Season 1 Discussion

[snowwhyte]

Judy is eighteen. I don't know how old Don is meant to be but he looks to be about thirty. There aren't many  options for romantic pairings but I am not keen on the Don/Judy pairing.

Every time they call Judy their doctor I rename her as a medic in my head. She is too young to be a doctor but she has had medical training and knows how to operate their medical machines. I was imagining that when she arrived on Alpha Centauri she would be completing a full medical program.

[CarpeFelis]

That whole thing about Will failing the test was a stupid plot hole IMO. They’re colonists, not space Marines! It ought to be sufficient that the parents passed testing and the children come along because the family is a unit. Who would really go along with leaving a minor behind?

[ilovethedark]

 I was surprised they ended up killing red head guy and making Judy responsible for them losing the fuel, I was sure that red head guy would survive. I’m still not a fan of “sat the MCATS instead of prom” Judy. There is way too much adult reverence for an eighteen year old “doctor”. I’m glad leader guy (Victor?) called her out on it, but I find it hard to believe most adults would take her practicing medicine seriously. A medic yes, not as a doctor who sat the MCATS. 

Unpopular opinion, Penny cracks me up. I know a lot of people find the siblings annoying, but she is the only one with something that resembles a sense of humor.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Van Halen will still be on playlists 30 years from now. Good to know.

Don West risked his life to get proof against Fake Dr. Smith. I kinda like this guy.

There's a comma!

[Enigma X]

I am over Smith, and I am also over each episode having a Robinson in a near death situation. 

[snowwhyte]

I can't stand Victor but I don't necessarily think he was wrong. The red haired guy was crushed under the trailer. His chances of survival were slim anyway and that fuel was all they had to try and get off the planet. 

[ilovethedark]

It’s a bit of a nitpick, but would a teenager really want to read Moby Dick to her likely dying sister? I get it’s easier to avoid copyright issues and name something more current or make something up for a future novel, but there are other novels with known passages. “Call me, Ishmael”, read aloud is cliche and the writers can do better. I’m not a Jane Austen fan, but something from Emma or Pride and Prejudice or Asimov for a sci-fi twist. It was an effective scene, but I wish they picked a better passage. 

[beartrash]

What as the thing under the chariot, a homing egg?

It was okay overall, despite Maureen being the worst mom ever, too many last minute miracles saving people's butts due to mediocre writing and the whole season spent setting up the actual premise of the show.

[Morrigan2575]

On 4/14/2018 at 2:02 AM, giovannif7 said:

I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually squealed when I realized that the actor playing the real Dr. Smith in this episode was the original Will Robinson from the 60s TV series - and sure enough, there was Bill Mumy's name in the credits!

He'll always be Lennier to me. However, that did give me pause, more so the voice than the face.

[Morrigan2575]

On 4/14/2018 at 12:17 PM, Happywatcher said:

I know they established that Maureen wanted a divorce, but that doesn't excuse her jerkass with a side of bitch act. 

The middle girl being a snot could get tiring. 

The oreo commercial wasn't as bad as it could have been

Yes on the mother, I disagree on Penny, I like her and kind of feel bad, she seems to have middle child syndrome. Eldest and youngest get all the attention and, Penny seems to be the one shit upon doing all the work. Although, I guess that's her role, she's the mechanic/engineer.

Loving Don West and, the Chicken and I'm probably always going to looe Daddy Robinson because of Toby Stephens.

I'm iffy on Will, he can go bad really quick. I'm undecided on Parker Posey as Dr. Smith.

Edited April 16, 2018 by Morrigan2575

[spankydoll]

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 11:53 AM, iMonrey said:

So far, it's lacking the fun of the original show. Now, don't get me wrong - I don't want it to be all campy or anything. But the original show didn't go full-on camp until the 2nd or 3rd season. I just thought way too much time was spent on trying to rescue Judy - about an hour and a half of that, filling the entire episode. Seemed like kind of a slow start to the show. Hopefully Dr. Smith and Don will shake things up. The visuals are great but I'm a little bored with it so far.

I am a fan of the original show also and am finding this tedious. It would appear from the low number of comments on the future episodes that other viewers agree. I'm going to hang in there for another episode just for Ms. Parker Posey.

My favorite episode was when Judy was enveloped by that giant sundew type of a plant. I wanted a bed like that for years. Along with a Jeannie bottle bedroom. LOL

[spankydoll]

The Robot is ALL wrong. Effects are too fancy. Where at the monsters??? There should be monsters!!!

[millennium]

3 minutes ago, spankydoll said:

The Robot is ALL wrong. Effects are too fancy. Where at the monsters??? There should be monsters!!!

