Romantic Moment of the Week – John and Maureen Robinson’s Kiss in ‘Lost in Space’

MAJOR LOST IN SPACE SPOILERS AHEAD!

THE SHOW: Lost in Space

THE PAIRING: John and Maureen Robinson with bonus moment between Judy Robinson and Don West.

THE MOMENT: A romantic kiss after getting trapped under a tar pit. 

THE EPISODE: “Pressurized”

Lost in Space

Lost in Space is a breath of fresh air in the sea of the dark sci-fi age of television. I don’t know about everyone else, but I miss the days of family-friendly science fictions like SG-One where each episode felt like an exciting adventure into the unknown. Yes, there’s still Doctor Who but that’s about it. Thankfully, Netflix decided to reboot Lost in Space into a fun series with romance, dinosaur-like aliens, and suspenseful action! Not only that, but Toby Stephens of Mr. Rochester fame gets to walk around oozing hotness as he is prone to do from time to time…

Lost in Space, for those unfamiliar, is basically Lost….in space. And yes, I’m referring to the popular ABC series. Similar to Lost, the series follows a group of humans who crash onto a mysterious planet (rather than an island) and must learn to survive. The show even uses the flashback tool to reveal what led up to the Robinson family traveling through space. But I’ll save all that info for another day. I’m here to talk about the romances in this family-friendly science fiction show. Today, it’s all about John and Maureen Robinson.

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John and Maureen’s marriage is on the rocks. He all about abandoned his family to go on military missions for years. But when Maureen sends full custody paperwork to John with the notice she’s leaving Earth for good, it’s just the kick in the butt John needed to fight for the family he loves. So, of course, he joins them on their mission to live on another planet. Too bad, their spaceship crashes before they arrive.

Lost and on a planet that keeps trying to kill them, John and Maureen must work together to keep their family alive. John is your typical Jack O’Neill military man while Maureen is the genius Sam Carter scientist (Maureen has a Ph.D. in engineering). The combo almost always works! And while most married couples tend to be dullsville on TV (just me?), John and Maureen work because of their separation. Once again, we have to root for a reunion. Episode 7, “Pressurized,” grants us the moment we were waiting for, or at the very least, I was waiting for.

The Romantic Moment

On their way to investigate (I won’t bore you with spoilers), John and Maureen land in a hot tar of trouble. Literally. It’s the perfect setup to force the troubled duo to talk out their problems. And, perhaps end some of that uncomfortable resentment and tension.

They attempt freeing themselves from the tar but their vehicle is stuck. And as John says, it’s not the most terrible situation they’ve ever been in. They flirt about John’s Navy skills, but, unfortunately, their situation only worsens when their vehicle suddenly plunges under the tar. Things are heating up (in more than one way) and oxygen is limited. John and Maureen Robinson are running out of time and must work together as a couple to survive. The bickering feels less important when you’re about to die.

While Maureen works on the radio, John reminisces about their past. “You know what this reminds me of?” He asks Maureen. An apartment they had in Glendale with no AC. They smile at the memory.

“That was hotter,” Maureen says. They went to the mall just to stay cool. It’s nostalgia for happier and simpler times between the two. But the mood quickly turns quieter and more somber, John reflective about his choices.

“You know when…when everything went sideways and…and I went and re-upped. I thought it was the right thing to do.”

But now he feels it wasn’t. “I regret it,” he says, opening up to his wife for the first time in a while.

“You know, some things you learn over time, and some things you have to be kicked in the face. And when you called and told me that you were taking the kids to start a new life. That’s when I knew.”

Maureen listens intently and John asks if he said something wrong. He didn’t but it’s time for Maureen’s confession. She wanted to go to space and save her family so badly from the dying earth that she faked Will’s space aptitude test. She cheated to save her family and protect her son.

“If it wasn’t for me, none of us would be stranded here.” I love this. It’s a beautiful scene about the importance of communication between a husband and wife. This scene also proves that old-fashioned romance can work between married couples on television if done right.

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And I love how John responds. Instead of anger, he supports Maureen’s choice as a mother, to do anything to save their family. Then he takes her hand. The comfort he offers Maureen to ease her conscience is a wonderfully sweet moment in the midst of all the action. It makes us root for their marriage and their love story.

That all being said, Lost in Space is an adventure show, so now it was time for more suspense. Their power fails, pitching our couple into darkness with no hope of saving the radio. With that, John has an idea, one that would save Maureen but not himself. He’s willing to die for her. Sacrifice his own life to save the woman he loves.

With only one space suit, John gives it to his wife willingly. They are re-breathing oxygen and soon there will be nothing but carbon dioxide. At first, Maureen won’t hear it. She won’t lose John. There has to be another way. And since this is a family-friendly sci-fi, of course, there is a way out! The writers just have to build up the excitement. Get our hearts racing!

Reluctantly, Maureen wears the spacesuit because deep down she knows their kids can’t lose both parents. And like all good old-fashioned romances, the scene intensifies with small touches and romantic glances between the two.

With the thought of losing him, Maureen cries that she can’t do it. But John touches her face and tells her that she can.

“You are the strongest most fearless person I know.”

Through her tears, Maureen makes another confession:

“I wish I hadn’t spent so much time being angry at you.”

John has a quick and romantic reply: “I wish we could walk around that mall one last time.” Then he tells her he loves her with a kiss!

The moment is seriously swoon-worthy! And just as Maureen is about to go through the hatch, escape, and leave the vehicle to fill up with tar, she has a brilliant idea. They can use the helium to displace the tar and lift them to the surface. I’d explain in more scientific terms but I’ll leave that to the experts. Basically, John and Maureen climb out of a large balloon to escape to the shore. “I love you too,” Maureen says in her Helium high pitched voice.

The two laugh as they hold on to one another. I have a feeling, the Robinsons are going to be an even stronger family unit from this point on!

Bonus Romantic Moment: Judy Robinson and Lovable Rogue Don West

I adore the lovable rogue. You know, that character that is in it for himself until he does the noble thing. Think Han Solo or Captain Jack Sparrow. In Lost in Space, we have Don West. And I’m thinking the show is having a very slow build between Don and the eldest Robinson child, Judy, our goody-goody doctor. They just have that fun Han and Leia style banter though Judy has a more serious and wholesome personality. I wanted to highlight one of those fun moments from the show in episode 6.

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Inside a spaceship that’s about to fall off a cliff, Don discovers clues about “Dr. Smith,” the lying psychopath who left him for dead earlier on in the show. He’s not about to lose his evidence even in the face of death. Judy hangs on to the spaceship (with her vehicle) for as long as possible because she doesn’t want Don to die. Perhaps there are already some feelings very deep down??

Don tells her to detach, but she refuses. Like Mother, like daughter I suppose. So, he does it for her and releases the cord, the spaceship flying off the cliff.

Judy looks over the cliff thinking he’s dead. But he’s our rogue! He’s obviously hanging on. The crew notes that he sacrificed himself for them, but in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. Don suddenly reveals he’s alive with a side quip that he doesn’t even like any of them – as rogues are prone to do. He then goes on a tangent that he had to release the cord himself because Judy was too much of a goody-goody. Judy asks how he managed to survive. And Don being Don says, “Because I’m a badass, [insert pause] princess.”

From this phrase, Judy finds the perfect opportunity to tease him. Judy either pretends to not hear the pause or doesn’t hear it and laughs. “You’re a badass princess!” Don protests in the midst of this repartee refusing to be called a princess. There was meant to be a comma before princess!

Judy just laughs and walks away. I can’t wait to see what happens with these two in season two!

What are your thoughts on the romance in Lost in Space? Sound off below…

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