'Lost in Space' Recap: 'The Robinsons Were Here'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

​The true beauty of the science fiction genre, is the sheer fact that it always finds a way to elicit wonder from its audience by showing us things that are beyond our imagination and by constantly engaging in grand examinations on the human condition and over the course of three episodes, those are elements that quite frankly, Lost in Space has yet to explore. It’s not a bad thing, because Sci-Fi continues to evolve in the modern era, and this show has focused heavily on the family element and the dangers of the new world they have landed upon and it’s worked through and through since I’ve been watching every single episode with glee.
 
But I make mention of those two elements, simply because, the fourth episode of this intrepid new series, ‘The Robinsons Were Here’, surprised me big time by slowing down the plot in this one, to flat out explore those all-important staples of the genre in great detail, and it’s deep dive into the human condition involved a subtle look at how important it is for human beings to connect with one another and it accomplished that, by showing all of us just how many people survived the disaster on the Resolute, and there are far more survivors on this world than I expected. But what matters more here, is how happy everyone was to see another human being on this alien world, and it was also kind of neat to see people working and coming together in the face of disaster. 
 
As for the other examination I made mention of, well that revolved around the importance of forgiveness and second chances and all of that was explored by way of the Robot. Because unfortunately, the secret is sort of out when it comes to what the Big ‘Bot did aboard the Resolute since Judy came to discover his handiwork aboard the ship that Don West and Angela made it to after being rescued from the storm after all, and it was just fascinating to watch the kids debate the finer points of what should be done with the robot and come to a tentative agreement that perhaps he should be removed from the Jupiter 2 and the other colonists for the time being until they can figure out how to broach the subject and properly show everyone…that he does indeed seem to have left his murderous machinations in the past.
 
When it comes to the notion of wonder and awe however, that all came about from simply exploring this world. After all, the kids and the Robot were able to find fields of beautiful flowers that quite literally bloom with a clap of one’s hands and those alien ‘fireflies’ that popped up at night were quite frankly, breathtaking and magnificent and I really appreciate the fact that this series took the time to show us that this world isn’t that all that much different from our own when it comes to providing humans with things to fear and revere. But, while all of this was wonderful to experience in its own right, there is some trouble brewing behind the scenes and it all seems to be related to the shady Doctor Smith. 
 
Because she knows full well that eventually, the survivors will band together and figure her out, which means she’ll need some protection and insurance if she wants to continue to enjoy her freedom, and she firmly believes the Robot will make all of that happen, and she sure did try to play nice and sway its loyalty her way. As to whether or not she will be successful, time will tell, but let’s be honest, no good will come from this in the slightest. Either way, this really was a lovely episode, one that felt like traditional science fiction through and through, and it just goes to show how diverse this series can be, and I am quite curious to see if other gentler moments like the ones presented in this tale, await us down the road. Until next time. 

---