User Reviews

One of my favorite "Lost In Space" episodes. A very strong story.

The Jupiter Two is in need of repair. In order to accomplish this, they must land on a habitable planet. Unlike the Maureen Robinson we would see later on, the Maureen Robinson of this episode, like the Maureen of the first episode, thinks independently and is willing to argue with her husband to make her point. Maureen doesn't like the idea of landing on that planet one bit, and tells John this.

John wants a scout to be sent down to the planet to make sure that it really does have the breathable atmosphere that it appears to have and to make sure that the Jupiter 2 can safely land there. He wants the robot to be sent down to the planet to make that scouting report. Dr. Smith has no intention of letting the robot go, so he programs the robot to respond only to his voice. In a later "proof" that the robot is still not working properly, he asks John Robinson to issue a command to the robot. The fact that the robot doesn't respond is accepted as proof that he isn't functioning properly. It is then John Robinson who will have to rocket down to the planet below and do the scouting.

Smith then commits attempted murder by tampering with the rockets that John will use. After leaving the Jupiter 2, John cannot get the rockets to fire and crashes, apparently fatally, onto the planet.

The scenes of Dr. Smith with the robot as they hear about John's troubles over the ship's intercom are quite good. What happens after that is even more riveting.

Smith uses the robot to threaten to kill the rest of the crew unless they agree to return Smith to earth immediately. There is a dramatic scene where Don West gets a choke-hold on Smith and forces Smith into a freezing tube after he orders Smith to send the robot back to his compartment. Unknown to him, Smith has also tampered with the rockets and this forces West to make a crash landing. This crash-landing sequence is one of the most exciting sequences on television, and it is accompanied by a thrilling score from none other than John Williams.

After they find John, who explains that he survived the fall because he finally got the rockets to fire using some residual fuel, the robot follows his programming and returns to the Jupiter 2 to check on Dr. Smith. He frees him from the tube.

Smith is shocked to find that John Robinson is alive, but he hatches another plan. Whenever the robot finds one of the party alone, the robot is to kill the person but make it appear to be an accident. Only Major West would be spared because he can pilot the ship. Once they learn everything from Major West, he too would be murdered. We are thus further treated to the evil mind of the early Dr. Smith.

Unknown to everyone, including Smith, Will sneaks out at night because he thinks he can repair their planet-roving vehicle called the Chariot, which was damaged by an electrically charged tumbleweed when the Robinsons were returning to the Jupiter 2. In a momentary change of heart, Smith gets alarmed at the thought of Will being alone out there with the robot. The episode ends with the robot approaching a frightened Will with the intention of killing him.

This episode showcases what "Lost In Space" was capable of. Good special effects, exciting action, and wonderful acting, especially by the still evil and not comical Dr. Smith as portrayed by Jonathan Harris. His acting, especially when Smith is with the robot, is compelling.

"Island in the Sky" stands as one of the best episodes in the history of "Lost in Space." Besides the breathtaking blend of sight and sound of the out-of-control Jupiter Two, slicing through the alien sky, the episode features a sinister Dr. Smith, responsible for the malfunction of the rockets that causes the crash.

The episode, like five others, was culled from the unaired pilot; thus, changes were made in the script to allow Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) to be "frozen" in one of the freezing tubes to make sure that previously film scenes would not have his character in them. As fans of the show know, he nor the Robot were a part of the original concept.

Besides the impressive crash of the ship, the episode features a spacewalk by Dr. Robinson (Guy Williams) and the appearance of a large hairy - and electrically charged - alien creature. Also, this episode marks the first appearance of the Robinson's all-terrain vehicle, The Chariot.

With the emphasis on special effects, one would think that the actors would not have much screen time; however, there are some pivotal exchanges between Maureen (June Lockhart), Don (Mark Goddard), and Dr. Smith.

John Williams also provided one of the best scores in television history, especially effective during the Jupiter's descent.

Truly, "Island in the Sky" stands as a testament to what "Lost in Space" should have remained: an exciting adventure about survival on an alien world.

