(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

You must at once seek out and watch the Lost in Space episode The Promised Planet (3.19 - disc 5 of the box set). I rented it because I remember being puzzled and a little frightened by it as a small child - something to do with scary teenagers who wore pyjamas all the time and had teaching machines and no parents. It turns out to be the most gloriously drug-addled thing I think I have ever seen: a serious Star Trek sort of story about children who can't grow up which has somehow been pureed in a psychedelic blender. Mr Robinson and Don (whom I suspect I wanted to be my Special Friend when I was about six) are clearly in a different show to everyone else (probably that Star Trek episode, with the ship being endangered, etc). Will Robinson is also in a different show to everyone else, one with rather good acting. He and the Robot are the only ones with any brains (although the Robot is clearly shagging Dr Smith). Penny snivels, then dances, then snivels, then dances, to the pop tune Space-A-Delic (I kid you not, it's on the anniversary soundtrack), which bursts forth from the PA at frquent, random intervals, triggering a Super Freak Out in which models dance on a pool table, etc. Judy has one line ("I don't feel obsolete," she simpers feebly, clearly bewildered by the surrounding mental activity.)

Dr Smith, whom I find as excruciating and hypnotic as the results of a trainwreck, is turned into a hippie, with a sort of Prince Valiant wig, and a vocabulary borrowed from fifties anti-drug films. It is impossible to describe the results of this: you have to see for yourself. As always Jonathan Harris gives about 4000%, and manages to wring a couple of genuine laughs out of it. Also actually funny, as opposed to ha-ha-tis-to-laugh-I-think-one-of-my-kidneys-is-trying-to-escape funny, is the ease with which Will and Penny con Smith into pinching some electronic crap and consequently sabotaging the teenagers' evil computer or whatever the hell it is. (Splendidly, there is a Woodstocky sort of tasselled leather satchel left lying around in the futuristic control room so he has somewhere to stuff his swag.) He gets along badly with Edgar, who appears to be Kevin Mitnick cosplaying Easy Rider, but who has the episode's best line ("I just wanna be able to shave, man!") and scariest moment (as he screams, "There'll be others!").

The day is saved when the Robinsons light up their cones and inhale the smoke. I am not making this shit up.

It disturbs me how bad everyone's space navigation is in TV SF. Our heroes land on the planet in the first place because they mistake the local star for Alpha Centauri, tricked by magnetic whatsis sent out by the baddies. We're also grinding through The Armageddon Factor, in which a space fleet can't manage to attack a neighbouring planet because there's another planet blocking their view.

Comments

[campion7.livejournal.com]

We're also grinding through The Armageddon Factor, in which a space fleet can't manage to attack a neighbouring planet because there's another planet blocking their view.

They should do what Marvin the Martian always tried to do.

Blow it up.

(Marvin is the best. :) I've always said that anyone who wanted to blow up the Earth because it blocked his view of Venus is all right, in my book. *evil grin*)

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

"We're also grinding through The Armageddon Factor, in which a space fleet can't manage to attack a neighbouring planet because there's another planet blocking their view."

Ouch. Oh yes. I knew there was a reason for never wanting to watch that one again.

Actually, now I'm starting to remember several, curse you... =:o?

[outsdr.livejournal.com]

I wanted to be friends with Will. But I wanted to be the Robot's _special_ friend.

Is this the episode where Penny dances in the giant bird cage? I watched an interview where she said she was insanely hungover that day.

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Oh gods, I remember that one so clearly...