Off and Running is an American coming-of-age story. But it is one shaped by the new realities of an increasingly diverse American population, especially as those realities affect family life. Brooklyn teen Avery Klein-Cloud is the African-American adoptive daughter of white Jewish lesbians. Her siblings, also adopted, are an older black and Puerto Rican boy and a young Korean-American boy. Avery has grown up loved, supported and happy. Off and Running opens with the popular high school track star in her junior year, looking forward to college and a successful life.
But the outside world, with its deep concerns about race and identity, begins to intrude upon this happy family. Avery’s upbringing in a Jewish household and her distance from black culture were not issues for her during childhood, but as she approaches adulthood, she grows more troubled by her ignorance of her own roots. With the support of her parents, she decides to learn about her past by writing to her birth mother. The result is a crisis whose depth takes Avery, her parents and the filmmakers by surprise — a crisis that threatens to sweep away the teen’s promising future.
Nicole Opper’s Off and Running has its national broadcast premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010, at 10 p.m. on PBS during the 23rd season of POV (Point of View). The film will be shown with two StoryCorps short animations. Off and Running is one of the three-part POV Adoption Stories, which include Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy on Aug. 31 and In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee on Sept. 14. POV continues its regular schedule on Tuesdays through Sept. 21 and concludes with a special on Tuesday, Oct. 5. (Check local listings.) American television’s longest-running independent documentary series, POV is the recipient of a Special Emmy for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking.
As a little girl, Avery was the only black child in Hebrew school. In high school, her black friends, including her boyfriend, also a track star, often tease her about how little she knows about African- American culture. It’s all in good fun and Avery, in turn, likes to tell her friends about Jewish culture and her family’s diversity. But at some point during her junior year, Avery’s distance from black life begins to eat at her. Her parents, Tova and Travis, support her efforts to contact her birth mother through the agency that handled her adoption, though they caution her that she may not get the answer she wants — or any answer at all. After three anxious months, a reply comes from Avery’s birth mother, Kay, in Austin, Texas. It’s a kind enough letter that asks for Avery’s forgiveness for giving her up and informs her that she has three brothers, a sister and a nephew. There is no indication, however, that Kay wants a relationship with Avery.
The effect on Avery is intense. The lack of connection she has always felt around other African- American culture becomes an issue of paramount importance. The question “Who am I and where did I come from?” obsesses her. Avery has numerous conversations with Tova and Travis about her doubts and questions. But no amount of love and understanding seems to help Avery or ease her turmoil. In fact, tensions in the household, and Avery’s anger, only increase. For Avery, “growing into my own person” means creating a complementary black identity. She begins to remodel herself with a new hairstyle, interests and circle of friends, but she sees no role for Tova and Travis in this effort.
The family member she remains closest to is her older brother, Rafi. As a mixed-race adoptee, he can understand and sympathize with Avery’s dilemmas and questions. Yet Rafi provides a dramatic counterpoint to Avery’s turmoil — and disproves the idea that cross-racial adoptees inevitably face identity crises. Rafi doesn’t share Avery’s angst. His birth mother, a crack addict, left his biological younger brother brain-damaged, and Rafi feels unambiguously lucky and grateful for the life he has been given by Tova and Travis. In fact, he wants to become a neurosurgeon so he can put his good fortune to work helping people like his brain-damaged brother.
Despite these differences, Rafi is Avery’s chief — and sometimes only — emotional support in the family. And when he leaves for college, Avery feels more alienated and confused than ever, and Off and Running takes a drastic turn. To the distress of Tova and Travis, Avery stops coming home. She stays at friends’ houses, begins skipping school and track practice and even misses her parents’ wedding in Massachusetts. In a very short time, this highly promising teenager has entered a downward spiral that seems poised to take away her future.
Only Avery’s boyfriend, Prince, is confident that she will regain her balance and the disciplined sports focus they previously shared. As dramatically chronicled in Off and Running, a changed and wiser Avery does ultimately rally to graduate, win a bronze medal at the state track championships and earn a scholarship to college in Delaware. She also realizes, in a roundabout way that no one could have predicted, that Tova and Travis — for all that they could not tell her about her African- American roots — nonetheless have given her the strength, determination and independence to meet her identity crisis and become, indeed, her own person.
“I wasn’t prepared for the complete meltdown that Avery had halfway through our filming together,” says director Opper. “But we made a pact. We had started this project together and we would finish it together. I began inviting her over to watch and respond to the scenes as we were cutting them. This was her story, and it was important that she feel ownership of the process.”
-Press Release

Expanding on the hit feature film and best-selling book “Friday Night Lights,” the award-winning show centers on life in Dillon, Texas, where high school football brings the community together—and the drama of small town life threatens to tear it apart. Coach Eric Taylor must lead his Dillon Panthers through the highs and lows of high school football, as well as the curve balls that life outside of the game throws at them. Through it all, the Panthers try to achieve greatness on and off the field.

“Friday Night Lights” stars Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Aimee Teegarden, Zach Gilford, Brad Leland, Taylor Kitsch, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki, Jesse Plemons, Gaius Charles and Scott Porter.
-Press Release

Q: I want to know what can you tell us about the Tears for Fears version or the Curt Smith version of the Psych theme song. Obviously it’s become a very popular theme song. It’s a very fun theme song. How did you sort of want to reinterpret it?

Curt Smith: Well taking cues from James primarily I made it as retro as I possibly could with some humor. So basically what we get is the visuals of the, you know, the closing credits and everything which the theme song goes over and then we play with that.

So rhythmically you’ve got to match that so that it all kind of fits in and there’s an explosion and different things. So basically it was a mixture of going back to very old synthesizers and adding some humor to that as well which, it was actually a really enjoyable experience I have to say.

