Lost in Space: Season 2 — Review

Synopsis: With Jupiter 2 stranded on a mysterious ocean planet without their beloved Robot, the Robinsons must work together — alongside the mischievous and manipulative Dr. Smith and the always-charming Don West — to make it back to the Resolute and reunite with the other colonists. But all is not as it seems. A series of incredible new threats and unexpected discoveries emerge as they search for the key to finding Robot and safe passage to Alpha Centauri.

Format: 10 episodes, streaming on Netflix simultaneously.

Cast: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins, Taylor Russell, Mina Sundwall, Ignacio Serricchio, Parker Posey, Douglas Hodge, JJ Feild

Directors: Alex Graves (1, 2, 10), Leslie Hope (3), Jon East (4, 5), Tim Southam (6, 7), Jabbar Raisani (8), Stephen Surjik (9)

Writers: Irwin Allen (created by), Matt Sazama (developed by; 1, 10), Burk Sharpless (developed by; 1, 10), Zack Estrin (2, 9), Liz Sagal (3), Kari Drake (4, 8), Vivian Lee (5, 9), Katherine Collins (6, 8), Daniel McLellan (7)

Review

The first season of Netflix’s rebooted Lost in Space was pretty solid. The production values were high and the cast was very good, even if it seemed like a show few people talked about. With Season 2, hopefully the Robinsons and company will end up on more people’s lips — and in their watch history.

At the end of Season 1, the Robinsons, Don West (Ignacio Serricchio) and Dr. Smith (Parker Posey) were sent away from the Resolute to a distant galaxy. This season reveals they’ve spent seven months on a planet with an uninhabitable atmosphere after their Jupiter lost power. After a wild scheme to re-power the ship, they reunite with the Resolute — only to find it in trouble after Will’s (Maxwell Jenkins) Robot and another robot tore through the vessel and took the alien engine required for lightspeed travel.

This season, even more so than Season 1, feels like Battlestar Galactica-lite. With more scenes aboard the Resolute, scheming and secrets from multiple groups, and the ever-looming robot threat, the comparisons are hard to avoid. Lost in Space remains more family-friendly, never veering too dark or too scary — a welcome change from the gritty, grimy sci-fi we’ve seen recently.

The plot takes precedence over character building, which makes sense after a full season to get to know the family. Judy (Taylor Russell) gets a reduced role now that she’s no longer the only medic, but shines in “Run,” an episode that focuses on her relationship with her father John (Toby Stephens) through flashbacks to before they left Earth — a device common last season but rare here.

The standout this season is Penny (Mina Sundwall), who gets the most to do. Whether keeping tabs on the cunning Dr. Smith or being trapped in a contaminated section of the space station, she features in most episodes — fine by me, as her sarcasm is delightful. While Parker Posey was great in Season 1, it occasionally felt like Dr. Smith did bad things for the sake of it. Here, she’s more focused on self-preservation — and succeeds, no matter how frustrating that is for those hoping to see her get her comeuppance. She’s given a bit more humanity too, which adds dimension. Ignacio Serricchio continues to be a delight as roguish mechanic Don West, especially as he confronts the crew who deserted at the start.

This season also digs further into the history of the alien robots. The additions of Ben Adler (JJ Feild) — a man who’s had dealings with a robot similar to Will’s — and Hastings (Douglas Hodge) — the man in charge of the Resolute and future trips to Alpha Centauri — prove worthy foils for Will and Maureen (Molly Parker). We do get more information about the robots, but it can feel like it’s arriving a little too slowly, with each answer raising more questions.

Verdict

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better family-friendly sci-fi show currently being made than Lost in Space. If the step up from Season 1 to 2 is any indication, there’s plenty to be hopeful about for a potential third season.

Lost in Space: Season 2 releases on Netflix on 24 December 2019.