The Cyclops was always my favorite.

Here is the little-known story behind the Cyclops:

The Story of the Lost in Space Cyclops

I just finished episode 2 of the Netflix series.   I have many problems with it.

[ByaNose]

Just watched. I watched the orignal as a kid (53 now) and, this wasn’t bad. There was too much background story for the first 45 minutes. Judy stuck in the ice for the whole premier was way too long. I was glad to finally see the Son & Dr. Z. Smith introduction but that was the last 5 minutes. WTF!?! I liked the Billy Mumy shoutout. I’m hoping the next episode picks up a little more. I want to see more but I thought the pilot episode was a little meh. 

[Kelda Feegle]

I'm a bit disappointed that there are so many other people now - it's less Lost in Space and more Lost and staying to form a colony on a foreign planet.

I want to see a heap of different planets and aliens etc, not human interaction dramas.

[Linderhill]

Everytime I see Parker Posey I expect her to have the braces she had in "Best In Show."  She's got some crazy hair going in this show.

Speaking of Parker, her character is one of those that I find irredeemable and have a hard time even being patient with anytime they appear.  I just want to fast forward past the scheming and dastardly plans.  Just ugh.  I really cant wait for Don to punch her in the face.  Soon.

I remember watching the original episodes in my youth and being immensely annoyed that they let Dr. Smith get away with everything that he did.  I also wished that the rest of the cast, the adults had been allowed out of Will's and Dr. Smith's shadows. 

[DEM]

Smith is a ridiculous character, and it makes me mad. She's more like a trickster god than an actual human being. It's dumb.

[ilovethedark]

I want to like this show. But there are no stakes. When Will and his stupid radio put everyone in the caves at risk, I knew no one was going to die, even the redshirts. The scene was dark and maybe I missed something, but there was no mourning once the group got out of the cave. The cheering outside the mouth of the cave was a bit puzzling as that creature was supposed to be the top of the food chain and I’d expect it to go out to feed. 

Penny continues to be my favorite, snarky “I never said it was a good theory” at the beginning and the bit in front of the restricted door with Will. I don’t dig teenagers and their plots, but she’s one of the most enjoyable characters on the show. She and Don are the only ones with any humor. 

I want to know more about the jump in technology flashback. It seemed to me the government knew that meteor was coming and were all too happy to let it happen and evacuate the “highly qualified” off planet. I’d rather see that than mining for space poop fuel and people who aren’t going to die “hiding” from the bat things.

[tessathereaper]

I definitely like Penny best out of the Robinson kids.

[giovannif7]

[Miles]

So many headscratchers this episode:

The sun rising earlier and earlier isn't a sign of anything except that it's spring. That it happens a lot faster than on earth just means that the planet orbits its star a lot faster than earth orbits the sun.

Hawking radiation is radiation that is theorised to be given off by black holes. So I guess we are supposed to believe the star is turning into a black hole? So much wrong with this. That wouldn't make the sun rise earlier. The sun wouldn't give off the radiation before it dies. It dying would still take millions of years. While dying it would get bigger and consume the planet. A star big enough to become a black hole wouldn't live long enough to have a planet where complex life could develop. I think my head is going to explode.

Also the colony in the alpha centaury system is actually on an earth like planet in the goldy locks zone? Man that's lucky that we found one of those in the planetary system closest to us. Maureen Robinson even said that them stranding on a goldy locks planet was super unlikely in the first episode. Anywho, if it's a planet, why haven't they givin it a name? Why do they always refer to it as alpha centauri? That's like refering to Earth as Sol. Also around which star is it orbiting, Alpha Centauri A or Alpha Centauri B? Both fine options, but I'd at least like a mention.

The mechanic has been said to have been to Alpha Centauri and back to earth multiple times. How?! Alpha Centauri is 4,34 light years away from earth. It doesn't look like they have anything approaching light speed travel. If we are very generous, with accellerating and breaking one way would take at least 10 years. Dude is 35, not 200.

 

Also Dr. Smith's schemes still don't make any sense.

Edited April 16, 2018 by Miles

[AngelKitty]

I was finally able to watch this last night and I liked it, but it really isn't the same story. I get that they are updating it, making it more diversified, changing genders, but these aren't the same people and they aren't going to tell the same stories so why can't they just call it something else? Judy seems too young, Penny seems too old, Maureen and John are close to divorce?, the robot is an alien?, there's more than one Jupiter spaceship?

I loved the original show, yes, even when it got silly, but I was 10 to 13, silly was good. I probably will like this new one and appreciate it as an adult (an old one), but is not the same.

I felt the same about the new Battlestar Galactica, I loved it, but it was so different than the original. (Cylons are not the same as humans.)

