Description

The trials & tribulations of a young woman born & raised in debtor's prison provides the basis for this two-part adaptation of a Charles Dickens novel. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Wonderful, atmospheric immersion into delicate & sweet story
This is a beautiful movie, an immersion experience into a wonderfully realized world drawn from the Dickens novel (a little "prettier," maybe, but I'm not complaining). The performances are superlative, especially Derek Jacobi. The entire cast presents understated and thoughtful characterizations that provide the foundation for an emotional payoff based on some of the subtlest gestures and phrases -- something not to be found in an action film (for instance). Some of the performances are over-the-top and not to be missed for their gleeful chewing of scenery: but this is completely consistent with the way Dickens wrote them.

This is a long complicated story and it requires your attention. Your time will be well repaid. You will come from this movie refreshed in mind and spirit (and go out and buy the book, probably).

Ambitious Dickens adaption on a low budget
Made in 1987 and boasting a 200 plus cast and essentaially a 6 hour film in 2 parts, director Christine Edzard's adaption of one of Dickens' least read novels is only partially successful. It is told from the point of view of Arthur Clennam (Dereck Jacobi) who on his return to London becomes interested in the case of William Dorrit, locked in a debtor's prison for 25 years and his daughter, seamstress to Clennam's mother. Despite excellent performances and eye for detail part one is very slow moving and drawn out (and one can't believe that after 3 hours, it is only halfway through the story). One has to wait for part 2 for a satisfactory conclusion to the tale...

True people
A Dickensian story,a detailed icon on the making of modern England, a piece of life of the true material on which the stones of capitalism were founded, people and their feelings.
Everything is now seen in the distance of time, we can count differences between now and then, and spot constants that are still with us.People were imprisoned for life for their pecuniary debts, while the clever/or/lucky ones were then "investing" their savings in the coffers of the successful--or those who could present themselves in this light--with the same security, then as now...
The imprisoned pauper inherites an unexpected fortune and becomes a "prince", wants to forget and delete the "stigma" of poverty, but the true fortune that always was there for him was his daughter's constant, unfussy devotion and love.
This is an epic story of love--I don't mean the word in the fashion installed in mind by modern cinema, but in the plain and true sense that many people feel it, the love that saves the world and keeps it still a habitable and livable place.
Dorrit is a child born and grown in the prison.With her undoubtable, unconditional, serene and nurturing love, she sustained her father in prison, and after prison, in the trecherous "free" society where he is elevated... She is Good, like Dostoyefsky's prince Mishkin, and she makes her family's and her friends life more livable, with her gift.

I love those people, they are real, we know them.God bless England for those pages, those pictures from the past and present, for those enlightening insights! Where are those humanizing qualities now, and why indeed are they not propagated and realised by the popular art any more?--While the intimidating phaenomena of licenced plunder and loot are always with us, in the daily news, even more audaciously and shamelessly than in Dickens's times!

This film gave me strenght, it's a hymn to love that keeps the world going round.

Through Dorrit's Eyes
I purchased this adaption of Little Dorrit several years ago on laserdisc and I enjoyed it, but I found that to fully appreciate this film it was necessary to watch it to the end. The point to this film adaption of a Dicken's book was to tell the same story twice but through differing viewpoints. Certainly the story is not as interesting or as gripping as Dickens more widely read novels and the film could have been improved by cutting and picking up the pace, but I believe the director accomplished his goal.

The first half of the film is dark and bleak, people are seen suffering a miserable existence and you do have to wade through a rather pessimistic view of life; but in the second half of the film we see a differing view of life. We see the same scenes over again but now we see them through Dorrit's eyes. The world becomes a new place; it is bright and life itself is a joy. In the midst of squalor Dorrit's optimism colors everything new. Little Dorrit seen in the first half is a sad young woman but now she is a young woman full of life. Whatever Dickens is telling you in his novel this film is telling you that life is what you make it.

This is how I watched the film. And I enjoyed it.

Part two - A satisfactory conclusion
Part two of this ambitious film is a definite improvement over part one. It develops themes and fills out the plot (as really any second half of a story should), though you could never watch part two without seeing part one. The most jarring thing about this part is the insistence of recreating most of part one scene for scene (only this time through the eyes of Little Dorrit). Perhaps the most notable thing about this film (for me anyway) is that it contains the last lead performance in a film from Alec Guinness (all his subsequent roles, up to his 1996 retirement, were cameos) and he is wonderful in his fourth screen interpretation of a Dickens character. The rest of the cast is also fabulous (including the last screen performance of Joan Greenwood as Mrs Clennam). It has been said before - you will either love this adaption, or hate it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This film was something of a movie stunt: writer-director Blake Edwards cast his friends and family, gave them a structure, then had them improvise the scenes before he put them into a script. The result is so amazingly flat that you'll be astonished that anyone would think they were actually doing something interesting. The plot centers on a writer (Jack Lemmon) who, in his anxiety about the onset of his 60th birthday, doesn't notice that his singer-wife (Julie Andrews) is going through a crisis of her own: a throat ailment that may be cancer. The cast, which includes both Edwards's and Lemmon's kids, flutters around them searching for a way to kick-start the plot, but we're left to watch Lemmon twittering about in the midst of a very late midlife crisis. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (11)

don't pay attention to the critics
Jack Lemmon (Harvey Fairchild)and Julie Andrews (Gillian)shine in this story of a husband unwilling to accept the age of 60 and a wife dealing with a potentially terminal illness. The film explores a very happy family with the kids all grown up and now have their own problems. Jack Lemmon was perfectly cast as the hyperchondriac husband and Julie Andrews is just as good as the loving but somewhat reserved wife. Critics complained about the use of improvisation and a flat story. Nothing could be further from the truth. You see some of the wacky things people do at the spur of the moment,(Harvey goes to a fortune teller), and the true frustration with getting older. Blake Edwards assembled a fine cast of real-life family and friends. Robert Loggia and Sally Kellerman add to the supporting cast as do Lemmon's son Chris, Edward's daugher Jennifer, and Andrew's daugher Emma. "That's Life" may not be the most outstanding Blake Edwards film, but watch it anyway.

Is that REALLY life?
I gather Blake Edwards set out to make a "small movie" here. He enlisted his real-life wife, daughter and step-daughter, brought old buddy (and star of his classic "Days of Wine and Roses") Jack Lemmon aboard and provided parts for Lemmon's wife (Felicia Farr) and son. Farr, it may be said, lucks out if anyone does--she doesn't play one of the neurotic family members--although it appears that she has a several little problems of her own.

Does it work at all? Well, the first time I saw this movie, I HATED it. Since Lemmon's death last summer, I have been sort of running my own little "Jack Lemmon film festival" whenver I think of it, and upon re-view, it's not half bad. Seeing Lemmon's character wrestle with his mortality strikes me as poignant now after the actor's actual death. Equally eerie in its way, is seeing Julie Andrews character, a professional singer, struggling with potentially devestating vocal problems--and in her own stoic way, her own mortality.

The improvisational storyline is the real problem with this film, however. It's rather undeveloped. Lemmon typically needs a broader canvas than Edwards provides him here. He is intense here as in "Days..." but to lesser effect. He's all wound up with no place special to go. We've seen Lemmon do this kind of shtick before ("Tribute" comes to mind), and like Julie Andrews' Gillian in this movie, we feel like telling him to snap out of it--or we're leaving!

Will the real Julie Andrews stand up?
Being a Julie fan, I wanted to start collecting some of her movies. This one I didn't have. Upon watching it, I found myself Fast-Forwarding through most of it because of the language (her husband). The movie has a wonderful story behind it but it really bothered me when I heard Julie spoke some language herself in one part of the movie. Definitely not a family movie.

That's career murder!
The film starts with a biopsy: A sampling of Gillian Fairchild's (Julie Andrews) tissue shall decide over life or death. The findings won't be ready until monday. It may cost her her voice. She clears her throat, then she puts on lipstick - an outward sign that she has no intention of betraying her feelings. Her husband Harvey (Jack Lemmon) is celebrating his sixtieth birthday this sunday, and, for heaven's sake, he cannot be upset.

