Star Trek: The Original Series
"Catspaw"
Air date: 10/27/1967
Written by Robert Bloch
Directed by Joseph Pevney
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
Kirk, Spock, and Bones beam down to a planet to investigate the death of a crewman scout who beamed up from the planet, well, dead. What they find is literally a Halloween setting, complete with a ghostly greeting that seems to be straight out of a haunted house parody. Kirk & Co. subsequently locate the missing men from the first landing party—Scotty and Sulu in a catatonic state, under the command of two aliens with a great power of illusion, who have created the whole Halloween setting as a way of learning about humans.
The aliens, Korob (Theo Marcuse) and Sylvia (Antoinette Bower), slowly become at odds with each other, as Sylvia finds herself attracted to the sensations and experiences of humans—manifested, of course, through her physical attraction to Kirk. Meanwhile, the most wooden lieutenant in Starfleet (Michael Barrier) has command of the Enterprise, preventing the ship scenes from being particularly interesting.
"Catspaw" is a primarily gag-driven episode, with a hit-and-miss track record. Kirk's encounters with Sylvia are moderately interesting. But the episode is fundamentally formulaic, and lives and dies on each piece of its fragmented puzzle. As a lightweight adventure, it's okay; just don't look for much substance.
Previous episode: The Doomsday Machine
Next episode: I, Mudd
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40 comments on this post
Fri, Jun 1, 2012, 1:06am (UTC -6)
Wed, Apr 9, 2014, 9:28pm (UTC -6)
I rate 1 star only because im still high from watching doomsday mach week before.
Sat, Jun 14, 2014, 11:09am (UTC -6)
Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 8:50am (UTC -6)
Tue, Sep 9, 2014, 12:05am (UTC -6)
Tue, Nov 18, 2014, 9:32am (UTC -6)
Mon, Feb 2, 2015, 8:25pm (UTC -6)
Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 12:48am (UTC -6)
Tue, Oct 13, 2015, 12:20pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Jan 4, 2017, 6:39pm (UTC -6)
What was the point of all of the horror? What was the purpose of Karob and Sylvia being here and dealing with the Enterprise crew? They try to warn the crew away with the curses and stuff, but then say they passed a test by still showing up. Then they ask about their technology, even though they can do far more. Also, Sylvia can apparently read their minds, so why not just learn everything from Scotty earlier? Then Sylvia starts being catty (har har) to Karob, and then starts trying to seduce Kirk while torturing the rest of the crew. OK, fine, that part works as a plot point, Sylvia falling for her new form, causing conflict between the two godlike beings. But it still doesn't explain all the riddles and mystery at the beginning. It doesn't explain what the purpose of it all is.
That's the problem, I think. It's a collection of scenes brought together in an attempt to be a Halloween episode, but with no logic and reason through it. Couple that with cheap effects and some obvious filler scenes on the Enterprise, and this is just bad.
Oh, by the way, what's with the most wooden engineer in the Federation (as Jammer called him) being in command? Doohan and Takei had virtually nothing to do as the brainwashed victims of Sylvia, why not leave one of them in command of the Enterprise? Kinda strange.
Tue, Feb 28, 2017, 3:19pm (UTC -6)
Still, it's lots of gimmicks without much meaning; it's another twist on "The Squire of Gothos" or "Who Mourns for Adonais?" where more powerful beings that lack wisdom threaten the Enterprise crew. It's a well-worn formula; interesting soundtrack though.
I wasn't a fan of the redshirt (LaSalle? DeSalle?) who was left in command of the ship - there was a missed opportunity. Would have been better if Scotty was left in charge rather than being a zombie the whole episode.
Even the final scene wasn't that compelling - Why does Korob lose all his power? He has the transmuter. Then, Sylvia is pointing a phaser at Kirk who has the transmuter. Can't she stun Kirk and get the transmuter?
I'd give this episode 2/4 stars and I think that might be a tad generous as it was quite slow paced and only really got interesting about 40 mins. in.
Fri, Sep 8, 2017, 10:22pm (UTC -6)
Sun, Oct 22, 2017, 9:04pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Dec 20, 2017, 7:05pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 11:55pm (UTC -6)
I like spooky atmospheric episodes but this was quite disappointing.
Sat, Mar 9, 2019, 11:39am (UTC -6)
It becomes ever clearer why TNG, DS9 and VOY distanced themselves from TOS. Catspaw might have raised mild chuckles in the 60s and maybe scared some 8 year olds but its quality is totally unacceptable today (and probably was then). Still, if you have got literally nothing to do for 50 minutes, there are some lols, and I liked the female villain.
