Lost in Space

PLEASE NOTE: ScienceFiction.com was given special early access to the first five episodes of ‘Lost in Space’ courtesy of Netflix.  Minor spoilers may lie in the review below, but all major plot-specific spoilers have been given their best attempt at being avoided.  Please proceed in reading this advance review with this knowledge and at your own risk!

The third episode of Netflix’s ‘Lost in Space’ reboot is a bit difficult to talk about without giving too much away, so I’ll try to tiptoe around the major plot points here for you.

I can tell you to keep a sharp eye out in this episode!  The trend of dropping fun little Easter Eggs and callbacks to the original 1960s series remains in full effect here – just know that pretty much every ancillary character’s name is some sort of “homage” to an original series actor or character, which is very cool.  Also, this episode features several flashbacks that help create exposition and back-story for our characters; a particular cut-scene for Dr. Smith specifically features an awesome and unexpected guest star!

Episode 3 centers around the Robinsons and Smith, working to free the Jupiter 2 from its ice-encased predicament that it has been trapped in since the first episode.  In addition to the family dynamic causing further drama during the crisis, there’s also the issue of Smith herself, who (in class Dr. Smith fashion) presents to the family as very trustworthy but obviously has some secrets she’s harboring.  Add to all this the fact that there is still an alien Robot on-board, who appears to be obeying Will’s orders – to a point.  I for one am certainly looking forward to learning more about the Robot, and I’d guess that most viewers will be in that same boat with me.

As an odd aside, this is the third episode of the series, and all three episodes so far have featured vastly different opening credits.  The first episode flashed nothing more than a quick, plain-text ‘Lost in Space’ as the show began; Episode #2 expanded on this a bit, giving the series title a starfield background and a bit more animation, to go along with a more futuristic-looking font.  This third episode, however, featured a minute-long opening credits scene that felt much more “classic TV’ in its presentation: the primary actors all got name credit as a visual history of aeronautics and space travel shown against the hull of the Jupiter 2, which flew off into the ‘Lost in Space’ text logo to culminate the sequence.  Perhaps my advance-review screeners are trying out the different variations before the publicly-released series settles on one specific style of intro?  While this new sequence was entertaining, it didn’t really seem to fit the overall “vibe” the show seems to be going for.

All in all, Episode 3 features much of the same type of action as the first two episodes: characters working their way out of various dramatic perils and pitfalls, while doling out precious few pieces of info about why the transport ship Resolute crashed, where the Robinsons currently are, and what the heck is up with the mostly-mute alien Robot.  Here’s hoping the next few episodes start to ramp things up in the “Answers” department – stay tuned tomorrow for info about the next episode!

Lost in Space is a Netflix Original dramatic and modern reimagining of the classic 1960’s science fiction series. Set 30 years in the future, colonization in space is now a reality, and the Robinson family is among those tested and selected to make a new life for themselves in a better world. But when the new colonists find themselves abruptly torn off course en route to their new home they must forge new alliances and work together to survive in a dangerous alien environment, light-years from their original destination. Stranded along with the Robinsons are two outsiders who find themselves thrown together by circumstance and a mutual knack for deception. The unsettlingly charismatic Dr. Smith is a master manipulator with an inscrutable end game. And the roguish, but inadvertently charming Don West is a highly-skilled, blue collar contractor, who had no intention of joining the colony, let alone crash landing on a lost planet.

Lost in Space stars Toby Stephens as John Robinson, Molly Parker as Maureen Robinson, Parker Posey as Dr. Smith, Ignacio Serricchio as Don West, Taylor Russell as Judy Robinson, Mina Sundwall as Penny Robinson and Max Jenkins as Will Robinson.

The full first season of ‘Lost in Space’ will premiere on Netflix on Friday, April 13, 2017.