Lost in Space S1E1 Recap

Netflix is dominating the IP game this year. Joining House of Cards, The Haunting of Hill House, Voltron, Fuller House, the marvel shows and many more is the fourth incarnation of Lost in Space. This ten episode reboot of a classic story starts off strong as it gives you what's familiar, a family lost in space, with what's new, film making and CG advancements with a talented cast and script. The aesthetic is gorgeous and the first episode is promising to this family friendly space adventure.

First off, this show is absolutely gorgeous. Netflix is putting all their resources into this space opera as the CG, and production design overall, look stunning and could easily have been used in a feature. The frame is crisp, and every detail can be seen from the crackling ice to the pores on the space suits. Lost in Space is a feast for your eyes as the characters encounter every environment imaginable.

The first episode sets a familiar pace as the family crash lands on a planet and has tragic events befallen them one after another as it's inter-cut with the past and how they got there. The pilot doesn't start off with much promise, but as the show progresses and you're seeing these characters having to deal with unimaginable bad luck where one daughter gets stuck in the ice, a mother is in and out of consciousness, and a son is separated from his family you quickly get sucked into the lives and fears that this family are living.

The core cast is great. Molly Parker (House of Cards), Toby Stephens (Black Sails), Maxwell Jenkins (Sense8), Taylor Russell (Falling Skies), and Mina Sundwall (#Horror) are all wonderful and have great chemistry. Each has their own personality and problems in the family unit, particularly the father and mother's deteriorating marriage, that border on the cliche but restrains itself enough to pull back before fully going there. So far Maxwell as Will, Toby as John, and Taylor as Judy stand out in this episode as they have the most to deal with inwardly, and outwardly, as they have to battle to survive their emotions and the elements.

Because this is Netflix and they're trying to go for the binge-able, gritty, addictive shows I wasn't expecting a family story to unfold. Yes, I imagined there would be a family dynamic in here, but a show you can sit down with the whole family was not what I expected. It's scary at times, and dangerous, but it has a nice balance where it's written for all ages while there's an adult aesthetic to it that felt more like a live action cartoon that the whole family could watch, which was a pleasant surprise.

The robot's design this time around is fascinating. At first it's alien in form with the insect-like limbs, but once Will saves it from death it reforms itself into a humanoid with arms and fingers. Then, its face is so absorbing to watch, because it's essentially a concave mirror with pixels. A great design nonetheless and the writers have made it both scary and cuddly, somehow. And as you're getting more attached to it the episode ends with a flashback to the Robinson's escape from their space station's destruction with this robot attacking and killing people, so...plot twist!

Overall, this was a great simple pilot that gave us an interesting family dynamic where they're loving to one another, but not necessarily close to one another. It sets up an interesting moral challenge later down the road with the robot that Will befriends, and the physical challenges that these characters have to face on this planet (burning and freezing) will keep them on their toes and make for interesting survival scenes. While not conscious of it, I found it interesting that this episode showed the Robinson family being challenged by the four, arguably five, elements; Water, fire, air, earth, and metal. Each played a vital role in creating conflict within the family whether it was a character being frozen, a forest fire surrounding will, their ship falling out of the sky, and the magnesium that inevitably saved them...it's an interesting concept to present in the pilot to say the least. Netflix's Lost in Space pilot episode is a warm welcome to a new era in space adventure.

Key Points:

• Military father
• Mother falsified son's records
• Will finds courage
• Their ship is frozen
• Will befriends the robot that destroyed their space station
• John and Maureen's marriage is on the rocks

How did you enjoy the premiere of the new Lost in Space? Comment below with the scene that hooked you.