Q: Now that you’ve done a little bit of acting I mean do you think that this is something you want to do again?

Curt Smith: It depends if I ever get asked. I mean the joy of doing the Psych thing I have to say, is that, you know, I’d met them beforehand, James and Tim specifically. I met Dule when I got up there. But they’re just, you know, a nice bunch of people.

So it actually makes the whole experience easy and enjoyable. And in that sense I didn’t find it particularly hard especially as you say, playing myself. But playing other people, who can tell? But, you know, I’m kind of game for things.

Q: Can you talk about how the guest spot came about for you and what it was like to work on set?

Curt Smith: It initially came about that James and Tim from the show came to a Tears for Fears show at the Wiltern theatre in Los Angeles and then somehow managed to wangle their way backstage. I have no idea but security was very lax that night.

And I was introduced to James in – backstage. And then he said, you know, would you come and do a guest spot on the show? And I thought well why not? The show is amusing. The kind of humor is kind of right up my alley because it’s pretty much chock full of sarcasm.

So it seemed like a good thing to do. And shooting it was really – I actually was tweeting while I was up there and I think I summed it up in one sort of sentence when I said it was like being at a two day frat party which it pretty much was.

Q: Now so many years removed from the ’80s in what ways can you hear the impact of Tears for Fears in today’s music?

Curt Smith: Well I mean you hear it from newer bands. You obviously – I mean I can hear our influences of – over certain newer music. But, you know, it’s not something I’m sort of conscious of all the time. When you’re continuing to make music you don’t really think of, you know, the mark you’ve left.

You’re really looking for the next thing. So I’m not really one for looking back that much and seeing if we’ve left an indelible mark on the music industry. I’d rather move on and keep doing what I do.

Q: For you and Roland today what types of compromises do you have to strike in order to make it work?

Curt Smith: Well we don’t go on tour for long periods of time which is always a good thing. You know, we’ve been together for rather a long time now. So, you know, the idea of – at our age, doing very long tours is definitely not something that we’re into.

And I mean I think, you know, trying to make it enjoyable. I mean that – doing shorter tours makes it enjoyable for us. And, you know, changing some of the older songs so that they relate to us more now emotionally than they would have done when we were in our 20s.

You know, songs like Shout really don’t resonate with us the same way as it did back then when we were angry young men. So, you know, we change a few things and make it – we basically update things.

Q: Psych is really a show that puts so much of their writing talent into trying to create this sort of homage to the 1980s and the music, the films.

How comfortable was it for you going into this kind of setting where you already knew I mean your music was loved, it was respected and I mean you were basically surrounded by people who looked up to you?

Curt Smith: Yeah, I mean I think that made it enjoyable. Yes. I mean, you know, I don’t like – I don’t mind my ego being rubbed now and again. You know, I mean they – and, you know, they were a nice bunch of people as well. So filming it was really easy.

You know, I think also what sort of helps is with all of the people on the show, you know, maybe apart from Tim to a certain degree because he does play a character that’s not exactly like him but, you know, what you see on the show is pretty much the way these people are off the show.

So that made the whole experience a lot easier for me. I wasn’t dealing with, you know, seeing a bunch of actors act and then discovering they’re completely different people off the set. They’re really not. They’re pretty much the way you think they are.

Q: You really embraced social media and as we all are starting to do even more. You know, how do you see it affecting the culture I guess even for something you’re doing in music? Is it just an easier way to bring people together or what do you think the impact is then?

Curt Smith: Well it’s a far more direct way of bringing people together. It’s no longer having to go through, you know, seven layers of hell to get to an individual.

I mean, you know, it used to be in my case if we talk purely music, that you would have to go through, you know, you’d have to go through a record company which means the publicist. And then they’d have to talk to someone else and then they’d have to talk to the manager.

And then they’d work out exactly, you know, they’d spend time working out what your circulation was and everything else. And nowadays someone just tweets me a question and I answer it. It seems a lot simpler.

Q: So obviously you’re no stranger to being in front of the camera doing music in the video age. How different was this from just making a music video for you?

Curt Smith: Well you have to talk. That’s the biggest difference. You know, you don’t realize – and the thing is I think that, you know, obviously not being an actor. What’s hard is that you’re talking someone else’s lines, you know, someone else has written them for you.

I mean luckily in my case I could – because that bit’s so small that I can say well do you mind if I say it the way I would actually say it because it will be easier for me? But I can, you know, to try and put yourself in – and I was playing myself so that’s, you know, t hat’s not a stretch. Acting acting is a different. I’m not sure that I’d be able to do that but who knows.

Q: I was just hoping you could talk a little bit about just the overall experience and of doing Psych and just kind of what it means to you overall.

Curt Smith: I mean like I mentioned, the experience was great. You know, we – I mean I just flew up to Vancouver for two days because the shock/horror is it’s actually not really filmed in Santa Barbara. And, you know, it was just a couple of nights in Vancouver.

The filming side of it – I mean, you know, when you’re actually filming I’ve got to say it was a boiling hot day so that was – that was not that pleasurable that bit of it when you’re sitting in the sun trying not to sweat. But it was – it was kind of easy.

I mean I suppose I’m – I was already used to it with videos before. Although, you know, in a short video you’re normally called upon a lot more often than you are doing one part in a show. So it was an awful lot of sitting around in a trailer waiting to get called.

But I guess that’s the nature and people are used to that. It was – that was a little sort of strange that you spent most of the time doing nothing. But, you know, the filming was great. And as I mentioned earlier, you know, the guys on the show are pretty much that way anyway.

So they’re very easy to deal with. And, you know, the whole thing was pretty pleasurable I have to say. Plus, you know, we all went to dinner afterwards which was nice.

Q: Mad World has been a great song for years and in the last few years it seems like it’s made kind of a comeback being in Donnie Darko and a couple of years ago on American Idol. I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the resurgence of that song.

