"Catspaw" Full Reaction! - Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2
Added 2024-02-02 19:00:04 +0000 UTCTime to start season 2!
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Comments
Season 2 is peak Star Trek. The characters are mostly defined, the writing is mostly good, and actors are having fun. This episode, however, is NOT peak Season 2. On a scale of 1 to 10 this is a solud, "Meh. What's next?" I have always felt that Sylvia and Korob always looked like leftovers from a seafood plate combined with crafting scraps from a garage sale table.
John DiGiantomasso
2024-09-04 03:20:14 +0000 UTCMy one vague recollection of this one was that perhaps it was going to be a little too silly, even beyond my ability to tolerate as someone who loves some camp and goofiness. I was even somewhat worried that I was going to end up feeling some embarrassment at "showing this one to you" as it were lol As it turned out, it wasn't quite as bad as I expected. Was it pretty silly? Sure, but so was Shore Leave and Squire of Gothos. The science fiction aspects were pretty basic, the trope of extremely different aliens who become enamoured with human feelings and sensations upon assuming our form. Decent enough I guess, almost simple to the point where it was un-fuck-up-able. I rather enjoyed the over-the-top campy set design and the other similar aspects but I get where other folks might not. I also liked the dramatic dialogue between our two villains. All in all there was more to enjoy here than I thought there would be and not as much to dislike as I was worried about, although not a lot to truly get excited about either. If any of that makes any sense ha ha. It looks like this one is on a lot of folks bottom tier and fair enough. But as with a lot of the weaker episodes my caveat is always that if this is the worst we have to deal with than I think we're pretty lucky as ST fans because it wasn't really *that* bad and I think that speaks to the overall strength of the series.
Absolute0
2024-02-04 21:49:40 +0000 UTCYes indeed!
bunnytails
2024-02-03 18:49:14 +0000 UTChahaha
bunnytails
2024-02-03 18:48:52 +0000 UTCI'm enjoying this version of the theme very much :)
bunnytails
2024-02-03 18:48:23 +0000 UTCI am glad to hear that hehe :)
bunnytails
2024-02-03 18:46:39 +0000 UTCThanks timothy!
bunnytails
2024-02-03 18:46:05 +0000 UTCThanks, and you're welcome!
bunnytails
2024-02-03 18:39:42 +0000 UTCThank you, some great info here!
bunnytails
2024-02-03 18:37:56 +0000 UTCThank you! Happy to be here!
bunnytails
2024-02-03 18:35:24 +0000 UTCProduction order viewing discipline does reveal some of the creative show developments and adjustments. I really appreciate your interest in the craft and creation š āŗļøā¦ā¦but this Halloween style ghost story ā¦ not a great season opener! TNG journey ahead is wonderful
Gregory Middleton
2024-02-03 13:24:35 +0000 UTCThat's one big pissed off pussy!
Tony S in Phoenix
2024-02-03 07:52:11 +0000 UTCaw Bunny...you didn't find this episode very interesting. I think if you watch this again after delving deeper into the Star Trek universe, it will be an episode that is more significant.
Carlos Stevens
2024-02-03 05:31:24 +0000 UTC...season 2, season 3, the animate series... The Next Generation... Deep Space Nine... Voyager... Enterprise... Alas Bunny... You have no idea what kind of rabbit hole you crawled into. Well, at least you'll find... The bottom of the rabbit hole is kinda warm and fuzzy.
Carlos Stevens
2024-02-03 05:22:31 +0000 UTCThis is Star Trek's official Halloween episode. I'd never seen it before because my Dad never showed it to me. Now I know why. This is the epitome of low budget, melodramatic 60s sci-fi and not at all why Trek became popular. "Jim, we're captured again." "I don't know what we're gonna do Spock, but maybe I'll seduce my way out of here." "That is... what you do best, Captain."
SuicuneSol
2024-02-03 05:03:26 +0000 UTCI had a feeling this was the episode you were referring to in a previous thread. That's why I reminded you that Bunny was going in production order.
