Mark Watches ‘Star Trek’: S02E01 – Amok Time

In the first episode of the second season of Star Trek, THIS EPISODE WAS TOO MUCH. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek. 

HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT.

Well, this episode nearly ruined me. Y’all are welcome to look back to my review of “Operation: Annihilate!,” where I mentioned how shocked I was at how far the premise was taken. Because this episode? IT GOES SO FAR INTO NOT OKAY TERRITORY AND THIS IS THE FIRST EPISODE OF THE SEASON.

My body is not ready for season 2.

Chekov / Live Long and Prosper

I don’t this is going to be the sole instance of me realizing that I actually did know something more about Star Trek, but IT HAS HAPPENED. Two times in one episode, I was able to finally put some sort of context to both of these Trek references. “Amok Time” introduces Ensign Chekov, which… LORD. I just asked for more accents on the Enterprise AND MY REQUEST WAS GRANTED IN THE FIRST EPISODE. There are a decent number of scenes with him in it here, all of which are interactions with Sulu. He feels like the youngest member of the crew, and his attitude seems to reflect that. It’s neat! I realized that I’d heard of Chekov’s name because of the now infamous Patton Oswalt joke, “Physics for Poets,” which was plagiarized multiple times a few years ago. AND NOW I SORT OF UNDERSTAND IT MORE, OH MY GOD. If all of season two is just Chekov being peeved and sarcastic with Sulu, I AM DEFINITELY GOING TO LOVE THIS.

I was also able to finally see the first use of the Vulcan salute. LIVE LONG AND PROSPER! That is a thing I knew! OH MY GOD THIS IS SO COOL.

I will not apologize for my excitement.

EVERYTHING IS CONFUSING

This is such a neat episode to think about in hindsight because it’s got such definable parts to it. We go from the first “act” – which is largely utter confusion around Spock’s behavior – to the explanation and the emotional importance of Vulcan biology/culture. And then there’s the third part, which I’ll get to because HOLY SHIT WHAT HAS THIS SHOW DONE. But the first third of “Amok Time” is an incredible use of the existing characterization for Spock. This story relies on us understanding his commitment to logic and his lack of emotions. It’s why it packs such a punch.

When Bones reports Spock’s bizarre behavior to Kirk, it’s clearly a bit disconcerting, but it’s not until we see it that we understand just how surreal this is going to be. For a being with no need for emotions, HE IS CLEARLY VERY EMOTIONAL WHEN HE IS REJECTING THE SOUP THAT NURSE CHAPEL MADE. Very emotional. And rude! Deliberately rude! But if this was just a case of Spock overreacting or being controlled by a parasite or a disease, I don’t think it would have been such a memorable story. It’s when we see how reluctant and ashamed he is of his condition that we begin to understand what a huge deal this is for Spock. The fact that we see him act embarrassed in the first place is a monumental moment for this character!

It’s in this that we get a glimpse of Spock’s otherness, something that has never really bothered him before. Hell, he often takes pride in being non-human or having a Vulcan side. It’s an ongoing joke that he believes he is superior to all humans! Except when he feels drawn back to Vulcan because of his biology and his culture, he has to grasp with the fact that the people around him can never understand his own culture. And goddamn, y’all, it’s one of the saddest things this show has ever done. Look, it’s not like Spock mistrusts his best friend, and thankfully, the show doesn’t even entertain this idea. We are given a sympathetic view of Spock’s predicament. He doesn’t know if Kirk will understand what he’s going through! He doesn’t know if his friend will make fun of him or ignore him or dismiss him or any number of negative reactions.

That doesn’t mean that Kirk is a bad friend. This made me wonder how much discrimination Spock had gone through in his life as a half-human, half-Vulcan. His own people seem to revere him, but were humans as accepting as the Vulcans? How long did it take the Federation to accept a non-human? Of course, there’s a really fascinating unintentional metaphor here, one that marginalized folk around the world might be able to relate with. When you’re stuck in dominant power structures, you sometimes cannot even trust the nicest, most supportive people. It’s possible they will turn on you in subtle ways and never even believe they did anything wrong.

