Lost In Space (2018) Series Talkback (Spoilers)

[Fone Bone]

Surprised we don't have one for this yet.

Lost In Space "Impact"

Ooh, Dr. Smith is a woman! And she's played by that horrible dog owner from Best In Show.

Honestly, despite constant, nonstop disaster movie level peril, the first episode of the remake of the classic 60's sci-fi series was quite dull and slow. I am used to my entertainment being a little faster-paced. Either I will eventually get used to this, or I will wind up disliking the series. Jury is out on which one it will be.

It's suggested the mom has committed treason, and if Dr. Smith isn't the one she colluded with I'll eat my hat (UPDATE: Hat eaten). For some reason I really dislike the father. His actor rubs me the wrong way and I think he's a jerk.

The Robot destroying the ship must have a different explanation than the one we were shown.

I didn't much like that, but perhaps I'll like it more as it goes along. **1/2.

Lost In Space "Diamonds In The Sky"

Ugh. Television.

I'm deducting major points for the product placement, and I'll get to why in a minute.

Dr. Smith having lied about having a brother (or maybe about NOT having one) shows how duplicitous she is. I'm sure she's actually a scientist who captured and tortured the robot and that's why all this happened. This is not a theory that I'll take any victory lap over for being right. It's the most obvious answer to both her and the robot's behavior. (UPDATE: Another eaten hat).

The Oreos. Ugh. The Oreos. I'm deducting three entire stars. It was probably one of the worst product placements I have ever seen, including all of the things Kellogg's forces shows to clumsily show people eating and loving Pop-Tarts during. Why is it so bad? Because this show is set in the future. It shouldn't have any product placements at all! It's especially unnecessary because it airs on a streaming service! It is true that most of the domestic scenes on Earth in the last episode look very familiar to our world. But as far as packaging on snacks goes, the companies that make them change up the packages every 5 or 10 years or so. The fact that they were using the CURRENT packaging of Oreos, and acting like it wouldn't be different 30 or 40 years from now (or whenever this takes place) means the placement is utterly breaking the reality of the situation. I think product placements are ALWAYS bad, but the ones in the background irk me less. And the fact that this one was a part of the story, and the packaging being current is not in the least bit credible, means I didn't believe much of what the episode was telling me either. This isn't an epic sci-fi adventure. It's Television. AVERAGE Television. Calling something with this level of ambition and special effects "Television" is the harshest critique I can give a show being made today. I am very disappointed in the series and the episode, and have to say this show is not leaving me with any sort of favorable impression in the first two episodes. Still plenty of time to improve, but if it does, it will be because the show grew into itself. Not because the way they executed the premise was actually good to start off with.

Ugh. Television. **.

Lost In Space "Infestation"

That was very good. I liked that a lot.

I am impressed with Dr. Smith's characterization so far. She is a bit of a borderline sociopath, but what I like is not that she seems to have a conscience, but her sense of self-preservation probably told her this was a really bad time to burn the Robinsons. Once she does that, the jig is up. I like that she seems to be reasoning that these people seem capable enough to get them out of the mess, and if she has to betray them, she'll save it for when that is actually in her best interest. It's not generally in a psychopath's best interest to go around and betraying people willy-nilly. That's how they get caught. Even the most depraved of serial killers must use restraint and caution at certain points. That's partly why I was disappointed she sent the guy out of the airlock in the flashback. It seemed like a move that could come back to bite her (just like her betraying Don West last episode obviously will.) I like when Dr. Smith shows empathy only because it's the safest play.

I love that her real last name is Harris, after Jonathan Harris who played him on the old TV show.

The robot is alarming me. So Dr. Smith had nothing to do with him or his rampage. Then why did he go berserk to begin with? And why did he print the gun? And "Danger, Will Robinson" is entirely unhelpful as far as explanations to his bizarre and scary behavior go.

I liked the stuff with Judy and Jonathan. I like Jonathan more than I did in the first couple of episodes because they gave him an interesting facet: He is clearly a better dad than either Maureen or the kids believe or expect him to be. And I like learning how chill and supportive he is of Judy's trauma, when Maureen seems either oblivious to it, or she doesn't believe it matters in the moment. Maureen is very clear she wants to be in charge. But I think as far as orders go, Jonathan is making the right and sensible calls.

Maureen's actress reminds me very strongly of Doctor Who's Alex Kingston. And I seem to like and hate her for the exact same reasons I did River Song.

I love the main title.

I enjoyed the episode very much. ****.

Lost In Space "The Robinsons Were Here"

Oh, good. Psychological stuff. My fave.

I am inclined to first talk about Will and Maureen's imploding marriage. It's the least important thing in the episode (all things considered) but Maureen just irks me. I sincerely hope I don't come by my disdain for her because I'm a guy, and that I actually believe Jonathan was right for doing what he did. I actually don't believe that. But I DO believe that if Maureen were an even slightly rational person, Jonathan would have NO part of the high ground for choosing to go back to active duty instead of staying with his family.

