Virdon (solid Ron Harper) and Burke (the equally sturdy James Naughton) explore a ruined city and discover a filmed message from scientists of their time that might help them figure out what happened to their civilization. However, Virdon winds up getting separated from Burke and Galen (the always on the money Roddy McDowall). Director Bernard McEveety relates the engrossing story at a steady pace and builds a reasonable amount of tension. Robert Hamner's script nicely explores the theme of trust and offers some interesting insights into the ape-ruled world (for example, the simians use food as a bartering tool to control and manipulate starving humans). The sound acting from the capable cast helps a whole lot: Jackie Earle Haley makes the most out of his meaty part as scrappy waif Kraik, the lovely Zina Bethune brings a disarmingly fragile charm to her role as the frightened Arn, Mark Lenard contributes a typically fine turn as the brutish and short-tempered Urko, and Booth Colman does well as the shrewd and sensible Zaius. A few warm and pleasant moments between Kraik, Arn, and Virdon give this show some extra touching substance. Earle Hagen's rousing score hits the stirring spot. Gerald Perry Finnerman's cinematography delivers lots of cool shots of the rubble-strewn desolate city. A worthy show.
5 Reviews
Betrayed by a child
Tweekums30 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This episode sees Virdon, Burke and Galen entering an old city. They discover a building that once housed a scientific institute, inside they find a sealed vault which contains a computer. When switched on a holographic message starts to play telling of stores of human knowledge placed in secure locations before an imminent war. The message stops before revealing the location of the local centre. The astronauts decide to make a battery to run the whole message. While gathering parts Urko's gorillas arrive and they are forced to split up. Burke and Galen escape and return to work on the computer but Virdon is captured after a local child, Kraik, informs the gorillas about him. Urko is all for killing him but Zaius counsels him to use Virdon as a trap for the other fugitives; to this end he locks him up with Kraik and a woman called Arn hoping that Kraik will get the information about the others whereabouts.
This is a decent enough episode although I was a little surprised when they said they couldn't remember when they were last in a city they were in San Francisco two episodes ago! The story itself was entertaining with Burke and Galen working to find the information that could prove invaluable to them while, in the main part of the story, Virdon tries to teach young Kraik the values of trust and the wisdom of thinking in the longer term rather than just worrying about the present. The fact that Kraik is selfish and betrays Virdon makes him a hard character to like although it is believable that somebody in his situation would behave that way. The return of Dr Zaius to the story is a good move as his more logical approach is a nice contrast to the brutish Urko leading to a surprising reaction when the human knowledge is discovered; the one proposing to use it isn't the one might expect. Overall a reasonably story with a moral about loyalty and friendship.
This is a decent enough episode although I was a little surprised when they said they couldn't remember when they were last in a city they were in San Francisco two episodes ago! The story itself was entertaining with Burke and Galen working to find the information that could prove invaluable to them while, in the main part of the story, Virdon tries to teach young Kraik the values of trust and the wisdom of thinking in the longer term rather than just worrying about the present. The fact that Kraik is selfish and betrays Virdon makes him a hard character to like although it is believable that somebody in his situation would behave that way. The return of Dr Zaius to the story is a good move as his more logical approach is a nice contrast to the brutish Urko leading to a surprising reaction when the human knowledge is discovered; the one proposing to use it isn't the one might expect. Overall a reasonably story with a moral about loyalty and friendship.
Zina Bethune & Jackie Earle Haley
TheFearmakers2 May 2024
The fugitive three discover a computer, resembling a candy machine, that tells the history of humans, and might serve more answers - but it turns off, and when the Gorillas raid soon after, they capture Virdon..
Thus placing a street urchin, played by a pre-BAD NEWS BEARS Jackie Earle Haley, as a spy to learn the whereabouts of Burke and Galen, who are elsewhere planning to free their friend whom the gorillas are using as a plant to snare the entire trio.
An entertaining episode with some nice twists - and Ron Harper's character is front stage as we get to know him from the inside/out. Meanwhile, the artistic-looking, real life dancer Zena Bethune, Harvey Keitel's girlfriend from Martin Scorsese's first theatrical yet still very low-budget film WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR and who, years later in real life, died tragically while trying to save an injured possum on the freeway, guest stars along with Haley.
