{"id":4046,"date":"2014-09-24T13:00:32","date_gmt":"2014-09-24T20:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4046"},"modified":"2014-09-18T18:57:38","modified_gmt":"2014-09-19T01:57:38","slug":"mark-watches-star-trek-s02e05-the-apple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2014\/09\/mark-watches-star-trek-s02e05-the-apple\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Star Trek’: S02E05 – The Apple"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifth episode of the second season of\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>, the crew finds paradise, and then literally seconds later it’s the worst thing ever. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Well, that was a weird one.<\/p>\n

I think my ultimate problem with “The Apple” is that it raises so many interesting questions and then doesn’t answer any of them. The potential here is ridiculous, and I didn’t get a sense of closure or satisfaction from the story. But I admit I have complicated feelings about what happened here. It’s fascinating as much as it’s frustrating, and if this episode hadn’t shown as much promise as it did, then I probably wouldn’t have been so conflicted.<\/p>\n

To start things off, it’s clear that it’s difficult to divorce “The Apple” from the notions of colonization and imperialism that are part of this story. My absolute favorite scene in this episode is between Spock and Bones as the two discuss whether or not they\u00c2\u00a0can<\/em> intervene to help the people of Gamma Trianguli VI. Hell, are they even being\u00c2\u00a0saved<\/em> if the crew does choose to intervene? So it’s important to discuss the affect the Prime Directive has on this. The missions the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/em> are sent on are about mapping the galaxy and exploring new worlds. Occasionally, they have to intervene in conflicts to protect others, but by and large, I’d say they avoid being an imperialistic force.<\/p>\n

But there’s still a fine line between being an explorer and an imperialist, and that line absolutely blurs here. When multiple crew members perish because of the acts of Vaal, they’re largely convinced that they need to end Vaal’s control over the people of this world. Except… lord, it’s so much more complicated than that! As much as the crew wanted to categorize these people as “primitive,” thereby making it easier to deal with them, is that\u00c2\u00a0really<\/em> the right term for them? Vaal manipulated the atmosphere so that the people who fed him\u00c2\u00a0LITERALLY DID NOT AGE\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>and changed the soil composition so that the crops were healthy and abundant. In exchange, the Feeders of Vaal fed Vaal when it was hungry. (Do you know how long it took me to figure out that they were feeding Vaal those explosive rocks? That wasn’t made abundantly clear to me.)<\/p>\n

So there\u00c2\u00a0is<\/em> an element of mutual benefit to this exchange, one that is clear when the crew interacts with the Feeders of Vaal. They’re pleased with their life, though that’s of course because they don’t know anything else. But this episode rightly asks an important question:\u00c2\u00a0Do they\u00c2\u00a0need<\/em> to know anything else to maintain happiness? I admit that the metaphor used to explore this \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that of the apple in the Garden of Eden \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is executed sloppily. But I do find it intriguing! Was Vaal actively limiting their freedom? Perhaps, but only if you analyze their society through the lens of Earth culture, and even\u00c2\u00a0then<\/em>, the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/em> crew are thinking about it in their own terms of western democracy. If all the parties are deeply satisfied with their arrangement, then is it moral for these outsiders to rip apart their society?<\/p>\n

Granted, the reason they’re even reacting the way they are is because\u00c2\u00a0people are dying<\/em>. LOTS OF THEM. It’s clear that Vaal saw these outsiders as a threat to the order it had created on Gamma Trianguli VI, and so it began to get rid of them while<\/em> sucking power out of the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/em>. So I\u00c2\u00a0do<\/em> understand that at the very least, the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/em> crew had to retaliate in order to escape. Even if they\u00c2\u00a0had<\/em> been able to communicate? It’s possible that Vaal would not have let them leave.<\/p>\n

But it’s in thinking of this that a lot of this falls apart for me. If Vaal spoke through radio waves to communicate with Akuta, couldn’t\u00c2\u00a0any<\/em> of them have intercepted that? If Vaal needed to consume those explosive rocks for power… how? How did that work? What was inside of Vaal? HOW THE FUCK DID AKUTA GET THOSE ANTANNAE INSTALLED? How did this whole thing start? Did Vaal manipulate the soil to\u00c2\u00a0create<\/em> those rocks? Because if that’s true, then wouldn’t it have eventually ran out of a power source? Because of this \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and I admit that my overthinking the issue is why this doesn’t work for me \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I began to believe that there\u00c2\u00a0had<\/em> to be someone or some thing inside of that cave controlling everything. I mean… right??? Because I don’t understand how a semi-intelligent computer could do\u00c2\u00a0everything<\/em> here. That reveal left me feeling unsatisfied and confused, and it was only made worse once Vaal is destroyed, and the people left behind are literally left behind with virtually no help or assistance or guidance. And I think that’s\u00c2\u00a0supremely<\/em> fucked up. Even if they disagreed with Vaal’s existence in these beings’ lives, to just eliminate Vaal and leave this horrible vacuum behind seems rather crass of them.<\/p>\n

Instead, the episode plays up the humor of kissing and sex because Chekov and Landon somehow find a planet that assassinates people to be the optimal make out zone. SORRY THAT IS AN UNFORGIVABLE DETAIL. The fact that\u00c2\u00a0any<\/em> of these people still thought Gamma Trianguli VI was still a paradise AFTER A FLOWER SHOT A MAN TO DEATH is unfathomable to me, but apparently, it’s the perfect place to be romantic! No.\u00c2\u00a0NO<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Now, I didn’t think this was a terrible episode by any means. It’s just… it was weird. It’s hard to follow up “Mirror, Mirror” with this, but regardless of that, it’s still a strange story that could have done a lot more with the premise than it did.<\/p>\n

The video for “The Apple” 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 three Double Features are now in the schedule! I will be watching In the Flesh<\/i>, The Sarah Connor Chronicles<\/i> (complete with Terminator<\/i> liveblogs!), and then Leverage<\/i>. <\/b>Commission away!
\n– I will be at quite a few conventions and will be hosting events throughout 2014, so check my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page<\/span><\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city! I have events in Dallas\/Addison, Las Vegas, and Reno in the next month, and more will be added soon!<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"