Why Maureen From Lost In Space Looks So Familiar

"Danger, Will Robinson!" For decades, these three words have resonated across science fiction, courtesy of a talking robot in "Lost in Space." First came the campy sci-fi series of the 1960s, which introduced the world to the Robinsons, a family of space colonists whose ship gets knocked off course, causing them to become, well, you know! The original series, which was a reimagining of "The Swiss Family Robinson" by Johann David Wyss, ran for three seasons (via IMDb) and featured hokey episodes like "The Great Vegetable Rebellion," with Tybo, a giant humanoid carrot, appearing as a guest character. In 1998, "Lost in Space" was adapted for the big screen with a screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman, whose filmography includes such diverse credits as "A Time to Kill" and "Batman and Robin." The movie fared about as well with critics as the Robinsons' mission to Alpha Prime aboard the Jupiter II, sporting a lowly 28% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite the campy but beloved nature of the original genre series and the relative failure of the cinematic adaptation two decades prior, Netflix rebooted "Lost in Space" in 2018 with surprising success — likely due to much greater special effects technology than was available half a century ago when the franchise launched. The series sports an impressive 84% critics score across three seasons on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. "Lost in Space" features Maxwell Jenkins as youngest son and child prodigy Will Robinson. Parker Posey plays Dr. Zoe Smith, which is really just an alias for criminal June Harris. Toby Stephens plays family patriarch John Robinson, though he's not the scientist in the family as he was in the original series and film. That distinction goes to Maureen Robinson, as played by actor Molly Parker, who should be easily recognizable from various other roles. Here's why Maureen from "Lost in Space" looks so familiar.

In 2002, Molly Parker landed a guest role on one of the hottest cable series on television: HBO's death-centric drama "Six Feet Under." Following the lives of the empathetic Fisher family, proprietors of Fisher & Sons Funeral Home, the show explored attitudes about life and death, intertwined with the family members' melodramatic personal lives. Eldest son Nate (Peter Krause) arrives home for Christmas to find his father has died and left the family business to him and his brother, David (Michael C. Hall). The series functioned in a similar fashion to that of a procedural, with a given death and subsequent service driving the characters to explore their own feelings about mortality.

Nate's storylines are often driven by his libido, with recurring love interest Brenda Chenowith (Rachel Griffiths) providing a source of comfort and conflict. The two become engaged during "Six Feet Under" Season 2, though Brenda is unfaithful to Nate, who had previously cheated on her with an old friend named Lisa (Lili Taylor). During Episode 7, Nate is surprised to meet Rabbi Ari (Parker), the spiritual leader of his most recent client. While he's clearly interested in more than just conversation, the two discuss the idea of soulmates, with Ari suggesting that "Maybe your soulmate is the one who forces your soul to grow the most." Ari encourages Nate and Brenda to be honest with each other in Episode 11, which results in Nate telling his fiancee that Lisa became pregnant as a result of their encounter and he's going to be a father.

Two years after her two-episode guest appearance on "Six Feet Under," Molly Parker was back on HBO's premium cable airwaves, now starring as part of the main cast of the Western drama series "Deadwood." The series takes place in the titular camp in the Dakota territory during the 1870s and features plenty of Wild West action and frontier justice. Parker's character, Alma Garret, is a secret opium addict and soon-to-be widow whose husband, Brom (Timothy Omundson), is duped into purchasing a mining claim shortly before his death. When Brom complains about his seemingly worthless purchase to saloon owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), the latter orders one of his men to dispose of the angry prospector, though we find out after the fact that the claim is really a winner and will likely be replete with gold.

While dealing with her husband's death and her newfound ownership of the gold claim, Alma falls for newly-minted sheriff Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and becomes the guardian of an orphaned child named Sofia, whose parents were killed. Much of Alma's story on "Deadwood" involves her love affair with Seth, whose life becomes more complicated when his brother's widow, Martha (Ann Gunn) shows up and we learn he's married to her. The drama gets heavier when Alma is revealed to be pregnant with Seth's child and she agrees to marry Whitney Ellsworth (Jim Beaver), the prospector she hired to advise her on her claim, so as to avoid the scandal of having a child out of wedlock.

