The Good: Decent acting, Generally good social message
The Bad: VERY predictable plot/character arcs
The Basics: Despite a classic Shakespearean plot about love and jealousy, Star Trek creates a memorable episode about working together for the common good with "Is There In Truth No Beauty?"
Is it possible, that in the history of television, that there is a gap in the television drama that stretches from Star Trek until M*A*S*H and from M*A*S*H until The West Wing? I am loathe to believe that there were stretches that were that long that there might not have been a television show on the air that was making direct social commentary. The West Wing (click here for my review of the series!) made weekly statements about politics and societal matters, M*A*S*H is one of the most consistent antiwar shows in history. Star Trek, when it was not busy creating alien races that were just weird, was constantly making social statements. Almost every alien encounter was a metaphor for a social problem or movement. In the third season, one of the more veiled episodes that was making a social commentary was "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" and its worth a second look for those who have not seen it.
The U.S.S. Enterprise takes aboard a Medusan ambassador. The Medusans are so physically repulsive that they cause insanity in humanoids who see them, so they are kept (no kidding) in a box. The Medusan ambassador is accompanied by Dr. Miranda Jones and Lawrence Marvick. While the senior staff plays diplomatic with the ensemble, Dr. Jones exhibits telepathic abilities and becomes concerned that a murder is evident. As it is, Marvick is secretly in love with her, jealous of the Medusan ambassador - who monopolizes her time - and he's ready to kill the ugly energy being in the box. His attempt, however, goes awry, he sees the ambassador and hijacks the Enterprise in an insane state and it is up to everyone, including Dr. Jones and the ambassador, to work together to get back to the known galaxy.
The Medusans are one of those alien races created in Star Trek that very much serves the specific plot they are a part of. To the best of my knowledge, they are not even referenced in any other episodes in the franchise (though they are explored rather fully in at least one of the novels). And here, like several other episodes, the names are a dead giveaway for what the place of the creature is in the episode.
The message of the episode, of course, is that we cannot judge everything based on its looks - not the Medusan, not Dr. Jones, etc. - and that everyone has something they may contribute. It's also the time-honored story of love motivating acts of greatness and being the downfall of men. So, Marvick descends into madness and homicidal rage over jealousy borne of love and Dr. Jones must overcome her professional jealousy (the Medusan expresses some interest in Spock) in order to grow.
The plot and character arcs here are very predictable. Spock's intellectual curiosity sparks jealousy and competitiveness from Dr. Jones. Captain Kirk must rely on the two of them following the Enterprise getting lost and when Kirk's judgment rests with Spock (the person he knows), Dr. Jones must learn to put her personal animosity behind her and work with the Enterprise crew and generally learn a lesson in a very "Afterschool Special" kind of way. Marvick is downright Shakespearean in his emotional motivations.
What ultimately made me toss "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" into the "recommend" category (it's a solidly average episode), was the acting. Sure, the characters are almost entirely archetypes, but the acting is surprisingly good. Diana Muldaur, who went on to play Dr. Kate Pulaski in the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation plays Dr. Miranda Jones. Dr. Jones has a secret (revealed near the middle of the episode, but I won't ruin it!) and Muldaur plays the character in a way that hides the secret well, but makes it evident when one rewatches the episode. It's a clever performance that relies on her ability to create a character using her body language and she does it quite well here.
But it is Leonard Nimoy who makes the episode worthwhile. Nimoy plays Spock and while objective viewers of Star Trek will note that the bulk of the characterization of Spock is done through examples of the exceptions to his characterization (i.e. about one in three episodes, Spock does something that is un-Vulcan), in "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" Nimoy is forced to play Spock in a way that is downright feral. Up until the moment the character changes, Nimoy plays him with utter cool detachment, perfectly defining what we expect from an emotionless being. And when Nimoy is forced to act feral, he is unrecognizable for the character so many people love. That's great acting.
Sadly, the acting and message are not enough to overcome the predictability of the characters and plot and catapult this episode out of "average" territory. But, it's enough to say that this is a solid hour of entertainment that will be appreciated by anyone who likes science fiction or dramas that have social messages.
[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek - The Complete Third Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the third and final season by clicking here!
Thanks!]
6/10
For other Star Trek episode and film reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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