Netflix takes another bite at the ‘Lost in Space’ apple.

My problem with this is not that this incarnation of Dr. Smith* is a woman.

My problem is that I’m having difficulty figuring out how many people there are in this cast. I think that I’ve got the parents, Dr. Smith, and Will sorted out. But are there two more girls in this, or just one? …What’s that?  Look, by now I’m numb about the reboot thing.  Besides, and let’s be brutally honest: it’s not like either the original Lost in Space series or the first movie remake were holy relics of The Time Before, and thus must never be revisited.  If we had that attitude then we’d never have gotten the Addams Family movies.

And we really, really needed the Addams Family movies. SO IT BE SAID; SO IT BE DONE.

Moe Lane

*I know I’ve told this story before, but: once upon a time, decades ago — dear Lord, really? — me and my SCA crew were sitting around the house with tons of booze and food, so of course we have to sit down and watch the Lost in Space movie. Like you do.  So we’re drinking, and making smart-ass comments about the movie, and then (SPOILERS) we get to the point where Dr. Smith gets bitten by this weird insect thing.  Turns out, thanks to a strange time-travel plot thingy, we find out that this means that Dr. Smith will turn into this weird human-headed metal snake thing that will kill all of the Robinsons except for Will, for… reasons. Evil. Run with it.

I forget who said it first; but somebody watching the movie looked at not-yet-transformed Past Dr. Smith and conversationally said “Kill Dr. Smith.” Because that would, you know, solve the problem, right? Kill Past Dr. Smith before he goes Full Metal Techno-Snake and kills the Robinsons.  So we keep saying that. “Kill Dr. Smith.”

By the end of the movie we’re chanting, over and over again, “KILL! DOCTOR! SMITH! KILL! DOCTOR! SMITH! KILL! DOCTOR! SMITH!” The neighbors would have complained, except that this was not the weirdest thing that ever happened at this house and — I guess their neighbors were pretty chill, anyway. We had a rule about being less obnoxious drunk than sober, which probably helped**.

**It’s a literal rule in the household charter. We take it seriously. The household has refused membership to people who couldn’t follow it.

12 thoughts on “Netflix takes another bite at the ‘Lost in Space’ apple.”

  2. I have no problem with reboots, per say. And yes, Will Robinson had two older sisters and no bothers.
    .
    A new twist for this show: This Jupiter 2 will hold more colonists than just the Robinson family. I’m actually looking forward to this show.

    1. Marta_Kristen and Angela_Cartwright, evidently .. the former being just *slightly* younger than the pilot, but I don’t recall the actors having any chemistry whatsoever…
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      Mew

  3. Never liked ‘Lost in Space’.
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    I mean, the *idea* is fine .. I liked both ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ and Ryk Spoor’s twist on it ‘Castaway Planet” http://www.baen.com/castaway-planet.html ..
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    Maybe it was the robot, maybe it was Dr. Smith, but .. I never *got* the show, and I skipped the movie entirely.
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    That said .. sure, why not let Netflix try it again?
    .
    Mew

  4. I recall I was 13, maybe, when the original show was on. I had a crush on Mrs. Robinson. The June Lockhart one, not the other Mrs. Robinson.

  5. The Addams reboot was respectful, I have no faith this will be.

    Also, and more importantly, Rest In Peace Raul Julia.

  8. We needed the Addams Family movies so we could have The Addams Family pinball machine– the largest production pinball machine of all time (it beat the old record held by Captain Fantastic). A TAF in averagingly decent condition can easily go for $4000, one restored to top shape (or The Addams Family Gold) can top $10,000– more than what brand-new pinball machines go for.

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