Given the fantastic story and characters of the first season, the second season of Lost In Space had a lot to live up to. Does it live up to the hype? Absolutely. Season 2 continues the amazing storytelling of the first one while deepening the characters we love even more. We also get a new batch of compelling characters and plot lines to make this new season just as incredible as the first. So what makes this new season so great? Let’s dive in and find out.
Synopsis
Taking place 7 months after the events of the first season, the Robinson family and Dr. Smith are all stranded on a hostile planet with a methane-rich atmosphere. When a disaster destroys most of their remaining food supply, the Robinsons hatch a daring plan to escape the planet. On this adventure, there are discoveries on new worlds, reunions with old friends, and revelations about the mysterious alien robots and their unique relationship with humanity. Throughout all of this, the Robinsons all continue to grow individually and as a family.
Actors/Actresses and their Performances
As mentioned in the previous review, the actors playing Will, John, Maureen, and Dr. Smith are all fantastic and continue to have stellar performances. Still, this season allows the rest of the Robinson family to grow and develop as characters while making the audience love them even more. We will begin by discussing the character that gets wonderful treatment this season, Penny Robinson.
Mina Sundwall plays Penny Robinson, and with the higher demand for the character this season, her abilities as an actress are on full display, and they are powerful. Penny, in this season, not only begins to form a relationship with one of the other boys in her classes on the Resolute and strengthen her relationship with her mother, but she is the one who begins to try to expose Dr. Smith for who she is and tries to outwit her. This battle of wits between Smith and Penny allows Sundwall to bring Penny's strengths to bear. Penny is witty, intelligent, and incredibly brave. Her stubborn pursuit of the truth and her love for her family are well shown through Sundwall's acting, and her character is really given the above and beyond treatment this season.
Judy Robinson, played by Taylor Russell, is also given the five-star treatment in this season, especially regarding her relationship with her adopted father, John Robinson. We learn more about Judy's knowledge of feelings toward her biological father and her love for her adopted father through Russell's excellent acting. Through flashbacks, we get to see just how much she and John have bonded and struggled to keep that bond alive, and in the present, they are thrown into a few difficult and dangerous situations together, and they must trust each other to make it through. Russell takes this character and shows us that she is intelligent, stubborn, and will never stop fighting for her family, doing whatever it takes to make sure they survive and stay together.
Cinematography/Dialogue
Once again, the picturesque scenery presented here is incredible and stunning. The shots and very well done, and the camera work is strong as the last season. An extraordinary mention goes towards the CGI. In this season, there is an increase in the amount of CGI. Mainly because of the amount of time that is spent in Space, but also because the robot is present in many more scenes and does quite a bit more complex movement this time around. Even with this increased demand for graphic artists, the CGI is still just as strong here as it was in the first season.
The dialogue is actually improved this season. Since the main characters have had a whole season to develop, many shows would now use the discussion to move the plot forward. However, the writers have not rested on the laurels and have continued to deepen each character. The flashbacks serve to accomplish very well, especially with regards to the Robinson family, and the dialogue choices for the newly introduced characters also serve to help us understand who they are what they bring to the table. Overall, the dialogue is excellent and improved as much as it has. The writers deserve to be commended for this.
Issues/Shortcomings
Still, nothing is perfect, even with these many improvements. Luckily, there is only one small issue. There are a few more antagonists introduced in this season besides Dr. Smith. While most of them work, there is one that doesn't who is revealed to have a disturbing connection to Maureen's past. He gets away with some things that are almost unbelievable because of how many people, especially people who have authority over him, know of his actions. This does break immersion slightly and brings his villainy down a bit, but his proximity to the Robinson family and their past mostly make up for this minor issue. Ultimately, this issue is fixed by the end of the season. Hopefully, this villain will continue to be used by the writers to great effect in the coming season 3.
Final Thoughts
Lost In Space continues to impress with its family-oriented science fiction adventure story. The characters we love continue to be deepened and improved in multiple ways. The increased CGI has done nothing but improve the interstellar vibes in the show. The dialogue doesn't slack off in any way, and the minor issues do not take away from any good things in this show. A season 3 is in the making, and if it is as good as this season, then this series will continue to be a favorite of many sci-fi fans across the world and will most likely be well-remembered into the future as a classic of this unique era of television and film.
Final Rating: 9/10
1: Unacceptable
2: Awful
3: Painfully Below Average
4: Below Average
5: Average
6: Above Average
7: Strong
8: Standout
9: Incredible
10: Perfect
Ryan O’Connor is a fifth-year senior studying physics at CWU. He is an avid gamer and nerd and loves to share and hear opinions about anything related to these things. He is also the DJ on Electropolis known as LYNX.