Harvey arrives. He is unkempt like a tramp. Self-restraint is not his thing: He doesn't mind if the others take part in his suffering. His garden is well-kept. Plastic-sheep graze on his lawn. But he takes no comfort from his luxurious villa and starts complaining at once. He is vexed that people congratulate him for his birthday, and his clients have no taste. He is plagued by all those infirmities old age has to offer. When his wife dares to argue that he never looked better, he is perplexed: "Are you out of your mind?". He has an amorous impulse - and backs down immediately - there is more that troubles him than just the gout. The food (lobster) is not to his taste and when an obtrusive neighbor (Sally Kellerman) observes Gillian's hoarseness he seizes this as a clue to continue his lamentation.

Their children arrive for the planned birthday party. Emma Walton (Julie's daughter) broke up with her boyfriend, Chris (Jack's son) brings his new girlfriend, and the very pregnant Jennifer Edwards (Julie's stepdaughter) is accordingly nervy. But Gillian proves herself as "mother courage" and responds to all their apprehensions. Meanwhile Harvey runs the gauntlet: His physician and an attractive client who tried to seduce him suggest that he consults a psychiatrist and the priest who confesses him turns out to be an old buddy (Robert Loggia). The "happy" family gathers round the dinner-table. No one makes tabula rasa, they dish out banalities. The camera registers this snapshot from behind closed windows...

Blake Edwards shot his film in his own house at the cost of about $1 million. An actor's strike took place at the time - the blacklegging did not further the careers of those involved. There is something depressing about Edwards' career: A much beloved director during the sixties (he directed Lemmon in DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES and THE GREAT RACE), he fell completely out of fashion, until he landed a big hit with TEN. His immediate reaction was to make SOB, the ultimate that'll-gonna-show-them-film. During those years, his protagonists were only thinly disguised mouthpieces of himself. With THAT'S LIFE he expected the impossible: He pushed his leading actor into icy water and ordered him to improvise. How can you improvise another man's life? The result are some of the most painful moments in Lemmon's career: The abortive seduction scene is embarrassing enough, but wait until you see him trying to bike himself to death on his home-trainer or visit a fortune-teller (his own wife Felicia Farr). She tells him an interesting fairy-tale about his toes. He leaves her tent - but not alone: crablouses are his constant companion from now on. They itch when he is attending the church...THAT'S LIFE may be Lemmon's most suicidal film. It effectively ended his film-career and, except for the funeral-like DAD he did not return to the screen until the early nineties. Julie Andrews, on the other hand, gives one of her most personal, and therefore essential, performances. Edwards' observation on the lives of the idle rich is accurate, but perhaps too close for comfort.

a good movie with some faults
Consider that you just found out that you may have terminal cancer. You won't know for sure for a couple of days so you keep it to yourself so as not to worry your loved ones. The problem is that your loved ones take up those two days with endless complaints about their own lives. That, in a nutshell, is what "That's Life" is all about. It's an interesting movie primarily because of the non-stop monologue of Jack Lemmon. He is almost maniacal at times with his compulsive self-examination and fear of aging. At times it gets overdone: We get the point. The adult children have come home to help Mr. Lemmon celebrate his 60th birthday. They all seem to have their own disfunctions and Dad, in his self-pity, was no help. Thus the mother, excellently played by Julie Andrews, has her hands full.

The problems with this movie center around its' excessiveness. As I mentioned above; we get the point. I realize that Blake Edwards has a good reputation for comedy and I think that there is good comedy in this movie. However, the drama seems to suffer for having too much comedy. The character of the priest, for example, is woefully made to look silly. Other characters seem to be too eccentric. If this is supposed to be a comedy then let me change my rating to two stars. The beauty of this movie is watching someone facing death while burdened by everyone's lesser concerns. The movie loses that focus periodically to its own detriment.

I checked for Oscar nominations for "That's Life" because I wondered if Andrews or Lemmon were nominated. They seemed good enough to be. However, the only nomination was for this awful song at the end. I can't believe that Tony Bennett agreed to sing it. Oh well, the team of Blake Edwards and Henry Mancini requires at least one nomination per collaberation. But boy did they pick the wrong category here! ... Read more

Reviews (24)

oh go polish your badge Shockley
This film gives a whole new meaning to the term "Treachery".
Clint Eastwood & Sondra Locke team in this cops against cops against the mob movie
Locke plays a supposedly "no nothing witness to a no nothing case"
Sure.until the bullets start to fly a little over 2 million dollars worth according to Malpaso, Eastwoods'production company if I have my fact straight about that.
Eastwood plays Ben Schokley a "drunken bum of a cop" for the Arizona PD who gets the dubious task of taking Gus (Locke) to trial.
The bets begin with 100-1 odds of them making alive to trial.
The two best scenes are when Gus's house gets about 11,349 bullet holes in it then collapses..almost on Eastwood's head. The other scene is the bus they hijack when Sondra Locke's character tells the passenger's on board to politely "HAUL [behind]"!!. This where they drive thru "The Gauntlet" heavily armed cops on both sides who promptly shoot about 17,209 bullets into the bus as it drives by them.
I won't go into the showdown on the steps but it's a cool ending
I'm giving this movie 5 stars because I'm a Clint eastwood fan

"Oh go polish your badge Shockley"
This film gives a whole new meaning to the term "Treachery".
Clint Eastwood & Sondra Locke team in this cops against cops against the mob movie
Locke plays a supposedly "no nothing witness to a no nothing case"
Sure.until the bullets start to fly a little over 2 million dollars worth if I have my fact straight about that.
Eastwood plays Ben Schokley a "drunken bum of a cop" for the Arizona PD who gets the dubious task of taking Gus (Locke) to trial.
The bets begin with 100-1 odds of them making alive to trial.
The two best scenes are when Gus's house gets about 11,349 bullet holes in it then collapses..almost on Eastwood's head. The other scene is the bus they hijack when Sondra Locke's character tells the passenger's on board to politely "HAUL [REAR]"!!. This where they drive thru "The Gauntlet" heavily armed cops on both sides who promptly shoot about 17,209 bullets into the bus as it drives by them.
I won't go into the showdown on the steps but it's a cool ending
I'm giving this movie 5 stars because I'm a Clint eastwood fan

The Cop and The Pro....
This review refers to the Warner Bros. DVD edition of "The Gauntlet"....

From the moment Ben Shockley(Clint Eastwood)steps out of his car and an empty booze bottle falls out, we know this is not the usual "Dirty Harry" character we'd been used to up to now. Ben is a cop who's chances for greatness seem to be fading with him.
Eastwood directs as well as stars in this film and we see his brillant directoral style taking hold here.

The Phoenix P.D. seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel when they assign Shockley the job of escorting Gus Malley, a seemingly unimportant witness from Las Vegas back to Phoenix for a trial. Ben's been looking for his big break on a big case and it doesn't look like this will be it with this guy. Upon arriving in Las Vegas, Ben discovers that Gus is no guy. Gus Malley(Sondra Locke), is a local prostitute and unwilling partcipant in the journey back as well. This is not "a hooker with a heart story" though, this pro is as hard edged as they come, but she does have a brain!

The action starts as soon as they leave the jail. Someone is going to make sure that these two never make it to trial. Vegas is even giving odds against them. Everyone's after them..the mob, the cops, they even made the mistake of angering a group of bikers along the route and they're out for revenge as well. They hardly know who to trust, as they get shot at from all angles, cars blow up, they are set up and beat up. What Gus knows can cost them their lives, but Shockley is now determined to bring his prisoner in at all costs and rises to the occassion and must break through an impassable barrier set-up to keep him at bay.