Lee
2024-02-03 04:55:14 +0000 UTCAh yes... Mr. Chekhov. 'nuff said
Carlos Stevens
2024-02-03 04:26:57 +0000 UTCAh yes....the operatic version of the Star Trek Theme. This became a whole thing that I wont get into now. There were lawsuits and unpaid royalties involved.
Carlos Stevens
2024-02-03 04:25:29 +0000 UTCaw stop it....it was still a good episode.
Carlos Stevens
2024-02-03 04:15:31 +0000 UTCaw crud... Here I was thinking that Amok Time would be next...It's ok, this is a good episode nonetheless, and Amok Time is only a few episodes away.
Carlos Stevens
2024-02-03 04:15:00 +0000 UTCProduction order *is* the best way to watch the original series, although it does have the occasional drawback, such as leading off with an episode that clearly doesn't make for a good season premiere. Then again, perhaps it's better to get a lesser episode out of the way early. The good news is, there are some great episodes in the second season to look forward to... but I wouldn't want to spoil anything by mentioning them before you've had the chance to see for yourself. š
Lee
2024-02-03 02:55:15 +0000 UTCThis one has never been a favorite for me, either. Using shadows or blow-ups of the kitty-cat instead of getting an actual larger cat... the cheesy look of the aliens at the end... Chekov's ridiculous wig... it just all has a feeling of, "Enh... that's good enough." And that's not even getting into the silliness of the story. Yeah, this isn't Trek's finest hour. š
Derek H.
2024-02-03 02:44:03 +0000 UTCHmm BT. I wish to respect your wishes of not revealing future expectations of other episodes, but let me just say... all other episodes of this series are better. (There's one that SEEMS worse because of its premise but it's so goofy it's kinda fun. This one isn't even fun.)
Anthony & Meg (Screenplayhouse)
2024-02-03 02:28:09 +0000 UTCYou watch them any way you want to, Bunny. It's a lot of fun to watch along. I remember them growing up and later in Syndication on the UHF channels. There was nothing else on like it at the time, so it had a different effect on me anyway. You do observe things in a different light, which I enjoy and never would have thought of ( "Talking butthole". LOL) I've always enjoyed the color in Star Trek. Everybody has their favorite, but EVERYBODY likes the series as a whole.
timothy w moyer
2024-02-02 23:06:36 +0000 UTCThey are a great read. :)
timothy w moyer
2024-02-02 22:51:44 +0000 UTCOh, since you noticed the different opener in Season 2, I meant to comment on that: So besides the vocal track and picture differences, the big difference here is that DeForest Kelly was given equal billing now with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. As the show was originally convinced, Kirk would be the main character. It didn't take long, however, for both Spock and McCoy to become very popular and fan favorites, and just as well loved (and in some cases, MORE so) then Kirk. This is something Shatner was never happy about due to his ego, and helped (along with other issues) to explain the mislike and hurt feelings much of the cast had with each other for many years after -- but that's a whole long saga, Money had to be taken out of the already thin budget to pay Nimoy and Kelly more -- in fact, one of the main reasons I've heard that Grace Lee Whitney (Janice Rand) was let go was they just couldn't afford to pay her anymore, and I'm personally inclined to say that -- along with Roddenbery deciding that Kirk shouldn't be 'attached' to Rand so he could be a love interest of the week -- are the main reasons why she was let go.
Greg Polander
2024-02-02 22:20:24 +0000 UTCThis has always been one of my least favorite episodes. Even as a little kid when I first saw it, it just seemed hokey with all the melodramatic and spooky voices at the beginning and the tired Halloween stuff. But, like even the worst episodes, it had some good parts. Of course, we see Chekov for the first time. He was intended to appeal to the younger viewers with his Beatle cut. Walter Koenig's hair hadn't grown in enough for the filming of this episode, so that was a wig. But otherwise, a nice introduction to his character. We were at the height of the Cold War at the time, so Gene Roddenberry wanted to show that we could work well with the Russians once we got over our differences. The first season had many more depictions of crew members besides the main command crew, so good to see De Salle in charge from some other department. In the original version, you could still easily see the strings operating the puppets of Korob and Sylvia, so it looked pretty cheesy. The remastering really helps, and it IS nice to see some other kind of depiction of aliien life beyond weird costuming effects. But overall, I agree that this is one of the first truly mediocre episodes. But don't worry! Some great episodes are coming up, and the back stories and relationships between the characters get better and better. Thanks for doing these in production order!
