2024 LOST Rewatch

[Chaplin]

So this might be a total waste of time, but I'm binging Lost again -- my 2nd favorite show all-time--and thought I'd document it. This thread might not last, but oh well. It's a cool exercise and might have more people follow along and/or start a binge themselves. This will be full of spoilers, so be warned.

Started with the first 4 episodes the past couple days: Pilot (Part 1), Pilot (Part 2), Tabula Rasa, Walkabout

S1E1 & S1E2: Pilot (Part 1) and (Part 2):
IMO one of the best, if not the best pilot of a show I've ever seen. The structure of the 2-parter is pretty interesting, where you have the first part primarily focusing on Kate and Jack (and Charlie to a lesser extent), while the 2nd part focuses on some of the others like Sawyer, Sayid, Boone and Shannon. Interestingly enough, Kate and Charlie also play big roles in Part 2 while Jack is mostly in the background.

In Part 1, it's really all about the aftermath, what happened and who is part of the survivors, while the 2nd is to introduce the characters that are the ones that take action -- and have conflicts, which is the driving force of any drama. There are bits and pieces for a lot of characters in the 2 part pilot that have big payoffs later on -- I'm speaking mainly about a throwaway scene where Sawyer is reading "the note". They also introduce a lot of the mythology in these two episodes, focusing mainly on the monster (the "smoke monster" later on) and the rogue polar bear in the jungle.

Some great reveals are at the end of this episode, highlighting Charlie's drug use and Kate being the prisoner of the Marshal. Let alone the larger legacy story reveal of Danielle Rouseau's 16-year-old looping message and the fact that there is a freaking polar bear on the island. Somehow. But hey, we have a transceiver now, and maybe a way to communicate to others off the island.

S1E3: Tabula Rasa
By the time episode 3 aired, nobody really knew what format the show was going to be using. Once Episode 4 aired, the structure was pretty much set in stone, and they would consistently keep the flashback structure for the next 2 seasons. The very first flashback (outside of the mini-flashbacks to the plane crash in the pilot) is for Kate. And strangely enough, Kate's flashback stories have always been criticized the most. I was a huge fan of Evangeline Lilly, but her story just always seemed to be missing something. The good thing about Tabula Rasa is how it established the connections to the wounded air marshal -- building on the cliffhanger from the end of part 2 of the pilot. The term "Tabula Rasa" means "fresh start" so it is a fitting title to the episode, and Jack even repeats the mantra when the episode ends..

The island stuff is still gold, as it would be for pretty much the entire season. There is one caveat to that though, and it's regarding the one character I think the writer's had the hardest time fleshing out in a consistent way: Michael. He's obviously not a great father, and perhaps they intentionally left out why (we do know why eventually -- and it is revealed that Walt's mom had died in this episode). I also think the beginning interaction with Sun (who is among my favorite characters, just not at the beginning of the series) is great and was something to build on. But his relationship with Walt, while strained, was a little strange when John Locke becomes part of the equation.

The end of this episode is really good, with Sawyer attempting to put the Marshal out of his misery -- and missing. A detail I appreciated was how Josh Holloway portrayed Sawyer AFTER he realized he didn't kill the marshal. It showed him as an actual human being, despite him being such a jerk to everyone. I especially like Josh Holloway in this show throughout it's run, especially after he was an afterthought in episode 1 and became such an important character during the run of the show.

This episode strangely didn't have a major cliffhanger/reveal at the end. It really felt like a "calm before the storm" type of ending, buoyed by Hurley and his music. Of course, it did end with the creepy shot of John Locke staring at Walt and Michael with Vincent, that knowing what I know, I wondered what the point of that was. It REALLY made him out to be some kind of villain, and perhaps they did that because a lot of the survivors end up thinking of him that way, but it did seem a little odd to me, given that Locke found Vincent, BUT gave him to Michael to give to Walt instead of doing it himself. And yet, even in the next episode, Michael still hates the guy for whatever reason.

S1E4: Walkabout
This episode to me is one of the best, if not THE best, episode of LOST. This is John Locke's first flashback episode, and it ends with one of the greatest reveals in tv history, IMO. Everything ties together perfectly and is just an example of why LOST ushered in a new golden age of television -- and why so many networks/production companies have tried (and failed) to duplicate it.

Like most of John Locke's episodes, both the flashbacks and the island stuff are superb. Locke is such a multi-faceted character, and Terry O'Quinn is such a gifted actor, that we truly believe he is John Locke -- symbolic name or not.

Starting with the island stuff, the boars were a clever conceit and were filmed well -- I imagine the budget couldn't do much with actual boars, but what they did do was great. When food starts running out, Locke suggests going hunting, showing off his chest full of knives -- which everyone freaks out about even though he checked it and told them as much. I mean, the guy is offering to get food for everyone, you'd think they'd be a bit more grateful.