It's edge of your seat drama, thrills, and fun, as Gus and Ben trade quips and get in a little romance(we couldn't expect any different with Eastwood and Locke)along the way.As usual Clint surrounds himself with the finest talent. Pat Hingle, William Prince, and Bill Mckinney turn in excellent performances as well as Eastwood and Locke. There's also a terrific jazzy score by Jerry Fielding.

The film made in 1977 looks great on this DVD transfer. It is in a widescreen on a dual layer format. The picture looks good. Clear and sharp with good color. There was occasionally a little purplish tint in places, but it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the film. The soundtrack remastered in the 5.1 Dolby Stereo was also good. The music sounded great and the dialouge always crisp. Not too much in the way of bonus material if that's what you're looking for, there's a filmography on Eastwood(his was the only one I was able to access) and a theatrical trailer. It may be viewed in French(Mono) and also has subtitles in English and French as well. You can bet on this one!

5 stars to a great Eastwood action film that can be watched again and again.

Get the Popcorn ready for this one and enjoy.....Laurie

Weak crime drama
There are a lot of good Clint Eastwood movies out there, but this is not one of them. Instead, this is one of the weakest of his seventies crime drama movies, an ineptly written and generally boring movie.

Eastwood plays Shockley, a Phoenix cop assigned to extradite a prostitute from Las Vegas. As a bit of silliness right off the bat, it turns out that there is even a wager at the sports books that he will not make it back to Phoenix alive. From that point on, the dumbness continues, with Shockley blindly going from one trap to another, hardly piecing anything together without being led by the hand. On the other hand, all the other cops are equally dumb, willing to shoot first and ask questions later.

There are lots of bullets flying in this movie, but interestingly, Eastwood does not fire a single one at a person. Instead, he shoots doorknobs and motorcycles. Actually, Eastwood doesn't get more than a few punches in; those expecting Eastwood kicking butt will be sorely disappointed.

This movie is strictly for Eastwood fans only; all others should go elsewhere for a good crime movie.

Nag, nag, nag...
At this point in his career, Clint Eastwood was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. With his own production company (Malpaso), Eastwood had firm control over the projects he became involved with. His choice as a follow up to The Enforcer, the third Dirty Harry film, was The Gauntlet. This cartoonish adventure, directed by Eastwood, features a poorly written story, huge doses of excessive violence, and bad dialog with liberal doses of profanity. It is another opportunity for Clint to operate against overpowering odds, and team with then girl friend, Sondra Locke, for the first of several films in which they would star together.

Once again Clint is a cop. Ben Shockley, one of Phoenix's finest, is assigned to bring back a prisoner being held in a Las Vegas jail, to testify. Sondra Locke is the prisoner, her character Gus Mally is a prostitute, who happened to have as a client, a certain high police official with usual sexual preferences. This apparently, is sufficient reason to want her dead.

The story is a simple double cross, as forces behind the scenes manipulate various agencies of law enforcement, to turn against Shockley and his tough-talking prisoner, to prevent her from testifying. The pair is forced to make their way from Nevada back to Phoenix via a circuitous route, evading the forces of the law and other dangers.

Excessive gunfire is the featured event several times. The first time, enthusiastic Vegas cops destroy a house, while Shockley and Mally barely scurry to safety in a most implausible manner. Then a police car is thoroughly ventilated. The final and most outrageous example is the film's finale, in which Shockley drives a tour bus through a "gauntlet" of police, lined up on both sides of the street. The film's ending is an unbelievable, extended exercise in gratuitous excess. Shots are fired at close range, and the crowd of police officers behave like zombies. Violence just for violence sake can have a purpose, but this is pretty dreadful. Calling this bad writing, is a gross understatement.

Throw logic totally out the window, go along for the ride, and you can still be entertained. Although the plotting is spotty, and the dialog unpolished, there are some decent action scenes, particularly when Shockley takes to a motorcycle, and is chased by a chopper. Clint's quiet macho swagger, contrasts with the free spirited, and spunky Locke. Their relationship, both on and off screen, is really at the heart of this movie. Romance, Eastwood style, has its rough edges, and is at times almost painfully awkward. Warts and all, this film was done per Eastwood's specifications.

Though part of the "Clint Eastwood Collection", the DVD offers only a trailer as an extra. From here, the collaboration with Sondra Locke would continue for several more films, as Eastwood's career took a turn. The Gauntlet, Clint's last true action film in the 70's, is far from his best work, and is best suited to his true fans, and those who appreciate excessive gunfire ... Read more

Reviews (8)

WOULD YOU LIKE SOME COFFEE?
This image of the Red Room, this world of Twin peaks is horrifying!! I must admit I cried for hours after the ending of this show. I was extremely depressed, I still get depressed about and the first time I watched it was in January 2000. I really love this tape. I love TWIN PEAKS. It needs more to it. I want Lynch to direct another TWIN PEAKS movie!! I want MORE!!! PEAKS IN MY MIND HASN'T DIED. FRANKLY, I see Peaks still around, in a spooky world!!!!

Not finished...
These final episodes are perfectly showcase all that made Twin Peaks an excellent show. They have every bit of the symbolism, surrealism, and humor that gave it it's fan base.

Unfortunatly it's very obvious that the last episode was intended to be a cliff-hanger and that they expected to make more. Be warned that while it is very interesting, many questions are left un-ansered(and never will be), many new questions are asked, and the audience never knows what the fate of several of the characters is.

Of course, if you are reading this I assume you have seen the other episodes already and you're probably going to see these regardless of what I say. Enjoy...

A Strong Finish to the Series
These are the final five episodes of the "Twin Peaks" series; they are somewhat of a redemption after some weak episodes immediately preceeding these. The plots are much stronger, especially those focusing on Agent Cooper. His attraction to Annie Blackburn is nicely played (with a strong romantic piece by Angelo Badalamenti). The Windom Earle plot becomes intriguing as it becomes bigger than Earle (who is overplayed by Kenneth Welsh) and delves into the supernatural (and, as mentioned in another review, becomes an inspiration for the X-Files).

The other plotlines are also strong. Especially intriguing is the Andrew Packard character, as he (along with Catherine and Pete) deals with the mysterious black box. Dan O'Herlihy has a great stage presence as Packard; I wish he could have been featured more in the series.

The build up to Episode 29 is nicely done -- Lynch's direction of the final episode has that first season feel to it (though a little darker). It would have been a great season-ending cliffhanger (I would have been interested to see if Major Briggs went to the rescue at the Black Lodge), but remains an odd end to the series.

For these espisodes, the only major complaint is that they deserve to be on DVD. For the future, I would love to see some sort of continuation of the story nearly ten years later. It would be fun to have a Lynch/Frost/Chris Carter collaboration on a movie combining "Twin Peaks" with the "X-Files." It probably won't happen, but this series deserves more.

AH, THE SUBTLE WONDERS OF THE RED ROOM....
WOULDN'T IT BE WEIRD IF THIS WAS REALLY THE WAY IT ALL ENDED? WITH NO SENSE OF CLOSURE, OR POSSIBILITY OF REDEMPTION. JUST CONFUSING, TWISTED, DISHEARTENING, AND ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! COMMENTS WELCOME AT nick82e@hotmail.com

Great, if you like the X-files, watch these last episodes
When they first aired Twin Peaks I; like many other people, didn't really understand and was very confused by the last section of episodes, but since then we've been treated to shows like the X-files and Dark Skies, and it's now alot easier to understand references to "Project Bluebook" and other UFO and paranormal-related stuff. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Tamarind Seed
It is a crying shame that today they do not make movies as good as this one!!!!!!!!! I am an Omar Shariff fan and he is excellent in this film. I have always admired the vocal technique of Julie Andrews and did not think too much of her acting ability. I am wrong about her. This movie is great and an excellent vhs to add to your collection. The love story is tender and sincere. The spy story intrigues the present mind, particularly those of us who survived the "cold war" and everything that followed. Buy it and enjoy!!

