The wonderful Roger C Carmel returns to his beloved Mudd character for this silly but entertaining episode of the animated Star Trek series, "Mudd's Passion". Mudd is interrupted by Kirk and Spock while in the middle of attempting to sell off love potion crystals to miners on a mineral planet. When Kirk and Spock reveal Mudd's trick through the use of a shape-shifting creature imitating a lovely woman, they pick up rocks ready to stone the scheming con-artist. Agreeing to return to Enterprise and face criminal charges for fraud and the like, Mudd will need to devise a plan of escaping the brig and ship. The very love crystals he was trying to peddle to the miners actually work much to Mudd's surprise when his manipulation of Nurse Chapel (I like that the show included her character in the cartoon) pays off as he realizes she's crushing on Spock, later learning that the lotion from one of the stones works on the Vulcan! Meanwhile, Mudd gets just enough time out of the brig when Chapel accepts his crystals to capitalize on her momentary faint (the lotion when rubbed on flesh causes this briefly) to swipe her identification card and get access to a phaser device (that deactivates the brig, allowing him to flee).
For me, the majority of the fun results from Spock's reaction to the love crystal once he comes in contact with Chapel. I do think Chapel's succumbing to Mudd's sales pitch is a bit far-fetched (I just don't think she would be so gullible to an obvious crook with such a checkered past), but the revelation of her attraction to Spock is a surprise the episode runs with. Spock's devotion to the "love of his life" and how Kirk and company respond to him had me in ribbons. The voice-work is priceless here. I'm not going to critique the animation as this was the 70s, and the elaboration of movement wasn't emphasized during a television format as today
folks, we're spoiled. Anyway, Mudd is able to kidnap Chapel (she faints in his arms!), getting away in a space shuttle, landing on a planet with giant rock creatures chasing after them. Kirk and Spock will need to come to their rescue, but when love crystals get sucked into the ventilation system of the Enterprise, the crew fall under the spell of their effects! One funny scene has Kirk and company on the planet needing to be beamed aboard but those in the transporter room are dancing romantically! And, yes, Kirk and Spock have a moment of "hugging it out" thanks to the love crystals! Scotty and a Cat alien officer even draw close! But Mudd's return is a real treat, and his antics do become quite a nuisance to the Enterprise. He realizes that escape while on board the Enterprise would be futile.
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