Meanwhile, Sayid has tweaked the transceiver, but they need triangulation with other devices in the jungle. Kate offers to accompany Locked into the Jungle to not only hunt boar, but to find a tree that she could place one of the devices high in a tree. Strangely enough, Michael tags along as well -- he tells Walt it will "be a chance to get to know your friend Mr. Locke." The idea is sound, but it doesn't really help. Michael comes back wounded and hating Locke for whatever reason. By the way, Kate drops the equipment, to which Sayid later reacts angrily. They could have drawn that out, especially seeing what Sayid used to be, but I'm glad they didn't. The filmmakers were doing a good job of making Sayid to be one of the more level-headed people on the island. He would end up being the most level-headed IMO, even more than Jack. Finally, the memorial service at the end was a nice touch, and you'd like to think that put in that position, you'd want to do the same thing. It was a morbid but sweet almost-end to the episode, and Michael even told Locke that he did a good job with bring the boar back (see below). Finally, Jack sees something he shouldn't be able to see, a man in a suit on the island. Of course, we all know it's his father, but that can't be true -- the next episode explains that.

Now on to John. We see him in his dead-end job at the box company working for that weasel "Randy". Locke was being bullied, but didn't do much about it, so you have to think it was a common occurrence. And considering what happened to him 5 years earlier, it fits the character well. He starts talking about going on a Walkabout in the Outback, but everyone, including Randy and "Helen", a ********* operator he struck up a "relationship" with either ridicule him or dismiss him outright. But he does it, and that leads to the big reveal at the end of the episode: John Locke was paralyzed in a wheelchair in Australia, so he was not allowed to do the walkabout. He was on Flight 815 because the tour company paid for his ticket back to the States. "Don't tell me what I cannot do!" is a recurring theme for his character.

John's time on the island in this episode is interesting, in that we THINK he actually gets a look at the smoke monster, although he denies it. There is definitely something else going on there, but the quality of this episode makes you really want more. John Locke instantly becomes one of the best and most interesting characters on the show. I'd argue by the end of this episode, he IS the most interesting character on the show.


So that's it. Maybe I'm wasting my time writing this up -- I'm going to try to write up more as I go, but thought it would be a fun exercise as I try to get back into writing, a hobby I've long neglected.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Episode 4 of Lost is the example I give my students to study every time one of them comes to me wanting to write a show structured with multiple timelines.

It’s such incredible writing, where both timelines reveal character while both also being mysteries where the flashback timeline not only packs a huge wallop of a twist, but makes you look at the current storyline with completely different eyes.

 

[Bada0Bing]

Awesome. I'll be following along. After Sopranos and Cobra Kai, this was probably the most fun I ever had watching a tv show.

We still use the line "Don't tell me what I can't do!" all the time. lol

 

[Mulli]

Nerds.

 

[Bada0Bing]

Nerds.

Lewis : Hi, Gilbert. I'm a nerd too. I just found that out tonight. We have news for the beautiful people. There's a lot more of us than there are of you. I know there's alumni here tonight. When you went to Adams you might've been called a spazz, or a dork, or a geek. Any of you that have ever felt stepped on, left out, picked on, put down, whether you think you're a nerd or not, why don't you just come down here and join us. Okay? Come on.

Gibert : Just join us cause uh, no-one's gonna really be free until nerd persecution ends.

 

[Beaver]

Sweet. I just suggested to my wife we re-watch this show since we weren't together when it first aired.

 

[Chaplin]

S1E5 White Rabbit

I think this is one of the most important episodes of the series, as it gives a lot of backstory about our main character. Jack is a polarizing figure only because he seems to be written to be TOO good at times, but a majority of the time Matthew Fox fits the role well--and he acts the hell out this episode. His clashes with Josh Holloway remain standouts -- especially later in the season and beyond.

This one is going to be long, as there are a lot of things happening in this episode. But I wanted to take a minute to talk about the music -- this was Michael Giacchino at his best, right after he did Alias. Of course, now he's a big budget Hollywood composer, but for Lost he was actually very subtle, with many popular cues running throughout the series. I still listen to the soundtrack, especially season 1, to this day.

The opening has Jack saving "lifeguard" Boone, who himself is trying to rescue a woman drowning. Jack has to make the decision -- save Boone or leave him and try to save the woman. Which really isn't a choice, is it? One of my questions was if this wasn't simply a failed rescue attempt, but was the island just messing with them? The island itself is constantly testing our survivors -- was this one of them? This is also a good character building moment for Boone, who wants to be the hero SO much. It's unfortunate that he couldn't simply accept his place. Boone later angrily confronts Jack about it, asking who put him in charge? Jack of course doesn't have an answer and at this point, it is pretty obvious he DOESN'T want to be in charge.