WOW Better than i though!!!!
I saw this movie on AMC and i was shocked I thought it would be not as good as her others but i was totally shocked, this movie was EXCCELLENT!!!!!!!!!! I loved it and really suggest that all you Julie fans see it

Tamarind Seed
A wonderful, romantic version of a spy film.

An all time great with great acting and suspense
I saw this movie when it was released in 1986 and it was by far one of the best movies I enjoyed watching in it's class. Omar Sharif and Julie Andrews did an excellent job of making this movie a nail biter and one you should put in your video library.

The movie is exellent
This movie is suspencfull , romantic and nearly everything! This star studded movie is fun ,paste runnig adventure and more! Julie Andrews is great! ... Read more

Amazon.com

"The Tholian Web" was conceived when writer Judy Burns went looking for a new angle on ghost stories. A physics student suggested she somehow use the theory of infinite dimensions, and out of that came Burns's script, which finds Captain Kirk (William Shatner) trapped between different kinds of space, floating in and out of view of the Enterprise crew. Adding to the dilemma are time constraints (Kirk's oxygen supply is running low), an effort by the arachnid-like Tholians to trap the Enterprise in a gigantic web, sub-space dementia affecting the crew, and rising hostilities between Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the latter none too happy with the way the Vulcan is running the ship in Kirk's absence. Burns's original conception was to make Spock the spectral Starfleet officer locked in interspace, but the show is quite effective in the way various characters mourn the presumed death of their leader and figurehead. The Tholians don't make another appearance in Trek lore until The Next Generation, but this particular episode won the original series its first Emmy for special effects. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Spock and McCoy get to run the ship when Kirk disappears
"The Tholian Web" basically removes Kirk from the equation and gives us the Star Trek episode that most focuses on interactions between Spock and McCoy. The Enterprise has found the USS Defiant with all of its crew dead, apparently having killed themselves. But this area of space is unstable and before Kirk can be beamed back, he becomes trapped in a parallel universe/dimension. While Spock waits for the next opportunity to rescue the captain, the Tholians show up and demand an explanation. Spock explains, but the presence of the Tholian ship throws off his equations. When Kirk does not reappear the Tholains cripple the Enterprise and begin to spin a web of tractor field filaments. To make things even more interesting, the unstable space is beginning to after the sanity of the Enterprise crew. The best scenes of "The Tholian Web" are clearly between Spock and McCoy, who get to hear the taped message Kirk has left for them in the event of his death. Their interaction is at the heart of this episode, because the idea of taking several hours to make a giant web around a damaged starship is pretty far out there. I mean, come on, with all the energy they are expending they could surely finish the Enterprise off, or at least they could make a SMALLER web. But if you always enjoyed the bickering between Spock and McCoy, then this is a truly enjoyable episode.

The first third of Season Three was actually quite good
This episode, in which Kirk disappears and a web is built around the Enterprise, in many ways belongs in another season. It has a lot of action and a straightforward plot. However, it also has some signatures of the third season, such as the trippyness of a winking-out Kirk floating through space, as well as a subtle pitting of illusion vs. reality. Plus it's always nice to meet new aliens--the Tholians even have a visible ship

Tholians and the earliest U.S.S. Defiant.
The U.S.S. Enterprise arrives in an uncharted area of space to answer a distress call from the U.S.S. Defiant, NCC-1764. The starship is visible on their viewscreen, but sensors on board the U.S.S. Enterprise say it's not.

Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Chekov beam aboard and spread out to investigate. Everyone aboard is dead ... apparently killed in a bizarre mutiny, although there are no life readings aboard. McCoy, in the ship's sickbay, tells Kirk that he can find no clue as to why the crew died, but has taken readings to study. Then, as his hand passes through a body and exam table, McCoy realizes the U.S.S. Defiant is dissolving.

Quickly Kirk orders them beamed back to the U.S.S. Enterprise, but Scotty explains that due to the poor stability of the space around them, he can only beam three aboard. After the usual debate, Kirk stays behind while the others beam back. When Scotty tries to bring Kirk aboard, his image wavers, and disappears. Interphase, Spock calculates, will occur in a little over two hours. In the meantime, they must wait. If the captain is still alive, they should be able to retrieve him then.

Complications arise when Chekov goes crazy and attacks Spock on the bridge. Slowly, more members of the crew fall prey to the "illness," attacking their crewmates. McCoy and his staff work round the clock to find a cure. When the doctor suggests Spock "put some distance" between the Enterprise and the Defiant, Spock explains that any movement in the weakened space could disturb both ship's positions and jeopardize Kirk's rescue.

At a little over an hour before interphase, a Tholian ship appears, telling Spock that the U.S.S. Enterprise has violated Tholian space. The Vulcan explains that they were answering a distress call from the nearby U.S.S. Defiant and are waiting until they can retrieve Kirk. The Tholians agree to wait until the appointed time before taking action.

Unfortunately, when the interphase occurs, Kirk is not where he should be. Spock suspects that the Tholian's entrance into the area of space disrupted the U.S.S. Defiant's position. A funeral service is held for Captain Kirk, following which McCoy insists they view the Captain's last orders. Spock reluctantly agrees and the two men go to their friend's quarters and listen to Kirk's touching advice.

Uhura is the first to see Kirk's image floating before her, and for a time, McCoy thinks she's contracted the disease. But when he and Spock see the Kirk on the bridge, they realize that he is, in fact, still alive.

The Tholians decide that Spock has, lied to them and opens fire. Making a decision, Spock orders the phasers fired at the ship. The Tholian ship is disabled, but soon another ship joins it and they begin "building" a sort of web made of shining filaments. Spock analyses the web and announces that if they don't bring Kirk aboard and leave before the web is completed, they "won't see home again." At the last minute, Spock orders full power against the web and the U.S.S. Enterprise is thrown outside the Tholian's trap, several parsecs from their previous position. The hope is that Kirk, caught in the U.S.S. Enterprise tractor beam when they changed position, was brought with them.

Tensely McCoy waits with a hypo of tri-ox for Kirk, whose air is running out as he's successfully beamed on board the U.S.S. Enterprise, alive and unharmed. In a humorous tag, McCoy and Spock convince Kirk that there had been no time to view his final orders and Kirk, somewhat disappointed that his wisdom had gone unheard, says that he hopes there isn't a similar circumstance where the two men will view the tape.

As close to a 'ghost story' as the original series would get
When it was originally written this episode had placed Spock in the dilemma that Kirk would eventually find himself in. Changing it to Kirk benefits the entire show as it allows for some of the best Spock and Dr. McCoy clashes of will that the series would offer up. Another change involved adding the environmental suits that were substituted for a belt device worn around the waist that provided a force field for the wearer and provided a supply of oxygen also. Both of these alterations to "The Tholian Web" help significantly, resulting in one of the strongest entries in the uneven third and final season.

The Enterprise finds the USS Defiant a floating derelict but the Enterprise cannot detect anything with the starship scanners. Further complicating things is the state of flux the Defiant is in due to a spatial interface in the unstable area of space. Kirk boards the Defiant with Spock, Dr. McCoy and Chekov to investigate why there is no response and they discover that the crew had killed each other in a fit of frenzy. Within a few moments McCoy reports that the area he is investigating is becoming transparent and he believes the rest of the ship will also. Attempting to beam back Scotty explains that the transporters can only handle three at a time so Kirk remains while the others return. The Defiant then disappears completely taking Kirk with it. Spock finds evidence that the same spatial interface will occur in a short while and that they will make an effort to beam Kirk back aboard then. The Tholians then encounter them, which disrupts the plans made by the Enterprise and compounds the situation with a ship to ship attack. Meanwhile McCoy makes an uncomfortable discovery - if they remain in this area of space they will experience the same calamity as the Defiant unless he finds a cure. Soon afterward crewmembers report sightings of a ghostly image of Captain Kirk appearing to them.

