Wait, a season 3 episode that has a character learning and growing? This episode is far from perfect, but it does has a lot more going for it than the rest of the season so far. It also manages to play off the characters in ways they don't see coming. There is a moment where Spock tells Kirk he needs the beautiful woman in the episode distracted to which Kirk responds, "I think that could be arranged," while looking suggestively at the camera. But in fact he is totally unable to either seduce or distract Dr. Jones.
The episode opens with Kirk introducing the idea of the Medusans, aliens so different from us that seeing them drives humans mad, and Vulcans without proper eye protection. The medusan ambassador is to beam aboard with the psychic Dr. Jones and engineer Larry Marvick. They are working on a plan to use medusans with their advanced senses and navigational skills to navigate starships with far greater accuracy and efficiency. Spock operates the transporter controls with safety goggles on and the ambassador appears in a metal box. Dr. Jones is a human psychic trained on Vulcan to be able to control her abilities. She is working on forming a mind link with the medusan ambassador Kollos and is not eager to let Spock try his mindmeld on it. At a dinner in their honor the men of the ship express their disbelieve that Dr. Jones would abandon human men in favor of a life with an ugly alien, but she seems unfazed, until she detects murder! Well, the psychic intent to murder.
Back in her quarters Dr. Jones is confronted by Marvick who expresses his love for her, but is rejected. He returns and tries to kill Kollos with a phaser, but is driven mad by the flashing lights I guess. He runs to engineering where he takes the ship up to warp 9.5 (TNG warp rules seem to be sinking in) and takes them the the GALACTIC BARRIER!!! They are really into the whole galactic barrier thing I guess. Anyway, Marvick is confronted by Dr. Jones in engineering and accuses her of killing him out of jealousy, and then promptly dies to prove his point I guess. Back on the bridge the Enterprise is in a green glowing place outside the galaxy (I guess they really didn't understand galaxies in the writing room) and can't find their way home without a point of reference. This is where Spock decides he has to mindmeld with Kollos over Dr. Jones objections and Kirk gets the job of distracting her.
Kirk takes Dr. Jones to the Enterprise flower room, and doesn't get why she pokes herself on a rose thorn. She rejects his romantic overtures and then psychically detects that Spock is going to mindmeld and runs out, where she meets Spock and McCoy. It is then she reveals she is blind which is why she can be around Kollos and not go mad. She wears a web of sensors that tell her what she needs to know about her environment. After talking with Kollos she agrees it is their only option, but she is also pissed about it. On the bridge Spock successfully merges with Kollos and navigates them back into the galaxy, but when he leaves Spock's body he forgets to put on the safety glasses and Spock is driven mad. Dr. Jones tries to help, but is unable to until Kirk confronts her about her jealousy of Spock for his Vulcan mindmeld abilities. Seeing the truth she is able to heal Spock and in the process gains his mindmeld.
Review: I know calling something among the best of third season (the best so far) is faint praise, and yeah, it is. This episode would have been one of the middle grade episodes of the first few seasons. Still it manages to play off trek conventions in interesting ways and has some pretty solid scifi premises despite also being about a psychic.
7 out of 10
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