'Lost in Space' Season 2 Episode 1 review: Teamwork, positive attitude, and science rescue the Robinsons in 'Shipwrecked'
This review contains mild spoilers for 'Lost in Space' Season 2 Episode 1: 'Shipwrecked'
As far as gripping starts go, 'Shipwrecked' doesn't disappoint. It's sailor-mode for the Robinsons as they decide to get off the alien planet and they have to improvise. Except, this come at the cost of their lives. 'Shipwrecked' sets the tone for another riveting adventure and the stakes have never been higher. The episode starts off with a quiet and pleasant family get-together for Christmas, including Dr. Smith (Parker Posey) before trouble brews.
In a bid to jumpstart the ship, Maureen Robinson (Molly Parker) has a theory, and she uses the 'Beacon of Maracaibo' as an example to describe how lightning storms in Venezuela occur at the same time and the same spot for 265 days a year. The alien planet shows a similar atmospheric phenomenon and she deduces that getting their vessel close to the lightning and supercharging it would give them enough juice for initial thrust and get off the planet. While John (Toby Stephens) initially rejects the idea, a storm blows off their plant supplies leaving them no choice but to try the idea.
Call it a classic example of Yankee ingenuity, the Robinson family has an idea. Attach sails to the ship and make the Jupiter a sailboat, draw it close enough to lightning to supercharge it and while at it, avoid the rocks that get in their way. It is here the episode manages to bring in some element of humor that eases the tension it creates and the second part of the episode is all about the dangers of navigating in a storm. For a brief while, it is easy to forget that Jupiter isn't a ship as it treads rough water (Quite literally).
It is here the unpredictability factor comes into the picture. Dr. Smith is the last person on earth the Robinsons would trust, but when a chain of events leads to John choking up, it's the wily doc who does the job of getting the vessel over a dangerous looking rockface. There's also a quick two-minute women-power instance when Maureen, Dr. Smith and Penny (Mina Sundwall) work together braving a terrible storm to vault over the rockface.
'Shipwrecked' is the perfect start. The space drama has always treated the Robinsons as science geniuses who believe that "for every problem, there is a solution" and they do. Even if it means risking their lives. The wit and the positive family attitude is a great sentimental touch and eggs us to watch on.
'Lost in Space' Season 2 is available for streaming on Netflix.