Curt Smith: Well it’s going to get even bigger after tomorrow night when it’s in Psych also. But it will be the acoustic version of it, not to give the plot away or anything. But I mean it – it’s gratifying I guess. I mean it’s a testament to the strength of the song that it can be done in various different ways and it still has the same, you know, emotional draw.

You know, I like to hear other people’s versions of it providing they’re good. And I think that, you know, Gary Jules’ version was great, Gary and Michael Andrews.

And I think that Adam Lambert kind of did their version of it more than they – he did our version of it which I thought was, you know, pretty cool also. So, you know, I’m good with it.

Q: I was curious if there was a memorable moment or a favorite moment that you had during your time on the set of Psych.

Curt Smith: I guess that, you know, James – Mr. Roday who tends to adlib a lot had a few funny moments.

You know, when he’s looking at me and saying – I don’t know if this one made the cut by the way so, you know, I – whether it’s in the show or not but he’s supposed to be, you know, being the slobbery fan girl when he meets me.

And he said – I think he says it’s you, the fleshy you, which, you know, it’s very hard to keep a straight face when someone says that to you which, you know, was my job at that point in time. But yeah, I mean just it being amusing was the most memorable part of it.

Q: What does the rest of the year hold for you and Tears for Fears?

Curt Smith: Well we’re just finishing up this tour which ends next Sunday. And then I’m back to LA. I actually have a Web show that’s on every Wednesday night starting again next Wednesday called Stripped Down Live. It’s a music show that I host. So I’ll be doing that every week.

And I’ve got some solo things in LA. But that’s, you know, I’m probably going to be pretty much based back in Los Angeles for the rest of the year, until we probably go out on tour again next year.

Q: Why isn’t Roland participating on the show?

Curt Smith: Roland’s in England. He lives in England. So basically it’s – the timing and everything else kind of didn’t work. I mean it would have involved him having to come to us basically doing the recording trans-Atlantically which is not ever a good thing. Plus they were kind of – Psych were – had a very tight time schedule to deliver the song.

And him – he hates flying with a passion, my partner. So the idea of him flying just all the way from London to Vancouver for a day and a half probably wasn’t at the top of his list of things I need to do because he’s the world’s worst flier.

Q: Was this something you did just for fun or will you be pursuing acting?

Curt Smith: Who can tell? I mean I did it for fun. We’ll see what people think tomorrow. I won’t be watching but – I might but I don’t normally like to see myself talking because I’m used to seeing myself sing. I think I do that okay. The talking side I’m not – I guess it’s the same for anyone.

You know, if you ever listen to your voice on an answering machine everyone thinks we sound dreadful. That’s sort of the way I think when I hear myself speak. But – so and then – and in that sense I don’t know. But, you know, we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes and what the response is.

And I mean I did enjoy the experience I have to say. So if it means doing other things and never watching them then maybe that’s a route to go.

Q: What does acting do for you that music doesn’t?

Curt Smith: Well it’s just a chance to do something different. I mean I think the, you know, one of the other joys of social media is that a lot of these things come up. People, you know, get to you because they have direct contact with you and ask you to do things that are pretty much outside of your comfort zone.

And I think that for me I sit there and look and go well why not? Why not try it? You know, I mean I did – in LA a (Tedex) Hollywood Talk and, you know, me actually giving a talk with, you know, in front of a whole bunch of people as opposed to playing music, it was very alien to me.

But it was enjoyable because it’s something different. So I look at the sort of appearance on Psych tomorrow as the same kind of thing where it’s outside of my comfort zone but, you know, why not try it.

Q: So I was wondering if rescoring the Psych theme – has that at all sparked any interest in you possibly doing any other scoring for shows or movies.

Curt Smith: No. I would love to I have to say. Yeah. I mean I – I’ve definitely had in the back of my mind that I would love to do that at some point. It’s a question of, you know, sort of finding the right avenues to do it. You know, we did thoroughly enjoy redoing this song and having the visuals there to work with.

It just adds that extra element to the music that you have to incorporate which made – again makes it something a bit different which is fun. So yeah, I would love to do that.

Q: The first two, I guess ,Twitter collaboration singles that you’ve released so far have been wonderful. And I’m just wondering what kind of timeline you’re working towards actually doing a complete album or even the next single on that.

Curt Smith: Yeah. I’m definitely going to continue in the same vein. You know, obviously I’m going to readdress it once I get back from touring. I had to take a break because of the tour.

But yeah, I definitely want to keep doing some collaborations and probably make an album where they’re a bit to release some kind of special edition of it at the end. But as I’m doing it which is, you know, another new thing for me, I’m just going to release it as, you know, as I finish a track I’ll release it.

And I’m going to do that for every song. And then if it seems like a wonderful cogent piece of work at the end then I’ll release it as some form of CD package.

Q: What did you think about James’ and Dule’s performance of Shout, an American Duo?

Curt Smith: It was fantastic. You know, I mean especially Dule doing Michael Jackson and as I mentioned earlier, the whole, you know, Shout, Shout, let it all out and the (sham on) was just – I was in hysterics at that bit. But, you know, and then James’ take on Roland was pretty amusing.

You know, and the whole American Duos/American Idol thing was funny.

Q: A lot of the time when celebrities play themselves they end up playing these sort of very exaggerated like larger than life kind of versions. So is that what you’re going to do or is it more of a down key true to you.

Curt Smith: I’m kind of playing more of a shrunken, smaller than life version of me. Because in real life I’m incredibly outgoing as you can tell. But in the show I’m kind of demure and quiet. No, I mean I think it’s, you know, I think that it’s a relatively fair representation of me I suppose.

