Season 1 Discussion

[shrewd.buddha]

Maureen! What an incredibly reckless, selfish, narcissistic and ignorant stunt to pull with the weather balloon thing. Why did it have to be so super secret? Why did it have to be done alone? What would you have said if someone else had done it alone? 
I am pretty sure those things don't come down exactly where they launch from either, being balloons and all. I would have been okay with more consequences than a few scrapes.
Maureen is headed towards the bottom of my list of likable characters - - and she is competing with not-a-doctor Smith (!). 

Speaking of Smith, how is she not found out by now? The colonists are together now and so of course they would be checking to see who survived. With such a small group, would no one know that Dr. Smith was a man? And if Dr. Smith was a loner, how could any colonist be assigned to a Jupiter ship all for themselves? They are writing a lot of plot holes to prop up the scheming machinations of not-a-doctor Smith.

At this point I am not sure how I feel about the the colonists as group. I really do not want the show to focus on the tedious personal dramas of the asshole elected leader, love interests, struggles for power, etc.  However, it is more believable than having the Robinsons out in space all by themselves. 

I was losing patience with Will's stammering and not talking to John about the Robot. But when John said something along the lines of "That's not how I raised you", I did expect Will to reply with "You didn't raise me, Mom did."

But enough with trying to build all the drama on people keeping secrets. They are lost. In space. There should be plenty of things to create drama instead of  petty human vices.  

Edited April 21, 2018 by shrewd.buddha

[Netfoot]

The "Jupiter Expansion Protocols" will go down in Sci-fi history as the most anti-climatic, completely useless, and totally risible piece of technological BS any script-writer has ever devised.

We must ditch Robbie, which requires us to go outside the security perimeter.  This is very dangerous because there won't be a light on a pipe to keep us safe, outside.  It'll be OK though, because Robbie will protect us!  And on the way back, after we ditch him, well, we... uh...    Wouldn't there be an IQ requirement for colonists?  But then, Mama did have to fudge Will's test results to get him through.....

On 4/15/2018 at 10:48 AM, Happywatcher said:

Will is literally risking their lives constantly and needs a legendary one

Agreed. Positively legendary! 

On 4/17/2018 at 2:57 AM, millennium said:

Dr. Smith has already become tiresome.  Like you, I've had my fill of irredeemable characters who create havoc but never truly suffer any consequences (Negan).

It's very annoying that her evil machinations go unpunished, and even undetected.  But I just can't grasp her motive.  She is a part of a colony.  A few dozen people.  A couple of hundred at the most.  So, the plan is to betray and piss off as many of them as possible, before spending the rest of her life living amongst them?  So she wants to make Robbie her own weapon, and having stolen the only gun, set herself up as a tyranical dictator?  

[Netfoot]

On 4/17/2018 at 8:20 PM, Runningwild said:

I like that he still doesn’t have a name other than Robot.

Now why have I been referring to him as "Robby" the robot?  I believe that Robby made a guest appearance on the original LIS, but their robot was not Robby.  Thanks for helping me get it straight.

[Netfoot]

On 4/15/2018 at 5:02 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

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

Can't go to the stars without David Lee Roth!

On 4/18/2018 at 2:46 AM, Vella said:

And the CONSTANT joke cracking and smarming is getting to be WAY too much.

That, coupled with the dumb hick shtick.  Someone that stupid wouldn't be allowed on a spaceship.  Especially a stupid contraband smuggler!

On 4/18/2018 at 2:46 PM, Miles said:

What was the point of the rock pile?

It was a cairn.  One stone for each of the colonists who lost their life.

On 4/18/2018 at 2:46 AM, Vella said:

Will sending his robot off a cliff while crying his eyes out over the 'best friend' he's had for like, 5 days? WTF?

Yeah, and it isn't like the robot is the loquacious type, easy to become friendly with!

On 4/19/2018 at 2:22 PM, rab01 said:

They are on a huge freaking alien planet and not required to let everyone else know where they are at ALL times?  Absolutely insane.

The best part is the idea of skinny-dipping in the river, without wondering if some sort of xeno-piranha will eat off your genitals!

[Netfoot]

On 4/19/2018 at 2:32 PM, rab01 said:

 Vijay was right to blab. 

Mrs. Robinson should have been the first to "blab" the facts to the other colonists.  So they could make informed decisions, like not dooming them all to save a mortally wounded cannon-fodder character.  Well, at least they found a tar pit, which will allow them to manufacture fuel.  But why aren't the eels eating all that lovely tar?

And you know, for colonists who are one trillion, trillion miles from resupply, they sure are blasé about their equipment and materials.  I mean, if you're shipwrecked on a desert island, you don't throw away so much as a bottle-cap or a piece of string.

On 4/16/2018 at 2:36 PM, iMonrey said:

And I still don't get what Dr. Smith's game plan

Neither do I, but frankly, this show is so silly, the only reason I am still watching is because I want to see ZS get hung, drawn and quartered.  Except, I'm starting to think that she won't, because in modern cinema, nobody is ever held truly accountable for their actions.

[Netfoot]

Will's ass still needs a thorough shellacking... 