J. Scott Phillips
2024-02-02 21:54:08 +0000 UTCFirst (I had to look it up too) alacrity - quickly and effectively without hesitation or delay. According to "These are the Voyages - Season Two" you are correct, "Catspaw" episode was filmed first on May 2,3,4,5,8,9,10 &11 running a day and a half over schedule. Day 1 was bridge scenes with DeSalle, Uhura and Checkov. Shatner and Nimoy didn't return until Day 2. The plan was not to air it until October 27, to be like a Halloween show. This episode had a share rating of 27.6%, behind first place Gomer Pyle which had 41.6% BTW the three volume set "These are the Voyages" Seasons One, Two and Three, could be the text book for Star Trek if it was a college course. It's available on Kindle if you are interested.
Dave Riley
2024-02-02 21:12:06 +0000 UTCI never enjoyed this episode. It's too odd and a bad attempt at trying to be cinematic.
Chas Summers
2024-02-02 21:11:27 +0000 UTCAnd here we go with Season 2! I'm glad your sticking with it! Catspaw was delayed in it's release for a few months cause they wanted to time it's release with Halloween. A catspaw, by the way, is a dupe used to fool or trick someone else. It's not used much in modern English, but you see the word in a lot of old books and plays. I think this episode is just a 'meh' for me, for the reasons you mentioned. The idea behind the episode and the main characters is great, the sets and effects are very well done, and the whole episode has a creepy and unsettling feel to it -- not quite horror, but close to it. The episode has several major plot holes, though, and things are never really explained in a way that allows for any kind of conclusion or good answers on things. It's nice to see the people on the ship work to try to free themselves regardless of what happens on the planet. Sylvia and Korob were played by Antoinette Bower and Theo Marcuse, more experienced movie and TV stars with a long history. Star Trek was always pretty good in getting in experienced actors like that, no matter the show. When the cat was speaking to Sylvia and the others couldn't understand what she was saying, it directly reminded me of Morgana from Persona 5 -- he can only be understood by people who have heard him 'talk' in the other world, to everyone else he just sounds like a loud annoying cat. LOL I had forgotten just how BAD that wig that poor Koeing was stuck with for a while until his hair grew out. It just looks terrible. :) So Checkov is new to the bridge but not the ship. You may recall in Wrath of Khan that Khan recognized him -- but Checkov wasn't in Season one. The official novelization of the movie tried to explain this by saying he had been on the Enterprise but was working in another department, and this has become canon -- even though it was just invented to try to explain a mistake the script writers and the director made in the movie. He's a Ensign, the lowest enlisted rank in the navy (as Star Trek used navy ranks and a lot of their jargon). Most of the 'bible' for Star Trek had been set up by this point also -- we've heard terms such as the Federation, Starfleet, Starbase, Klingons, Romulans, Orions, Vulcans, warp drive, transporter, etc. I'm not sure when they first said the Enterprise was a Constitution class starship, though. You didn't really see any other 'types' of Federation ships in the show until the movies (when you start seeing Oberth, Miranda, and Excelsior class ships). I had honestly forgotten about that until doing this re-watch with you. Keep up the amazing work!
Greg Polander
2024-02-02 20:45:47 +0000 UTCThis one's going to be an adventure for both of us, B, since I don't really have a strong recollection of it one way or the other. That fact alone makes me think it's probably a "meh" but I've been wrong before. I'll check back in here once I've had a chance to watch your reaction. See you in a bit.
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2024-02-02 19:23:03 +0000 UTCWelcome to Season 2!
Skyman's Follies
2024-02-02 19:00:45 +0000 UTC
