REVIEW: Lost In Space, Season 2 Episode Nine 'Shell Game'

 REVIEW: Lost In Space, Season 2 Episode Nine 'Shell Game'

The previous episode of Lost In Space ended with a shocker. Will Robinson's (Maxwell Jenkins) alien robot friend (Brian Steele) had refused to pilot the Resolute to Alpha Centauri, a move which seemingly leaves the colonists stranded in space. A simple 'No' can hold so much power, but a 'No, Will Robinson' coming from the usually loyal robot holds even more. Not only that, but Scarecrow - the robot who seemed to be on an opposing side to Will's robot - is, it turns out, a friend of Will's robotic mate. The robot is becoming probably the most compelling character of the second season, with some interesting new directions being taken.

We learn more about his refusal here, as we discover the Robot wants to pilot the Resolute back to the water planet in order to help his friend Scarecrow. I like how much more complex they have made the Robot and his motivations here; he's no longer just driven by a desire to protect Will (Maxwell Jenkins), now we see he's capable of forming other strong friendships, and that there are others who he cares deeply for alongside Will Robinson. As Will himself notes, they have asked a great deal of the Robot, so why shouldn't the Robot ask something of them in return? Friendship, after all, is not a one way street.

This is a common theme present throughout the episode, as Penny (Mina Sundwall) asks to borrow her love interest Vijay (Ajay Friese)'s Jupiter.  Vijay naturally is reluctant, afraid that assisting fugitives will jeopardise his Dad's changes of boarding the colony ship sooner,  and it helps to make their relationship feel a great deal more believable. In past episodes the focus has been on Vijay constantly putting his life on the line to help Penny, so really it was probably about time we saw him turn Penny down. It also means that Penny goes on her own natural character arc in this episode, going from someone who expects much from others and gives little in return, to someone who learns the process of give and take, and the earlier mentioned concept of sentient connections not being a one way street.

In my review of the previous episode, I mentioned how it seemed as though Doctor Smith (Parker Posey) was finally turning over a good leaf. Well, in this episode, it seems not, as she instantly betrays Will and Penny, alerting Hastings (Douglas Hodge) and the security to the whereabouts of Will, Penny and the Robot. I'm not sure I'm such a fan of this development, as I do feel it would have been much more interesting to have Doctor Smith as more of an ally to the Robinsons. We've already seen her form an antagonistic role, so give us something new. At the moment it just feels as though we're going to get what we mainly saw in the first season, rather than progressing her character to a significant degree.

The method that the kids use to attempt to play Doctor Smith at her own game is very clever however. Penny decides that they should do the opposite to what Doctor Smith would expect, and so naturally they steel one of the Chariot vehicles and go for a joy ride around the colony ship. It makes for a really fun sequence, that conveys a similar vibe to family adventure film fare; it's not too hard in particular to imagine somebody like Brendan Fraser or Ben Stiller appearing in a scene like this in a motion picture, as the tone of this scene does feel reminiscent of films such as Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (2008) and Night At The Museum. Even Doctor Smith seems impressed with their actions here, giving an indicative nod to Penny and referring to it as a 'shell game'.

The outcome, needless-to-say, is still not good. Hastings and his security team still track them down, and along with help from Ben Adler (JJ Feild) and Doctor Smith, torture the Robot (as they did previously with Scarecrow) to pilot the ship to Alpha Centauri. It feels so cruel and heartless, seeing the Robot clearly in so much pain, especially as all he wanted to do was help his friend. It's a great way of showing the desperate attempts the crew of the Resolute will take to make their journey though, as they will literally use any means at their disposal to reach their end point. What's interesting is that Doctor Smith seems to have reservations, as she asks if the torture is really necessary. Hopefully this is an indication that she will become more of an ally after all, and rescue the Robot from its pain.

We don't really need another antagonist after all, as Hastings is enough. He stoops to a greater low this week, as he locks John (Toby Stephens) and Maureen Robinson (Molly Parker) in their maintenance pods,  and removes their access to use the control system. You'd imagine this pair must have got very used to being stranded in space now as it's all they ever do, but it's yet another obstacle for them to overcome which keeps you hooked for the next episode in order to see how they achieve it. This aspect of the screenplay is one that therefore proves effective at setting the stakes for the final episode, as we root for John and Maureen to return to the Resolute.

Overall, 'Shell Game' is an amazing penultimate episode of Lost In Space's second season. Offering new depth to Will's Robot friend and upping the stakes regarding Maureen and John's latest predicament, it's a second to last instalment that sets events in place nicely for the season conclusion - and hopefully one that finally sees Hastings get his comeuppance.

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