[Netfoot]

No, this should have been a ripping yarn, and instead it was... rubbish.  

On it's merits, I can't see this being renewed, but it might get renewed anyway.  If that happens, I won't be back.

[AlwaysWatching]

I don't binge shows that I don't like, uh, so I guess I liked this one.  The only character I thought would bug me was Don. Of course he won me over.  Most of the time I check out directors, producers, writers and so on, and I did notice that there was a big female influence on this version of Lost in Space.  Well, at least on the one episode I checked out. And I agree with those who have mentioned that things got really good with Maureen and NOT Dr. Smith.  Parker Posey was so good with her character that she literally frightened me at times.  Too much psychopathy going on in that woman's head.  She was not playing for laughs.

I also loved the scenes with Will and the robot.  I'm old and mushy and I actually cried when the robot walked off the cliff. 

I hope they do get renewed.  It was a few hours of innocent "what the hell is going to happen next??" fun.

[rab01]

12 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Now why have I been referring to him as "Robby" the robot?  I believe that Robby made a guest appearance on the original LIS, but their robot was not Robby.  Thanks for helping me get it straight.

Maybe you'r mind is merging him with Robby from Forbidden Planet. 

[SayMyName]

On 4/15/2018 at 12:19 PM, Token said:

So, the ship was full of ice and water, yet now it just looks pristine and perfect?  The only effect is some waterlogged filters that you're swapping out for bone-dry, completely clean new ones?  Nothing else managed to get ruined?  Miraculous!

This was my first thought. Nothing shorted out? I guess in the future they seal all spaceship components in case they end up at the bottom of the ocean.

At least they could have added some realism and put the ship in a big bag of rice to dry out.

[millennium]

Surprise, surprise.   Now Dr. Smith is an adept at alien robotics.   How accommodating of all the other characters to meander off and place themselves in mortal jeopardy so she can pursue her fuckery at her own leisure.

And another episode built around an important Judy moment.   I preferred the plight of John and Maureen.   You just knew the helium voices were coming; even so, it was funny.  Their relationship is cliche but thankfully not sappy. 

I hope the Robinsons get off the planet -- maybe that's when they become separated from the other colonists and head off into the unknown alone?  One thing that kept the original series interesting was the way it shifted between a planetary setting and episodes set in the cosmos.

Are space hippies too much to hope for?

[millennium]

The thing about TV villains is that they need to be more than just malicious.   To hold the viewer's interest, they also need to be colorful, creative, and oftentimes even humorous.  (Again I point to Gaius Baltar.)

Dr. Smith is none of these.  She is a habitual liar, a murderer, an identity thief and an abuser of children.  Period.   There isn't a shred of personality to offset her crimes.   Part of it is Parker Posey's abysmal acting, but also the character is written to be unremittingly tedious.  She's evil, sure, but only in the most banal manner.   I cringe every time she comes onscreen because all it does is distract from the more interesting main story.

Again, Don West's lightheartedness shines in this episode.   Molly Parker's doing a great job too, maybe her best work ever.  Penny remains a very believable character.   Will disappoints for being such a sap.   And Judy?  I got nothing.

[millennium]

Just saw that Lost In Space has been renewed for Season 2.

I came to this fully expecting to hate it.   But there was a lot to like.  Except ... Can't. Stand. Smith.   She's a full-on sociopath and killer.   There's no redemption arc for that.  No way she's going to suddenly grow a conscience.  

Wasn't too fond of the last minute switcheroo either, where the Jupiter wormholes to the Robot's galaxy. 

[shrewd.buddha]

I liked the twist of the Robot being on the Resolute to take back stolen property. I keep wondering why none of the colonists have come the realization that the Robot actually is just a tool - a potentially dangerous one , like the gun - and the more dangerous threat is whoever/whatever built it and initially controlled it. 

I did not like Judy and Maureen just leaving Smith unattended. They could have at least tied her up. The writers give Smith way too many plot holes to crawl through. 

[shrewd.buddha]

On 4/21/2018 at 2:43 PM, Netfoot said:

Mrs. Robinson should have been the first to "blab" the facts to the other colonists.  

It was satisfying when the other scientist, the biologist, told Maureen he had already come the same conclusions. 
But it was arrogant and narcissistic of Maureen to think only she could figure out a possible solution and did not want to panic, in her mind:  the herd of emotional humans. She does not know everyone there. One of them could, god forbid, be even smarter than her - or not even be as smart, but be able to think of a possible alternative she had not. Do the writers realize that Maureen may not be coming off as heroic as they may have intended? 

Why did Judy think yelling out to the red-headed guy to be careful was helping? That would have been very distracting. Also, because of plot, none of the characters could think of any way to plug the hole in the fuel container. I wondered why Don stopped pulling on the container when it was upright - why not continue so that the container was on its other side and the hole was facing upwards? 

Still, with all the nitpicks, I'm enjoying the series.   And even despite the character of not-Dr. Smith, who is a major hurdle to our enjoyment of the show. At least it appears she will get found out. 

Edited April 23, 2018 by shrewd.buddha

[Netfoot]

9 hours ago, rab01 said:

Maybe you'r mind is merging him with Robby from Forbidden Planet. 

