User Reviews

I need to begin this by pointing out that the order of the episodes listed on IMDb does not match the order they appear on the DVD. IMDb lists them in the order they originally aired on television - even though the episodes aired out of order. Otherwise, the whole Return to the Planet of the Apes story arc gets all messed up. So, while IMDb lists the third episode as "Lagoon of Peril", I'll be calling "The Unearthly Prophecy" the third episode. Clear?

Anyway, in "The Unearthly Prophecy" Jeff and Bill are on the run from the apes when they find an underground passage. It takes them to the Underdwellers – a strange mutated race of humans. The Underdwellers have their lost comrade, Judy (who Bill and Jeff have inexplicable not mentioned since she vanished half way through the first episode), and worship her as a God. Jeff and Bill are imprisoned but Judy comes to their rescue. They escape, but Judy must remain behind.

"The Unearthly Prophecy" is easily the best, most creative episode so far. The underground race may be similar to the humans found in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, but there are enough differences to spice things up. For example, these mutants have the ability to shoot lasers with their eyes. Cool, huh? It makes the escape that much more difficult. One thing I really found clever in "The Unearthly Prophecy" was the Underdwellers name for Judy – Oosa. They took the letters U.S.A. and came up with the pronunciation Oosa.

Plot; While being chased across the desert by General Urko and his soldiers, Bill and Jeff stumble into a vast underground complex eventually revealed to have once been New York city. It's occupied by a group known as the Underdwellers, a society of humans whose ancestors went underground during the great apocalypse and who have captured Judy thinking her the prophesized Oosa (USA).   This episode had a lot of potential and several clever ideas, but sadly much of it is wasted or undercooked. Bill and Jeff discovering that they're on Earth is a major plot point, and on the margins the stuff with the Underdwellers and their prophecy is quite good. But the execution is lacking, and the ham-fisted and silly story mechanics aren't helped any by the painfully wooden voice acting. - 5.5/10 - I just purchased my first vintage Mego Planet of the Apes figure, Dr. Zaius. Gonna pick up 4-5 more figures to give my vintage toy collection some ape flavor... which I guess would be, what, bananas?