Season 1 Discussion

[Morrigan2575]

There are things I really love about this show but, I have a real problem with Dr. Smith. She's a horrible character that adds nothing to the show and pretty much requires all other characters to lose IQ points just to justify her shenanigans.

[Ottis]

On 4/20/2018 at 9:53 AM, Philbert said:

Yes, the 800 lb. gorilla in the room is how the writers make people who are very smart act stupidly when it's convenient for the plot mechanics. This isn't unique to this show of course. This is a common problem with most tv shows and while you can overlook it up to a certain point (acting in the heat of passion, panic, etc.) eventually it starts ruining the state of suspended disbelief. We're not there yet with this show

Oh, I think we're there in the pilot. And it's not only the characters, it's the science itself. For example, if weather changes and temps drop, bodies of water takes longer to freeze than the air unless there is a source of cold in the water. Even if you wank that it is another planet and the water may be a mix of various elements (which, you know, raises other questions, like corrosion or chemical burns), if the liquid froze that fast than the air should have frozen even faster and much colder. So that all of their exposed faces sans helmet, and mom's exposed leg, should have had frostbite in seconds. None of that sequence made any sense.

Also, given they were stuck somewhere where they knew temps would drop and they had no source of heat, why not put mom on a makeshift sled and everyone leave? They didn't have to stay. 

I won't get into the timeline of the walk to the magnesium and back. I can hand wave that.

There were several weird attempts to connect to things we didn't see, like Will lamenting that Judy wouldn't be stuck if he hadn't "froze." Which I guess harkens back to him freezing in a similar situation in training. But if Will had gone instead of Judy, then it simply would have been Will frozen instead of Judy. Why feel guilty about that? I don't buy that he, with a smaller size, would have gone in at the top and made it back. There wasn't any sense of Judy being down there very long, so the time savings would have been minimal.

I did like that they teased what must have been an awful change in their lives after the climate event, with people trying to get approved to leave the planet and some not making it.  And she traded something to get Will on board. Hmmm.

BTW, I think they made Will too young. I know there is the Wesley Crusher Syndrome to avoid, but still, he needed to be at least 3-4 years older.

We also spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the wife was such a bitch to the husband.  According to the timeline, he came back home as a surprise only two years ago, and all was well. Then the asteroid or whatever landed and caused a climate event. So Maureen hates him and constantly accuses him of "not being there" because for two years he was elsewhere either helping people or fighting bad guys after the event? And he even went with them on the Jupiter trip? I don't get it. So far, his wife just seems nasty.

These kinds of things kept throwing me out of the show. I'll keep going and hope it gets tighter.

Did like the robot, which I guess was a bad guy initially and now somehow is a good guy? Want more of that story. 

Edited June 18, 2018 by Ottis

[mookster]

Okay, so I see all the plot holes everyone's mentioned, but for some reason I'm enjoying it. Mainly because it's practically the only thing on TV I can watch with my 13-year-old, who is enjoying it too. She too is sick of Dr. Smith - "Why do we have to have this annoying antagonist? Can't the challenges of adapting to a new world BE the antagonist?" Plus, as has been mentioned, Dr. Smith isn't terribly subtle - all she needs is a mustache to twirl. My daughter and I think she may have some weird hypnotic powers, since Don was so easily appeased by her lame excuse for abandoning him and her whispering to the robot. But we do find ourselves annoyed when she shows up. I like Don. He can add the funny.

I do love the siblings' interaction, even if they make incredibly bad choices. Penny is pretty funny, but they should keep an eye on the snark It can get tiring. I would never be chosen for this mission: I'd NEVER leave the perimeter, I'd do EVERYthing my parents told me, I'd tell them ALL about the robot, Dr. Smith, etc. Space isn't meant for goody-two-shoes like me.

I'm old enough to remember the original series and I remember liking that it was only them. Not sure I like this whole colony thing, but I'll be patient. And in the original, didn't Will and Dr. Smith pal around a lot? Will (and especially Judy) seem sufficiently wary of her, although their parents seem inordinately indifferent.

[LilJen]

Agree with the "Dr Smith" opinions. Just really poorly written. Nothing interesting about the character, plus she's SO stupid she's sabotaging their only chance for rescue because. . . ???

If they really died there, I will miss Don most of all. Poor Debbie the chicken will be in deep mourning.

Edited June 22, 2018 by LilJen

[Happy Harpy]

https://tvline.com/2018/06/26/tell-me-a-story-casts-sam-jaeger-cbs-all-access-drama-series/

Sibongile Mlambo (Angela) upped to series regular.

[jhlipton]

On 4/16/2018 at 9:22 PM, dragonsbite said:

how did the doctor wake up so quickly? is Judy that incompetent?

On 4/28/2018 at 3:38 PM, Miles said:

That must have been the worst anesthetic ever. How long was Dr. Smith out? 20 seconds? I really don't want to be treated by that doctor, if she thinks that is sufficient.

