Wanderlust

1.6 — “Mudd’s Women”

1.6 — “Mudd’s Women”

The best scene, I think, is the opening teaser, in which Kirk shows what kind of leader he is by making the hard choice, against the advice of his officers, to risk the ship to attempt the rescue of strangers. Then, because no good deed goes unpunished, we have to watch the rest of the episode. Do you think the Enterprise should maybe pack some spare lithium crystals for the next time this happens?

It’s not that there isn’t anything interesting going on. From a lawyer’s perspective, the summary trial on board the ship is interesting. I’m impressed that the Federation claims to have jurisdiction to prevent a person from flying a spaceship without a flight plan or master’s license in the far reaches of space. Quite a few points make you think about how vulnerable not just the ship, but the mores of society are, on the frontiers of the galaxy. Normal rules necessarily bend to the exigencies of survival. I found myself wondering at what point Kirk’s negotiations with the miners on Rigel 12 would turn to violence. Surely refusing to provision a distressed starship bearing over 400 souls is a worse breach of conduct than anything Mudd is accused of doing.

Trafficking willing women to provide wives for colonists is also understandable in light of population pressures, and certainly has ample historical precedent, as I’ve learned watching HBO’s Deadwood (although in the 23rd century it should be women and men).

But, excited as I would be to see detailed recreations of the costumes of Mudd and his entourage at the next Norwescon, the character of Harry Mudd doesn’t do anything for me. His archetype is one we don’t see much anymore, one that doesn’t really work in 21st century America, where vagabonds can be so easily tracked and we’ve lost our sense of humor about criminality. It is a lifestyle that could flourish again, however, in a frontier culture, the kind we might have again if humans spread out to the stars.

My favorite aspect of the episode is the focus on moral decision-making and Kirk’s resolution in the face of tough decisions and temptations. We see how important this to him, even at the risk of his ship. It is the sine qua non of his character. The weaknesses, there are many. No crew deaths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudd%27s_Women

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21 responses to “1.6 — “Mudd’s Women””

  1. Randi Cohen Avatar
    Randi Cohen

    Kev, great point about the miners and their misconduct!!!  I don’t know how I missed that.

    Dara, love your post.  Agree about Mudd (I love his exaggerated brogue and mischievous twinkle!) & Falco too.  It is kind of nice that many of the actors on star trek are look like ordinary people rather than movie stars though.

    More random thoughts:

    enterprise = traffic cops in space?  Apparently they are in pursuit of this guy because his registration has expired?

    “Lithium crystals?”  And the ship runs on batteries?  I guess they are still working out the “science” here.

    I think it is actually a little charming that the crew are supposedly struck dumb by these women.  If it were filmed today, the women would be considerably younger and wearing considerably less.

    Funny how Uhura and Chapel are basically absent from this episode… it would have been helpful if they were around more!

    “Even burned and cracked, they are beautiful…” nice juxtaposition of that line with the scene of the women being revealed to be “ugly” in their true forms.

    I don’t think you can get that kind of make-up job just with the placebo effect, really, but it’s a cute ending.  And it’s interesting to consider the points Eve made, about the kind of woman a man wants.  It’s ironic that in the initial phase of attraction and love the outside counts so much even today (for both sexes!), yet after that it’s the friendship and person’s internal qualities that matter much more.

    Reply
  2. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    Surely someone must want to take shots at some of the many problems with this episode.

    Reply
  3. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    Navigator John Farrell appeared in three TOS episodes: http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/John_Farrell

    Reply
  4. Katharine Bond Avatar
    Katharine Bond

    I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, but I’ll probably chime in tonight when I do.

    Reply
  5. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    I only got to fall asleep to it once this week, so I’m not ready to comment yet. ;p

    I’m really hoping I catch up next week when we only have one episode due!

    Reply
  6. Katharine Bond Avatar
    Katharine Bond

    Ok…I like that Bones is the one who figures things out. Almost.