Do you know why I DON'T think that? Because this episode is the first time Maureen revealed she read the letter to him! That's insane! This is not the battle of the sexes in me talking, I believe any rational person would be screaming at the guy the second he got home, and gotten into the knock-down drag-out fight he is so clearly begging for and deserves. Instead she says nothing, and acts like it's his fault that she was the one who ultimately gave up on them. I'm not saying John isn't a turd. He is. But if she believes she can hold the high ground after not lifting a single finger to save their marriage, she's totally wrong. If she wants John's sympathy, the very least she could have done is fight for him. I'm not saying he's necessarily WORTH fighting for. But there ARE kids involved, and they don't seem to matter to her in her little mindgame and moral superiority complex. I would very much like to declare someone who abandoned their family as the clear bad guy in their relationship. In reality, she refused to give him a reason to stay. That's not cool.

More psychological issues. I don't think Dr. Smith's manipulation of the Robot will be successful. It raises a question for the audience, but for me, not a real one. (UPDATE: Another Eaten Hat. I'll say this: I'll never accuse the show of being predictable.)

Dr. Smith and Don kept missing each other which is probably for the best at this stage of the game.

Don West is a lot less nihilistic when he isn't around Dr. Smith. I'm not saying he isn't still a scoundrel. He clearly is. But he's a much FRIENDLIER scoundrel when people aren't giving him positive feedback for whatever bad impulse he's currently indulging.

Opinion about Will and the Robot: I think Judy is right to want to tell her father, and even more right to believe the Robot is dangerous. The show pulled a narrative trick by Will saying people can change, and Judy declaring that the Robot isn't a person, engendering the audience's sympathy with the Robot's autonomy and free will. That's almost too cute by half. Even if you stipulated the Robot is a person, in order for a person to change, you actually have to know WHY they did the destructive behavior to begin with. None of the kids know. It seems like even the Robot doesn't know. The reason I am not invested in the Robot's growth as a sentient being that can change is because we don't know what set him off to begin with. Until we do, arguing over personhood is sentimental claptrap designed to both manipulate the audience and mask the real issue. It's the one part of the episode I had a real problem with. Maureen and John's stuff DID suck, but it was interesting because it sucked. Here, this feels like a false note instead.

A lot more human cast members on this show than in the original series. I wonder if that will only be for this season and if the Robinsons, Don, Smith, and the Robot will go off on their own in seasons 2 and 3. We'll see. But it's a little too populated with other people and technology for them to be considered truly "Lost" yet.

I think Penny is under the mistaken impression that she and that troubled boy just had a "MeetCute". But if the worried expression on his face is any indication, he doesn't think that. He doesn't think that at all.

Solid episode. ****.

Lost In Space "Transmission"

I am both impressed with Dr. Smith and disappointed with her after that.

I am impressed how easily her lie covered her tracks of stealing the flare gun with Don. Similarly, her story about why she didn't mention him to Judy is also believable. Unfortunately, both stories are stop-gap measures to her lies spinning out of control for the reasons shown. The characters can check with each other what she's told each of them, and figure out they are being played eventually.

I also thought Smith telling John about the Robot when she did was stupid because there was nothing to gain from it at the time. She seems a little too eager to gum up the works in an already fragile situation. Chaos is her enemy with the things she's concealing. She needs to build up credibility and trust, and she is not doing that with anybody. Dr. Smith would strike me as more threatening and duplicitous if I ever believed her threats and duplicity were aimed at the right people at the right time.

Sort of cool to get a better picture of Earth's political situation. It's stable, but too late to save the planet itself. Interesting. Also cool to learn that Judy looks the way she does because John arrived in the picture after she was born. It doesn't make him less of a Dad, but it explains her difference in complexion with the rest of the family.

Just so we're clear, the Robot's behavior in the episode made me trust him LESS, not more. If Will ever dies, everybody else is screwed. I do not love the idea of that entire group of colonists' well-being depending on a fragile little boy who always seems to find himself in lethal peril. I do not love that at all.

It was an interesting episode though. ***1/2.

Lost In Space "Eulogy"

I had very mixed feelings about that. And yet, I believe I will give the episode a positive and passing grade. That is not always the case for things I have mixed feelings about. Often episodes that elicit those do several things I love and several things I hate. This did several things I loved and several things that irked me. None of the bad stuff actually ruined the episode.

I'm going to start with the bad stuff first, because despite my harsh reputation for reviewing television, I DO like to keep things positive, so I'll talk about the great stuff last. So we'll get the gripes out of the way first.

My biggest gripe of the episode is not actually insignificant. Because I think it's a gripe against the entire series. But I was unsure about how the series was handling Dr. Smith before this, and after this episode I'm like "They're doing it wrong."

