episode #83 - Junkyard of Space

episode #83 / Air Date: 3/6/68 (episode #24 of 3rd season)
written by Barney Slater; Directed by Ezra Stone

The last episode has the Lost in Space gang finding themselves on an interstellar junkyard planet, run by a silver-skinned being - the Junkman (Marcel Hillaire), who seems to be half-human/half-robot - or maybe he's just an advanced kind of robot. Junk is constantly falling to this planet - the globe is like some giant magnetic attractor. Smith, true to form, makes a secret deal with the Junkman for food; the Junkman gets the Robot's transistors and eventually reveals a desire to leave the planet. In a rare plot development, the Jupiter 2 lifts off, stranding most of the group.

This episode meanders around some and what was up with Maureen in this episode? - she shows up in one scene and disappears, including during the critical moments when everyone seems stuck on the planet; I thought a surprise might be that she was secretly on the ship when it's stolen, but nothing doing. John, meanwhile, had one last chance to use the flying jet pack for some vague reason. I get this impression that this episode was rushed and not everyone was available as usual - maybe some of the cast departed a couple of days before the season's wrap-up. Also, the Robot ends up singed here - not the most dignified way to end up. BoG's Score: 4 out of 10
Lost in Trivia: actor Hillaire appeared in the first episode of the season, Condemned of Space, as a criminal, and now appears in the last one, book-ending the season.