Return to the Planet of the Apes "The Unearthly Prophecy" #1.5 (1975) (TV)

Oosa, Oosa, Oosa, 26 March 2008

I need to begin this by pointing out that the order of the episodes listed on IMDb does not match the order they appear on the DVD. IMDb lists them in the order they originally aired on television - even though the episodes aired out of order. Otherwise, the whole Return to the Planet of the Apes story arc gets all messed up. So, while IMDb lists the third episode as "Lagoon of Peril", I'll be calling "The Unearthly Prophecy" the third episode. Clear?

Anyway, in "The Unearthly Prophecy" Jeff and Bill are on the run from the apes when they find an underground passage. It takes them to the Underdwellers – a strange mutated race of humans. The Underdwellers have their lost comrade, Judy (who Bill and Jeff have inexplicable not mentioned since she vanished half way through the first episode), and worship her as a God. Jeff and Bill are imprisoned but Judy comes to their rescue. They escape, but Judy must remain behind.

"The Unearthly Prophecy" is easily the best, most creative episode so far. The underground race may be similar to the humans found in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, but there are enough differences to spice things up. For example, these mutants have the ability to shoot lasers with their eyes. Cool, huh? It makes the escape that much more difficult. One thing I really found clever in "The Unearthly Prophecy" was the Underdwellers name for Judy – Oosa. They took the letters U.S.A. and came up with the pronunciation Oosa.

6/10