"Spock's Brain" Full Reaction! - Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3
Added 2024-08-02 18:00:07 +0000 UTCWe begin season 3!!!
Comments
The writing on this one sucked from the beginning to the end ๐คฎ๐คฎ ๐๐. I never understood why Kirk and Scotty just ran off to sick bay with no questions when they should have been more concerned with finding Spock. And what was the crap that he was alive because of his Vulcan physique but was only going to live 24 hours because of said Vulcan physique. I can't remember if there was a writers strike going on when this one came out. The only redeeming thing in it was the 4 beautiful women with cool outfits. I think I would have changed the skirts though. Robot Spock was cool too, but I have no idea why they used mechanical sound effects for him being controlled remotely. (I don't get it, Cronin is the pseudonym for Gene L Coon who wrote some great episodes. Maybe he had a stroke? Or possibly using lsd as someone else mentioned? The only thing he got "write" were the women ๐คญ๐คญ๐คญ Welp, I'll stay with you until tng and beyond, I can't stomach pussy "picktard" or "what do you think of my dick" janeway (voyager). I had high hopes for Sisko in ds9 but he turned out to be emasculated too, and most of the other characters were just sad
Anthony Silva
2024-08-24 10:41:42 +0000 UTCDon't worry, nothing after this can be a fraction as bad. This was the point when I realized that yes, someone did spike the drinks at the writers party with LSD.
Stephen Marino
2024-08-14 14:54:42 +0000 UTCHaha! All good.
3dbadboy1
2024-08-10 19:46:27 +0000 UTCHas anyone ever counted how many times the word "brain" is said in this episode? :P
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:33:26 +0000 UTCI'm glad to hear it!
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:32:53 +0000 UTCDon't worry, I won't give up!
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:31:53 +0000 UTCThanks haha
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:31:26 +0000 UTC๐
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:30:56 +0000 UTCI'm sorry! :P
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:30:42 +0000 UTCThanks for the info!
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:30:25 +0000 UTCGlad you liked it :)
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:28:48 +0000 UTCThanks for the added context!
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:28:05 +0000 UTCThanks!
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:18:15 +0000 UTCMy pleasure!
bunnytails
2024-08-10 17:18:03 +0000 UTCThis episode has such a silly premise but I love it anyway. I just started following your channel and Iโm loving the trek watch alongs
Mark Amorosi
2024-08-05 14:59:26 +0000 UTCWe reach
Dave Riley
2024-08-05 04:56:00 +0000 UTCMy pleasure, Carlos!
Lee
2024-08-05 04:52:55 +0000 UTCThis is the first time I have watched this episode in a long time, possibly since before you were born, but I sat through it while metaphorically I was holding your hand. When this episode has been mentioned, I always remembered one particular line, "Brain and brain, what is brain?" I think Scotty was giving us a warning as he watched the phaser pointed at Kirk, and he expressed an inner discomfort with that moan. I think that was the point he was letting us know, forget it, it's not worth it, see what's on the other channels to watch.
Dave Riley
2024-08-05 04:43:33 +0000 UTCWhoa, this is new info I've never heard before. Thanks!
Carlos Stevens
2024-08-05 02:40:24 +0000 UTC"...Looks like a Bob Ross painting". That's it! I'm un-subbing! Dishonor on you. Dishonor on your family. Dishonor on your cow!
Mark Gosine
2024-08-04 23:50:09 +0000 UTCWelcome to season 3!๐๐
kenneth brown
2024-08-04 21:23:27 +0000 UTCHmmmm... Any relation to Stan Freberg??? (Why do I have "Wide Screen Mama Blues" going through my head right now?)
Carlos Stevens
2024-08-03 05:22:20 +0000 UTCROFLMAO.... no Bunny, you're not wrong. That look of realization on your face when you figured out the "delightful" aspects was just precious. And yes... this was a very silly episode. Unfortunately, there are none to few silly episodes. in Season 3. There are good ones...but also silly ones. Hang in there, it's worth it.