I was thinking about Robby from Forbidden Planet.  After FP, Robby made an appearance in a number of other films and TV shows, including LIS.  For some reason, my memory had placed Robby as the fobot robot from LIS, which was not correct.  Perhaps my memory flashed on a scene of him with the principal actors, from his guest appearance.  Anyhow, for what ever reason, I thought for a while that the LIS robot had been played by Robby.  Now, my memory stands corrected.

 

P.S.:  FP was Robby's debut role.  He was created for the part in 1956.  

Edited April 22, 2018 by Netfoot

[benteen]

Geez, Will!  I liked John's lesson about his responsibility towards the robot because it's clear Will didn't grasp the robot's action at all.  But that doesn't mean sending the show's most interesting character off a cliff!

You know, I like this show.  I like how they've reimagined it for the most part and how they are bringing the world to life but there are some dubious writing and character developments.

I have no idea what Smith's inane plan is.  Didn't she want the robot on her side?  Now the robot is destroyed based on her bizarre manipulation of Angela.  Smith is constantly evil and scheming for the sake of it on this show and it unconvincing and unsubtle about it.  How she hasn't been found out at this point is the only real mystery.

I wish Smith and the jackass leader would have jumped off the cliff instead.

I like Don a lot but idiot decides to wait until the ship is drained of fuel and Judy and the other guy have been holding the ship in place with the chariots to start snooping around.  Idiot.  I don't think he needs much proof to accuse Smith...it's not like she has any friends who will back her up down there.

Nice of Penny to be helping everyone out...oh, that's right, she wasn't.  Nice of Super Mom Maureen to know where he daughter is the day after a creature attacked the camp...oh, that's right, she didn't know.  No brains by anyone here and Maureen on top of being a terrible leader isn't that much better as a mom either.

[shrewd.buddha]

I sort of liked John's father-son-robot field trip, and acknowledging the lost colonists. 
But I did wonder why John did't talk to Will about using the robot as a crutch. Will wanted the robot to help with the rocks and John denied that - but Will would still not learn as much self reliance with a giant robot security blanket always at his side. 

[iMonrey]

I thought it was interesting that they copied the storyline from the original show, wherein they land on a plant that has an irregular orbit around its sun and becomes too hot to sustain human life. Only on the original show, they had to get into their chariot and drive to the coldest part of the planet then shield themselves from the sun as the planet whipped itself around it. I like that they managed to take off from the planet in this version, except then Maureen suggested they might just wait it out in orbit and then land again. If the planet is going to get too close to the sun and they're orbiting the planet, won't it be just as dangerous as if they're on it? I guess it's a moot point now but that didn't make any sense to me.

Likewise, in Season 2 of the original show, they landed on a planet that was run by robots, and that's where they appear to be heading. So I thought that was kind of neat.

I loved all the other little tributes to the original like naming the chicken Debbie (Debbie was a "Bloop" - a weird alien monkey - in the original show) and that Dr. Smith's real name was June Harris. 

I agree it's going to be tough keeping Dr. Smith relevant going forward, especially since they know her real name now (or, at least, her sister's name). I suppose the fact that she saved John and Don in the end was the show's way of reforming her somewhat but they have a long way to go.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Was that lake of liquid water just sitting there beneath the ice under the ship all the time ?  On top of a glacier ?
If it was melted by the heat of the ship, wouldn't the ship have been sitting in a pool of water ?  None of that aspect of the story makes any sense.

I know the father kept calling the entrances/hatches to the ship 'airlocks' but they aren't airlocks if there is only one door.  So the ship should have never have flooded in the first place if they were actual airlocks.  The Jupiter 2 is a spaceship after all.

There's no way the father (John) walked ALL the way to that magnesium outcropping and back in under 5 hours to almost save Judy.  When they panned back for that awesome view of the foot trail in the snow, they had been walking for miles.  

I could see the robot hightailing it back from the forest to the J2 in record time, but he must have been carrying Will, especially since it was in the dark

I also thought this episode dragged.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Where did the chicken come from ?  Did it just happen to be in the Jupiter 18 that ersatz Dr. Smith and the 2 mechanics took ?

Did the chicken follow them outside the ship ?  Was there more than 1 chicken ?
Because the last we saw the chicken, it was perched at the front of the ship hanging down over the cliff edge ?  Did Don go back and get the chicken ?

So many chicken-related questions.

[Bongo Fury]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

... If the planet is going to get too close to the sun and they're orbiting the planet, won't it be just as dangerous as if they're on it? ...

I assumed that they'd keep the planet between their ship and the sun to shield themselves.

[DearEvette]

I think I have only ever watched a few episodes of the original and don't remember enough about it to make comparisons to this.  So this is really like a whole brand new show to me despite the name /reboot status.

I decided to watch because I developed mad crush on Toby Stephens during Black Sails.  He alone brought me to this. And well,I like sci fi tv.

Like a lot of people, I though first episode felt a little clunky, even though it was nicely tense (and I am writing after seeing the much better second ep).  I did find myself FF in places because I just wanted to get past some of the more talky bits.

