Whether it was;
Voyage to the bottom of the sea
Lost in Space
Land of the Giants or
Time tunnel,
all these shows had alternating episodes that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. An episode that was epic and thought provoking would be immediately followed by an absurd but still imaginative episode.
Can you list off any that went from an epic episode to be followed by an absurd one or vice versa?
How about a flip-flop-flip for The Time Tunnel?
Episode 16 - "The Revenge of Robin Hood": Totally muddled history, an absurd escape from the dungeon, a friar who knocks people out with his belly, and Doug saves the day by using medieval herbs to whip up a batch of nerve gas.
Followed by:
Episode 17 - "Kill Two by Two": OK, a ripoff of "The Most Dangerous Game", but what '60s show didn't do that? And it was well done, with easily the most interesting antagonist in the series. Seems silly that Doug and Tony could survive as long at they did until you discover that the Japanese officer really wanted them to kill him. I consider this to be the best of the series, and most people put it at least in the top three.
Followed by:
Episode 18 - "Visitors from Beyond the Stars": The first appearance of tin foil aliens. Enough said.
Oddly enough, my first reaction was also "Kill Two by Two", a brilliant character study with an excellent performance by Mako, followed by "Visitors from Beyond the Stars" a silly romp about space aliens invading the old West.
Other examples: LOST IN SPACE (absurd to epic): "West of Mars" a dopey story about a criminal who resembles Smith and is being chased by a slow-witted Space Marshall trading places with Smith and none of the Robinsons appear to notice. Followed by "A Visit to Hades" a clever satire with a criminal posing as the Devil to try to get Smith to break the key to his prison. Terrific intentionally comic performance by Gerald Mohr. Arguably the best second-season episode.
Also: Voyage "Man of Many Faces" top-notch serious spy adventure featuring a chameleon-like agent. Followed by "Fatal Cargo" killer ape plotline.
they also had great model and production design, as well as good to great special effects
share