Cousin of 1960s science fiction mainstays like Star Trek and Doctor Who, Lost in Space was lighter fare for fans of space travel, and never managed the same longevity that its counterparts did. But with new generations come new reboots, and Netflix has revived the series for the first time since the ill-fated 1998 film.
And things are a little different this time.
[Lots of spoilers for season one of Lost in Space (2018)]
This update to the premise of Lost in Space sees the Robinson family as part of a colonist group heading for Alpha Centauri, rather than striking out alone. When their group gets waylaid by an attack that leads to a crash, the family (and a few dozen survivors they eventually meet up with) is forced to contend with a new environment… and they make first contact when eleven-year-old Will (Maxwell Jenkins) befriends an alien artificial intelligence. With the main carrier ship, the Resolute, orbiting the alien planet in search of survivors, the Robinsons and other colonists have limited time to get back into space before they’re left on this strange world permanently.
There is a blanket of grimness tossed over the proceedings, and while that makes some sense given the situation at hand, there’s very little of the humor that Lost in Space was once known for. This is partly down to Parker Posey’s gender-swapped Dr. Smith. Her real name June Harris—she steals the identity of the real Dr. Smith at the start of the show (aptly played by the original Will Robinson, Bill Mumy), after having stolen her sister’s identity to get on board the Resolute in the first place. Rather than an agent of insidious camp and poor choices, Dr. Smith has been rendered as a genuine sociopath in this iteration. While Posey is performing the hell out of the role, it doesn’t change the fact that Dr. Smith’s original purpose as a series regular was to entertain and keep things moving. Here, Smith’s sociopathy is just an excuse to keep her behaving odiously without any true interest for what makes her tick. She claims she wants to start a new life, but beyond that, we get no indication of what she wanted to do on a new world with far fewer people where her chances of being caught were always going to be high. Initially, I was excited to see a woman play a role as fun as Dr. Smith… but Posey isn’t given the chance to have any fun.
The Robinsons have their fair share of internal family drama (an aspect perhaps slightly borrowed from that maligned 1998 movie), but each of them carry their roles with aplomb and far more personality than they’ve ever been previously allotted. Rather than dad being de facto in charge, we get clear matriarchal leadership in Molly Parker’s Maureen Robinson, an engineer and taskmaster who treats her family like her own personal (but dearly-loved) army. John Robinson is played with begrudging warmth by Toby Stephens, a father and husband who had been re-upping his time in the U.S. Marines, apparently under the belief that his genius family didn’t need him. This choice almost broke apart his marriage with Maureen, but the trip to Alpha Centauri offers a new chance to build. It’s refreshing to watch a married couple on the verge of divorce rediscover each other in a manner as grounded as this show depicts—where two people who are still admiring of one another’s strengths and abilities have to learn how to be a team again. In addition, John Robinson’s primary struggle in the show is wrapped up in relearning masculinity outside of traditional norms; because his family doesn’t need him to provide for them or even to protect them (the Robot starts protecting Will as soon as they meet, leading to a great deal of discomfort on Papa Robinson’s part), he has to tune into his family and make an effort to give them what they truly need, be it comfort, or understanding, or even just practical know-how.
Taylor Russell has an incredible arc as Judy Robinson, an eighteen-year-old not only expected to grow up instantly in the midst of chaos, but also needed as a doctor due to her education and position within the mission. Judy struggles with PTSD after a traumatizing incident at the start of the season, but more importantly, she has to contend with the sharp learning curve of going from newly minted medical professional to on-the-fly doctor instantly. Her courage under pressure is stunning, even in the moments when it’s a bit reckless. There’s a bit of a flirtation happening between her and Don West (Ignacio Serricchio), which the show it clearly trying to pass off as a Han/Leia brand of antagonism; it’s still squiffy, given that there’s a twelve year gap between the actors and it’s obvious. West himself starts the show fairly insufferable, but once the scripts start leaning into the character’s innate oddness, all his bravado finally becomes funny and he lights up.
