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Malice In Wonderland
Episode Synopsis Courtesy Of Epi-log Journal Issue 1-1992.
Malice in Wonderspace written by Carey Wilbur.
Penny is in a cave reading a poem while Smith is nearby playing a hand of solitaire as they both wait for a bad storm to leave the area. Will and the Robot stand by listening with Willoughby, a creature that looks like a purple kangaroo. Willoughby tells Penny to continue her poem when she Stops, but Smith interrupts and asks the kids if they want to play cards. The Robot announces a warning that Smith has marked the cards, while Willoughby insists he wants to hear the end of Penny's story.
When she tries, Penny finds that the last page is missing out of her book. Willoughby solves the problem with his fantastic mental powers to scan the book and materialize the missing page. Willoughby concentrates and moments later a pile of books falls from the sky, but they turn out to be Boston phone books. As the last falling book bounces off of Smith's head, Willoughby apologizes for his error and tries again. This time an explosion occurs and Smith, Will, the Robot, and Willoughby all vanish.
Will finds himself alone, falling through space. The fIrst thing sees is a neon sign advertising oatmeal cookies. A jar of cookies appears in his arms, so he eats a few while another image suddenly appears: Maureen in an old fashioned costume sitting in a rocking chair. When he reaches out she disappears. Willoughby's voice is heard and Will turns to find him, but the alien disappears. A booming voice is heard, and Will realizes it is the Robot. Dr. Smith appears as the Mad Hatter and Penny is beside him dressed like Alice.
Both are with the Robot sitting at a long table with a tea pot, cups and saucers. Will can only stare in amazement, which Smith does not appreciate. When Will asks what is going on, the three get up in a huddle to debate if Will really doesn't know, which, of course, he doesn't. They assume otherwise and sit down.
The three badger Will about having some tea and the boy finally gives in and starts to pour some from the pot, only to have someone call out from inside the container. Penny assures him its only the dormouse, who will be released yesterday. Will stands by as the three continue to babble on in the best tradition of Alice in Wonderland. A loud trumpet suddenly blows and the Queen arrives.
Every thing becomes dark and Smith appears in a bellman's outfit and announces that the cave they are in is "just the place for snarks". Smith begins looking for a railway share, the perfect snark bait, but finds none. Smith continues his search outside, and after Ieaving the cave Will rushes to the Doctor's rescue after hearing a roar and a scream. Only Willoughby is there, and he announces that they are "in a dimension where fantasy is real and what is real is fantastic. A most curious place." They are there due to Willoughby's mental influence, but while Willoughby is still concentrating on how to get out, a fire breathing dragon arrives and begins to approach in a menacing manner.
Willoughby transports them at the last second to another dimension, a place with strange trees and mushroom-like plants. A talking cat appears but refuses to answer any questions and vanishes. Will finally realizes Willoughby's "ESQ" mental abilities have put them inside one of Penny's fantasy books. The cat appears again and tells Will his friends are in trouble. He rushes to find them, while inside the cave the Robot and Smith materialize, and have no idea where they are. Both hide behind a boulder when the Mad Hatter Smith walks by, but the real Smith Stops him. The man is late and refuses to talk before continuing on.
Following the Mad Hatter they encounter Will as a Court Jester, who announces that he is Jack O'Hearts. Jack leaves Smith with an empty pie tray as a trumpet blows, announcing the arrival of the Queen. She orders that Smith, whom she believes stole her pie, is to have his head cut off. The Robot is to receive the same punishment.
Elsewhere, Will and Willoughby are trying to fmd a way out of their predicament, and they decide to look for the others until Willoughby can learn how to ESQ them out of the strange dimension.
Penny, meanwhile, has encountered a talking caterpillar who looks just like Smith. It makes no more sense than the creatures her brother has encountered, but fmally mentions Will is up ahead looking for her. It disappears just as Will arrives, but the two can't reach each other until they take the caterpillar's advice of one step forward for every two back. Will explains what has happened so far, but Penny claims never to have been at the party, making them realize their are two of each of them loose in this universe.
Smith is in another fine mess, this time locked in a dungeon where h runs into Jack, who reveals that Smith will soon be ahead shorter, and is to be executed before the trial, which is the usual custom. In the distance they hear an executioner sharpening his blade.
Will, Penny, and Willoughby are looking for Smith, but find the Bellman instead. The Bellman describes the ceremonies that are coming for the royal execution, and his description makes Will and Penny realize that the victim's are the Robot and Smith. Their intentions of saving Smith are interrupted by the arrival of a Jabber- wock, a hideous man-eating creature. When they try to run they find themselves before the Queen, who also happens to look like Smith. When they ask her to spare Dr. Smith she has them imprisoned as traitors, and while they are glad to see the real Smith again, he is none too happy in seeing Willoughby. Smith rightfully blames him for everything, but Will assure the doctor that Willoughby is going to try to ESQ them home now that they are now together. However, Willoughby sadly reveals that his powers have been drained to the point that he cannot return them to their own dimension -unless he were to die.
Willoughby volunteers to go fIrst on the headman's block, but after he is marched out Will and Penny decide to break out of prison by having the Robot blast the bars. Once outside they see Willoughby preparing to die, and Will yells for him to try to break lose. He does, and all five of them begin knocking down the Queen and her men, but just as it looks as though their escape will be a success, an archer shots an arrow, barely missing Will but hitting Willoughby in the chest. A cloud of playing cards swoops down on them all and suddenly they are an home in the cave -except Willoughby, who has vanished.
Willoughby finds himself before a tribunal that begins to make judgement on the creature, as it does with all who perish and appear before the final tribunal, but before they can pass a final decision Will arrives to speak in Willoughby's behalf. Will explains their need for the purple alien, and they confer. Back in the cave, Will, Penny, Smith, and the Robot look at Willoughby's dead body when he suddenly revives and asks Penny to continue her poem.
Ray says: If Lost In Space would have been picked up for a fourth season it would have included this script " Malice In Wonderspace" in it's run. The Wiloughby character was to join the Robinson's after the episode " The Great Vegetable Rebellion".
