When it was first revealed that Netflix had cast Parker Posey as the villainous Dr. Smith in its upcoming reboot of Lost in Space, the move was met with equal parts celebration and caution. Judging by the hints provided by the first trailer for the series, however, many of these concerns were immediately forgotten. And judging by a chilling new featurette released by Netflix on Friday, it seems that Posey’s take on the show’s (and film’s) mysterious antagonist will by no means be a disappointment. In fact, it just might be an upgrade.
In both the original series and the 1998 film adaptation, Dr. Smith was the physician in charge of assessing the Robinson family’s health for the Jupiter II mission. Jonathan Harris and Gary Oldman played these versions respectively, but now it’s Posey’s turn, and judging by the “Mr. Dr. Smith” video above, her interpretation of the story’s infamous villain sounds like it’s best yet. Like when Maureen Robinson (Molly Parker) asks her how she manages to keep all of her secrets intact and away from prying eyes and ears.
“You have to find the place inside where you put things you don’t want anyone else to know,” Smith responds. “Where it can’t hurt you or anyone else. It’s just part of the job.” Meanwhile, cuts of Smith donning a wig as a disguise, seemingly opening an airlock to eject someone out into space, and other horrors (possibly) of her own devisings splash across the screen. Then again, the good doctor says it all with a smile, so who knows? Netflix subscribers will find out on Friday, April 13th when the show begins streaming.