Penny Robinson is played by Mina Sundwall, and it’s deeply satisfying to get such a realistic glimpse into teenage girlhood on a show that has historically favored Will Robinson’s perspective over every member of his family. Penny seems to be the secret make-or-break point of the Lost in Space narrative, in fact—even the movie did a great job with the character, giving her video diaries and a healthy heaping of homesick angst to power her through. This version of Penny is less dramatic, but deeply sarcastic and a little goofy in all the ways the teenagers are and desperately pretend not to be. All of the Robinson kids have well-wrought relationships as siblings, which could have easily been forgone in favor of petty squabbling to create more drama. Instead, we love Judy, Penny, and Will because they love each other.
There are other places where the show clicks together beautifully, and those are all the places where the new environment presents challenges to the colonists that they have to overcome creatively. As a survivalist nightmare, Lost in Space is a treat, and not over-dour in its execution. Watching incredibly smart people come up with answers to sudden problems is always enjoyable, it builds tension throughout the series without dragging it down. Every new creature, every environmental oddity, every change in the landscape raises the stakes and keeps the plot from fizzling out.
For a show with such a large assortment of bright spots, its dimmer parts become all the more irritating. There are just too many holes in the worldbuilding to make the conceit pan out in moments when it needs to dearly; the idea that the Robinsons are part of the 24th group sent to colonize Alpha Centauri, but somehow have no handbook or training for dealing with hostile incursions or making contact with other species is baffling. (Even given what we learn about humans gathering alien tech to make these trips possible, these are basic necessities in the face of frequent space travel.) There’s also the fact that no one besides Penny Robinson seems to have read a book or have a concept of narrative—we learn that the Robot attacked the Resolute and caused their crash, but no one thinks to ask why while they’re busy reprimanding it for murder, which is plain asinine no matter how traumatized and angry the survivors may be.
And that’s without getting into base morality in terms of how the Robot’s existence is handled. It’s all well and good to be happy that an alien AI rescues your kid and wants to be friends with him, but it’s never made clear if people are considering the Robot’s potential sentience as part of how they make decisions regarding its fate. Will tells his family and anyone who will listen that the Robot is safe because he can control him, and not a single person ever says “hey, controlling him shouldn’t be the goal here unless you’re planning on keeping him as a slave. We need to find out if you friend values life and understands it, and can be trusted on his own.” These mistakes are perhaps realistic in a certain light, but they’re never addressed in a manner that suggests that the people writing the show know that these are mistakes. Will’s biggest error on the show—having the Robot walk off a cliff and destroy itself, leaving the door wide open for Dr. Smith to repair and reclaim it—is made out of fear for the lives of his family and the other colonists, certainly. It is also murder, even if said murder ends up being temporary, and no one ever acts as though this is a problem.
This could be partly due to the fact that the show is also so far determined to keep any concept of politics away from the story—for starters, we have no idea who is sending these groups into space, which governments are involved, how they have been working together, and who is being left behind. It is never addressed that sending the “best and brightest” into space might be an unfair practice to everyone else back on Earth (save for a throwaway line from Major West, who is fully aware of the injustice within the system). It also seems that the extinction event that occurs on Earth and precipitates these colonizing missions might be the result of certain Earth governments working in collusion to gain new technology. This extinction event nearly wipes out the Middle East, which would mean that part of the planet was okay with letting that happen. If the show is making commentary on the state of humanity going forward, that’s a viable storytelling choice, but leaving big suggestions like this out there in midair is deeply unsatisfying. These are all issues that could be alleviated in a second season of the show, but the title of the series is Lost in Space, not Lost in Space Before We Head Back to Earth and Fix This Mess.
Perhaps the show will find its feet as it goes? As it stands, Lost in Space has heaps of promise, but hasn’t found its voice just yet.
Emmet Asher-Perrin still has far too many feelings about Robot. You can bug her on Twitter and Tumblr, and read more of her work here and elsewhere.
Everyone remembers the original Dr. Smith as an incredibly campy cringer (Oh, Will. I didn’t mean to sell Penny to the space toads!), but for about half of the first season he was a pretty nasty piece of work. He transmogrified into the character we know today largely through the efforts of Jonathan Harris (and note that last name; Dr. Smith is still being played by someone named Harris!) and succeeded because he and Bill Mumy had really good chemistry.