Carlos Stevens
2024-08-03 05:13:19 +0000 UTCWelcome to new showrunner Fred Freiberger's vision of Star Trek. You'll hear that name a lot this season.
Mark Chrisco
2024-08-03 02:07:10 +0000 UTC"The givers of pain and delight." No phrase was ever more true. I haven't watched your reaction yet, but I apologize in advance. I personally like it OK, but it's a notorious clunker. Don't let anyone fool you, Season 3 has some great stuff!
Trilogian
2024-08-02 23:26:50 +0000 UTCI'm sure that one of the problems for the writers was nobody anticipated that there would be a 3rd season so they went off to different careers and interests. So, at the last minute, they had to come back and come up with episodes and probably did so much on the fly. They ended up on a huge deadline and so they didn't have time to hash out all the oddities of this first episode. I'm sure over time, some of the episodes 'improve'. That being said, I also think they started running out of ideas, lol.
3dbadboy1
2024-08-02 21:51:18 +0000 UTCThank you. Your rational thinking just ruined my childhood :)
3dbadboy1
2024-08-02 21:46:51 +0000 UTCYeah, thereโs just not much to defend in this episode, except thereโs a certain campy humor to โremote control Spockโ. I got to say your reaction โare you OK Lee? Who hurt you?โ got a big laugh from me. Edit: oh yeah, and he costumes WERE great
Matthew Graves
2024-08-02 21:30:42 +0000 UTCThis episode requires a bit of background, so bear with me. As Skyman & Gregory have said, there were tumultuous changes in Season 3: new producer, new story editor, and new budget cuts mandated by Paramount (whose parent company had acquired Desilu Studios after the second season). One thing that didn't change was Gene Coon was still hired to write for the show, but had to do so under a pseudonym as he was contracted by Universal Studios to produce a show called "It Takes a Thief." The name he wrote under was, you guessed it, Lee Cronin. Coon wrote two drafts of the "Spock's Brain" script, but the final versions were not his, nor was he producing the series anymore, so the blame for the episode's shortcomings cannot fall solely on his shoulders. New producer Fred Freiberger, whose familiarity with and approach to Star Trek could be considered questionable at best, contributed both a revised story outline and revised the final draft teleplay by new script editor Arthur Singer, along with last-minute page revisions as the episode was being filmed. According to the episode's entry at the Star Trek Wiki Memory Alpha, Coon's original draft differs significantly from what was filmed. Also, director Marc Daniels was responsible for the choice to turn Spock into a "mechanical zombie," so that can't be blamed on Coon either. It should also be noted that this was Daniels' final time directing for the series, as he didn't care for the limitations of the reduced budget or the general direction of the show under Freiberger. In my opinion, there is much to enjoy in this episode. There is a theory (posited by writer David Gerrold and supported by William Shatner) that Coon meant this as a satire of the current brain trust in control of Star Trek, from the NBC network heads to the penny-pinching executives at Paramount and possibly even the new production team, although there was probably little evidence of their influence this early in the season ("Spock's Brain" was the sixth episode produced). Even if no satire was intended, the story has its good moments, first and foremost among them the women's costumes designed by undisputed genius William Ware Theiss. The campiness is there to be enjoyed if the viewer is open to it. And we've already seen a far worse episode ("The Alternative Factor," which has even more redundancy and incomprehensible plot points); speculation that further examples of poor quality lie ahead could be considered a safe bet. But there are still some amazing episodes to come.
