“In
Dinos We Trust,” Kevin (Robert Gavin) is caught spying on Christa (Shannon Day)
while she goes for a swim in the pool where dinosaurs and other natives
bathe.
When
Christa catches him peeping, Kevin is embarrassed and blames Tasha for not
keeping a good look-out.
But after Kevin is blinded by snake venom, however, he must depend on Tasha to get him
home to the compound safely…
There's no nice way to say it. Kevin
Porter is the least likable and most irritating character on the remake of Land
of the Lost. In fact, there exists a whole sub-group
of episodes about the fact that he is a jerk, and that his wanton jerkiness
causes problems for him, his family, and his friends.
These
episodes are “The Thief,” “Opah,” and this week’s not-so-good installment “In Dinos We
Trust.” Usually, Stink is the subject of
Kevin’s wrath or harassment, but here it is innocent Tasha.
Yes, he bullies the baby dinosaur.
Once
more, Kevin does something bad or anti-social -- in this case ogling Christa while she swims -- and instead of weighing his own culpability for his behavior, he lashes out at someone
else. He blames Tasha for the fact that
he got caught.
Just
once, it would be nice to see Kevin pick on somebody his own size, but in always
targeting Stink or Tasha, Kevin comes across as a real bully. Someone very good at picking fights with
little creatures who can't defend themselves.
As
was the case in “The Thief,” “In Dinos We Trust” ends with Kevin recognizing the
error of his ways, and apologizing or his behavior. He apologizes both to Tasha
and to Christa, but this episode proves he doesn’t really learn from his
mistakes. Maybe the third time's the charm.
But the bottom line is that Kevin is deeply unlikable as a character.
In
terms of story, “In Dinos We Trust” is a big waste of time, but buttressed by a
few nice visualizations.
At one point,
we see a brontosaurus in the wading pool, and it is convincingly rendered for
1990s, pre-Jurassic Park (1993) effects. At another juncture, Kevin and Tasha visit the “Valley of Death,” a
graveyard for dinosaurs, and it too is nicely visualized.
Next
Week: “Annie in Charge.”
Kevin Porter is definitely supposed to be the annoying teenager in this series. It wears thin after so many episodes it is obvious he needs to be talked to by his father. In the original Land Of The Lost Will was never this negative a character. Kevin needs discipline.
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