And Penny is the absolute best in this iteration. She’s not just one of the best-written teens I’ve ever seen, she’s also a complete middle child and wonderfully reflects that, even though she is and knows she’s really, really smart, she’s the dumb one in this family.
“While Posey is performing the hell out of the role, it doesn’t change the fact that Dr. Smith’s original purpose as a series regular was to entertain and keep things moving.”
Rather, Smith’s original purpose, when he was added to the series in the reshoots/expansion of the original pilot, was to be a source of conflict and danger that was previously missing. Initially he was very much a manipulative sociopath, essentially Iago in space, albeit with a sardonic sense of humor. The increasing turn to comedy and buffoonery was a result of Jonathan Harris rewriting his lines to play to his strengths (as he saw them) and feed his ego, and of Irwin Allen basically not caring enough to rein him in. Many LiS fans feel that the increasing turn to humor — and the season 2 revamp into pure camp in an attempt to copy Batman‘s runaway success — was a waste of the show’s original potential.
I haven’t seen the Netflix show yet, but it sounds like it’s trying to get back to basics of being a family survival drama in space. From what I hear, though, it may have overcorrected on the amount of humor.
I’m only 5 episodes in but my main complaint is that while the Robinsons are intelligent survivalists who are smart enough to get themselves out of scrapes I wonder why they do some of the inane things that get them into trouble. Will Robinson is the one member of the family in this show technically not qualified for the voyage and I fear that the writers will use him as the excuse to get the family or himself into trouble. That would quickly make him a hated character. Space (and Dr Smith) is dangerous enough, just let the Robinsons “MacGyver” their way out. I’ve always loved the family aspect of Lost in Space because there simply isn’t enough of it in TV and movie science fiction.
I’m not sure I’d say that the show is lost, so much as that in this season it’s trying to play a game that’s maybe a little too complex, which results in the seams showing. The worldbuilding is largely via slow-trickle flashbacks and both Dr. Smith’ and the Robot’s reimaginings have to fit into the picture. There are hints of deep or peripheral things that aren’t adequately fleshed-out, and maybe it would’ve been better just to not go there at all.
All of that said, as far as the family goes, this show is aces as far as I’m concerned. Casting, characterization, chemistry, pretty terrific across the board. These are people with whom I want to explore the galaxy, and the parts of season one that skew more towards exploration are the best parts. It’s a beautiful show that has moments of awe and wonder.
Without any heavy spoilers, considering the ending of this season, I think that it has a good chance of leaning into its strengths if it Netflix renews it.
I’m only 2 episodes in, and not sure about going on with it. So I risked the spoilers here. I’m glad to hear that the family dynamic seems to come together better in later episodes. But in the beginning, the family (save for Penny and Dad) are all super annoying. And the mother, while definitely capable and intelligent, comes off as a total jerk. Taskmaster seems an understatement to me. M biggest problem however, is how glaringly bad the science part of the fiction is written. I get it. Its an alien world, things are going to be a bit different. But from the get go, they establish as a Goldilocks planet, similar to Earth. They spout off temperature numbers, geology facts, etc, all attempting to ground the show in scientific realism- then they have part of an ocean flash freeze, from the bottom up, after stating the temperature to be similar to what we have in the arctic here on Earth. Maybe instead of diving into frigid water for a battery to keep warm, build an igloo, since the the temperature they stated is only one or two degrees colder than what Inuit cultures survive in regularly here at home. I don’t need all of my science fiction to be on the level of The Martian, explaining the math and biology, but water freezing is pretty basic.
I can’t figure this out. Will rolls off a deadly cold glacier into the middle of a northern temperate forest, which is within a short walk of the unsurvivable cold ? The colonists are on their way to the established colonies of alpha centauri, ignoring a perfect earth type planet, right on their route? Which is presumably orbiting a star between here and alpha centauri? The resolute is badly damaged, so it falls out of space like a sinking ocean liner, banging into the powered landing craft on the way down? The antenna is down, so they can hear the resolute but not transmit? Methane is a liquid? Their solar cells will recharge the vehicle batteries overnight?
