Our son pointed out the most remarkable thing about this episode, because he wanted an explanation and one wasn’t forthcoming: there’s a giant, tentacled lake monster in this episode. It lives in a swamp on a remote Pacific island, and we only catch glimpses of its tentacles. It’s onscreen for maybe a combined twenty seconds and it takes two victims. It’s not treated as a mystery to solve, it’s just another blasted thing on this island that can kill you.
The other really interesting thing about this one is that it involves a cargo cult. They painted these islanders in really, really broad strokes to simplify it for teevee, but what I’ve read on the subject is incredibly interesting and is far too complex to be explored with nuance in an action-adventure show. Did you know that there’s a small village in Vanuatu where the locals worship Prince Philip – of all people – as a deity?
Fire Breathing Dimetrodon Time 