Harry Mudd's back, baby! With some love potions this time!
The Enterprise catches up to Harry Mudd again, this time selling love potions to miners. Harry tempts Christine Chapel with a sample, which creates havoc as everyone succumbs to intense emotions.
This episode provides examples of:
- Accidental Truth: Harry was just running one of his scams, and had no idea that the stuff actually worked. When he finds out, he's dismayed that he was offering it so cheaply.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: After Mudd, Chapel, Kirk, and Spock are on the surface of the desert world the Enterprise stopped by to investigate, they are attacked by an enormous creature resembling a rock-like slug with three eyes, pincers, and a lizard-like head
. Soon after a second bipedal creature with a shark-like head joins in the attack. After Kirk uses some of Mudd's love crystals to befriend the first rock beast, it battles the second one, allowing the crew and Mudd to be transported away. - Continuity Nod: Harry mentions the android planet he was left on last time, saying that he got the androids interested in baseball and slipped away while they were absorbed in watching.
- Double Standard: Rape, Sci-Fi: Using a love potion is basically Played for Laughs, and no one sees it as an Attempted Rape. Also Chapel never gets any punishment for that.
- Hangover Sensitivity: Scotty comments that he has the worst hangover ever after the potion wears off.
- Hollywood Psychology: The episode mixes up two types of love: philianote and erosnote . Both go through the roof.note
- Love Triangle: Kirk seems to be exhibiting signs of jealousy about Spock's interactions with Christine. Luckily, the two of them realize they're reacting to the drug fairly soon after, and the situation stays relatively calm.
- Karma Houdini: Christine Chapel never gets punished for using a mind-altering drug on a superior officer.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Kirk and McCoy instantly realize something has gone haywire when Spock calls to say he's experiencing unusual emotions.
- Sequel Episode: This is a follow-up to "I, Mudd."
- Sickeningly Sweethearts: The love-potion-affected Spock becomes obsessed with Christine.
- Snake Oil Salesman: When Kirk reveals how effective the love potion is, Harry lets slip that he didn't think it worked.