One thing I did like was the family dynamic.  I liked that the two teenagers seemed like, well, teenagers.  They were appropriately snarky, a little rude without being really nasty, but underneath it all still cared for the family and each other.  Jury is still out on Will.  I don't want him to become a precious plot moppett, but understand he had to create a rapport with the robot.  The dad and mom were very interesting.  Wonder what caused the rift in the marriage? Was it just him being absent so much?  Was it a combo of absence and neglect?  The mom herself gives a bit off of bit of a controlling vibe.  Like that she is the brilliant scientist, though. 

It might be a controversial opinion, but I also like the decision for the Dad not to treat the kids as kids no matter their age in a survival situation.  If they had to undergo a rigorous series of training in order to be approved to colonize a new a planet, then they need to be able to rise to the challenges in dangerous situation.  The emphasis on 'it is just like you did in your training' or 'you went through training for this' that he kept saying made sense to me especially since he has a soldier's mentality.  The mom's insistence of thinking of them as her children doesn't work in the survival situation they had.  She knew how quickly the water would freeze etc.  she was trying to shield them and that doesn't help anyone out in the end.

I thought the episode ended strongly and let me anticipate the next episode, despite the Deus Ex Machina of the Robot who has just the sort of skill set necessary to save them and keep them warm.

[ottoDbusdriver]

So, the eels were lurking in the frozen ice in the glacier, awaiting a spaceship to crash, in order thaw and destabilize the ice. so that they could swim inside the spaceship to feed on the fuel.
Sure, why not ?

Why wouldn't they pump out the lower deck ?  The J2 was no longer swimming in liquid water -- it was embedded in ice.  Pump away !!

Of course the J2 would have enough power to fly through a destabilzing glacier and hold continuous powered flight for about a minute or so  -- on fumes.
Sure it did, and did they also tip the ship sideways to get the last couple of drops out of the tank ?

And then John manages to stick the landing after they ran out of fuel.

Do all the Jupiters have such shitty computer security and no onboard video surveillance ?

By the way, it looks like the Chariot can fly -- I guess Penny didn't see that in the instruction manual.
 

Edited April 22, 2018 by ottoDbusdriver

[Happy Harpy]

9 hours ago, millennium said:

Just saw that Lost In Space has been renewed for Season 2.

Can I ask you where? I didn't find an official announcement.

[DearEvette]

Like this better than the first episode despite some logic flaws and the  insistence of moving the plot at the expense of character.

Th biggest flaw of course is with the way they needed to get Dr. Smith hooked up with the Robinsons.  It made no sense for her to strike out on her own, not knowing if anyone else was out there with them.  And oh how lucky she was to shoot off the flare just when the Robinsons can see it.  Too much plot convenience.  Just made no sense. 

As to the character's motivations, that is where I think it gets really interesting.  On the mother ship she was in what looked like a medical gown of some sort.  She just didn't look like she was all there, she was in no uniform and had no clearance to get on any of the Jupiter ships.  I wonder if she really is a sociopath?  Or a member of the team who had a psychotic break?  Someone who slipped onto the ship and got caught?  A paid saboteur?  We know her real name isn't Dr. Smith but she has so easily slipped into that persona that you almost forget that.  The story she told Don about her brother sounded authentic.  Until of course she said to the Robinsons "I always wanted a brother."  Which tells me she comes off as a pathological liar.  But why is the real question.  Is she evil or is just a con artist with a highly developed survival skill set?

Still liking how fucked up the family is.  I do think if a family is really fractured under normal day-to-day circumstances, then a situation of extreme duress will go one of two ways -- it'll either solidify them into a team, allowing them to push away the petty or it will magnify the stress fractures in the relationships.  Obviously the show is choosing to do the latter for now.  I am seeing more clarity in the family dynamics though:  Mrs. Robinson is a control freak who has been used to making all the decisions and won't relinquish that just because Hubby's back.  Mr. Robinson is trying to find his role back into the family despite being an absentee dad for so long.  Judy is the perfectionist like her mother, very wedded to rules and proper way of doing things.  Also having some PTSD issues.  Penny is the typical middle child trying to be seen and heard.  And Will is the baby who now has a new and powerful pet.

Also, I am really liking Don ... and his chicken.

[Anela]

On 4/15/2018 at 10:04 PM, Linderhill said:

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. 

She was making me feel a bit better about my hair. It keeps breaking/falling out, and hers looks similar to mine. It covers my head, but I've lost a lot, probably thanks to a health condition. I look like someone took scissors to my hair for revenge. :/ 

I missed part of this episode, watching anyhow (I had headphones on), but I always get, "Stay in the house, Carl!" in my head, when kids decide to go off on their own now. Thanks to Walking Dead. I'm also tired of really terrible people getting away with things, but Parker Posey's good. I'm not ready for her to disappear yet.

