episode #2 - The Derelict

episode #2 / Air Date: 9/22/65
written by Peter Packer, Shimon Wincelberg; Directed by Alexander Singer
Continuing from the first episode, now both John and Maureen Robinson, the husband & wife, are stuck outside the spaceship; the door is stuck due to the heat; oh, yes, there's an approaching comet and things are heating up. According to Don, it passing just 5,000 miles away will burn them all up ( - a strange comet, to be sure; though the approach was serious, they were already getting the science mixed up). If they don't get the duo inside quickly, they'll have to leave without them.

The bulk of the episode deals with the Jupiter 2 saucer coming across a much larger, rather ominous spaceship which seems to be drifting. Don wants to avoid it, but John is governed by scientific curiosity. As expected, Smith manages to make a mess of it when the eventual strange aliens are encountered. The aliens are hard to make out in b&w. Some of this story was reinterpreted in the Lost in Space movie remake (1998).

The pace is kind of slow when Will follows the men to explore the other spaceship. The other ship is kind of spooky, however, and does look alien (if low budget & minimalist). The story employs the often-used plot turn of a kid not listening to the adults by going off somewhere - the function of Will for several early episodes. But, the kid - a genius - behaves more adult-like than Smith . BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10

This had the first epilogue tag - the last minute was actually the beginning of the next episode. In this one, the crew prepare to land on their first planet to effect some repairs.