspect father, but it seems that he is almost instantly besotted by her, or is he? It is almost impossible to tell; and we all know what a master Chess player Jim is. And he's not too bad at Poker either; he is playing his cards very close to his chest...I don't think he even knows what he is feeling. Jim manipulates circumstances so that the travelling players end up aboard the Enterprise, giving him the opportunity to investigate Karidian, and continue to seduce Lenore. Which he does masterfully, but Lenore is playing him like a Stradivaris as well. They both have ulterior motives and yet they are both falling in love with each other...to quote the Bard "Oh what a tangled web we weave."
Now let's look at Spock; and as a result, his relationship with Jim. Spock immediately becomes concerned when Lenore boards the Enterprise to beg a lift to their next engagement (a situation that Jim has set up). He is almost distraught that Jim is paying attention to this beautiful girl and that he is bucking regulations in the process. Kirk will not confide in Spock about his reasons for diverting the ship, nor his reasons for effectively demoting Kevin Riley (Jim moves Riley 'down' to engineering in a vain attempt to keep him safe from the possibility of being the next target). When Spock questions Jim's orders he is met with uncharacteristic shortness from his Captain. Now remember at this point he and Spock have become lovers and yet in this episode Jim blows Spock off for someone else. And the tension shows. My own explanation is that it seems that Jim is questioning whether he really wants to be exclusively tied to a man (Spock) and that Lenore beguiles him and makes him question his feelings about his homosexual relationship with Spock. Jim has been a ladies man all his life (well with the possible exception of Gary Mitchell) and is confronted with a very beautiful woman who returns his affection. When he falls, Jim does tend to fall head over heels in love (let's see: Edith, Miramanee, Rayna, yep head over heels for all of them).
Spock and McCoy have a long conversation about Jim's motivations, and Spock's reactions to events. We get an insight into a couple of things with the following dialogue:
MCCOY: Illogical? Did you get a look at that Juliet? That's a pretty exciting creature. Of course your, personal chemistry would prevent you from seeing that. Did it ever occur to you that he simply might like the girl?
SPOCK: It occurred. I dismissed it.
MCCOY: You would.
This little interchange tells me two things:
1. McCoy is clueless that Kirk and Spock have become lovers.
2. McCoy is fully aware that Spock is not interested in females all that much.
Spock goes through all the available records and discovers what is going on, and easily surmises that Karidian is Kodos and that Jim's life is in peril. Spock engages McCoy's assistance in confronting Kirk. Normally Jim would have spoken to both Spock and McCoy about his suspicions, so why has he not done it this time? The answer is Lenore and his feelings for her. He literally tells Spock to butt out and mind his own business, but Spock and McCoy both remind him that it is their business when the Enterprise is involved.
Jim is deeply conflicted for two reason, firstly as discussed above he has strong feelings for Lenore and secondly he needs to be 100% certain that Karidian is Kodos and certain that his motivation is one of desiring justice, not just vengeance.
Finally Jim confronts Anton Karidian and demands that he take a voice test to prove his guilt or innocence. Lenore is devastated that Jim would accuse her father of this heinous crime and she terminates their relationship with this bitter exchange:
LENORE: There's a stain of cruelty on your shining armour, Captain. You could have spared him, and me. You talked of using tools. I was a tool, wasn't l? A tool to use against my father. KIRK: In the beginning perhaps. But later, I wanted it to be more than that.
LENORE: Later. Everything's always later. Later. Latest. Too late. Too late, Captain. You are like your ship, powerful, and not human. There is no mercy in you.
KIRK: If he is Kodos, then I've shown him more mercy than he deserves. And if he isn't, then we'll let you off at Benecia, and no harm done.
LENORE: Captain Kirk. Who are you to say what harm was done?
KIRK: Who do I have to be?
Jim and Spock compare the voice recordings and confirm that Karidian is Kodos; meanwhile Riley who has been in Sick Bay recovering from the attempt on his life, discovers that Karidian is Kodos and takes a phaser to kill the man. Karidian and Lenore are performing 'Hamlet' when Riley makes his attempt; Kirk manages to stop him, but at the end of the play Lenore admits to her father that is was she who had killed all the surviving witnesses. Karidian is horrified and realizes that the blood of his deeds now stained his daughter as well. In her desire to kill Kirk she accidentally shoots and kills her father and suffers a complete emotional meltdown. She is completely insane and thus ends the sorry tale.
In the epilogue McCoy asks Jim about his feelings for Lenore and Jim will not answer...Curtain!
This episode is an emotional roller coaster for everyone involved; a brilliantly constructed story and brilliantly performed. As I said at the being it could easily have made a double episode, there was just so much ground to be covered. And we are treated to a number of wonderful quotations from Shakespeare. Just wonderful.


