Review of Lost in Space (2018) Episodes 5 and 6

Episode 5 of Netflix’s Lost in Space reboot is entitled “Transmission,” and it’s one of the most action-packed episodes of the series.

It starts off with June Harris making her way back to the Jupiter 2. While trekking through the forest, she has a close encounter with some carnivorous brute. She isn’t able to easily make out its form since night has already fallen. Unscathed, she completes her hike back to camp.

The following day, Maureen gets an early start to making some scientific observations and charting out her deductions. She believes she has stumbled across something serious. She’s alarmed to say the least. As it turns out, this worrying of hers is not unmerited. What she thinks she has found will become a key factor in forming plans for leaving the planet.

The sunrise is rapidly coming sooner with each passing day. Over time, the heat increases as well. And, like the original space family Robinson, the characters find their very survival threatened by the orbital cycle of the planet they’re on.

Harris has to confront Don West, and she slyly escapes West’s heated temper by coming up with a simple but suitable lie on the spot. Meanwhile, Will is struggling with learning what keeping a lie costs the liar as he continues shielding the truth of the robot’s “disappearance” and whereabouts.

Maureen has gone off on her own, following up her hunch, hoping to put her motherly anxiety to rest. She prepares a balloon-powered craft in an open field. But this grassland differs slightly from most seen here on Earth. Though little yellow flowers dot the land here and there, they are blowing amidst a vast violet sea. Yes, the grassland is entirely purple! The creators enjoyed employing this hue as did those of the original Lost in Space. (This is obviously seen in many of the original Robinsons’ purple casual wear in Season 3.)

The very concept of the brightly-colored vegetation of the alien flora is one which was characteristic of the original show. In this reboot, the purple grass effect could have easily been attained by keying out the green of the grass and replacing it with violet. This may not have been the exact way the editor went about doing it, but however the effect was executed, it was a pretty basic one. Despite this, I still love the purple fields. The entire landing party, made up of the surviving crews of several Jupiter’s, comes together to construct a large machine which emits a strong light. At night, they light it up. They hope their beacon gets noticed by the Resolute. Harris deactivates the electric perimeter barrier once she sees that the light has attracted dozens of moth-like organisms. She knows what this will do; she does it in anticipation that Will will call the robot back to help.

Several reptilian-like quadrupeds, the same type of creatures which Harris had seen earlier, are attracted by the insects and attack the beacon, then the rest of the camp. One of these carnivores hunts Penny. The robot returns in the nick of time to protect the Robinsons. The robot transforms back into its hostile form, giving it a similar mentality to the one it had on the Resolute. The landing party recognises the robot as the attacker, the cause of their crashing on this godforsaken planet.

Maureen returns after travelling high into the atmosphere to discover she was right and that one of the factors contributing to the extreme orbit is a nearby black hole, the telltale sign of which is Hawking radiation.

Episode 6, “Eulogy,” sees the confrontation between the Robinsons and the rest of the camp. Angela, the woman Don saved previously, particularly has a personal loathing toward the robot. Its past action brought about the death of her beloved husband. Tensions are heated and thick. And in this hour, Harris decides to abuse her falsified psychologist credentials yet again in order to manipulate and agitate Angela to the point of emotional breakdown. When Angela gets her hands on the 3D-printed pistol, things get out of control.

Maureen’s new-found knowledge remains between John and herself, or so she thinks. But Penny eavesdrops and learns what’s going on with the planet’s orbit. Penny, who knows quite well how to keep a secret, seems too trusting. She confides the information to Vijay, the boy she has a crush on, expecting him to be able to keep a secret just like she can.

Will spends quality time with the robot who has become a very dear friend. The robot is still fascinated by the use of its hands; Will tries teaching it how to do a high five. Will, his dad, and the robot take some time to remember those who lost their lives (because of the robot) on the Resolute, 27 to be exact.

Don, Judy, and several others begin the risky task of trying to retrieve fuel from another Jupiter while back on the J2 Angela fires off a few shots. This provokes the robot, resulting in John being knocked unconscious. By now, Don has discovered the real Dr. Smith’s identification. After the robot’s hostile outburst, Will takes it to a cliff and demands the machine walk off. It does, and in doing so, falls to
its destruction.