[Adira]

I'm curious if Judy would have made a different decision if she had known the planet was dying.

[Lokiberry]

Well, I binged  ten episodes over two days, so I guess that means I liked it. I liked that they've resolved everything with The Resolute. Everybody not on the Jupiter 2 (and poor Evan) made it back, and I assume they'll all now go to Alpha Centauri. I like the introduction of the alien technology, which I assume they won't be quite able to control and will take them all over and will allow them to be truly lost in space.

I've got a couple of issues though. This Dr. Smith is clearly a sociopath; I mean, she just oozes malevolence, and there's no humor to take the edge off as there was with classic Smith. I'm not saying they should soften her up or anything, but at some point it's not going to make any sense for them not to shove her out an airlock before she gets somebody killed.

Also, what's the deal with Don and Judy? Are they not doing that? There's a 12 year age gap between the actors, and probably an even greater gap between the characters, which suggests to me that they're not going there, but they keep putting them together which is tv speak for "hey, look at these two". So, which is it?

Again, I liked the show. I liked where it ended. I hope they get another season to explore some of the more out there aliens and technology that the classic series was known for.

[Netfoot]

On 4/15/2018 at 1:19 PM, Token said:

This has got to be one of the worst shows I've seen in a long time.

After one episode, I described it as "crap".  I think I was too kind...

So, they are using Mk.1 Millennium Falcons.  Perched on the edge of a cliff is cliche but did the front half need to be broken right along the cliff as well?

"Lend me your knife, because I lost mine.  Thanks.  Now, I'll make one cut, and instead of placing the only remaining knife (for "a hundred trillion miles" around) carefully in my pocket, I'll casually toss it onto the console.  (Nice to see that Columbia River Knife and Tool® makes it to 2046.  I own a couple M16's myself.  Well, four of them.)

Nice to see that they have gun control on the alien-riddled, frontier planet.  Also nice to know that in the future, the man still does the driving!  (Move over honey!  I'll take over, now!)

Stick your hand out into the metallic hailstorm for a second and get a nasty cut!  Run bodily through it for a minute and a half, and... nothing!

We all know that Z. Smith is a dickwad, but what was the motive for deliberately abandoning the other two, and running out into the lethal storm with one flare left?
 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Netfoot

[benteen]

I enjoyed the episode and am looking forward to watching more.  I thought the cast was strong, particularly the child actors and I really did like how the hostile environment came to life.  It took me a moment to recognize him but I was glad to see Billy Mumy pop up as the real Dr. Smith.  I suspect I'm going to enjoy Parker Posey as the "actual" Dr. Smith.

I do think the pilot ran too long though and I will never buy that we will be that advanced in space travel in 45 years.  We MIGHT do a Mars landing at that point but otherwise, forget traveling that far INTO the solar system, let alone outside of it.

I was happily surprised when they played the classic Lost in Space theme at the end.  I had completely forgotten that John Williams was the one who had composed it but it shouldn't be a surprise that he composed another classic theme.

[Sakura12]

This show was...okay, I guess.  I binged it 3 days but it just seemed really simple is the word I'm looking for. It seems like they had a decent budget they should've spent some of that on getting better writers. 

I think they went a little too far with "Dr. Smith" I don't even know why she was constantly scheming even when she didn't have too.  Then would suddenly help for no reason. She didn't make any sense as a character. 

I never saw the original the only base I have is the Matt Leblanc movie. But I didn't mind seeing how they got Lost in Space, at first they were with lost with others then they got lost by themselves with their crew of the Robinson's, Don and "Dr. Smith". It looks like they are going to go there with Don and Judy now that they are stranded. They have an age difference but they did make her legal. I think they should've made at least 22 so I can buy her being a Doctor. She could've at least started Med school. She's a daughter from Maureen's previous marriage/relationship so she could've been older. Are they going to tell us what happened to her birth father? 

I don't know if the science is accurate but that's probably one of things I enjoyed about this show, seeing people use science to get out of situations. Now how they got into those situations was stupid and contrived. I always find putting the lead character in danger dumb because they are not going to kill them off, doing it every episode was way too much. If you are not going to kill them don't pretend too. 

Having said if they get a next season I'll probably watch whenever I can't find anything else to watch. I am interested in seeing the Robot's home planet. 

[ae2]

15 hours ago, ilovethedark said:

It’s a bit of a nitpick, but would a teenager really want to read Moby Dick to her likely dying sister? I get it’s easier to avoid copyright issues and name something more current or make something up for a future novel, but there are other novels with known passages. “Call me, Ishmael”, read aloud is cliche and the writers can do better. I’m not a Jane Austen fan, but something from Emma or Pride and Prejudice or Asimov for a sci-fi twist. It was an effective scene, but I wish they picked a better passage. 