    Uhura is in gold! That’s pretty neat.

    I agree with Kevin that the intro was the best scene.

    Overall, I didn’t like this episode.

    Reply
  7. R. Alex Reutter Avatar
    R. Alex Reutter

    The writers have their hearts in the right place with Mudd’s Women.  The moral they want, I think, is that in a relationship you want a partner and not a trophy (also, believe in yourself).  The first problem is that it comes off seeming more like a helpmeet, with traditional separation of men’s & women’s roles, than a full partner.  The second problem is that this storyline is pushed to the background while Mudd and Kirk spar for most of the episode, and is only pulled to the fore at the very end.  

    There’s a ton of potential for character development here.  Women have been leaving civilization to go to the frontier since civilization began.  Why are these three women looking for husbands?  Why is Mudd transporting them?  He seems like a complete scoundrel from the start, but his bearing and expression during the “placebo transformation” scene suggests he really cares about these women.  Why is that?  What’s the story here?  Maybe it’s just Roger Carmel doing far more with the character than he’s given, but I want it to be more.

    For me, the star of this episode is the special effects.  We see another ship onscreen for the first time, and it gets pulverized by an asteroid (oh, though if this is part of the remastering, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudd%27s_Women#40th_Anniversary_remastering, then Spock is less impressed).  The transformation scene is also really well done.

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  8. Melissa Simms Avatar
    Melissa Simms

    Qa

    Reply
  9. Melissa Simms Avatar
    Melissa Simms

    Oh dear. They just can’t decide where they want this episode to go. Are the three ladies virtuous middle class white women searching the galaxy for husbands? Really? Are they Space Hookers with Harry as their pimp and drug dealer? Is Childress so rotten that he’d risk killing 400 someodd people so he and his friends can get laid? Are the ladies so unpicky that their only requirement seems to be healthy male? Where do we want the last scene to go? That’s supposed to be the learning and growing part, but Childress definitely prefers decorative and useless over partner and helpmeet. So, generally, ugh.

    Reply
  10. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    I second Melissa’s comments and note that it wasn’t well shot, either. They did not maintain the illusion of a large ship well.. Why are Bones and Scotty on the bridge? The same characters are in every scene and they follow each other through the ship. They try to make Mudd lovable, but the basic outline is a human trafficker who controls through drugs.

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  11. Katharine Bond Avatar
    Katharine Bond

    Melissa, I agree completely.

    Reply
  12. Melissa Simms Avatar
    Melissa Simms

    With a few tweaks, “Mudd’s Women would make a good episode of Firefly.

    Reply
  13. Melissa Simms Avatar
    Melissa Simms

    And speaking of Firefly, remember how we first met Kaylee? Notice how that doesn’t decrease Mal’s respect for her?

    Reply
  14. Michael Hanscom Avatar
    Michael Hanscom

    I was running a bit behind this week, so just now got done watching this, and most of the things that caught me have already been mentioned.

    This marks the first real appearance of the Theiss Titillaition Theory.

    Mudd calls Spock “Vulcanian”. Could be early-series writing issues, could simply be Mudd being Mudd. And while he may be little more than a space-pimp leprechaun, I can’t help but like him (or, at least, the actor’s portrayal). I’m with Dara on this. Though of all his oddities, choosing to rant about taking over the Enterprise in front of two security guards was probably one of his least intelligent moments. That said, this never comes up again, so either Kirk didn’t think enough of Mudd to be worried about such an event (not at all unlikely), or the guards never reported Mudd’s ranting.

    McCoy asks if the girl in sickbay might be waring some sort of unusual radioactive perfume. Radioactive perfume is a thing?

    The search from the Enterprise has been in progress for more than three hours, but still nobody has had time to hand either Spock or Kirk a moist towelette to clean those smudges off of their faces.

    I was already amused that the Venus drug was able to fix hairstyles and makeup — but even the placebo can manage that! Impressive.

