User Reviews

Remembered more for its "camp value" than serious science fiction, "Lost in Space" did have some truly outstanding episodes during its initial season. After CBS decided that the pilot needed some changes, Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) and The Robot (operated by Bob May, voiced by Dick Trufeld) were added to the cast. However, the pilot, penned by Shimon Wincelberg, was re-edited and formed the basic for five of the first six installments.

"The Hungry Sea" was the third of those reworked episodes and it was one of the few times wherein each of the cast members had some significant screen time.

Basically, the show is one of the few that truly dealt with survival of the castaways in the harsh environment of the alien world. When it is revealed that the temperature is dropping drastically, Dr. Robinson (Guy Williams) tells the family that they must abandon the spaceship and move south. Only Dr. Smith decides to "weather the coming storm" and remain inside The Jupiter 2, accompanied only by the Robot.

While the family is in transition, Smith realizes that the Robot is no fit companion, providing only frequent weather reports in his monotonous drone. (This was before the Robot would develop more "human traits.) When Dr. Smith discovers that the planet's orbit is highly irregular, he sends the Robot to warn the family, miles away, that the planet will now become much warmer, well above the boiling point.

These events set the stage for one of the show's most spectacular special effects: the family, in their transport vehicle, trying to cross a suddenly thawed sea during a raging storm. This allows for some harrowing scenes as The Chariot and occupants are buffeted from side to side as they make their way back to shore and home.

There are marvelous exchanges between Dr. Smith and the Robot. Maureen (June Lockhart) gets to show her devotion to her husband, while Judy (Marta Kristen) is torn between her feelings for her father and anger at Don (Mark Goddard) for questioning her father's plans. Will (Billy Mumy) and Penny (Angela Cartwright) have some time to show that they were more than just the show's young "moppets". Even Debbie the Bloop gets a "line" or two.

Sadly, most of the episodes during the show's three-year run never measured up to this one as being a true adventure, missing the "comic/fantasy" turn that would plague seasons two and three.

Excellent early first season entry follows the equally terrific "There Were Giants in the Earth" with the Robinsons continuing to drive the Chariot South believing if they don't a freeze will condemn them, not knowing that the planet doesn't orbit the sun the same as Earth does. Clearing ice (that encases a large sea on the planet) and camping out, the Robinsons soon learn of a sudden change in temperature from cold to hot due to the planet's orbit. Dr. Smith is bored with the Robot, not a conversationalist. Robot has remaining programming from Smith regarding not protecting the Robinsons, reason it didn't warn them of the planetary orbit of the sun which would have kept them from leaving the Jupiter 2. Smith, unable to tolerate the lack of companionship and dialogue with other humans as Robot just repeats temperature changes, decides to try and communicate with the Robinsons, with them barely able to have a decent connection. Don dismisses Smith's claims danger awaits them, with the Chariot unknowingly heading for scorching heat. When Smith even sends Robot out to warn them, Don fires upon it to disable it (believing it was programmed by Smith to harm them), enraging Will who considers the machine more than some hunk of bolts and parts. Don gets into a heated argument with John Robinson over Robot and it all stems from a distrust in Smith and possible motives he might have had. Going South is another bone of contention between Don and John, with leadership and orders soon causing friction and arguments between them. Soon they will need to set up solar panels and wear "solar covering" to protect themselves as the sun passes overhead. Eventually they will need to drive across the "hungry" sea on a return to the Jupiter, encountering mechanical problems on the Chariot and a developing whirlpool. Don will brave the raging sea and restless electrical, windy storm to fix a guidance system connection on top of the Chariot, as John tries to command the vehicle, with members of the family contributing in ways to help them both. Meanwhile Smith awaits their possible return.

Exciting, adventurous plot with footage from the incredible unused pilot incorporated once again (putting to good use this footage was ingenious by the producers, not known over the long term for sterling work on the show) effectively, allowing for some well developed suspense and action. The friction between John and Don, and how working together solves perils that come against them, enhances the drama, with Smith's alone time with Robot not campy but story-focused. Smith's beginning "let them die" mentality, cold and uncaring, gives way to hope for their return, done so intelligently by showing how being all alone is perhaps worse than spending your time with those you might not necessarily like. His "no place like home" song/hum to Robot's guitar strumming as Will voices his frustrating is a funny moment that doesn't take anything away from the narrative; too bad the direction/script didn't remain as focused and mature later in the season and series as a whole. The opening of this episode got kicked off just right from the previous episode with a crumbling cavernous civilization collapsing thanks to a quake. Seeing how the family responds to conflict as tensions are high allows us to see them overcome differences and strife. One of the best episodes of the series.

"The only home your family probably ever had was a ready room on a launching pad." – Dr. Smith.

In my opinion, this is the best episode "Lost In Space" ever made. It has solid acting along with a thrilling story and wonderful special effects.

This episode opens with Don West, Will, Penny, and Judy trapped inside a room that's in a cave that the Robinsons and Major West had sought shelter in. John and Maureen rescue the others as a planet-quake hits and they are forced to escape the tottering columns. The storm that had been raging outside has subsided, so the Robinsons and Don West leave the cave and continue their journey South. They are heading South to escape a possibly deadly freeze. A planet-quake has already worked special effects and we're only at the top of the episode!

