Stardate: 3372.7
Synopsis: While heading for Altair 6, Spock exhibits signs of uncontrollable insanity. He is experiencing the "Pan Far", or Blood Fever, when Vulcans feverishly feel the instinct to mate, and if he doesn't return to Vulcan within 8 days, he'll die. So in defiance of Starfleet orders, Captain Kirk diverts the ship to Vulcan, where in a highly ritualized ceremony, Spock is to marry his predetermined wife, Duprene. But it's not so simple. Duprene insists that Spock must fight to the death for her hand, and in a surprising twist, she selects Kirk to be his opponent. Kirk fakes his own death so the ceremony can be completed, thus also getting Spock off the hook for marriage.
Review: I apologize in advance for the horrific spelling of Vulcan names and rituals that's about to ensue, but this episode really has nothing much going on other than indulging Spock fetishists' desire for more details about Vulcans and their culture.
We finally meet Chekhov behind the navigation station, and if it doesn't make you smile than you haven't got a heart. Vulcan is extremely red-colored. Tapowl, the Vulcan officiating the wedding ceremony, is a wasted character - in a position of extremely great power and importance on the planet, yet the only purpose this serves is to get Kirk out of trouble for defying Starfleet's orders. We want to know more about Stan as well - Duprene's true love who was expecting to duel with Spock before she blindsided Kirk. And Kirk's supposed death, and Spock's ridiculously exaggerated show of joy at discovering him alive back aboard the ship, were far too predictable.
Spock was a pop culture phenomenon after Season One, and this opening to Season Two brings practically nothing to the table except to give Spock a little more depth and context. But it hardly succeeds at that either.
Review: 2 stars
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