Kirk, Bones, and Scotty are getting some R & R on a pleasure planet called Argelius. Soon, various women are murdered, and Scotty falls under suspicion every time. After some preliminary investigation by an Argelian authority figure (John Fiedler, "12 Angry Men"), the proceedings continue on board the Enterprise, where Kirk insists that their advanced technology can get to the truth of the matter more quickly.
'Wolf in the Fold' is a good & solid (if not great) mystery that works pretty well due to the nature of the antagonist. Kirk & Spock manage to figure it out, but it escapes into the ships' computer before decisive steps can be taken. And, because this thing thrives on generating fear, it tries to terrorize the Enterprise crew rather than killing them outright. The story is engagingly written by legendary genre specialist Robert Bloch, and given efficient direction by frequent series director Joseph Pevney. As a very Scotty-centric episode, it's easy to understand why it was a favorite of co-star James Doohan. And he just acts his heart out, with Scotty professing to remember barely anything from each moment of killing.
In general, 'Wolf in the Fold' is quite fun, although some viewers may not like how goofy it gets. (As protection from the entity, Bones gives crew members an injection that makes everybody overly cheery.). But I personally found it quite funny as it went along, and indeed it wraps up in quite the upbeat manner.
Excellent guest stars also include Charles Macaulay ("The Big Red One"), Pilar Seurat ("The Young Savages"), Charles Dierkop ("The Sting"), and Joseph Bernard ("Judgment at Nuremberg"). The very foxy Tanya Lemani ("The Hell with Heroes") gets things off to a fine start with her talent for belly dancing.
Seven out of 10.
'Wolf in the Fold' is a good & solid (if not great) mystery that works pretty well due to the nature of the antagonist. Kirk & Spock manage to figure it out, but it escapes into the ships' computer before decisive steps can be taken. And, because this thing thrives on generating fear, it tries to terrorize the Enterprise crew rather than killing them outright. The story is engagingly written by legendary genre specialist Robert Bloch, and given efficient direction by frequent series director Joseph Pevney. As a very Scotty-centric episode, it's easy to understand why it was a favorite of co-star James Doohan. And he just acts his heart out, with Scotty professing to remember barely anything from each moment of killing.
In general, 'Wolf in the Fold' is quite fun, although some viewers may not like how goofy it gets. (As protection from the entity, Bones gives crew members an injection that makes everybody overly cheery.). But I personally found it quite funny as it went along, and indeed it wraps up in quite the upbeat manner.
Excellent guest stars also include Charles Macaulay ("The Big Red One"), Pilar Seurat ("The Young Savages"), Charles Dierkop ("The Sting"), and Joseph Bernard ("Judgment at Nuremberg"). The very foxy Tanya Lemani ("The Hell with Heroes") gets things off to a fine start with her talent for belly dancing.
Seven out of 10.