Lost in Space (TV Series) The Magic Mirror (1966) User Reviews

Second of two "Penny" episodes from season one

[garrard · 8/10 · 10 October 2006]

The writers of "Lost in Space" were beginning to drift from the sci-fi adventure to fantasy, mixed with a dash of morality.

Loosely based on "Alice Through the Looking Glass," the twenty-first installment of "Lost in Space", finds Penny falling through a mirror that is a portal to another dimension where the only inhabitant are a strange teen (Michael J. Pollard) and a rarely-seen "hairy monster," as Pollard's character puts it. Naturally, the only other member of the Robinson clan that knows the truth about the mirror is Dr. Smith, who ends up in the same dimension. However, he accidentally helps himself and Penny to escape, with the boy behind due to his inability to leave.

Like the previously aired "My Friend, Mr. Nobody," Angela Cartwright gets to take center stage, though almost another year would pass before she was the featured star.

The Magic Mirror

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 14 November 2011]

Bittersweet episode of Lost in Space has the always watchable Michael J Pollard, especially adept at portraying weirdos, guest starring as a mischievous boy who lives in a dimension on the other side of an alien mirror found by Penny (Angela Cartwright, this episode a vehicle mainly for her) and "Bloop" (her alien monkey pet) during a cosmic radiation storm. Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris) notices that the mirror has this goat head made of platinum (as well as, platinum lining the mirror), with designs on chiseling the precious metal for possible financial benefits later. Bloop "enters" the mirror which serves as a portal to the boy's dimension, is given a bell, and goes back to Penny, who wants her pet to show her where it found the toy. This leads to Penny accidentally stumbling into the dimension where the lonely boy wants to play games and have fun. Penny, however, is afraid of this eerie, dream-like place, full of statues (seemingly right off the set of a Universal Studios Mummy picture) and "items discarded by others no longer interested in them" (essentially, these are all props probably found around the studio, like a chandelier among other things used to dress sets). Also present is a monster with one eye and husks, for which the boy wants Penny to play hide and seek with, but all she wants to do is get home to her family. Pollard is so youthful and playful here, he really plays his part like a child stuck in the body of a young man, eternally trapped in the body of a teenager, never to grow old but longing for companionship. The ending, regarding reflections, leaves a melancholy taste as Pollard doesn't have the same option as Penny and Dr. Smith (ugh, yes, Dr. Smith falls into the mirror, plunging into the dimension the same as Pollard and Penny, believing everything he sees is a dream, a sort of cosmic psychosis he is experiencing!) do regarding the ability to leave the dimension. I think this episode does a nice job of addressing the change in a female at that particularly difficult transition from tomboy to woman, using Penny as a character to explore this universal theme. Penny has a scene with Judy (Marta Kristen, who has a character that never quite was allowed the same chances as Angela Cartwright to have "star vehicles" with plots centered around her) regarding "prettying herself up" which sets in motion the "trip to another dimension" where she would have the chance to run and play to her heart's content without all the "goop" that comes with blossoming into a beautiful woman. Dr. Smith is supposed to be setting up "weather arrestors" to prevent dangers of further "cosmic radiation storms", obviously doing whatever he can to keep from having to do such work--his "bout with cosmic fever" an excuse to get out of it.

PENNY IS GOING FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE

[asalerno10 · 7/10 · 13 June 2022]

Penny finds a large mirror on the planet that is the door to a strange world inhabited by a boy who has access to all the existing mirrors in the universe, accidentally Dr. Smith also enters this surreal world but when he leaves he tries to destroy the mirror. Mirror, ignoring that if she does, Penny will be trapped inside forever. The episode has a lot of metaphor, Penny is going from her childhood to the stage of adolescence, this confuses her since deep down she refuses to grow up, the boy inhabitant of the mirror symbolizes the reflection of the feelings of confusion for which she She is going through, and finally we see her accepting to leave behind her stage as a girl to gradually become a woman.

Another Dimension

[StuOz · 13 February 2015]

Penny steps into another dimension and finds a strange teenage boy.

The boy in question - actor Michael J Pollard - was actually in his mid-20s when he did this role. He also did much the same kind of role in an episode of classic Star Trek.

Almost a sister episode to Mr Friend, Mr Nobody as Penny is the star.

For years I was turned off this hour as it seemed to be more fantasy than sci-fi but repeat viewings have helped it and I now view as it reasonably entertaining.

The early scene with Judy telling Penny she needs to stop being such a boy is an episode highlight.

Where was Will Robinson?

[gregorycanfield · 7/10 · 24 November 2022]

This is the only episode that Billy Mumy didn't appear in. That wasn't good. Between that and Dr Smith's ineffectual light colored top, the episode started off on a bad note. What was even worse was the show's worst guest star: Michael J Pollard. On my most recent viewing, I realized that the story is a little better than I had originally thought. The beginning, when Prof Robinson and Major West assume that Dr Smith had installed the "storm arresters" is genuinely funny. West says: "It's a good thing, we had Smith install the arresters." West said this as if he really believed what he was saying! The main part of the story, which concerns Penny finding a "magic mirror," is OK, but compromised by the wrong actor. The character referred to as "the boy" was played by Michael J Pollard, who was at least 26 years old at the time. Pollard was twice as old as Angela Cartwright. Despite this, the episode played as though Penny and "the boy" were supposed to be the same age. In addition to being too old for the part, Pollard's performance was completely generic. Overall, the episode is watchable, but could have been much better. Pollard was a bad choice.