In 2006, keeping with the trend of remaking classic properties, Warner Bros. Pictures released a new take on the classic horror film "The Wicker Man." Though the plot payoff of the movie is actually a giant effigy going up in a blaze, they might as well have set the script on fire, according to the critics. "The Wicker Man" sports a lowly 15% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers saying the film suffers from "unintentional comedy." Ouch.

When police officer Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) finds out from his ex, Willow (Kate Beahan), that her daughter, Rowan (Erika Shaye Gair), has gone missing, she implores him to investigate. As a result, he treks to a remote island in Washington that's populated by a neo-pagan cult, comprised almost entirely of women. As matriarch Sister Summersisle (Ellen Burstyn) tells it, her forebears left England to escape religious persecution, only to find it again in the Salem Witch Trials. As Edward continues to investigate, hitting a wall at pretty much every avenue, he enters a classroom in the village school, interrupting a lesson by Sister Rose (Molly Parker). Upon seeing Rowan's name crossed out on the class' attendance list, Edward steps outside with Rose, who informs him that Rowan is dead. He asks how, only to be told "she'll burn"; note the accidental use of future tense. Rose recovers and tells Edward that Rowan "burned" to death, but he remains unconvinced following her verbal gaffe.

Molly Parker made a return to premium cable in 2011, appearing in four episodes of "Dexter," which entered its sixth season. Season 6, with an unimpressive 40% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, is second only to the show's eighth and final season when it comes to the series worst-reviewed installments. The big bad for the sixth season is the ritualistic Doomsday Killer, who's actually two different individuals. Religious studies professor and devout whacko James Gellar (Edward James Olmos) is the visionary behind the killings, with his apprentice, Travis Marshall (Colin Hanks), helping out along the way. When Travis becomes disillusioned, James makes him pay a price. Unfortunately for them, they're not the only ones with a thing for punishing sinners with a unique form of justice. 

Travis, we learn, has an older sister named Lisa (Parker) who loves him dearly. Lisa wishes she got to see him more often and laments that he's so busy with work — read: ritualistic murders set up in tableau. When forensic evidence points the dutiful detectives of Miami Metro Homicide in Travis' direction, Lisa is protective of her brother upon being questioned. Unfortunately, the very act of being questioned seems to have sealed her fate; Lisa is found dead, posed as the biblical Whore of Babylon, a female symbol of great evil. What's funny is, Travis doesn't remember killing her, though he's well aware upon waking up from a shovel-induced nap that she's dead.

Prior to her work on the Netflix incarnation of "Lost in Space," Molly Parker played an important role in one of the streaming platform's biggest early successes: "House of Cards." The political thriller drama followed the aspirations and conquests of political power couple Frank and Claire Underwood (Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright) from the United States House of Representative to the Oval Office in the White House. There's many a cloak-and-dagger scandal in the world of American politics and Frank has managed to unearth enough to bully his way into a position of power. Upon accepting the role of vice president under President Garrett Walker (Michel Gill) — who's somehow totally oblivious to all the strings his seeming ally has pulled behind the scenes — Frank offers to mentor Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Sharp (Walker) for his now-vacant role as House Majority Whip. 

That favor, of course, comes with the expectation that it will be repaid, and the last person whose pocket you'd want to be in on "House of Cards" is Frank Underwood. Jackie spars with Claire over a sexual assault bill she drafted as second lady and the two eventually work things out with the agreement that the former will support Walker's eventual impeachment. Jackie's relationship-slash-affair with Remy Danton (Mahershala Ali), who previously served as Frank's communications director while he was in Congress, becomes a frequently used piece of ammo for manipulating her, given her marriage to and family with all-American surgeon Alan Cooke (Shawn Doyle).