Miri








Ah 'Miri'...I love this episode and I think that it is one that is often under-rated. Many people seem to have a probelm with the episodes with children in them. Anyway, I find this a powerful and deeply moving episode that looks at the folly of a society that tries to prolong their life-spans and instead end up destroying themselves.

The Enterprise comes upon a planet identical in every way to contemporary Earth, except that when they beam down they are confronted with a ghost town or so it seems. They eventually encounter the only residents, a motely collection of children and a few adolescents. The crew quickly discover that there are no adults or 'grups' as the children call them. Everyone who reaches maturity dies of a hideous disease that covers their body with plaque and which finally sends them mad, before resulting in a horrible death.

The crew gets to work isolating the virus and searching for a cure, but the children, threatened by the adults presence, steal there communicators, thus stopping them from contacting the ship's computers to assist with the development of the antidote.

The major subplot concerns the beautiful young girl, Miri and her fate; she is about to enter adolescence and as such will soon succumb to the ravishes of the disease. Jim befriends her to gain her trust in the hope of helping all the children, but Miri develops a crush on the Captain and betrays the crewmembers in the hope of getting Jim away from her perceived rival, Janice Rand. I just want to acknowledge at this point, the outstanding effort from Grace Lee Whitney in this episode; it really is the highpoint for her character's involvement in TOS and she gives a powerful performance as she battles the disease and her feelings for Captain Kirk.

As the clock ticks, the landing party's tempers flare and a cure is found, but without the ship's computers McCoy and Spock have no way of knowing what dosage to use (with the absolutely marvelous line "beaker full of death" from Spock...LOL). Miri lures Yeoman Rand away and she is held prisoner by the children. Kirk decides that he must confront the children to gain Janice’s freedom and retrieve the vital communications devices.

Meanwhile McCoy decides that he must risk taking the serum, which he does with violent results. Kirk convinces the children in the nick of time; the serum works and all ends well.
This episode is chock full of tension and drama, and has the gentle and poignant 'love story' between Kirk and Miri at its core. If you haven't watched this one recently, please do again because it really is a gem.


Miri - Special Slash Notes


Okay so this is the first episode where I feel the need to write a 'special supplemental' post on the slash moments. About halfway through the episode we have one of the most tender scenes between Kirk and Spock that I have ever had the privilege to view (over and over again, I might add...LOL). The crew are discussing the situation with the progress of the disease (they all have it at this stage) and the following conversation takes place between the Captain and his First Officer (and by now lover):
SPOCK: The older the victim, the more rapid the progress of the disease.
KIRK: And you? The disease doesn't seem to be interested in you.
SPOCK: I am a carrier. Whatever happens, I can't go back to the ship, and I do want to go back to the ship, (long pause as he and Jim gaze with undisguised adoration into each other's eyes), Captain.
KIRK: Of course, Mister Spock (another long loving look at each other and a melting smile from Jim).
You do need to see this interchange to truly appreciate what is going on. To see how they look at each other and what is conveyed through their eyes and facial expressions. It is as beautiful and tender as the infamous 'this simple feeling' scene from Star Trek - The Motion Picture.
This is followed by a heart-wrenching scene when Janice confronts her growing fear as the disease takes over her body. In effect she admits her feelings for Jim and he comforts in a very stiff and uncomfortable way, obviously not wanting to lead her on. Only moments into their hug McCoy calls out to them to say he has isolated the virus and they rush back into the laboratory to hear the news. Janice and Jim reflexively hug in celebration but Jim quickly looks over his shoulder to beam another of his 'special' smiles at his real love...awww. I get gooey just thinking about these two moments, imagine how I am when I actually watch them.