Lee
2024-08-02 21:20:43 +0000 UTCAs a kid, watching all the original episodes as first-run, I was overjoyed when I heard Star Trek, which had been cancelled already, had been saved and was coming back for a third season! Then, we got this as the season opener. E-gad! I was devastated. BUT ... I have had a lifetime of rewatching it, and have come to terms with it in several ways: It IS the goofiest all TOS episodes. Perhaps if we could each try the Teacher for a bit, it would make more sense (although, I guess we would forget again, so there is that). However, it DOES have some great moments. The science, and the story's resolution aside, we do get some great character moments. Kirk's devotion to Spock is unchallengeable. When he called Scotty by Spock's name is great. The idea that McCoy might retain the knowledge was good. Scotty's being impressed by the ion technology was spot on. McCoy forgetting while operating was a cool problem. Lots of little things like that were right in character, and not goofy. But explaining things was rushed, and the science fictional writing was very poor. Just silly. McCoy was able to save Spock, only by connecting his vocal cords. But then, once Spock starts jabbering, he says he never should have connected his mouth. Sure, it's just a joke, but ... that was the answer. But WHY can Spock sit up after the operation without a hair out of place? I've had to rely on head canon to explain it to myself, and have found SOME comfort is imagining that the advanced technology employed some kind of transporter technology to replace the brain without actually opening the skull, and MAYBE that it wasn't Spock's entire brain that was removed, but just the parts that involved Spock's mind, and just needed reconnecting to his motor control, which was obviously still intact. And just MAYBE, since it is all hidden from view, McCoy is somehow operating with non-invasive tools that act through the intact skull while operating through some kind of monitor... who knows? But the script just made everything not only unbelievable, but just plain silly. I am convinced that, in the proper writer's hands, the IDEA of the episode could have worked. But your reactions were great, and very entertaining. There WILL be other 3rd-season episodes that disappoint for different reasons, but there are some great ones, too. Next week's, though not without its flaws, is a really good one, with many great moments. And to answer your question at the opening, I'm definitely in for the entire mission, forever going where no bunny has gone before!
J. Scott Phillips
2024-08-02 21:06:50 +0000 UTCAh Classic Lines from Star Trek: "Brain And Brain! What Is Brain!"
Carlos Stevens
2024-08-02 21:02:36 +0000 UTCWhy do I have a feeling I know which one youโre talking about, lol? Iโll let you know if I was right when we get there, and, who knows, maybe Iโll end up agreeing with you. But until then: โBrain, Brain Brain! What is Brain?!โ ๐
Skyman's Follies
2024-08-02 19:52:26 +0000 UTCI get it, but I kind of enjoyed the wackiness, then it did get ridiculous! ๐I had plenty of Laughs watching with you, thanks again Bunny!๐๐๐๐๐
ded cowbowee
2024-08-02 19:52:21 +0000 UTCI'm thinking of a episode coming up in this season that, to me at least, is FAR FAR WORSE then this one (and the worst episode of the original series, IMHO). But you expanded on what I was saying about the changes and the issues, so thanks for that. :)
Greg Polander
2024-08-02 19:41:09 +0000 UTCI can defend almost any episode of Star Trek, and have a feeling I'll be doing that for a lot of Season 3, but I cannot do it for "Spock's Brain". Re-watching it with you, Bunny, it's just awful. Agree with Gregory that it may have been a compelling concept, but the execution, namely the script, is terrible and I will go so far as to say this is, hands down, the worst episode of TOS. If there is any joy to come from it, it's to rejoice in its awfulness. With that out of the way, I'm sure you noticed a lot of changes as we step from Season 2 to Season 3. If you put "Assignment Earth" and slid it alongside "Spock's Brain" we can count the changes, both on and off screen. First and foremost, we no longer have Gene Roddenberry in a hands-on production capacity. He's still overseeing script development, but he is now in the background and John Meredyth Lucas (who had taken over producer duties from Gene Coon) has left the job to Fred Freiberger, a producer known for "closing out" television shows. The budget has continued to shrink and Star Trek has now been relegated to late Friday nights when its core audience is out partying. Scotty's hairdo change is indicative of many stylistic changes - the main one being the lengthening of the men's tunics. We are rapidly approaching the 70s and leaving behind the crisp visual look of the 60s and you can see it in the hair cuts as a bit of "shaggy" starts to creep through. However, we still have most of our fantastic behind-the-scenes crew: lighting (for now), music and editing and directors are all still there. So, buckle up, Bunny, it's gonna be a rollercoaster ride this Season and, thankfully, we've got the worst one (imho) out of the way.
