Sea. 1, Ep. 15: Homecoming

"Homecoming" is the episode that features the return of Claire (remember the end of the previous installment?). Only there's a problem: she don't remember nothin' 'bout what done happened to her! But even though "Homecoming" seems like it'd be billed as Claire-centric, most of the emphasis (including the flashbacks) is placed on Charlie, who's still torn up about his sweetheart's abduction and his inability to set things straight (tuck that last nugget of info away for later).

So, here's the gist of what goes down: Ethan confronts Charlie and Jin in the middle of the jungle and demands of Charlie that Claire be returned to him. Sheesh. It appears that Ethan's more obsessive than one of Driveshaft's groupies. He claims that if he doesn't get Claire back by the end of the day, he'll kill one of the 815 survivors. And if the holdout continues, he'll keep offing them one by one on a daily basis 'til they're all dead. The icing on the cake is that he'll kill Charlie at the very end.

Of course, this means that the survivors have to spring into action to save their own. Now it's not the first time we've seen it, but this development in "Homecoming" leads to another instance of the emerging conflict between Jack and Locke. After learning about Ethan's demands from Charlie, the two debate about the best way to ward off Ethan's threat. In the end, Jack bends to Locke's will and follows his approach. They will set up a few sentries around the beach during the night and keep the rest of the people in the dark about what might happen. It appears that all is going to plan until Boone dozes off in the dark. He wakes sometime during daybreak when the alarm (a bag with bottles and cans set off by a trip wire) rattles and clanks, and he jumps into action. He's too late, though, because Ethan has made good on his threat and eliminated one of the survivors (a dude named Scott Jackson). Fortunately for us, it's no one we recognize. [Editor's Note: Although it looks like Boone is to blame, Kate remarks that Locke said Ethan came in from the water, meaning the perimeter setup was pretty much useless. I'll continue to blame Boone, though. He's a young guy. He shouldn't have fallen asleep so easily!]

In light of Ethan's success, the survivors change up their game plan. Jack tells Locke about the Marshal's guns, which will obviously provide them with a tremendous advantage. They scheme to cast Claire out as bait so that they can jump Ethan and apprehend him. Despite Charlie's protestations, they go ahead with the plot. It works perfectly. A number of them surround Ethan, and after a fist fight concludes it looks like they'll be able to bind him up and extract information from him. But then Charlie impetuously shoots their captive. Way to go, sport. Save for Sawyer's shooting of the Marshal, this proves to be the first of many deaths-by-gunfire on Lost. And I doubt that any of us would've pegged Charlie to be the first shooter.

Oh, one last note: that scene with Ethan's capture and death plays out in the pouring rain. It's the leitmotif that remains inexplicable.

Charlie's flashbacks show us that the washed-up rock star was a low-life junkie with a heart of gold. In need of cash to maintain his flow of smack, Charlie preyed on a young woman whose father had a load of dough. The plan was to steal valuables and pawn them for quick cash before disappearing for good, but Mr. Crooked Jaw fell for the lass. He even took a job selling photocopiers for her father so he could impress her. Too bad he'd already stolen from her. Otherwise he could've set things straight! Huh?! See the parallel between the on-island happenings and the flashbacks? Pretty clever writers, eh?

So that's a straightforward assessment of the episode. Doesn't look like Ethan has superhuman strength after all, otherwise those bullets might've bounced off of him. Other than that, I think the largest thing to take away from this episode is the opposing forces of Jack and Locke. They don't clash too badly here, but it's definitely an prelude of things to come as they both vie for positions of leadership.

Thanks for reading!

Sea. 1, Ep. 5: White Rabbit

Hello, hello.

Welcome to the second week of the Lost Rewatch. If you missed last week or you're slightly behind, then it's time to catch up. And short of watching the actual episodes yourself, my blog is a great place to get caught up. You can find capsules covering the first four episodes below. Don't be afraid to scroll down! But we've also got four more episodes to get through this week, so let's begin!