I told my wife that at a minimum, I would have put Smith in a coma; more likely, completely and permanently paralyzed her -- let her scheme all she wants as she lies drooling in a hospital bed.

Edited July 16, 2018 by jhlipton

[Danny Franks]

Just watched the season in the space of a week or so, and my abiding opinion is: I'm going to have to start skipping through scenes where Smith does stuff that's absurdly nefarious and evil just because the plot needs it to happen. I've never been a fan of Parker Posey, but this role is a new nadir in her being flat-yet-irritating. Everything she did from about episode 4 onward was just designed to make her life more difficult. Just keep your head down, go with the flow, and let the scientists figure out how to save everyone.

The plotting of the show is generally weak, and I find my mind wandering, only to come back a minute or two later and realise that I've lost the thread of the episode. But it never seems to matter a whole lot. Things work themselves out without too much peril. In this episode, for example, I turned away for a minute or two, then turn back and there was a second robot.... Okay.

Of the rest of the cast, John Robinson and Don West are fine, and Judy is inoffensive. Not sure about Maureen. Sometimes I like her, sometimes she comes off as incredibly superior and condescending. Penny is a bit irritating, in a very authentically teenage way, and Will himself is the latest in the line of obnoxiously forthright and entitled kids on TV shows. I watched the original show when it was being repeated on Channel 4, when I was probably about eight years old, and I really liked Will and the robot back then. Of course, this is primarily a family show, so I guess there will be kids watching who will love this version of him.

Glad they apparently ditched all the extraneous characters, because most of them were annoying, and gave the show a very generic scifi show feel. The whole point of the original show was that it was Space Family Robinson, this family of characters (and Smith) and no one else.

Edited July 22, 2018 by Danny Franks

[BeeBop88]

That poor Robinson family. This first episode had bad things happening to them constantly

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 8:22 PM, whiporee said:

Enjoyable. I'm a little worried that the robot/alien will be a Mary Sue/Data type thing -- it's already saved Will, Judy and the rest of them from freezing in the first episode. But the dynamics were all pretty good, and I like that there's real tension between John and Marion. While I haven't seen beyond the first episode, I think it's not a bad thing they left Don out of this one. he always made the over group kind of weird. 

And the idea that there might be other Jupiters out there somewhere was pretty cool, too. Maybe not as lost as they thought. 

With my slow internet speeds, I can only watch at the gym. So I'm almost excited about Mondays' workout :)

. This Jupiter 2 was off course, it crash landed on a plant far from where they were supposed to land, the ship sinks in water that becomes frozen, Maureen breaks a leg, and Judy getting trapped under ice seemed to happen in a 15 minute time frame. It was very exhausting to watch. I have watched reruns of the old Lost in Space series before, and I am glad that there are characters with the same name but different appearances. I am still waiting for an explanation why Judy is now black. Of course she is not the bio kid, but adopted. I am sure they will get into that in other episodes. But so far, I am liking this. Definitely kept my interest from beginning to end. 

[BeeBop88]

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 8:22 PM, whiporee said:

Enjoyable. I'm a little worried that the robot/alien will be a Mary Sue/Data type thing -- it's already saved Will, Judy and the rest of them from freezing in the first episode. But the dynamics were all pretty good, and I like that there's real tension between John and Marion. While I haven't seen beyond the first episode, I think it's not a bad thing they left Don out of this one. he always made the over group kind of weird. 

And the idea that there might be other Jupiters out there somewhere was pretty cool, too. Maybe not as lost as they thought. 

With my slow internet speeds, I can only watch at the gym. So I'm almost excited about Mondays' workout :)

Of course I haven't seen the other episodes yet, but I think we did see Don West. He was that dark haired guy on the Resolute with that other woman. It's when that lady who stole Dr. Smith's jacket and pretended to be him getting on a Jupiter ship and she turns and says to the guy and woman, there is always room for more. I think that guy was Don. I guess I will see if that is right after watching other episodes.

[xaxat]

Uh oh.

A "Christmas Comet" is headed towards earth.

[jnymph]

Damn.  I'm really in the minority.   

I enjoyed the first season.  And I loved Parker Posey as Dr. Smith; this is the most entertaining character to me.  I'm old enough to remember  the original if that matters.  

The only character I found annoying was Judy, because I feel she's miscast.  Mostly because she's too young for Don. 

[ElleryAnne]

Just watched the first couple of episodes.

"Drift Away" is a little too on the nose for the opening of the first episode. 

Will has strong lungs, what with managing a trek up a snowy mountain and time in a forest fire with barely a gasp.  That's not even counting the rest of the kid's day. 

I like Penny and Judy.  From some angles, the actress playing Penny reminds me of a young Karen Gillan.

Judy thanking the robot was a nice moment.  After the overwrought danger of the first episode, I was glad the second episode had a couple of quiet moments that let the characters just... be.  

