Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Well, the previous set was good enough so I decided to get this one too. After all, it's got "The Great Vegetable Rebellion".
I'll start with DVD quality:
Menu system: Uninspired but passable; what else is new?
Video: Given that the show is released for a niche audience these days, there are some scratches, blemishes, unrestored trailers, dust marks, film jumps, just like in the previous releases. It's overall acceptable and I've seen far worse for TV shows that were far more popular and beloved that cannot be blamed on the quality of the master analogue tapes. Still, more care into the restoration work would have been nice. I do hate film jumps and, quite frankly, this stuff - like all tv and media - should be preserved as a reflection of society at the time... it might be dated and somewhat sexist, but at least the Robinsons prove their moral superiority (and possibly stupidity) by rescuing Doctor Smith from himself every week... And you know Smith wouldn't be tolerated for one attosecond these days!
Audio: Great in mono, nothing to complain about here. Very passable!
As for the episodes themselves:
Target: Earth -- I loved the pre-credits teaser, even if the alien itself looks fairly disgusting (I wish I could cite a parallel, but I'm not keen on toilet humor...). While "Lost in Space" is typically pedestrian with its plotlines and a lot of its dialogue, I found this one to be surprisingly fun. Even Will (think "the original Wesley Crusher but isn't arrogant" ) is well handled. 7/10
Princess of Space -- a typical outing despite having a decent premise. It's not what I'd call innovative or adventurous, however. 5/10
Time Merchant - WOW!!!! While it still has a few "Lost in Space" logic/dialogue issues, and don't forget the show is made for children in the mid-1960s, this one is actually fairly intelligently written and well handled. (man, I wish more modern sci-fi would be as daring with its use of concepts...) Especially for 1967. Highly enjoyable and makes me grateful the series was allowed to run its final season to the end or else we wouldn't have gotten this one. Best of all is a worthy twist: Had Dr Smith not gone on board, the Robinsons would be in far worse trouble than anybody would have ever thought... The actual revelation alone makes this episode a winner, but I can't really knock it in any way, shape, or form. For LiS it's sublime and for general sci-fi for the time it's very ahead of its time. 10/10
The Promised Planet -- whew boy. Another planet where the Robinsons have to engage shallow antisocial hippies. This time it's not a gaggle of shiftless, selfish, bone-idle losers but kids who just want to dance all day in front of (or behind!) screens lit by a series of rotating colors. Oooh, psychedelic man! The excuse for this, folks? The inhabitants of this planet can't grow old. They need Will and Penny for a series of transfusions they think will allow them to grow old. (it's poorly explained but I got the impression they were going to drain the kids of their blood, which is actually quite frightening as a concept, even if it is somewhat silly. But those 2 minutes can't make up for 48 minutes of utter drivel.) In a certain mindset (try being very drunk or stoned, and forgive me if I don't partake...) it might be passable but this one is a true low point. And if you manage to sit through this one's ending unscathed, feel lucky. And that stupid, uninspired "acid trip" music gets stuck in your head too and I doubt the writer had that in mind... UGH! Never mind the one kid's voice who sounds like a total geek and un-hip. Worse, the one pudgy kid at the end who whines that he just wants to shave (!!!) tops it all as being the worst episode ever. 2/10 (why am I so generous? Because Dr Smith, as usual, is a hoot to watch!! And, of course, the 2 minutes' worth of fear at the end.)
Fugitives in Space -- Surprisingly good, if a bit lax on details. 150 degrees would be a fatal temperature, to say the least... There's some great makeup work however and the idea of Smith's and West's fellow captive that he can regenerate when killed must've been taken from "Doctor Who". Nicely put into context for what it's worth, but it's still "Lost in Space". Smith himself is very diabolical here and you have to wonder why the Robinsons would bother to keep him when he pulls really vile stunts like this... definitely more akin to his early season 1 persona rather than his ultimate cowardly clumpish self. 6/10
Space Bounty -- Why look, CBS's answer to the venerable Harry Mudd (Farnum B) makes a return appearance! While NOBODY tops Harry Mudd (except for possibly a certain Q), Farnum's always fun to watch. If only there was a 4th season, how many more episodes would they contrive him into? Smith forging Judy's name is what causes the hapless Robinson family to get wound up into Smith's shameless scheming this time. 7/10
The Flaming Planet -- as said by a flaming reviewer, this is a mixed bag. There are some nice ideas present: A dying race killed off by their own weaponary, the fantasy element of having somebody else take over (though WHY seems to be left unanswered), and a mutated life form that thinks Dr Smith is its daddy. It's an oddball, but surprisingly enjoyable and the ending, by "Lost in Space" standards, is almost educational by its prompting kids to whip out the dictionaries to learn the big words presented. :-) 7/10
The Great Vegetable Rebellion -- WHY DO PEOPLE HATE THIS STORY?! No wonder Guy "tripod" Williams and June Lockhart were having troubles trying to conceal their giggling, this episode is one I'd actually introduce TO potential fans. It's so novel, yet so off the wall and outrageously funny and knows, unlike many episodes from the previous seasons, how to work within its limitations and not end up looking dated, kitschy, or pastiche. This one is genuine fun. Never mind some double entendres that should have had the CBS execs pulling it from the airwaves (note the scene where Willoughby starts nibbling at leafy bits from Dr Smith (who had just been transmogrified into a gigantic stick of celery). They really get away with a lot and I was unstoppably rolling once they started talking about seeds, good grief!!!) This episode is a total riot to watch, and despite the behind-the-scenes issues it actually feels coherently put together. 10/10 and I'd rate it higher if I could!
Junkyard of Space -- notice the lack of Ms Lockhart and the general absense of Guy Williams. They were written out of this one because of their behind-the-scenes antics in "Vegetable Rebellion". It's got the potential to really be a gritty story, but for some reason it just seems average. 6/10
Ultimately, completists will buy this on the spot. It's a fair release, epsecially for the price. But there is some fun to be had in this 2nd and final set, moreso than in set 1 I'd discovered. It's a 60s kids show, but in some ways it tries to transcend its limitations and be more).
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Lost in Space - Season 3, Vol. 2 (1965)It’s the third and final season of the far-out tales of TV’s most lovable space crew!Complete your mission with these intergalactic adventures!Join in as the Jupiter 2 crew attempts to finally return home to Earth, with more help from the wily Robot B-9, more antics from master meddler Dr. Zachary Smith, and of course, more "Danger, Will Robinson!" Along with out-of-this-world extras not available anywhere else, this collectable DVD installment of Irwin Allen’s LOST IN SPACE presents the final 9 episodes of America’s favorite space family.
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