Survival Kit

Survival Kit was the Second Episode of the Third Season of the Land of the Lost.
== Summary ==
When Holly gets sick, Jack must dive for their Medical Kit, but the Sleestak take it.
==Plot==
The Sleestak are bringing tribute to the self-styled "god" Malak, which Malak vehemently rejects, demanding greater tribute. When the Sleestak Leader (the only one of the Sleestak who can speak English) protests that the tribute they have brought is the best they have to offer, Malak insists it is not enough. He then opens a floodgate which diverts an underground river to the Sleestak cave, away from its usual destination of the swamp.
Malak remains adamant when the Sleestak protest that this will destroy the Sleestak eggs and they will die, saying that he will stop the caves flooding only when the Sleestak bring him "proper tribute."
As their caves continue to flood, the Sleestak Leader appeals to the Skull of Wisdom, which states that "a god is not a god who has the flesh and cravings of a human. As a human is appeased, so can Malak be." From which Enik and the Sleestak Leader conclude that Malak will only be appeased by giving them humans' possessions, meaning the Marshalls' belongings.
At the Lost Temple, Holly is being attended by Jack, Will and Cha-ka, as she has taken seriously ill and running a high fever. Jack concludes that only antibiotics can help her.And that perhaps there will be some in the survival kit from the sunken raft that Rick, Will and Holly rode to the Land of the Lost. Will, however, points out that they attempted to recover the survival kit twice without success. Moreover, Lulu now occupies the swamp where the survival kit was lost.
Jack and Will, however, devise a plan for Will to keep Lulu distracted with a bamboo stick while Jack dives for the survival kit. The plan is successful and Jack recovers the survival kit. The two then hurry to return to the Lost Temple, as night falls.
At the Lost Temple, Enik extinguishes the two fires placed at the entrance, allowing the other Sleestak to approach. The Sleestak then enter the Lost Temple and take the Marshalls' supplies. Enik then extinguishes the fire inside the temple, insisting that what the Sleestak are doing is for everyone's good. While Holly protests, she is in no condition to resist. As the Sleestak continue to ransack the Marshalls' living quarters, Cha-ka sounds a shofar. Jack and Will, who are nearby, hear and return to see the Sleestak stealing their equipment and food. Will seizes the crystals that Enik is carrying and causes them to explode inside the Temple, forcing the Sleestak to flee. But the Sleestak have also escaped with the survival kit containing the antibiotics needed by Holly.
While Enik has explained that their items have been taken to appease Malak, he refuses to aid the Marshalls further by revealing Malak's location. Cha-ka volunteers to lead Jack and Will to Malak, claiming his superior olfactory sense and night vision will enable him to find their supplies. Enik agrees to watch over Holly and maintain the fires in their absence, claiming, "It is in my interest" to do so.
While Malak is pleased with the tribute this time, he makes one more demand: he wants a slave, and it cannot be a Sleestak due to their vulnerability to bright light. The Sleestak agree to find Malak a suitable slave, and Malak dismisses them by striking a gong. The gong is overheard by Jack, Will and Cha-ka; Cha-ka has successfully led them to Malak.
After avoiding the departing Sleestak, the Marshalls and Cha-ka go to confront Malak. Malak is delighted to see other human beings, but has no intention of allowing Jack to turn off the water flooding the Sleestak caves, nor allowing Will to leave with their belongings. He then closes an iron gate that blocks the entrance to his cave.
Jack engages in a contest with Malak to prove he is the greater god. He begins by curing Malak's toothache using medicine from the survival kit.
Enik, in the meantime, is continuing to maintain the fires and comfort Holly.
Jack then gives the medicine to Cha-ka, planning to have him slip between the bars on Malak's window to bring it to Holly as Jack distracts him. Jack then demonstrates his ability to create fire using matches. When Malak maintains he is able to do that, Jack surreptitiously dips a match in water before handing it to Malak. Malak, of course, is unable to get the match to light. 
Cha-ka, attempts to escape according to plan with Will's assistance, but accidentally knocks over a goblet, alerting Malak.
In the Sleestak caves, the waters have risen and the Sleestak are now wading through their tunnels in water that rises to the level of their shoulders.
The Sleestak Leader, accompanied by two other Sleestak, approach Enik at the Marshalls' residence intending to take him to Malak as a slave. Enik protests that the Sleestak need him for his intelligence and his ability to endure daylight, the proposes that the Marshalls be used as Malak's slaves instead, pointing out that the Marshalls are probably already at Malak's place to recover their tribute.