As far as the other characters, we again see Michael being a jerk to his son, which leads to more Sun/Jin moments. I ended up loving Jin as a character, but he is pretty awful in the early part of this season. But it was certainly nice to see both he and Sun with more than a single line, even if in anger. Their relationship does a good job of playing with traditional family roles. Sawyer "negotiating" with Shannon for a $5000 hair brush was a good throw away scene. And we get a good bonding scene with Kate and Claire (with astrology!). Amazing how all these little scenes foreshadow each of their flashback episodes.

The pressure is really starting to affect Jack, as Charlie and Hurley start asking him about a water shortage. He is definitely a reluctant leader, which of course leads into his flashback -- first as a boy. He was seeing another boy get bullied and got involved, and he got beat up himself. We see the first moments with his father, who pretty much ridicules him. He tells him not to interfere and that Jack "doesn't have what it takes."

After the confrontation with Boone, Jack sees the man in the suit again, and it is revealed that it is his father. But how can that be? Flashback to Jack and his mother, who tells him that his father has taken off to Australia, likely on a drinking binge. Their relationship is incredibly strained, if not nonexistant. His mother pleads with him to go bring him home, and says that he has to because he can't say no "after what he's done".

Back on the island, Claire collapses, and with Jack pursuing the ghost of his father, he is nowhere to be found. Charlie tries to get water for her, and guess what? The water is gone. Enter Locke and Sayid, the voices of reason. Locke volunteers to go into the jungle to find fresh water. This small scene outright makes Kate and Sayid the de-facto leaders of the group while Jack is gone. We start seeing the relationship develop between Claire and Charlie, one of the sweeter aspects of the show. Sun and Jin have some water, and Sayid questions them to find out where they got it. He asks if they stole the water. Jin reveals Sawyer as the one that provided it to them. Kate confronts Sawyer about it, and we start seeing the beginnings of what will be the primary love triangle of the series. Sawyer is really great in this scene.

In Australia, Jack's father is missing but he is definitely on a drinking binge. The hotel manager suggests that Jack speak to the police. And of course, this leads Jack to the morgue, where he identifies his father's body. At the airport, Jack is pleading to be allowed to get the coffin on the plane.

Meanwhile, Jack's wild goose chase after his father through the jungle leads him haphazardly through the jungle, where he encounters John, still looking for fresh water. Jack's exhaustion nearly gets the better of him, but Locke philosophizes about Jack being the leader of the group. Really good interactions between Jack and John, who says that Jack is chasing his "White Rabbit" and that the island is "special." Their trek leads them directly to the caves, which is a pivotal location in the series -- and contains some of the wreckage, including his father's coffin. It is also a prime location for fresh water. Obviously this "ghost" wasn't a ghost at all, but a manifestation of the island leading the "leader" to the group's salvation (water). Strangest thing here is that the coffin is empty. John got his legs back, maybe his father came back to life? I still think that the father he saw was a manifestation of the island.

It's revealed that in his strain to be the hero, Boone stole the water. His reasoning was that Jack left and he wanted to take control. A fight nearly breaks out until Jack shows up and takes the reins as the leader of the group. The episode ends with fresh water being distributed throughout the survivors, with a little throwaway scene with Sawyer asking Boone how it feels to take his place as most hated.

"If we can't live together, we're going to die alone."

 

[oaken1]

you have piqued my interest. I watched about 5 episodes when it came out.determined they were dead and stopped watching. I was surprised it went on so long... but it sounds like it might be worth a binge.

 

[cardncubfan]

I binged the series watching it for the first time a few months ago. I loved it. It left wanting more.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

you have piqued my interest. I watched about 5 episodes when it came out.determined they were dead and stopped watching. I was surprised it went on so long... but it sounds like it might be worth a binge.

Same. The first season was one of my favorite watches of all time.

 

[Chaplin]

S1E6 House of the Rising Sun

Aside from the fact that the "Rising Son" is actually a Japanese reference, this is another stellar offering and focuses on the Korean couple Jin-Soo and Sun-Hwa Kwon. The two of them had been relegated to background characters through the first 5 episodes, but become front and center here. They are supported by the 2nd biggest and best revelation in the first season (Sun's ability to speak English).

This rewatch has been great in that there are subtle hints in the first episodes that Sun can actually understand what people are saying -- but it was so subtle that it was hard to recognize (and why would you early in the series?). I think it is a testament to Yunjin Kim, who is a fantastic actress and is one of the strongest actors in the entire show (proven by her receiving the award for Outstanding Television Actress in the Asian Excellence Awards in 2006 and Best Supporting Actress at the Saturn Awards in 2009).

Again, a lot happens in this episode, not only involving Sun and Jin, but it introduces the caves as a living space and John recognizing Charlie's drug use. But the main thing that happens here is Jin brutally attacking Michael for an unknown reason. The inability to communicate makes everything very frustrating to all the characters, which of course leads to Sun's big revelation late in the episode.

