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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Starfleet Meets Falstaff, July 30, 2002
This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 21, Episodes 41 & 42: I, Mudd/ The Trouble With Tribbles (DVD)
Neither of these episodes could be taken seriously if your life depended on it, and they know it. They're just pure fun. "Tribbles" must have been a working vacation idea for the cast, who get to spread their comic wings for a change - and pretty well, at that. Shatner has always had a flair for comedy, and does a fine job here. Leonard Nimoy was always a natural straight-man, and very funny whenever he got to display offense at injured pride - his best moment in this one is being caught responding to the cuddly loveableness of the furry little title beasties. James Doohan also proves to have a fine flair for the funny, and gets ample opportunity to prove it, upholding the fine honor of Starfleet to Klingon barbarians in a bar-fight, and greater pride in the honor of the Enterprise, itself - at Captain Kirk's expense. The always entertaining William Campbell, seen in the title role of "The Squire of Gothos" the preceding season, guest stars here as a snidely prissy Klingon, and Stanley Adams is more enjoyable than usual in his standard fat Falstaffian fool/con man role. "I, Mudd" finds the Enterprise again encountering another con-man of its past acquaintance, Harcourt "Harry" Fenton Mudd, who is even more Falstaffian than Stanley Adams. Harry's gotten himself made into a king - on a planet he can't leave! The inhabitants are all directionless androids, built long ago to serve their makers, who fled millennia ago after discovering paradise wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Harry's enjoyed the endless schmorgasbord of brothel delights the mechanical lassies among them have to offer, but is restless to con and swindle his way across the galaxy again. In an effort to escape, he has the androids' leader, Norman, hijack the Enterprise to his planet, planning to give its crew to the androids in place of himself - but the androids plan to keep Harry, too, and additionally to use the Enterprise to go about the solar systems looking for other races they might "help." How does one beat such ruthless machine logic? Why, by a pure assault on reason, of course, which manifests itself in Monty Python-ish silliness, that is highly entertaining to watch. "I, Mudd" benefits from the clever casting of sexy twins Alyce and Rhae Andryce as same-model identical androids, enabling them to double and triple for each other in convincing fashion. The set design is minimalist and effective. A very funny cameo appearance by the shrewish harridan Mrs. Harry Mudd is worth the price of admission, alone.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Levity on the Final Frontier, April 26, 2001
This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 21, Episodes 41 & 42: I, Mudd/ The Trouble With Tribbles (DVD)
Volume 21 of Paramount's DVD release of Classic Trek features two popular episodes which emphasise humor over drama, both of which make excellent use of the supporting cast. "I, Mudd" features Roger C. Carmel, reprising his role as Harry Mudd from the first season episode "Mudd's Women." Carmel plays the role more broadly here than in the earlier story, but that's appropriate given the more comedic writing in the script. This episode features another instance of Kirk (with the help of the crew) using logic/illogic to destroy a computer brain. William Shatner and the supporting cast members at times appear as if they're a zany cross between a Vaudeville troupe and Improv theatre. "The Trouble with Tribbles" needs no introduction. This episode has consistently topped Trekker's lists of all-time favorite episodes. The gentle humor here is in contrast to the more slapstick approach of "I, Mudd." This story was revisited in Deep Space Nine's 1996 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations." Hopefully, that installment will be available on DVD soon. Again, the supporting cast is used more fully here than in most episodes. Both of these storylines were also revisited in the animated Star Trek series ("Mudd's Passion," and "More Tribbles, More Troubles"). Hopefully, these will be made available on DVD as well. Paramount has done a good job of resorting the picture and sound here. There are several opticals of the Enterprise and Space Station K-7 filmed specially for this episode. The clarity of these newer shots contrasts with stock footage of the Enterprise, which is considerably grainer.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two of the most Humorous of Trek Episodes!, February 23, 2001
This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 21, Episodes 41 & 42: I, Mudd/ The Trouble With Tribbles (DVD)
Both of the episodes on this DVD are among the most humorous from the original 79 episodes of the original Star Trek series. Roger Carmel as "Mudd" is the classic con artist and charleton. In "The Trouble With Tribbles" we find out about yet another "entrepeneur", Cyrano Jones, who unleases the adorable, yet highly prolific tribbles upon Deep Space Station K-7 and the Enterprise! Both of these episodes are fun to watch even if you are not a Star Trek fan. The humor in them is timeless, and the legacy of these is everlasting. A keeper for the Trekker, or non-Trekker alike!
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