[nodorothyparker]

I'm trying not to think about the science of any of this too deeply or I'm just going to end up with a headache.  So the frozen water on this planet is inhabited by giant eels who just happen to eat something similar to whatever concoction they're using for a fuel source.  Which I guess is why Maureen was pointing it out during the eel dissection so we're not surprised when the family inevitably discovers some local flora or fauna that matches up to their now depleted fuel supply.  I did get a tremendous kick out of watching Toby Stephens getting filthy wrestling the things and couldn't stop imagining his Captain Flint giving John his deadpan side eye at the stupidity of it all.  Hopefully they'll discover their alternate fuel source next episode so I won't have to waste any energy wondering how they're continuing to run the lights and all the random electronics if the tanks are dry.

Liked Judy working through the stuff in her head enough to save herself instead of each of them constantly needing to be rescued.  It's too bad "Dr. Smith" isn't really a psychologist because this family could certainly use one.  Maureen started off the episode as her usual overbearing self but thankfully seemed to dial it back a bit as the episode wore on and after Penny laid the hard truth on her that she needed to stop selling John short.  Clearly he does have some skills even if he's traditionally military instead of sci-fi sciency.  Again, I'm enjoying that everybody save maybe Will is some degree of competent even if I think maybe it would be okay to go an episode or two where they're not all racing around in constant peril.  Liked them being a little more at ease with each other at the end.

Also much appreciated is that the show isn't dragging the story on "Dr. Smith" out all season, but Parker Posey isn't giving me much to go on.  Whoever said she's coming across as boozy has it right, although I would add a low-energy situational opportunist to that.  OK, so on Earth she was apparently a low-level criminal and ne're-do-well.  Even so, how bad does your life really have to be that stealing your sister's identity and getting yourself shot into space seems like a better option than hanging around for a free life setup you didn't have to do anything to earn?   The reveal that she'd been found out before everything went haywire saves this story from making it too stupid for plausibility and provides motivation for her to not want her little party to be found, so now I assume we're going to have to watch her sabotaging the family behind their backs while they're none the wiser.

[ottoDbusdriver]

On 4/15/2018 at 9:56 PM, Kelda Feegle said:

it's less Lost in Space and more Lost and staying to form a colony on a foreign planet.

I was expecting that creature in the woods that the robot growled down to be a smoke monster.

So even though the J11 stuck the landing by the lake, the eels, like @Miles indicated upthread, somehow managed to get into their fuel tanks as well.  That makes no sense.

How come the J11 chariot got a trailer ?  Can the J11 chariot fly with the trailer attached ?

And who cleared the roads through the forest ? John was driving the J11 chariot through the woods like it was a paved highway.

Don't see faux Dr. Smith's mind games working on the robot.

These kids are just so bad at lying -- even worse, the parents don't seem to have any idea that they are lying.

The blackmail with the kid from the other group is not going to hold -- unless that envelope contains prepaid membership to the local Costco, why would he even go along ?

I know that a section of this episode took place at night, but it was so dark at times you could barely see any of the actors.  
It was just a black screen with people talking -- and that is pretty much radio.

Plus, it's the future, who uses letters anymore ?

Had the J11 crew deployed the Jupiter expansion protocols ?

[mxc90]

8 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

It was satisfying when the other scientist, the biologist, told Maureen he had already come the same conclusions. 
But it was arrogant and narcissistic of Maureen to think only she could figure out a possible solution and did not want to panic, in her mind:  the herd of emotional humans. She does not know everyone there. One of them could, god forbid, be even smarter than her - or not even be as smart, but be able to think of a possible alternative she had not. Do the writers realize that Maureen may not be coming off as heroic as they may have intended? 

Why did Judy think yelling out to the red-headed guy to be careful was helping? That would have been very distracting. Also, because of plot, none of the characters could think of any way to plug the hole in the fuel container. I wondered why Don stopped pulling on the container when it was upright - why not continue so that the container was on it other side and the hole was facing upwards? 

Still, with all the nitpicks, I'm enjoying the series.   And even despite the character of not-Dr. Smith, who is a major hurdle to our enjoyment of the show. At least it appears she will get found out. 

Don is allowed one good idea per episode and he used it earlier. Easily could have rolled it over and call for the replacement tanker. 

Also, Don's chariot should have been farther ahead of the chariot carrying extra weight of fuel.

[benteen]

Concealing information (Maureen) and blabbing (Penny) is biting the Robinsons in the ass.  Victor is an asshole though he wasn't necessarily wrong about the fuel.  If they did know about the destruction of the planet, then the hard call would have been to conserve as much fuel as possible despite the cost.

I do agree John and Maureen were good in this one.  Though John got a case of the stupids by driving the chariot with a bad shoulder.

[millennium]

I wish I could accommodate, but I just checked the list for renewed/canceled shows where I saw it and it's no longer there.   Maybe somebody jumped the laser gun, then realized their error.  

[mxc90]

I had no creative cuss words when Will was shown tied up. I just shook my head with disappointment!

[millennium]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I thought it was interesting that they copied the storyline from the original show, wherein they land on a plant that has an irregular orbit around its sun and becomes too hot to sustain human life. Only on the original show, they had to get into their chariot and drive to the coldest part of the planet then shield themselves from the sun as the planet whipped itself around it. I like that they managed to take off from the planet in this version, except then Maureen suggested they might just wait it out in orbit and then land again. If the planet is going to get too close to the sun and they're orbiting the planet, won't it be just as dangerous as if they're on it? I guess it's a moot point now but that didn't make any sense to me.

