Return to the Planet of the Apes "Lagoon of Peril" #1.3 (1975) (TV)

This is Episode 5 - not 3, 4 April 2008

Once again, the episode number listed on IMDb does not agree with the numbers on the DVD. And since the DVD set presents the episode in the correct order, I'm going with it and calling "Lagoon of Peril" Episode 5 – not Episode 3 as stated on IMDb.

Regardless of the number, "Lagoon of Peril" finds Ape City is in an uproar because of the rumors that the planet is being invaded by talking humanoids. It is decided that General Urko will lead an expedition into the Forbidden Zone to look for signs of intelligent humanoids and their spacecraft. Zira and Cornelius warn Jeff and Bill of Urko's intentions. Jeff and Bill set off for the lagoon they landed in to retrieve some supplies before destroying their space capsule. With the apes hot on their trail, there's no time to lose. But the mission gets even more difficult when they find a gigantic creature living in the lagoon.

This is a fairly nice, interesting episode. The race to the lagoon is about as suspenseful as you might hope for from an animated series like Return to the Planet of the Apes. An interesting touch is that Nova is now able to speak. That effectively means that the ape prophecies and fears are coming to fruition. The creature in the lagoon is something of a letdown because of the poor state of the animation. A fully animated creature would have made this one really special. Finally, one thing I don't understand is the help that Jeff and Bill get from the Underdwellers in holding up the apes' progress to the lagoon. Why? It's not as if they parted on good terms. Maybe I'll get an answer in a future episode.

6/10