The Super Powered Fancast

Lost in Space

Netflix

Season 1 Episode 3

Infestation

With everyone together and the Jupiter 2 still stuck in the ice of a mountain, Maureen needs to rally her family to get the ship free so they can look for survivors and contact the Resolute. With Judy still dealing with her near death experience and John and Maureen still trying to find a means of working together, the family needs to find a way to come together quickly because they have a bigger problem on their hands. A problem that forces the robot to lock Will in a closet with “Doctor Smith” to protect him.

The episode showcases the back story of “Doctor Smith”. It starts with the lengths she’s willing to go to get on the Resolute in the first place, starting with murdering her own sister. As she tries to hide on board the ship, she’s discovered and is only saved because of the intervention of something else. Parker Posey plays this role really well. Her mannerisms and responses are great as Smith tries to hide the fact that she’s had no training as everyone else does the work. When she finds out that the engines aren’t working and the mountain is starting to collapse, her survival mode kicks in and she tries to escape, only to be caught unaware in the process.

There are some great character moments in this episode from John especially. The first to episodes made it seem like John was just along for the ride, but this one made John a bad ass hero, even though his efforts will be overshadowed by the science needed to get them out. It was gratifying to see John and Judy start to reconcile their tension a little, especially with John being an advocate that Judy be allowed to heal emotionally before being thrown back into the thick of things. It was a fatherly motive rather than a practical one, but in that moment Judy needed a father.

“Smith” is still a mystery for the most part, even after learning the circumstances that bring her on board the ship and the fact that she is quietly learning everyone’s secrets, including one regarding the Robot and Will, makes her more dangerous than she looks. There is a menace behind the desperation and that is coming through in each episode she’s featured in.