That scene confused me. Judy asked for something trashy, right? Then they somehow got to Moby Dick? When you pick Moby Dick, it feels like there should be some literary significance there, white whale something something but I can't put it together. At least not with this episode. Maybe it plays out in future episodes.

In retrospect, if Judy is Maureen's biological daughter but not John's, I'm really surprised at how they played the scene where Maureen realizes that John left Will to rescue Judy. It seems like a prime opportunity for a little bit of reconciliation - even though she's not YOUR daughter you still chose her over YOUR son. But it seems that since Will is her baby, and not as well-suited to the adventure as everyone thinks, she still thought he made the wrong choice.

Speaking of which, why was John so resistant to let Judy go down into the ship? Yes, the path was more difficult for her than for Will, but it seemed like there was more to it than that. 

2 hours ago, AngelKitty said:

I was finally able to watch this last night and I liked it, but it really isn't the same story. I get that they are updating it, making it more diversified, changing genders, but these aren't the same people and they aren't going to tell the same stories so why can't they just call it something else? Judy seems too young, Penny seems too old, Maureen and John are close to divorce?, the robot is an alien?, there's more than one Jupiter spaceship?

This happens so often with reboots/revivals/sequels/remakes that you just have to learn to roll with it. It's easier to capitalize on an existing fan base and an existing mind share than starting from scratch, so they take the loose concept and turn it into something entirely new but with the same name. Dark and edgy is (still) in vogue so we get a dark and edgy LiS. Furthermore, if they DID make this show but not call it Lost in Space they'd get accused of ripping off LiS. 

[shrewd.buddha]

Sci-fi is my favorite genre, so I'm good with how things are going so far.  I like that that family dynamics are somewhat realistic and a bit strained. It appeared they were on the verge of divorce and Mom and the kids were going into space without Dad. Guess we will see how absentee-Dad got included.  

On 4/14/2018 at 3:49 PM, shapeshifter said:

I know it's necessary to see actors' faces, but no hats and scarves in the snow?

Yeah - how cold was it supposed to be that the water was freezing instantly? They should have kept their spacesuits on, helmets included.

I was not excited to see Dr. Smith show up, in any form, identity or gender. I never liked the always conniving, weasel-y character. Dr. Smith was the character that kept me from enjoying the repeats of the original series - - it seemed as if he became a fan favorite and the show began to revolve around him.  I hope this show avoids that.  Maybe since Netflix dumps out  entire seasons without re-editing based on audience reaction, the stories will seem more organic. 
So far, I'm optimistic. 

Edited April 16, 2018 by shrewd.buddha

[CarpeFelis]

A couple other shoutouts to the original: “Angela Goddard” and “June Harris”.

I really would have enjoyed a “never fear, Smith is here” as a sarcastic comment from Don or Penny.

[Lokiberry]

2 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

It looks like they are going to go there with Don and Judy now that they are stranded. They have an age difference but they did make her legal. I think they should've made at least 22 so I can buy her being a Doctor. She could've at least started Med school. She's a daughter from Maureen's previous marriage/relationship so she could've been older.

That's what's got me baffled. Don and Judy were an item in the original series and, IIRC, the movie, so why's she so young here when she could have easily been in her 20s?  Don't get me wrong, I think they have good chemistry and work well together. It's just the age difference puts me off a little, but I could be won over by a good story.

[Raachel2008]

The show was better than I expected it to be, but generally speaking I feel it was kind of a missed opportunity. It's 2018 not 1966; I know they are aiming families and children, but I think they should have gone darker, you know? I mean, if you can have preteens and families bonding over Stranger Things, sure you can do it here. This said, I liked what I watched and will watch a second season.

Max Jenkins is an adorable kid, but a weak actor. Right now it works because he has this endearing vibe some young kids have, not sure what will happen when he grows up and the character gets older - assuming we'll get there. The rest of the casting is perfect and I'm willing to bet that Molly Parker's real life kids don't look as much as her as Mina Sundwall does.

Loved the Molly/Jonh relationship, it seemed very realistic for me. I wish they had used Toby Stephens better, and I was delighted that Molly is an accomplished cientist.

I'm not sure how I feel about the three Robinson kids being borderliner to geniuses or being one; someone please explain to me how Judy can be a doctor at 18. I know some kids enter college at 16, but that was ludicruous. She should have been at least 22  to have all this knowledge and for this to work for me, and don't even get me started on this Don/Judy thing. No, just no, no and no. I don't care if she is legal - barely -, she is 18, thus still a kid, while Don is what? 30? This show better not go there, not even hint it anymore - which they already did a lot this season.  I can't phantom why no one at that writers room thought about making Judy 22, 23 and casting an actress who looks the part  or making Don 25, and casting an actor looking the part. 