A lot of hardcore Lost In Space fans express a certain amount of regret that after the Pilot episode in which Dr. Smith was a bonafide villain, and responsible for stranding the Robinson's in the first place (if I remember it correctly) he was defanged in every later episode to be a lovable nuisance instead. His duplicity was played for laughs, and you forgave him because you could tell deep down he was all right. But I think anyone wanting more than that from this character, with as limited a sci-fi premise as the show originally had, aren't thinking through the implications of that kind of person in a survival situation.

It is not actually in Smith's best interest to turn people against each other, while people are questioning her role and who she is. It's especially unwise to always be offering different backstories to different people you have to keep straight. Do you want to know the best excuse the old show had for Nerfing Dr. Smith to begin with? They are in a survival situation. It is in Smith's best interest to work with the Smiths, and especially try to get along with them. I don't feel this version of Smith is conniving or playing a long game. She's just a crazy sociopath. That clearly doesn't work for the character or the situation, and it's not sustainable, especially because the cast is much bigger on this show than it was on the original. I very much hope the situation with Smith is somewhat resolved by season two, because having a Smith that is working against the Robinsons while they are trying to save everyone's lives, INCLUDING Smith's, makes Smith a dumb, ineffectual villain. The old show wisely decided it would be easier just to not make him a villain at all. That was the right move, and I hope season two understands that sooner rather than later.

I also am very annoyed by Maureen. She almost spills the beans to the most untrustworthy person in camp, and when the fellow scientist explains to her about how scientists need to be careful about what to tell the public, I was like, "She's a scientist herself. She should already know that." If they wanted to have one of the parents behaving irrationally in worry over how the other survivors will respond to that sort of bad news, they should have given the hot mess role to John.

But to be honest, I DID like John's role as the calming presence and peacemaker better. But I have one more thing to dislike before we get to that.

I disliked Penny's stuff with VJ. She's asking him to keep a lot of huge, dangerous secrets on her behalf when he hardly knows her. He'll do it because he's smitten, and maybe wants to see her in a bathing suit, but that is a LOT of burden to be putting on somebody that young you don't actually know. She gets that from her mother's side of the family.

I really liked the stuff with Penny and Don. I think Don has a good point that doctors expect compensation for saving lives too. The thing is that even though I believe that it true, Don's position is a lot less secure than a high-paid doctor's is. Because this is a service he can only render once, and to be frank, it's not in his best interest to not render it. He'll die with everyone else if he holds out. Which tells me the deal Victor made with him was him simply humoring him. He might even actually pay him when all is said and done. But it was merely done to get the guy onboard quicker and with fewer hassles. He was being a politician, which is fine because that's what he is. And Don's a scoundrel. Extorting people for his services is HIS job. It's not as ethically suspect as Victor convinces Penny it is.

And I love that Don says he doesn't like the people, and he wouldn't have bothered sacrificing his life for theirs. That may actually be true. What he DID do is RISK his life, at no benefit to himself whatsoever. In hindsight, his actions probably kept Penny alive. But I don't think that was how he was approaching it when he cut the line. It was that Penny wouldn't do what needed to be done, so he took the impossible decision out of her hands. While I'm sure he was HOPING to figure out a way to survive, it's not plausible to believe he actually knew he would. It WAS actually a selfless act on his part, no matter what he claims after the fact.

The stuff with Will and the Robot broke my heart. And it was the right episode for the Robot to get out of control and injure John. I think John is the only person in the camp who truly understands the situation with the Robot. I thought he was being cruel to Will on the hike, but when I figured out the purpose of the stone, I thought he was the best dad ever. Will can believe the Robot has changed. The Robot might even have. What neither Will nor the Robot can do is pretend the rampage never happened. That people aren't dead. That there weren't consequences to that happening, and that somebody like Angela being unable to forgive and move on was an inevitability rather than an unlikely worst case scenario.

And Will ordering the Robot to destroy itself is heartbreaking. Does the Robot know WHY Will is ordering him to do this? Is that why he complies? Or does he not simply understand the magnitude of what changed for Will upon seeing the Robot injure his father, the one person besides him who understood the value of the Robot? Especially alarming for Will is that while his father understood his value as much as he did, he father also understood the danger more than he ever could. And gave Will and the Robot his blessing anyways. Would Will have been exactly as upset if it was his mother hurt? Maybe. But I think it hurt him a LOT more after the day where his Dad was teaching him and the Robot the lesson with the stones. A LOT more.

So yeah, Boo to Dr. Smith, and yay to Dad and Will bonding over the severity of the Robot's actions. ***1/2.

Lost In Space "Pressurized"

Judy is an idiot. And she clearly isn't a real doctor. Real doctors know how to do a benefit / risk analysis, and make calls not in favor of the patient when need be. She unilaterally made that bad call for stupid personal reasons, and now everyone suffers for no reason whatsoever.

What kill me is that the villains from the survivors' perspective are not Dr. Smith and Robot. It's the Robinsons. They were already on thin ice for protecting the Robot, and would eventually have been on even thinner ice when the truth of the planet's eventual demise came out. Judy just wasted all of their badly needed capital on a stupid vanity project. It actually makes me angry.