But no, I mean I – the exaggerating and the sort of overt acting I don’t think I’d be so good at. I think the whole point of playing yourself is to try and be yourself, you know, otherwise it just kind of looks a bit strained. And hopefully I didn’t do that. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night.

Hear from JJ Abrams, Skeet Ulrich, Jimmy Smits and a whole lot more as they give you a comprehensive look at the 2010 Fall slate for NBC!
-Press Release

After a long (and mostly unplanned) summer break, I return to Star Trek energized and enthusiastic, excited to return to watching a show that has come to mean so much to me. I’ve only got Season Three to go and I’ll have gotten through all of The Original Series; as sad as that makes me in theory, I’m still very excited to be moving on to The Next Generation, too. Besides, I’ve still got The Animated Series and the first six Star Trek movies before that happens.

This reminds me: I’d like the opinions of you, the readers of this blog (sorry to have been gone for so long, and I’m happy to be back watching Star Trek with you guys [I'm talking to you, Nick and Angela; I know there are others, but you aren't as vocal]) on how I should proceed with the films. Do I watch Generations before beginning TNG, as kind of a bridge between the two shows (despite the fact that the film came after the series)? Also, do I watch the 2009 Star Trek reboot before TNG, seeing as it’s the last thing released to focus on the original crew? Or should that wait until the very end — even post Enterprise? At this rate, that will be sometime around 2020. You guys will still be here, right?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below. And thanks for your patience. It feels good to be on the Bridge again.

“Spock’s Brain”

Stardate: 5431.4

Original Air Date: September 20, 1968

The Story: The Enterprise encounters a foreign ship in space, and, as they approach, a woman beams aboard and stuns the entire crew. When they awake, they find Spock in sickbay and discover that – ta da! – his brain has been removed. Thanks to Vulcan physiology, his brain and his body can survive independently for 24 hours, giving the crew of the Enterprise exactly one day to locate Spock’s brain before he’s gone forever.

Kirk follows the ship to a series of planets in the Sigma Draconis system, but the crew isn’t able to detect any planets with technology advanced enough to have performed such a procedure on Spock. One planet, however, appearing as barren and uncivilized, radiates energy that suggests it may be trying to disguise itself as less technologically advanced. Kirk, following a hunch, orders the Enterprise to beam him down to this planet, Sigma Draconis VI. The landing party is almost immediately attacked by a group of seemingly prehistoric men. When the crew captures one of the men, he identifies himself as a “morg” and warns the crew against what he calls “givers of pain and delight.” When Kirk asks where the females of his race are, the Morg is utterly bewildered and totally unfamiliar with the word.

Kirk orders McCoy down from the Enterprise, and he’s accompanied by the now-brainless body of Spock, who is following orders via a remote control device McCoy has made. The landing party find an elevator that takes them underground, where they encounter a woman, Luma, whom Kirk stuns and questions. Like the primitive man before her, though, Luma has a very limited understanding of just about everything and proves to be of very little use. Just as the disembodied voice of Spock contacts Kirk and the crew over a communicator, they are captured by Kara (Marj Dussay), the woman who earlier stole Spock’s brain aboard the Enterprise. She outfits the crew with belts that cause great pain when activated remotely and identifies herself as Eyemorg, which appear to be the female Morg. As Kirk demands to know what she has done with Spock’s brain, Kara continues to not understand what he means — leading McCoy to determine that neither she nor anyone else on the planet has the intelligence to perform a difficult brain-removal surgery.

Kirk and the crew escape their captors and are led by Spock’s voice to the “controller,” which is actually his brain being kept in a black box hooked up to a control panel. His brain has essentially become a computer that will control all of the planet’s functions for 10,000 years. Spock’s voice tells Kirk that the Eyemorgs have access to a machine called The Great Teacher, which gives temporary access to ancient knowledge (and is likely how Kara learned how to remove Spock’s brain). McCoy realizes that he can hook himself up to the Great Teacher and learn how to restore Spock’s brain, which he does despite the risks and reservations of Captain Kirk. McCoy is able to successfully perform the operation in the three hours that the temporary knowledge lasts, but only with some assistance from the disembodied voice of Spock.

Kirk tells Kara that she and the Eyemorgs will have to learn to live in harmony with the Morgs, and that they will have to share the Great Teacher.

Reflections from a First Timer: I was worried going into Season Three of Star Trek. Season Two had shown a marked decline in quality from the first season, with the series embracing its sillier, campier aspects in its worst moments. To make matters worse, my friend Nick had already warned me that the Season Three opener “Spock’s Brain” is largely considered the worst episode in all of The Original Series. Having seen it, I’d have to disagree. Yes, it’s kind of terrible and more than a little ridiculous — it is, after all, about The Search for Spock’s Brain (the abandoned subtitle of Star Trek III?). But though there may be few sillier, there are Star Trek episodes that have been much more boring and insulting to me as a viewer. The ridiculous premise doesn’t necessarily bode well for what’s ahead this season, but I’m trying not to put too much stock in a single episode.

Truth be told, the only real difference about “Spock’s Brain” is that it revolves around trying to find Spock’s brain. Otherwise, we’ve seen just about every other element of the show before: the race of primitive men, the race of only females, the pain-giving devices, the all-powerful device that another race depends on for their civilization. Usually, it’s a computer or a robot or whatever, and in this case it’s the grey matter of the show’s best character (assuming, of course, that Vulcan brains are grey, which I probably shouldn’t assume). It’s unfortunate that the plot robs Spock of pretty much everything but the chance to be a mindless zombie (though it’s hard not to enjoy the scene where his disembodied voice assists in the surgery to replace his own brain), but it is another chance to learn something about unique Vulcan physiology. I’m starting to think that anytime Star Trek writes itself into a corner as far as Spock is concerned, it’s way too easy for the show to find its way out by inventing something new about Vulcans. Such is the luxury of inventing your own alien race, but it does tend to reduce the stakes when we know that anything is possible. If certain rules and guidelines had been introduced early on, there would be something for stories like this to play against (not that we ever really thought the show would kill Spock off…at least, not until 1982). As it is, it feels like the rules adjust for the stories instead of the stories working within the confines of the rules. Dramatically, it’s not as effective.

