Watching
the final episodes of Land of the Lost (1974 – 1977)
Season Two, the intrepid viewer will experience the distinct sense that markers are being laid down; sign-posts
that point towards a possible direction for Season Three.
This
was evident especially in “The Musician,” a story about Chaka’s evolution and
mental acceleration.
And
it’s also evident in this week’s story, “Split Personality,” which finds the Land
of the Lost interfacing – albeit
uncomfortably – with an anti-matter version of itself.
When
the two universes “grind” against one another, earthquakes result, and the
anti-matter Holly makes contact with her matter universe doppelganger. The
anti-matter version speaks through “our” Holly and comments, cryptically, about
a fearsome “Black Sleestak.”
Yet
no black Sleestak is seen in this episode…or in any episode of Land
of the Lost, for that matter. So
who, or what, is she talking about?
It’s
another one of those wonderful, ambiguous, almost throwaway lines that suggests
something that could be, if a clever
writer only follows up on it. The inclusion
of a line like that also suggests a much larger universe, and larger mythology
around Altrusia. I’ve always been kind
of bummed that Season Three didn’t pick up on many of these hints and
mysteries.
Reviewing
“Split Personality,” I’m also impressed with the series’ sense of continuity. Here, Will mentions events from “Album,” the
first season story in which the Sleestak created a false image of his mother in
hopes of snaring the family. Such
touches are expected today, of course, but in the mid-1970s such references seemed
almost revolutionary.
“Split
Personality” also continues the series through-line that indicates Holly is
more sensitive or “open” to experiences in the Land of the Lost then her family
members. Here, she is contacted by her other self, and able to communicate with
that self. This season has been an
especially strong one for Holly, Land of the Lost’s revealing her
maturity in the face of some pretty tough, scary situations. Alas, Will seems developmentally-arrested at
his hyper, obnoxious older-brother stage.
When I was growing up, Will was always my favorite character, but this
time around, I can see how much care has been given to develop Holly.
In
terms of set design, “Split Personality” is also ingenious. Rick and Will come upon their anti-matter
counterparts in a strange, glowing cave.
Because the two “worlds” came in contact at odd angles, everything is
askew. A matrix table is seen standing
not on the floor as we expect, but jutting horizontally out of a wall. Land of the Lost is a low budget kid’s
series, but the production designers really worked over time and came up with imaginative
visuals that seemed indicative of a consistent -- if bizarre -- universe.
Next
week, the second season ends with “Blackout.”
John nice review of Land Of The Lost "Split Personality". As you mentioned even though this series was a low-budget Saturday morning production it was written intelligently and could have been done instead for prime time. As a boy in the '70s I never missed an episode from 1974-1977. The mythology of LOTL was always showing it had so many potential stories that never were used. I definitely think there needs to be a book written about the LOTL Altrusia explaining this world in detail based upon all LOTL productions including the two series and the 2009 film. I know dinosaurs, time portal and all thing strange make it fascinating.
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