Lost in Space Recap: Never Stop Believing

This recap of Netflix Series Lost in Space Season 2, Episode 6, “Severed” contains significant spoilers.

• Read the Season 2 review.
• Read the recap of Episode 7.
• Read the recap of the previous episode (5).
• Access the archive of all the episode recaps.

This is the best chapter so far in Lost in Space Season 2. It manages to build up the tension. Yes, again, there are more problems the characters have to solve but it feels more relevant to the plot.

Episode 6, “Severed”, begins with the announcement that all metals are under quarantine while they figure out the contaminant. The Resolute crew has to follow the decontamination procedure.

12 hours later then pops up on the screen — Smith (Parker Posey), Penny and co are looking at the hole in the floor and then the ship goes into lockdown. Meanwhile, Maureen, Will and Ben land on the planet. The Chariots are quarantined so they have to use horses to cross the desert.

Trapped at one side of the ship, Dr. Smith says they are all in this together but Penny quickly dismisses her. The captain of the ship is looking into the contaminant and announces that they will put together a rescue mission soon to save them from the classroom. Smith is cynical and reckons they should save themselves.

Smith tries to hear if the rescuers are coming for help and Penny is getting impatient. Unfortunately, the route the rescue team is taking has been hit by the virus. The captain announces that the crew needs to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Penny wants to know what is going on and suggests listening in on Vijay’s father’s radio channel. Smith agrees as she notes there isn’t anyone on the ship who cares about them at present — the Robinson family is on the planet.

Don who was absent for a while trying to smuggle cigars for Andre joins the efforts to help. A colleague says the virus is getting too aggressive and they’ve got people in the blast radius — Don learns those people are Penny, Smith, and co.

Tensions are running high in Lost in Space Season 2, Episode 6 and Smith believes the Resolute Crew is going to block them off from the rest of the ship to stop the virus. Penny is still cynical on Smith’s theory but she asks Penny what her mother would do. Don radios in and confirms that the captain may consider sacrificing them for the rest of the ship. Don asks a stressed Penny what is in the classroom. She lists many things, including a large box — Don asks them to empty the box with wheels so he can save them.

Don runs back to the bridge and gives the captain his idea to save Penny, Smith and co. He says the crates can handle space — they can put Penny, Smith and co into the crate, ignite the blast and then capture the crate with a Jupiter. The captain dismisses the idea almost instantly — Don has to admit that he is a smuggler, which is why he knows the idea works. The Captain agrees to the idea.

There’s another problem of course in “Severed” (surprise!). Only three of them can fit in the box, meaning one of them needs to stay behind.

Back on the planet, Maureen asks Ben if they considered staying here. Ben said they considered it. At that moment, some vicious creatures approach their camp. Their security perimeter keeps on deactivating meaning the creatures can attack them. As the creatures finally enter, Will’s Robot shows up to save them. Will runs up to his Robot and hugs him. The Robot asks the group to follow him.

Dr Smith is back to her manipulative self again in Episode 6, “Severed”; she gives a fake letter to Mr Jackson which is apparently for her family and that she will stay behind. Mr Jackson immediately puts his hand up and says he will sacrifice himself — “there will be a new name added to the Hall of Heroes”. Penny insists that none of them stays behind.

Vijay has a new idea; he asks Don if they can remove the heater from the box. Don raises the fact that it is very cold in space and it will give them about a minute. Don describes to them what to expect; the slow torture of slowly freezing to death but that he will be on the other end to throw a warm blanket over them. The group duct tape fire extinguishers on both sides of the crate — it’s becoming a real episode of The Martian. 

And another problem emerges — Mr. Jackson refuses to get into the crate; he’s claustrophobic. As he announces his phobia, the Resolute crew set the charges to blow off that side of the ship. Penny wisely asks Smith to manipulate Mr. Jackson to get into the box. Smith uses her therapy skills to help Mr. Jackson into the box. The captain starts the countdown for the charges and Penny, Smith and co wait with bated breath in their box.

There is an explosion and their box floats in space — it gets cold very quickly and you can see the effects it is having on them immediately. Don is indistinct over the radio, but he manages to catch them from the Jupiter. Penny, Smith, and co are all saved.

Back to the planet as we near the end of Episode 6, “Severed”. The Robot shows the drawings it has made since meeting the Robinson family and even when it was in their presence. Will and the Robot were connected the whole time. The Robot keeps pointing at the forest fire drawing and then Will sees a concerning flashback, which reveals it is not his Robot. Will tells his mother that they should leave the cave and come back for the Robot later. Suddenly, the Robot turns bad and it is evident that it wants Will — it was a trap. As the Robot was about to get violent, Ben destroys it.

Back on the ship and Penny confesses that she did not feel useful during their escape despite being a Robinson. Vijay disputes her comment and highlights that she convinced Smith to be a good person and it resulted in saving Mr. Jackson’s life. Despite his heroic efforts, Don is arrested for his smuggling activities.

Lost in Space Season 2, Episode 6, “Severed” closes with Maureen asking Ben, “I thought that machine was just to control robots”. Ben says they could not risk losing Will. Meanwhile, Will follows a new trail and his actual Robot appears. They are reunited at last.

Space Logs

• John is recovering and getting bandaged up.
• Ben asks Maureen if they would leave Earth if they could start again — Will says he would as they are way better now.