There is so much about this episode that is the ridiculous worst. Every tie someone says the words “Spock’s brain” (or even just “brain”), I found myself laughing. Quietly, and to myself, but laughing nonetheless. But there are things to like, too. Kirk’s reacting to the pain belt has to be seen to be believed. I like the sacrifice that McCoy is willing to make at the episode’s climax, not just to possibly save his friend but in the name of science and discovery. And, of course, at the heart of “Spock’s Brain” is the friendship and devotion between Kirk and Spock — the same friendship and devotion that would carry through Star Trek II, III and IV. My affection for those movies and for that relationship probably engendered more goodwill for “Spock’s Brain” than the show actually deserves, but such is my reaction. The episode is goofy and fairly stupid, but damn if I didn’t kind of like it.

Enterprise Casualties: None.

Badass Kirk Moment: “What have you done with Spock’s brain??”

“The Enterprise Incident”

Stardate: 5027.3

Original Air Date: September 27, 1968

The Story: Seemingly without authorization, Kirk leads the Enterprise into the Neutral Zone, at which point the ship is almost immediately intercepted by three Romulan vessels. Though Kirk threatens to destroy the Enteprise if the Romulans board, he and Spock are invited to beam aboard their main ship. Kirk agrees on the condition that two Romulan officers are transported aboard the Enterprise in exhange.

The Romulan commander (Joanne Linville) orders Kirk to explain why he violated the Neutral Zone, accusing him of attempting to steal a Romulan cloaking device. Kirk explains that the ship’s controls had malfunctioned and taken the crew unintentionally off course, but Spock intercepts and claims that Kirk deliberately took the ship off course because he is mentally unstable. Kirk explodes in rage at Spock, but is subdued by the Romulan crew and taken to the brig. Once there, Kirk rams himself against the door and hurts himself, leading the Romulans to summon McCoy over from the Enterprise to attend to him. The Romulan commander, accompanied by Spock, asks McCoy to confirm that Kirk is mentally unstable, which McCoy does. The Romulans appoint Spock to the command of the Enterprise, which further enrages Kirk; he attacks Spock, who counters with the “Vulcan Death Grip.” Kirk falls to the floor and McCoy declares him dead.

As the Romulan commander continues to try and convince Spock to betray the Federation and change allegiances, Nurse Chapel attends to what she thinks is the dead body of Captain Kirk — that is, until he wakes up. The ruse is up, and McCoy explains to Nurse Chapel that Kirk and Spock faked the incident — the whole conflict, really — under orders from the Federation. McCoy gives Kirk a makeover and disguises him as a Romulan soldier, at which point Scotty beams him aboard the Romulan ship and Kirk does, in fact, steal the cloaking device — with the assistance of Spock, of course, who is busy being seduced by the Romulan commander. Their courtship is interrupted by word of Kirk’s treachery and Spock is immediately implicated.

Before Spock can be sentenced for his crime by the Romulans, Chekov gets a lock on his energy signature and beams him back aboard the Enterprise. As he does, however, the Romulan commander charges and embraces Spock, beaming aboard with him. As Kirk orders that the ship return to Federation space, Scotty engages the cloaking device and the Enterprise disappears from radar, thereby avoiding any Romulan attack.

Spock accompanies the Romulan commander to her quarters on a nearby starbase, and she expresses hurt and disappointment at his betrayal. Spock explains that while he remains loyal to the Federation, he was, in fact, tempted to join her — not for political reasons, but romantic ones.

Reflections from a First Timer: This is more like it. Season Three bounces back from the madness of “Spock’s Brain” with the kind of show that Star Trek does so well: it’s about politics and philosophies, about the conflict between duty and personal feelings. That those feelings belong to the least emotional character aboard the Enterprise only makes “The Enterprise Incident” that much stronger.

Though far from being a classic, “The Enterprise Incident” is the kind of show that Star Trek does really well; if every episode were this strong, it would be a vastly different show (for better and for worse; it’s hard to say if the series would have lasted on in our collective pop culture consciousness without its sillier and campier elements). I like the fact that McCoy does the opening narration, setting us up for the idea that Kirk is apparently deteriorating mentally. It’s rare that the show actually lays the ground work to set up particular story elements (it usually just introduces them as the situation calls for it), so it’s great to see an episode doing that for a change. It’s important to the first half of the episode, too, and that’s where “The Enterprise Incident” is at its best: Spock’s supposed betrayal, Kirk’s rage (it’s incredible that Shatner didn’t give himself a stroke acting these scenes) and that excellent twist that it’s all been a ruse. It’s great to see Kirk and Spock working together, under the radar, kicking ass and taking names.

The stuff after Kirk adopts the Romulan disguise isn’t as good, chiefly because it’s a bit silly and feels too easy. Pulling off the deception feels somewhat difficult, but the boarding of a Romulan vessle and the stealing of the cloaking device? Not so much. There aren’t any dramatic stakes, really, because the crew sets out to do something and does it without any real obstacles. Thankfully, there’s a whole lot of awesomeness with Spock and the Romulan commander, because the Vulcan is able to manipulate the enemy with his strong pimp hand. Not only is it great to see him playing it so cool, but his final moments with the commander are the best of the show: either Spock acknowledges that he felt something for her but chose to honor his commitment to the Enterprise (he says as much) or he lies to her about how he feels to make her feel less stupid and/or embarrassed. Either way, there is such noble humanity in his actions that it’s impossible not to love Spock, who remains the show’s best character. I love me some James T., but Spock is THE MAN.

