"The Empath" Full Reaction! - Star Trek: TOS Season 3
Added 2024-10-18 18:00:03 +0000 UTCFollow along with me using your own copy of the episode!
Comments
Decades have passed, and yet the question asimov asked is still relevant. Today may be more relevant than ever. Are we ready to give birth to a new intelligence? As a species do we as humans have our own ship in order is it ethical to create artificial intelligence when we haven’t really figured out our own existence?
Matthew Graves
2024-11-03 08:56:49 +0000 UTCThis episode still is a bit too weird for me. I get it.
Mark Gosine
2024-10-26 23:12:03 +0000 UTCI'll have to agree. As a child, the complexity is lost. And after surgery yesterday, I surely could use Gem right now.
Mark Gosine
2024-10-26 23:10:36 +0000 UTCYour welcome! I can report that there's a Wikipedia article on EVERY Star Trek episode. Of course, the quality varies from article to article, but this is a good one.
Greg Polander
2024-10-24 17:34:20 +0000 UTCI wasn't aware that there was a Wikipedia article on this episode. Thanks for sharing this. I happily checked it out and found it quite interesting.
Scott Phx
2024-10-24 08:16:10 +0000 UTCGem was magnificent. What a heroine!! So gentle, kind, caring, soothing, comforting.... and so brave and strong too! Beautifully played by remarkably expressive actress Kathryn Hays. The theme music used for her scenes was so amazing. Taken all together, this all frequently brought tears to my eyes many times when I would watch this episode in the past. ...(Skip season 3, it does not have hardly any good episodes. ? ? Ha!!! Uh, hmmm.... I think maybe you were given bad advice there.)
Scott Phx
2024-10-24 08:10:02 +0000 UTCI just listened to it and it's lovely! Thanks for the recommendation!
Lee
2024-10-21 06:14:21 +0000 UTCIt looks exactly like the agonizer prop from "Mirror, Mirror" and "Day of the Dove." The resemblance is so close it can't be a coincidence.
Lee
2024-10-21 06:09:27 +0000 UTCI really loved it!
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:54:07 +0000 UTCYes, Gem really made this episode for me as well!
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:53:50 +0000 UTCThat's a great point about the difference in emphasis on her outfit vs many of the other female guests. That's probably one reason why it and she stand out to me so much!
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:53:26 +0000 UTCI have not!
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:51:30 +0000 UTCMatthew, that's horrifying!
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:51:21 +0000 UTCI can't seem to place it
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:50:56 +0000 UTCThanks!!
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:50:21 +0000 UTC38 years is a looong time! Wow! And somehow I don't think I've ever heard of that show.
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:50:11 +0000 UTCGem's grace was very eye catching!
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:49:07 +0000 UTCI don't think those aliens really got the experiment either :P
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:47:55 +0000 UTCAgreed that Final Fantasy VIII has a beautiful and exciting OST! I would recommend Lee to listen to the full version of the Balamb Garden song. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmYfkfm7GpA&ab_channel=LaraCroft
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:46:40 +0000 UTCAh, I can see the parallels for sure
bunnytails
2024-10-21 05:44:53 +0000 UTCI was nervous about your reaction to The Empath (as with a few other episodes), but you are crushing it. As a kid, the episode was a little detached and creepy. As an adult, it brings tears to my eyes. MCCOY: “Help him! Don’t be afraid to help him!”
Trilogian
2024-10-19 20:07:02 +0000 UTCEclectic is a great description of this season. As for The Empath, I really enjoy this one. Like you, I also love the vibe of this episode with the pitch black backgrounds and the mute empath. The actress did a fantastic job with Gem and made this episode for me. Kirk and his shirt: Funny how when the Vians tortured Kirk, they took of his shirt. But, for McCoy, they left it on.
