{"id":3860,"date":"2014-07-30T13:00:51","date_gmt":"2014-07-30T20:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=3860"},"modified":"2014-07-05T14:05:27","modified_gmt":"2014-07-05T21:05:27","slug":"mark-watches-star-trek-s01e15-shore-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2014\/07\/mark-watches-star-trek-s01e15-shore-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Star Trek’: S01E15 – Shore Leave"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifteenth episode of the first season of\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>, the crew attempts a shore leave on an Earth-like planet, and it is THE WILDEST SHIT EVER. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Well, goddamn, that was a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

I’ve found that when Star Trek<\/i> takes a single plot and waits to reveal the source of conflict at the end, it’s often one of my favorites. This was done with “The Corbomite Maneuver” and, to an extent, “Balance of Terror” and “The Menagerie.” And this episode in particular is a hell of a slow burn, mostly because IT’S SO ENDLESSLY SURREAL. Despite things getting too real for me in one scene, it’s largely just a really fun episode!<\/p>\n

So! The team scouts an unnamed planet that has no life forms on it, which I initially took to mean no animals or creatures. But there were plants everywhere??? OH.\u00c2\u00a0IT WAS A CLUE<\/em>. And there are a lot of interesting details that make this episode such a rewarding experience. It’s clear fairly early on that whatever these people think about is manifested nearly immediately. The writers then toy with us, though, by making these creations undeniably real. They’re not hallucinations, as far as I could tell, because they interacted with the physical world in ways that felt far too real. How could Sulu shoot a gun and others\u00c2\u00a0hear<\/em> it if it’s just his hallucination? How could Lt. Martine’s hallucination tear her uniform? And then Kirk’s hallucination of an old Academy bully PUNCHES HIM IN THE FACE.<\/p>\n

Like “The Naked Time,” I did enjoy that this episode explored aspects of the various characters through the things this world created for them. The story highly suggested that the crew of the Enterprise works for months at a time without ever stepping foot on a planet for leisure. Their work exploring and categorizing the universe might bring them to new places, but if these past fifteen episodes have shown us anything, it’s that they encounter drama, intrigue, and a whole lot of exhaustion along the way. So, we’ve got Bones\u00c2\u00a0flirting, Sulu shooting a gun, Kirk reminiscing about a past love, and Yeoman Barrows desiring her own fantastical time with a man. There’s a decidedly sexual tone to parts of this episode, though I have to admit that it pretty much always involves the sexualization of women. (Bones’s final manifestation of the cabaret dancers is clearly the most egregious example of that on one end of the spectrum. On the other end, you’ve got Barrows more or less being assaulted by her Don Juan creation? The implications of that one are kind of a mess, too.) And throughout all of this, the characters are increasingly frustrated by the reasoning for this phenomenon.<\/p>\n

I think Kirk’s vicious fight with Finnigan was definitely the best way of showing us the dynamic at work here. It’s a brutal thing to watch at times, and I kept wondering why Kirk was engaging with a being he\u00c2\u00a0knew<\/em> couldn’t possibly exist. He’d already questioned the appearance of Ruth, since he knew that she couldn’t have stopped aging and then magically appeared once he thought of her. Yet he still kisses her and he still fights Finnegan. At the root of this absurd experience is\u00c2\u00a0desire<\/em>. The eventual reveal \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/em> found a planet designed to be the most personal amusement park ever \u00e2\u20ac\u201c actually explains this super well! What would happen if your ever dream or desire became real\u00c2\u00a0but you weren’t told this was going to happen<\/em>? I think it beautifully explains the conflicting and confusing reactions the crew has. They know this can’t truly happen, but you know what? This is the crew of the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/em>. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WEIRD SHIT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM? On top of that, what if something you’ve always wanted is suddenly right in front of you?<\/p>\n

But the disturbing aspect of this part manifests when people start thinking of shit they\u00c2\u00a0don’t<\/em> actually want. The tiger; the World War II fighter jet; the knight who IMPALES BONES AND KILLS HIM AND THIS WAS GENUINELY SHOCKING TO ME. I WAS NUMB WITH SHOCK BECAUSE HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU DO THAT. HOW CAN YOU KILL ONE OF THE MAIN CAST MEMBERS IN THE FIFTEENTH EPISODE. HOW?!?!?!<\/p>\n

If there’s anything here in “Shore Leave” that sells this episode, though, it’s the use of the first open-air setting in\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>I eventually recognized the rocks where Finnigan taunted Kirk, though I had to look up the name of the park (It’s the Vasquez Rocks!) The use of the setting in this story is EVERYTHING. Getting to see the cast run about this place gave a sense of realism to the episode, but it was also cleverly used to accent the surreality, too! But holy shit, this is just so\u00c2\u00a0gorgeous<\/em>. I realize that part of the appeal of this is the fact that the episode wasn’t filmed in a sound studio, but I don’t want to denigrate what a great experience this was otherwise.<\/p>\n

Let’s also not forget that Spock never once gets his desires manifested by this place because, as it turns out, his ultimate amusement is watching Captain Kirk and Bones make utter fools of themselves. THIS IS 100% CANON. So is the fact that Kirk thought he was getting a massage from Spock. JUST?!??!?! WOW, THAT WAS TOO MUCH.<\/p>\n

The video for “Shore Leave” can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!<\/span><\/a>
\n– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com<\/span><\/a>. All Mark Watches videos for past shows\/season are now archived there!
\n– My Master Schedule<\/span><\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Feature will be Farscape<\/i>. <\/b><\/span>
\n– I will be at quite a few conventions and will be hosting events throughout the US, Canada, and Europe in 2014, so check my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page<\/span><\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city!
\n– Inspired by last year’s impromptu event in London, I am taking Mark in the Park on the road! You can see all currently planned dates and pitch your own city here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"