I just got done watching this series after many years.
The 3rd season felt a little off and I'm not talking about the obvious silly (but good IMO) episodes like Spocks Brain. It just felt less inspired and Lackluster.
Just wondered about the opinions of others here?
Yeah, the 3rd season has been regarded as problematic forever. Apparently everyone knew the show wasn't doing well enough in the ratings to last, so things were allowed to slide.
Still, I enjoy some of the episodes, I mean "Spock's Brain" is hilarious! And IMHO "The Tholian Web", and "Requiem For Mesuthala" are genuinely good.
There is a lot to like about the season. "For the World is Hollow and I have touched the sky" is a good episode along with the ones mentioned.
I also like "the cloud miners." .
Another factor that affected the show's third season was moving it to 10pm Friday nights. It was assumed that most of the younger viewers would either be in bed or out of the house, so there was a dramatic shift in tone. The show became much more morbid, and much darker than it had been in the previous two seasons. It's really hard to imagine how episodes that revolve around torturing the main characters ("The Empath") or manipulating the main characters ("Plato's Stepchildren") could have come from the same creative team.
shareIf you haven't already done so these are my picks for must-watch season 3 episodes:
1. Day of the Dove
2. The Tholian Web
3. Whom Gods Destroy
4. Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
5. The Savage Curtain
6. The Lights of Zetar
7. That Which Survives
I'd replace The Lights of Zetar with The Cloud Minders and include The Enterprise Incident on your list. Turnabout Intruder while not great was watchable. An interesting experiment for the 1960's in having a man thrown into the role of playing a woman. I don't recall Bewitched doing that.
shareAn interesting experiment for the 1960's in having a man thrown into the role of playing a woman. I don't recall Bewitched doing that.
Your right..Kirk transition right before our eyes......great acting.
shareInteresting choices. I'll have to rewatch those to see if it changes my list..
shareAlot of people seem to like the Enterprise Incident from Season 3. I didn't like it as much as Day of the Dove but included it on the new list. After rewatching the episodes mentioned, here is an updated list of must-watch Season 3 episodes:
1.Day of the Dove
2.The Tholian Web
3.Whom Gods Destroy
4.Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
5.The Savage Curtain
6.The Lights of Zetar
7.That Which Survives
8.The Cloud Minders
9.The Enterprise Incident
10.Spectre of the Gun
11.For the World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky
12.The Turnabout Intruder
These were probably the best Season 3 had to offer.
I've watched interviews where Leonard Nimoy said a new producer came on board who didn't get (understnd) the show, plus the scripts went downhill, and he recalls he wasn't sad for it to be over.
My favorite from Season 3 is 'The Enterprise Incident'
The third season was easily the WORST of TOS, it was like all the leftover ideas after the excellent first season and the very-good second season.
In the third season, however, I really do like "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", it just shows how absolutely ridiculous racism is.
Spock's reaction when Beale explains that he is black/white on the opposite side of Loci is a hoot. Part of it was incredulity of the silliness of their racism and the other part was Spock missing the detail that they were colored opposite of each other!
As a young black guy in the 70s, I loved that episode.
Yep, it can get pretty bad. The money and energy just went out of it. It was cut short in the end as well.
shareAside from changing producers for the show, the script-writers that made better episodes in previous seasons left, and the budget was made even lower in season 3, which made the episodes even more difficult to film than before.
share