Lost in Space (Season 1 review)
I‘ve never watched the original Lost in Space. I gathered a few things in fannish osmosis, plus I did see the movie some years back which I also gathered many of the original show fans hated, and which did not find a new audience, either, and thus flopped and disappeared from publich consciousness. (Yours truly recalls feeling indifferent.) Which means I went in watching this new version of the tale with the following background info by osmosis and flopped movie watching:
- the original show was an optimistic 60s tale, in which Bill Mumy, aka Lennier in Babylon 5, was the child hero Will
- There was a robot, with the catch phrase „danger, Will Robinson“
- The original show‘s pilot introduced one Dr. Smith as a dangerous villain, but in subsequent episodes he almost immediately became instead a silly, non-threatening villain, and also camp (in the flopped film, he‘s dangerous again and played by Gary Oldman at his craziest, but then the entire film was GRIMDARK in capital letters, which I take it pissed the original fans off)
- The Robinsons were a family of geniuses, idyllic in the original, grimdark dysfunctional in the flopped movie.
Now, due to the movie not having left much of an impression, I might or might not have watched the new series, but then I realised Toby Stephens was in it (as family father John Robinson), and also Dr. Smith is a woman this time around. (Amoral female villains still being far rarer than the male variety, this was a plus.) So I thought, okay, I‘ll check this out. Now, having marathoned it, there‘s the irony that what sold me on this newest version and made me like it a lot isn‘t either Toby Stephens (he‘s reliably good, but has essentially a solid supporting role) nor female Dr. Smith (they do some interesting things with her and avoid various trapfalls, but one of those trapfalls they avoid is making the villain the quippy, cool character). It‘s Maureen Robinson, and also the kids. Oh, and the robot, yeah, him, too.
But really: Maureen. Who is a scientist, but not one of the „wears glasses to signal intelligence, is played by an actress looking far too young for the kind of experience and expertise the character is supposed to have, is dressed in impractical clothing, and plays strictly secondary role to the action hero military types“ kind all too common on tv and movies, still. No, Maureen is played by an actress who looks like she could have a seventeen years old daughter, and two younger children as well. She wears practical clothing even when she‘s not in a space suit. Her hair is simple and straight and never looks like she spends much or any time on her coiffure. And no glasses. Instead, she demonstrates her knowledge by theorising, investigating, checking theories and coming up with most of the plans based on the earlier activities. Also, she‘s the boss.
That‘s another thing: these versions of the Robinsons are neither idyllic nor dysfunctional. There is, however, enstrangement and tension between Maureen and John, and to a lesser degree between John and the kids, in the pilot, mostly due to his previous frequent absences. Winning their trust back and becoming close to Maureen again is part of his arc. Now, the conventional tv and movie way to accomplish this would have been by letting John perform manly feats of courage in sight of his family, and maybe a gruff word of affection or two, resulting in, by the end, restored patriarchy. But no. Early on, Maureen says „We should speak with one voice in front of the kids“, John agrees, and then Maureen says „That voice is mine“. And you know what, she‘s not kidding. Nor is this just a one or two episodes thing. John accepting this and being the, as mentioned, solid support to her leader throughout goes a long way to restoring their relationship. Doesn‘t mean he doesn‘t have imput, or that Maureen is always right when they disagree (not in front of the kids), but the last word is always hers. When the Robinsons later on meet other survivors, this still holds true.
This ties with how the show uses their female Dr. Smith. Who is not the world domination/evil masterplan type of villain, but the „looking out for No.1, not caring at whose expense“ kind of villain, added to which is „utter unwillingness to accept responsibility for anything, it‘s always someone else‘s fault“. (The closest thing in recent years I can think of is early to middle Gaius Baltar on BSG, minus the goofiness and conversations with someone in his head.) What havoc Dr. Smith (not her real name, but it will do) creates happens out of this quintessential selfishness. (And btw, it‘s a neat illustration that this kind of damage is just as bad for the victims as if she‘d acted out of some big vendetta.) After a certain point, she‘s unmasked, and that‘s when she gets fascinating scenes with Maureen and I realised the two have actual arch nemesis with grudging respect for each other‘s abilities kind of potential.
(Now the flopped movie had male Dr. Smith as the bad (yet at first seeming nice, if you ignore he’s played by Gary Oldman at his craziest) dad to John Robinson as the good (at first seeming off putting, but really with a heart of gold) dad, and Will of course had the requisite American daddy issues. Whereas this new tv series doesn‘t bother. Will does have some scenes with female Dr. Smith, mostly because she‘s intrigued about his bond with the robot, but he doesn’t see her as a parent figure, and her main relationship to a Robinson, as mentioned, turns out to be with Maureen.)
