REVIEW: Lost In Space, Season 2 Episode One 'Shipwrecked'

REVIEW: Lost In Space, Season 2 Episode One 'Shipwrecked'

It's hard to believe it's three years since I last watched this incredible show. Lost In Space is without a doubt my favourite original Netflix series. It's the perfect example of a remake that absolutely works, updating the classic sci-fi take on the Swiss Family Robinsons for the Twenty-First Century. In those three years, you can forget certain details of what happened during the first outing, so I was grateful that Netflix included a recap here, which helped to lead perfectly into this opener for the second season.

The titular Robinsons have now spent seven months stranded on this cold beach planet, and they've built something of a life here during the time that has passed. We begin by seeing them celebrating Christmas, something which can't help but feel odd in the surroundings of another planet. It helps to humanise these space explorers though, and make them immensely relatable to those of us watching in a reality where we don't have space travel or the capabilities to travel across so much of space.

For Christmas, the youngest member of the crew Will Robinson (Maxwell Jenkins) has gifted his sister Penny (Mina Sundwall) her memoirs published in book form, and this was something that I thought was a really cool moment. It's a wonderfully meta idea that echoes how the Swiss Family Robinsons originally started as a book series, before it was ever reimagined as a sci-fi adventure. It's also a touching moment between siblings that demonstrates how tight-knit the Robinsons are as a family unit. These are a space crew who come as a package, and not as separate space pioneers.

Will's own Christmas present is a set of car keys for the vehicle known as the 'Chariot', something which feels a little odd given how young the character is - but then I guess the fact that they are in space changes things somewhat. Will's Dad John Robinson (Toby Stephens) teaches the boy how to drive, giving us a neat father-son bonding scene that somewhat normalises the otherwise other-wordly setting. It helps to sell this already established idea that they have started making a life for themselves on this planet now, which in turn makes us understand where John is coming from later into the episode when he seems initially reluctant to the idea of leaving it behind. Just like lockdown restrictions, this has effectively become their new norm, and leaving a new normal can be scary.

The mother of the pack Maureen's (Molly Parker) plan regarding their leaving the planet is brilliantly bonkers. Her idea is to use the lightning - which the Robinsons have worked out always happens at the same time - to supercharge their spaceship the Jupiter 2, and give them the power to leave the world behind. In order to do this, she decides to turn the Jupiter into a boat, and the Robinsons fit sails onto the exterior of their craft. It's just bizarre as it sounds, and the result looks like something straight out of Treasure Planet, but I love it and I wish more shows would embrace their zany side.

It also gives a reason for Doctor Smith (Parker Posey) to get involved, who we learn has experience in sailing. After her betrayal of the Robinsons in the previous season, it's fair to say that her relationship with Maureen in particular is somewhat fractious, but that makes for some brilliant dramatic conflict, as the Robinsons question whether she can be trusted. It's always more interesting when protagonists in storytelling are forced to place their trust in the villains, as it adds a greater unpredictability to proceedings where you are constantly wondering if the villain in question has an ulterior motive, or if they are genuine about wanting to help. In Doctor Smith's case, she does good here in helping the Robinsons navigate stormy weather, but I'm still not sure I fully trust her yet.

If there's anybody in the Robinsons that seems the most trustworthy, it's probably Will Robinson. That poor kid has had it tough though, and he clearly misses his robot friend a great deal, as he voices his thoughts to a toy recreation of the robot and starts seeing things that remind him of the robotic alien. You can't help but feel sorry for him, and wish for his sake that the robot would hurry up and find Will. He clearly must be somewhere nearby, as that seemed to be him that had drawn those cave drawings at the end, like the one of the Jupiter 2 with the sails. Maxwell Jenkins is such a talented kid actor, and is so convincing in the role. He's probably one of the best child actors I have seen in anything I have ever watched, and I'm glad that this show continues to give him such a big role within the narrative.

Overall, 'Shipwrecked' is a fantastic opener for Lost In Space's second season. It gives us a neat glimpse into the domestic lives of the Robinsons, seven months after they found themselves stranded on this new watery planet, whilst also offering an interesting new dynamic with Doctor Smith and a truly bonkers approach to their latest attempt to escape from an alien world. This is big budget science-fiction at its finest, and easily one of Netflix's best offerings on their service.

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What are your thoughts on the first episode of Lost In Space's second season? Let me know in the comments section.