Likewise, in Season 2 of the original show, they landed on a planet that was run by robots, and that's where they appear to be heading. So I thought that was kind of neat.

I loved all the other little tributes to the original like naming the chicken Debbie (Debbie was a "Bloop" - a weird alien monkey - in the original show) and that Dr. Smith's real name was June Harris. 

I agree it's going to be tough keeping Dr. Smith relevant going forward, especially since they know her real name now (or, at least, her sister's name). I suppose the fact that she saved John and Don in the end was the show's way of reforming her somewhat but they have a long way to go.

I like that they kept a fragment of the original series Season 3 theme (the one with the countdown).   I loved it as a kid.  Wish they had incorporated more of it -- or all of it -- but maybe there was a rights/usage concern.   The original Season 3 theme for "Lost In Space" was written by "Johnny Williams," who later made his name as John Williams, composer of the Star Wars theme (and themes for other blockbuster movies).   I have always appreciated that shared heritage between "Lost In Space" and "Star Wars."

[Happy Harpy]

13 minutes ago, millennium said:

I wish I could accommodate, but I just checked the list for renewed/canceled shows where I saw it and it's no longer there.   Maybe somebody jumped the laser gun, then realized their error.  

OK, thanks :) Probably it's the case.

[ottoDbusdriver]

On 4/21/2018 at 9:15 AM, benteen said:

Also, if Alpha Centauri is a one-way trip, how has Don been there and back multiple times?

That is a real head scratcher -- and if this is Mission 24, were the previous 23 missions just supply runs for the manned mission to follow.  But Don mentioned that people drag their baggage wherever they go so that makes me think that there are already people on Alpha Centauri.

Wow !! Those random gusts of wind must be in the 100-150 mph range.  Must have been a microburst near the airport -- that's where these things happen here on planet Earth. </sarcasm>

Is Don really that gullible to fall for Smith's BS explanation ?  I hope not -- glad he 'lost' the necklace.

The actor that plays John looks like a poor man's Damien Lewis

Penny complains that she has had 'like 20 Beef Ravioli' MREs -- yet they have only been on the planet 3 or 4 days at this point.  Did they also eat MREs on the Resolute ?

Apparently Maureen launched her balloon on One Tree Hill.

Seriously, the security on anything on these missions is just terrible, as shown by Dr. Smith having an app on her smartphone for the perimeter defence.  And no one else has an app that would have indicated that the perimeter fence was off ?

Why would they pack a weather balloon that could go that high -- 350K feet is nearly 70 miles up ?  Must be part of the Jupiter Expansion Protocols.
Plus, as mentioned upthread, how would Maureen land at the exact same spot where she parked the chariot -- it's a balloon, not a powered dirigible.  She would have drifted for miles going up that high.  Then again maybe she just looped the planet once.

Hawking radiation = black holes, so the 'sun' is probably a binary star paired with a black hole in a tight orbit.  How would that make the sun rises change differently, because they have no idea what the period of this planet is.  Plus it's not like the black hole is a recent addition -- it has probably been there for a long time.  But no worries I'm sure one of the kids will whip up a widget that they will launch into the black hole and solve all the problems.

One thing I have yet to figure out -- when the ship was breached during the attack and all the Jupiters launched, the Resolute fired a blue beam that opened some kind of vortex and sucked the Resolute and all the Jupiters into it, exiting somewhere near this planetary system.  How come no one else has brought that up yet ?  Is that how they would have normally traveled to  Alpha Centauri ?  Or was that event caused by the robots ?

Considering that there has never been a source of light that bright at night in probably the history of this particular planet, no surprise it drew in unexpected visitors. 

Edited April 26, 2018 by ottoDbusdriver

[nodorothyparker]

I'll agree that the kids, and the parents too, seem terribly naive to be trusting the robot so wholeheartedly.  Sure, let's take off for a day or two and leave the kids alone on this unknown planet with possibly unknown threats.  They've got this robot that just showed up maybe two days ago and can't communicate and only takes orders from the 11-year-old.  I'm sure it's perfectly safe.  I mean, I do get it on some level.  He/It showed up in the nick of time to save two of the kids and has been mostly helpful since then.  But everyone's acting like he/it's a less cuddly golden retriever when at least two of the kids now know that he/it or one of its kind participated in whatever went down on the Resolute and that since they can't really ask him/it about it they have no guarantees that he/it won't flip back at any time.

That said, I really love the kids as a sibling unit.  They bicker and back each other believably like real siblings.  The planet exploration was fun and fun to look at.  And there was something quietly painful in the moment of realization that the robot wanted to be one of them.  I don't even know what to say about "Dr. Smith" trying to play mind games with the robot though.  How does she even see that working?  As the Robinsons connect with other survivors, does she honestly think that no one is going to mention the "doctor" they have staying with them or that only people who never encountered her survived?  Or does she think that she can somehow trick the robot into playing bodyguard or chasing off anyone who calls her on this?  This seems so far to be a fairly small survivors group where word will certainly be getting around. 