I found John and Maureen's heart-wrenching goodbye in the tar so great because these numbskulls actually found a way out of it. The helium balloon was a genius solution, and I'm betting the writer of the episode smoked a cigar after coming up with it. Them talking in helium voices upon reaching the surface was pretty much the best the series ever made me feel. I will not dismiss that.

But Judy is still an emo dope. ***.

Lost In Space "Trajectory"

That ending was dire, but I continue to think Dr. Smith is an ineffective villain. Yes, she can trick a scared child who believes his father might die when she has the very answer he wants. But her act with the adults is wearing very thin. What's especially irksome about her lies to Maureen and John isn't merely the fact that they can be easily verified as lies. It's that she switches gears and stories instantly and doesn't think the person she is speaking to will either notice or care about the notable contradictions in what she is currently saying not at all jibing with what she was saying 30 seconds earlier. Some might call that kind of lying desperate. I call it stupid.

For the record, I love Don. For two reasons. First of all, after what Judy made him do last episode she had no right to ask him to risk his life for her and her dad. He had literally done enough for her and was nothing but punished for his kindness. But I love Don because he's the kind of dope who can't say no to her anyways, even when he should. But he wants a medal. And I think at this point he deserves one.

The other reason I love Don is that after John and Maureen declare their love for each other, Don says he loves Maureen too. Strong opinion time: I do not believe he had to be joking when he said that for it to be appropriate. Loving a person in a life or death situation is rational and understandable. I don't think Don was being a wiseguy when he said it. At least, if I had written the episode he wouldn't have been. It would have been a sincere moment. Which is why that's the interpretation I'm choosing to go with.

I like that Will refuses to give John his blessing to go on the mission. As far as characters choices go, especially for a little kid, that is perfectly valid. Made compelling television too. I won't judge Will harshly for it.

One last thing that needs commenting on. I think Judy has made Don unduly suffer for no good reason, but that is nothing compared to the number Penny has been doing on poor VJ. She's like "I told you that in confidence. I trusted you." And she expects him to apologize! She didn't even know him! That mistake was entirely hers! He owes her nothing for her making it. And when she asks if they're broken up I was like, "What Penny becomes an adult, she is going to wind up an incredibly damaged one." Telling the poor kid he was a lousy kisser was the hot mess turd on the ice cream sundae of sociopathy for this chick. I'm supposed to hate Smith for her craziness? It's not like there are a ton of admirable woman on the show to compare her favorably to.

Speaking of which, Maureen is pretty much the worst mom ever. I don't care what the situation was. Making her kids witness their dad suffer through the "and you're dead" scenario over and over again is the worst possible thing a parent could ever put their kids through. I always believe that there are certain people out there whose reckless behavior makes it clear they have no business raising and caring for beings smaller and weaker than themselves. What bothers me is the fact that modern television has almost normalized this kind of terrible parent in the public's eyes. I'm here to say Maureen Robinson's Momhood cred doesn't pass muster with me. She is crazy bad at it.

So yeah, that was exciting and also super frustrating. Would it kill the show to have a woman as admirable as John, as sympathetic as Will, and as likable as Don? It really shouldn't be the huge ask the show is making it out to be. ***.

Lost In Space "Resurrection"

"Danger, Dr. Smith," are not words you ever want to hear the Robot say.

The scene in the caves were intense. The producers pretty much proved their horror movie bonafides right there. That stuff was straight out of Jurassic Park, especially the beast yawning while Penny silently shrieks in terror. Good stuff.

Big stuff happening. ****.

Lost In Space "Danger, Will Robinson"

Whatever next season holds, when the Robot returns, I will never trust him again. I don't care that he came around at the end. The fact that Dr. Smith was able to win his loyalty so easily says he is amoral. The most significant moment in the episode was Will using the "It" pronoun. I noticed it and found it appropriate. The Robot actually coming through felt like a bit of an unearned happy ending after that.

I enjoyed the stuff with John trying to make Don cry. I will confess I misjudged Toby Stephens as an actor immediately, and I shouldn't have. His look and demeanor reminded me unpleasantly of Blindspot's Sullivan Stapleton, who I feel a very real level of revulsion for in getting cast in a lead role for his rugged good looks and tough guy voice, while possessing a complete inability to act. Superficially Stephens is a good-looking tough guy. But he can generate genuine warmth and emotion with the family. I buy him as a hardass and loving dad equally. And I should not have thought that just because Sullivan Stapleton is a talentless hack who only got where he did by his looks, that doesn't make that true of every good-looking tough guy. Lesson learned for me there.

They are now truly Lost in Space. It would tickle me if the next season became episodic, and visited a different exotic planet each week like the old show, and the entire first season could have been considered an extended prologue. But I doubt something that awesome will happen simply because TV is never that kind to me. TV never does this right thing if it can help it. Logical and easy-to-digest plot turns are rare, and seem to have to be fought for kicking and screaming. We'll see if this show is as amazing as I want it to be next year. I predict it won't be.