The flashbacks are very telling, as it really establishes Sun and Jin's original characters -- Sun as the daughter of a rich tycoon and Jin as a working class guy. And both Yunjin Kim and Daniel Day-Kim do a great job of showing them as a couple really in love. The flashbacks are from Sun's point of view, so she is seeing Jin's transformation after working for her father with growing alarm. She is really smart and knows what her father's business entails, leading to her taking the brave action of leaving Jin while at the airport. Jin unknowingly saves their marriage by reverting to the man Sun fell in love with while in the airport, simply by giving her a flower. Yunjin Kim shows her acting prowess here, emoting the grief she is feeling as she is about to make the decision to leave her husband. The flashbacks do a good job explaining a) the reasons for Jin's personality through the first episodes of the show, b) that Jin is not such a bad guy at his core, and c) even through all this, Sun is devoted to her husband, even when he is being a jerk.

The reasons for Jin attacking Michael is gradually revealed by Sun when she tells Michael "I need to talk to you." Michael had found a watch that originally belonged to Jin from Sun's father, and he assumed that Michael had stolen it. Of course, that isn't the case, and Michael does release Jin, giving the watch back. Neat little detail is that the handcuff will remain on Jin's wrist for quite a while in this series.

The interaction between John Locke and Charlie is a highlight. John appears to be a Narcotics Anonymous counselor here, whether he's earned that or not. It does lead to a further relationship between the two, which rotates between good and confrontational. Charlie gives up his heroin, but we all know this won't be the last we see of it (in fact, the next episode is Charlie's flashback as he goes through withdrawals on the island). This is a pretty good C-story leading into the A-story in the next ep.

The B-story of the episode involves Jack and the caves. He speculates that rescue isn't coming (which is prophetic), so why not move to the caves, where the survivors have fresh water, shelter and a means to start figuring out a way to survive. We start to see divisions when Sayid asks him why the other survivors weren't consulted when Jack decided to "start his own civilization." To me, this is the worst we've seen of Sayid. We spent an entire episode (White Rabbit) making Jack into a leader. And the very minute he makes a leadership decision, he is second guessed by Sayid and even Kate (whose motivation for NOT going to the caves is weak and suspect). So we now have two separate groups -- the cave (led by Jack and including John Locke, Charlie, the Kwons and Hurley) and the beach (Kate, Sayid, Sawyer, Claire, Rose, Michael/Walt, Boone, Shannon). When seeing this for the first time, you start getting a Lord of the Flies vibe here, but as we know, that isn't really where the story goes. This conflict between the "we're going to be rescued any minute" and the "we're going to be here for a while" groups is fully established here.

Finally, the most mysterious revelation here is that there are 2 skeletons in the caves. Jack also finds a small bag with two stones -- one black and one white. This really ties back to John's explanation of backgammon to Walt. Locke dubs the skeletons as "Adam and Eve." Of course, we know that's not technically who they are, but that doesn't get established until late in the series (middle of season 6). Fans touted this episode over the subsequent seasons as being one of those "unanswered mysteries" that the creators were accused of including in the show without any follow-up. Of course, in season 6, this was answered, but it's not the answer that most liked. In fact, I remember many people speculated that the corpses were actually somehow Jack and Kate.

But all in all, this is a terrific episode, focusing on 2 of my favorite characters.

 

[puckhead]

Episode 4 of Lost is the example I give my students to study every time one of them comes to me wanting to write a show structured with multiple timelines.

It’s such incredible writing, where both timelines reveal character while both also being mysteries where the flashback timeline not only packs a huge wallop of a twist, but makes you look at the current storyline with completely different eyes.

What do you tell your students that ask about the ending of the series?

 

[oaken1]

S1E6 House of the Rising Sun

Aside from the fact that the "Rising Son" is actually a Japanese reference, this is another stellar offering and focuses on the Korean couple Jin-Soo and Sun-Hwa Kwon. The two of them had been relegated to background characters through the first 5 episodes, but become front and center here. They are supported by the 2nd biggest and best revelation in the first season (Sun's ability to speak English).

This rewatch has been great in that there are subtle hints in the first episodes that Sun can actually understand what people are saying -- but it was so subtle that it was hard to recognize (and why would you early in the series?). I think it is a testament to Yunjin Kim, who is a fantastic actress and is one of the strongest actors in the entire show (proven by her receiving the award for Outstanding Television Actress in the Asian Excellence Awards in 2006 and Best Supporting Actress at the Saturn Awards in 2009).

Again, a lot happens in this episode, not only involving Sun and Jin, but it introduces the caves as a living space and John recognizing Charlie's drug use. But the main thing that happens here is Jin brutally attacking Michael for an unknown reason. The inability to communicate makes everything very frustrating to all the characters, which of course leads to Sun's big revelation late in the episode.

