Everything Is Horrible

Everything Is Horrible

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Everything Is Horrible
Everything Is Horrible
Star Trek TOS S2E11: Friday's Child
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Star Trek TOS S2E11: Friday's Child

Strong women for the patriarchy.

Noah Berlatsky's avatar
Noah Berlatsky
Oct 13, 2023
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Everything Is Horrible
Everything Is Horrible
Star Trek TOS S2E11: Friday's Child
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See the Star Trek TOS Rewatch Index page for links to all the episodes covered so far.

“FRIDAY’S CHILD” RATING: 6.5/10

“Friday’s Child” is a frustrating episode. Writer Dorothy Catherine Fontana, one of the few women creators on the series, wanted to explore issues of maternity and femininity. Specifically, the script is about a strong woman who does not want a child. It reflects on and questions second wave feminist discomfort with motherhood and domesticity.

Unfortunately, though, Fontana’s themes end up buried beneath the usual adventure plot mechanisms and colonial machinations.  That’s partially the result of poor construction—the script feels overstuffed and rushed. But it also reflects the limitations of the original series, which, both as a matter of casting and a matter of predilection, was ill-equipped to center female characters or female perspectives.

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