This Side of Paradise

          Ohmigosh! This episode was pretty epic. It's filled with so many awesome quips and moments that I found myself either hiding in my pillow or laughing hysterically.
         So this episode starts out and Kirk and a landing crew beam down to Omicron Ceti III where an agricultural group came three years ago. According to research the group should have died because of the planets odd surroundings but when Kirk and the landing crew arrive they see something different. Kirk goes on this speech about how its sad the agriculturalists spent so long in space just to die, but then with perfect timing the leader of the agriculturalists, Elias Sandoval, pops up announces no one is dead and everything on the planet is perfect.
        And what an understatement that is. Kirk suspects something is up and sends the landing party to investigate the planet. Right before splitting up Elias introduces the party to Leila Kalomi, another beautiful blonde woman. And just as predicted the 'love interest lighting' hits her as soon as she enters.

 

     But here is where it gets fun. Her eyes are not for the infamous ladies man Captain Kirk, but for Spock. Apparently the two knew each other six years ago and though Spock of course had no feelings for her, she was in love with him.
        Kirk and the landing party explore the planet and discover a few strange things. The planet has no animal life whatsoever and in an agriculture animals are slightly needed. There is a strange pink plant that seems to be everywhere. And all of the colonists of the planet are perfect in every way.
      Leila meets up with Spock who is trying to figure out the lack of animal life. She tells him she'll help him discover the secrets of the planet if he follows her so she leads him to one of the obviously fake pink plants and it sprays very obviously fake spores right in Spocks face. It hurts him and he drops to the ground clutching his chest. Leila is concerned because it didn't hurt the colonist but Spock points out he is not like them. Which makes me laugh because how could she be in love with him and not know he's not fully human?
         Spock's reactions to the pink flowers spores are hilarious. He is at peace with life and so apparently is in love with Leila. This in itself made me grab the pillow. It was so weird for me to see Spock showing emotions, let alone admitting to be in love. And then he kisses Leila.

                                           

          And if you think this the end of Spock being cuckoo-kazoo then you are so very wrong.  Kirk calls him up on the communicator and Spock talks back. YEAH! SPOCK! I KNOW RIGHT!! Yeah, he's all Sassy Spock! Kirk asks him to come and Sassy Spock's all "Nah, I'm not really feelin' that." Kirk gets grumpy and says something along the lines of "You're not really feeling that WHAT?!?"   So Sassy Spock says "I'm not really feelin' that, SIR." and then goes back to lip locking with Leila and drops the communicator to the ground. 

                    When Kirk finds Spock using a frequency signal from the dropped communicator they find Spock and he's dangling from a tree laughing. Yeah, you read that right. LAUGHING! SPOCK! WHAT?! 

Yes, Spock is the guy in green hanging from the tree!

Kirk is being ordered to have all of the colonists board his ship so they can be taken to be interviewed. McCoy heads up getting everything ready and sending people on board the Enterprise. Well, someone from the landing crew intoxicated by the pink flower tries to take it on board and suddenly the spores are on everyone: McCoy, the landing party, the Enterprise. Everyone but Kirk. 

     The Enterprise declares mutiny and beam down to the planet. The plant aboard the ship gets Kirk and he's about to beam down to Spock when suddenly, like almost random suddenly, he gets pissed off and stops. When he stops he realizes anger or intense emotion is the cure to the spore so he calls Spock up and pisses him off so bad Spock literally almost kills him.

                 Luckily Spock snaps out of it and realizes Kirk had to say those horrible things to awaken him from the Spores.  Kirk figures out that if there is a way to make a signal that irritates the nerves and makes everyone have extreme emotions then everyone can be saved. Spock says this is possible, but before he will build it he says their actions were guilty of a court martial. Kirk replies back with "If we're both in jail how will either of us make the device." To which Spock says that's actually really smart and follows Kirk to make the device. 

        As they're building the device Leila uses McCoy's communicator to contact Spock. Spock tells her to give the communicator back then beams her onto the Enterprise. She notices quickly that he is no longer under the power of the store and that he no longer loves her. This breaks her heart and as she cries she loses the spores. Spock explains he had to in order to help her, and she says shes still in love with him yet she doesn't his first name. Again I am surprised with the fact she's been in love with him for over six years and she knows very little about him. Spock handles this well and simply says, "You couldn't pronounce it." Then beams her back down and finishes the device. 

     Once finished Spock and Kirk turn it on and fights break down all over the planet. Once everyone is better Elias uses McCoy's communicator to tell Kirk Omicron Cheti III is unsafe and would now like to cooperate in being interviewed and moving to a new planet. 

    When all is fixed and everyone is heading away from the planet Spock admits that it was weird being under the spores, but being under the power of the spores was the first time he felt truly happy.