Sat, Mar 9, 2019, 12:10pm (UTC -6)
"Catspaw" is TOS mediocrity for sure but that's not to say TNG, DS9, VOY didn't have their shares of mediocrity as well -- their's was just different. And there was more of it given the 7 seasons. TNG's tended to be more sci-fi-ish, DS9's fillers involved crap like the Ferengi arc, and VOY's tended to be efforts at character pieces for the lesser cast members and spatial anomalies. Those are very broad generalizations on my part.
As for bringing up Earth's past -- these aliens presumably probed the crew's minds to come up with something that would be scary to them -- why would they conjure up something scary to say the Klingons when it is mostly (other than Spock) earthlings visiting them?
To each his own opinion but I'd hardly call "Night Terrors" vastly superior to "Catspaw" -- both are 2* episodes for me. And "Devil's Due" is a poor 1.5* ep. I suggest a better episode with the genre of scaring crewmembers / psychological terror might be something like "The Thaw".
Sun, Mar 31, 2019, 10:43am (UTC -6)
SPOCK: Very bad poetry, Captain.
That just about says it all.
Sat, Apr 27, 2019, 10:35pm (UTC -6)
Obligatory sexy lady is a cat!! Naturally, she melts in Kirk's hands, overwhelmed by his apparently super sensual touch. It's all downhill from there for Cat Lady and Bald Wizard.
The ending with the strange little pipe cleaner & paper aliens made me suddenly remember that episode of Buffy with the tiny widdle demon.
Average.
Fri, Jun 7, 2019, 6:39am (UTC -6)
The aliens probing for our conscious minds and accidentally reaching the subconscious, as Spock explains, is really a nice SciFi thought. The 'universal images' that are supposed to reside there are a pop culture version of Jungian psychology, which was rather popular back then.
Also, pipe cleaner aliens.
Sat, Jun 8, 2019, 12:54pm (UTC -6)
(ACTUAL SIZE)
Good times...
Sun, May 31, 2020, 9:35pm (UTC -6)
This is the first episode of many to feature aliens being overwhelmed by human sensation and they did a pretty good job. It was kind of fun watching the Silvia turn evil and banter with her partner in crime. Despite TOS being famous for the break three I really do like they way they use the whole cast. It would had been better if the bridge scene featured just Uhura and Chekov. it does make sense that assistance chief engineer Desalle is in charge because Scotty took command a lot as well.
Wed, Dec 16, 2020, 2:18am (UTC -6)
Just be grateful this didn't air on UPN like VOY, else the trailers would have screamed all week, "tune in next time for giant hairy black pussy!" No doubt strongly suggesting that Uhura would be front and center.
Don't get me wrong, I like Halloween in my scifi.
https://youtu.be/JHd39rOMBPU
But this ain't it.
Tue, Apr 6, 2021, 2:54am (UTC -6)
And yet... I actually quite enjoyed watching it! It’s more of an Orson Welles Adventure story than Trek, but if you can mentally place it outside the Trekverse (“bad poetry”? Sorry 😂) it’s quite fun in parts. And Kirk gets his hands on yet another beautiful woman. I did laugh out loud at the true form of the aliens - whose concept was that!
Who is this De Salle in charge of the Enterprise? Do we ever get to see him again?
I think this episode was filmed before Doomsday... as Chekhov still has his silly 1967 Mickey Dolenz haircut he had when he first appeared.
Wed, Jun 23, 2021, 7:17am (UTC -6)
Sat, Apr 2, 2022, 11:09pm (UTC -6)
Sun, Apr 3, 2022, 10:43am (UTC -6)
Uh, that’s exactly what it was doing.
Sun, Apr 3, 2022, 11:29am (UTC -6)
In spite of the failure, I still get sad at the end when the little clay marionettes pass away.
Sun, Apr 3, 2022, 11:49am (UTC -6)
Sun, Apr 3, 2022, 12:04pm (UTC -6)
Mon, May 2, 2022, 6:58am (UTC -6)
It has everything that makes a good trek episode: facing the unknown, adventure, danger, trying to reason what the hell is going on, fight scenes between the crew itself, and funny lines. It brings an interesting concept -- aliens that have a totally different existence than ours and get fascinated by our way of experiencing existence. And even the execution of the concept was pretty decent -- the "Earthness" of the set is well justified: the aliens got it from the visitors minds. And we also get an interesting food for though on the situation: would you accept to partner with Sylvia? Maybe only a little? I mean, as Kirk points out, she really had a neck for giving dificult choices...