"White Rabbit" marks the first Jack-centric flashback episode, and along with the preceding "Walkabout," it's probably the best and most intriguing episode of the first season. We're introduced to the mysterious specter that is Dr. Christian Shephard, better known as Jack's father. Little did we know when we initially viewed this episode just how pivotal Jack's father and the strained relationship he had with his son would be in the Lost story.

Now, in getting to the episode I have one minor gripe about the opening scene that I wish to expound upon. Charlie's actions while the woman drowns out at sea will forever be puzzle me. As my wife astutely pointed out, when Charlie summons Jack to the water to help Boone and the woman that Boone is trying to rescue, he tells Jack that he doesn't swim.

Charlie doesn't swim? Really? Not at all?

If this isn't raising any red flags for other fans, then lemme just direct your attention to the third season's finale. CHARLIE SWIMS DOWN TO THE LOOKING GLASS STATION ALL BY HIMSELF SO THAT HE CAN SWITCH OFF THE SIGNAL THAT'S JAMMING THE RADIO FREQUENCIES ON THE ISLAND. Actually, prior to that, in the episode "Greatest Hits," Charlie counts his swimming lesson among his five greatest memories. Normally, I try not to be so critical of mistakes like this, especially when the writers have constructed such an enormous tale with so many different characters, but I felt that it was my duty to highlight this for others. Of course, if you choose not to believe that this was an error on the part of the writers, you could just say that the Charlie in this episode is still a junkie and that junked-up Charlie would never risk his own behind to save another person. I guess you could have it either way.

For Jack, the problems that accompany his role as leader continue to get worse in the episode. He's wracked with guilt when the woman drowns at sea, and he curtly tells Hurley and Charlie that he doesn't know what to do when they alert him to the lack of food and water left for the survivors. What's worse is that the mental and physical fatigue is beginning to take its toll on the good doctor, as Jack appears extremely worn down.

This segues into the first flashback involving Jack and his father. Our first impression of the elder Shephard is that he's a real bastard. The young, impressionable Jack is told that he doesn't have what it takes to make decisions. So much for paternal wisdom.

Back on the island, Jack's buggin' out because he keeps seeing his father, whom we later learn died in Australia. The ghost of Christian keeps walking into the jungle, and, naturally, Jack follows him. As we saw at the end of the previous episode, Christian leads his son to Locke, who was emerging from the jungle with a freshly slain boar. By the end of this episode, we see that the specter of Christian leads Jack to a freshwater source, which is obviously immensely needed given the paucity of bottled water from the 815 wreckage. So, this begs a question: if the specter of Christian Shephard is a manifestation of the Smoke Monster, like so many believe, then why does it lead Jack to food and water? I think we'll have to present the argument for Christian being the Smoke Monster at a later date, since we don't have evidence of it here in "White Rabbit," but let's run with that assumption. Does Smokey want the survivors to thrive on the island--which they eventually do--so that it can use them as pawns in its game? Is Smokey controlled by Jacob's adversary? That might explain it, since the finale of season five leads us to believe that Jacob and his adversary are playing some sort of game in which they exploit human beings to see what they'll do on the island. As always, this episode of Lost is raising more questions than it's answering, but the one burning thing we need to find out is why the specter of Christian is doing what it's doing. One last note: on the flipside, we must also remember that Jack nearly falls down a cliff into a pit of jagged rocks in the pursuit of his father. But it appears that he trips himself, and that no outside force sent him tumbling. But who saves him? JOHN LOCKE. Connection? Anyway, I suppose the nearly fatal fall is an example of Smokey's malicious intents? Kind of a weak argument if you ask me. Seems like whatever is controlling Christian was more directly responsible for the discovery of freshwater.

This episode also contains the conversation between Jack and Locke in which Locke elucidates his "destiny" position a bit further. He acknowledges that Jack's visions of his father may be a hallucination, but he offers a supernatural alternative as well. He tells Jack that he has looked into the eye of the island (WAS IT SMOKEY IN THE LAST EPISODE?) and what he saw was beautiful. Hmmmmm...this little detail appears to be increasingly important in light of what we've seen in the fifth season. How does Locke garner this information? Is it intuition? Did he literally see something revealed to him about the island? Again, I don't have answers, but this seems like it could shape up to be a crucial moment in Lost lore.