Thus placing a street urchin, played by a pre-BAD NEWS BEARS Jackie Earle Haley, as a spy to learn the whereabouts of Burke and Galen, who are elsewhere planning to free their friend whom the gorillas are using as a plant to snare the entire trio.
An entertaining episode with some nice twists - and Ron Harper's character is front stage as we get to know him from the inside/out. Meanwhile, the artistic-looking, real life dancer Zena Bethune, Harvey Keitel's girlfriend from Martin Scorsese's first theatrical yet still very low-budget film WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR and who, years later in real life, died tragically while trying to save an injured possum on the freeway, guest stars along with Haley.
The Destruction of Our World Is Imminent!
Dan1863Sickles10 February 2015
I really loved this show as an 11 year old boy back in 1974. So when I bought the whole series on DVD for less than $20 I was really happy!
Well, memories are funny things. I remembered this episode mostly for the high spots, the eerie recording of the long-dead scientist ("the destruction of our world is imminent") and the thoughtful dialog between Dr. Zaius and General Urko about the dangers of human knowledge at the end of the episode. ("Burn it all!") What I didn't remember is that most of the episode actually turns on the big blonde astronaut's maudlin attack of homesickness and his highly questionable attempt to "adopt" a human family starving in the rubble.
Note to blonde astronaut: rat-faced lying little boys who snitch are poor candidates for adoption. You can bribe them with food, or you can bribe them with hand-made model airplanes, but the minute your back is turned they rat you out all over again!
Loved the father-son moments, too.
"Families love each other! Families respect each other!"
Uh, sure. But more to the point might have been something like, "Families never rat on each other, no matter what. You know what rats get, don't you Zaik? This is what rats get!"
An episode like this really makes you wish the swinging bachelor astronaut had taken his buddy aside and told him, "Alan, the kid looks like a rat. I mean, just look at that skinny face, and those beady little eyes. We're talking major rat action here. The blonde on the other hand . . . maybe she'd like to be the meat in an astronaut sandwich!"
Well, memories are funny things. I remembered this episode mostly for the high spots, the eerie recording of the long-dead scientist ("the destruction of our world is imminent") and the thoughtful dialog between Dr. Zaius and General Urko about the dangers of human knowledge at the end of the episode. ("Burn it all!") What I didn't remember is that most of the episode actually turns on the big blonde astronaut's maudlin attack of homesickness and his highly questionable attempt to "adopt" a human family starving in the rubble.
Note to blonde astronaut: rat-faced lying little boys who snitch are poor candidates for adoption. You can bribe them with food, or you can bribe them with hand-made model airplanes, but the minute your back is turned they rat you out all over again!
Loved the father-son moments, too.
"Families love each other! Families respect each other!"
Uh, sure. But more to the point might have been something like, "Families never rat on each other, no matter what. You know what rats get, don't you Zaik? This is what rats get!"
An episode like this really makes you wish the swinging bachelor astronaut had taken his buddy aside and told him, "Alan, the kid looks like a rat. I mean, just look at that skinny face, and those beady little eyes. We're talking major rat action here. The blonde on the other hand . . . maybe she'd like to be the meat in an astronaut sandwich!"
Planet of the Bland, Flat Lighting
zsenorsock1 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Another lame episode in which our heroes travel to a ruined city where they find a still operating (at least for awhile) super computer that promises to tell them what happened to human society and where all the scientific knowledge of their civilization is stored.
Looking suspiciously like the same city they went to in "The Trap", this episode like the rest suffers from flat, pumped up lighting that creates no atmosphere or mood whatsoever. Sets look like sets, not actual ruins. Not even if you squint. The script is pretty weak and the acting hits a new low thanks to the efforts of the young boy who acts as a traitor, turning in Burke for a day's rations.
Looking suspiciously like the same city they went to in "The Trap", this episode like the rest suffers from flat, pumped up lighting that creates no atmosphere or mood whatsoever. Sets look like sets, not actual ruins. Not even if you squint. The script is pretty weak and the acting hits a new low thanks to the efforts of the young boy who acts as a traitor, turning in Burke for a day's rations.
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