Enterprise Casualties: None.

Badass Kirk Moment: He returns from the dead.

“The Paradise Syndrome”

Stardate: 4842.6

Original Air Date: October 4, 1968

The Story: While the Enterprise attempts to stop an asteroid from colliding with and destroying a planet, Kirk, McCoy and Spock form a landing party and beam down to that planet for a brief investigation of its surface. They find it to be a thick forest resembling Earth and a strange monument at its center; what’s more, the planet appears to be populated with people resembling Native Americans. As Kirk attempts to communicate with the Enterprise about the party’s findings, a door in the large monument opens and he falls inside before Spock and McCoy have a chance to save him. Once inside, Kirk is hit by an energy bolt that knocks him unconscious. When he wakes, he has no memory of who or where he is. He escapes the inside of the monument and encounters a group of Native American women, who believe Kirk to be some sort of god and return with him to their village. The tribal elders remain unconvinced.

When a boy is rushed to the village, unconscious and nearly drowned, Kirk somehow remembers how to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and saves the boy’s life. The elders, believing that Kirk brought the boy back from the dead, are now convinced of Kirk’s divinity; they fire their current medicine man, Salish, and make Kirk (whose name is mistaken for Kirok) their new healer.

As the Enterprise, now with Spock at the helm, makes several unsuccessful attempts to divert or destroy the coming asteroid, Spock determines that the ship must return to the planet’s surface and make repairs. Down below, Kirk/Kirok has now become betrothed to high priestess Miramanee (Sabrina Scharf), as custom dictates that the healer must always marry the high priestess. This angers Salish even further and his resentment of Kirk/Kirok continues to fester; he attacks Kirk, cutting his hand and, seeing that he can bleed, knows that Kirk is not a god. Though he attempts to make the tribe hear him, they continue to believe Kirk/Kirok to be a god.

Kirk and Miramanee are married and Miramanee reveals that she is pregnant; though Kirk admits he would like to stay with her, he explains that he feels drawn to some home in the sky he does not remember or understand. Months pass with Kirk/Kirok and Miramanee as husband and wife, while Spock returns the Enterprise to the planet and translates the symbols on the monument that took Kirk’s memory. He figures out that the monument is actually a protector against asteroids, put on the planet by a race of beings who have populated the galaxy with races of people who were in danger of becoming extinct. The device no longer works, Spock determines, and must be reactivated by following the symbols, which are actually musical notes.

The asteroid grows closer, bringing with it storms and dark skies on the surface of the planet. The tribal elders order Kirk to the monument to stop the storms; once there, he cannot remember how to get back inside. Salish sees this and uses it as evidence that Kirk/Kirok is not a god; the tribe turns against him and begins to hurl rocks at him. Miramanee puts herself in the way of the attack and is fatally injured by a rock. At that moment, Spock, McCoy and Nurse Chapel beam down to the planet, which scares away the tribe. As McCoy attempts to treat Miramanee’s injuries, Spock uses a Vulcan mind meld to restore Kirk’s memories. Now remembering how to get inside the monument, Kirk opens his communicator and, just as before, the door opens. Spock goes inside and repairs the asteroid deflector, which sends the asteroid off its path just in time.

Despite his best efforts, McCoy is not able to save Mirmanee, who dies in Kirk’s arms.

Reflections from a First Timer: Of all three episodes I’ve seen of Season Three thus far, “The Paradise Syndrome” is easily my least favorite. For starters, it has a terrible, nonsensical title (between this and “The Enterprise Incident,” I’ve got the feeling that the writers were choosing titles with some key phrases and a dartboard). What’s worse, though, is that it’s part of a Star Trek tradition that I’m just now realizing I have never liked: the dress-up show. Any time the crew of the Enterprise spend a good deal of time in some costume other than their Federation uniforms, it occurs to me that I don’t really like that episode.

This week, Kirk gets to spend most of the show dressed up as a Native American in a storyline that’s almost every bit as silly as “Spock’s Brain.” Watching him pound on the asteroid deflector, shouting “I AM KIROK” at his hammiest, was a more ridiculous moment than anything involving the search for the brain of a major character. At least that search was rooted in character and relationships. The plight at the center of “Paradise Syndrome” has nothing to do with character, really, because Kirk has been wiped clean — his actions are those of a blank slate. Sure, we hope he’ll get his memory back and return to being the Captain we know and love, but until that time everything that happens to him feels transient and inconsequential. It’s just killing time until he becomes Kirk again.

Speaking of time, this is the rare episode of Star Trek that takes place over the course of a long stretch — roughly two months, to be exact. It’s too bad, then, that there’s no sense of that in anything that takes place. There’s no clear feeling aboard the Enterprise that they’ve had to carry on without their leader for eight weeks; if anything, it’s basically business as ususal, only with a Vulcan in charge. I wouldn’t have minded the whole show being told from the point of view of the ship: Kirk is missing for weeks with no knowledge of who he is, and the ship has to carry on and get him back. Instead, “Paradise Syndrome” makes the mistake of believing that Kirk’s story on the ground is the more interesting one, and that’s a huge miscalculation. Nothing that happens during Kirk’s Native American phase is at all compelling. It’s just Shatner playing dress-up.

The makeup and costuming in this episode, while clearly a relic of their time, are particularly offensive. For a show so progressive about equality and inclusion, it’s incongruous to see what are obviously Caucasian actors made up to look like Native Americans. You should know better, Star Trek.

Enterprise Casualties: None.

Badass Kirk Moment: “I am Kirok! I AM KIROK!”

