User Reviews

In a glorious return for Robby the Robot (although, its general appearance has alterations that differ from its beautiful form in "Forbidden Planet", specifically its dome), in this episode of "Ark II", Samuel (José Flores) has built a mechanized being while the crew were on a temporary shore leave. However, the robot (with developing artificial intelligence and even featuring human characteristics and feelings) is a bit clumsy and bumbling, giving leader, Jonah (Terry Lester), much aggravation and reason to feel it's a danger needing to be shut down (the robot pulls out buttons and bumps into controls, a klutz that could endanger the Ark II traveling vehicle if it made the wrong mistake). When their momentary "vacation" is halted due to a poisonous gas in the area causing local apocalyptic survivors in a camp to develop trance-like symptoms and paranoid delusions of grandeur (the robot, who finds a little girl weeping, willing to take her back to camp, as well as, Jonah, in his sky suit (jet pack), are viewed as "devils", with the locals tossing rocks of various sizes at them!), Samuel is ordered by Jonah to "disconnect" the robot so it can no longer pose a threat to the Ark II crew. However, the robot doesn't feel it should be "killed", and wants actually to help define the cause of the gas so it wouldn't harm the human crew. So the robot knocks Samuel unconscious with a gas, heads out to find the gas poisoning the environment, encounters a girl, is pummeled by a frightened camp's rocks, and soon finds the source of the toxic leak (a volcanic gas from an unstable crater on the land). Jonah realizes that the robot is a help, not hindrance, and the two of them try to seal the crater, with hopes of concealing the gas once and for all. When the crater becomes too unstable for humans to be in its vicinity, the robot makes a decision that rescues the Ark II it "cares about". The laying down its life for the Ark II crew is quite a Christ-like gesture of love for the crew, and what a moment it is for the iconic robotic character so beloved by us sci-fi fans. When it decides to save its friends, I was admittedly teary-eyed. One of my personal favorites of the short-lived series, Ark II, "The Robot" endearingly gives Robby the Robot a nice part that serves the character with more than just a prop to be admired…it actually saves the day! I can't imagine Robby fans won't thoroughly enjoy his episode. While a little show like Ark II is a far cry from "Forbidden Planet", the Robby character gets plenty of focus (though, Robby as a menace in "War of the Robots" on Lost in Space has to be one of its most delicious moments besides "Forbidden Planet") and love…that's all this sci-fi nerd could ask for. Its name in this episode, Alfie, is Anglicized from Samuel's Alpha One, upon the robot's activation.