Both of these notions are popular (with people who poo-poo the K/S scenario) for explaining why Kirk never seems to develop any serious relationships with women. I say that both ideas are equally preposterous, although I understand what they are seeing and why they say that, but here's how it looks to me:
Midway through the episode, Spock takes off on a couple of errands Kirk sent him on. On his way he sees that one nutty crewman has painted this message on the wall:
LOVE MANKIND <-- unsubtle symbolic device #1
Spock stops by engineering to see how Mr. Scott is doing, and to give him a message from the Captain. Next he goes to sickbay to find Dr. McCoy, but instead encounters an intoxicated Nurse Chapel, who grabs him by the hand and confesses love to him. Spock is not pleased. He pulls away from Chapel but she comes after him and grabs him again. Spock is even more not pleased, but he tries to be polite. He tells her he is sorry, and escapes her grasp.
As he's walking down the hall, his composure begins to crumble. He staggers into briefing room 2 to hide, and after a futile struggle to regain emotional control, he breaks down and weeps inconsolably, again saying, "I'm sorry", ~although no one is there to hear him~.
[NOTE: If Spock (now infected) feels anything erotic for Nurse Chapel (or for any woman), he has a funny way of showing it.]
Kirk comes looking for Spock, and finds him. Spock looks up and starts blabbing about his mother. Kirk grabs Spock and yanks him to his feet. He holds on tightly to Spock's shoulders, and shakes him a couple of times while loudly declaring the nature of the crisis and demanding Spock's focused attention. Spock responds by starting to blab about his father.
Kirk slaps Spock hard, and watches for Spock's reaction. Spock's reaction is to start explaining that he's ashamed of his feelings for Kirk.
[NOTE: Notice he's not ashamed of his feelings (or lack thereof) for any woman aboard the ship.]
Now Kirk is really aroused. He slaps Spock twice, hard! Spock stops his hand as Kirk winds up for another slap, and holds Kirk's hand tightly as they gaze deeply into one another's eyes. They maintain this hand-and-eye contact until Spock starts to explain that he spent a lifetime learning to control his emotions. Kirk solidly slaps him across the face again.
That does it. Now Spock is pissed. He slaps Kirk so hard that Kirk tumbles backwards over the table and across the room to fall to the floor, hard. Doesn't faze him. He leaps to his feet and screams at Spock:
"We've got to risk implosion! It's our only chance!"
Spock soberly replies, "It's never been done."
Kirk is now all worked up. When Uhura calls him on the intercom he slaps the intercom to shut IT up.
[NOTE: here's evidence that Kirk is feeling no special tender feelings for the fair sex at the moment.]
Suddenly he realizes he has the disease. Now begins the controversial remarks about the ship:
To Spock Kirk says, "Love. You're better off without it and I'm better without mine!"
(pause)
"This vessel...I give, she takes. She won't let me live my life, I've got to live hers!"
[NOTE: Jim is complaining that the ship comes between him and things he'd rather be doing.]
Softly, Spock says, "Jim..."
Kirk continues, "The yeoman. Have you noticed her Spock? You're allowed to notice her. Captain's not permit...
[NOTE: Kirk tells Spock that he's allowed to "notice" the yeoman, so there is no rule against officers and yeomen "noticing" each other, it seems. Heck, officers can date subordinates, we know this, because they do it all over the ship.]
[NOTE: Captain's not permit... WHAT!? Since Kirk doesn't finish his sentence, we have no idea what he was about to say. Captain's not permitted to fuck while in uniform? Captain's not permitted to get naked and do the monkey dance while on duty? Captain's not permitted to give the first officer a blow job unless the Chief Engineer is minding the conn...What? WHAT!? We'll never know.]
Spock interrupts. "Jim, there *is* an intermix formula!"
[NOTE: Now yer talkin' Spock!]
Kirk wanders away from Spock, distracted. "Now I know why IT's called *she*!"
[NOTE: See? Kirk thinks of the ship as an IT. An IT which comes between him and his fun...like women do?]
Spock explains, "It's never been tested. It's a theoretical relationship between time and antimatter."
Kirk's talking to himself out loud here. "...flesh...woman...to touch, to hold...beach to walk on, a few days...no braid on my shoulder!"
[NOTE: more so-called evidence of Kirk's unalloyed heterosexuality which can't withstand close examination. "Flesh... woman..." What the hell does that really mean? Maybe that even a woman would be preferable to having only a ship for company, I guess. What Kirk's really pining for here is some shore leave. He literally wants to go to the shore.]
Mr. Scott comes in. Kirk says, "Scotty! Help!"
Spock says, "Stand by to intermix!"
Blah blah blah, Spock and Scott exit. Kirk pulls himself together, and as he exits he says, "Never lose you. Never", ~although no one is there to hear him~.
[NOTE: Spock and Kirk each speak aloud while alone in briefing room two. Spock to say "I'm sorry", Kirk to say, "Never lose you. Never!" If Spock is not speaking to/about the ship, why would anybody imagine that Kirk is speaking to/about the ship? Kirk thinks the ship is an IT. He's not talking to IT.]
Kirk enters the lift, says, "Bridge", then sees that some nutty crewman has painted this message in red on the inside of the doors:
SINNER REPENT <-- unsubtle symbolic device #2
[Special NOTE: Notice how the writing is literally on the wall. The painted messages tell when the *highlight* of the episode begins and ends, the way the brackets around this note tells you when the note begins and ends.]
[NOTE: Notice that, in the exchange between Kirk and Spock, the big issue they both bitch about is relationships. They both list their excuses for being unable to enjoy complete relationships. With Spock, it's his upbringing. Kirk is a slave to duty. Excuses, excuses. Notice that they are both complaining. Neither one is satisfied with his situation. They are both infected by this disease that strips away their inhibitions, and what do they do? They lock themselves in a room together, slap each other around, and bitch to each other about being unable to have a relationship. That's what they do. I'm not making this up: it's in the script.]
McCoy gives Kirk a shot of antidote as he enters the bridge.
Blah, blah, blah...when everything is ready, Kirk looks at Yeoman Rand and lifts his hand as if to touch her, but decides against it, murmuring "No beach to walk on."
[NOTE: Excuses, excuses. Kirk has no trouble keeping his hands off Yeoman Rand. It's Spock that he couldn't keep his hands off of. It's in the script, people. It's canon.]
He gives the order. "Engage!"
[Dramatic moment as everybody reacts]
The moment it's clear that the crisis has passed, Spock rushes to the bridge, and the first thing he does is plant his hands on Kirk's chair and ask Kirk, "Are you all right!?"
Closeup as Kirk nods, gives Spock a warm, intimate smile and asks, "You?"
To Jim, Spock says, "Obviously, we were successful."
The correct answer, for the many who are blind as bats, is c.
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