One of the great opening episodes of the first season (it is amazing to compare these first few with almost the entirety of the second season), "Island in the Sky" offered promise often undeservedly spoiled by bad writing and silly characters. Dr. Smith, the derelict passenger who boarded the Jupiter 2 with plot of sabotage, is always contemplating methods detrimentally dangerous to the "Space Family Robinson". He isn't some clown but seriously a scheming, shady, manipulative, diabolical, and devious scoundrel just looking for the opportunity to rid himself of the nuisance of this family keeping him from returning to Earth. He sets in motion, it appears, a horrible plan that would command Robot to destroy each member of the party when they are alone, except Don who is of importance for driving the Jupiter 2 where he desires! The jet fuel and rockets on the Jupiter booth appeared to have been tampered with by Smith, as Penny says she saw him near the parajets John Robinson has on his suit to help move him closer to the planet for "inspection" so that he can investigate its viability as a location to land for much needed repairs. John's jets malfunctioning, as he perilously moves towards the planet without proper control, West, having to prepare for a difficult landing due to all of Smith's chicanery, will program the Jupiter 2 on an automatic trip to the surface. Once landing, the mission will be to find John and return him safe to his family. Meanwhile, once West undermines Smith's command to take Jupiter on a course back to Earth with his Robot obeying his voice only, Don places Zachary in a suspended animation pod, the "deep, deep freeze", so he wouldn't be a trouble to them.

The great cliffhanging ending has Robot, adhering to the Smith command that all "non-essential personnel" should be "eliminated", seemingly aiming its dangerous bolt circuits towards Will who was repairing damaged circuits on the Chariot. West combating Smith is great fun, Smith shows that he is cold-blooded as they come when discussing with Robot about killing off the Robinsons, Smith calculatingly offers a reasoning for wanting to leave John on the planet for a return to Earth (200 pounds now off the ship helps to give it orientation thrown off by his stowaway status) while Maureen and Don show how horrible that is to them from a sheer moral standpoint, the Chariot is introduced as is the Priplanis planet (and Debbie, the "Bloop"), and a "wildly electrified wood" encases John within its bones after he landed in a pit upon entry of the planet. A jam-packed adventure with all the trimmings. This would be followed up by further excellent planetary adventures before Smith's goofy antics and a number of daffy characters arrive to ruin such a promising start to the series. Jonathan Harris was subtle here, and his Zachary Smith never more nefarious, the behavior and thought process offering a serious threat to the heroes as he configures/devises a way to convince them he's a friend so that they can be killed off one at a time just so he can return home to Earth. Maureen deeply involved with West on finding John gives her purpose that I appreciated, while the other family members aren't quite as major factors in this particular episode except for dialogue moments scattered about. That would change as the first season continued…

"Don't trust him…he's slippery as a bucket of eels."

"Do you believe this hogwash?"

While others (although John wasn't a patsy, just realizing that Smith had points he couldn't dispute in regards to the use of Robot) were willing to go out on a limb regarding Smith, Don West was always on guard, as he ever right to be. That dynamic is particularly brought to the forefront here. West and Smith would be at odds almost the entire series, with this episode establishing their rivalry.

Island in the Sky is a Gem.

The Robinsons determine they must land to make repairs. Prof Robinson leaves the ship to investigate but appears to have been lost. With the status of Prof Robinson unknown, Don Crash Lands the Jupiter 2.

Every aspect of this episode is top-notch. There is plenty of great dialog and suspense. The tension level is also very high.

Dr. Smith is still an evil villain who wants to destroy the Robinsons. Prof Robinson flies around in the Retro-jets, the family is in peril, Penny finds Debbie the Bloop, Major West gets to take out some anger on Dr. Smith, The Robot is an evil tool of Dr. Smith.

So begins the wisecracking relationship with Dr. Smith and the robot, seen here playing chess, with Dr. Smith declaring annoyance over the robot's reciting of Shakespeare. Smith is still sinister, not yet a comic buffoon which the writers took obvious time in transitioning. The Robinsons and crew arrive near a mysterious planet that Smith refuses to allow Major West to land on with help of the manipulated robot. But West manages to get control of Smith's power over the robot and puts him in a deep freeze so they can rescue the stranded Dr. Robinson. This is basically the pilot episode with the addition of Smith and the robot and a bit of a different storyline, although much of the pilot's footage is utilized. Nothing goes to waste in Irwin Allen's world!

The danger really hits when the Robinsons are trapped in their van, surrounded by an electrical force that threatens to destroy all of their resources. But the danger isn't some force on the planet. It is right in their own midst. There's a lot more insight into the character of Dr. Smith as he plans revenge against the Robinsons and major West for locking him in a frozen State. He reveals that the only one he will regret having to kill is Will whom he considers the only viable companion on the ship. There's more humor in his character which is subtle and under-the-radar, not yet camp but played with understated sardonic wit. The little monkey creature from the pilot also returns and the audience gets to see how he was discovered. It's a very good episode that begins to show how the series will transition, and it feels perfectly natural.