Speaking of Will: his relationship with the robot, that bonding across species, pushed my imprinted-by-E.T.-as-a-twelve-years-old button, of course. Making the robot distinctly alien and also responsible (though there is a backstory to that which Maureen and Dr. Smith discover much later in the season, which is very 70s onwards in its use of a sci fi trope, I’m just saying Alien *cough the Company*) for the deaths of several human colonists before it/he bonds with Will and imprints on him also provides the show with angst and moral dilemmas. Nor are the human characters who can‘t simply get over the fact this machine caused deaths of loved ones before its reset characterised as villains.
Judy (oldest Robinson daughter) and Penny are given as much narrative space as Will, and though this is an adventure show, Judy‘s experience in the pilot isn‘t just handwaved, she needs some time to get over it. Nor is Judy being the medic something that‘s nominal and only used in one episode or two; as with her mother being a physicist, her being a medic is quintessential to her character. Penny as the quippy middle child is the Robinson sibling who gets to have both a relationship with her sister and younger brother that mirrors her being in that in between stage of childhood and teenagerdom, and I thought her taking on more reckless aspects when Judy, who usually is the reckless one, is subdued for a while due to pilot events was as believable a sibling thing as her reaction when Will later in the show goes through a bad time, and she foregoes her teasing in order to play with him to distract him. These are smart kids but they are kids, and ones who you believe have lived together all their lives. (Which I don‘t always believe of movie or tv siblings.)
The various dangerous situations more often than not are natural disasters, though the dangerous planet they‘re crashed on also has a lot of natural beauty (and everyone, even Dr. Smith, gets a moment of admiration for same), with the pilot and the subsequent two episodes milking the situation of our heroes being on an unstable glacier for all the ice horror they‘re worth. (Other dangers result from either Dr. Smith‘s selfishness or the robot as the focus of resentment and anxiety, which also gives the show a good excuse as to why he can‘t always be around to save the Robinsons from various disasters.) All in all, I thought it was a good mixture of external and internal suspense, and a quintessential optimism in terms of (most) people being able to be their better, not their worst selves.
Let‘s see, what else: Judy is played by a black actress, and as the other Robinsons are all played by white actors, I at first assumed she was adopted until mid season there‘s a throwaway sentence to the effect that she‘s Maureen‘s daughter from an earlier relationship, but that she grew up with John as her Dad. Once the Robinsons meet up with other survivors, there is also a Japanese family, and an Indian-British (or Pakistani-British, going by accent, names and looks) family, two of which are important supporting characters. The reason why all these people are in space is because a meteor hit Earth in the backstory (supposedly; again, that touches on something that Maureen and Dr. Smith discover much later), changing the climate and necessitating the need for emigration.
Lastly: while the first season‘s storylines all get wrapped up, there is of course a cliffhanger in the very last scene, since the show‘s creators are hoping for more than one season. Based on this first season, I hope so, too.
This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1280605.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
- the original show was an optimistic 60s tale, in which Bill Mumy, aka Lennier in Babylon 5, was the child hero Will
- There was a robot, with the catch phrase „danger, Will Robinson“
- The original show‘s pilot introduced one Dr. Smith as a dangerous villain, but in subsequent episodes he almost immediately became instead a silly, non-threatening villain, and also camp (in the flopped film, he‘s dangerous again and played by Gary Oldman at his craziest, but then the entire film was GRIMDARK in capital letters, which I take it pissed the original fans off)
- The Robinsons were a family of geniuses, idyllic in the original, grimdark dysfunctional in the flopped movie.
Now, due to the movie not having left much of an impression, I might or might not have watched the new series, but then I realised Toby Stephens was in it (as family father John Robinson), and also Dr. Smith is a woman this time around. (Amoral female villains still being far rarer than the male variety, this was a plus.) So I thought, okay, I‘ll check this out. Now, having marathoned it, there‘s the irony that what sold me on this newest version and made me like it a lot isn‘t either Toby Stephens (he‘s reliably good, but has essentially a solid supporting role) nor female Dr. Smith (they do some interesting things with her and avoid various trapfalls, but one of those trapfalls they avoid is making the villain the quippy, cool character). It‘s Maureen Robinson, and also the kids. Oh, and the robot, yeah, him, too.
But really: Maureen. Who is a scientist, but not one of the „wears glasses to signal intelligence, is played by an actress looking far too young for the kind of experience and expertise the character is supposed to have, is dressed in impractical clothing, and plays strictly secondary role to the action hero military types“ kind all too common on tv and movies, still. No, Maureen is played by an actress who looks like she could have a seventeen years old daughter, and two younger children as well. She wears practical clothing even when she‘s not in a space suit. Her hair is simple and straight and never looks like she spends much or any time on her coiffure. And no glasses. Instead, she demonstrates her knowledge by theorising, investigating, checking theories and coming up with most of the plans based on the earlier activities. Also, she‘s the boss.