Skyman's Follies
2024-08-02 19:32:28 +0000 UTCWelcome to Season 3 Bunny! Without spoiling anything, I'll agree with what you said about what you were told with this season being very mixed in quality. There's good reasons for that. It took a MAJOR and concentrated letter writing effort from the fans to get Star Trek even renewed for Season 3. While it's a urban legend that Star Trek had terrible ratings -- it did very well in cities and with areas with highly educated people -- it was never leading, and NBC never was fully committed to the show after they took it over. To get Star Trek greenlit for Season 3 required some concessions, the biggest of which was that the already small budget was cut back even more. Sadly, that really shows with the episodes from this season as it limited the creative abilities of the staff. Also, for numerous reasons, a lot of very qualified and skilled folks had already LEFT the staff, so the show was suffering from a 'brain drain' (heh!) during this season. That's not to say there's not great episodes, but it does help explain the very different tone of this season -- things you saw in full effect during this episode. I think this probably the first episode where you and I have strongly disagreed about a episode. I really like this one, always have, and didn't know about all the hate for it until years later. I've never felt it deserved all of the backlash it got. In fact I'd place this episode in my Top 20 (but not top 10). Yes, there are NUMEROUS issues and problems with this episode, most of which you already commented on. Pacing issues, story elements not being explained, the music not being top quality (what was with that weird chirping tone used in a lot of the music?) and several other issues. I've always had a soft spot for this episode despite all that, though. The central idea behind the episode I thought was VERY cool. Removing Spock's brain to serve as the 'controller' -- the central computer for this place -- is a great one and has been used in other sci-fi elements over the years. There's solid acting all around in this episode, with McCoy and Scotty steeling the light along with Kirk. And you also see how much Kirk cares about his friends in high degree here, how he's willing to do anything he can for them despite the risks. And yes, the girls look GREAT. Love the 60's style metalitic sci-fi uniforms with the high boots! 'Pleasure' indeed for the men from above, not only to get great food (you see the girls tending to the guys in spots) but other things as well. Since a lot of things are not clearly explained, you just have to draw guesses from what you are told. My best guess is that the advanced society, upon realizing that a ice age was coming, decided it was best to split the genders. The women stayed below, with their controller and tech, but their minds decayed over the years. The men, forced to live above ground, devolved into cavemen. I'm assuming the split was due to the limited resources and an effort to keep the controller going for as long as they could. Finally it 'died', and they were forced to find a new one, using the Teacher to teach the leader what she needed to do. The men now and then are enticed into the elevator with the food and other items, and brought below, where they serve as guards and also for the 'pleasure' part of the experience. Young ones are assumed to be raised down below and if they are men sent back to the surface at some early time in their life. Without the controller, you can imagine the Federation would step in, restore the split society, and have them exist peacefully. Whatever happened to that advanced tech, though, is a huge mystery, and one of the biggest plot holes as it's never explained again. Sounds like husbando has a great joke there with the 'sucking' of the brain out. LOL This episode has been featured in a lot of other pop culture, such as being used as the basis for a episode of the Wonder Years. I think this is one episode that helps with repeat viewing, but you still just need to make educated guesses on a lot of stuff. Some ST episodes are just like that.
Greg Polander
2024-08-02 19:16:50 +0000 UTCHey Bunny glad you're finally reacting to season 3 -there are at least 3 great episodes in this final season - I wont spoil it -thanks for the joy of watching w/you -Have an awesome day! โค๏ธ
dave zink
2024-08-02 18:54:27 +0000 UTCI'm grateful you're continuing this journey, for and with us! This is so much fun! Thanks for your enormous heart and resolve. ๐๐๐น๐น๐น๐
ded cowbowee
2024-08-02 18:32:08 +0000 UTCWoahhh!!! Weโre starting! ๐
Skyman's Follies
2024-08-02 18:02:03 +0000 UTC
