Lost in Space S1E2 Recap

The second episode keeps up the quality and intrigue as it starts focusing more on the side characters that were briefly introduced at the end of the pilot. Don West, a rough around the edges mechanic, and Dr. Smith, a psychopath in disguise, crash land on the same planet as the Robinson's and scavenge what they can as they look for others whom may have had the same predicament. Meanwhile, Will's new Robot helps dig their frozen ship out.

This episode follows through on the parent's disintegrating marriage that was introduced previously. Both Mom and Dad are vying for command of the family. In one corner it's the military father whom has survival experience, and in the other corner is a mother whom has taken care of the family by herself and has lost trust in her husband. This conflict can be annoying when done poorly, but the show does a great job of giving it out in breadcrumbs, bit by bit, so that the audience doesn't overtly hate either of the parents. There are some clever scenes where their difference in opinion is affecting their oldest daughter and she's being blamed for not listening to them. It's a nice look into how their conflict is having an effect on the family unit and how she's had enough of it and stands up for herself by the end of the episode.

Meanwhile, the robot that Will saved is helping out by melting the ice around their ship as well as vacuuming/drying the water on the inside since it was submerged. The robot may have changed appearances to a more humanoid form at the end of last episode, but that still doesn't change how he's an unsettling presence over the family. The father doesn't trust it, naturally, and the kids are mixed about it. Some find him helpful like Will, while others are creeped out by him like Judy. I'm very curious to see how this show handles it as I think the robot will be an allegory to the parent's crumbling marriage and how it affects everyone. A lot of tension between the mother and father were present for everyone to see, so for now I'm interpreting that unsettling presence the robot gave off as a by product of the kids feeling anxious about a divorce.

Back to Don West and Dr. Smith, they come across a body thought to be dead, but instead is an injured pilot they rescue. Don West has some great moments of characterization as he's complaining about doing all the work, and saving everyone, but deep down he's a soft hearted hero who's caring for a chicken and an unconscious woman. Unfortunately for him, Dr. Smith stabs him in the back (metaphorically) this episode and leaves him and the woman to die in a deadly storm. Hopefully they survive because I really like him!

Then, if that wasn't enough, this episode is packed with action. Will, Maureen, and John hike down to a crash site for some hope along with the robot. Not finding anything or anyone Maureen pressures Will to tell the robot to take them to it's ship. John wants to go back, but Maureen goes for the low blow as she not only uses the situation to spite her husband but also says "Will, since when do you not do what I ask?" to her own son. He did nothing wrong, and yet his own mother used the guilt trick on him, and you can see how disheartened Will is leading the way to the robot's ship. Honestly, Maureen lost some serious parenting points when I watched that, even though it helped reinforce the two types of parents that Maureen and John are. John is the survivalist; staying in one place and trying everything he can to get them through this situation, and Maureen is the opposite. Once there's not immediate danger around her she's looking for questions, taking charge, and trying to find out more information even if it leads them into danger.

So, Will and the robot lead them back to his ship. John and Maureen go in to see if there's anything that could help them. Will and the robot play catch, bond, and learn about the robot's attack that led them to this planet and crash. Obviously Will is hurt by that, but he manages to test the robot in a way that he feels he's no longer dangerous. Meanwhile, as Will is learning of the robot's past deed, John and Maureen see inside the briefly activated ship that they're in an unknown galaxy where they don't recognize the star system.

Penny, abandoning Judy when she's dealing with a bit of PTSD from being trapped in the ice, races to find Maureen, John, and Will as a deadly storm approaches. She finds them, they argue, and then race across the land to discover a flare. They pick up Dr. Smith and head back to their ship as the storm envelops them. Judy greets everyone and Dr. Smith comes face to face with the robot that destroyed their space station, and decides to keep quiet about that for now.

Overall, this episode was great. This show really knows how to balance the action and adventure portions of this story with the emotional heart of a family. The sets still astound me as they look insanely good, and the cinematography looks better than even imagined as it captures three different types of terrains and perfectly showcases the vast emptiness of this planet. There are some great character moments, and Maureen even redeemed herself a bit in the end when she told John that she wasn't being fair towards him. Two episodes in and characters are already growing, the plot is getting meatier, and the mysteries are starting to pop up. This show is great, this episode is great, and I can not wait to see where the third one takes us next time.

Key Points:

• Judy has PTSD
• John and Maureen are always at odds
• The kids are feeling their parent's divorce
• They are in an unknown part of the universe
• Dr. Smith is at her games again, leaving poor Don West

What was your favorite part of this episode? Comment below to let me know!