    Not one of my favorite episodes, though I do enjoy Mudd as a character. He’s about the closest thing that Star Trek has to a Han Solo-style lovable rogue.

    Reply
  15. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    One thing the placebo did was make Eve talk in that weird vampy Marilyn Monroe voice. What’s up with that? And when was that officially over?

    Reply
  16. Jennifer Douwes Avatar
    Jennifer Douwes

    Ha! Love reading these :-). I felt like the first act and second act of the show were two different shows all together. It threw me for a minute – might have been the cold beer in my hand, not sure ;-). I so want a placebo that will put my makeup on! Loved the way they did that (not!). Everything said here, from Firefly to the creepy-ness of the wife (drug) dealer. Loved the acting by the final gal (Eve? Again, the beer, don’t remember her name.) Loved her depth of character. Loved that they were older gals, even when they were beautiful ;-). Loved the seductress costumes. Didn’t love Mudd (sorry.) Might be my creep meeter. Which means they did it right I guess. Damn this show is addictive. I’m actually, for the first time, ahead ;-)!

    Reply
  17. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    Since I’m coming in behind, several of my main points have been covered. 

    Let’s get to my favorite part of this episode: costume and makeup!

    This is the first time I get really excited about what they’re wearing! Any one of those dresses is totally cosplay ready, and the hair styles are MAGNIFICENT. But best of all: Mudd has great clothes too! The curled handlebar mustache is fit for any steampunk fan today. 🙂 Plus we get someone “fannish sized” to work with for a change. I’m sort of astonished I haven’t seen more Mudd men walking the halls of Norwescon.  

    I definitely see some Quark in Mudd. Or perhaps rather some Mudd in Quark. 🙂

    It’s too bad I remembered this episode so clearly, because I almost for a moment wanted the “transformation” to reveal that they weren’t human at all, or that they were men, or that they were actually disfigured and not just well… old. Because after all, if you’re living on a really rough planet with only three men, I think you need a little of the wisdom that really only comes with age. More experience, more calluses, and more knowledge would serve those women well in such an environment.  It says a lot about society and culture that they still couldn’t even explore those concepts on Star Trek even though they came so close. Nope, just a fixation on youth and beauty, no real morality tale about how brains are dead sexy and experience is a necessary part of vitality. Wasted potential in this story…

    Reply
  18. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    … and for the record (since it’s still 80 degrees at 11 p.m.) watching those sparkly polyester scratchy dresses is making me ITCH ALL OVER. 

    It can’t possibly be the sunburn I got yesterday. Nope, it’s the polyester dresses.

    Reply
  19. Allen Knutson Avatar
    Allen Knutson

    I have to disagree about the best part of the episode. It’s this conversation between Kirk and McCoy:

    KIRK: What are they? 

    MCCOY: You mean are they alien illusions? That sort of thing? 

    KIRK: I asked you first. 

    MCCOY: No, an alien smart enough to pull this could also keep my medical scanner from going beep! 

    KIRK: I don’t follow you. 

    MCCOY: I don’t either.

    We’re six episodes in, and McCoy’s already inured to those dagnabbit alien illusions, got to be on the lookout for them.

    Reply
  20. R. Alex Reutter Avatar
    R. Alex Reutter

    Kelley has been wonderful to watch.  From the moment in the Man Trap when McCoy claps his hands together in nervous anticipation of meeting his old flame, he gave us the broad outlines of the character, and has been filling us in on the details of his relationships with Kirk and Spock ever since.

    Reply
  21. Allen Knutson Avatar
    Allen Knutson

    I realized reading that that I’m just too familiar with these characters, and became so before I’d developed any ability to recognize an actor’s craft. Something about Bones always grated on me (probably because I naturally took Spock’s side), and I’d basically written him off. But you’re right! And I will endeavor to appreciate him more fully this time through.

    Reply

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