I liked Penny's freak-out over something bad potentially happening to Judy. I think Judy had to step back and realize for a second "I'm older than her and I own some responsibility in comforting her." And I think it jarred her because that was the first time that role was ever expected of her from Penny. She had to stop a minute and think, "Oh, man, to HER I'm the adult!" Very interesting and realistic moment.

Judy blaming Will for John's situation for releasing Dr. Smith is more than a bit rich. None of that stuff would have happened or mattered if she hadn't destroyed the camp's entire fuel supply on a vanity patient. She is in no position to throw stones at someone else screwing over their family through rank stupidity. Also for the record, I get the logic of why Will unlocked Smith's cell. It's not wise, but there is a rationality attached to his desire to believe her pretty lies. Judy is simply dumb and the only person lying in her situation is her to herself. She's far more culpable for their current fix than Will ever was.

For the record, at this point Parker Posey seems to be deliberately channeling Kathy Bates in Misery. Dr. Smith is exactly as unpleasant as Annie Wilkes, and probably just as crazy deep down (if not superficially). That was not a comparison I enjoyed making.

So yeah, not entirely on-board the series because I have mixed feelings about the Robot, and negative ones for Dr. Smith. If neither of those two things work right, the show won't. What gives me hope is that the Robinsons themselves work much better as a unit than they did on the old show. I am annoyed with each of them in turn. But unlike the old show they never bore me. And this version of Don West is fabulous. The problem with the show is that it's botching the most famous things about the franchise. However, the bones of the story structure feel a LOT more solid on some level than the stale old TV show did. I'm not a fan yet, but the jury is still out on whether me becoming one is impossible or not. We'll see. ****.

 

[Fone Bone]

Lost In Space "Shipwrecked"

That was great. But I have some notes.

The seven month flashforward was both smart and not utilized properly. Smart because it explains the real-life growth spurt of Maxwell Jenkins. However the writers made a decision I would not have made in a million years were I writing this story. They have Dr. Smith in the cell, with her and the Robinsons in a stalemate, and holding pattern of dislike and mistrust. That way lies no drama or viewer interest. What I would have done (and I would think this would be obvious to otherwise decent writers) is to come in after the Robinsons and Smith's already had made some sort of peace, and leave it an open question as to how and why it happened. The viewer will never trust Smith again. If they had done what I just suggested, I crazily just might have because I did not have the full picture. Seeing that nothing had happened for seven months is not narratively satisfying. You want to hit viewers, shake up the status quo entirely, without doing the benefit of explaining yourself, and allow the audience its own bunch of crazy theories. I believe simple storytelling is better than complicated storytelling. But it's not actually complicated to say a thing happened that we didn't witness, and to ask the audience to wonder what that thing was.

Brian Steele's name now appears in the main credits. However I don't see how much use the actor is going to get even bumped up to a series regular. Any major plot points Victor COULD be a part of this year is all stuff the audience as of yet has no clue of. Making Steele a series regular is the kind of tantalizing clue I was talking about just now. Makes me wonder what if any potentially huge role the Resolute may have this year.

I think John sucks for not being moved by Maureen's somewhat true laments that their kids are never going to make friends, fall in love, and have kids of their own. But I think perhaps Maureen is not seeing the situation clearly. Penny is definitely destined to die old and alone if they stay there. However I think Judy has first dibs on Don West, and that was even before he was the last available guy alive. And you are going to hate me for saying this next bit because it's gross, but it's true. In ten years, I would not be at all surprised if Dr. Smith became Will's "Mrs. Robinson" in equally figurative and literal ways. Tell me that's not the most likely outcome. It is. And maybe THAT is the real argument Maureen should be using that they need to get a move-on and meet some nice non-crazy people to commingle with. Will's future almost certainly consisting of, "Are you trying to seduce me, Dr. Smith?" is an excellent excuse for Joe to get the freaking lead out. And it's the best and ONLY excuse any sane parent would need.

The double-cliffhanger was great. I also would be remiss to point out how impressive the visual effects and action sequences are because they are done on a TV budget. They look feature film quality to me. Fifteen years ago, I would have seen that in a theater and walked away with my mind blown. It's not as great as current theatrical FX blockbusters. But it doesn't need to be to knock my socks off. It's still jaw-droppingly great.

Loved the first episode back, although I would have put the pieces on the board after the flashforward in different, unexplained places if I had written it. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "Precipice"

I keep thinking Dr. Smith believes she has more juice than she actually does. Then I remind myself that I thought that last season too, and she still wound up doing okay for herself.

It was a solid episode. ****.

Lost In Space "Echoes"

What a great and intriguing ending.

I laughed upon seeing the horse.

Samantha being the daughter of the guy Dr. Smith killed is an interesting development.

Speaking of Dr. Smith, I must not have registered that Bill Mumy played the real version in the Pilot.

The stuff with SAR stalking the kids in the mess-hall was great, horror movie stuff.

