One of my all-time favorite episodes, the second season premiere is a winner. While a few clips of the whale were blue tinted scenes from the first season "The Ghost of Moby Dick" episode, many were filmed for this installment. Contrary to sources, the set from the film Fantastic Voyage was NOT used for this episode (those turned up on Lost in Space). The whale's interior was created for this episode - a TV Guild article of the time confirms it, as does careful examination of the film itself.
This 16mm print betrays its age, but it's a solid representation of the episode. Note the exemplary Jerry Goldsmith score. He also created the new opening and closing theme which was intended to be used going forward - the next few episodes quote it - however, the more popular Paul Sawtell original was reinstated the following week.
This episode marks the first appearance of Terry Becker as Chief Sharkey and Allan Hunt as Stu Riley. Stu would only last the season as Mr. Hunt was drafted by the end of the year. However, Sharkey would remain and soon become a popular favorite.
Fantastic performances, amazing pacing with escalating stakes and cliffhangers, fantastic miniature work and a sublime musical score make the second season premiere one of the best episodes of the series.