episode #06 - Crack of Doom

episode #6 / Air Date: 10.14.66
written by William Welch / Directed by William Hale

Doug & Tony land in the jungle of some tropical isle, just in time to see some natives about to sacrifice a couple of their own by throwing them into a pit of lava. The time travelers intervene (which means they are changing history, unless it was always meant to be this way) The natives are superstitious, led by one in particular (Vic Lundin), seeking to quell the anger of nature: it's 1883 and they're on Krakatoa, which is almost ready to explode, and volcanic activity is already at a high level.

The natives also want to sacrifice Doug & Tony, who they think are devils, but also on the island is a Dr. Holland (Torin Thatcher), who puts a stop to the nonsense. He's from the Royal British Academy or something, conducting studies in the area with his daughter (Ellen McRae). This was one of the more tedious episodes as a lot of time is devoted to the time travelers simply trying to find out the exact date (Holland is obstinate, claiming that Krakatoa won't blow up for several years, resulting in useless arguments) and examining maps of the area. The Hollands are also afraid the two newcomers may be trying to steal their credit for scientific findings, also resulting in repetitive arguments. This all tried my patience.

There are some interesting moments in the final act, when Tony is transported back to the Time Tunnel complex. He arrives in a highly-accelerated state, moving between seconds, and everyone else is frozen still - a "Time Warp." This is very similar to a scene from The Time Travelers (1964). Otherwise, it's kind of a missed opportunity; General Kirk offers the possibility of moving everyone off the island at one point, again trying to change history, and footage of a supposed tidal wave looks like a normal beach scene of waves breaking. BoG's Score: 5 out of 10

Epilogue: Doug & Tony land in the middle of a battle between Greeks and Trojans.
Time Tunnel Trivia: Star Trek TOS actor alert - Thatcher appeared in Return of the Archons.
Ellen McRae changed her screen name to Ellen Burstyn and had a big seventies career, starting with The Exorcist (1973). Vic Lundin is best known for his role in Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964). Also NOTE: this would have been a good time to use footage from the film Krakatoa East of Java, but that film was released 3 years after this episode.