The Hungry Sea
| The Hungry Sea | |
| |
| Prod No: | 8505 |
|---|---|
| Season: | 1 |
| Air Date: | 10/13/1965 |
| Writers: | William Welch, Shimon Wincelberg |
| Director: | Sobey Martin |
| Principal Cast: | John Robinson (Guy Williams)
Maureen Robinson (June Lockhart) Penny Robinson (Angela Cartwright) Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) Robot B-9 (Bob May Dick Tufeld (voice)) |
| Supporting Cast: | |
| Preceded By: | There Were Giants In The Earth |
| Followed By: | Welcome Stranger |
The Hungry Sea is an episode of Lost In Space.
Synopsis
The Robinsons discover that the temperature is rapidly dropping and will soon be fatally low. Doubtful about their chances of survival if they stay with the Jupiter 2, they decide to take the Chariot to a more equatorial location to avoid a huge freeze is coming their way. The family, along with Major West leave in the Chariot whild Smith and the Robot take their chances in the J2.
Plot
As Don and the Robinsons continue their journey south, they cross a frozen sea, then continue on land after a seemingly interminable crossing.
Meanwhile at the Jupiter 2, the temperature continues to plummet, Smith sticking it out, then the temperature stops dropping. Smith and the Robot conduct analysis of the planet's orbit, but Smith initially rejects the Robot's findings of the characteristics of the planet's orbit.
As the temperature continues to rise, Smith panics and can no longer accept the impending death of the Robinson party - it would mean he, too, would be stranded as neither he nor the Robot know how to fly, let alone repair, the ship. Smith radios the Robinsons, but Don cuts him off and then Smith signs off, and sends the Robot after them. The Robot somehow makes the long journey fast enough to catch up to the Robinsons - the sea is still frozen although the temperature is now above freezing.
John and Don, taking a little walk, return with samples of plant that was burned then frozen. Just then, the Robot reaches them and announces a warning - Don shoots a laser and disables the Robot. At first light, John examines the data readout from the Robot, reconciles it with his own observations, and realizes what's happening: the planet is following a highly elliptical orbit with the sun at one end, and they are headed for perihelion. Don wants to keep heading south; John overrules him and they set up a shield against the sun, which, sure enough, ignites small bushes on the ground around them.
After perihelion, they take down the damaged sun shield, Don packs up the robot in pieces and they head north again, this time using the chariot's amphibious capabilities to cross the sea in its liquid form - a storm begins while they're crossing, and a connection in the solar batteries gives out; Don goes up top to fix it, is swept off by a wave, but manages to climb aboard and complete the connection. The chariot arrives at the north shore and then passes through lush vegetation that has regenerated since the swing around the sun. The Robinsons then take some time to "give thanks" and observe an informal religious service.
Smith is astonished to see the chariot approach with the Robinson party safe.
Notes
- The last segments of the original pilot, "No Place to Hide" are used here. Don disassembling the Robot explains the Robot's absence in the chariot ride back north, and the pilot episode's southward crossing of the sea in liquid form becomes the northward crossing for the return home, while the lush vegetation "of the tropics" becomes the renewed vegetation after they cross the sea on the way home. The Robinsons still stop for prayer, but the pilot episode's image of two aliens is not used.
- This is the first episode to show conflict between John Robinson and Don West.
- The Robot demonstrates the ability to play the guitar while Smith sings "There's No Place Like Home".
- Smith counteracts his previous orders to the Robot to kill the Robinsons off in this episode.
- There is an unusual blooper in this episode- when the Chariot finally returns to the Jupiter Two, the same footage seen in 'Island in the Sky' when Smith remarks to the Robot, wearing his coverall -'Robinson Alive? impossible!' is repeated. This is the last time we see Smith wearing coveralls again until the third season's 'The Time Merchant'.