The flashbacks are very telling, as it really establishes Sun and Jin's original characters -- Sun as the daughter of a rich tycoon and Jin as a working class guy. And both Yunjin Kim and Daniel Day-Kim do a great job of showing them as a couple really in love. The flashbacks are from Sun's point of view, so she is seeing Jin's transformation after working for her father with growing alarm. She is really smart and knows what her father's business entails, leading to her taking the brave action of leaving Jin while at the airport. Jin unknowingly saves their marriage by reverting to the man Sun fell in love with while in the airport, simply by giving her a flower. Yunjin Kim shows her acting prowess here, emoting the grief she is feeling as she is about to make the decision to leave her husband. The flashbacks do a good job explaining a) the reasons for Jin's personality through the first episodes of the show, b) that Jin is not such a bad guy at his core, and c) even through all this, Sun is devoted to her husband, even when he is being a jerk.

The reasons for Jin attacking Michael is gradually revealed by Sun when she tells Michael "I need to talk to you." Michael had found a watch that originally belonged to Jin from Sun's father, and he assumed that Michael had stolen it. Of course, that isn't the case, and Michael does release Jin, giving the watch back. Neat little detail is that the handcuff will remain on Jin's wrist for quite a while in this series.

The interaction between John Locke and Charlie is a highlight. John appears to be a Narcotics Anonymous counselor here, whether he's earned that or not. It does lead to a further relationship between the two, which rotates between good and confrontational. Charlie gives up his heroin, but we all know this won't be the last we see of it (in fact, the next episode is Charlie's flashback as he goes through withdrawals on the island). This is a pretty good C-story leading into the A-story in the next ep.

The B-story of the episode involves Jack and the caves. He speculates that rescue isn't coming (which is prophetic), so why not move to the caves, where the survivors have fresh water, shelter and a means to start figuring out a way to survive. We start to see divisions when Sayid asks him why the other survivors weren't consulted when Jack decided to "start his own civilization." To me, this is the worst we've seen of Sayid. We spent an entire episode (White Rabbit) making Jack into a leader. And the very minute he makes a leadership decision, he is second guessed by Sayid and even Kate (whose motivation for NOT going to the caves is weak and suspect). So we now have two separate groups -- the cave (led by Jack and including John Locke, Charlie, the Kwons and Hurley) and the beach (Kate, Sayid, Sawyer, Claire, Rose, Michael/Walt, Boone, Shannon). When seeing this for the first time, you start getting a Lord of the Flies vibe here, but as we know, that isn't really where the story goes. This conflict between the "we're going to be rescued any minute" and the "we're going to be here for a while" groups is fully established here.

Finally, the most mysterious revelation here is that there are 2 skeletons in the caves. Jack also finds a small bag with two stones -- one black and one white. This really ties back to John's explanation of backgammon to Walt. Locke dubs the skeletons as "Adam and Eve." Of course, we know that's not technically who they are, but that doesn't get established until late in the series (middle of season 6). Fans touted this episode over the subsequent seasons as being one of those "unanswered mysteries" that the creators were accused of including in the show without any follow-up. Of course, in season 6, this was answered, but it's not the answer that most liked. In fact, I remember many people speculated that the corpses were actually somehow Jack and Kate.

But all in all, this is a terrific episode, focusing on 2 of my favorite characters.

Chap, youre working too much. You need more time to watch TV and wind down.
You piqued my interest...and now I am about a season ahead of you. we cant have "The Lost book club" discussions unless you pick up the pace buddy.

Im at the point where he, he, her, and him were basically traded to the others for him...he and his sailed away and he was sent back to tell the group to stay clear....now he, her, and him are locked in an underwater zoo or something...

one thing that jumped out at me the most towards the end of season one was the total lack of competent leadership across the group as a whole.

 

[Cardsmasochist]

I’m one of the few who never watched an episode of Lost. Maybe I’ll give it a shot

 

[Chaplin]

Chap, youre working too much. You need more time to watch TV and wind down.
You piqued my interest...and now I am about a season ahead of you. we cant have "The Lost book club" discussions unless you pick up the pace buddy.

Im at the point where he, he, her, and him were basically traded to the others for him...he and his sailed away and he was sent back to tell the group to stay clear....now he, her, and him are locked in an underwater zoo or something...

one thing that jumped out at me the most towards the end of season one was the total lack of competent leadership across the group as a whole.

Yeah I know. I've watched the next three eps already but going through some health things that is preventing me to write up the analysis. I'm going to try to do it today.

 

[Chaplin]

S1E7 The Moth

This episode, to me, is the most linear of the episodes so far -- in a show where there can be 3 or 4 stories going at the same time, we only get 2 here: The A-Story focuses on Charlie (with flashbacks), while the B-Story is Sayid's attempts to triangulate the French woman's signal.