Another thing that annoyed me is that Dr. Smith is a sociopath. Sure, the original one, as far as I know, was eeeevil, but she kind of lacks some... not empathy, because, hey, sociapath, but something to make *me* feel some empathy for her. But is Parker Posey brilliant or what? I wish there was a way to have Selma Blair there, the Harris sisters would have been a blast.

My favorite characters were Don and Penny, who where funny yet had depeth. I would hang around with both in real life, I guess.

One thing that really annoyed me was how careless those kids were walking around in the florest when they were going back to the ship after leaving the robot in the cave. The saw that giant rino-whatever walking around, and they had seen what the eels could have done to Penny and John. Yet they were so careless. Same with the perimeter thing; John was a Navy Seal, right, and he - and the other adults - know they are in a dangerous planet, yet they chose to not have someone checking the fence or patrolling. Stupid. 

Like someone said, what I really enjoyed is that they tried to solve their problems with science.  The photography of this show is gorgeous, they really used all that money well, didn't they? If only the script had been as good. But I'll come back next season.

[Pindrop]

I enjoyed it- well cast, nicely paced and intriguing. The robot has the potential to become a little of a deus ex machina, which I hope they avoid. 

In another show (or if handled differently) issues like the instantly freezing water would have snapped credibility, but it worked for me here.  

Edited April 16, 2018 by Pindrop

[Sakura12]

The actress that plays Judy is 23 so they could've made her 21/22 and in college or med school. The actor that plays Don is 35 so making her 18 is a little questionable if they plan on having them hook up. 

Another thing that bothered me would they really just deny a family because their 10 year old couldn't pass a stress test? He's 10! of course he wouldn't know how to handle stress. And it would probably stress him out more if he knew his whole family going depended on him passing. You'd think they want children at their new society to build future generations. 

[iMonrey]

I think it's interesting that they've followed the same premise from the original show. During the first season, the Robinsons discovered the planet they crashed on had this weird orbit that would bring it far too close to the sun. In that version, it didn't destroy everything, but they had to travel to the side of the planet tilted away from the sun and protect themselves with tarp once the sun got too close. The planet then reverted back to a more livable orbit for the next X years. Maybe that's what'll happen here if they can't get off the planet - they can all get into their chariots and head for the south pole. One of the most exciting scenes from the original show was the space chariot crossing a frozen sea, and on their return trip the ice had melted into a raging ocean.

[iMonrey]

Man, I'm surprised at how invested I am in the robot considering its vocabulary consists of three words. I feel more for him (?) than I do any of the human characters. Admittedly, that's a problem for this show. I don't really care about John and Maureen's marital strife or Penny's crush on the boy next door. I am, however, really enjoying Parker Posey sliming her way across the screen. She's such a snake! And I love that her name (June Harris) is a tribute to Jonathan Harris who played Dr. Smith on the original show.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'm curious if Judy would have made a different decision if she had known the planet was dying.

Yeah, I think that's an important point. None of these people are aware the fuel is a matter of life and death. Plus they know the Resolute is searching for them anyway.

I don't get what cause the robot's head to light up. Was it the recording Will made of that sound that came from his ship?

And I still don't get what Dr. Smith's game plan is (or whether we should be calling her Dr. Smith at all, seeing as that's not who she is, and we do know her real name.) Does she expect the robot to protect her from anyone who would try to arrest her, like the captain of the Resolute, assuming he's still alive? I wonder if ultimately she plans to use the robot to kill everyone else once they get back on the Resolute, and then when she gets to Alpha Centauri, she can make up any story she wants about why nobody else survived.

Edited April 16, 2018 by iMonrey

[Macktor]

15 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

And I love that her name (June Harris) is a tribute to Jonathan Harris who played Dr. Smith on the original show.

And, I imagine, June Lockhart. Also, the character of Angela Goddard doing the same thing. And Debbie the chicken. So many fun nods to the original. :-)

[Kostgard]

I ended up watching this all in a binge this over the weekend as well, though I'm not sure why. It was okay, but definitely had problems. 

I agree that they need to adjust Dr. Smith a bit, and allow her to be funny. Her best scene was the flashback with her sister, and her little "Come on - go ahead and pass out already" gesture. Let Parker Posey be Parker Posey a bit. And yes, for practical purposes, she needs to start being a little more useful to the Robinsons before they look like total morons for not shoving her out of an airlock. 

