TOS: Season 2, Episodes 17 and 18 (Jan 19, 2020)

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Series and Season: Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 2

Episode #,and Episode Name: 17 – “A Piece of the Action” and 18 – “The Immunity Syndrome”

Setting the Stage: I started at 7:30 pm on January 19, 2020, still watching Netflix and using their viewing order. Professor Zoom was ever present, as was the husband, although he was playing video games. Jazz and Tempura also joined us this evening, and Thor stopped by at least once. Loki seems to have zero interest in anything Trek related, and will stay in the dining room or on the cat tower anytime I’m watching television. While writing tonight, I am listing to a mix of: The London Symphony Orchestra (Star Wars), Ramin Djawadi (the Ironman soundtrack), and Tool (specifically, Lateralus).

Quick Summary with my Impressions: “A Piece of the Action” has the grand trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy beaming down to a place that looks like the set of Johnny Dangerously, complete with three piece suits and machine guns. Apparently the Horizon left a book about Chicago mobsters over 100 years ago, and the culture became a direct imitation. Kirk and co. get held hostage, so Kirk makes up a card game to distract their captors and steal the guns. McCoy and Spock reach Uhura, while Kirk gets a meeting with the other boss. Kirk escapes his second captivity and devises a plan, since logic is not helping and Spock has no ideas. It’s quite funny to watch Kirk try to drive a car, oh that poor clutch. Spock likes the kid that’s trying to help them because he’s logical, of course he does. Kirk figures out the society quickly and tries to make a deal with one of the bosses, he steps into character quite well while Spock is a little slow but eventually gets it. Kirk has Oxmyx call all of the other bosses and they’re all transported to the same place so they can have a sort of war council. Kirk fixes the situation as much as he can and Scotty is totally adorable when he does not understand a thing that is going on, which is pretty much the entire episode.

As an Italian-American, I’ve always had a great affinity for mobster movies. Johnny Dangerously is one of my favorites and I quote it often, for the sheer comedy value. This episode does not disappoint in harnessing the stereotypes of the 1920’s mobsters of Chicago. It was a silly episode, and one that showed how quick Kirk really is on his feet. I genuinely enjoyed it, but I’m sure it’s not an important episode in the grand scheme of things. Aside from trying to fix a mistake another starship made years ago and establishing “WE DO NOT MESS WITH THE DOMINANT CULTURE” as a rule, I’m not sure what else it brings to the table. I give this episode 8 maids a milking and a partridge in a pear tree.

“The Immunity Syndrome” starts off rather somber as everything is dead, including a whole ship of Vulcans and an entire star system – what is going on? And what is that black hole up ahead? Okay, that noise was ANNOYING. Spock is quite handsy with Uhura, in the name of helping her back up of course, I definitely think something is going on with them, well as much as they can show in the 1960’s that is. Kirk and Spock cannot come to a consensus on what the energy cloud is. After the second really annoying noise, Chekov exclaims that the stars are gone – and by golly, he is right. Kirk is getting annoyed with his science officer not knowing any science that will be helpful, and his chief engineer not knowing how or why things are happening in engineering. McCoy is equally as unhelpful regarding the medical end of things, until the life monitors show the entire crew is dying. Kirk is now super annoyed and super tired, as the energy drain is affecting him as well. As they try to get out of whatever hole they are in, some strange multi-colored entity approaches the ship. Kirk, McCoy, and Spock have an argument over who is going to go investigate. Kirk chooses Spock, who gets stuck in the creature while the rest of the Enterprise tries to figure out how to destroy it. Kirk and Spock both give their last will and testament, while Kirk attacks the crap out of the creature using anti-matter. They find Spock in the creature, sassy Spock is extra sassy, the explosion kills the creature, and everyone makes it out alive! I don’t think a single person dies in this episode, great Scott!

This episode was very similar, in my opinion, to The Doomsday Machine. There’s a thing destroying planets and ships, oh no it’s attacking us, oh we’re going to ram something in it and blow it up and escape unharmed! I think I liked this one a bit better, because no one knew what was going on and it annoyed Kirk. I’m torn between a 6 and a 7 on this one. I mean nothing overtly sexist happened, all three of our leading men were willing to risk themselves to save everyone else, and no one died. Let’s go with 6.75 gallons of Bojangles sweet tea.

Also, I find I’m really missing Sulu, come back!