The few moments when Kirk appears as a 'ghost' are quite effective and thankfully not overplayed, each one happening at perfect intervals. Instead of having Kirk wander through the starship in ghostly form, attempting to communicate, he appears infrequently precipitating the spatial interface the Enterprise is waiting for. All of the story elements are balanced well here: the encounter with the Tholians, the disappearance and recovery of Kirk, the expected volatile dialogues between Spock and Dr. McCoy, the effects the crew experiences in the unstable area of space. Placing Kirk in an environmental suit works better than the previously suggested use of a force field type belt. The introduction of such a device would have caused extreme complications in later episodes yet to be produced. His ghostly appearances in the suit have an unsettling horror feel to them as well, emphasizing the idea that he is stranded.

The only trifle I have with this episode is the way in which Kirk is recovered. At the moment Kirk appears onscreen on the bridge Spock has full power restored to the starship and this sudden effect throws the Enterprise completely free of the Tholians energy field and Kirk as well as soon discover because he was caught in Enterprise's transporter beam. Hold it! Back up a minute...just before full power is restored Spock says "Ready to transport on my order," but he never gives the order or at least we never hear it. However, we do know that Scotty had locked a transporter beam on the coordinates provided him; perhaps he didn't want to risk losing the captain one more time! Also notable: McCoy ruins a perfectly good (and I assume quite costly) environmental suit - as soon as Kirk is beamed aboard the doctor gives him a shot with a needle directly through the material of the suit.

Captain Kirk gets trapped in outer space ---- literally
"The Tholian Web" is one of the most original episodes of Star Trek - The Original Series. The Enterprise ship runs up on a mysterious ship in space that is supposedly not even there, but they can see it. Soon they all find out that they are in a part of space where matter disintegrates. Before the Enterprise crew knows it, Captain Kirk vanishes in space and Spock has to take command. Will Captain Kirk vanish just like the mysterious ship or is there a possible way to find Kirk and beam him back onboard the ship?

"The Tholian Webb" is slow going, but it's not boring. It has some of the best special effects of any of the episodes. The alien enemies that make the energy-draining webb and the idea of Captain Kirk being trapped in outer space is intriguing.

If you like original episodes of Star Trek that are interesting and have great special effects for their time, I recommend getting "The Tholian Webb." ... Read more

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"The Conscience of the King" is a memorable drama about a traveling Shakespearean troupe led by one Anton Karidian (Arnold Moss), who may or may not be the same man as Kodos the Executioner, former governor of a Federation planet who oversaw the mass murder of thousands of people rather than watch them starve to death during a food shortage. (Shortly after the deaths, Federation supply ships arrived and Kodos disappeared, right around the time that Karidian arrived as a classical actor touring the planets.) A nice twist: among victims of Kodos's wrongheaded mercy killings were relatives of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), adding a personal note to the mystery of Karidian/Kodos. Well-written (by Barry Trivers) and sensitively directed by a not-well-known but very interesting Hollywood filmmaker, Gerd Oswald. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Great stuff
This Shakespearean episode, in which a father and daughter lead an acting troupe being transported by the Enterprise, is one of the most underrated. The episode has a very distinctive feel, from the opening shot of the bloody knife to the medieval-sounding musical score. The parallels between Macbeth (and other Bard works) and the episode are also quite intriguing. Themes explored in this thoughtful show include 1) the impossibility of escaping the past, and 2) the strength (for better or worse) of familial bonds. Add to this the fact that the episode is a murder mystery with three plot twists (one of them is admittedly revealed far too soon), and you have a winner.

Solid, superior 1st season episode with a few minor flaws...
Tightly written and expertly acted, 'The Conscience Of The King' foreshadows the recurring themes of Shakespeare used inventively in several episodes and incarnations of Star Trek. Here Kirk is a thinly veiled interpretation of Hamlet as he tries to determine the guilt or innocence of a suspected mass murderer and whether or not he can act on the scarce evidence at hand. Though the plot seems a bit farfetched - of 8,000 colonists on Tarsus IV only nine eyewitnesses can identify the planet's most prominent politician - the story is punched acrossed solidly with it's few obvious flaws sidestepped gracefully. As Anton Karidian/Kodos The Executioner Arnold Moss supplies one of the best character portrayals from the original series, and Barbara Anderson (of television's "Ironsides") is his equal as his daughter who comes unhinged in the finale.

A scientist who claims he has invented a food substance that will save the populace of another planet suffering a famine summons the Enterprise to Planet Q. Soon after they arrive though they discover the story is a ruse. The scientist, an old acquaintance of Kirk's, explains to him that he is certain that an actor in the traveling troupe visiting Planet Q is the infamous Kodos The Executioner. Kodos was responsible for the death of 4,000 colonists on Tarsus IV, a colony that both Kirk and his friend were part of when the massacre occurred; now some twenty years later only a few eyewitnesses who can identify Kodos remain alive. Kirk is skeptical at first but when his friend turns up dead and a consultation with the ship's computer reveals that seven of nine eyewitnesses have been murdered while the traveling troupe is in the vicinity, this coincidence persuades Kirk to arrange to transport the actors to their next destination. After attempts are made to kill Kirk and Lt. Riley - another eyewitness - the captain finally forces both the assassin and Kodos to reveal themselves.

While this episode is one of the series' better-acted and directed shows it painfully reveals the series 1960's origins. In attempting to proof that Karidian is actually Kodos Kirk uses information provided by the ship's computer and later a voiceprint analysis. DNA evidentiary findings weren't in vogue at the time of production, but certainly fingerprints were! And wouldn't a Federation appointed colony governor have been sufficiently processed by a clerical system to have some sort of records that could provide damning evidence too? Despite this glaring oversight the show succeeds in providing sufficient suspense and a terrific finale. Also contained within the story is another worthy round in the continuing Spock vs. McCoy ethical debates; eventually they confront the captain - both as friends and as staff officers - to determine his questionable motives, a scene that is handled brilliantly.

Note: William Shatner would later co-star with Barbara Anderson in an episode of Mission: Impossible (post Leonard Nimoy years); but the tables would be turned this time, as Ms. Anderson would set a trap for the villainous Shatner. By the way, does the figure seven of nine ring a bell to anyone?

Definitely one of the best episodes!
Conscience of the King is the 1st season Trek Original Series December 8th, 1966 episode. The story is that Anton Karidian a space touring Shakespearean actor may really be Kodos the Executioner who wiped out half of his colony (4000 people). Kirk is one of 9 witnesses, 7 of which have been killed, and Karidian and his beautiful daughter Lenore(Barbara Anderson of Ironside fame) end up onboard the Enterprise.

It's an interesting twist on the equivalent of a Nazi war criminal of the future, and a reference is made as such: "his own form of eugenics" "he wasn't the first".

And considering William Shatner's classical acting training, he must have loved the Shakespeare stuff in this episode. And it's hard to take your eyes off of Barbara Anderson, strikingly beautiful (oh I said that already) and great intensity in her acting. And the story offers a great twist at the end, not at all predictable. Watch also when Janice shoots Lenore a quick icy "get away from my man" stare.

Finally all acting here is first rate, and we even get to hear Uhura sing and play that guitarlike thing. And the final part is classic '60s Trek drama all the way: the "death scene" where Hamlet merges with reality, and the final thing with Bones "you really cared about her didn't you?...I have my answer."

A couple lines in the dialogue were definitely "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" influenced as that film was out in 1966:
"later, latest, too late" and such. And even the sub-theme is a vague allusion being a woman who has lapsed into fantasy. This and the other best Star Trek Original Series episodes have that je ne sais quoi surrealism, intensity, intelligence, believability, creativity, and '60s style.