Mon, May 2, 2022, 8:04am (UTC -6)
Thu, Jul 7, 2022, 10:15pm (UTC -6)
Come on, that was damn funny. And so is “Catspaw.” Just like “Shore Leave,” “Catspaw” (a word meaning “one who is duped and used by another,” by the way) is an embarrassing waste of time but also an entertaining one, especially if you shut your brain off, become a catspaw yourself and kowtow to the catty absurdity. Or watch it while drunk or high. I just can’t give a less-than-passing grade to this episode because it was just too much stupid fun. It’s one of those so-bad-it’s-almost-good things.
You know you’re in for a Trick-or-TREAT when even before the opening credits sequence, you get an utterly hilarious redshirt death. The fall that guy took was astonishing. Points to the stunt guy. And soon after Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to Spooky World to investigate the death, and rescue Scotty and Sulu, they encounter Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters and Dianne Feinstein floating above them and spouting their typical gibberish. Hell, I was scared! When asked for his analysis of the situation, Spock can only say, “Very bad poetry, Captain.”
But it’s when they enter the Haunted Mansion that the “story” begins. Kirk, Spock and McCoy are literally locked in a dungeon and accosted by mind-controlled catspaws Scotty and Sulu, who mysteriously release them. Meanwhile, an adorable black cat walks around meowing and looking to be fed (I love cats; we have two cats and a dog at our house).
Turns out everyone is being toyed with by powerful aliens (of course) Korob--played by a low-rent version of Yul Brynner--and Sylvia, played a bargain-basement version of Elizabeth Taylor in a cheap fright wig. They have the power of illusion, mind control and can kill with a single thought, and they’re allowed to get away with these fantasy trappings on a science fiction show because they’re *powerful aliens,* get it? Naturally, they’re also able to affect things aboard the orbiting Enterprise, because--powerful aliens.
Korob and Sylvia don’t seem to have a particularly coherent plan other than Korob wants to fuck with the landing party as playthings and Sylvia wants to fuck Kirk.
You have to love the reveal of Korob and Sylvia in their "true forms," not to mention the hysterically cheesy compilation of sequences featuring Kirk and Spock rescuing Scotty, McCoy and Sulu using awesomeness and the yowling, spitting cat stalking our heroes through the castle. Nice to see the pussy chasing Kirk for once instead of the other way around, amirite?!
MEOW!
Best Line:
Kirk -- “I don’t know what you are but you’re not a woman. You’ve tortured my men and taken their minds from them. You ask for love and return pain instead!” (I’ll let you figure it out.)
My Grade: C-
Sun, Dec 4, 2022, 10:16am (UTC -6)
Tue, Dec 27, 2022, 7:33pm (UTC -6)
Sun, Mar 12, 2023, 3:41pm (UTC -6)
~ But I am more surprised that I have not found a single review yet that states that this is indeed the first appearance of Pavel Chekov and that horrendous Monkees WIG! It should have been called The Monkee's Paw! Poor Walter.
Sat, Apr 1, 2023, 12:45am (UTC -6)
Wed, May 3, 2023, 7:53am (UTC -6)
"no clear motivation for the whole alien mission. Are they studying us? Or are they here to conquer us"
I guess the episode tells us it is about the aliens, having a totally different existence than ours, being fascinated by our way of experiencing existence, so studying it is. But what I really wanted to say is: I guess being left with a little bit of "unclear motivation" (as long as they behavior stays coherent) is better than when writers put the villains to give a full report on why they're doing what they're doing, eh?
Tue, Jun 27, 2023, 7:47pm (UTC -6)
Despite its utter ridiculousness, I will say this one keeps your attention. It’s weird. And I like a little weird. But this might be a little too weird.
1.5/4 fuzzy shrimp birds
Tue, Jun 27, 2023, 9:49pm (UTC -6)
Well you see that might have been true if there was one, but I highly doubt there was a table read. I expect everyone got their sides and it was filmed out of sequence as usual, mere hours after that days rewrites got to the actors in makeup, and it wasn't until the smoke cleared months later that the cast would see the actual episode on TV and realize what had been made. I'm sure they knew it was a weird one, but they probably had that glimmer of hope that the writing and directing would somehow make something of the bizarre patchwork of scenes they had to memorize.
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