Here’s another episode that is kinda running on fumes. Offstage a disease is about to kill off the whole crew, the antidote is on this uninhabited planet when — whaaaaaat? A creepy old man in a crazy castle with a Stepford Wife? Not only is this episode outrageously sexist (even by TOS standards) it is offensive to history in its implication that many of Earth’s great men were (Leonardo, Shakespere, Brahms, Alexander, etc) were all the same dude. I know, it makes no sense. There is a somewhat touching moment at the end — now, maybe I only found this touching because I was watching this fairly late at night — when Kirk is devastated by the loss of his perfect robo-woman. McCoy feels bad for Kirk but then (in typical McCoy fashion) he starts yelling at Spock. I really feel bad for you, Spock! Because you will never know what it is like to love and lose! Therefore you suck! McCoy storms offstage all pissed off at Spock (what really is his problem?) and Spock is left observing a sleeping, emotionally wounded Kirk. He slowly walks over and begins to perform a Vulcan mind meld. We think it is so Spock can understand this curious emotion. Instead it is to impose peace on Kirk. He utters the word “Forget.” Which is kind of Spock, I guess, in that Kirk is in true pain. But shouldn’t he have asked for permission first?
Good review but you forgot the truly beautiful waltz that Spock played on this episode/ It was written just for this episode and I cannot get a copy of it except for on this episode. One of the finest pieces of classical music I have ever heard. Listen to it again if you like classical music at all. It is as good as anything Brahms ever wrote IMHO! It was written by Ivan Ditmars. He must have been a gifted musician.