Lost in Space: Season 1, Episodes 13-15

13: One of Our Dogs is Missing
Hooray and hurrah! A story that gives the girls something to do at long last!
I have longed to see Judy Robinson do something constructive except pout and frown, I have yearned to see Maureen Robinson show off some of the scientific skills mentioned in the pilot. All the women get to do is cook, get into trouble and smile supportively when John has one of his Family Moments.
Here we have the men of the camp - the real men! - off in the Chariot, leaving the women (and Dr Smith) at the ship to fend for themselves. They have ray guns, they have that big gun thing which zaps anything which approaches the Jupiter 2, they even have doors and window shields. What could possibly go wrong?
A dog arrives in a space pod, that's what. Cutesy dog sub-plot aside, this is a great story, and although the females generally just get themselves into a mess and have to be rescued by the men, at least we have a good section of the story devoted to them. I don't like the fact they have to be rescued by Don and John, I'd prefer the production team to have been a little more forward thinking and let Maureen and Judy really shine - and there are odd moments - but it is a let-down.
I like Maureen, and it's a shame she never gets developed much. For some reason I love the bit where she is walking back into the ship and says it is going to get dark in five minutes so Judy should come inside soon - "And Penny too!" she barks. Star mum! And where did she get all that hair from? Where does she hide it?
And then there's the hairy monster, which makes no sense, is there for one reason alone, and doesn't look very good.
PS: I'm sorry, but Dr Smith really needs a slap! If I was confronted with a worktop full of dismantled laser guns when there was an ill-conceived hairy monster prowling outside, I'd go ape shit. That doctor gets off with far too much!

14: Attack of the Monster Plants
"Dr Smith, will you tend to my garden when I'm gone?"
"My dear, your garden will wither and die, I can assure you!"
Dr Smith in this episode is bloody hilarious. Jonathan Harris seems particularly on form in this story and made me laugh out loud a number of times.
Smith here is perhaps at his wiliest yet, leaving Don and John to die in the swamp and blackmailing the Robinsons into taking him back to Earth by concealing the true location of Judy. How any of the regulars put up with this man is beyond fantasy, and it seems only Major West provides the voice of any sane reason any more. How can the Robinsons just accept Smith's evil ultimatum, and still go on smiling at him?!
By the way, West provides much more than sanity in this episode, for me personally, as the white t-shirt is back and the chest hair suitably tantalising!
This story demonstrates the widening gap between Smith and West, and the way Don teases Smith about his fate is charming. I like the fact these two men have an ongoing and worsening rivalry, because it's one of the very few realistic relationships in the show, along with John and Maureen's infatuated adoration for one another.
The monster plants are realised very well (although you can see the wire frames through the leaves on occasion) and the screaming/ laughing sound they make is very disconcerting.
And to top it all, Maureen's washing basket makes a welcome reappearance. Sometimes it is the smallest things which cheer a boy's heart.

15: Return from Outer Space
Nice bit of continuity in this episode, harking back to The Sky is Falling in which the Taurons paid a visit. However, they left behind their matter transfer unit, and this provides the catalyst for an excellent adventure here.
Will is zapped off to a town called Hatfield Four Corners in his present day, despite the fact it looks like it's set in late 20th century Tombstone. There, he has a terrible time avoiding being sent to a boys' home before he can contact Alpha Control and let them know what's happened to the Jupiter 2. The frustration Will feels is shared by the viewer, and his constant pleading for permission to "make that phone call" - only to be repeatedly turned down or delayed - is a real wind-up (although if Will hadn't been brought up so damn well he would have just run off and done it anyway instead of obeying his elders!).
The scenes set in Hatfield are lovely, and the bond that develops between Will and Davey Sims is delightful. It wasn't until this point that I realised Will is lacking anyone of his age and gender to relate to on the wonderfully christened Priplanus, and how having Davey would really help Will develop and learn more about himself. In fact, if I knew LiS wasn't so naive I would even suggest Davey might develop a much stronger bond with Will than Will might realise, but maybe that's just me reading too much into Donald Losby's yearning performance.
It's great to have a change of scene and a fresh guest cast for a change, and this Christmas sojourn provides Will and the viewer with a different perspective on the Robinsons' situation, as well as some welcome location filming.
Also lost in space: Reta Shaw (1912-82) will be best remembered as housekeeper Martha in The Ghost and Mrs Muir on US TV, but she also appeared as one of the singing nannies in Mary Poppins and Mrs Grindley in Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain (film and series); Sheila Allen (1929- ) appeared in two further LiS episodes under the name Sheila Matthews and was also co-executive producer of Lost in Space Forever in 1998; Robert Easton (1930- ) continues to have a long and varied career, and should next appear in the film Horrorwe'en in 2007; Helen Kleeb (1907-2003) had a long-running role as Miss Mamie in The Waltons, but also appeared in many headline US TV series of their time such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, CHiPs and Little House on the Prairie; Walter Sande (1906-1971) had a long career before his LiS appearance, but sadly died a few years later of a heart attack, although he had a couple of running roles in various Western TV series; Keith Taylor reappeared in another LiS episode in 1968, but his career has been fitful from then on, most recently appearing in an episode of Rumpole of the Bailey in 1983; finally we have Donald Losby (1947- ) who had appeared before LiS in many TV series, but whose acting career came to a halt in 1970. At the age of 23, maybe he discovered acting wasn't for him... ?