Lost In Space Season 2 Review: The Strength Of Family

"Shipwrecked" opens some seven months after the end of the first season. The Robinson family (Maureen, John, Judy, Penny, Will), Don and "Doctor" Smith are trapped on a planet. Will is still sad over the loss of the Robot. Doctor Smith still cant be trusted.

The good news is there's lots of water on this strange world. The bad news is they are separated from the rest of the colonists on the Resolute. As you'll recall, they're all trying to make a new home on Alpha Centauri.

After several close calls and the usual family angst, the gang turns the Jupiter into a sailboat and sails it into a lightning storm. This jump starts the ship so they can fly again.

Upon arriving at the space station, everyone is missing except for a little girl named Samantha. They learn that at the end of season 2, our Robot and SAR (the second robot) fought and plunged into the space station. Everyone was evacuated onto the nearby planet (which has some super cool dinosaurs).

In a big surprise we learn that a crashed alien spaceship caused the catastrophic event that destroyed Earth and made the colonists flee. A robot named Scarecrow has been piloting the Resolute this whole time. The remnants of the alien ship is the propulsion device..

Dr Adler refuses to believe that Will's Robot might be a sentient being. He, like Will, used to have a "special" relationship with Scarecrow but now believes them to just be killers. Meanwhile Robot saved Gypsy the horse from a stampede. When she dies due her injuries he appears to grieve. Adler eventually sacrifices himself to save Scarecrow (by taking him to the planet to help him recharge).

Some surprise alien ships destroy many of the Jupiters before they can return to the Resolute. The aliens REALLY want that engine back. The parents make a heartbreaking decision. In order to save the children, they send them ahead in a Jupiter. Robot will navigate using the the alien engine. It's a tearful goodbye. No one is sure they'll see their loved ones again. Judy (who is 19) thought she was staying behind. But all the parents agree that she should captain the ship. Plus she has medical skills and, thus, will be much needed.

The swam of the aliens board the space station. Maureen's plan was to kill them all but instead they are frozen in place. Smith appears to sacrifice herself to move the cables out of the aliens reach before they can gain freedom. Scarecrow arrives in the nick of time and gives the kids a chance to escape. We think Smith is dead but we later see her scarf and a blue ball on the kid's ship. Is she stowed away there? If so, how did she pull that off. One thing is for sure. That woman is very good at staying alive.

We end on another cliffhanger. It looks like some people escaped in the other Jupiters. Don saves John and Maureen before the space station crashes into a section of the ship that they previously disconnected. I'm glad the couple is safe but how will they ever find their children? They are far, far away. When the kids reach the source of the signal, it's not Alpha Centari. They find a devastated planet. The signal they were following is from another ship that disappeared 20 years ago. It was captained by Judy's father (Grant Kelly). Is he or anyone else still alive?

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). NetFlix's "Lost In Space" continues to be a surprisingly compelling show. The music and specific effects are excellent-- loved those dinosaurs. All of the action revolves of course around the Robinson family. and their commitment to each other. Anything is possible if they all work together. This season corrects one of the big issues from last time around. Dr Smith in season 1 was a generally unlikeable character. I’m happy to report they have humanized her (thanks to the help of some flashbacks and her (sorta) helping the Robinsons). The show is a bit slow at times but the positive far out weights the negative. If you're looking for a feel good family adventure with some heavy scifi thrown in, check out "Lost In Space". I'm not sure if there will a season 3. If so, my only request is that they give Debbie The Chicken more screen time. We need more Debbie!.