Dammit, Maureen.  You almost had me during the pretty pretty lightshow reminiscing scene and then you immediately had to snap back again.  No, a parent shouldn't disappear halfway around the world on his kids and use work as an excuse when he doesn't have to, but did she ever take even 30 seconds to question why he might choose to do that or how they got to that point?  I don't want to sympathize with a parent who would do that no matter how nice Toby Stephens looks in his space sportwear, but Maureen isn't coming across terribly sympathetic either.  She doesn't want to listen and she continually shuts down John because she can as leader even if it makes them all less safe as a result.  The man followed you across galaxies.  That might be your first clue that he's taking this seriously now.

[MisterGlass]

I'm more impressed by this series than I expected to be, and in the end quite enjoyed it.  Considering what the original series was, they did an amazing update.  It remains family friendly, but they managed to squeeze in a few tense moments.  It's not Battlestar Galactica, but it's not aiming to be.  I liked the majority of the characters, and I could usually see the point of view of the ones that annoyed me.  I love the science first approach, especially in a family oriented show.  Even John, one of the less science forward characters, was able to be practical and problem solving with his skill set.

I thought they were very clever in how they updated the robot.  The old style Robby is far too cheesy to work today.  Having him comprehend but engage at a primarily non-verbal level works.  He can be funny or serious as needed.  The approach to Dr. Smith is interesting.  It makes sense in the set up that a true villain could not have made it on a colony ship in a legitimate way because of all the screening, and therefore she would need to be an imposter.  Even Don, a petty criminal, is only there by breaking the rules.  Smith psychological manipulation of everyone made my skin crawl.  I thought it was handled well.  All the other characters start with the basic assumption that she passed the same tests that they did, and that significantly enabled her.  She also kept her manipulation one on one, and a version of the truth.

My biggest problem with Maureen is the same problem I have with a lot of tech characters on television.  They are experts in too many fields.  Astrophysics, structural engineering, navigation, radio transmission, fuel systems, air conditioner maintenance, etc. are not close cousins.  A person may dabble in many fields, but there's a limit.  I recognize that this is for convenience, because otherwise you have to have the whole mission control room involved to solve the problems (see Apollo 13).

Agree with other posters on the uncomfortableness of the age gap between Judy and Don.  They need to be at least five years closer than what is depicted.  I can buy that Judy was put in accelerated medical training after she was accepted for the colony, but 22 would have been much better.  I think they wanted her in the young adult range because of how they wanted to explore the father/daughter relationship.

On 4/17/2018 at 10:38 AM, Adira said:

I actually thought the kid who played Will was a pretty good actor!

Yeah, I thought he was decent, and had decent writing.  While watching this I kept thinking that things have come along way since poor Wil Wheaton was Wesley Crusher.  The family interactions were really good.  Especially with Penny.

[MisterGlass]

It was disingenuous of Maureen to bring up Challenger and Columbia when lecturing Don about past space failures.  Especially Challenger, which was an engineering failure. 

[MisterGlass]

I liked the rock cairn as well.  Will clearly didn't get why his robot was going to be unwelcome by the colonists, and why his mother didn't want him trying to force people to interact with it.  He's a child and an optimist.  This taught him to consider the lives of others, and it was also an acknowledgement by John of his own past.  John kept the lesson focused on the most critical thing about the robot; I think he would have confronted the reliance on the robot later.

I think it was a mistake to have the cairn and the destruction of the robot in the same episode, but I can understand wanting them linked for younger viewers.

[MisterGlass]

I was completely on Victor's side in the debate.  They have only one chance at enough fuel to get back to the Resolute, which is important even without the hidden knowledge of the planetary disaster.  The Resolute certainly can't land to get them, and it hasn't detected survivors according to the broadcast, so it could leave them stranded.  Evan's injury was life threatening if it had occurred in the parking lot of a hospital, let alone miles from any camp on an unknown planet.

I really enjoyed John and Maureen's interaction and escape.  I wasn't thinking about the voices because they were breathing from an oxygen tank, and it made me laugh.

2 hours ago, benteen said:

Though John got a case of the stupids by driving the chariot with a bad shoulder.

They're both pretty banged up at this point.

[mxc90]

I might have missed it: Did Don ever confront or have any words with Dr.  Smith after he found the picture of the real Dr. Smith? He left the confrontation to the Robinson to handle.

In an earlier episode, there was a clear picture of the real Jessica Harris from the security guy (who was air locked) but somehow the Robinson have all the information minus a picture to verify June Harris' claim to be Jessica.

[MisterGlass]

The eels are apparently amphibious.  They've accomplished a lot with no limbs. 

I enjoy the sibling interaction, and I like the idea that there are more survivors.  It broadens the world and the story possibilities.

The robot has a strong Frankenstein's Monster thing going.  Its delight and curiosity about the flowers and expression of happiness in toppling the tree were endearing. 

[MisterGlass]

There's influence from a lot of other scifi properties in this.  I don't say that as a knock; I think they've done interesting things with the concepts.  The robot is similar to the Iron Giant.  The space ship landing in ice, melting it, and becoming embedded is similar to the opening of the original The Thing from Another World.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Nothing will survive the black hole -- tell that to the eels. Or the Pine trees.  Or the big insect eating creatures. This can't be the first time this planet looped past this black hole, so not the catastrophe she makes it out to be.  I think Cassandr ... Maureen is overreacting to the black hole.

