'Lost in Space' Recap: 'Diamonds In The Sky'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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​If there’s one thing I’ve always found fascinating about the second episode of a brand-new television series, it’s how vastly different that particular story turns out to be, when compared to the pilot episode. Because that titular first tale is often times made well before the series goes to a full season order, meaning there is a slight disconnect when it comes to tone and thematic concepts going forward and a change in both of those elements is precisely what I expected to see as I settled in for the next episode of Lost in Space, ‘Diamonds In The Sky’.
 
But, instead of finding a significant difference in how the story was told, I came to discover that Netflix clearly made it a focus to keep this series consistent as this first season rolls on and that meant the thematic concepts we enjoyed in the first episode, wherein the story focused heavily on a family trying to come together, while dealing with the dangers of a brand new world were still front and center in this tale and what was added to that mix, made for one fascinating episode. Because in this one, we came to learn more about the family dynamic that now exists for the Robinson’s with John having been gone for so long and well…his desire to desperately reunite with his family has brought forth some serious awkwardness.
 
In many ways he’s almost an afterthought in this one, as his wife leads the charge and ignores what he has to say simply because…it’s been up to her to be the solo leader of the family for some time now and well, being pushed to the side ends up being a good thing for John. It reminds him that the only way he’s going to be a part of this family is to be present and an active participant for a change and communicate with his wife and children and I appreciate the fact that the series is forcing this family to work out their issues while they’re stranded on this planet. Plus, as an added bonus in this tale, Maureen’s leadership and curiosity end up paying off in spades when she and John are present in the Robot’s ship and learn (shortly after the Robot touches a part of the vessel) that they are nowhere near their destination, in fact it seems as though they are in a different galaxy altogether.
 
But while all of this was fascinating to watch, I made mention of the fact that series also has no qualms in providing our characters with a crisis, and boy did it deliver a doozy in this one, by bringing forth a powerful storm, and kudos to the show for not giving us a traditional and familiar storm front because this massive system…brought with it buckets of diamond filled rain, making this storm painfully dangerous and thankfully, Judy stepped up while her sister sat this one out, thanks to a touch of PTSD from being trapped in the ice, and saved the family. But really, the biggest threat in this story came about from the fact that the family rescued ‘Doctor Smith’ from the storm, and well, I think we all know she’s going to bring trouble to the Jupiter 2, since she was willing to abandon the man she crash landed on this planet with, and the person they rescued, in order to save her own hide.
 
In the end however, this was quite the fascinating episode through and through. It gave us just enough when it comes to every single plot thread to keep us invested and I appreciate the fact that this series is going to take its time in telling its story because that means great care went into the overall plot. If anything, it should be interesting to see where the story goes from here with the snarky Smith now aboard, and I’m also quite curious as to how the family will handle the fact that the Robot was the one responsible for attacking the Resolute, because you know Will won’t be able to keep that a secret forever. Either way, I’m truly intrigued by this series, and dying to know where it is headed next, which means it’s high time to hit ‘Next Episode’ and see what other obstacles await the Robinson family. Until next time. 

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