‘Lost in Space’ Recap: ‘Echoes’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

It’s always an invigorating moment when a television series breaks from its standard formula, simply because it opens up all kinds of possibilities storytelling wise, something that most certainly excites the audience like never before. For now, we haven’t a clue what’s going to happen next, and the sheer mystery and freedom now surrounding this story draws us in and fully invests us and honestly, that’s exactly where I am right now with Lost in Space. Because getting the Robinson family off of that methane fueled rock has accomplished every single goal I just outlined, and I really couldn’t wait to see where this season was headed when I settled in to watch the next chapter in this fascinating series.
 
Thankfully, ‘Echoes’ did not disappoint in the slightest when it comes to delivering a fresh and unique adventure for the series, one that setup a grand mystery that should keep our interest for some time and one that featured some fascinating character moments, and all of this came about by way of a return to the Resolute. For nothing was quite what it seemed when the Jupiter 2 returned home, in fact, the colony ship was outright abandoned, and this was quite the stark contrast for this vessel. For every time we’ve seen her, she’s teeming with life, and while she was often in the midst of a crisis, there was some sense of comfort that came about in knowing she would always be full of people dedicated to bringing the Robinson’s home so everyone could make it to Alpha Centauri.
 
But alas, that quick glimpse of a robot fight in the season premiere served as the setup to the chilling visuals here and really, trying to uncover what happened aboard the ship is the best place to start in breaking down this episode. Because there were really no clues for the family to go off of, and all they could infer was that there was a hasty evacuation from the ship, one related to another robot. For a badly injured and evil one was still on board, and it took some creative thinking to isolate it and keep everyone safe, and Maureen and John’s heroic act is what brought about the mystery in question. Because shortly after they locked the robot up, a security force arrived, one that had hoped to rescue to the family from said robot. But after learning of their resourcefulness, a Mister Adler revealed that they didn’t stop a new threat, they merely put it back since it was there all along, and why it was there is the mystery now hanging over this tale.
 
However, while it is intriguing to know that mankind encountered this species of artificial intelligence long before young Will Robinson made one its friend, I made mention of a fascinating character study in this tale and that was handled by way of Dr. Smith/Jessica/June Harris. Because a return to this ship meant that our intrepid villain was forced to face her past mistakes at last and it was quite fascinating to see her evolution from petty thief to intergalactic mastermind as she pondered upon every last misstep and it was equally as amazing to watch her work to reinvent herself, all in the hopes of obtaining a fresh start. Which might be possible now that the colonists have returned to the ship and it should be interesting to see if the grand changes she’s made to her identity are going to pay off, or if she will once again succumb to the darkness present within her soul.
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Either way, this really was quite the entertaining episode. For not only did it feature some interesting twists and turns and hints of potential growth for the resident baddie on the series, it also offered up some intense storytelling. Because the cat and mouse game with the robot was quite chilling and dangerous at times, to the point where I wondered if disaster was going to strike and I tip my cap to writer Liz Sagal for assembling a script that provided the audience with this wonderfully layered story. But what matters more for me personally, is that the story continues to sink its hooks into me and compels me to see what comes next. Because I have to know how that dang robot got aboard the Resolute and what its purpose is aboard the ship. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m headed back to the void to learn the truth and see where this unique story is headed. Until next time.  

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