MUSINGS OF A SCI-FI FANATIC: Lost In Space S1 E10: The Sky Is Falling

"It's positively raining aliens."

-Dr. Zachary Smith-

The series returned with a family episode whereby the Robinson family meet another truly, even groovy, alien-looking humanoid family called Taurons, in Lost In Space, Season One, Episode 10, The Sky Is Falling. As Robot noted in Invaders From The Fifth Dimension (S1, E8), the Robinsons were now the truly alien family lost in the unknowns of space.

On a second look, now that the series is so handsomely preserved and restored for Blu-ray, this is a wonderfully strong story about understanding and miscommunication and/or the inability to communicate. The entry explores these ideas by speaking to the kids at home through the employ of two young actors, whilst genuinely being a fairly mature piece of dramatic television. The Sky Is Falling sends a message that children are seemingly better communicators at times than their own adult counterparts regardless of origin or culture.

This episode, like all of season one, is gorgeous in black and white. Seeing its restoration couldn't be more refreshing and vital and more life-affirming for its simple story elements as we sit in 2022 watching our world come unraveled. At the time it was penned the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union was influential to the times. Yet here we are nearly 60 years later still feeling its relevance. Lost In Space often illustrates how much we have changed and yet stay the same. Between war, COVID and woke culture run amok, one certainly yearns for simpler times through the simplicity of its story, but the realities of its message remain as true today. Experiencing The Sky Is Falling (how appropriate those words in 2022) and one is happy to get lost in space with these families. If there was ever a need for such an escape here it is with Lost In Space (1965-1968) delivering on a level its Netflix counterpart could never imagine and still remaining as relevant and beautiful all these decades later. It delivers in ways modern science fiction so often misses (recent exception being The Expanse) with careful tending to the human dynamics and of course a touch of old-fashioned values.

The story also notes no matter where we are from we often suffer the same concerns and share the same problems. Family, brotherhood and love are always universal. What is revealed in the story is the possibility for understanding and forgiveness despite mistakes and misunderstandings. Silence accentuates the alien-ness of the non-speaking family the Robinsons encounter. This clever device further underscores the themes of communication and understanding or miscommunication and misunderstandings as it were. This exploration reminds us how far we've come and yet how seemingly difficult it remains to communicate with one another despite all of the tools we possess today. In our world today it is sometimes harder than ever.

Ironically, in Invaders From The Fifth Dimension we had fairly talkative aliens with no mouths. Here, two episodes later, we have a family of aliens with mouths yet an inability to communicate through sound. Despite these themes of communication at the heart of The Sky Is Falling is a family tale. Family, perhaps the biggest draw for Lost In Space, was at the heart and center of the series and from which all stories emanated.

Author Marc Cushman makes a point regarding the episode's political subtext in Lost In Space: The Authorized Biography Of A Classic Sci-Fi Series Volume One as it was issued at the time of the Vietnam conflict and the growing threat of the Cold War. Vietnam was often a backdrop for weaving stories on Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. On Lost In Space hawkish action is represented by Dr. Zachary Smith, while the dovish more contemplative measures are represented by Professor John Robinson.

Sobey Martin returned following his wonderful The Hungry Sea (S1, E5) and once again delivers a wonderfully lensed entry with some wonderful shots and tight close-ups never letting fans of the series down visually. This was his second of fourteen episodes he would direct.

The story itself was written by Herman Groves. Groves originally handled a treatment of a story dubbed Refuge Of The Damned for Lost In Space. It was set to follow The Hungry Sea (S1, E5) rather than Welcome Stranger (S1, E6), but was shelved. Groves managed to write the foundation for this story before leaving Lost In Space for good.

Writer Barney Slater was asked to step in and rewrite The Sky Is Falling. It would be the first of twenty-two scripts by Slater, the second most for the series behind Peter Packer who penned twenty-five. Though it was his work on Wish Upon A Star (S1, E11) that earned him the spot to step in here despite the fact this aired earlier.

Lost In Space continued a notable run of impressive guest stars on its series following Warren Oates on Welcome Stranger (S1, E6) with actor Don Matheson appearing who would later co-star as a lead in the ensemble series Land Of The Giants (1968-1970) for Irwin Allen. Matheson would later make another Lost In Space appearance in Revolt Of The Androids (S2 E24). This would be Matheson's first appearance in an Allen production. He followed with a guest role in Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, The Deadly Amphibians (S1, E13) (1967). More notably Matheson was an American soldier in the Korean War and even won a purple heart before becoming a law enforcement officer in Detroit, Michigan. Matheson (1929-2014) passed away at 84.

The first portion of this story has an almost The Twilight Zone-esque feel with the appearance of a small, but strange piece of machinery. Much has been made of its poor production value, but complemented by the score it's a downright creepy and effective sequence.

Also notable in my viewings of both The Oasis (S1, E9) and here is the sheer arsenal of laser weaponry the Robinsons seem to be equipped with and at their disposal.

Smith too continues to live a kind of peaceful co-existence as the resident negative Nellie playing the part less as a buffoon in this entry and more straight. He even carries a laser sidearm though its questionable if the ill-begotten, mistrusted Dr. Smith can even be trusted with it.

This Smith is markedly different from the female version of Smith found in the Netflix series.

The original Dr. Smith, though the antagonist in the group, is indeed a wordsmith ("Never fear Smith is here" spoken here for his second time in the series) and can manage to spin any circumstance with his play of words, which makes him a joy to watch. He even seems to share a pre-Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Star Trek) moment when he declares "I'm a scientist, not a fighting man" and "I'm a scientist not a menial mechanic."

The Sky Is Falling may be a title that speaks to Smith's worldview and very nature. The title suggests his very calamitous personality as much as it does the aliens who arrive from the sky. The dialogue in the entry is as enjoyable as anything penned to date even if the story isn't riveting science fiction.

In fact, though Smith appears to run about with the-sky-is-falling attitude there is a sequence here where he literally foreshadows the events that would befall the Robinsons in the two-part episode The Keeper. While the Robinsons scoff and laugh at the doctor Smith correctly suggests the family being alien enough to others to be caged.

Perhaps the sky really was falling. Between Jimmy Hapgood, the Invaders from The Fifth Dimension and this mute family of aliens combined with the Keeper to come this was indeed a very frightening reality with which Smith seemed to be understandably accurate.

While it may not be heralded among the best, The Sky Is Falling is a simple, effectively written and performed entry in the series that remains worthy of reflection all these years later. Given that fact the sky is the limit on how long it will endure like the rest of the series.