I don't get Smith lying to Angela -- Angela can check Smith's story with Don West.  WTF ?

Can 3D printers really make smokeless gunpowder for bullets ?  Maybe in the future, but I still doubt it.

Mr. Watanabe figured out something is wrong with the planet -- without traveling 70 miles up in a balloon.  He's definitely smarter than Maureen.
But how does he know about changing weather patterns if they have only been there a few days ?

Penny plans an entire swimming sexcapade in untested water with Vijay, and somehow the water got turned off so sexytime is off.

It conveniently rained 6 or 7 feet of sharp rocks everywhere except the top of the Jupiter 18 where it rained about an inch of rocks.  Seriously.  The land was so even that they drove right up to the cliff edge, no bumps or nothing to indicate uneven terrain caused by a buried ship.

So what happened to the Number 8 with the 5 dots around it that the robot drew ?  Is that still a threat ?

I figured for sure that faux Dr. Smith was going to smother Angela with a pillow.  Because why not, Smith doesn't appear to have reasons for anything else she does.

The producers have to lay off the lens flares -- that scene at the J18 was brutal to watch with the all the lens flares from the chariot headlights.

Nice knowing you robot -- the Groot of 'Lost in Space'.

[hatchetgirl]

Love Parker Posey. I'm trying to get a read on Dr Smith.  I'm thinking insane, but even the colonists wouldn't send her out to space?  Definitely knows what the robots do...

Robinson family... someone upthread said too wreckless... yes.  

I want to know any Judy doesn't like dad? 

[paulvdb]

9 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

That is a real head scratcher -- and if this is Mission 24, were the previous 23 missions just supply runs for the manned mission to follow.  But Don mentioned that people drag their baggage wherever they go so that makes me think that there are already people on Alpha Centauri.

My interpretation is that the Resolute has been travelling with colonists to Alpha Centauri multiple times. But when they get to Alpha Centauri the colonists take their Jupiters to the ground and use them to create their homes. After that the Resolute travels back to Earth without the Jupiters which means that there would be no room on board for colonists to travel back to Earth. They probably only have living space on the Resolute for its own crew members like Don.

[shrewd.buddha]

It appears they decided to shove logic out of the airlock for the final episode. Because of the illogical silliness, the series felt degraded to 'young-adult sci-fi' - - to me.  I was not really happy with ending on a cliffhanger, either. 

The really bad stuff:

• The Resolute, mother ship, is calling Maureen as she is leaving the planet. Maureen never answers. She doesn't ask for help to find John, who is alive.
• Maureen  doesn't ask the Resolute to wait for them - - are they in immediate danger after they are off the planet?
• Maureen, when in control of the Jupiter, does not warn the Resolute about not-Dr. Smith and the Robot. In fact, they may not have told anyone else about not-Dr. Smith, for plot reasons.
• Where did the alien spaceship go? 
• Will decides the best time to confront his Mom about failing the space test was during a crisis. 
• Will Maureen ever tell anyone what she learned about the stolen alien technology? 
• Don conveniently goes blind for about twenty minutes - - and is cured by having an emotional cry.

There were just too, too many plot contrivances jammed into one episode. Another of those was having Penny and Judy trapped in the chariot while Will and Maureen were not. There was also Will needing to make a spacewalk to the far side of the ship - in order for him to be rescued by his Dad. 

On 4/20/2018 at 12:15 AM, immortalfrieza said:

Pretty good season, too much plot induced stupidity involved for my tastes, but I like the characters well enough. 

Agreed.

On 4/20/2018 at 3:27 PM, LakeGal said:

I did laugh that the radios in the chariots were like CB radios with the cords.  Is that really the future?

It is odd that the colonists have our level of technology, and maybe a little better, but there are no electronic assistants such as Suri, Google, Cortana, etc. 
"Alexa, remind me that I have three hours to get off this planet, two hours before John runs out of air, and one hour before the Resolute leaves us. And plot a course for Alpha Centauri. Thanks."

This one episode impacted my enthusiasm for a second season. I am definitely not looking forward to more of not-Dr. Smith. I also hope they work on Maureen's character flaw - the one where she doesn't trust anyone else with information, which always leads to even bigger problems. The problems resulting from characters keeping secrets got old after a while.

Edited April 23, 2018 by shrewd.buddha

[Sakura12]

While I get that Judy is supposed to be a doctor in training. They are small colony with limited resources, that guy was crushed under a fuel tank and suffered tons of internal life threatening injuries miles away from the medical supplies to help him. I would have to agree with sacrificing the one to save the many at that point. Give him something for the pain and see if he can last until another fuel tank arrives. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

The Resolute, mother ship, is calling Maureen as she is leaving the planet. Maureen never answers. She doesn't ask for help to find John, who is alive.

They established in an earlier episode that they could hear the Resolute's transmissions but the Resolute could not hear them. So at first it made sense she didn't respond. But then when they were in visual range, all of a sudden they could both hear each other. So . . . WTF?