The good Doctor was a pestilence 99% of the time, but he touchingly earned redemption in this episode, and it was great that John Robinson got to witness it. That Smith was aware of his weaknesses really redeemed his early treacherous behavior.
8 Reviews
One of the better offerings from the series' final season
garrard7 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
It's ironic that two of the best installments of Irwin Allen's campy sci-fi classic dealt with time travel: the first being the fan favorite, "Visit to a Hostile Planet" and this one. In "The Time Merchant" John Crawford guests as a humanoid creature that can control time. In a freak accident, Will (Billy Mumy) captures him. Upon his release the time merchant then takes Will to his headquarters on a distant planet. Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) follows the pair and soon discover the merchant's powers. Smith then sends himself back in time to a few hours before the lift-off of the Jupiter Two. In the meantime, John (Guy Williams) and the Robot (voice of Dick Trufeld) follow the trail of their family members and must watch as Smith, back on Earth, toys with the idea of staying or returning.
It is Smith's dilemma and the merchant's revelations about Smith's "contribution" to the ill-fated voyage that makes for an interesting hour.
Crawford had been previously featured in each of Allen's other series ("Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," "The Time Tunnel," and "Land of the Giants) and would go on to be featured in both of Allen's blockbuster films, "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno." He acquaints himself well in his role as the man that can effect the course of chronological events.
It is Smith's dilemma and the merchant's revelations about Smith's "contribution" to the ill-fated voyage that makes for an interesting hour.
Crawford had been previously featured in each of Allen's other series ("Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," "The Time Tunnel," and "Land of the Giants) and would go on to be featured in both of Allen's blockbuster films, "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno." He acquaints himself well in his role as the man that can effect the course of chronological events.
Very Good, Could Have Been a Gem
bigfrankie-434643 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Time Merchant is a very good episode and one of the better Season Three episodes.
This is a Dr. Smith, Will and The Robot AND Prof Robinson episode!
Will's experiment accidentally transports a Time Merchant (Chronos) into a cave with him and Dr. Smith.
Dr. Smith, Will, The Robot and Prof Robinson are transported to the Time Merchants location where he controls time and can send people back in time. Dr. Smith sends himself back to earth on the day of the Jupiter Two lift-off with the plan of staying back on earth.
However, Dr. Smith learns that his added weight did cause them to get knocked off course but actually prevented the Robinsons and Major West from being destroyed by an un-charted asteroid. In a moment of decency, Dr. Smith cannot bare to let that happen and boards the Jupiter Two.
There are many aspects to like about Time Merchant, a few negatives and a major opportunity that was missed.
The positives:
The plot/ concept is excellent; Dr. Smith shows a full range of emotions; excellent action scenes with Prof Robinson; excellent props; most of the comedy works; excellent scenes with Dr. Smith and The Robot back on earth; some great zingers by Dr. Smith.
The Negatives:
A fair amount of "camp" wise-guy remarks sneak in with Chronos, including using a famous Oliver Hardy quote on Prof Robinson (I guess he was Stan Laurel)! And an unfortunate off-color joke about a "winch" by one of the officers on earth.
Major Opportunity Missed:
Prof Robinson and Will see that Dr. Smith originally being trapped on the Jupiter Two saved their lives. And more importantly, Prof Robinson seeing Dr. Smith admitting he was weak but still making sure he and The Robot boarded the Jupiter to save everyone's lives, when he could have been the selfish Dr. Smith and stayed on earth.
That could have been used as a dramatic ending to redeem much of what Dr. Smith has done in the past. And provide a logical explanation of why they would put up with his behavior for the remaining episodes. For continuity, Dr. Smith could keep reminding everyone of his heroics every time he messed things up.
Instead we get a casual dud ending with some goofy back-ground music.
This is a Dr. Smith, Will and The Robot AND Prof Robinson episode!
Will's experiment accidentally transports a Time Merchant (Chronos) into a cave with him and Dr. Smith.
Dr. Smith, Will, The Robot and Prof Robinson are transported to the Time Merchants location where he controls time and can send people back in time. Dr. Smith sends himself back to earth on the day of the Jupiter Two lift-off with the plan of staying back on earth.