This season definitely ended up better than it started, and I think in large part because the family started to get along better. I get that the marriage was on the rocks, but it made hanging out with the parents a bit of a slog. They got easier to watch once they started to get along. The vibe between the sisters I think they got much better from the start (and the siblings in general, I think - mostly because Penny is a good character and a good bridge between the two). 

And they really, REALLY need to stop doing dumb stuff. Like, I get being a dummy is kinda required for an action show where things go wrong every five minutes - you gotta take dumb risks for that stuff to happen. But when Maureen took off to launch herself into the stratosphere by herself and didn't tell anyone where she was going or what she was doing, I nearly threw up my hands and gave up. That wasn't just dumb, it was wildly irresponsible (and I can't believe John wasn't livid about that). They are in a survival situation. You don't get to launch yourself up on a weather balloon for a little alone time.

Agree the Judy/Don thing is kinda gross. The actress may be early 20s, but she's playing 18 and looks like she could play 15. Don is clearly in his mid-30s. Don't go there, show. 

The best thing about the show really is the pro-science stance. I love that they are surviving not because they are action heroes who are muscling their way through every dangerous event. They are surviving because they are a bunch of scientists who know how to study and solve problems. I loved that they didn't figure out big scary creatures lived in the cave just because it looked spooky and they had a gut feeling, but because a biologist looked at the poop and determined it was from an apex predator.

All problems aside, I agree that the look of the show is fantastic and honestly, there is still a lot of potential there. I hope they do get a second season and in between the writers/producers look at the first season and figure out what they did wrong and correct it. The later half of the season was better, so hopefully they are hitting their stride and will figure it out.

Edited April 16, 2018 by Kostgard

[Athena]

I never watched the original or the movie. I tuned in because I like sci-fi, Molly Parker, and Toby Stephens. I still like both those actors and Parker made it bearable whenever I was tired of Maureen the character. There are lots of plot holes (as if they would ditch Will for failing) and sci-fi gets more allocation, but it was getting tiresome how many dangerous situations the characters had to face every episode. I wanted to like this show, but I'm really hesitant to try next season. If I do, it'll have to be watching it in the background like I did this show.

They should have aged up Judy to the actress's real age; it would have made things more interesting. The idea of Don/Judy is creepy and the Don character is too much bravado/smugness sometimes. Penny I'm neutral on and at least the most normal kid. I find the actor who plays Will weak and not keen on his specialness. Parker Posey is good at playing a sociopath, but the character is too evil to stay on this show. There is almost no redeemable qualities to her and Posey plays it that way as well.

The robot was nice and they shot most of the show well enough. I like the science and team work aspects when it focused on the family. I liked the finale more than the last few episodes.

[coppersin]

It'll probably take an eyeroll-worthy plot twist to make it happen, but the robot had better be back in season 2 or I will riot. He was the only one that never annoyed me. And cheesy as it was, my lip trembled a bit at "friend." Seriously, screw physics, just show him holding onto the ship as they fly through the wormhole.

Smith, on the other hand, can go. Posey's done a great job with the role but I think I can stand one more season of her, max.

[Happy Harpy]

I liked it a lot but it didn't grab my heart or my guts. I'm not the target audience, though, it was a tad too family-friendly for me. Not that I'd want nudity or gore or death everywhere, but it lacked true thrill...maybe since I didn't fall head over heels for the Robinsons.

I appreciated a lot of aspects of the show. The production values were fabulous. The acting was excellent, mostly. I did like that female and male characters were equally important. It was a nice twist that the whole season was actually a "prequel" to the original concept, how the Robinsons got stranded. Couples who are married at the beginning of a show always end-up on the verge of divorce anyway, usually because of artificial drama, so in a way it was refreshing that Maureen and John were already there and their issues were real. I loved the relationship between Will and Robot. It was truly poignant at times, and I don't think it was an easy one to pull off, so cast and crew deserve kudos for this. I found the little actor quite convincing, and above all, the Robinson kids had real  sibling chemistry. It really saved the character of Judy for me, for example, allowing her to show more layers and warmth. It was also nice to see brother and sisters who actually love each other and stick together.

To my surprise, my favorite character was Penny. I just loved her. She was such a breath of fresh air, and her feelings were quite realistic for a teenager. I loved that she wasn't coy and acted on her crush instead of pining from afar (she and Vijay were adorable. Yes, I'm an easy shipper). She was endearing but with enough flaws to avoid the Mary-Sue trap, imo.