I liked the episode a lot. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "Scarecrow"

Been awhile since the Robot was a significant fixture on the show. Which is very odd for this franchise.

Will is right that the Robots can choose not to hurt people. What he learned this episode is that also means that some can choose to hurt people. Not everyone is gonna make the right choice.

Don didn't leave behind many friends, did he?

I don't find the over-the-top ways Dr. Smith is skirting out of trouble all that great. They seem like desperate stop-gap measures. She's still on the hook for a lot, and there is still a lot of evidence against her, including witnesses to her crimes. She's only delaying the inevitable.

Judy is now a small fish in a big pond, and she doesn't appear to like that one bit.

Pretty good. ***1/2.

Lost In Space "Run"

I love the look on Penny's face upon seeing "Smith" in her new "office". She realized once and for all how out of her mind this chick was. And she is. She's absolutely bonkers.

And I love Penny and VJ obsessing over the kiss, when both of them have to admit they are both completely inexperienced on that subject, and that neither are in any position to judge quality. Besides, VJ should have understood Penny saying he was a bad kisser last year was done for the same reason she asked him to help her up before pulling him into the garbage: It was nothing but a total mindgame. Never simply take Penny's word for it in matters such as these.

My favorite scene was Judy telling John as he was dying exactly the specific ways the family would fall apart, and the fact that she wouldn't forgive him for dying, and that she would hate him forever. These are not pretty lies to comfort a dying person. What she's doing instead is trying to convince him to stay alive. And it's just honest enough to work.

I'm having a hard time understanding why she is suddenly being chased by dinosaurs. I get the horror on this show owes a huge debt to Jurassic Park, but that's a little on the nose, don't you think?

Interesting that Judy's biological father didn't leave Maureen, and simply died a hero before she was born. Sort of draws an interesting contrast to John who doesn't fight for his family when he should.

That dude asking about Will's test really flipped Maureen out. I think he knows, and I think she's scared because she now knows he knows.

Solid episode. ****.

Lost In Space "Severed"

Dynamite. Another great ending. I didn't quite understand the bit with the Robot imposter until the last shot of the episode clarified things for me.

"You may not be the best Robinson. But you're the one we've got." I'd be inclined to say Dr. Smith is the absolute worst for that observation, but I just thought it was amazing how she talked the claustrophobic teacher down to get inside the box instead. I think Dr. Smith does deserve to have to pay from her crimes. But out of all of the supposed "good" things she did, that was the one thing unusual and "above and beyond" that should be taken into account whenever she's sentenced.

Great stuff. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "Evolution"

This season has gotten really enjoyable.

I like that upon each of Adler's theories and pronouncements about the Robot, Maureen seems to trust him less and less. And yet, it's Will and the Robot who ultimately change Adler's mind. I don't trust Adler. But I sense at this point he might be more on the Robinson's side than Hastings, which is crucial.

Speaking of crucial alliances, I was very pleased with John's Long Con with Dr. Smith. It made the right people angry, so that's how you knew it was a successful bluff. It made me very happy too.

When the Robot picks out the stone, I knew I would be giving the episode at least four and half stars. That was super rewarding.

This is a great season. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "Unknown"

I don't trust or like the Robot, but after all that, I don't blame him for cutting his losses either.

Hastings is such a monster. He makes Dr. Smith look like a bunny-rabbit. I like that he DID do his evil plan (and still lost) and didn't get his way anyways. But there will be consequences for the Robinsons. Make no mistake. Hastings's problem is that he's too dumb to realize the consequences will be even worse for him.

Loved every inch of Don West's Big Hero Moment. Was it really last season where the pace of this show was so slow? This whole episode went by at a breakneck pace. It helps that the episode runtimes are now much shorter.

I don't think Dr. Smith is even close to being redeemed. But she is finally showing repentance and regret, which is the first, right step in that direction.

First time Brian Steele's name was actually in the main title sequence. Neat.

Another nail-biter of an episode. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "Shell Game"

It's amazing what visual effects can now do on a TV budget. This specific show would not have been possible ten years ago. Probably not even five.

Big stuff happening, and every moment landed as huge as possible. It turns out the bad guys on this show are humans and not aliens. Hastings is a monster. I like that Adler switched sides at the last second when it actually mattered. Hearing the Robot say your name can do that to a person.

I love that even Smith seemed impressed with the Robinson's shell game. That was a fun moment.

I like that VJ refused to help Penny, and she was cool with that because she realizes how badly she's been using the poor kid. If the moral of the episode is that friendship is a two-way street, it was a good idea to have Penny learn that with her unbalanced relationship to that poor kid.

The finale is gonna be bananas. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "Ninety-Seven"

Bananas. Not exactly what I'd call a satisfying ending to the season, but considering the huge amount of balls that were left in the air last episode, I never truly expected it to be. It still got the job done.

Destruction of the Resolute, man. BIG Freaking Moment. Now EVERYBODY is Lost In Space. Fully and truly for the first time ever.