One-Hour Emmy “Fashion Police” Special Airs Monday, August 30 at 10:00PM ET/PT and New Weekly “Fashion Police” Series Premieres Friday, September 10 at 10:30pm ET/PT only on E!

Red Carpet darling Kelly Osbourne joins E!’s popular series “Fashion Police,” to dish on all things couture alongside celebrated red carpet legend Joan Rivers, E!’s resident fashionista Giuliana Rancic and celebrity stylist George Kotsiopoulos. Known for her unique style, Kelly will bring a one-of-a-kind voice to this fashion forward group. These Hollywood insiders will critique their first red carpet together on August 30 at 10:00pm with E!’s “Emmy Fashion Police” special and continue their battle to right all the fashion wrongs beginning September 10th at 10:30ET/PT when “Fashion Police” premieres as a weekly series only on E!.

On Monday, August 30 at 10:00pm ET/PT, Joan, Kelly, Giuliana and George recap all of the Emmy red carpet fashions from the previous night with a special one-hour “Fashion Police.” From the best frocks to the biggest flops, this special will show viewers who got the look right, and who really missed the mark.

Then premiering Friday, September 10 at 10:30pm ET/PT, the “Fashion Police” franchise expands with Joan, Kelly, Giuliana and George bringing viewers their no-holds-barred celebrity fashion and pop culture commentary each and every week. From runway shows to the hottest red carpets to Hollywood style out and about, this fierce foursome gives viewers a complete recap of the week’s celebrity fashion, along with the latest Hollywood stories.

Modern Family Gone Mad
Messing with Modern Family’s Emmy-winning formula is a dangerous–and comical–idea.

Watch Joel McHale and the entire cast of Community as they take a journey to the Emmys.

The journey continues as the cast of Community plays “Emmy Seat Filler.”

However, regular Eureka viewers may be more interested in the barbecue scene that follows. The romantic maneuvers from last week’s episode are starting to work: Henry and Grace have been sharing memories, with the help of some of that top-secret equipment, and Allison and Carter are all smiles.

As Eureka #4.08, “The Ex-Files,” goes on, it looks like Carter and Allison are going to have some trouble, though: Tess has turned up at GD, and she’s already noticed that her best friend and her ex are getting close. Nathan Stark, Allison’s ex-husband, has turned up as well. He’s been “stuck in space-time,” and a GD experiment accidentally brought him back.

Allison thinks everyone needs to “clear the air.” Carter’s not sure, and he’s even less sure when Vincent’s comment helps him realize that he and Allison are having hallucinations. She sees Tess, and he sees Nathan. Soon, Jo’s seeing other-timeline Zane and Fargo’s seeing his childhood bully (a girl). It’s because of the memory sharing that Henry and Grace have been doing, but solving the problem isn’t so simple; they’ve got to work out their issues.

There’s also a very real problem with things crumbling, like Carter’s Jeep and a bridge. At first, Carter thinks it’s the GD experiment, but then, with a little help from Nathan, he realizes it’s sabotage. And Trevor’s hallucination–Beverly’s dad–is urging him to shut down the damping field that’s foiling the saboteurs. Of course, the whole thing is a setup: the machine is stolen as soon as General Mansfield tries to move it out of GD. It turns out that Beverly and her group wanted to use it to send Trevor back to the Forties.

Even though it spends a lot of time setting up the upcoming “Season Finale,” this one’s actually a romantic episode, finally dealing with Allison’s and Carter’s feelings for each other and fears about a relationship, even if they’re dealing with them through proxies. The tender feelings show through, even as Nathan and Tess hurl insults (from subconscious projections). The comic relief, with the bully girl taunting a fearful Fargo as Mansfield pressures him, also works.

A dejected Wallace decides to drink away his sorrows, and when galley girl Vicky brings him some beer, she is stunned that Mr. Banker suddenly begins to bend in ways the human body wasn’t meant to bend. Vicky watches as some invisible force breaks both legs clean through the femur, and this same entity also afflicts one of the man’s arms with an identical fracture. A hard thing to accomplish, says Coroner Eleanor, yet there she is with Parker and Nathan looking at the still alive, but unconscious Wallace suffering from those very injuries. While surveying the injured man, Parker finds a black powdery substance on each of the injuries that she sends to the lab for analysis.

Parker talks to Captain Richards, the owner of “The Endeavor,” and Richards says he can’t imagine what could’ve happened to the banker, considering the boat never left the docks. Nathan speaks with the investors, who plead ignorance when asked if they saw what happened to Wallace. They claim that they left the financier in the good hands of the boats crew. Parker and Nathan have a sit down with “The Endeavor’s” crew which consists of galley girl Vicky, her father Alec, and her fiancé Jimmy. Vicky is understandably distraught, while Alec is indifferent to the whole incident, but makes it known that he opposes the idea of Vicky working on the boat, and opposes the idea of Jimmy altogether. Watching Jimmy, you can just see the anger seething underneath, and he makes it clear the disdain he has for the rich investors who he was working for that day. When Jimmy is unable to contain his bitter rhetoric, Alec angrily sends him off to batten down the hatches or do whatever it is that deck hands do. When asked if he or Jimmy saw anything, Alec says he and the boy were on the other side of the boat when Wallace went crunch-crunch. It is then that Parker notices the look on Vicky’s face change, what was once a look of fear and distress was now the look of someone who knew something they didn’t want anyone else to know. Hmm…

Nathan is once again the skeptic, which is bizarre considering the town he lives in, and is surprised by Parker’s willingness to believe that the Wallace crunch was the work of something out of the ordinary instead of just a bizarre boating accident. Nathan is also skeptical about the next step Parker wants to take in the investigation, she wants to visit the shady Duke Crocker at “The Grey Gull”; guess the hope of reconciliation between the two men is gone since Duke survived his near-death experience. Parker wants to ask Duke, who spent a good deal of his life “working” on a boat, if he had any idea how Wallace could have been broken the way he was while “The Endeavor” was still at the docks. Duke, master of many things, however, hasn’t a clue how the man could’ve been injured.