In contrast, I regretted how humorless and stuck-up Judy and Maureen were written, especially at first. I know they had reasons to, nevertheless it's a recurring flaw when Hollywood writes strong female characters, imo. It got better little by little, but first impressions die hard. I wish I liked Maureen more than I did, because it annoys me how generally, audiences have trouble to accept female characters in charge whereas a male character written with the same attitude would be A-OK. On paper, I should love her, unfortunately I wasn't too fond of the actress (I didn't know her before -and not an acting problem, she's good). I didn't connect much to either parent in the end. In spite of being an easy shipper, I don't root for them to reunite; that said when they were alone and worked as a team it got better, so maybe there's hope.

My second favorite was Don. Like Penny, he was a breath of fresh air, although I nicknamed him Ham Solo in my head because, duh. His bickering with Judy was so reminiscent of Star Wars that I expected her to call him a scruffy-looking nerf-herder any time. I have two issues with the Don/Judy that is promised. As other have pointed, the age difference. Beyond about ten years, it puts me off and I'd have needed a white-hot chemistry to forget about it. Yet I barely saw a spark. Also, she's the killjoy in the duo so their interactions do her no favor. 

Parker Posey was great acting-wise (when isn't she) now my problem with Smith is her sustainability as a villain. The manipulative type works only until they reveal their true colors. Now that everyone knows, she can't worm her way back in without every other character looking like an idiot for trusting her or allowing her in. Or it will need too convoluted plots.

My other big issue is that the Robinsons worked much, much better for me when they interacted with the characters of the Resolute. I loved the Watanabes, Angela, Vijay and even Victor. It helped that the latter was played by Raza Jaffrey (he was one of my reasons to watch) but I found him a more sustainable foil for the Robinsons, as a deeply flawed character with some qualities, too. I knew why he acted like he did, it made for believable conflicts and real tension, which were character and not disaster-driven for once. John/Don was nice, so I would have loved to see more of Judy and Aiko, or Maureen and Naoko's friendship etc. I really loved the acceptance of Robot storyline, as well as the fuel recuperation. It showed other facets of everyone, and it made for the best character moments. The show hit its stride for me  once the family reunited with the other survivors, from episode 5 on. So I'm not sure I'd enjoy S2 as much if the show is only about the Robinsons and the AOTW.

All in all, it was like drinking a lemonade glass with one single ice cub in summer. Nice and sweet, but just a bit too tepid for my taste. It certainly was entertaining, and I agree that it has a lots of potential. Depending on the direction the writers take and what adjustments they make, I'm ready to watch S2.

Edited April 16, 2018 by Happy Harpy

[zibnchy]

You guys have said everything I wanted to say

but just in case there are ever TV types reading, I want to say I will watch any show you build around Selma Blair and Parker Posey having drinks. Any show.

On 4/13/2018 at 3:10 PM, steelyis said:

Was Dr. Smith's line, 'How can I help you fit something in your box?' supposed to sound dirty? Did Parker Posey do that on purpose?

I'm sure it was. Parker Posey seems to have chemistry with everyone (even a robot) BUT her chemistry with Molly Parker was off the charts. I expected them to kiss. I thought to myself "now this is a nice 2018 plot twist."

All in all, it was kind of slow and predictable but the cast is great so I'll probably watch a season 2 if there is one.

[Colorado David]

brings up an interesting point....do they have ranks on this show? who was in charge of the Jupiter 2, Maureen or John? on the surface, Maureen was totally bossing around John it seemed like. I'm all for quality writing for strong female characters, BUT I need to know what rules protocol they are operating within.

Agree on the Judy being a dr at 18, little tooooo convenient as that seems kinda genius level and none of her actions indicate genius level thinking for me. Take the ice thing...any space traveler one would think learns what it means to float alone in space for any length of time with nothing around but vacuum. Ice while different is no more lethal than the vacuum of space. And if Don and her hook up, that age range is outside of my comfort zone, genius or not.

Maureen I like, tho I can tell she gives two beeps regarding John's feelings - I get zero love between them, more it seems a marriage of convenience. If they were in love at some point, MAN it is buried well in what is being acted. 

Penny I like, she seems the most 'genuine' in regards to how teens are - and while she opinionated, it doesn't come off as abrasive. Robot I like too. Don I like, tho the smuggler personality is a bit one dimensional - I did enjoy his arguments with Judy re a doctor makes money off people being miserable or needing something, why is it wrong for a smuggler to tackle the same? (I am SO hoping we are not going down the road of 'in the future people realize what is truly important and have overcome their vices' cliche. People are animals, we love our cliches, we may get smarter but the vices evolve as well.)

[Colorado David]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Man, I'm surprised at how invested I am in the robot considering its vocabulary consists of three words. I feel more for him (?) than I do any of the human characters. Admittedly, that's a problem for this show. I don't really care about John and Maureen's marital strife or Penny's crush on the boy next door. I am, however, really enjoying Parker Posey sliming her way across the screen. She's such a snake! And I love that her name (June Harris) is a tribute to Jonathan Harris who played Dr. Smith on the original show.