I know, I know, repeat to yourself it’s just a show, i should really just relax.
Excessive product placement for Oreos.
Hey; name dominoes!
Molly Parker Posey
@6/2k6ul3: “Methane is a liquid?”
At cryogenic temperatures and high pressures, yes. Liquid methane is often used as rocket fuel, because it’s a more concentrated, more easily handled and transported form. Natural gas (which is mostly methane) is often transported in liquid form for much the same reasons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane#Liquefied_natural_gas
“Their solar cells will recharge the vehicle batteries overnight?”
Research is always underway to improve the collection efficiency of solar cells and the speed of battery recharging. There are some prototype battery technologies in development that could recharge fully in mere moments.
I had a few issues with some of the tech and world building issues, but they’re no worse off than some of the Doctor Who Space Technology (TM) that seems to be easy to explode or destroy for no reason, or to malfunction at plot convinient times, etc. I think Lost in Space is missing the high points in terms of ideas or commentary that the best sci-fi shows have, but it still has potential.
The show is very good at ratcheting up the tension and making the characters believable (for the most part) even if the situation isn’t always that believable. Other than Dr. Smith’s motivations, everyone else’s seemed to make sense and we didn’t have anyone acting randomly weird just to move the plot in a certain direction, which is something alot of shows fail at.
@2k6ul3b they weren’t going past a Goldilocks planet, they are that far off course. It’s blink and you’ll miss it but during the flashback when the Jupiters fail to escape they and the Resolute are all pulled into a wormhole.
Alright, I’m on Episode 8 and Dr. Smith is getting old. I agree, the humor has been lost.
I hope the storyline improves because I am unsure if I can stand another episode of Dr. Smith just being a sociopath. I want to see more “MacGyver”-like problem solving as someone here had said.
I’ve only seen the first episode and I could take it or leave it as a series, but I do appreciate the fancy robot design. That’s a lot more impressive than a bunch of inner tubes stacked together.
I hate this show. I hate every aspect of it. OK, except Penny. But Penny isn’t enough to keep me watching this farce of a reboot. This is nothing like Lost in Space except the characters have the same name. Someone else said it’s trying to be LOST (in space). They’re not in space. They’re not a stranded family (plus 2) trying to cope with new situations in isolation. They’re a whole colony that’s just going to colonize this planet instead of another. They don’t act with any common sense. The science is non-existent (technobabble doesn’t equal science). And while the original was stupid in that regard, the original was meant to be funny. This show wants so desperately to be serious, and yet doesn’t bother being logical.
And the characters… Will is neither smart nor courageous anymore. The family is insufferable. I found myself hoping Dr Smith would kill and eat them in entertaining ways. Because the new Dr Smith is only a mean sociopath, and while the original was mean, he was also a source of a lot of humor, and he had a heart that led him to help Will time and again. And what the heck did the father do to anyone? He reupped because no one wanted him around, and so the mom belittles him in front of the kids constantly making it clear that he was reading the situation right. He spends the whole show trying to overcome her hostility that she brought the kids in on. And she just makes one bad decision after the next. For God’s sake make a competent woman who isn’t an idiot be in charge! At least I liked Judy for the most part, but the “romance” between her and Don looks like it would be illegal in 47 states. Gross.
I told my husband to pick any sf show on in the last couple of years and I’ll watch it uncomplaining rather than this mess. Isn’t the original Lost in Space streaming somewhere?
I made it to the point where the Government wouldn’t let him print a gun and decided, “Well, that’s it. They would have all died soon after with no reliable defensive capability.” The robot is a mur-didly-urdler so he certainly doesn’t count as defense.
Also; ship diagram on screen shows 2 big methane tanks; no room for oxidizer tank?
@6 – maybe not literally that scenario, but I can vouch for the fact you can stand in lush green rainforest in NZ and literally look straight across a gorge at a glacier descending from a mountain.
@17/TrixM: Which is part of why New Zealand is such a popular filming location. There’s such a wide range of different environments within easy driving distance of each other.