Kirk thinks he is on the trail of Kodos the Executioner
"The Conscience of the King" is surely one of the most dated Star Trek episodes. Just think: hundreds of years have gone by and Kirk has a difficult time trying to prove Anton Karidian, the head of a troop of actors, is really Kodos the Executioner. You think they would have known what forensic technology would be like before the end of the 20th century. The Enterprise can analyze planets from the far side of the galaxy, but cannot come up with a way of determining the identity of a human being. So there are only three people left in the universe who can identify Kodos. Actually, that's two after Kirk's old friend is murdered after the pair watch a performance by Karidian. Kirk then arranges things to get the troop on board, where he has to deal not only with the actor but his daughter, Lenore, who loves her father much more than she is attracted to the dashing Captain Kirk. The line "The Conscience of the King" is taken from "Hamlet," and certainly Kirk is placed in a similar position to the Danish prince in that he thinks he knows but he is not sure enough to take action. But since I have never really found the inability of the hero to act particularly enjoyable, this episode tends to drag a bit for me, despite the outstanding performances by the guest stars. Karidian is given a dignified presence by Anton Moss, while Lenore is played by Barbara Anderson, better known for playing Eve Whitfield on "Ironside." Anderson's performance in the shattering climax of this episode when her character goes over the edge is as memorable a piece of acting as any you see in any Star Trek episode. This is another one of those Star Trek episodes where the holes in the story are made up for by the performances of the actors. I know I have always enjoyed "The Conscience of the King" more than it deserved, which is why they call it the willing suspension of disbelief. However, it is depressing to think that in the future Shakespeare's plays will be performed by a half-dozen actors...

Slow Moving but Fascinating
The suspense isn't very engrossing and the mystery doesn't yield too much of a surprise, but the concepts in the episode are worth considering.

The actor that portray's Koridian does an excellent job and Bruce Hyde gets to ham it up again as the passionate, misunderstood, overeager Kevin Riley.

If you can sit through the slow moving story, this is actually a fairly good episode. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not that bad after all. Hey, at least its different.
Catspaw, an episode which employs Halloween frights (witches, black cats, etc.), was the first episode produced in the second season. There is a light, jaunty quality to both the music and the performances not seen during season 1. It's almost as if everyone gave a collective sigh when the show was finally renewed, and thought they wouldn't be as heavily scrutinized the next year. Whether or not this was a good thing is certainly open to debate, but there is no denying that the second season shows feel more relaxed and lighter than the first.

But back to Catspaw. This episode and the 3rd season opener (Spectre of the Gun) were the only episodes written with a specific airdate in mind. This was meant to be first and foremost a Halloween episode, and it does a decent job of providing some frights. (Spectre of the Gun aired within a day or two of the anniversary of the gunfight at the OK Corral.) But Catspaw is ultimately too reliant on a parade of gimmicks (that don't even frighten the landing party) to be engaging. Uninspired performances by Antoinette Bower and Theo Marcuse don't help any either. Other than the gimmicks, there just isn't much here; on the other hand, the gimmicks keep the show moving.

what are scotty and sulu doing?
spooky.these aliens control the minds of enterprise crewmen.the spooky begining with the enterprise crewmeber screaming youll all die! and then dying himself.scotty,sulu and mcoy are well....spooky when under the aliens control.the good alien is very dull.the ending is good too.

How broke was Gene Roddenberry anyway??
Now I know a TV series that was never popular with the network in the first place ain't gonna get much money, but c'mon. The best they could do was two puppets at the end that looked like they were stolen out of a garbage can in TJ? The black threads are so thick a child can point them out and laugh.

There's something familiar about that woman with the warlock
"Catspaw" is the Halloween episode of Star Trek, where the Enterprise discovers fog, witches and a haunted castle on Pryis VII. There they also find a warlock named Korob and his beautiful but definitely strange associate, Sylvia. The pair are visitors to Prysi VII themselves and want to learn about the technology of humans, apparently as a prelude to launching some sort of invasion. They demonstrate their powers when Sylvia holds a small pendant shaped like the Enterprise over a fire and the crew reports things getting suddenly very hot aboard the ship. This is one of the few times that Kirk relies on his good look and charm rather than his brain or his right hook to save the day. "Catspaw" does not amount to much as an episode, although we do get to see Kirk and Spock hung up in a dungeon and you have to chuckle at the Vulcan's characterization of the witches' curse as "very bad poetry." But the idea that "magic" is nothing but alien technology dressed up with smoke and mirrors, is a tad cliche, even for Star Trek.

Don't let the cat paw you to death
"Catspaw" is another one of the great episodes of Star Trek that used illusions as its main effect. This is the episode where you'll see the catwoman hang a U.S.S. Enterprise chain above a fire and it will heat the whole ship and its crew up till they're sweating. She uses everybody as a slave and when she gets mad, she will turn into a huge black cat. Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and Spock must find a way to get Scottie and Mr. Sulu out of their spell while they try to survive in the dark dungeon.

"Catspaw" is a great episode and anybody who likes Star Trek should get it. It has some of the best special effects of the series and it also has good acting. ... Read more

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For a couple of hours in 1990, David Lynch took over the network airwaves and subtly, subversively transformed American television forever. Amazingly, the TV series that followed this rich and strange feature-length pilot became an international phenomenon as people all over the world became obsessed by one question: Who killed Laura Palmer? Twin Peaks is the apotheosis of all things Lynch, and arguably his single greatest achievement. Set in the dark, damp, woodsy atmosphere of a small mountain town in the Pacific Northwest, Twin Peaks is a murder mystery, detective saga, soap opera, sitcom--the essence of television distilled into one mind-blowing serial. Lynch subverts TV conventions right and left, not the least by concentrating on the grief of Laura's friends and family, and orchestrating their tears into a symphony of mourning. Twin Peaks is about the endlessly seductive idea of "mystery," of the ways human beings find to deal with the unknown. It was never about solutions; after all, answers (which are invariably anticlimactic) only kill the Mystery! So, although it took another year or so before Lynch and his partner Mark Frost were eventually forced (by the network and public opinion) to reveal the identity of Laura Palmer's murderer, the tantalizing clues are the real heart of the enterprise, and they're all right here in the debut. And so are some excerpts from Agent Cooper's surrealistic dream sequence (which appeared in the third episode of the series), featuring the dancing, backward-talking little "Man from Another Place," as part of a special European-release finale (you wouldn't want to use the word "conclusion") for this video version. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (19)

SENSATIONAL--MINUS 20
I've been hearing for years about "Twin Peaks", whether by word of mouth or on the internet. It's popular to mention the numerous pop-culture moments this show created and the fact that so many shows try to imitate, and fail, this landmark show. So after reading recaps of the pilot and first couple episodes, I decided to buy the whole thing.

I took a risk and I'd do it again because this show is one of the greatest achievements of all TV time. The pilot is a perfect intro to the show, establishing the characters and plots, the main one and various subplots, that it's addictive. WHO KILLED LAURA PALMER!? The mix of light and dark, quirky humor, heavy drama, fantastic production values, and so much more! If you haven't seen any of the show, stay clear of the last 15-20 minutes. I heard about the special ending and found out that the original pilot ends at Sarah Palmer's scream after her dream. End it there, watch the rest of the series, then go back and watch the ending.

Other than that, sit back, relax, and ENJOY! And believe me, YOU WILL!

The Best 2 Hours of Film Anywhere!
Twin Peaks is the premier for the greatest TV series ever created. Brought in to investigate the murder of Twin Peaks Homecoming Queen Laura Palmer, Agent Dale Cooper "Kyle MacLachlan" becomes wrapped up in a town full of mystery, murder, damn good coffee and killer cherry pie.

