Just binged both first two seasons, and in general I have to say that I am impressed! I haven't seen the original series, so there 'll be no comparisons here. Standing on its own, the main actors are all great, supported by excellent secondary characters, the cinematography is excellent with stunning visuals and the writing is mostly good.

Aaaand then there's Dr. Smith. My lord, never have I ever seen a character so badly used as a plot device as she is. Mind you, Molly Parker is a tremendous actress and she is personifying the character all too well. But unfortunately, her story arc is most of the time used as a bad way to bring tension to the story or to propel it forward.

But let me elaborate. At first, throughout the first season mostly she just seems to always be skulking at the right spot, at the right moment to overhear something crucial that she can use to manipulate other characters or save her behind from any kind of trouble. Is it divine providence or is it just bad writing? And if she is skulking so much and for so long, how come nobody has never taken notice? Oh, I get it, the Robimsom's must be stupid. Only... they are not. So what gives writers? As I 've said, it' s bad writing since it seems like they couldn't find something better than "she's omnipresent and omniscient to almost everything that transpires"

In other instances, mostly through the first half of the second season this time, she just seems to be omnipotent. She's a psychologist but she can perform mini surgeries and extract and implant small devices from other humans and into herself. She somehow needs access to secure systems and areas? No problem, she somehow has all the technical expertise to do what's needed with minimal effort. Still yet, even when using her psychological arsenal of skills on other people, everyone always falls into her traps and manipulations like she's the most trustworthy person on the universe despite them having to know better after the gazillionth time! You could say that all this is some kind of plot armor even though she is considered the chief antagonist for the most part of the series, but in reality it's just plain stupid.

I've ranted on about Dr. Smith just enough I think. Despite all that, she only detracts from the overall story just a little. Enough for nitpickers like me but maybe imperceptibly so for most people. And it has to be stated again that despite all that, Molly Parker does a trememdable job of bringing the character to life. I'd give the whole series a higher mark if it wasn't for the Dr. Smith plot shenanigans, but it still is a solid 8 and a recommendation from me.