I'll start with the B-Story, which is interesting, but is sort of a plot hole -- Sayid says that if he and 2 others were stationed at other points on the island, they can triangulate the signal and determine where the French woman's broadcast is coming from (they use bottle rockets to signal when to turn on their respective devices). Of course, none of the points are that far from the Beach and certainly are in areas that have already been explored, so it seemed like a waste of time and energy to do it in that location. You'd think they would try to find points that are far from the Beach (and the caves), focusing on an area that hasn't been explored. After all, 2 episodes later Sayid does exactly that, and what does he find? A cable on the beach!

Sayid gets Boone and Kate to help -- Kate in the jungle and Boone on the beach. It's a good plan all things considered-- until the A-Story interferes when Jack is caught in a cave-in. Boone, always the hero, wants to go help, which is to his credit. But the minute he enlists Shannon to take his part of the triangulation, I let out a groan (surprisingly enough, Shannon did ok, so they did subvert expectations there). While in the jungle, Sawyer joins Kate and Sayid, with his express purpose of telling Kate about Jack's accident. Kate is, to put it mildly, extremely rude to Sawyer when he appears, and in true Sawyer fashion, he deliberately DOESN'T tell Kate about the accident, instead opting to mess around with her. Suffice it to say, he does end up telling her, and Kate races off to the caves, leaving Sawyer (!) to set off the rocket for the triangulation. After all that, Shannon and Sawyer both let off their rockets on time and it appears Sayid was going to discover something when he is knocked over the head with a giant stick. No indication of who did it, although that is revealed a few episodes later.

Now onto Charlie, who is suffering from withdrawal symptoms after giving his drugs to Locke. Locke tells Charlie that he can ask for the drugs 3 times, and on the 3rd time he'll give them back. Thus begins Charlie's journey. One caveat here: I've always like the character of Charlie, but I've never liked his flashbacks. Maybe part of that is because they lean heavily on "You All Everybody", which is not a good song, but we're supposed to believe it's this mega-hit.

The flashbacks show an interesting side to Charlie, where he was the responsible one at the beginning and his brother was the drug-fueled psycho. The tables turn when his brother essentially turns on him and wants to continue the lifestyle, while Charlie wants to stop because the drugs are killing his brother. His brother does end up clean, and the final scene of the flashback shows druggie Charlie begging Liam to come back to the band. Liam refuses.

The episode is titled "The Moth", and it is fitting. Locke describes the moth emerging from his cocoon, drawing an obvious parallel to Charlie and his attempt to overcome his addiction. But there's more to it. Charlie feels useless and confronts Jack about it. Surprised, Jack tells Charlie he isn't useless. But during their conversation, the cave they are in collapses, trapping Jack while Charlie got out. A good moment here for Michael, who leads the cleanup and rescue attempt. But it's too unstable, and they needs someone small to crawl through a hole to get where Jack is. Charlie volunteers.

Charlie makes it of course, but another small cave-in happens, cutting off their only means of escape. It is here that Jack notices Charlie's withdrawal symptoms. Embarrassed, Charlie notices something in the cave: A moth. He follows it through the dirt and finds light.

Kate, meanwhile, has arrived to the caves and is frantically digging while Michael tells her she'll kill herself. She ignores him until Jack and Charlie show up from outside the caves. Everyone is ecstatic that they are all right, and Charlie gets all the praise for saving Jack. Later than night, Charlie asks Locke for his drugs for a 3rd and final time. Locke sadly hands them over. But Charlie throws them into the fire, and Locke looks proudly on.

While not a huge fan of the Charlie flashbacks, I think the character advancement for Charlie is really great and a strong entry in the season. There is also a recurring them of the number 3, which may or may not mean something down the line: In confessional, Charlie recalls three sins, Locke gives Charlie 3 opportunities to get the drugs back, Sayid's plan involves three points on the island with three people and three antennas, and Charlies sees the moth 3 times (although the first time it was in a cocoon).

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I’m one of the few who never watched an episode of Lost. Maybe I’ll give it a shot

You absolutely should.

 

[Covert Rain]

I have been waiting almost 3 years for 4K release but it doesn't appear to be coming. I was going to watch the entire thing again. I might just get it on Blu Ray for now and have to do this very thing. Still one of my favorite shows of all time.

 

[Chaplin]

I have been waiting almost 3 years for 4K release but it doesn't appear to be coming. I was going to watch the entire thing again. I might just get it on Blu Ray for now and have to do this very thing. Still one of my favorite shows of all time.

I have this:

You must be registered for see images

 

[Covert Rain]

I have this:

You must be registered for see images

That's cool. I don't remember that set or I may have bought one.

 

[Chaplin]

That's cool. I don't remember that set or I may have bought one.

I originally bought it in 2011. It's got a hidden compartment and few other pieces of swag with it. I have a lot of special box sets/editions of blurays and DVDs, but this one is one of my best.