However, Dr. Smith learns that his added weight did cause them to get knocked off course but actually prevented the Robinsons and Major West from being destroyed by an un-charted asteroid. In a moment of decency, Dr. Smith cannot bare to let that happen and boards the Jupiter Two.
There are many aspects to like about Time Merchant, a few negatives and a major opportunity that was missed.
The positives:
The plot/ concept is excellent; Dr. Smith shows a full range of emotions; excellent action scenes with Prof Robinson; excellent props; most of the comedy works; excellent scenes with Dr. Smith and The Robot back on earth; some great zingers by Dr. Smith.
The Negatives:
A fair amount of "camp" wise-guy remarks sneak in with Chronos, including using a famous Oliver Hardy quote on Prof Robinson (I guess he was Stan Laurel)! And an unfortunate off-color joke about a "winch" by one of the officers on earth.
Major Opportunity Missed:
Prof Robinson and Will see that Dr. Smith originally being trapped on the Jupiter Two saved their lives. And more importantly, Prof Robinson seeing Dr. Smith admitting he was weak but still making sure he and The Robot boarded the Jupiter to save everyone's lives, when he could have been the selfish Dr. Smith and stayed on earth.
That could have been used as a dramatic ending to redeem much of what Dr. Smith has done in the past. And provide a logical explanation of why they would put up with his behavior for the remaining episodes. For continuity, Dr. Smith could keep reminding everyone of his heroics every time he messed things up.
Instead we get a casual dud ending with some goofy back-ground music.
Dr Smith back on Earth
gregorycanfield12 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a very good episode, which gives some additional insight into the beginning of the Robinsons' voyage into space. Dr Smith defies the time merchant, and transports himself back to Earth in 1997. There is a scene between Smith and the Robot that had me laughing for about 10 minutes. The Robot, his tapes having been erased, says: "Affirmative." Smith mocks him, and says: "I had forgotten how delightful everything was, before you became so insolent, you pusillanimous pipsqueak!" I'm laughing, even as I'm writing this. There is also a tender moment where Smith actually apologizes to the Robot, and acknowledges his own faults. Smith really wasn't a bad man. He was a weak man. However, he always managed to do the right thing, in the end. Perhaps, this is why Will always liked Smith. Curiously, the story suggests that Smith might have saved the Jupiter 2 from being destroyed, despite his status as a stowaway. A very well done episode, which cleverly blends comedic and dramatic elements.
ORIGINAL, ENTERTAINING AND WITH SUSPENSE
asalerno1026 May 2022
John Robinson, Will, Smith and the robot are transported to the strange world of the Time Merchant, who controls the destiny of all through a sophisticated machine. Dr. Smith takes advantage of the situation to return to Earth shortly before the Jupiter II takes off. The problem arises when the merchant explains to them that the overweight in the ship caused by the accidental boarding of Smith had saved the Robinsons from colliding with an asteroid, so now they must do everything possible so that it returns to the Jupiter II as stowaway. The story is very well told, it is fun to see Smith return to the ground base and interact with the robot before the incredulous gaze of the military, the director knew how to create the necessary suspense at the moment that Smith has the minutes counted to board the ship and thus save the rest from a fatal fate. A very good idea that besides being original is well developed.
This Contains One Of Lost In Space's Greatest Moments
StuOz29 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A time merchant sends Will and Smith back to earth just before the 1997 blast off into space!
The ending of this hour has a scene between Dr Smith and The Robot, involving Smith revealing his character flaws, that can only be called deeply touching. It is indeed one of the greatest scenes of Lost In Space.
It has been reported that Tufeld's Robot voice changed from episode to episode or scene to scene due to poor sound mixing hardware and other things. Never is this more obvious than in The Time Merchant. In the opening minutes of this hour Tufeld speaks in his year one-ish mechanical man voice but once on earth in 1997 he speaks, to Dr Smith, in his regular more human/comical voice: "You will just look silly hanging by your toes in space".
With Irwin Allen time travel shows it is usually William Welch who writes them and they all have a style that is very obvious and entertaining. The Time Merchant is not scripted by Welch and is more comical than anything Welch would script. I like the humour of the episode but am a bit undecided if I want this kind of in-your-face humour in such a compelling story.
Added note: The episode would be remade in the form of Land Of The Giants: Wild Journey (1970).