Ron
2024-10-19 05:12:21 +0000 UTCSo this is probably the episode with the second biggest gap between what I thought as a kid first seeing it and then seeing it as an adult. As a kid, I thought it was so slow and so boring. As an adult, I love it for its intellectual and emotional complexities. It’s definitely more from that old school sci-fi aesthetic of your Asimov or Clark, then from a more action oriented piece that is more prevalent today. There’s not a lot of action. Actually almost none. But it’s a wonderful mental and moral puzzle piece. I rate as very good vergin on what I will call “stealth classsic” Your comparison to the cage is quite astute. In fact, as a kid, I was absolutely convinced that the aliens in here were the Talosians. Some actually brilliant direction in this. They made the absolute most that they could have with the limited budget that they had for sets using interesting framing on the camera shots, and great lighting effects as Bunny picked up on. Another thing worth praise in this episode, IMO. Bunny has had an ongoing commentary on her love affair with the costuming in TOS. It’s fun to notice in this episode again. They put a beautiful costume on the (Very impressive) guest actress, but whereas in most cases, the intent is to be sexy and tempting, in this case, the intent is to really emphasize the grace and ethereal qualities of Gem. Another beautiful costume, but with an entirely different “vibe“to it that works perfectly for this episode and what they were trying to do. Do androids dream of electric sheep is a classic bunny, enjoy! And finally, Bunny, you absolutely HAVE to see a Broadway show at some point in your life. From everything I’ve gleaned about you from your reactions and this site, you would absolutely love it.
Matthew Graves
2024-10-19 03:32:09 +0000 UTCAs someone who has recurring spiders in his house, I can confirm, three months? Yeah, if you have spiders that much cobwebbing is actually conservative.
Matthew Graves
2024-10-19 03:29:03 +0000 UTCSo, who really learned compassion? Was it Gem, or was it the Vians?
Carlos Stevens
2024-10-19 03:10:14 +0000 UTCThe simplistic set is very very 1960's sci-fi. Ever see the series, "The Outer Limits"?
Carlos Stevens
2024-10-19 02:30:19 +0000 UTC"Those cobwebs came in three months"? Bunny...don't you know that space spiders are super active? Don't mess with space spiders!
Carlos Stevens
2024-10-19 02:19:10 +0000 UTChmmm... were on books now??? Ever read, "Ready Player One"? Sooo much better than the movie; especially for nerds and geeks.
Carlos Stevens
2024-10-19 02:14:53 +0000 UTCOne more thing. The piece of furniture that Gem is sleeping on when Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet her... did that remind anyone else of something we've seen on TOS before?
Lee
2024-10-19 00:25:33 +0000 UTCI actually did not know that. I put too many skill points in sci-fi television and had none left for anything else.
Lee
2024-10-19 00:17:58 +0000 UTCYes, season three is eclectic and fun! 🤗
ded cowbowee
2024-10-18 22:47:36 +0000 UTCGreat episode, great reaction!👍
ded cowbowee
2024-10-18 22:45:59 +0000 UTCI agree with a lot of what has been said already, so I'll keep my comments short. First, the Wikipedia article on this episode is very good and in depth, with how the episode came to be and people's reactions to it. Worth reading. Second, I agree that Kathryn Hays, who played Gem here, was great. She really enjoyed the role also. She had a long career in TV and movies but she's best know for playing one regular character on the soap opera As the World Turns for an AMAZING 38 years -- from 1972 till the show ended in 2010! (I seem to recall that the wife of one of the major actors in a later Star Trek show also was known for her work in soaps -- I won't spoil anything yet but will mention it in more detail when we get there.) This episode has always just been 'fair' to me, I'm afraid. I love the story and idea behind it, and the set was effective despite being on the cheap. Great music written for this episode also, and you get some amazing interaction and character depth with McCoy, Spock, and Kirk here. I always thought the episode was too slow paced, too confusing, and with too many plot holes. We never find out at the end, for example, if Gem's world was indeed saved. It SEEMS like it was, but some confirmation -- even just a throraway line from someone -- would have been nice. I admit I'm also a little tired of how often the 'star about to nova' plot element is used -- we've seen it a number of times already and we'll see it again before the show is done! Can't they come up with some OTHER reason for this? The costume work here was very well done, however, and depending on what you are looking for from your Star Trek you might enjoy this episode. It's just not for me, though. One of those really weird abstract episodes Star Trek does now and then.
