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I always seemed to enjoy the "monster"-ish episodes the most...MAN TRAP with the salt vampire, ARENA and the Gorn, always loved the rock guy from SAVAGE CURTAIN...though I wouldn't necessarily call them "best."
My comment about DOOMSDAY MACHINE and the big amoeba episode applies to ARENA as well. About 15 years ago when I was going through one of my cycles of religiously watching the avalable TOS reruns, the station cut to commercial as Kirk stuggles in the vine and rock trap as the Gorn closes in (an original act break I would imagine) and I was left in such a state of suspense I suprised even myself! I had to take a breath and remind myself I've seen the episode a hundred times before and Kirk is gonna be okay!

Probrably in the same cycle of viewing, I saw the SAVAGE CURTAIN with a slightly younger TNG generation friend who was seeing most of the TOS episodes for his first time. I gotta admit, the slow, dramatic reveal that the object hovering in front of the Enterprise is nothing less than a floating Abraham Lincoln his hysterically funny. We were both reduced to helpless, laughing piles heaps for at least as long as the comercial break ran. When I regained my composure I was suprised it had never dawned on before how sublimely funny an opening scene it is. What a difference watching something you've seen a million times since childhood again with a novice can make. And I am sure this is what inspired Gary Larson's "The crew of the Enterprise encounter the giant, floating head of Zsa Zsa Gabor" far side cartoon.

That said, the rock creature in SAVAGE CURTAIN scared the hell out of me as a tottler.
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