Speaking of which, how could they possibly afford all of these huge, mind-blowing special effects? If you made these exact same visual effects in a movie ten years ago, the movie's budget would be over a hundred million dollars. That is freaking insane.

I was not on-board the series last season. But they've raised the bar, and it's like an entirely different show than the one that used to underwhelm me. That season kinda knocked my socks off. ****.

 

[Fone Bone]

Lost In Space "Three Little Birds"

The flashforward accommodates Will's actor's growth spurt.

One of the things I like about the show is that the characters are problem solvers. They are always faced with no options left. Then they think of a last-ditch crazy one. And they put in the science and effort to make it work. That's what the flying suits really boiled down to.

Interesting Will covered for the Robot with Dr. Smith. I think that was probably smart. She might keep his secret. She'd be much less inclined to keep the Robot's.

I am uncomfortably reminded how little I like Maureen and always have. John is coming to the unpleasant realization that if their kids aren't present, she doesn't care about him at all. I have no idea why the show thought this would be an interesting "snag" to put in the marriage. Some things are better off left unexplored.

I liked the song at the end.

Last season is off with a bang. ****.

Lost In Space "Contact"

I find this version's scenes between Will and Dr. Smith far more interesting than on the old show because they seem more evenly matched.

I also liked his scene with the Robot at the end.

The Robinsons being reunited over Robots and Space hit me in the feels. Also great was Judy introducing herself to her father as her daughter and his beyond cool reaction.

I have been lukewarm on this show in the past, but I think it's really got things together at this point. The characters are as interesting as the sci-fi action, which is how it should be.

Great episode. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "The New Guy"

It was good. I liked the fact that Scarecrow was never going to betray them and that Maureen was right to trust him. Frankly I found John's distaste over him counterproductive and looking for trouble.

I like that when Smith tries to extort Will with the camera he turns it around and tells her HE'S her insurance policy because he still needs her. I found it very touching when she describes how she cannot stand ever feeling powerless.

Will's stuff in the cave was crazy, but I'm going to go ahead and assume he has a larger plan for doing something that reckless-seeming and dangerous.

As far as Grant and Judy and their debate about the autopilot go, it turns out they are both right. It never could have gotten them off the ground, but it found the best way out of the asteroid field. Him calling Judy "Captain" after that was very rewarding.

This season is great so far. ****.

Lost In Space "Nothing Left Behind"

That ending was pure dynamite. What a rush. A DIRE rush, but a rush nonetheless.

I love Will's look of pure frustration that his plan never came to fruition. He wasn't even given the opportunity to attempt it. I'm actually glad. It struck me as a bad plan. His family would have been super pissed if they realized he made it. I hope they don't find out, but for the sake of drama they probably will.

When every kid on the ship raised their hand I was absolutely shocked at Judy's inability to read the room. Her parents are on that ship too. How is it she's the only one who doesn't want to try and rescue them?

Everyone else made it to Alpha Centauri! Now it's only the Robinsons, Don, the Robot, and Smith who are still Lost In Space. Which is probably how it should have been all along.

Great stuff. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "Stuck"

Every time I spend time with Maureen I realize more and more what a terrible mother she is. Poor Judy. Her life was barely her own. Maureen has a LOT to make up for.

Don and his damn chicken again. It's both funny and endearing, and considering the mortal peril he's places himself in for it, frustrating too.

I like that before he thinks he's going to die Don apologizes for all the bad stuff he's done and all the people he's hurt. I don't see Smith doing that.

I like the bit of Penny distracting John by making him uncomfortable over her boyfriends. That was funny.

Not as good as the other episodes this season. ***1/2.

Lost In Space "Final Transmission"

I knew Will made a mistake instantly just based on how earnest and well-meaning he was. He was so open and convincing I knew every word was sealing his doom and the exact wrong thing to say to Sar. I understood immediately upon the flashback of how Sar tortured Robot for that information (complete with helpful subtitles) that Sar's wants and needs are complete outside of anything Will has to offer. It's a tragedy.

Frankly, I would have actually been shocked if they damned the torpedoes and simply killed Will off. But I wouldn't have believed it and the series took the right tack to actually let us know it's up in the air instead of trying to trick us with a real-looking death that turns out to be fake. I respect that.

I rolled my eyes at the idea of Will going to John to teach him how to use a razor. John doesn't know how to use one himself. Dude always looks majorly unkempt for that reason. Frankly, I think all modern "hunky" actors with facial scruff look unkempt but that's a whole other complaint.

I like that John fruitlessly and pointless punches the Robot in rage. What's interesting is that the Robot lets him.

I'll say this for Smith. She probably is able to give the second best Robot pep talk after Will. That was pretty great.

It's clear we are in the home stretch. Things are headed in the right direction narratively. This might be the first Lost In Space continuity with a satisfying closed ending. We can only hope. ****.

Lost In Space "Contingencies On Contingencies"

I'm officially on Team Victor. Jenny needs to get her head together and catch this kid before he gets away.

Of course Don is family. It's weird he thought he wasn't.