In Malak's cave, Jack is performing an elaborate incantation to demonstrate his ability to produce light through a "scepter" (a flashlight). Malak is unable to duplicate the feat when given the flashlight, as Jack has surreptitiously removed the batteries. Then gives Malak this "power" to make light by replacing the batteries.
But agrees to this only if Malak makes two concessions: 1) The water being diverted to the Sleekstak caves is shut off, allowing the underground river to resume its normal course. Malak agrees and turns off the water. Jack ensures that it stays that way by smashing the level Malak used to shut it off. And 2) That the Marshalls and Cha-ka be allowed to leave with their belongings. And Malak agrees.
Jack then gives Malak the flashlight and quickly gather their belongings just as the Sleestak Leader and two accompanying Sleestak have arrived. Malak at first is able to keep them at bay with the flashlight, but the dying batteries finally give out completely.
The Sleestak finally recognize that Malak is no god, as he fears the Sleestak, and take back their tribute. As Jack leaves, he cuts the rope that supports the gate guarding Malak and the Sleestak, leaving Malak trapped inside with three Sleestak.
The next day finds the Sleestak returning to their caves with the tribute items that they had given to Malak, and Holly's fever has broken thanks to the medicine and her appetite has returned. The Marshalls then discover that Cha-ka is eating soap that he got from the survival kit, obviously ignorant of soap's intended purpose.
Malak's fate, at this time, is not revealed.
==Message==
* "As ye sow, so shall you reap."
==Cast==
* Ron Harper as Jack Marshall
* Wesley Eure as Will Marshall
* Kathy Coleman as Holly Marshall
* Philip Paley as Cha-Ka
* Walker Edmiston as Enik
* Richard Kiel as Malak
* Jon Locke as The Sleestak Leader
* William Boyd as Sleestak
* Cleveland Porter as Sleestak
==Dinosaurs==
* Pteranodon
* Lulu
* Grumpy
* Big Alice
==Quotes==
* Will Marshall - "Am I hearing things, or did I just hear a gong?"
==Trivia==
* While we should not look to children's shows for accurate medical information, there are certain dangerous medical errors that have been presented in this episode.
**Pharmaceutical antibiotics are available only with a prescription. The Marshalls could not have legally acquired antibiotics for their survival kit as they are dispensed only when there's an actual illness to contend with, not to be kept on hand in case of an illness.
**Specific antibiotics are used to treat only a certain class of illnesses. They are not generalized, where just any antibiotic could cover any sort of bacterial infection. It would be insufficient to assume that Holly had some form of bacterial illness and that antibiotics would cure her. She would need a specific type of antibiotic to treat her specific illness. Given her symptoms, fever and sore throat (and the fact that the illness has never been presented as life-threatening), perhaps she had Streptococcal pharyngitis (commonly known as strep throat). And if she were cured with the antibiotics in the survival kit, she likely received amoxicillin, discovered in 1972 and used to treat strep.
**Contrary to what the episode would suggest, Holly could not have recovered from an illness requiring antibiotics in a single night. The normal course of antibiotics for strep throat is ten days.
**Jack's mishandling of antibiotics, without a proper diagnosis and without regard for the type of antibiotic she could have needed, was irresponsible and possibly dangerous.
* First appearance of Malak.
* It seems as if a lot of time has passed since the last episode. The Marshalls have fully furnished the temple as their new home, and Jack has learned a great deal about the Land of the Lost. He understands how the crystals work and more significantly, he has become acquainted with Enik sufficiently to understand the Marshalls' tenuous relationship with him as well as Enik knowing him by name.
* Enik's motives are often a mystery. While he refuses to direct the Marshalls to Malak's cave to recover their stolen belongings, or, most importantly, to retrieve the medication Holly requires, he agrees to stay with her to maintain the fires. While normally quite stoic, Enik goes beyond simply maintaining the fires, even providing comforting gestures, such as allowing Holly to hold his hand and placing a comforting hand on Holly's forehead. This suggests that Enik perhaps has more feelings for the Marshalls (or at least Holly) than he prefers to show.
* Will attempts to distract Lulu with a long bamboo shaft, which she seizes and consumes. It should be noted Lulu is an elasmosaurus, which were carnivorous, subsisting on fish, crustaceans and shellfish. Perhaps, in addition to her mutation that gives her two heads, Lulu sometimes eats plant material and can consume, digest and thrive on plant matter, most likely where there is a shortage of her main diet.
Category:Episodes
Category:1974-1976 Episodes
Category:Visitor Episodes
Category:Sleestak Episodes