Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic reaches the penultimate episode of the reimagined Lost In Space series for Netflix.
This writer comes to the series with such strong impressions and preconceived expectations for character personalities because of just how beloved the original was to me. Perhaps it is difficult for me to fully embrace this new modern take.
There are viewers I know familiar with the classic Lost In Space, but that are not avid science fiction fans or obsessive over the original Lost In Space. Some viewed the new series and found it a solid enough ride. They enjoyed it and they looked forward to seeing a second season. At college, my son indicates he has friends who have enjoyed it and that I may be unnecessarily harsh. Forgive me, but I'd like to think I'm just a more discerning viewer when it comes to science fiction and what I'm looking for in Lost In Space.
Without question it will be intriguing enough to see where Season Two takes this family. If there are people who are enjoying this version of Lost In Space all the Jupiter fuel and power to them, but it has been a touch underwhelming.
As it stands this is a series that is missing the mark for me and is missing an opportunity to really land a tried and true fan of Lost In Space and quality science fiction. Maybe I'm just not that audience today.
Nevertheless, we have two hours remaining to make a final assessment. So let us continue with a look at Lost In Space, Season One, Episode 9, Resurrection.
Following the explosive cliffhanger events at the hands of the treacherous Dr. Smith in Trajectory, if that's what we should even call June Harris, what will be the fate of Don West and John Robinson aboard the Jupiter that launched into the stars to reach the Resolute?
Resurrection sees the survivors of the Jupiter crashes searching for an alternative fuel source discovered by young master Will Robinson.
The source can be found in an alien bat cave of equal parts fresh and petrified biofuel. In other words alien bat shit. All the people need to do is remove it from the cavern while the apex predators are asleep. The plot, quite frankly, is all a bit bat shit crazy, but the Robinsons and others are up against time so survivors of all ages will do their best to scrape together shit for fuel and not become future fuel droppings in the process.
The original Lost In Space may have taken some knocks for placing antennae on a llama, coloring bunnies or applying pointed ears on a monkey but at least those ideas materialized as flesh and blood creative concepts that immersed us deeper into its unique world.
There is something inherently uninteresting about the human imagination delivering CGI alien bats in space. CGI space spiders (Stargate Universe) and space bats simply are a creative bore and lazy, but we get them here as the answer to adventure and excitement in space. Nope! Sorry that won't cut the mustard with me. If you have computers to work with could someone get more creative behind the keyboards please?
The entry concludes with the resurrection of Robot miraculously reassembled through the sheer internal intelligence of its alien technology as it miraculously rethreads its existence. We've seen what replicators can do in Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007) and this alien tech is no different. Smith captures Maureen Robinson and drags her to the site of the downed alien craft to reactivate Robot.
Maureen is rescued by daughter Judy. But both are prevented from driving off in the Chariot by the sheer strength of a reinvigorated Robot.
Danger, Dr. Smith the alien Robot implores as it looks over to its new master. The one note Dr. Smith character continues to be less interesting and more a bore played by Parker Posey "without redeeming qualities" and as "one-dimensional" accurately noted by one critic. Perhaps like Jonathan Harris in the original, Posey should work to reinvent the character here a bit for season two.
This writer was struck with questions concerning this new alien technology hypothesis surrounding Robot, an idea which I would concede presents a whole set of potential stories in a new Lost In Space universe, but feels problematic.
Why is this alien intelligence, stolen by scientists and officials and housed aboard the Resolute, so responsive to humanity? Is this one alien machine/life form programmed in some way to heed the call of a given master? Is this alien machine different from others? Has Robot crashed or fallen off a cliff one too many times? Clearly this is a smart alien technology, but yet it responds to a human figure like Robot from the old series. In fact, Robot is so smart it can self-preserve and resurrect so why does it need to respond to anyone? It does present its share of potential issues.
As passable, light entertainment Lost In Space is fair to good (enough) this first season, but there are some issues and the overall presentation delivers mixed feelings about this enterprise.
Between a massive group of survivors celebrating with clapping hands and cueing the occasional cheesy family hug and then moving to something meant to be nefarious, there is just something tonally off with this whole take on The Robinsons.
When I think of Lost In Space too it's meant to be a strange, isolating, but intimate family experience into the unknown. Apart from the original series think about how impressive that episode featuring Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck was in Battlestar Galactica called You Can't Go Home Again (S1, E5). The entire episode was in isolation and alone and that worked the tension beautifully. Lost in Space could do with equal parts wonder and darkness alone in the unknowns of space.
Thus far Lost In Space is apparently what passes for popular science fiction getting its renewal by Netflix while the smart science fiction is severed at the knees (The Expanse) by a channel that allegedly supports actual science fiction.
What will the season finale hold for new and old fans of the franchise alike and where will the season finale take the resurrected franchise. Stay tuned for our final assessment of the newly reimagined Netflix Lost In Space.
Writer: Daniel McLellan/ Kari Drake. Director: Tim Southam.
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