I tend to hesitate before clicking "play" on any Netflix originals. In my experience, they tend to be a slush pile of "meh"s and "heck no"s with a few "okay"s and the rare "wow"s.
But one "okay" that recently turned into a "wow" was, of all things, Lost in Space. While the majority of the characters were pretty cliched, one character stood out. That was the villain. (And you all know how much I love a good villain!)
So what set this villain apart in an otherwise "okay" show? Let's compile a list!
(WARNING: Slight Spoilers Ahead)
1) AGENDA
This villain had an agenda, and it was crystal clear from her first scene. She wanted only one thing: to survive. And that agenda gave her the second point...
2) DRIVE
"Dr. Smith" was willing to do whatever it took to stay alive and stay out of prison. She drugged her sister, stole multiple identities, and even killed people. The extent to which she would go to meet her agenda was part of what made her so terrifying.
3) COMPLEXITY
Just when you thought you'd seen everything, there she'd go again - spinning a completely different tale to this newcomer than she did with the person before them. Lies rolled off her tongue with ease. She was someone different to every person she met. And she always managed to get people to feel sorry for her, forgiving her for the most outrageous behavior or sinister deeds. She didn't just rage and rant all over the place, or brood in darkness. She was a sick, twisted person with a lot of issues. Yet she somehow managed to come across as someone you could sympathize with, even relate to. And worst of all...
4) CONVICTION
There's a line toward the end of the season that literally gave me chills. She looks at a main character, and says with complete sincerity, "I'm not the villain of this story. I'm the hero." This is what so many villains are missing in modern novels - the belief that they are really the hero. Even if they are able to admit they aren't a "good guy", they still believe that they are in the right. And because of this, they can justify almost any evil deed.
All in all, the writers in Lost in Space did get one thing very, very right.
Who is your favorite villain and why?