That‘s another thing: these versions of the Robinsons are neither idyllic nor dysfunctional. There is, however, enstrangement and tension between Maureen and John, and to a lesser degree between John and the kids, in the pilot, mostly due to his previous frequent absences. Winning their trust back and becoming close to Maureen again is part of his arc. Now, the conventional tv and movie way to accomplish this would have been by letting John perform manly feats of courage in sight of his family, and maybe a gruff word of affection or two, resulting in, by the end, restored patriarchy. But no. Early on, Maureen says „We should speak with one voice in front of the kids“, John agrees, and then Maureen says „That voice is mine“. And you know what, she‘s not kidding. Nor is this just a one or two episodes thing. John accepting this and being the, as mentioned, solid support to her leader throughout goes a long way to restoring their relationship. Doesn‘t mean he doesn‘t have imput, or that Maureen is always right when they disagree (not in front of the kids), but the last word is always hers. When the Robinsons later on meet other survivors, this still holds true.
This ties with how the show uses their female Dr. Smith. Who is not the world domination/evil masterplan type of villain, but the „looking out for No.1, not caring at whose expense“ kind of villain, added to which is „utter unwillingness to accept responsibility for anything, it‘s always someone else‘s fault“. (The closest thing in recent years I can think of is early to middle Gaius Baltar on BSG, minus the goofiness and conversations with someone in his head.) What havoc Dr. Smith (not her real name, but it will do) creates happens out of this quintessential selfishness. (And btw, it‘s a neat illustration that this kind of damage is just as bad for the victims as if she‘d acted out of some big vendetta.) After a certain point, she‘s unmasked, and that‘s when she gets fascinating scenes with Maureen and I realised the two have actual arch nemesis with grudging respect for each other‘s abilities kind of potential.
(Now the flopped movie had male Dr. Smith as the bad (yet at first seeming nice, if you ignore he’s played by Gary Oldman at his craziest) dad to John Robinson as the good (at first seeming off putting, but really with a heart of gold) dad, and Will of course had the requisite American daddy issues. Whereas this new tv series doesn‘t bother. Will does have some scenes with female Dr. Smith, mostly because she‘s intrigued about his bond with the robot, but he doesn’t see her as a parent figure, and her main relationship to a Robinson, as mentioned, turns out to be with Maureen.)
Speaking of Will: his relationship with the robot, that bonding across species, pushed my imprinted-by-E.T.-as-a-twelve-years-old button, of course. Making the robot distinctly alien and also responsible (though there is a backstory to that which Maureen and Dr. Smith discover much later in the season, which is very 70s onwards in its use of a sci fi trope, I’m just saying Alien *cough the Company*) for the deaths of several human colonists before it/he bonds with Will and imprints on him also provides the show with angst and moral dilemmas. Nor are the human characters who can‘t simply get over the fact this machine caused deaths of loved ones before its reset characterised as villains.
Judy (oldest Robinson daughter) and Penny are given as much narrative space as Will, and though this is an adventure show, Judy‘s experience in the pilot isn‘t just handwaved, she needs some time to get over it. Nor is Judy being the medic something that‘s nominal and only used in one episode or two; as with her mother being a physicist, her being a medic is quintessential to her character. Penny as the quippy middle child is the Robinson sibling who gets to have both a relationship with her sister and younger brother that mirrors her being in that in between stage of childhood and teenagerdom, and I thought her taking on more reckless aspects when Judy, who usually is the reckless one, is subdued for a while due to pilot events was as believable a sibling thing as her reaction when Will later in the show goes through a bad time, and she foregoes her teasing in order to play with him to distract him. These are smart kids but they are kids, and ones who you believe have lived together all their lives. (Which I don‘t always believe of movie or tv siblings.)
The various dangerous situations more often than not are natural disasters, though the dangerous planet they‘re crashed on also has a lot of natural beauty (and everyone, even Dr. Smith, gets a moment of admiration for same), with the pilot and the subsequent two episodes milking the situation of our heroes being on an unstable glacier for all the ice horror they‘re worth. (Other dangers result from either Dr. Smith‘s selfishness or the robot as the focus of resentment and anxiety, which also gives the show a good excuse as to why he can‘t always be around to save the Robinsons from various disasters.) All in all, I thought it was a good mixture of external and internal suspense, and a quintessential optimism in terms of (most) people being able to be their better, not their worst selves.
Let‘s see, what else: Judy is played by a black actress, and as the other Robinsons are all played by white actors, I at first assumed she was adopted until mid season there‘s a throwaway sentence to the effect that she‘s Maureen‘s daughter from an earlier relationship, but that she grew up with John as her Dad. Once the Robinsons meet up with other survivors, there is also a Japanese family, and an Indian-British (or Pakistani-British, going by accent, names and looks) family, two of which are important supporting characters. The reason why all these people are in space is because a meteor hit Earth in the backstory (supposedly; again, that touches on something that Maureen and Dr. Smith discover much later), changing the climate and necessitating the need for emigration.
Lastly: while the first season‘s storylines all get wrapped up, there is of course a cliffhanger in the very last scene, since the show‘s creators are hoping for more than one season. Based on this first season, I hope so, too.
This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1280605.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.