 Since its original broadcast, "Pit of Peril" has drawn a mixed response from its production crew and critics, who note that the plot was stretched thin by the extension of the episode's running time from 25 to 50 minutes.The Sidewinder is a giant walker developed by the US Army for use in brushfire wars.During a field test in the African jungle, disaster strikes when the Sidewinder disturbs the crust that has formed above a burning pit, creating a fissure that swallows the vehicle.