Seven months after the events in the exhilarating ending of Lost in Space‘s first season, the Robinson family got stranded with their Jupiter 2 on a mysterious ocean planet without their beloved Robot. The Robinsons must work together to stay out of danger, lurking around each corner, and even from within their spacecraft in the form of Dr. Smith (Parker Posey). With the help of the ever charming Don West (Ignacio Serricchio), the family is racing against time to make it back to the Resolute and reunite with the other colonists. A series of new threats and unexpected discoveries emerge as Will vows to find Robot (Brian Steele) and finally make it safely to Alpha Centauri.
After a somewhat more episodic solid first season, this second season builds towards a more emotionally driven series that excels in spectacular sci-fi action. There’s an equal amount of time spent with each character, sometimes even an entire episode, that follows past events of one particular person a bit more than others. What’s different from the first season, is that this one is even more action-packed and tells a linear story, in the search of Robot and finding a safe haven for the entire colony on the Resolute to build a new life.
We still get to explore the galaxy, by visiting different planets, but we’re also spending a lot more time on aircrafts to give everything a more claustrophobic feel and not so much deal with an alien threat as to dealing with real human villains in outer space. Maureen (Molly Parker) and John’s (Toby Stephens) relationship grows stronger with each day, when both find their loved ones in constant danger and their survival instinct gets put to the test. Will (Maxwell Jenkins, who’s grown a lot taller between shooting the first and second season) struggles with loneliness and the loss of his best friend, Robot. Judy (Taylor Russell) is growing into an adult woman and taking her role on the ship very serious. Her character arc is the most emotional one this season, when we look back at how she became part of the Robinson family, in a very emotional episode showing her love and bravery towards her father, that will have you in tears. Penny (Mina Sundwall) is that feisty teenager who isn’t the easiest to deal with, but you can always count on. She’s mostly supporting her brother this season, keeping him safe and helping him deal with his emotions.
June Harris aka Dr. Smith, played by a deliciously evil Parker Posey, is the true MVP as she tries to gain control over everything, erasing evidence that could reveal just how wicked she really is. Posey was already the best part of the first season, and we don’t know how she did it, but she’s even better in the second season – what a treat! It becomes clear not just the Robinsons are in danger, but everyone who crosses her path. In a new and clever way, she’ll try to get into everyone’s heads by playing the part she so eagerly took from the real Dr. Smith, while also dealing with her own personal demons from the past.
Filmed on location in Vancouver and Iceland, making the landscapes seem as if you’re following the family between extra terrestrial dusty canyons, the production design team worked very hard to make everything look as realistic as possible. New challenges and dangers arise in the form of intergalactic nasty toxins, evil robots who don’t always seem who they are and alien velociraptors. The special effects this season are highly detailed, looking realistic and better than most blockbuster sci-fi spectacles you see on the big screen. From realistic enormous translucent guppy-like creatures flying through the atmosphere, to mysterious metal trenches surrounded by beautifully rendered waterfalls. Composer Christopher Lennertz, who also wrote the music for the first season of Lost in Space, is back for this season and delivers something magical, lifting the emotions brought to the screen by the cast and getting under your skin with his majestic new score, that feels bigger than ever.
New characters get introduced with mixed motives, making you question every step they take, begging to give you the answers you need for you to finally start trusting them. A.I.-specialist Ben Adler (JJ Feild) knows how to control the Robots and helps Will to find his lost friend, hiding the origin behind scars he shares with the boy. The newer characters seem a bit underwritten as they turn into your typical filler extras with obvious hidden agendas. No shocking revelations here, unfortunately.
Lost in Space: Season 2 takes us onto an entirely new journey, filled with adventure, heart and mind-blowing new settings. If you loved the first season, you’ll probably finish this continuation to the Robinson’s story in one weekend. Netflix clearly knows how good this show is, hinting at a third season, going out with an enormous bang, that’ll have you jump out of your seat in shock. Lost in Space claims the top spot as best sci-fi show currently on television.
Netflix Review – ‘Lost in Space: Season 2’
Reviewed on Netflix, Sydney, Dec. 22, 2019. Australian Classification: M. Running time: 10 x 1 hour episodes.
PRODUCTION: A Netflix release of a Legendary Television, Synthesis Entertainment, Applebox Productions, Clickety-Clack Productions production. Creator/Showrunner: Zack Estrin. Executive producers: Zack Estrin, Jon Jashni, Kevin Burns, Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Alex Graves, Brad Van Arragon, Neil Marshall, Marc Helwig.
CREW: Directors: Alex Graves, Leslie Hope, Jon East, Tim Southam, Jabbar Raisani, Stephen Surjik. Screenplay: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Daniel McLellan. Camera (color, widescreen): Sam McCurdy, C. Kim Miles. Editors: Jack Colwell, Emily Streetz, Joe Talbot Hall, Mark Hartzell. Music: Christopher Lennertz.
WITH: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins, Taylor Russell, Mina Sundwall, Ignacio Serricchio, Parker Posey, Brian Steele, JJ Feild, Raza Jaffrey, Douglas Hodge, Amelia Burstyn.