episode #58 - The Astral Traveler

episode #58 / Air Date: 4/12/67 (episode #29 of 2nd season)
written by Carey Wilber; Directed by Don Richardson

After Will & Smith run into a cave during a storm, they are trapped inside by a landslide. Will seeks another exit and encounters a mystical revolving door (see also the Star Trek TNG episode The Royale for a similar visual). Walking in, Will finds himself by a haunted Scottish castle; he's chased inside by a bog-like monster which screams like a banshee. Will thinks he's back on Earth, but doesn't wonder about the strange doings; soon he makes the acquaintance of the resident ghost (Sean McClory), who lost his head back in the good ol' days.

Will makes it back to the cave soon enuff, where his family has dug through; of course, no one believes his story - the scientific explanation is that a space warp was created by the planet's unstable magnetic core. Smith, looking for possible financial gain or a way to Earth, asks for evidence and Will produces a weed. The ghost himself then shows up anyway, no longer ghostly, and the group determines that they may be able to get back to Earth through this warp. This retreads very old ground in the usual nonsensical manner. The ghost is another tiresome character who blabbers on in an uninteresting way. BoG's Score: 4 out of 10


Lost in Space Trivia: John Robinson (Guy Williams) is away at a relay station in this episode; we only hear his voice in one scene.

Epilogue Tag: Will, Penny, Smith and the Robot are rehearsing for a play Will has written (this takes the show to new ludicrous levels; where did the castaways get their great costumes, for a play set in the Old West? The Robot is dressed up in a lady's dress ). Will leaves in a huff, after which an ugly alien shows up (last seen in The Golden Man).... freeze frame!