50. Return to Tomorrow
FORMULA: Who Mourns for Adonais? + What Are Little Girls Made of? + Metamorphosis
WHY WE LIKE IT: A strong romance with plenty of twists and turns.
WHY WE DON'T: What does that title mean?!?
REVIEW: The forgetably-titled Return to Tomorrow is one of the stronger possession stories Trek has told, in great part thanks to the acting of all involved. I caught myself thinking of Kirk as Sargon, or Spock as Henoch, so different were the performances. Not broadly different, mind you. They were just right. We didn't really know Dr. Ann Mulhall before she became Thalassa, but Diana Muldaur has the artistocratic bearing to pull off the latter character. I'd say Dr. Mulhall was fairly uninteresting by herself, but her embarassment after the last kiss was really well acted.
It's a grand love story spanning thousands of years, beautiful and tragic. The antagonists are a spurned lover (subtly played) and the temptations of the flesh. Sargon hints that their race might be responsible for our story of Adam and Eve, and that comment, while considered untrue by the characters, rings through the episode, as Eve/Thalassa is corrupted by Satan/Henoch (as is Nurse Chapel). But Sargon is smarter than all of them, and the final twists and turns the story takes create a lot of tension. You don't realize what's really going on until it's all over. It keeps you guessing and doesn't disappoint.
If I had to quibble, it would have to be with the lighting effects used to show the possession of various characters. While simple and usually effective, in the final scene, what with all the body-switching going on, you can practically see one light source turn off and the other on. But that's a very minor quibble, as otherwise, the show is strongly written, directed and acted. Who can forget Kirk's "Risk is our business" speech?
LESSON: Dr. Pulaski's ancestor was an astrobiologist... whatever that is.
REWATCHABILITY - High: Having the main actors BE the guest-stars works to the script's advantage, and the mythic themes are supported by an unpredictable plot. I'd forgotten how good this one was.
FORMULA: Who Mourns for Adonais? + What Are Little Girls Made of? + Metamorphosis
WHY WE LIKE IT: A strong romance with plenty of twists and turns.WHY WE DON'T: What does that title mean?!?
REVIEW: The forgetably-titled Return to Tomorrow is one of the stronger possession stories Trek has told, in great part thanks to the acting of all involved. I caught myself thinking of Kirk as Sargon, or Spock as Henoch, so different were the performances. Not broadly different, mind you. They were just right. We didn't really know Dr. Ann Mulhall before she became Thalassa, but Diana Muldaur has the artistocratic bearing to pull off the latter character. I'd say Dr. Mulhall was fairly uninteresting by herself, but her embarassment after the last kiss was really well acted.
It's a grand love story spanning thousands of years, beautiful and tragic. The antagonists are a spurned lover (subtly played) and the temptations of the flesh. Sargon hints that their race might be responsible for our story of Adam and Eve, and that comment, while considered untrue by the characters, rings through the episode, as Eve/Thalassa is corrupted by Satan/Henoch (as is Nurse Chapel). But Sargon is smarter than all of them, and the final twists and turns the story takes create a lot of tension. You don't realize what's really going on until it's all over. It keeps you guessing and doesn't disappoint.
If I had to quibble, it would have to be with the lighting effects used to show the possession of various characters. While simple and usually effective, in the final scene, what with all the body-switching going on, you can practically see one light source turn off and the other on. But that's a very minor quibble, as otherwise, the show is strongly written, directed and acted. Who can forget Kirk's "Risk is our business" speech?
LESSON: Dr. Pulaski's ancestor was an astrobiologist... whatever that is.
REWATCHABILITY - High: Having the main actors BE the guest-stars works to the script's advantage, and the mythic themes are supported by an unpredictable plot. I'd forgotten how good this one was.
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