‘Lost In Space Season 3’ Review – Trust, Will Robinson

I never watched the original ‘Lost in Space’, nor the movie from the 2000s that I heard was pretty terrible. But when Netflix made their updated version of it, I was intrigued. Two seasons later, it was one of my favorite shows despite certain natural flaws that all shows like this have. Then the pandemic hit and I wondered if the third and final season would ever come. Well, it came, and as this ‘Lost In Space Season 3’ Review will show you, it made me so happy to have stuck with it during the voyage.

Quick recap. Season 2 ended with the enemy robots storming the Resolute, and the only way to ensure that the kids would be safe was for Robot to send them to Alpha Centauri. Stranding them from their parents who would be stuck with the remaining robots in the “Danger System”, but at least they’d be safe. But, plot twist, they didn’t end up on Alpha Centauri, and instead ended up near a planet with the Fortuna, the lost spaceship headed up by Judy’s biological father.

The beginning of Season 3 reveals that the Fortuna is abandoned, and the kids are left stranded on that mystery planet…for about a year. Oh, and Smith is alive because of course, she is.

Seriously, my biggest complaint you’ll find in this Lost In Space Season 3 Review is Smith, but I’ll deal with her later.

The time jump is always a tricky thing in shows of this nature, but it works in how they focus in early episodes on one segment of the story with the kids, then jump back to John and Maureen with the rest of the adults trying to make due while under constant danger. It’s actually a wonderful dichotomy as “the kids are alright” and just wanting to get home, while the parents are desperate and just trying to reach their kids.

It’s in these early episodes that we see the Robinsons in their new paradigms and how it’s affecting them. Judy is the captain of the “kid crew” and is doing her best to both keep her “crew” safe…while also trying to find out what happened to the Fortuna. Penny is just trying to make it day by day and is enjoying a set of relationships (see: classic love triangle) as a result. Will and Robot are trying to fix their ship so they can get home, and Will has nightmares about SAR (the evil head of the robots) because he knows that the robot still wants him.

Meanwhile, John is leading missions on the robot-infested planet to try and get parts to salvage their Jupiters to find the kids and get to Alpha Centauri, and Maureen is adrift and doing grunt work to try and just help because she doesn’t know what else to do.

As is its way, everything flows by the Robinsons and their decisions, and that’s part of the reason that these final eight episodes work so well. Each of them has their own journey and desires and it’s never easy getting to them. Why would it be for the Robinsons? But even in their darkest moments, they don’t give up on one another, or, when all is bleak, they do something for the others because they know that if they can’t make it, at least the others might.

A great example of this is when early on, the parents realize that the robots will find them, and when they do, they’ll get the data needed to get to Alpha Centauri and the colony. They can’t let that happen, so despite wanting more than anything to see their kids again, they destroy all their data and personal belongings in order to ensure the robots can’t get what they want. And then when the kids show up to rescue them they’re distraught because they don’t want to lose them again. It’s those moments that really make this show shine because it really is a show about family and a great one at that.

What’s more, they honestly avoid in Season 3 the many pitfalls that a show like this would try and showcase in a final season to “spice things up”. Such as when Judy does indeed find her biological father and reveals who she is to him. While there is some typical “father/daughter drama”, it’s par for the course and isn’t eye-rolling.

Especially when he shows back up to Maureen. Usually, shows like this (especially if it was on the CW) would create an “odd third wheel” scenario where she wonders if she should go back to him, or stay with John, but that’s not even thought about or discussed, and thank goodness.

Furthermore, I loved how the Robinsons are so used to the insanity of their lives that they embrace it at times, and are more than fine with leaving it behind once their quest is over. Like in early in the season when the Robinson kids are in danger on a crumbling rock, and they have to get to a ledge far away. What would the Robinsons do in this scenario? Fly, obviously. And you can’t help but smile when it happens because that is what they would do.

Or, when later in the season when John is talking with Will and he wants to do some “normal father/son activities” and they have this great back and forth that for us would be so mundane, but for them, they haven’t had that. And apparently, John’s a pretty good gambler, who knew?

But ironically enough, while all of the main Robinsons get an arc or progression, it’s the Robot that steals the show in many ways. Because in Seasons 1 & 2, his role is to protect Will, and that’s it. But in Season 3, with Will older (and much taller), Robot has to learn to trust Will and to “help, family” more than just helping Will.

The Lost in Space team REALLY went all out on having Robot emote without them making it too corny or cheesy. And it totally works! In one scene, Robot is hurt, leaving John and Penny to save it. Then, out of the blue, Penny talks to John about her love triangle and Robot looks at both of them and I couldn’t help but think it was looking at them as if to say, “Really? I’m hurt and THIS is what you’re talking about?” You can also tell when he’s struggling when he’s sad, and in one case, when he’s mourning. It’s simple, yet very beautiful.

I’m not going to spoil everything that happens in this season, including how everything honestly connects together in a way I didn’t expect, or the arrival of a certain “Sally” that was really cool, but I will spoil how it ends…happily.

Another thing this show could’ve easily fallen into a pitfall of was making the “big sacrifice” and then the family honoring that person afterward. But they didn’t do that, at all. In fact, despite a near-death, twice, the family has a beautiful family meal together on Alpha Centauri that is just…wonderful.

Because gosh dang it, the Robinsons deserve it! They deserved that ending, and they got it, and what’s more, they’re still a family, still exploring space in their own way, and I’m happy for them. I’ve had many shows recently disappoint me with their ends, and this one didn’t at all.

What did disappoint? Smith. I know we’re not supposed to like the character, but she had the perfect exit at the end of Season 2 where she “died” and then guess what…? She’s not dead! And that was the most poorly explained part of the whole season was how she survived and then got on the kids’ ship.

What’s more, she continued to try and be the “I only serve myself” person and the Robinsons let her at times, even when they didn’t need to and easily could’ve stopped her. Now, yes, at the end she confessed to her crimes, and apparently ended up in prison, but Maureen seemed to think she was good enough to tell her to “give me a call when you’re out”. WHY?!?!! Just let her rot!

Another small element was that Judy’s new father. There were scenes where it was clear they were going to try and do something with him and her, or with him and John, and then it…just stopped. It was weird.

But even with that, Lost in Space Season 3 was a thrilling, visually beautiful, hilarious (see: Don and Debbie), heart-wrenching (in a good way), and well-paced end to a fun remake. Many networks don’t do remakes that really work from start to finish, but in this reviewers’ mind? Netflix nailed it with this one, and I’m glad to have seen their journey throughout.