 

[oaken1]

S1E7 The Moth

This episode, to me, is the most linear of the episodes so far -- in a show where there can be 3 or 4 stories going at the same time, we only get 2 here: The A-Story focuses on Charlie (with flashbacks), while the B-Story is Sayid's attempts to triangulate the French woman's signal.

I'll start with the B-Story, which is interesting, but is sort of a plot hole -- Sayid says that if he and 2 others were stationed at other points on the island, they can triangulate the signal and determine where the French woman's broadcast is coming from (they use bottle rockets to signal when to turn on their respective devices). Of course, none of the points are that far from the Beach and certainly are in areas that have already been explored, so it seemed like a waste of time and energy to do it in that location. You'd think they would try to find points that are far from the Beach (and the caves), focusing on an area that hasn't been explored. After all, 2 episodes later Sayid does exactly that, and what does he find? A cable on the beach!

Sayid gets Boone and Kate to help -- Kate in the jungle and Boone on the beach. It's a good plan all things considered-- until the A-Story interferes when Jack is caught in a cave-in. Boone, always the hero, wants to go help, which is to his credit. But the minute he enlists Shannon to take his part of the triangulation, I let out a groan (surprisingly enough, Shannon did ok, so they did subvert expectations there). While in the jungle, Sawyer joins Kate and Sayid, with his express purpose of telling Kate about Jack's accident. Kate is, to put it mildly, extremely rude to Sawyer when he appears, and in true Sawyer fashion, he deliberately DOESN'T tell Kate about the accident, instead opting to mess around with her. Suffice it to say, he does end up telling her, and Kate races off to the caves, leaving Sawyer (!) to set off the rocket for the triangulation. After all that, Shannon and Sawyer both let off their rockets on time and it appears Sayid was going to discover something when he is knocked over the head with a giant stick. No indication of who did it, although that is revealed a few episodes later.

Now onto Charlie, who is suffering from withdrawal symptoms after giving his drugs to Locke. Locke tells Charlie that he can ask for the drugs 3 times, and on the 3rd time he'll give them back. Thus begins Charlie's journey. One caveat here: I've always like the character of Charlie, but I've never liked his flashbacks. Maybe part of that is because they lean heavily on "You All Everybody", which is not a good song, but we're supposed to believe it's this mega-hit.

The flashbacks show an interesting side to Charlie, where he was the responsible one at the beginning and his brother was the drug-fueled psycho. The tables turn when his brother essentially turns on him and wants to continue the lifestyle, while Charlie wants to stop because the drugs are killing his brother. His brother does end up clean, and the final scene of the flashback shows druggie Charlie begging Liam to come back to the band. Liam refuses.

The episode is titled "The Moth", and it is fitting. Locke describes the moth emerging from his cocoon, drawing an obvious parallel to Charlie and his attempt to overcome his addiction. But there's more to it. Charlie feels useless and confronts Jack about it. Surprised, Jack tells Charlie he isn't useless. But during their conversation, the cave they are in collapses, trapping Jack while Charlie got out. A good moment here for Michael, who leads the cleanup and rescue attempt. But it's too unstable, and they needs someone small to crawl through a hole to get where Jack is. Charlie volunteers.

Charlie makes it of course, but another small cave-in happens, cutting off their only means of escape. It is here that Jack notices Charlie's withdrawal symptoms. Embarrassed, Charlie notices something in the cave: A moth. He follows it through the dirt and finds light.

Kate, meanwhile, has arrived to the caves and is frantically digging while Michael tells her she'll kill herself. She ignores him until Jack and Charlie show up from outside the caves. Everyone is ecstatic that they are all right, and Charlie gets all the praise for saving Jack. Later than night, Charlie asks Locke for his drugs for a 3rd and final time. Locke sadly hands them over. But Charlie throws them into the fire, and Locke looks proudly on.

While not a huge fan of the Charlie flashbacks, I think the character advancement for Charlie is really great and a strong entry in the season. There is also a recurring them of the number 3, which may or may not mean something down the line: In confessional, Charlie recalls three sins, Locke gives Charlie 3 opportunities to get the drugs back, Sayid's plan involves three points on the island with three people and three antennas, and Charlies sees the moth 3 times (although the first time it was in a cocoon).

on triangulation. The three points are set more in relation to the relative size of the island and not the suspected location of the signal. for triangulation, you plot the relative bearing of the signal...draw a straight line out from the receiver to infinity...say ant1 reads the signal from bearing 270...then ant2 reads it from 335 degrees and ant3 reads from 320 degrees...plot the lines, and where they intersect is your point of origin...sometimes it is imprecise and will create a small triangle, then your signal is coming from within.... I found it more of a plot hole that Syid was able to salvage enough of the proper equipment to make three directional receivers...... but since the character was a military communications officer, its easy to let that slide...dude has more skills than me, lol.

