This Side of Paradise is sublime, and features for my money the greatest love scene i've ever seen on TV. Spock also has one of the most memorable final lines ever. There's also a thrilling scene between Kirk and Spock in the transporter room.
I watch this episode when i want to remember that life is short, and artists try to leave memorable culture behind for others to admire. When Spock is first hit by the spores, and he finally responds to Leila (Jill Ireland), she utters these lines of dialogue with Alexander Courage's love scene music playing softly:
Leila: Now, now you belong to all of us. And we to you. There's no need to hide your inner face any longer. We understand.
This scene still floors me. It always has.
In the transporter room Kirk goads Spock into fighting him, breaking his influence from the spores. Minutes later Spock has another unforgettable scene with Leila, and she realizes that she has lost him forever.
As the Enterprise departs the planet, heading to a star base, Spock closes out the show with his remark that for the first time he had been happy. Again, this line captivates me no end.
This Side of Paradise is another Star Trek episode that puts to shame anything else put on television. I've never encountered television that expressed complex emotional ideas such as this.
BTW, the guy who plays Sandoval (Fran Overton) died one month after This Side of Paradise aired! that's a real shame. He didn't get to appreciate this episode by watching it many times, but he certainly was part of a work that has inspired many others.
I watch this episode when i want to remember that life is short, and artists try to leave memorable culture behind for others to admire. When Spock is first hit by the spores, and he finally responds to Leila (Jill Ireland), she utters these lines of dialogue with Alexander Courage's love scene music playing softly:
Leila: Now, now you belong to all of us. And we to you. There's no need to hide your inner face any longer. We understand.
This scene still floors me. It always has.
In the transporter room Kirk goads Spock into fighting him, breaking his influence from the spores. Minutes later Spock has another unforgettable scene with Leila, and she realizes that she has lost him forever.
As the Enterprise departs the planet, heading to a star base, Spock closes out the show with his remark that for the first time he had been happy. Again, this line captivates me no end.
This Side of Paradise is another Star Trek episode that puts to shame anything else put on television. I've never encountered television that expressed complex emotional ideas such as this.
BTW, the guy who plays Sandoval (Fran Overton) died one month after This Side of Paradise aired! that's a real shame. He didn't get to appreciate this episode by watching it many times, but he certainly was part of a work that has inspired many others.