Start here.
This is pretty much what any fan of the show or David Lynch needs to start with. It's the original movie/pilot, and is a great piece of work. The story, the characters, and the whole northwest environment really make for an interesting and sometimes creepy watch. Many cool actors showed up in "Twin Peaks", among them Kyle McLachlan, Lara Flynn-Boyle, Sheryl Lee, Jack Nance, and the sexy Sherilyn Fenn. If you enjoy this, seek out the VHS collectors series, episodes 1-7. Or the DVD first season, which is also episodes 1-7, minus this pilot.

sdrawkcab dneb smra ym
So I'm sitting on this chair, in this house, on mars when this movie comes on. TWIN PEAKS. The first thing I saw was this grotesque factory-mill type place. And then there was this close-up shot of some rusty machine, and it moved...it moved with the music. Sparks were shooting out everywhere, and it was all moving to this other-worldly melody. Then waterfalls, ponds, ducks...in less than one minute, Lynch had sucked me in, shattered me, put me back together (the way he saw fit), and then he dropped me off into TWIN PEAKS.
The whole thing was beatiful. Lynch and Frost had created this soft cloud of a world that was filled shards of glass and rusty nails. It was all like a dream -a dream that you don't want to wake up from. Bobby, Donna, Shelly, Big Ed. I was lost.
"I too have been touched by the devilish one. Ahh, but when I saw the face of God..." This sleek-Norman Rockwell-wrong way on a one way street-imitation silk-nightmare is a mountain top work of art that leads you dead on into the midst of the footstool of the heavens.
-be sure to watch it in the full blossom of the evening, and you just might experience the beatific vision...FIRE WALK WITH ME.

One of TV's best pilots!
If only it were on DVD! This tape contains the classic 2 hour pilot for David Lynch's extraordinary and quirky TV cult favorite, "Twin Peaks". This 2 hour intro is NOT part of the six tape "complete" series collection that has the actual 29 episodes. There is a neat, confusing, untelevised 15 minute ending that was used to "wrap up" the whole murder when this same tape was released in Europe as a made-for-TV movie. Still, it is simply Twin Peaks at its best. ... Read more

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When their mission to secure a mineral trade ends in failure, a freak ion storm catches Kirk, McCoy, Uhuru, and Scotty in mid-beam-up and sends them to a parallel dimension where Federation leaders are as ruthless as the Klingons, and Star Fleet promotions are attained by assassination. They find themselves on an alternate Enterprise, peopled with evil counterparts to the individuals they know (all attired in glittery, glam-rock uniforms), including most famously an evil, goateed Spock whom Kirk must convince to overthrow the empire. Kirk and his landing party try to fit in with this crew of villains who are threatening with annihilation the planet where the mineral trade went sour, while searching for a way back to their world and fending off assassination attempts. "Mirror, Mirror" achieves the best of what Star Trek is capable, which is to say space opera brought to a high pitch by melodrama. Everyone appears to be having great fun turning their characters to the dark side, especially George Takei, whose evil Sulu beams when making his assassination attempt against Captain Kirk, and Leonard Nimoy, who makes Spock's shift from the meditative logician to the ruthless goateed one seem, well, quite logical. This episode in particular fueled popular culture in such a way that in some circles it is now impossible to sport a goatee without being called "the evil Spock." The story of the evil Spock is continued in the Deep Space Nine episode "Crossover." --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The Logic of History
"Terror must be maintained or the empire is doomed. It is the logic of history."

The concept of an alternate reality, of a place where a decision I made has its alternative or counterpart, has always held scientific and philosophical fascination for me. The quotation above was spoken by Spock, the Spock of the Taryn Empire. The ruthless assassinations and blood letting as it exists in the alternate universe is only one indicator of how human decisions and manifest themselves in the future. Perhaps a dictatorship arose on earth where a democracy existed in our own time-line. Such would be enough to cause the eventual formation of the empire and the conditions under which Kirk, Scott, Uhura, And Mccoy found themselves to be playing. The concept of an abusive captain, a conniving and vengeful first officer, and a Gestapo-like security apparatus is not something we are accustomed to seeing on our own starships, and it speaks profoundly to humans' abilities to act as savages.

The episode is the first of its kind, and therefore some understandable and predictable faults must be pointed out. First, the transporter accident which caused the episode is not explained to our satisfaction, at least, not to mine. More fundamentally, however, there seems to be an underlying assumption that only one alternate reality exists. If each decision, or even each significant historical event has alternatives, does that not speak for numerous if not infinite realities? Yet this is not so much as hinted at. Too, there is the lack of history. I wanted to see more hints of imperial history, to better understand what makes a Vulcan killer or such a ruthless authoritarianism possible. These questions could not have been answered in anything less than a television movie, and such was simply not done with the first series. These defects are the reason the episode earns only four stars. Yet its moral, scientific, and philosophical assertions and implecations make it a show worth several viewings.

The Only Good Mirror Universe Story Ever.
While beaming back to the Enterprise during an ion storm, Jim, Bones, Scotty, and Uhura (William Shatner, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, and Nichele Nicholas) find themselves transported into a Mirror Universe where the history of everything they know is altered. Here in place of the Federation, is an evil "Galactic Empire" where they destroy worlds that oppose them and the officers move up in rank by political murder of their comanders. In order to get home, they are aided by a woman (Barbara Luna) to fix the transporter and use the power of the warp engines to balance it for the four of them to beam back to their home universe where everything they know is waiting for them, aboard their Enterprise. But they have to hurry because the doorway between the two universes is closeing fast and they have only three hours to get the work finished and return home. Very well written episode with very good effects work.Written by Jerome Bixby. Directed by Marc Daniels. Music Score by Fred Steiner.

The best episode of the original series
This is my favorite episode of the original Star Trek series. Due to a freak ion storm, Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhuru are beamed to an Enterprise in a parallel universe. In this alternate universe, there is no United Federation of Planets, but an Empire dominated by humans. Discipline is brutal, officers assassinate superiors to achieve rank and the mission is to destroy the Hulkans if they refuse to cooperate. One of the best lines ever to appear in Star Trek is uttered by Spock at the close, "It was easier for you as civilized people to behave as barbarians than it was for them as barbarians to behave as civilized people."
There are several memorable scenes, but one of the best is when the barbarians are forcibly placed in the brig. The rage exhibited by McCoy, Scotty and Uruhu is very realistic and I have always felt that the episode would have been better if there had been some treatment of the actions of the "evil" officers plotting while in the brig of the "good" Enterprise. Even though he is first officer of a ship whose purpose is to destroy uncooperative civilizations, Spock is still thoughtful, still fundamentally a Vulcan. One of the excellent spin-off story lines that could have been done would have been some explanation of how the Vulcans managed to acclimate themselves to serve an "evil" empire.
The final scene on the "evil" Enterprise is one that begs for a sequel. It is clear that the "evil" Spock will attempt to save the Hulkans, but the only tool he has is one that causes people to disappear without a trace. However, it is clear that Spock cannot save the Hulkans simply by making people disappear, at some point, the Empire will send other ships to destroy the Enterprise. It would have been fascinating to witness what happened once the "evil" Kirk and his group arrived back on their ship.
One of the best treatments of the science fiction staple of parallel universes, the acting in this episode is superb. The story line is intense, thoughtful and does not waver a great deal from the fundamental characters. Spock still considers the "evil" McCoy to be full of human weaknesses and Spock is still a Vulcan. A sequel would have been an excellent premise for a feature film.

Perhaps the most suspenseful episode
The 'real' alternate universe episode, featuring an evil Enterprise, is a real gem. From the spooky string music accompanying the ion storm at the start to the ensuing more dramatic music and orbit-change, Mirror Mirror has Trek's best teaser. It doesn't let up much thereafter. Drama is maintained throughout, as the good guys try to keep up with the wily machinations of Chekov, Sulu (even Sulu turns in a good performance here!), and just about everybody else. The gorgeous Luna also turns in a nice performance. The episode is very dramatic and threatening, yet by the end a hard-fought optimism has been interjected, thanks to some of Kirk's strongest salesmanship ever (he has to work on both the Harkan council and Spock here). By the end of the episode, I was totally absorbed, and even found myself believing that maybe good can conquer evil (certainly it's hard to imagine the 'evil' Federation ever growing strong in the first place with all that intrigue and double-dealing). It just goes to show how a good story can knock down our cynical defenses.

