Date of release: December 24, 2019 (Netflix)
written by: Zack Estrin, Vivian Lee
directed by: Stephen Surjik
When I was thinking that the mutiny would run its way through the final three episodes of the season, I believed that a more elaborate story arc of a band of heroes versus a bigger band of villains would be exciting enough, especially when the Robinsons lead the heroes against Hastings’s band of antagonists. But the mutiny arc was only one episode long, and with its conclusion near the finale of the previous episode, the writers needed to find another way and a different premise to fill the season finale with. And as it turns out, I kind of like the more personal and emotional storyline the writers have chosen.
The Robinsons are doing their thing almost by themselves, Hastings grows more and more into a villain who likes to be recognized in the history books (that is a super white explanation for his actions) rather than wanting to help the colony reach its destination safely, and Will’s own story with the robot is turning into something that defines friendship and that could bring a new premise to the third season, in which the characters have to deal with an emotional bond between two alien races (humans and robots) with Will in the middle having to negotiate peace or something like that. For now, only the colony on the Resolute had to deal with Will’s connection with the robot, but when he manages to succeed in his mission and help Scarecrow, not only does the chance grow that Will calls two robots his friend (and vice versa), but other colonists outside the twenty-fourth colony could learn of what happened here and trust the kid a lot more. And again, this could make Will the most important human being in the history of this show’s universe.
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| In the universe, there are many eyes watching you. |
I also believed for a couple of episodes now that Ben Adler would never turn out to be an adult Will and that the writers would bring time travel into the show, as the 1998 movie did in a twist during its third act. I believed that may happen when Ben got introduced, but I stopped believing in the twist during his trip with Will and Maureen on the amber planet (it is so nice of the writers to call the planets by their color or what element is in abundance, that makes it easier to visualize the sets). This episode made me believe in a future version of Will again. “Will and I... we’re the same,” Ben said. “I used to be him,” he continued. And in addition, Ben knew where Will and the robot would go during the Robinson kids’ titular shell game, which means there is more to Ben and Will’s relationship than meets the eye, with the writers heavily impregnating that picture in this episode and making the audience think that Ben truly could be a grown-up Will and that no one remembers the 1998 movie anyway to complain that the writers of this series decided to take a plot twist from the movie.
I still do not think that turning Ben into future Will is a good idea, and not just because it is a twist that already exists in the franchise. But if the writers just wanted a character with Ben who looks like an ally at first, then turns into a villain, and finally realizes what he must to do save the Resolute and humanity, then they are certainly allowed to continue teasing the future-Will twist, only to lead the viewers into a different direction. This episode’s title may not just be a reference to Judy and Penny giving Will enough time to escape the Resolute, but it could also be an in-joke by the writers leading the viewers into an obvious twist, only to surprise them with something entirely different. But it is clear that the writers were at least talking about the twist in the room.
Ben did turn into a bit of a better character during this episode. He is a conflicted man who is bound by his job and mission, and he has been compromised by the things he has seen recently and by his desire to be back with his family. In a way, Ben could turn into an anti-hero for the next episode and there is a chance he might sacrifice himself for the greater good, knowing that Will will succeed in doing whatever he must to bring the Resolute to Alpha Centauri, even if that sacrifice would sort of bite itself with Ben’s desire to see his family again. But at one point, there has to be a moment in the show that sacrifices a recurring character, and Ben seems to be the most obvious choice. He has always been qualified for that redemption arc, which is probably why the sacrifice arc, if it is coming in the next episode, will affect him the most.
I was also glad that it was not easy for the Robinson kids to acquire help from other people on the Resolute. You could have thought they would band together with a little ragtag group of rebels and that Samantha would just be the first one joining said band of rebels, but Vijay said “No” (understandably so) and Don West was nowhere to be found due to the security cameras locked onto his butt. That makes it more fantastic and entertaining, since the Robinsons are on their own, but one might think the writers were cutting off a potentially interesting story about how the colony has had enough with the white guys running their trip to Alpha Centauri. Then again, no one knows what Hastings is up to and it is not like he is a full-blown villain for everyone on the Resolute, murdering anyone who stands in his way (well, except Maureen and John). All Hastings wants is to get to Alpha Centauri. All the Robinsons want is to take a detour on the way to Alpha Centauri.
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| Will is losing his robot yet again. |
Meanwhile, John and Maureen were tripping inside the gas planet, having a meet’n’greet with the planet’s lifeform, and somehow got back into the Resolute even though I believed they were stranded for good. That was a bit of convenient storytelling, but at least the Robinsons are complete again in the final episode of the season, with each of them acting in on the same plan to help Scarecrow and the robot, and to bring the Resolute to Alpha Centauri with all its colonists. The writers could have used John and Maureen’s stranding for a bit more character development though – John did not even react majorly to the news that Maureen committed treason to get Will onto the twenty-fourth colony and he did not even say that Maureen did the right thing. Let’s just think about the fact that the colony would be dead without Will. The kid brought them off the planet in the first season by having the poop-for-fuel idea, and if it had not been for Will’s connection to the robot, they would have killed everyone on the Resolute. And then the remaining survivors would have been stuck on the amber planet without working tech and spaceships. John could have recognized all this and told Maureen she did the right thing to keep the family together. But he did not, so he is a bit of an asshole.
Maureen could have realized the same. Will did so much to help the colony get back on their feet again, and yet she was still wondering if she did the right thing back then by cheating to get Will into the colony, knowing that the entire trip would have been toast already if it had not been for her son. Sometimes you just need a little “Yes, I did an illegal and questionable thing, but it saved all our lives on multiple occasions”-kind of thinking.
