In
“The Keeper” (Part II), the alien’s menagerie escapes onto the planet surface,
imperiling the continued existence of the Robinsons.
The
Keeper (Michael Rennie) agrees to collect all the loose beasts and return the planetary
surface to normal…but only if the Robinsons willingly surrender Will (Bill
Mumy) and Penny (Angela Cartwright) to be permanent residents in his zoological
collection.
The
Robinsons refuse to give up the children, but devise alternatives to placate
the Keeper. John (Guy Williams) and Maureen (June Lockhart) turn themselves
over to the Keeper, but he demurs, saying that they will find captivity too
difficult.
Separately and independently, Don (Mark
Goddard) and Judy (Marta Kristen) also offer themselves to the alien.
Once
more, the Keeper refuses. But after witnessing first-hand the decency and
compassion of Mrs. Robinson when he is injured, the Keeper acts to stop the
loose animals, including the most dangerous of the bunch, a giant,
spider-mammal attacking the chariot.
The
Keeper leaves the planet, but tells the Robinsons that they shall be
punished. He will leave the worst
monster behind for them to contend with on a permanent basis.
That
monster’s name? Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris)...
The
second part of “The Keeper” two-parter goes pretty much as the audience
expects. The Robinsons reveal, again, their essential decency. Down to a person
(and including Don), everyone tries to save the family through the act of
sacrifice.
They
each put their community and family ahead the well-being of the
individual.
The
lone exception, of course, is the “worst
example of the species,” Dr. Smith. He works as a secret operative for the
Keeper, and tries to manipulate John, Maureen, Will and Penny.
And
why anyone trusts him ever again is once more a mystery.
Last
week, I wrote about how “The Keeper” is basically a template for many (and I
mean MANY…) Lost in Space episodes. The formula here reaches its final or
turning point: the sacrifice for the good of the community, and the alien
figure’s recognition that the Robinsons -- because of their humanity and human
bonds -- are more trouble than they are worth.
The
special effects in “The Keeper” Part II are really amazing, and hold up
remarkably well. The alien spider/mammal
thing attacks the Chariot (with Don, Will, the Robot, Penny and Smith inside),
and the effects work is quite impressive.
Also,
we get a lot of matte shots of normal sized-lizards “enlarged” to giant size (a
typical trick for the art works of Irwin Allen…) and joined flawlessly with
live-action footage.
Next
Week: “The Sky Pirate.”
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