Excellent Penny-centric Episode

[bigfrankie-43464 · 10/10 · 7 December 2022]

The Magic Mirror is pure fantasy and it is excellent. Somewhat comparable to "My Friend, Mr. Nobody". This is a Penny feature.

Penny and Dr. Smith discover a platinum magic mirror. Of course, Dr. Smith's greed kicks in. Debbie The Bloop and eventually Penny and Dr. Smith enter the mirror, which only animals can exit.

Yes, the props, once inside the other dimension, are questionable, but this is a fantasy/ dream-like setting, so it works just fine. Michael J. Pollard plays the boy inside the dimension. Dr. Smith, attempting to explain the situation, while within the dimension is also a good fit. That said, he could have had similar thoughts in other episodes, but remained mum.

The story is excellent and it is always a treat to have Penny (and Debbie The Bloop) and the center of the story.

A typical 'be careful what you wish' for cautionary tale enhanced by some offbeat but interesting visuals

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 24 June 2022]

Penny and Smith discover an odd mirror that acts as a doorway to a strange 'Neverland' where the younger of the Robinson sisters is granted her ill-considered wish not to grow old (and not to get all 'girly' like big sis Judy). The premise, that the 'other-sides' of all mirrors are connected in some vast dimension is intriguing (a similar premise was at the core of Heinlein's 'The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag') but the episode does little with it beyond setting up a 'Penny matures' story. Michael Pollard plays the odd 'Peter Pan'-like' mirror-dimension dweller - an interesting character who forever seems to battling an improbable hairy monocular beast and does not cast a reflection of his own (which I found a most interesting revelation, sadly not followed-up on). Irwin Allen's famed frugalness is on display as the mirror-land is full of plastic sheets and props from a variety of movies but the overall effect is nicely other-worldly and surreal. Too bad more wasn't done with the story, especially as to the origins and destiny of the time-less boy. In recent watchings of this venerable series I have found it odd (and slightly off-putting) how child-like and fragile Penny is portrayed when compared to her competent and resourceful younger brother Will. This was one of the first episodes to punctuate Dr. Smith's antics with typical comic 'musical cues' (a sign of things to come).

A penny for his thoughts is the mirror of the mind.

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 14 June 2022]

Debbie the Goop returns to push Penny through a mirror which takes her into world of creepy things that she desperately wants to escape from so she can get out of this alternate universe and return to Jupiter II. There's a one eyed beast who haunts Dr. Smith when he falls through the mirror (while trying to smash it), and while he finds a way out, she's stuck there with the young Michael J. Pollard who wants her to remain forever. A great episode to show Penny (Angela Cartwright) growing up, and it's sad she didn't get more consistent focus in the future seasons. Pollard is haunting as the troubled young boy with no reflection, giving an indication of what is really behind the mirror.

Very good...is it science fiction? Does that matter?

[shakspryn · 8/10 · 18 January 2020]

This is one of the best episodes. It has a haunting, pensive quality, similar to the feeling of some Twilight Zones. I've been thinking of how LIS differs from the original Star Trek of the same era. LIS could be very silly, but so could TOS (1920's gangsters? Ancient Rome planet? Etc.). I think it comes down to this: LIS had kids as main characters, TOS did not; and thus many, or really nearly all episodes of LIS were kind of on the kids' level, while for TOS, it was on a teenager's level--space battles, "fulton torpedoes," women in sexy outfits, etc. That said, many LIS episodes make a strong impression. This is one of those. A fine episode.

Magic Mirror It is

[dlfest · 8/10 · 1 November 2017]

At the end of the episode, a young lad jumps off the rock that Dr Smith is aiming his ray gun at. The young lad with a spear jumps down off rock looks like Kurt Russell to me, but not credited in that episode? its not M J Pollard. Mr Pollard looked completely different to the lad I have mentioned at end of episode. I know Kurt appeared in the series, but seems like he appeared in this one out of sync with the other episodes... Or am I daft?....

Fairytale in Space

[Boycemaxblues70 · 4/10 · 2 November 2017]

Not my favourite LIS episode by some margin. For one, up until this episode, the stupidity displayed by Dr Smith has been offset by the humour of his cunning and fright in almost equal measure. Here he is just stupid. Two, the lack of continuity in the main cast should not be just taken for granted. In this main episode Will and the Robot did not appear or even earn a mention. It was the same situation with Penny in the previous episode. LIS script editors were badly at fault for letting this happen to what before had been a very close-knit family. I did quite like the interaction between Penny and Michael J Pollard's character. However, if the story-line was designed to emphasise how Penny's maturity eventually resolves the twin feelings of loneliness and fantasy it should have been done without Dr Smith's intervention at the end. Finally in response to difest, you are not daft. LIS' closing cliffhangers were really just tasters for the next standalone episode (except for doubles like The Keeper). As such, Kurt Russell did appear at the end but would not earn a casting credit ahead of the next episode. Hope that makes sense.