The rest of the episode is no less of a treat. Smith, who stayed back at the Jupiter 2 with the robot, actually saves the rest.

The planet that they're on has an eccentric orbit. Nobody, including the robot, knew this when the Robinsons, heading South to escape a life-threateningly extreme cold that is about to envelop the area that the Jupiter 2 crash landed in, started out. Smith, sure that they were over-reacting, remained behind with the robot.

The robot figures out the orbit of the planet they're on, and reveals the data to the now lonely Dr. Smith, who has become increasingly irritated at being stuck with only the robot for conversation. The odd orbit of the planet is an ellipse and, therefore, nothing like earth's orbit. The planet had swung to the furthest point from its sun and was now hurling rapidly towards its sun, meaning that the extreme cold will, within hours, become life-threateningly extreme heat. Smith will be safe inside the Jupiter 2, but the lives of the rest are in danger. It is up to the Smith that nobody trusts to save them from the peril they're in.

This episode is fantastic in many ways. The scenes of extreme cold and then the extreme heat feature wonderful special effects. We are treated to seeing the Chariot cross the ice of the Inland Sea at one point, and, after the planet has reached its closest point to its sun, we get a stormy Inland Sea whose pounding waves threaten the Chariot and wash Don West overboard.

John Robinson is shown to be both right and wrong as a commander. His unwillingness to allow Don to align the solar batteries in the last half of the episode nearly costs everyone their lives. His orders to ignore Don's argument to continue heading South save everyone's lives.

Major West is shown to be both an able assistant to John and a hot-headed young man who doesn't want anyone to tell him he's wrong. This is made obvious in a dramatic scene where John and Don have a huge argument.

Jonathan Harris is again superb in his portrayal of Dr. Smith. In this episode, we begin to see Smith changing from a cold-hearted villain with murder in his heart to a more humane person who not only no longer plans to murder the Robinsons and Major West but has also realized that he needs them.

The only flaw in the episode comes when West is washed overboard. The Chariot is totally glass-enclosed with drawn-back curtains. When they show Major West clinging to the ladder and the Robinsons are bemoaning the fact that Don is gone, he could have easily been seen just outside the windows because he is clinging to a rung that is near the top of the ladder. They should have shown him clinging to a bottom rung of the ladder, where he would have been out of sight.

This episode still has the Robinsons and Major West separated from Dr. Smith, still hiding out on the space ship while the Robinson's struggle to deal with weather changes on the planet. It goes from extreme cold to scorching heat, and Dr. Smith shows rare warm by sending the robot to warn them of the impending danger. Determined to get back to the spaceship, the Robinsons and Major West face danger on the high seas, especially with a storm raging as they approach a swirling whirlpool. This is one of the few episodes to concentrate more on the family, with Jonathan Harris having a little scenery but still making every moment of his time on screen count.

This includes the last segments of the pilot, with Penny and will trapped in a lost city and Major West and Judy coming to their rescue, all of them becoming trapped. We know that they will survive each and every cataclysmic threat, and that by the end of the series, there will be another cliffhanger to keep the audience interested in tuning in the following week or into the next episode on the DVD box set or in reruns when available. The conclusion does reunite Major West and the Robinsons with Dr. Smith, prompting another cliffhanger that will indeed bring the audience back to see what happens. Once again, the chemistry between young Will and Dr. Smith is transparent even in their brief exchange in the episode.

This episode was the first to give some genuine insight into the characters. Smith and the Robot remain at the Jupiter 2 while the others are traveling in the chariot, in search of a more hospitable climate. Smith learns (from the Robot) that the others are threatened by a rapid increase in temperature, which could prove deadly. When Smith decides to warn the others, the reason for his gesture of decency is open to interpretation. Was this the same man that originally set out to sabotage the mission? Even at this early point in the series, Smith's feelings for Will Robinson were becoming evident. It was usually Will who brought out whatever was "good" inside Smith. Will had to have something to do with why Smith did the right thing, when he didn't have to. We also see Will, Prof. Robinson, and Judy all develop "issues" with Major West's brash attitude. In the exchange between Don and Judy, she angrily says that she has "no answers for anything." Judy was a thousand times more sexy when she was angry!

While the drama is compelling and the performances are solid, the underlying story is ridiculous. The planet could not possibly move fast enough in it's orbit to cause the weather extremes depicted. If the planet was moving that fast, they would've observed that when approaching the planet in the first place. And then there's the idea that they could've survived under solar blankets - also pretty ridiculous.

This episode is one of the first several that were cobbled together with scenes from the unaired pilot. As a result, some for the dialogue also doesn't make sense. Penny asks Will if they are on Mars. Clearly, she would've known they were no where near Mars.

The dialogue about having the radio on during the lightning storm was also pretty ridiculous.

As escapism entertainment, its a decent episode. Just go along for the ride and don't think too hard along the way.