I can usually suspend disbelief with the best of 'em, but I don't understand why a couple (whether or not on the verge of divorce) would take minor children away to colonize other planets.  It seems to me that if we ever really colonize other worlds (hopefully not), it should be left to couples with no kids to tackle that zany project, and have the babies after you've landed safely and set up a stable base.  Or of course, you could just hope that your bad choices are all serendipitously wiped away by a benevolent and forgiving robot.  

 

Quote

But the Smith character?  Ugh. Maybe they will give her some motivation for acting like a sociopath.

Here's hoping.  Otherwise, she gets irritating real soon.  

[Taryn74]

Hubby watched this a few months ago and finally got me to sit down and binge it these past couple of weeks.

Overall, I really enjoyed it.  Hate hate HATE Not!DrSmith and, like so many others, am really annoyed that she has absolutely no method to her madness, she just sashays around causing problems just because she can.  That got old QUICK and it never let up.  Please, let the first few minutes of S2 involve her timely demise so we can move on from her utterly annoying character.

Alternated between really liking all of the kids to being really annoyed by all of the kids, which since I have three kids myself I know is pretty accurate, so.....good job, show.  Heh.

Loved the husband and had a few tears in my eyes during several of his scenes, especially when it seemed like he was going to have to sacrifice himself to save the rest of them.

Felt both admiration for, and complete annoyance by, Maureen and I think the actress did a great job with her.  Ditto for the guy playing Victor.  Vijay was adorable and I grinned quite a bit at his scenes with Penny.

Loved Don, and that may be just because I have a soft spot for engineers (I'm married to one) but I don't care.  He was great and provided both a much-needed slap of reality at times, and a bit of refreshing lightness overall.  "You're a badass princess?" "There's a comma!" literally made me shriek with laughter.

All in all, looking forward to S2!

[paulvdb]

Season 2 premieres December 24

Trailer:

[xaxat]

I didn't know they had been renewed. It's been so long, I though it might have been shelved.

I hope they rework Smith's character. The show is fundamentally optimistic, which is one of the reasons I like it. 

And then they dropped a sociopath in it.

[TimetoShine]

14 hours ago, xaxat said:

I didn't know they had been renewed. It's been so long, I though it might have been shelved.

I hope they rework Smith's character. The show is fundamentally optimistic, which is one of the reasons I like it. 

And then they dropped a sociopath in it.

This. When ever I see her and her gritted teeth, I fast forward. 

[BetterButter]

[Raja]

New with Netflix so I am just catching up. This entire potential Dr. Judy/Don issue and why not just let the actress play her actual age as less skeevy. Since 18 is almost universally accepted as adult worldwide and in American society 20 year gaps in couples ages is more acceptable  than a "failed to launch" twentysomething living with her parents. That starts to brand Judy as a loser as we culturally tend to want kids out on their own. Where as in other societies  it is expected for extended families to remain together even beyond a marriage 

[Macbeth]

So a couple of years later- I am watching the show for the first time.  (Didn't have Netflix)

I just finished watching episode 4.  I really loved when Robot put his mark on the wall.  He really does want to belong.  As Dr. Smith pointed out to him.

Loved the original Lost In Space.  I am glad they decided to change up Dr. Smith so Parker Posey plays the character.  Jonathan Harris was too iconic.  

I have skimmed comments about how Dr. Smith isn't reacting reasonably.  People who make poor life choices don't act reasonably.  She is just dealing with her latest crisis.

I like that Dr. Smith is working on a relationship with the robot.  I know it will not end well for anyone.  But on the show Dr. Smith had a very close relationship to Will and the Robot.  And the current show reflects that. 

Lost in Space 1967 was a great show for me as a child.  Lost in Space 2018 is a good show for me as an adult.

[Macbeth]

I just finished Season 1.  I don't know how you waited for Season 2.

I really like this series.

[Ottis]

Hated Dr Smith on the original show, hated her now. Having a secret antagonist annoys the hell out of me.

Also, how in the world did anyone think that colonizing a new world wouldn’t include baggage from the old one?

Robot’s face is cool.

UPDATE: Now 7 episodes in. Find I FF most of the kid romance stuff and Dr Smith stuff. Hoping Dr Smith gets whacked soon. There are enough challenges for them without Dr Smith. 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Ottis

[Ottis]

On 5/7/2018 at 1:01 PM, ACW said:

This is the 24th mission, and I think she mentioned that he was the first professional musician in the program.

Actually, he played cello, and they said he was the 8th musician in the program.

[scowl]

I finally got around to watching the first episode and I can't make sense out of what happened. Why were the robots dying? Why did the robot climb the tree, and how? Why did Will suddenly decide that cutting the thick branch was a good idea? Why did sending the robot crashing into the ground help it instead of killing it?

Do I just need to pay more attention?