Review of Lost in Space

Irwin Allen's best series, and one of the greatest fantasy TV shows ever produced. After the first dozen episodes, it became the Smith, Will and Robot Show, but I didn't care one bit. For its time, the special effects were state-of-the-art and the alien creatures were incredible. I have always found the images of the Jupiter II heading for a crash landing on the next hostile planet haunting and beautiful. John Williams' scores are sublime, ranging from beautiful ("My Friend Mr. Nobody") to chilling ("Follow The Leader"/"The Anti-Matter Man"). There were so many amazing episodes that truly fired the imagination and instilled a true sense of wonder in us all. I will never forget Will Robinson taking a time machine back to Earth where he is deposited on a snowy roof. I will always love and be haunted by the screeching of the monster Angus as he chased our heroes through an old Scottish castle ("The Astral Traveller") surrounded by the darkest, murkiest sea. I have forever been haunted by the black, sequin-faced, robot-like denizens of a fake town who mumbled "We want the mechanical man..." I always weep when Smith gains a skullcap and loses the last of his human qualities and becomes part of an alien machine. I can't contain my excitement when Will and Professor Robinson take part in "The Deadly Games of Gamma 6". I love Will finding the Princess, West and Don serving time on a prison planet with a bearded, money-like brute, nasty prisoners unfrozen, the weirdness of Michael J. Pollard in "The Mirror", the junkman, the army of Smiths produced in a machine, Will emerging from the same machine possibly changed forever, John Robinson flying with his jet pack, the giant, the monster plants, Captain Tucker, Smith's strange declaration that "there is no lower level" on the phony Jupiter II, and the chariot swallowed by a whirlpool and all hope lost (?) And what young boy didn't take terrible fright when a mean Professor Robinson take control of the Jupiter II and demanded blood from all. "Lost in Space" simply was and still is a wonderful TV show filled with suspense, horror, great space vistas, fantastic monsters, memorable characters and the greatest robot cast member ever. If you've never seen "Lost in Space", I envy you your virgin voyage. And, wherever you are, Space Family Robinson, I hope it is closer to Alpha Centauri.