Lost in Space: Season 1, Episodes 1-3

1: The Reluctant Stowaway
I must say I was surprised by how straight these early episodes were, having been most familiar with the colour episodes when things were a lot madder and camper.
But the B-movie feel to these early episodes is fantastic, and although the Robinson family is a little lacking in personality, it is undoubtedly Dr Zachary Smith who steals the show.
I was also unaware Dr Smith was originally a foreign spy trying to destroy the Jupiter 2 mission, and this adds an edge to him that might influence the way I see the character as time progresses.
The design of the Jupiter 2 is great - sleek and saucer-like from the outside, and a multi-level control/ living area inside, complete with central console!
And to top it all there's a melodramatic cliffhanger! What's not to love?

2: The Derelict
This episode was even better than the first, with the scenes set on the derelict spaceship extremely well directed and lit. It works really well in black and white and reminded me a lot of early Doctor Who, although the amount of aimless wandering/ exploring done by Smith and Will drags a little.
When they finally encounter the "bubble creatures" (as the DVD booklet describes them) things take a dangerous turn. I love the way the creatures try to communicate using electrical charges, I don't think I have seen anything quite like that before, certainly not this early.
The creatures are obviously on wheels, but as they chase the Jupiter 2's crew back to the ship the excitement is cranked up. It's a very exciting and mysterious episode, I love it.

3: Island in the Sky
This is the weakest of the three, but it's still very enjoyable, and boasts some epic location filming in the desert after the ship crash lands.
Just to get the shallowness out of the way first, I must admit to having a huge crush on Major Don West (Mark Goddard) who simply smoulders on screen and is the perfect all-American hero. I do wish they would get out of those Bacofoil space suits soon...
The crash landing is extremely well done and very convincing, and the character progression of Dr Smith very interesting - at the start of the episode he's all set to murder the Robinsons and force West to pilot the ship back to Earth, but after the crash he realises he has to plan very carefully, and uses the robot and plenty of cunning to get his way more subtley.
I love how he realises - to his horror - that the robot is going to kill Will at the end of the episode (on his orders). Smith obviously has an affection for the boy, one he might not admit openly but which will stand him in strong stead for the remainder of the series.
Just a quick mention for the strange chimp-like creature befriended by Judy. Please don't let this be a regular feature of future episodes because the thing looks tatty as hell and I'm sure the poor creature can't enjoy being in hot studios or locations with a woolly hat and padded legs on.