Lost in Space Episode 2
The premiere of Lost in Space lived up to Netflix’s “10-hour movie” mantra with picture perfect pacing throughout the adventure, stunning CG, and a major cliffhanger to lead us into episode two. Completing a 10-hour movie on a TV budget is a really freaking hard mission, though. With few exceptions, the shows that Netflix attempts to do on this scale (looking at you, Marvel) tend to exhaust their goodwill towards the middle of the season. As the episode opens, we’re properly introduced to Parker Posey’s Dr. Smith and Ignacio Serricchio’s Don West. One of the best parts of the early part of this season is that no time is wasted on exposition. It all comes pretty naturally as the characters fight for survival and struggle to gain an understanding of the brave new world they’ve landed on. We still don’t know exactly who Posey’s character is. We saw her assume the name Dr. Smith (played by the original Will Robinson, Bill Mumy) at the end of the premiere and steal his spot on the Jupiter 18. When the ship crashes into this foreign planet, Posey’s Dr. Smith immediately is forced to put on a guise. Hotshot pilot Don West wants some answers and to establish a connection, but Dr. Smith is trying to keep a low profile. If you went into this show knowing anything about Lost in Space (or read our interview with Posey), Dr. Smith’s arc in this episode was pretty clearly telegraphed. Dr. Smith is not actually a doctor, doesn’t have a brother, and is devious to the point where she’d leave Don West and another colonist for dead. This doesn’t stray far from the original series which often pitted Jonathan Harris’ wise-cracking Dr. Smith against the Don West, and it could make for some dramatic tension to have West and Smith at odds in this new world when they inevitably reunite. The problem with Maureen taking command, while she’s perfectly qualified in some areas to do so, is that she has a contrasting leadership style. Maureen is a scientist and wants to continue exploring. John is a military man who needs to keep his battalion safe at all costs. With a storm on the horizon that makes the movie Twister look like a windy day at the beach, John has to make the call to save his family. His soldier mentally kicks in when they spot a flare, leading to them picking up Dr. Smith. On both accounts, it was the right call. In an episode with some wonderful CG with the map inside the Robot ship, plus the introduction of the Chariot and two key Lost in Space characters, the worldbuilding is secondary to the bubbling family drama. So far, so good.
