episode #49 - The Space Vikings

episode #49 / Air Date: 2/8/67 (episode #20 of 2nd season)
written by Margaret Brookman Hill; Directed by Ezra Stone
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Smith's rehearsal of his new play about the Norse gods summons the gloves and hammer of Thor, son of Odin and god of thunder. Smith, unaware of the hammer's power, tosses it away and nearly destroys the Jupiter 2. Later, he's attacked by one of the planet's larger creatures and instinctively throws the hammer, destroying the beast; this heralds the appearance of the Valkyrie, Brynhilda (Sheila Matthews nee Allen), on a magic steed. She takes Smith and the Robot to Valhalla, where Smith chows down in gleeful abandon until he finds out that he will be challenged by Thor (Bern Hoffman) himself in combat. Oh, dear.
The above probably sounds like I'm making it all up but it's all true - so help me Odin. This episode might function to acquaint some viewers with a few names & places from Norse mythology, but it's draggy and ridiculous overall, like most of the episodes around this time. It's simply an exercise of watching actors make fools of themselves as silly characters. They sing out some of their lines, probably as a tribute to Wagner's Opera. Smith even meets a couple of elves. And, I find Valhalla to look suspiciously a lot like the planet the Robinsons are stuck on - I kind of liked parts of this as a kid (I was a big fan of the Thor Marvel Comics), but now... BoG's Score: 3 out of 10
Lost in Space Trivia: actress Sheila Matthews was Sheila Allen, wife of Irwin Allen

Epilogue Tag: Smith, the kids and the Robot are indulging in some baseball play when some dude who looks like a magician suddenly appears to catch the ball... freeze frame!