Agree with all this. So far the robot is the most sympathetic character.

[call me ishmael]

10 hours ago, ae2 said:

That scene confused me. Judy asked for something trashy, right? Then they somehow got to Moby Dick? When you pick Moby Dick, it feels like there should be some literary significance there, white whale something something but I can't put it together. At least not with this episode. Maybe it plays out in future episodes.

I think that was just supposed to indicate the differences in the sisters.  Judy wanted something trashy but Penny doesn't do trashy because she is too much the intellectual.  But yes you would expect something from the choice although since Ishmael was going off to explore and the ship was destroyed....

[ae2]

17 minutes ago, call me ishmael said:

I think that was just supposed to indicate the differences in the sisters.  Judy wanted something trashy but Penny doesn't do trashy because she is too much the intellectual.  But yes you would expect something from the choice although since Ishmael was going off to explore and the ship was destroyed....

Extra props for the spectacularly appropriate user name!

[Linderhill]

11 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

I was not excited to see Dr. Smith show up, in any form, identity or gender. I never liked the always conniving, weasel-y character. Dr. Smith was the character that kept me from enjoying the repeats of the original series - - it seemed as if he became a fan favorite and the show began to revolve around him.  I hope this show avoids that.

I completely agree with this.  Dr. Smith definitely devoured the original show.  Between him and Will (with an occasional Penny) you wouldn't know that anyone else was on the show.

[millennium]

The family unit started to gel for me in this episode.   It's too bad no Major West yet, because I liked the character in episode 2.

I can't stand Parker Posey as Dr. Smith.   The character does awful things but exudes no menace due to Posey's hungover performance (at least that's how it seems to me).  Posey's agent must have had a blackmail tape starring the showrunner because I can't think of any other reason they'd hire such a lifeless performer.    Anyway, I hate how the character's always lurking by the door at pivotal moments, always on hand to hear the very things she shouldn't, always getting away with things because of a twist of fate ...

 

On 4/15/2018 at 1:39 PM, 2727 said:

Yeah, that's new. The original parents were Ward and June Cleaver in space stranded on an unknown planet. If they ever had an argument I don't remember it. The original focused much more on the comedic shenanigans of Dr. Smith vs Will and the robot and was similar to Gilligan's Island in tone.

 

I would somewhat disagree with this statement.   John and Maureen Robinson weren't the cartoons that Ward and June Cleaver were.   They were strong, principled and determined to fight for their family's survival.   They embodied American values like family first, self-reliance and hard work.   They observed the golden rule -- do unto others as you would have them do unto you -- in virtually all of their encounters with aliens.

The first season -- the black and white season -- was far more serious in tone than those that came after.   The obstacles the Robinsons faced included a star going supernova, a trek across an alien landscape in the throes of climactic and geological upheavals, dangerous and tense encounters with alien races ... and of course attempted mass-murder by Dr. Smith, who programmed the robot to kill them all.   Folks tend to forget that the original Dr. Smith was a homicidal saboteur (what we today would call a terrorist) working for a shadowy organization bent on destroying the Jupiter II and putting a stop to the space colonization program.

Undeniably the show did get sillier as time went on, in large part due to the antics of famewhore Jonathan Harris who singlehandedly hijacked each episode with his campy, slapstick humor.   The showrunners should have shut him down but instead played up the comic angle, hoping to win over a portion of the Batman audience.

There are some great interviews with Harris and Billy Mumy about the making of the original Lost In Space on Youtube.   I recall in one of them Harris even expressed regret for the way he sidelined Guy Williams in particular, and for unfortunate things he said to him and wished he could apologize for.

Edited April 17, 2018 by millennium

[shrewd.buddha]

 I didn't get why Smith thought running out during the storm was a good idea.  Maybe if she had seen something to run toward it would have made more sense. 

But the Smith character?  Ugh. Maybe they will give her some motivation for acting like a sociopath. I am not looking forward to an endless series of events where Smith puts others in danger, but her evil plans get thwarted, and we keep waiting for her exposure and comeuppance ... which never happens,  because she is the show's Loki. 

And I don't mind a Loki type character. What I do mind is having the same behavior stuck on repeat.  We will see...

My theory about the robot : it is not the alien. It is the tool of some alien overlords and has been damaged. There could be an interesting story there. Fingers crossed. 

The family drama  stuff is a bit high pitched right now. A few family issues per episode would work, but this episode was trying to cram in way too many dysfunctional dramas between every family member. 

Edited April 17, 2018 by shrewd.buddha