So, for our last post of the month, I thought it would be nice to end it with an episode from LOST IN SPACE. In this story, the gang is trying to get through a drought with sky high temperatures and have to go searching for a water source, or, DIE!!
It starts with a bang, an earthquake brings some boulders down on Don, who gets his foot caught between the rocks. But, John saves the day using a a long pole to separate the the boulders and Don is able to pull his foot free. Looks painful!
As Don rests after the incident, the Robinsons play a board game. The heat is sweltering and Will gets upset and says that everyone is cheating, so, game over man!
Holy cow, check out that contraption Don and John are working on, looks like something Eegah!! would have to create in the back a few years ago!
As they work in the heat, the boys hear some gawd-awful noise coming from across the way. I really like this shot.
Dr. Smith was 'singing' the worst operatic song, ever!! And I mean, it's freaking LOUD! Yeah, and I'm pretty sure the Robot was playing some music...Horrible! Anyway, the Little B is taking a shower while he was singing!
Here's the problem, the boys thought there was like 42 gallons of drinking water left, but find out there are 2 gallons now, and that equals only 4 days! You figure out the rest..
So, they have to go searching for water, and head off into the desert heat. At one point, Smith wants a drink and stays behind, and takes a nap. What a Royal B he is!!
Wandering through some hills they come upon a contaminated pool of water, but something is growing in the water.
John finds some fruit growing there, he pulls some off and brings the up from the pool. Don cuts one open to see what's inside but they have to runs tests on them at the lab before eating them, because they could be poisonous.
Thinking that Dr. Smith would have come back to the ship by now, he wanders in, and starts eating the fruit!! Maureen is sooo nice to Dr. Smith, no matter what, well, I wouldn't be, the Little B!! Anyway, she finally gets to tell him that he should NOT have eaten the fruit because they were going to test it to see if it's.. Poisonous!!
Smith claims that they were purposely leaving it out to poison him, he freaks out, leaves and heads out into the darkness. He ends up here somehow, in one of my dreams, what the Hell, Man!
Oh yeah, Debbie The Bloop has eaten some of the fruit and has grown in size!
So, you get the idea..
Smith is talking a big load of crap, but finally, Will gets through to him..
They build a huge bed covered by some netting to house the depressed giant who can only think about his woes, as Will speaks with him. He gots big ol' feets!!
In the meantime, John and Don have finished their rain machine and the lightning is starting to strike as everyone takes cover, except Dr. Smith and Debbie of course.
Predictably, the rain brings Smith and Debbie back to their regular sizes. I wonder if the others got wet, would they turn into midgets? Food for thought.
And everyone gets to laugh at the disheveled, wet, sorry ass Dr. Smith!
Hey, what's this?! Looks like something I might come up with.. Anyway, looks like this thing will show up next week to give us a chill. That spiked thing definitely seems like it would smart if it hit you! You can't see it but the thing in the middle has big teeth!
Well, hope you enjoyed this post, now get ready for February.
Yeah, definitely not a great episode of LIS. But the one "next week" is a heck of a lot better!
ReplyDeleteHow come Dr Smith's clothes grew large as well? Were they organic material?
ReplyDeleteMaybe not a great episode but I tend to watch them through the eyes of my 8 year old self, as I did when they originally aired.
Paul from Australia
ReplyDeleteThis episode actually has some interesting points to it:
06:00
We get a look at the seldom-seen "mystery corridor" next to the galley.
08:40
Look at the cool "space age" 60s flashlight John uses
when he examines the water tank.
13:15
Water hole scene:
One of the few outdoor shots used in LIS.
Practically everything else was shot in a sound stage.
32:35
Giant monkey scene....close the hatch!
Blu-ray reveals how
utterly filthy plexiglass viewport actually was!
36:00
Rare "alternate lasers" used here:
https://zoppy.blogspot.com/2022/02/lost-in-space-oasis.html
Even this episode is fun to watch in Blu-ray.
I always notice details I never saw before.
Get the blu-ray if you like LIS because the picture quality
transfer was exceptionally good. Way better than Star Trek.
I was around 11, and already a science and space program geek, so I guess I was generally skeptical of stories with issues like the clothes becoming giant-sized, etc.
ReplyDeleteOnly in a few weeks before and after this one is My Friend Mr. Nobody (my late wife's favorite episode) and Invaders from the Fifth Dimension (a favorite of mine), The Sky is Falling (which I consider one of the very best of the series), and a sentimental favorite, Return from Outer Space.
I have them on Blu-ray as well, and still have a few of the LIS toys and models, several scripts, etc. (I do wish I still had the handwritten letter of reply from Jonathan Harris that I received from him in 1973 or '74, after I written him wishing him a happy birthday.)
Pretty much all of the episodes are fun on one level or another, but it's a shame (IMHO) that it didn't develop over time in the way it was originally intended. That is what I regret and find most frustrating about LIS as a whole. But I still watch it, off and on. It depends on the episode!