It's difficult to say whether the idea of Kirk being split into his good and evil selves seems like such a cliché because of everything we know about both the show and William Shatner, but if nothing else it gives him a chance to play two characters. Mr Shatner has, of course, the ability to lay on the ham like few others and Evil Kirk gives him an excellent excuse to snarl, shout and shiftily look around rooms.
The circumstances are clear: Kirk has come back from a dangerous planet that gets even more dangerous at night, but a faulty transporter means he's been split into two essences and the crew are stranded on the planet until he can reconcile his two natures. Evil Kirk wants brandy and women while Good Kirk is meek, robbed of his confidence. This leads, inevitably, to a confrontation between the two. The two Kirks meet, fight, are reconciled and Kirk learns that Evil Kirk is an essential part of him.
The episode is entertaining; seeing Evil Kirk skulking around on his own is awkward at times but when he comes into contact with the other members of the crew, things get interesting. A modicum of suspense is maintained by the cutaways to Sulu on the planet's surface, getting colder and colder. Also, credit must go to whoever's idea it was to have Sulu cuddle a space dog.
Review by DeletedBlockedParentSpoilers2015-09-22T17:49:15Z
It's difficult to say whether the idea of Kirk being split into his good and evil selves seems like such a cliché because of everything we know about both the show and William Shatner, but if nothing else it gives him a chance to play two characters. Mr Shatner has, of course, the ability to lay on the ham like few others and Evil Kirk gives him an excellent excuse to snarl, shout and shiftily look around rooms.
The circumstances are clear: Kirk has come back from a dangerous planet that gets even more dangerous at night, but a faulty transporter means he's been split into two essences and the crew are stranded on the planet until he can reconcile his two natures. Evil Kirk wants brandy and women while Good Kirk is meek, robbed of his confidence. This leads, inevitably, to a confrontation between the two. The two Kirks meet, fight, are reconciled and Kirk learns that Evil Kirk is an essential part of him.
The episode is entertaining; seeing Evil Kirk skulking around on his own is awkward at times but when he comes into contact with the other members of the crew, things get interesting. A modicum of suspense is maintained by the cutaways to Sulu on the planet's surface, getting colder and colder. Also, credit must go to whoever's idea it was to have Sulu cuddle a space dog.