This great episode ends with the revelation that Christian suffered a massive heart attack in Sydney, and Jack was taking his body back on Flight 815 to Los Angeles to be buried. Of course, the big twist at the end here is that when Jack stumbles upon the freshwater source, he also finds Christian's coffin, and opens it up to discover that the body is gone. Truly a great OHMIGOSH moment. After seeing what happened with Locke's body this past season, I've been curious to know if we'll ever see Christian's death via flashback. This is just an odd thought I've had, but since Christian has turned out to have such a central role in some of the island's mysteries, wouldn't it make sense if we saw that before his death he was confronted by someone or something telling him of the work he was to do once he died? Again, this is just a thought I've had, but if we see a flashback of Christian's death somewhere in the sixth season, you'll have to give me some sort of credit for calling it.

Finally, Jack makes it out of the jungle and back to the beach and delivers his famous "live together, die alone" speech. Moving? Meh, maybe. But we see Jack reclaim his title of leader.

And so another episode is in the books. If this post seemed at all convoluted, I apologize. I'm a bit tired and I'm trying to get it out so I don't fall behind in the Rewatch. Tomorrow, we'll be onto the next one. And if we keep going at this pace, then January 2010 will be here before we know it. God willing.

Thanks for reading!

Sea. 1, Ep. 4: Walkabout

“Walt…do you wanna know a secret?”

This was the question John Locke gravely asked Walt in the second half of the pilot episode. In classic Lost fashion, the secret wasn’t immediately revealed. But fortunately for the audience, we only had to wait until two episodes later to find out what it was. “Walkabout” answers that question and gives us the first taste of Locke’s depressing and traumatic life before he crashed on the island. Beyond that, the fourth episode is supremely intriguing because it presents one of the first big mysteries about the island: how did John Locke regain the ability to walk? Looking back, I mark this episode and the one that follows it (“White Rabbit”) as the two installments that got me hooked on the saga. But I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. Let’s recap “Walkabout” first.

When first viewing “Walkabout,” it’s easy to focus solely on the dramatic revelation at the end of the episode in which the viewer learns that Locke had been paralyzed. We have no knowledge of this information during the flashbacks, so the twist at the end is quite cool (well, I remember that I enjoyed it, at least). But reviewing the episode and knowing Locke’s secret allows for a much better analysis of some other things that happen in this multi-layered chapter of the series. I didn’t remember it this way, but “Walkabout” is rich with parallels between the two ostensible leaders among the survivors: Locke and Jack. Let’s talk about that.

Locke, who up until this point had been portrayed as somewhat of an enigma and shown sparingly, features prominently in the beginning of the episode as he proposes to lead a boar hunt. By this time, the survivors had run out of food (with Hurley and Sawyer wrestling over the last bag of peanuts) and needed to address the problem. So here we get our first good glimpse at Locke, and he shows himself to be some sort of a leader. He speaks as though he has years and years of hunting experience, and he has an arsenal of knives to help convince everyone else. Even though his hunting team endures a bit of nasty business (the gash on Michael’s leg), Locke emerges from the jungle at the end of the episode dragging a slain boar. Score one for John.

Running alongside this on-island storyline is Jack’s day back at the beach. Jack makes an executive decision to burn the remnants of Oceanic 815 and the bodies inside so that any passing aircraft or ships will see the huge blaze and come rescue everyone from the island. In light of this and the other decisions he’s made since the crash, it appears that the others have recognized Dr. Shephard’s leadership abilities, and several of them approach him seeking help with their problems. Claire wants him to honor the dead at the gigantic funeral pyre. Boone wants him to talk to the lonely Rose to make sure that she’s doing okay. These constant requests become tedious for Jack and we see him transform into somewhat of a reluctant hero (although Rose later buoys his spirits by telling him that he has a nice, gentle way about him). Jack is most definitely a hero, but he is also not the perfect hero.

