The episode 'Plato's Stepchildren' is such an amazing episode, but I don't see it get talked about nearly often enough.
As a Hurt!Spock fan, Amok Time is THE episode for whump, no question about that. But I'd say second place goes to 'Plato's Stepchildren'. (Also on this list: This Side of Paradise, The Naked Time, Operation - Annihilate!, and Journey to Babel.)
Features some amazing Spock moments:
- Spock being forced to display emotions.
- Spock emotionally and mentally shutting down as a result.
- Jim sitting at Spock's side to comfort him.
- Spock confessing to feeling hatred.
- The way McCoy jumps to Spock's defense when he's forced to laugh.
- The tender way Jim says Spock's name as he gets up off the ground.
- Gems of dialogue like this:
— "Then you must release it, gentlemen, as I must master mine. I might have seriously injured you, Captain, even killed you. They have evoked such great... hatred in me. I cannot allow it to go further."
— "That may be, Doctor, however I have noted that the healthy release of emotion is frequently very unhealthy for those closest to you."
But Spock aside, it featured the first interracial kiss on TV, which was so massively daring for its time. The resulting influence it had on culture cannot be overstated.
Also Kirk's empathetic, compassionate treatment of Alexander, who is among my top ten favorite non-crew characters in the show.
It is also one of the few episodes that is difficult for me to watch. It is legitimately uncomfortable for me to see Kirk being forced to crawl around like a
This episode broke all the goddamn rules. It is genuinely difficult to see Kirk being forced to crawl and neigh like a horse. The severe humiliation is just gutting to watch. Jim Kirk is such a disciplined, confident, strong man, and to see him be brought so low in such a degrading manner is painful The entire time it's happening, I feel almost sick.
It's not played for laughs, it's not amusing to watch it happen. In 'Patterns of Force', even when Jim and Spock are getting whipped, it's followed up by moments of light amusement (Jim straining to hold Spock up). There is no amusement following Jim and Spock's humiliation. Just rage and hatred.
Spock and Jim have been tortured, interrogated, shot, beaten, drugged, and pretty much any other kind of harm there is. But I'd say this episode really takes it to another level, and demonstrates that physical pain is not the worst kind of hurt a person can suffer.
