Beloved
pseudo-pet Dopey, a brontosaur, becomes trapped in a tar pit -- sinking ever lower -- and the stranded
Marshalls must find a way to save him.
The
rescue attempt begins with ingenuity and know-how. Together, Rick (Spencer Milligan) and Will
(Wesley Eure) construct a pulley with which to tug Dopey out of the pit, but he’s
just too heavy.
Then,
the Marshalls turn to a collective effort and work with the Pakuni to accomplish
the job.
When even that effort proves
fruitless, the Marshalls camp out at the tar pit by night to be with Dopey
during his last moments of life. It’s a
very human touch, and the idea, of course, is a didactic one: compassion.
Then
Cha-Ka (Philip Paley) -- who has demonstrated
evolved traits and capacities, like becoming the first Pakuni to paint --
comes up with a new solution. He summons
Mommy Brontosaur Emily to the tar pit so the Marshalls can use her weight to
free Dopey. Cha-Ka’s idea works and the
animal escapes imminent death. As Rick
Marshall importantly notes, “We all did
it. We all did it together.”
Although
there are no real science fiction concepts at work in this second season
premiere, and no real villain to speak of, “Tar Pit” by Margaret Armen ably
re-establishes Land of the Lost as a human drama, presenting a tale that hangs
on communication, compromise, and collective action.
I watched this episode with my five year old
son, Joel, and he found it legitimately uncomfortable, and a little frightening
that Dopey might die. And indeed, that’s
the very point of this installment; that the (presumably young) audience must countenance
and accept the idea of a pet’s death.
I watched this episode with my five year old
son, Joel, and he found it legitimately uncomfortable, and a little frightening
that Dopey might die. And indeed, that’s
the very point of this installment; that the (presumably young) audience must countenance
and accept the idea of a pet’s death.
Most
of all, however, I appreciated the episode’s spirit of cooperation, embodied by
Holly’s (Kathy Coleman) line that “we can
all pull together and help.” That
should be our American creed and ideal, especially today in the unfortunate era
of “Every Man for Himself.”
Next
week, it’s back to spooky science fiction on Land of the Lost with “The Zarn.”
John nice review of LOTL "Tar Pit". I remember that for us as children in the '70s Dopey represented our pet dog or cat. We all wanted the Marshalls to protect him. Dopey's constant loud 'barking' made you want to protect him too.
ReplyDeleteSGB
Thanks to your review, John, I grabbed the 2nd season Land of the Lost set (years one and three were sold out). "Tar Pit" was the first one I watched ("Mentor Huebner?!") and was impressed. While clearly aimed at the young set, LOTL is superior. And I agree with your points about the spirit of cooperation as put forth in the episode. A gentle story.
ReplyDeleteThe only concern I had, and I'm surprised it got by the educational consultant, was the method of attaching the rope/vine to Dopey... around its neck.
I also watched "The Zarn". Very good, and quite different, to put it mildly, from "Tar Pit".
While watching "The Zarn", I thought: "Of course, Mentor Huebner... makes sense." (His name is misspelled, probably intentionally, as "Hubner" in the show's end credits.)