The ending of this hour has a scene between Dr Smith and The Robot, involving Smith revealing his character flaws, that can only be called deeply touching. It is indeed one of the greatest scenes of Lost In Space.
It has been reported that Tufeld's Robot voice changed from episode to episode or scene to scene due to poor sound mixing hardware and other things. Never is this more obvious than in The Time Merchant. In the opening minutes of this hour Tufeld speaks in his year one-ish mechanical man voice but once on earth in 1997 he speaks, to Dr Smith, in his regular more human/comical voice: "You will just look silly hanging by your toes in space".
With Irwin Allen time travel shows it is usually William Welch who writes them and they all have a style that is very obvious and entertaining. The Time Merchant is not scripted by Welch and is more comical than anything Welch would script. I like the humour of the episode but am a bit undecided if I want this kind of in-your-face humour in such a compelling story.
Added note: The episode would be remade in the form of Land Of The Giants: Wild Journey (1970).
OK episode (if you don't think about it too much)
jamesrupert201426 July 2023
Will accidentally catches Chronos, the titular merchant (John Crawford), while trying to slow cosmic particles. Angered by the waste of his time (the commodity in which he deals), the cranky chrono-peddler demands that Will give up some of his allotted time in recompense, only to become even angrier when he discovers than Smith has made free use his time machine to return to Earth just before the launch of the Jupitar 2. Well-structured, logical time-travel stories are extremely difficult to write, so don't expect this simplistic plot to make a lot of sense (it is unclear if there are temporarily two robots, two Smiths and two Wills in 1998 or why when you go back in time your clothes change accordingly (if your Smith but not if you're Will)). Smith shows more humanity than usual when he discovers that, unless he resigns himself to returning to 'lost in space' status, the resulting alteration of the Jupitar 2's time-line will kill the Robinson family. Chronos, who varies between being some kind of grasping 'dealer in time' to being an all-powerful equivalent of the Greek fate Atropos, is the show's usual eccentric, blustering scoundrel but his time-manipulation equipment is colourful and the Daliesque touches are witty. Entertaining and an improvement over other season 3 episodes but best enjoyed by the right side of the brain only.
Brilliant What If Episode!!
richard.fuller118 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Thru a series of mishaps, Will, Dr. Smith, the Robot and THIS TIME John Robinson are faced with the possibility of Dr. Smith not boarding the Jupiter II, thereby sending the spacecraft off course.
Smith ventures back to before he stowed away and prevents his departure.
Interesting time depiction, which I have seen before.
Instead of Smith meeting himself and trying to convince himself not to enter the Jupiter II, we are simply shown Dr. Smith becoming himself in the past, so now the Dr. Smith who WILL stow away in the spaceship is the same Dr. Smith who DID stow away in the spaceship.
However, John and Will learn that because Smith didn't throw the spaceship off-course, the Jupiter II was destroyed by a meteor shower, so Smith essentially saved the Robinson clan's lives.
Now the Robot must go into the past to try to get Smith on the Jupiter II.
At first, Smith refuses.
Then as he watches the Jupiter II prepare for departure, he expresses sorrow at the upcoming demise of his friends, Judy, Penny, and he can bear it no longer.
The chase for Dr. Smith and the Robot to board the Jupiter II is a remarkable, tense-filled comicfest in and of itself.
How underrated was Lost In Space, the TV series? Watch this episode and see for yourself.
Smith ventures back to before he stowed away and prevents his departure.
Interesting time depiction, which I have seen before.
Instead of Smith meeting himself and trying to convince himself not to enter the Jupiter II, we are simply shown Dr. Smith becoming himself in the past, so now the Dr. Smith who WILL stow away in the spaceship is the same Dr. Smith who DID stow away in the spaceship.
However, John and Will learn that because Smith didn't throw the spaceship off-course, the Jupiter II was destroyed by a meteor shower, so Smith essentially saved the Robinson clan's lives.
Now the Robot must go into the past to try to get Smith on the Jupiter II.
At first, Smith refuses.
Then as he watches the Jupiter II prepare for departure, he expresses sorrow at the upcoming demise of his friends, Judy, Penny, and he can bear it no longer.
The chase for Dr. Smith and the Robot to board the Jupiter II is a remarkable, tense-filled comicfest in and of itself.
How underrated was Lost In Space, the TV series? Watch this episode and see for yourself.
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