The Naked Time (TOS)

I am definitely developing a new appreciation for the classics through this project. While Nathan basically panned TNG's sequel to this episode, "The Naked Now," I have a much more favorable view of the original, which basically blew me away. Not because it was about anything, just because it's wildly entertaining and pretty funny. Nathan's complaint was that he didn't feel like he knew the characters well enough for their playing against type to be entertaining, but somehow here it works. 

For one thing, the focus isn't on the decline of the regulars. For most of the episode, it's redshirts and Sulu who get affected. McCoy, Scotty, Rand, and, most notably, Uhura (who is such a badass this episode, more on that later) never succumb to symptoms at all. And Spock and Kirk are only hit at the last moment.

So because it's not regulars, it's not so much about playing against type as doing really ridiculously over the top things -- like the now-iconic shirtless, swashbuckling Sulu, and Lt. Riley locking himself in the engine room singing drinking songs. But the episode never becomes a comedy. All of the ridiculous symptoms are played against effectively built tension as the ship sinks ever closer to its doom. This seems to be a winning formula unique to classic Trek: over-the-top goofiness that inexplicably but impressively co-exists with legitimately compelling drama.

That's what really makes this work and "Naked Now" fail, that balance of goofiness and legitimate tension. TNG's offering, by contrast, trades way too much goofy for way too little tension. A better comparison here is DS9's "Babel" actually, which is another outbreak story with believable tension and some goofy disease moments. Still, I like this the best of the three. It could be that TOS's baseline cheesiness works in it's favor, also.

I love the abstract way the disease is portrayed/presented, with people looking at their hands and the audio cue of a rattle, that's ambiguously either in their heads or just in the score. There's so much art to the directing in this episode; a lot of the story is shown rather than told.

There's some acting by Nimoy and Shatner that straddles the line between good and hammy. I think it's acting that would be good if the emotional beats felt earned, feels hammy because they're not, but sort of bounces back to good because that's the whole point. The writers can't resist to explore Spock's hidden emotions, even when the paint's barely dry on the facade. But a good turn by Majel Barret (Roddenberry?) as Nurse Christine Chapel (her first appearance in that role) does wonders to make this first delve into Spock's emotions meaningful.

By biggest complaint is the weird, random time travel ending, which doesn't fit into the plot at all. Sources suggest this was meant to be part one of a two-parter, with "Tomorrow is Yesterday" (which falls much later in the season.) This makes some sense but, also has problems. One, it would have been less like a two-parter and more like the teasers at the ends of Sliders episodes: kind of pointless. Two, they clearly had time to edit the script to not be "To be continued...", so why didn't they have time to take out the pointless time travel all together?

Oh well, small potatoes. If TOS keeps turning out episodes like this, I predict this franchise will go places. I'm calling it now: 6 movies and a season*!

Random Observations:

- Big episode for firsts: First Vulcan neck pinch, first utterance of "I canna change the laws of physics, Capn," and, as mentioned, first appearance of Nurse Chapel. I am also told this is the only time all three female recurring crewmen (Uhura, Rand, and Chapel) all appear in the same episode.

- This is a big episode for Scotty, who's really doing the brunt of the ship-saving, though, as usual, Kirk gets the glory.

- Meanwhile, Uhura is holding things together on the bridge while pretty much everyone else either goes crazy or runs off to put out fires elsewhere. Real MVPs for the little guys, which is rare and nice to see on TOS, which was never quite as much an ensemble show as it's successors.

- We have now seen all of Mrs. Roddenberry's major roles on this blog: Lwaxana Troi, Nurse Chapel, The Cage"'s "Number One," and, of course, the voice of the Starfleet computers. I'm realizing she was really a very versatile actor. (The only non-Trek role I can recall seeing her in was in Earth: The Final Conflict, where she also played a doctor, but a very different role than any of the above.)

- I love the little references to the ship's gym and bowling alley. It's a home!

- Man, how much would it suck to be Riley after that episode. Like anyone's going to let you forget singing Irish drinking songs, giving unsolicited fashion tips, making vaguely racist comments and, oh yeah, almost destroying the ship.

- Some housekeeping notes: pictures to come tomorrow and next week, double Deep Space Nine to make up for my skipped week.

*3 seasons, but I needed to make my Community reference land.