Personally, I thought Smith was the best thing about the show, and look forward to seeing where they go with it in a season where everyone’s ON to her but, presumably, doesn’t feel it’s worth killing or imprisoning her because she can still be useful.
The science is pretty eyerollingly wonky at times, but on the whole I enjoyed the show a lot more than I expected to.
@8 How well do these new improved Solar cells work in the absence of Sunlight?
I don’t get the dislike for this show. I think it’s great. There isn’t any unnecessary sex to bring the plot to a screeching halt (ahem*Altered Carbon) and they make excellent use of their 10 episodes, unlike every single Marvel series on Netflix, which generally has 7 episodes of content in a 13-episode season. Even the good ones.
The science is pretty decent for a sci-fi adventure show, and for a reboot of Lost in Space it is stellar. I mean, this is based a silly 1960s TV series which had such things as a giant talking carrot who turned Dr. Smith into a stalk of celery, followed by a ‘90s movie which wasn’t any better. The fact that they included real science *at all* is amazing.
And really, the science is no worse than what we see in novels/movies like The Martian. (The storm that strands Watney on Mars is impossible. The Martian atmosphere isn’t dense enough to support that severity. No biggie.)
Plus, the acting and music, especially the music, are terrific. I’ve listened to the soundtrack three times and it gets better each time.
@21/trike: “And really, the science is no worse than what we see in novels/movies like The Martian. (The storm that strands Watney on Mars is impossible. The Martian atmosphere isn’t dense enough to support that severity. No biggie.)”
Well, that’s hardly fair. Yes, the film did take liberties with that one aspect of science for the sake of the story, but otherwise the science was as solid as you could get. There’s an enormous difference between informed poetic license and simple laziness or ignorance.
Does the guy and gal left behind in the cave get rescued? Spoiler or not I have to know…
This show hits all the right notes for me. It is family friendly with solid acting from everone. It depicts a wholesome family that, at the same time, is not perfect. The parents act like adults and manage to work through their marital strife. They come together as partners avoiding the (sadly typical) modern trope of ‘idiot dad’ getting schooled by ‘super mom’. The kids are loving toward each other and not a bunch of bickering, angsty, disrespectful brats. They use knowledge and ingenuity to get through challenges together and everyone gets to contribute something to overcoming those challenges. This show is the antidote to the current swath of depressing, gritty TV like Walking Dead and game of Thrones. As a child I liked to be uplifted, feel a sense of wonder and be inspired about space travel, science, technology and nature. Pedants who complain about the ‘accuracy’ of the science completely miss the point. I haven’t seen any sci-fi shows like that in over a decade until Lost in Space came out.
The writer also seemingly laments that politics is not touched on in the show….I think that is actually one of the best things about it. I don’t need a talking head debate about the morality of telling the robot to jump off a cliff. The point of having a fresh start on a new world is to maybe leave all of the divisive politics behind and simply let people live the way they want without interference from every side.
In any case here’s hoping they renew this show for many more seasons. Thank you Netflix.
I’m with you, Nick. I vaguely recall watching the original, lo, those many years ago, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this series…although I admit, I found Dr. Smith to be a bit tedious by the time we were done, even if she did one “good” thing, and boy, if they start trusting her now, that’ll be worse than all the trumped up science.
In any case, I hope to see a second season.
Why can a woman no longer be angry or jealous at the site of another woman. That is the way it should be.
THIS SHOW IS FANOMINAL! I grew up with the original which was so hokey but fun at the time. This is brilliantly written. I love how they’ve done the characters to make this believable as what would really happen. I hope they keep it going!
The child that plays Will Robinson grinds my gears big time. I’m not sure if it’s the script or the actor but I severely detest his character. He acts nothing like a child of that age nor does he think like one. Don’t get me started on al the stupid things he does which make no logical sense. Yes he’s a child, but he isn’t portrayed (well) as a naive or young child by the way he reacts and the language he uses. I honestly wouldn’t be upset if he was suddenly replaced. That’s just my two cents, other than that I’m enjoying the series quite a lot having not seen many episodes of the original, thus having no real connection to its origins.