While it only begins to explore the complex characters of Jack and Locke, the episode solidly establishes the dichotomy of leadership on the island. What’s more is that the two opposing philosophies of each man—Locke’s faith versus Jack’s reason—are subtly introduced. The wheelchair-bound Locke tells his cocky boss that it’s his “destiny” to fly to Australia and go on the “walkabout.” He later exclaims this several times when he’s denied his spot on the walkabout because of his handicap. Conversely, I think Jack’s decision to torch the wreckage and the corpses contained within is an illustration of the coldly efficient surgeon at his best. He’s essentially arguing the case for reason: Screw the dead! We’ve gotta build a big-ass fire so we can save the rest of us! Once again, I’ll say that it’s great to see that the characters we’ve come to know and love (or hate) were written authentically from the beginning. To me, there’d be nothing worse than going back to review these early episodes and seeing something like Jack praying all the time or Locke not speaking like a hardcore fatalist. As always, the writers are to be commended!

The two other major points I want to touch upon in this episode deal further with Jack and Locke. But rather than issues of character development, they both involve two odd plot developments. First off, let’s go back to Locke’s hunt for the boar. He originally set out with Kate and Michael, but cut ties with them after the boar gored Michael and Kate escorted him back to the beach. Reflecting on his past and determined to not let others tell him what he “can’t do,” Locke continues on the boar’s trail. But before he traps and kills his prey, he has a run in with Smokey (at least I think it’s Smokey, and Lostpedia appears to confirm my suspicions). It’s difficult to say for certain, but there’s a violent rustling of the jungle growth that’s characteristic of the Smoke Monster before the camera zooms in on Locke, who appears to confront the entity. We see nothing more here, but after seeing what transpires in the fifth season this scene is sure to pique our curiosity. Interestingly, we don’t see Locke again until he emerges with the boar (a scene which I’ll address shortly), so we are left to speculate what went down between Locke and the Smoke Monster. Did Locke glimpse his future? Did Locke make contact with Mr. Loophole (that’s what I affectionately call Jacob’s adversary)? Did the powers-that-be on the island “choose” Locke during this scene? We can only speculate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this scene-we-didn’t-see is alluded to somewhere during the sixth season. What do you think about the whole thing?

Now, to revisit the scene in which Jack and Kate meet Locke coming out of the jungle with his kill. Jack sees his father for an instant before he slowly walks into the jungle. Jack pursues him and Kate, of course, follows. The two hear rustling in the leaves and brace themselves for what they’re about to confront. But instead of Jack’s father, Locke comes out with dinner in tow. Isn’t it extremely interesting that Jack’s vision of his father led the two of them to Locke? Especially when we consider that the Smoke Monster most likely presents itself to the survivors as different deceased people from their pasts? I’m not sure if this can be proved conclusively, but it’s widely regarded that this is the case. Yemi’s appearance to Mr. Eko, Christian Shephard, and Alex’s appearance to Ben in the temple are just three that come to the surface of my brain. I’m sure there are others. Anyway, the last time we saw Locke, he was confronting the Smoke Monster. And here we presumably have Smokey leading Jack and Kate to Locke. As you can see, this is madness, and it further proves that the writers had their stuff together. Well, maybe not exactly, since they still haven’t explained everything. But here we are in the fourth episode and they were dropping these humongous mind puzzles on us. How fantastic! But in hindsight, these scenes definitely raise questions about of the Smoke Monster. Why does it confront Locke? What does it have to gain by posing as dead people and manipulating the survivors? I could go on and on, as I’m sure you all could. But I won’t.

I’ll let you chew on those details for a while. We’ve reached the end of the first week of the great re-watch and I’m lovin’ the series more than ever. Again, thanks for reading. I hope you’ll continue the journey with me. For those following, I’ll probably start posting on the new batch of re-watch episodes on either Monday or Tuesday. Either way, I hope you enjoy the re-watch and discuss it along with me!