REVIEW: Lost in Space – Season 1, Episode 10 “Danger, Will Robinson”

Television Reviews

“I never should have saved him. I should have let him die in that tree.”

*Spoilers*

“Danger, Will Robinson,” the final episode of season 1, starts off with Will watching videos of himself with the robot. Don and John are alive on part of the ship. June brings Judy and Maureen back, both thrilled to learn about the men. Don is blinded by chemicals in his suit and he has to talk John through the process of repairing what’s left of their ship. Will tries to play ball with the robot but he’s not responsive, prompting Will to say, “It’s not my friend.” They all load into the Jupiter and head up for John and Don, soon realizing that there’s still gravity on the ship for some reason. Dr. Smith doesn’t want to get John because it will take time and fuel so Maureen locks her and the robot in the hub. John encourages Don to cry to expel the chemicals from his eyes, but he can’t cry out of nowhere. Maureen tells Will the truth about rigging his tests.

Don is able to cry after John tells him all about the kids. The family locates the men but their harpoon doesn’t quite reach their damaged ship. Dr. Smith and the robot escape, so the kids — except for Will — climb into the chariot. He tries to reason with the robot but it ultimately has to be stopped by Maureen, and is forced out of the ship. Almost immediately he comes back with another robot. The other robot retrieves alien technology from the chariot and prepares to attack Will, prompting the original robot to protect him. The friendly robot sacrifices himself to get the evil one out of the ship. Will closes a door that was letting air out and ends up floating away, but John is there to catch him. Evidently, Dr. Smith released the harpoon the second time so John could get to the ship. With depleted fuel and supplies they discuss the possibility of crashing back on the planet, but the Resolute shows up to collect them. Alien technology takes over the Robinsons’ Jupiter and sends them in the opposite direction.

“Danger, Will Robinson” is nothing less than an hour-long thrill ride. Again, like “Trajectory” and “Resurrection,” there is no dead weight in this episode, and every scene and character feels essential. It almost feels redundant to praise the visual effects in every episode, but they’re just that good. Lost in Space has some of the best graphics and use of color I’ve seen on any TV series ever, and it’s so easy to imagine this as a low-budget Sy-Fy production. I’m really glad Netflix is making a second season. The music is pretty too and there are some really nice bits of dialogue.

My favorite scene in “Danger, Will Robinson” is easily when Will’s robot protects him from the other robot. I expected the robot to respond to Will the first time they saw each other again, especially since the episode is only 51 minutes long. But drawing it out to the final conflict makes it more satisfying, and it’s really touching that he was willing to risk his own life for his friend. This also lends itself to more questions about the robot’s loyalty and life debts, and how much say he has in the matter. I believe the robot will be back in future seasons, and maybe they’ll explore it then. I also liked the scenes building up to this, with Will wondering if he’s endangered his family by saving the robot in the first place. Normally this kind of angst is just annoying, but here it really feels earned.

Dr. Smith is great in “Danger, Will Robinson,” and by that I mean I wanted to claw her eyes out while I was watching. She’s shaping up to be a pretty good villain; the scene where she tries to act enthusiastic that the men are alive just displays how scummy she is. Although she genuinely looks surprised when she knocks Maureen out and the ship explodes, she obviously has no qualms about it. And in “Danger, Will Robinson ” when she sends the harpoon out to John and Don, it’s an obvious ploy to get Maureen back on her side. She’s played everyone for saps throughout one season; hopefully they’ve all learned to ignore her sob stories and seemingly good deeds.

Don doesn’t get to do much in “Danger, Will Robinson” by nature of floating around and being blinded, but I really like the scene where John is talking about his family and how he thought he’d lost them, finally prompting Don to cry. He reveals that his parents are alive but that he has no family, which makes me wonder if he was abandoned or given up for adoption. I didn’t think much of Don in the first couple of episodes, but aside from the robot he and Judy are probably my favorites.

Speaking of Judy, it’s also a great moment when she and Maureen learn that John is alive. The joy evident on Maureen’s face shows how far they’ve come as a family since the beginning, when she may have had more mixed feelings. I was hoping for some kind of reaction from Judy in regards to Don, though, since they’ve been developing such a nice friendship. I hope these two get more scenes together next season.

I’ve really enjoyed Lost in Space, particularly “Danger, Will Robinson” and the episodes leading up to it. The earlier episodes were a little heavy on boring family drama and Maureen was pretty much unlikable, but the visuals, acting and music were always good. It’s a shame it took half a season for the series to really kick into full gear, but when it’s good, it’s great. I’m so glad Netflix has already renewed the show, and now that they’re being sent to another alien planet, I can’t wait to see what happens. That’s such a good, frustrating scene too, when the Resolute comes for them and the Robinsons are unable to board. So close! I highly recommend Lost in Space and I look forward to whatever happens next.