Thankfully, both Kirk and Bones prove what good friends they are. SO MUCH FRIENDSHIP IN ONE EPISODE.

The Truth

At this point, “Amok Time” transitions to one of my favorite scenes in Star Trek history: Spock trying to explain to Kirk why his behavior has been so erratic. I think it was smart of the writers to keep Spock so ambiguous during this because it makes the surprises later about a billion times more powerful. But this also gives Leonard Nimoy a chance to portray Spock as vulnerable and frightened, and HE IS A NATIONAL TREASURE FOR IT. I mean, this whole episode has so many wonderful moments of Nimoy’s acting, but I think that Spock’s admission of the biological custom he must partake in is perhaps the best part. It’s a great demonstration of how much he respects Kirk, and it provides us with a fascinating look at how a half-Vulcan person would act.

And goddamn it, LOOK AT HOW FAR KIRK IS WILLING TO GO FOR HIS FRIEND ONCE HE KNOWS THE TRUTH. He risks upsetting his superiors. He risks disobeying the Federation. HE PUTS HIS FRIEND ABOVE DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS. Is it foolish? Of course! This wouldn’t be the same unless it was, you know?

I HAVE SO MANY KIRK SPOCK FEELS BECAUSE OF THIS EPISODE.

The Confrontation

And let’s be real: if this episode’s unreal and frightening climactic fight had not ended as it had, I don’t think we’d have gotten the character growth for Spock. It’s a beautiful thing to witness, but before we get there? Star Trek goes to increasingly dark places. This is our first complete introduction to the world of the Vulcans, and I AM SO FASCINATED. Because what we get here is a portrayal that’s both critical and sympathetic to these people, one that establishes them as somewhat alien, and yet very human at the same time. There are just so many ways the idea of this arranged marriage could have been done terribly. And the same goes with the whole bit about the winner of the battle “owning” their wife. BECAUSE I HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS, TOO.

Really, there’s two stand-out aspects to the final third of “Amok Time”: the fight between Kirk and Spock itself, and the way in which the episode demonstrates that both of the women here are CLEARLY IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING. I mean, seriously, look what T’Pau did to get exactly what she wanted. It’s presented to us and to Spock as an act of pure logic. In an extension of the characterization we’ve seen of Spock over the course of this show, the Vulcan commitment to logic is presented just as brutally as it has been in the past. This sort of consistency is satisfying to watch because it’s clear the writers care about how they write all of this. But I also loved the dynamic we get from T’Pring and T’Pau, who use logic for their own end and are not shamed for doing so. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a kind of Vulcan sexism, as I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about Vulcans as ANYONE EVER. But both characters are presented to us as powerful people who are well-respected within their communities and are typical of Vulcans as a society.

BUT THE FIGHT. My shock over T’Pau choosing Kirk? IT’S NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN KIRK AND SPOCK HAVE TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH. I even figured out that there had to be more to this ceremony, and that did not matter. It didn’t matter because this show was going to take a trope and it was going to IGNORE THE USUAL WAY IT ENDS AND IT WAS GOING TO CONFUSE ME AND BREAK MY HEART. Like, y’all, I thought Kirk and Spock’s fight was ridiculously thrilling, and I also fully believed there’d be some exception at the end and they’d hug and everything would be fine and then –

what

but

BUT

BUT WHY ISN’T HE BREATHIN

NO

NO WHAT THE FUCK

BUT YOU CAN’T DO THAT 

And I kept waiting for Kirk to wake up and sneak off to the Enterprise and everything is okay, haha, we tricked you??? BUT THERE HE IS, DEAD ON THE GROUND.

HE’S DEAD.

WHY IS THE EPISODE STILL GOING. OH MY GOD, THEY HAVE FULLY COMMITTED TO THIS, LOOK HOW SAD SPOCK IS WHAT THE FUCK HAS THIS SHOW DONE.

I do not care one bit that this was all a trick. I don’t. I am 100% fine with this because we are then gifted, with trumpets sounding from the heavens, with Spock smiling and acting joyously surprised that his best friend is still alive.

It is worth every fucking second I have lived on this planet. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Oh my god, I loved this episode SO MUCH.

The video for “Amok Time” can be downloaded here for $0.99.

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