Greg Polander
2024-10-18 22:42:51 +0000 UTCNot sure if you know this, but that's the Balamb Garden theme from Final Fantasy 8. I agree it's a great song -- FF8 has an amazing soundtrack.
Greg Polander
2024-10-18 22:36:15 +0000 UTCUh... I don't know about this one. The set was interesting, the actress was animated, and the custom score was memorable. But I don't really get the whole experiment.
SuicuneSol
2024-10-18 21:51:31 +0000 UTCEarly depiction of alien abduction involving intensive probing and experimentation. Gem (for Gemini?) is cute but the hair is a bit sixties. I'm dismayed at the budget with no set. Reminds me of Batman second season. Made up for by the props: the Vains, their weapons. Kirk ordered the Enterprise far away!- after finding nobody at the station, no note, and a looming nova. Scotty seems very complacent, I don't like it when he's not trying to rescue the landing party. The dress on Gem, with the sequins, the body stocking, the way she moves with interpretive dance- glamorous&! is the chief point of interest. Thanks for the great reacts!
William Terry
2024-10-18 20:50:20 +0000 UTCMuch as I like this episode (especially the performance by Kathryn Hays), I can't help thinking that the Vians' efforts could be better spent trying to save as many populations in the time remaining instead of torturing random people in order to elicit a compassionate response in an individual whose actions will determine the fate of her people. There should have been an indication that there were multiple teams of Vians conducting tests on representatives of other planets in order to more efficiently assess the deserving civilization. One line of dialogue could have conveyed that notion in less time than it took slo-mo Kirk to collapse. I think that failure to express the obvious is a major drawback in the writing this season. We had the same situation with "Wink of an Eye" when it wasn't certain whether the Scalosians would be receiving any future assistance in curing their condition, or would be abandoned and left to die. This feels like the sort of thing that Robert Justman would write a corrective memo for, but it appears the increased workload of becoming co-producer left him little time or energy to provide his usual creative wisdom. According to his article on Memory Alpha, he left S3 after fifteen episodes "nearing complete nervous exhaustion and believing the series had declined in production and script quality," an assessment I agree with. One bit of actor trivia: Jason Wingreen (Linke) was the original voice of Boba Fett in "The Empire Strikes Back" before he was replaced for the Special Edition with Temeura Morrison. Edited to add: Just want to thank Bunny for providing the outro theme on the Patreon videos. I can't explain why I like it so much, but I do.
Lee
2024-10-18 20:45:05 +0000 UTCThe Empath -good episode ! She had to learn to use her power to heal even almost to the point of death -not to sound way out there - she might have represented a female Jesus --- quote from the Bible - Isaiah 53 "Surely he hath borne our sicknesses and carried our pains ...and with his stripes we are healed" --- anyway 3 or 4 really good episodes coming up ** anyway thanks for the reaction - maybe now you can enjoy the Fall weather in n. Cal. - no more 110 degrees ! Have a wonderful one ! 🩷
dave zink
2024-10-18 19:43:14 +0000 UTCAhhhh, the Empath. Another Season 3 highlight. This is the sister score to "Is There In Truth No Beauty", both recorded on the same day by the amazing George Duning. Whether it was forced by budget or inspired by design or a bit of both (like Spectre of the Gun), the result is great and different: TOS meets the Theater, lol. It's really great. And to match the theatricality, we have the wonderful Kathryn Hays, displaying almost balletic type gestures to match her absence of voice. Many good moments of our trio willing to sacrifice themselves for each other and, also, Gem. Whether or not the Vian's means to an end here makes sense isn't so relevant, to me, i still love the idea. This episode, in many ways, does harken back to "The Cage" (who's got the bigger heads?!) in look and feel and message, right down to the Captain's plea at the end offering up four lives. And yeah, Bunny, glad to have Bones famous line come back to make us all feel at home. A terrific and unique Season 3 episode.
Skyman's Follies
2024-10-18 19:21:12 +0000 UTC
