Star Trek: The Original Series – “The Enemy Within”
By mrs. kirk - Sunday, September 24th, 2006
What’s better than one Captain Kirk? Two! And how about if one of them is totally horndog? Woo-hoo! Thus the episode, “The Enemy Within” begins with a transporter malfunction that splits kirk into the Good Kirk and the Bad Kirk.
How can you tell which is which? Well, the Bad Kirk wants Saurian brandy and to molest Yeoman Rand. Oh and he has on dark eye-liner that makes him look…well…hot.
The Good Kirk is a little paler than usual and very reticent as the Bad Kirk is the one who got the cojones. Fortunately the Good Kirk keeps his intellect otherwise fusing and merging them back into one whole appropriately frisky Kirk would not be a possibility.
This episode is well-regarded as some of Bill Shatner’s best acting in the series. The Good Kirk is brilliantly understated – as if the air has been let out of his tires (or his balls are missing since the Bad Kirk has them). The Bad Kirk in contrast is over the top – hysterical, violent, filled with ego and rage and lust. In all not a half-bad guy (half, get it?).
This is also a great episode for Spock and McCoy, who are very sensitive to the Captain’s needs as well as being strong support for the ship and the crew during this crisis. They shoulder the responsibility well and work terrific as a team. Spock has a few great lines too, such as speaking of being half-human and half-Vulcan:
Spock: “Being split into two halves is no theory with me, doctor. I have a human half, you see, as well as an alien half…submerged, constantly at war with each other. I survive it because my intelligence wins out over both, makes them live together.”
Once again, Yeoman Rand (who fortunately will not be around on the Enterprise much longer) is the object of someone’s lust. I mean DEAR GOD, has anyone noticed that her hairdo actually contains an enormous beehive? Or a small alien civilization? Or the Who’s from Horton Hears a Who? I mean, seriously. Would Captain Kirk have to unweave the basket that is on top of her head before he even got down to the funky stuff? Could take a while.
Meanwhile on Alfa 177 poor Sulu and the landing party are freezing to death, so something has to happen to get Kirk back together with his shadow-self and the transporter needs to be repaired.
I love these internal ship/character episodes. Brilliant. Take something as inocuous as the geologist who cuts his hand sliding down an ore-filled cliff and look what happens – two Kirks and a frozen landing party. Oh, and don’t forget the peach dyed unicorn dog. Every episode needs one of those.
This episode is the first time Bones says, “He’s dead, Jim” referring to the unicorn dog. And it is the first time Spock uses the Vulcan Nerve Pinch (on the Bad Kirk).
The Kirk Factor: This is all Kirk and double the pleasure at that. I can’t decide which I like better. The Bad Kirk is hotter certainly and I love the snarling and throaty way he asks for the brandy and then walks around drinking from the bottle. But then the Good Kirk is so compassionate. So kind. So dreamy. Ah, well put ‘em together, make one good one.
September 24th, 2006 at 10:54 pm
As “Mrs. Spock”, i’d have preferred to see my Vulcan split in two, his very human side and his utterly Vulcan side. What a lost opportunity.
Hey, maybe split up both Kirk and Spock, so horndog Kirk and Spock could run superwild all over the ship. hah.
I also thought Rand’s hair was horrific. Even in the sixties, when my mother and sister used to do those enormous updos. Something plastic and fakey about Rand’s hair. Plus, her lips are hard/slashy looking. But I think the captain was more interested in the neck down. Eyeliner captain, especialy.
Mir
December 10th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
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