Ion Storms and Mirror Universes and Bearded Vulcans
Synopsis:

Caught in the beginnings of an ion storm, Kirk, McCoy and Uhura interrupt their negotiations with the Halkans for dilithium crystals, to return to the U.S.S. Enterprise. Scotty beams the landing party aboard as a burst from the storm hits the starship. The transporter malfunctions, sending Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura into an alternate universe. In this world, they soon discover the "Galactic Empire" is maintained by fear and assassination. Now, aboard the Imperial Starship Enterprise, the four must find a way to remain undetected until they can return to their own universe.

Meanwhile, the mirror versions of Kirk, Scott, McCoy and Uhura have been beamed on board the positive U.S.S. Enterprise. Their behavior is so different from their counterparts that Spock immediately realizes something is wrong. He had the four imprisoned until the transporter could be checked and repaired.

On the I.S.S. Enterprise, the mirror Chekov is foiled in an attempt to assassinate Kirk. When Kirk refuses to give an order to destroy the Halkans, who have refused to give up their dilithium crystals, the mirror Spock becomes suspicious.

The Imperial Fleet sends a secret message to the mirror Spock, telling him to kill Captain Kirk and assume command of the starship. Finding an unexpected ally in the mirror Spock, Kirk continues to stall while his three comrades gather the information needed to send them back to their own universe.

Mirror Spock has no desire to become captain, and therefore a mark for assassination. Along with Lieutenant Marlena Moreau, who wants the mirror Kirk back because she is "the Captain's woman," they help return the four U.S.S. Enterprise officers to their own world. Before he goes, Kirk talks to the bearded Spock, telling him the advantages of a Federation-like system over the anarchy of this universe. Spock seems almost convinced that he should in fact get rid of his Kirk, seize control of the I.S.S. Enterprise, and manipulate the Imperial Starfleet into working toward a more civilized universe. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A pivotal episode
An average episode, this one sees the enterprise crew reduced to salt (Styrofoam?) crystals for future use by the colonization-bent Kelvans. As others have pointed out, this is an interesting episode in that it has two tones. The events of the first half are frightening (although not as eerily stylized as 3rd season shows), as Kirk seems powerless to prevent the Kelvans' cold blooded homicide and control of the Enterprise. The ominous sense that anything goes is augmented by the surprising turn of having a female crew member killed. The tone changes dramatically in the second half of the show though, as the remaining crew exploit the Kelvans' newfound emotions, with entertaining results. These scenes are not just entertaining, but also insightful; it reminds the viewer that much of our own (only semi-successful) acculturation is devoted to reigning in our emotions.

But one wonders whether the blend of the dark and the comic seen here was for the best; it still worked here to some extent, but the episode's schism is somewhat jarring, and we're not quite as able to go along with the blend as we were in say Friday's Child, or A Private Little War. Why? Because a growing lack of introspection was beginning to border on cynicism. Did this gradual moral drift taint the show? Certainly the shows were becoming more calloused, a process that would accelerate in season 3. Season 3 certainly had other problems, but I believe some of the roots of future problems can be found, ironically enough, even in some of the strong episodes from season 2.

But back to By Any Other Name. Other pluses include Kirk's willingness to forgive even a defeated and cruel foe. And don't forget the lovely Kelinda.

Distant Galaxies
Synopsis:

When the U.S.S. Enterprise answers a distress call from a small planet, the landing party is captured by a group of agents from the Kelvan empire, located in the distant Andromeda galaxy. The Kelvans' purpose is to find planets suitable for colonization. However, their own ship was destroyed and now they need the Enterprise to make the 300-year journey home. To utilize the starship, the Kelvans â€" huge, tentacled creatures â€" take on human form. After several attempts at escape, Kirk accepts his fate and agrees to let the aliens take over his ship. The Kelvans use their technology to transform all but essential Enterprise personnel into small "cubes" which, unless broken or damaged, can be restored to human beings.

Recognizing that the Kelvans, in their new human bodies, are discovering human sensation and emotion, the remaining crew attempts to foster dissent amongst the aliens: Scotty succeeds in gettting one of them drunk, McCoy injects an irritant into another, and Kirk makes romantic overtures to the Kelvan leader's woman. With the Kelvans thus distracted, Kirk and the crew are able to regain control of the ship.

Kirk points out to Rojan, the Kelvan leader, that the Kelvans are already becoming less like they were before by encountering the humans. In 300 years, their descendants will be so human-like that they won't be able to live among their people on Kelva. Rojan sees the logic in his argument and sends a robot probe to Kelva, reporting what has happened. Pledging to restore the Enterprise crew, Rojan accepts Kirk's offer that the Enterprise find the Kelvans a Class-M planet to colonize.

Showing aliens how to be human beats being a cube
In "By Any Other Name" a group of Kelvans take ove the Enterprise using advanced technological weapons that allow them to reduce the crew to small blocks of chemicals until only Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty are left (If you remember the comedian who did a riff on this episode, say the punchline to yourself now, please). Rojan, the leader of the Kelvans, wants to modify the Enterprise so his group can get back to the Andromeda Galaxy in only 300 years, at which point his descendants will inform their government that the Milky Way is suitable for conquest. Fortunately, the Kelvans have assumed human form, which means they are now susceptible to sensory inputs, a fact that Kirk and the others seek to exploit. Scott introduces one Kelvan to liquor (the "green" type), McCoy slips them stimulants, and Kirk hits on Kelinda, while Spock helps Rojan experience the wonderful world of jealousy. It is rather surprising that "By Any Other Name" goes the comic route, but it does get pretty funny. You know, it is important to have fun when you are out trekking around the universe on a five-year mission.

A great episode that can stand repeated viewings
This is the one where aliens take over the Enterprise. They compress them into these strange cubes of salt or some alien substance. It was fun to see the crew take advantage of their human form and use human weaknesses as a means to prevent them from taking over the ship. These aliens did take human form for a temporary amount of time. To fool Kirk and crew of course. All in all it's one of those episodes that you can watch again and still find it good.
Especially the scene where Scotty gets the alien drunk.

Terrible
I've always considered this episode to be one of the worst Trek Classic episodes. The writing is just plain bad (a low point in Jerome Bixby's career. Interesting that he also wrote "Mirror, Mirror", one of the best episodes, as well as "Day of the Dove" and "Requiem for Methuselah", two bright lights in the otherwise dismal third season).

The concept of the story is good, but the execution is an embarrassment for Star Trek. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Consistent excitement!
"Daredevils of the Red Circle" is exciting from start to finish. The action and general entertainment never flag. People often mention the cliffhanger at the end of chapter one, when Gene is desperately trying to outrace the surging water, but there are many other moments in the movie which are equally good: try, for instance, the ending where Gene is chasing some crook up a very tall ladder at the side of a factory building, and the crook, having reached the top, pushes the ladder away from the wall. The ladder, with Gene on it, swings out into space, and your heart (and stomach) go with it! But it's not just the action: one of the main reasons this serial is so entertaining is that the three "daredevils", Gene, Tiny and Burt (Charles Quigley, Herman Brix and David Sharpe) are so incredibly nice and likable. You really care what happens to them. I just can't understand why Republic didn't make a sequel to this (I wish they had done!). All in all, five-star entertainment!

MANHUNT IN THE AFRICAN JUNGLE aka S.S. IN DARK. AFRICA
I ENJOYED THIS SERIAL BECAUSE IT HAD ABOUT 15 OR 20 FIGHTS. IT WAS ACTION ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I LIKE ROD CAMERON. STUNTMEN LIKE TOM STEEL, DALE VAN SICKLE(ALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL/UN. FLA 1939) DUKE GREEN MADE MANY SERIALS FUN TO WATCH. I ALSO LIKED THE MASKED MARVEL/THE TIGER WOMAN/MANHUNT OF MYSTERY ISLAND. SPENCER BENNETT, DIR. WAS GREAT

David Sharpe's Stunt Work
Everyone here has been raving about David Sharpe's Stunt work in this Serial. Well I have some bad news