Star Trek: The Animated Series (TV Series) Mudd's Passion (1973) User Reviews

Two Rocks in a Hard Place ...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 28 February 2022]

Who would dream of falling love, with a man and a character like Paddy of Mudd, who cheats and connives, indecently strives, to swindle and steal and mislead and to lie.

Another outing for Mudd who does what Mudd always does.

Star Trek: The Animated Series - Mudd's Passion

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 28 December 2015]

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.

Worth seeing just for the brief Spock-Kirk gay scene...

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 9 April 2015]

'That's an outstandingly stupid idea'--Spock in response to one of Kirk's ideas.

This episode features Harry Mudd--the third time he's appeared in any Trek series. And, fortunately, Roger Carmel provides the voice for this lovable rogue.

When the show begins, the landing party from Enterprise finds Harry Mudd on yet another planet trying to swindle some idiots. But, when Kirk informs them that he's actually selling them crap, the crowd turns on him and Mudd agrees to go aboard Enterprise as a prisoner. But he is a schemer and soon has another plot to hatch--and it involves giving Nurse Chapel a love potion so she can win her Spocky-poo.

This is a mildly amusing episode. Like the rest, the animation is pure crap--with a super-low cel count (making the characters rather robotic when they move) and very poor drawings. But it IS worth seeing for two reasons--Harry Mudd AND you get a very brief but wonderful scene where Kirk and Spock are getting REALLY chummy because of the love potion run amok! Yes, you see gay Kirk and gay Spock--though unfortunately the drug wears off before they can do the deed. Weird but fun.

Mudd Returns... Again

[Samuel-Shovel · 4/10 · 16 December 2018]

In "Mudd's Passion", the Enterprise tracks down Harry Mudd with a warrant for his arrest. Having escaped the robot planet, Harry is now peddling love potions to a mining colony. After being taken aboard, Mudd convinces Nurse Chapel to use it on the emotionless Spock. Mudd escapes and uses Chapel as a hostage, stealing a shuttlecraft and heading to the nearest planet where giant rock monsters attack him. The potion works on Spock but also gets into the air vents, causing the crew to act strange: McCoy finds a lady, Scotty and M'Ress flirt a bit. Everyone is having a good time.

Spock and Kirk beam down and save the duo from a grisly fate. The potion wears off and everyone is back to normal, actually actively disliking the people they were in love with moments ago. Mudd is arrested once again.

I don't know why it's up to the Enterprise to go grab Harry Mudd. Don't they have better things to do than go arrest a charlatan? He's not that big of a threat. Make some other ship do it. This isn't scientific exploration.

I am completely over the Mudd character by now. I remember sorry of enjoying him for the first few minutes of his first appearance but he gets old extremely quickly. No more please. The Star Trek universe is a big sandbox. Let's do something else.

Well, the Character of Nurse Chapel Has Been Ruined Forever...

[dcsstudios · 1/10 · 8 January 2023]

Does it occur to no one else that Chapel literally tries to RAPE. SPOCK. In this episode?! Jesus, she tried to commit on him one of the worst violations imaginable, one that'd be far worse even for a Vulcan than it is for a human. She tries to force an unwanted feeling of love, not just on your average person who simply doesn't love her, but on a member of a race whose entire identity, their greatest pride, is to have complete mastery of their emotions, and whose reproductive instincts are a matter of enormous shame. And at the end of the episode, not only does NOT ONE PERSON say a single word about it to her or discuss possible repercussions or punishment (which should be a court martial AT LEAST), but Spock is perfectly fine being near and helping her. I know that attitudes about some things were different in this era, but I can't imagine they were so different that they'd just totally overlook what is done here. And even if they did overlook the rape attempt from a legal, there's no way Starfleet would overlook violating a Vulcan and/or fellow officer this way, as forcing emotions on them can only be considered a form of assault, regardless of what the emotion is. That she would even CONSIDER doing what she does in this episode destroys the character of Nurse Chapel forever. Unbelievable.

Idiotic Love Potion

[Hitchcoc · 4/10 · 19 March 2017]

This series plays too much to the humor element. Of course, Harry Mudd is the guy who kidnapped Kirk and Spock in the original series. He is the creator of android women whom he commands. He is a con man and here he is selling love potions on some distant planet. Kirk and Spock are looking for him because apparently there are warrants out on him from the Federation. When the arrive on the planet he recognizes them and tells them they have no jurisdiction, but when the locals realize he is a crook, they go for him, sending him to the Enterprise. There he fools Nurse Chappel. She, of course, has a thing for Spock and he sells her a love potion. I can't even go on from here. It stops being Star Trek at this point.