While enjoying this special time at Duke’s (nudge nudge), Nathan gets a call from dispatch saying that he and Parker are needed right away at another eerie crime scene. They arrive at “Tradewinds Real Estate” to find shady real estate broker Joe Santamaro sliced through and through as if he were a large loaf of bread; needless to say Mr. Santamaro did not survive this incident. Under the realtor’s desk, Parker finds that same black powdery substance that she found on the broken body of slimy banker Wallace. To top it all off, Alec, father of galley girl Vicky, was the only witness to Joe Santamaro’s piece-ful demise-–get it, “piece-ful” because he was found in… oh never mind.

Common denominator in the case so far: slimy banker and shady realtor, not exactly pillars of society. Did deck hand Alec have a beef with the two men and want them to die in very painful ways? Parker thinks so, and believes Alec is some kind of telekinetic freak who gets angry and sheers bones through and through, and can also slice a man like a side of beef. So Parker sets out to make him mad enough to want her sliced like my man Joe, but that fails and she’s back at square one. That is until lab results come back saying that the black substance found at both crime scenes is some very special willow and graphite sketching charcoal. Remember the A-ha video?

They head to Mary’s Art Supplies in town to ask Mary if she has any idea who might’ve purchased some of the charcoal found at each of the crime scenes. Mary’s records show that brooding fiancé Jimmy was the last customer to have made such a purchase. Nathan and Parker now think Jimmy may be the one with the freakish abilities instead of Alec, and they believe he may be trying to set-up his beloved father-in-law to be, who has no love for him at all. In order to feel safe when confronting Jimmy with their theory, the team utilizes Miss “I’m not a witch” Minion–who is a crack shot–and on friendly terms with the duo since she was cleared of killing people with dead stuffed animals; but that’s another story. Minion positions herself in a place where she can shoot and tranquilize Jimmy if he decides to use his “gifts” on Nathan and Parker in the same way they believe he used them on Wallace and Joe Santamaro. Parker tries to get Jimmy to explode the way she tried with Alec; once again failing, but she gets something else she didn’t expect. As she and Nathan wait for Jimmy’s response to her taunts, they watch as his mouth, eyes and ears disappear behind a strange skin-like substance that doesn’t kill him, but leaves him a deaf and blind mute.

It seems as if the weight of this case is taking its toll on Agent Parker. Visibly upset by what happened to Jimmy she takes him to the home of Coroner Eleanor, fearing what might happen to him if he’s taken to a hospital. Eleanor is the one person besides Nathan that Parker appears to trust, and the agent confesses to the doctor her doubts and fears about the case, and whether or not she should even stay in Haven. Parker asks the doctor if she believes this case is all a part of those mysterious “troubles” that are plaguing Haven again, and Eleanor thinks they are, but even she isn’t quite sure why they are back. The coroner has become a sort of mother figure to the orphaned Parker, and she challenges the agent’s assertion as to whether she really wants to leave the town. Eleanor’s calm and sarcastic demeanor is good for the resolute Audrey Parker, who decides she wants to defeat this new mystery and stay in Haven.

The visit with Eleanor doesn’t only give Parker the emotional boost she needs; it also gives her another clue to the case. Looks like Miss Vicky is not only galley girl extraordinaire, she is also an art teacher–insert warning bells here. Parker and Nathan visit Vicky at her art school, where she is anything but helpful. She is visibly shaken and asks the officers if they are there in regards to her father, but when Parker asks if she and Alec need help, she stiffens and gives Parker and Nathan the old heave-ho.

Now thinking Vicky may be the freak, the partners head to her home, in hopes of finding information there that she was unwilling to give in person. The two come across a building behind Vicky’s house where the windows are covered with blankets; now, you’re just asking for folks to be nosy when you cover your windows with blankets. They begin to enter the small structure, and find the lock that was on the door had been cut off, and once inside they see that the building houses Vicky’s art studio. The studio was ransacked and it looks like the intruder had taken some of the teacher’s artwork… once again, hmm. Surveying the rubble, Parker finds a handsome drawing of Mr. Nathan Wournos hanging on the wall, and when Audrey merely taps it with her finger, poor Nathan goes flying across the room as if he’d been shot from a cannon. Good thing he can’t feel any pain. At least now they kneo the how, but they have to figure out the why.

They visit banker man Wallace at the hospital thinking that Vicky may have been the one to have caused his injuries, and initially the banker is not very forthcoming. Finally the slimeball admits that he had no quarrels with Vicky, but he did owe Captain Richards, owner of the Endeavor, three hundred grand, and that Joe Santamoro might have been on Richard’s bad side from a real estate deal that went south. So how is Vicky involved?

Parker puts out an APB for the petite art teacher, as she and Nathan hurry to find Vicky before someone else is folded like a human wallet. The hunt is also on for the devious Captain Richards, who conveniently forgot to tell Parker about his dealings with the victims.

Parker once said there are two Havens, “one under the surface and another one under that,” and she may be right. Havenites are seeing a frequency in strange events that are all pointing in the direction of the dreaded “troubles.” In “Sketchy” we begin to see fractures in the usually tough exteriors of Parker and Nathan as the bizarre cases keep piling up on them. It is interesting to see Eleanor’s relationship with Parker grow closer, and I predict that Miss Eleanor just might be an integral part of Parker’s past; just a prediction. One surprising point in the episode was seeing the usually “me first” Duke come to the rescue of Nathan and Parker saving them–and in turn the whole town–by doing something uncharacteristically selfless; showing one and all that his heart may not be two sizes too small.