The Robinsons are increasingly concerned that the leaders on the Resolute are hiding important information from them, and so the seeds of mutiny are sewn.

The problem with a ten or (or fewer) episode season is that the first two are typically spent in bringing you up to speed and the final two as the season finale, setting up the next year. With Lost in Space’s sophomore year, the end game is apparent as early as episode 7, with the threads that will lead to mutiny very present in the sub-plots of Will/Maureen/Adler looking for Robot, and John employing the untrustworthy Smith to help him expose the truth. It’s a nice twist that the expected betrayal by the false Doctor is actually a planned double bluff.

In Unknown, the mutiny kicks into gear, Maureen proudly taking control of the Resolute’s bridge. The controls have been fixed to only respond to her commands, and even security are encouraged to support the coup. Douglas Hodge continues to impress as slimy Hastings – just what is his agenda? – and the visual effects astound as the Resolute is navigated through the planet’s atmosphere. When congratulated on her good luck in completing the manoeuvre, Maureen can’t show any humility – something that continues to be her greatest flaw.

In Shell Game. Maureen is called out on fixing Will’s results so that he could join the expedition to the stars – it’s a greater blow that daughter Judy heard all of this and this will probably knock her mother off her pedestal. A greater and more pressing danger is that John and Maureen are floating free in space in their craft (albeit tethered together) and that Hastings has already penned the obituary for this ‘accident’. On the Resolute, Penny and Judy are providing a distraction (or ‘shell game’) by driving the Chariot around the station’s corridors, giving Will and Adler the chance to get Scarecrow off the ship.

In finale Ninety-Seven everything comes to together. A ship of marauding robots is on its way, followed by a fleet of compatriots. It’s time to evacuate, but the only feasible resolution involves splitting up the children from their parents. Even Smith gets her hero moment, though one wonders how much of what we’ve seen is true. The ship of juveniles prepares for life on Alpha Centauri, but where has Robot taken them?

Verdict: Lost in Space continues to carve its niche as a visually rewarding drama for all ages, that lurches from one trauma to the next, using the power of family to bring about resolution. With a greater emphasis of the Robot sub-plot in latter episodes, the narrative is more intriguing, and the characters are truly lost in space again by the end, with the additional challenge of being split up. 7/10

Nick Joy