Doc Smith and the needle was alarming. I was like, "What?" followed by, "Uh oh."

John Robinson continues to have the absolute worst judgment when it comes to the Robot. It might be considered overprotectiveness, or even jealously, and thus understandable, and even forgivable. If it weren't for the fact that this misjudgment could be so potentially damaging. The difference between him hindering the heroes and Dr. Smith doing so is Dr. Smith is actually successful, so she really messes them up. John would be just as dangerous to the good guys if he weren't actually so damned incompetent. I have a sinking feeling we are lucky he is as dumb as he is.

I love that June Lockhart is the voice of Alpha Control. I didn't even know she was still alive, or if she voiced the character in an earlier season, I totally forgot.

Well, for the first time in the franchise's decades long history, the Robinsons are no longer lost. That's how you know it's the penultimate episode. ****1/2.

Lost In Space "Trust"

A closed, satisfying ending to an Irwin Allen sci-fi franchise? I never thought I'd see the day.

And I was very satisfied. Since it was the last episode the show cruelly milked the idea that we could take nothing for granted, and that Will, Maureen, John, or the Robot could die at any time. If they had, I wouldn't have liked the finale, and turned on it. But the producers would have been well within their storytelling rights to do it. So it's why those cruelly timed flashbacks were so ominous and crazy-making. And it's fine they were messing with us. I'd be madder if they weren't.

I love the idea that the Robot tricked Sar into downloading himself into him. And I'll tell you why. It was Will's dumbfounded reaction to the Robot sacrificing his life for him. Him saying, "He shouldn't have done that," on some level is childish and petulant, and a clueless kid not able to appreciate how much he really mattered to the Robot. But in reality, it's true. As amazing as Will is, he is not Alpha Centauri's biggest gun against the alien robot army. His Robot is. The Robot trading his life for Will under these circumstances is literally something he shouldn't have done. It's the definition of a bad trade.

Except he tells Will to trust him, and it turns out to be a conveniently unlikely Master Plan (which is what all the best Master Plans are and should be) to destroy Sar by becoming him. I love that. The Robot wants Will to trust that he knows what he's doing.

For the record it would be infinitely easier if the Robot weren't always so damn laconic. He can speak English. He needs to be clarifying things better by now. Right?

I love that he ultimately helps Dr. Smith and she is redeemed by her confession and being sent to prison in a way no other ending would have satisfied me. There are consequences to her actions and she's paying them. And she won't be in there forever, and Maureen has noticed the specific changes she's made and the things she's done for her family. There will be a place for her on the outside when her time is served. This is a much better and more earned redemption than the Robinsons suddenly deciding Smith was lovable and harmless like they did on this old show. Because this Smith isn't. She was about to murder a guy to keep her secret until the Robot helped her decide to do the right thing. Your horrible past isn't actually washed away with a newfound goofy demeanor. Dr. Smith on this show has to gets in her lumps for it like a real person would. Another thing about the show I respect.

I loved Victor telling Penny he was right, and I was sorely disappointed he wasn't a part of the big epilogue. I loved the expression on Penny's face during Will's rousing speech to her, because it's clear she thinks he and Victor have been conspiring and colluding, and no, it just turns out two cool people randomly think she's awesome. And the thing with her own Robot? Victor told her so. Because of course her did.

And I like that the Robots are unalike and the "helping" solution doesn't work for all of them (Sar for instance). But I liked that it worked for some.

I know it's a family show, but it's still refreshing and unusual how few civilian casualties there are on this show. The skeevy prisoner died in the last episode, but I can't think of too many human good guys who Sar and his buddies actually managed to kill. I actually like and appreciate the idea that this show isn't bloodthirsty and invested in punishing the audience for some imaginary moral crime it believes society is responsible for. It cool that the tension is real, but the good guys pull through.

I love that Grant is at the Christmas dinner at the end too. That's great that he's been so quickly accepted into the family.

My favorite Don moment in the final episode might turn out to be my favorite Don moment in the entire series. I could be wrong as it's been awhile since I saw the first two seasons. But I absolutely adored the moment where Don is screaming at the guy in rage for nearly plugging the conductor into the wrong circuit. Then he sees how embarrassed and crushed the guy is and immediately walks it back with, "You're doing good. Great job." That is one of the most sublimely relatable moments I have ever seen in a sci-fi series set in the future or deep space. I live by all things Star Trek, but I can't recall a moment exactly that lovably realistic to how real nice people act after they lose their cool and hurt someone's feelings more than they intended. And considering Star Trek's characters all seem perfect, I probably never saw that because the franchise wasn't built for it. But I never saw anything like it on Battlestar Galactica or Farscape either so maybe this show actually deserves legit kudos. It was an amazing moment.

I was iffy on the first two seasons, but the producers really hit their stride in the home stretch, and delivered a satisfying finale and series. Who knew the Robinsons could actually wind up home and where they wanted to be? It's amazing, and amazing because in the back of my mind I never expected it at all. *****.