REVIEW: ‘Lost in Space’ Season 3 is a Swan Song to a Much Loved Sci-Fi Series

Few series have had a significant impact on pop culture that spans decades. One of those few such titles has been Lost in Space. Even if you’ve not seen the show or the film from the ’90s, you’ve at least heard reference to the infamous “danger Will Robinson.” So when Netflix announced several years back that it would be adapting the show once more in a series format, I was skeptical. I still remember seeing the film adaptation in the cinema, and it was awful. Yet the series has been quite the revelation thanks to a phenomenal cast, spectacular graphics, and a high-impact action storyline that, for one last time, will keep us on the edge of our seat. So for the last time, let’s dig into Lost in Space Season 3.

The series was initially created by Irwin Allen back in 1965 and aired on CBS; the show itself was an adaptation of the book The Swiss Family Robinson written by Johann David Wyss. The Netflix original series, however, has taken the concept and intensified the story, added in copious amount of beautiful visuals, and accompanied it all by providing a truly whimsical score that engages your senses.

If you’ve never watched this show, then read this review as my love letter to why you need to go and binge it. The story takes place in the not-so-distant future as colonists from Earth begin to leave the planet to travel across the cosmos to their new home, Alpha Centauri. But the 24th colonist group never makes it, as they are attacked early on by an unknown force. Facing death at every turn, each colonist must survive the unknown space sector as they crash land in unfamiliar territory.

The story follows the Robinson family, made up of Mom/Maureen (Molly Parker), Dad/John (Toby Stephens), daughters Judy (Taylor Russell), and Penny (Mina Sundwall), and son Will (Maxwell Jenkins). As the show develops, you learn that wherever the Robinson’s travel, trouble is not far behind as they’ve been attacked by artificially intelligent killer robots, beasts of all sizes, and destructive eco-systems. Completing their roster is the enigmatic engineer Don West (Ignacio Serricchio), the ever dangerous Dr. Smith (Parker Posey), and everyone’s favorite sexy robot, well, Robot (Brian Steele).

This core cast of characters sells the show, and they are the very foundation for what bonds everything else together. It’s never genuinely centralized in one character either, as you’re initially led to believe the series is underpinned by Will and Robot. The show does a brilliant job developing an attachment to the entire family, even with the additional members like Don, hell I got emotionally invested in Don’s chicken Debbie. They feel like a family. Everything about their interactions are imperfect as they squabble, fight, lie to each other, but no matter what, they are there for each other. I always loved the writing of the characters in that sense, and the actors portrayed it so genuinely.

This season is particularly sobering, knowing it’s the final season. From a story perspective, Lost In Space delivered one last big adventure for us all to enjoy, with many twists and turns. There was a lot more emphasis on the development of the kids, given what happens in the second season and their separation from the parents in what was a horrible gut-wrenching and emotional moment.

The opening episode, however, felt particularly bumpy, as it had to account for a jump in time by one year, not to mention the second season of the show last debuted on Netflix two years ago. So naturally, the attrition of simply being familiar with what happened, paired with the jump in time, felt like quite a clash. Once you overcome that hurdle, you get into that familiar groove as you’re reminded why you were always so entertained by the show.

One element I was taken aback by in season 3 was how grand and impactful the score was to the show. There was so much care in pairing every scene with a magnificently composed theme to encapsulate the tones. I mean, as far as sci-fi goes, this is entirely up there with some of the best music for me.

Where the show gets overlooked is the stunning graphics. I swear to you, this is a visually gorgeous show. There are so many amazing scenes on alien planets, with bizarre beasts, and exciting spacecraft flights, and fights. I am often baffled at how more people aren’t talking about the quality of what’s on offer.

Season 3 does cover A LOT of ground, though, and every character from the Robinson’s gets their own vital time to shine and contribute to the larger plot. The action is as intense as it always is while somewhat being predictably unpredictable as you wait to find out what will go wrong next. The final few episodes provide some great twists that will leave you satisfied that you invested time into this show, into this family.

It’s difficult to hone in on what makes Lost in Space Season 3 so bloody enjoyable without feeling the need to retrospectively look back at the past three seasons now that it’s all over. We’ve watched these actors grow over the years. The show is about family, a family that, throughout it, all, overcame the most unlikely odds, but what makes it unique was watching them do it together and feeling like you were a part of the Robinson family. It wasn’t perfect, but that’s what made it feel so genuine. I’m disappointed to see it finally end, but I feel privileged that we got three stunning seasons with a more than satisfying arc.

Lost in Space Season 3 is available now exclusively on Netflix.