 

[Chaplin]

on triangulation. The three points are set more in relation to the relative size of the island and not the suspected location of the signal. for triangulation, you plot the relative bearing of the signal...draw a straight line out from the receiver to infinity...say ant1 reads the signal from bearing 270...then ant2 reads it from 335 degrees and ant3 reads from 320 degrees...plot the lines, and where they intersect is your point of origin...sometimes it is imprecise and will create a small triangle, then your signal is coming from within.... I found it more of a plot hole that Syid was able to salvage enough of the proper equipment to make three directional receivers...... but since the character was a military communications officer, its easy to let that slide...dude has more skills than me, lol.

Yeah I'll be the first to admit I know next to nothing about this.

 

[Chaplin]

S1E8 Confidence Man

By the time this episode aired on November 10th, 2004, the show had gained its legs and every episode became a master class of television writing and became the standard bearer for serialized drama. Definitely a much more sophisticated structure that was first put in place way back in 1993 with The X-Files. This episode is also notable because in my opinion, Sawyer becomes the series anti-hero rather than the villain, which was what he was portrayed as in the early part of Season 1.

Funny thing is that this transformation from villain to anti-hero happens very late in the episode with the big reveal about the "note." And this transition is seen in both the flashback and on the island. The flashback itself isn't very long and is pretty simple in it complexity.

In the flashback, Sawyer is running a con with his lover Jessica and her family. It's not very heavy-handed, actually, but it's very measured and he seems to be good at what he does. He even hands over the money to the husband for safe-keeping, something that the loan shark floating him is wary of. When he is about to finish the deal, he sees that Jessica and her husband have a little boy. Out of nowhere, Sawyer ends the deal and leaves. Why?

The island scenes start with a flirting conversation with Sawyer and Kate on the beach -- further strengthening what would become the show's primary romantic triangle story. Afterwards, Sawyer returns to his tent on the beach finding Boone going through is stuff. Off camera, he badly beats Boone for it.

Boone has a good reason for his actions, however. Due to embarrassment, Shannon has hidden the fact that she has asthma and she is starting to have attacks. Her inhalers are gone, and Boone just assumed that Sawyer had them since he was the biggest scavenger of them all.

Jack demands Sawyer give over the inhalers. He refuses and sends Kate. She asks Sawyer what it would take to get the inhalers and Sawyer says, "A kiss ought to do it." This is top Sawyer here. Kate sees something in Sawyer, which he has consistently hidden. Kate mentions the letter that she catches him reading all the time, and Sawyer's swarmy attitude changes to anger. He gives the letter to Kate and asks her to read it. The letter is from a young boy to Mr. Sawyer, who conned his mother out of all their money, so the father shot his mother and killed himself. Kate knows that Sawyer is feeling guilt over that letter, hence she believes there is a human somewhere inside him.

Meanwhile, Sayid is trying to figure out who hit him before he can operate the antennas. Locke suggests that Sawyer is the one who did it since he is doing well for himself on the island, hoarding other people's possessions and also seems to dislike Sayid.

Shannon's breathing problems are getting worse, and Jack and Sayid approach Sawyer again. He refuses to cooperate, so they tie him to a tree and Sayid proceeds to torture him, something that Sayid had vowed never to do again. This is a tough scene to watch, as it is for Jack, who clearly doesn't like this option. Sayid reveals that he has tortured people before, which of course is disturbing to Jack, but is explained in the next episode. Sawyer finally agrees to give up the inhalers, but only to Kate. They share a kiss, and Sawyer (of course) says he didn't have them after all. Kate slaps him, and Sayid attacks Sawyer, stabbing him in the arm. Jack is there to stop the bleeding and save Sawyer's life, even after Sawyer tells him not to bother and that if the roles were reversed, he'd let Jack die.

The next day, Sawyer wakes on the beach with his arm bandaged up. It is here that Kate figures out that Sawyer wasn't the person that the letter was addressed to, Sawyer was the kid who actually wrote it. He tells Kate that after a con man ruined his family, he became a con man himself, adopting the name of Sawyer as an alias.

The episode ends without anyone finding the inhalers, but Sun has created a salve from eucalyptus leaves that improves Shannon's breathing. And in one of the sweetest interactions of the show, Charlie convinces Claire to move to the caves when he produces a jar of peanut butter. Of course, it's pretend peanut butter, but Claire is so impressed that she moves to the caves.

The last thing in the episode is a visibly distraught Sayid leaving the beach to map the island. He can't stay after doing what he told himself he'd never do. Sayid kisses Kate's hand and says, "I hope we meet again." And as we know, they do.

Full disclosure, Sawyer is one of my favorite characters, and "Sawyer" was one of the two name options my wife and I had when our son was born. I'm a big fan of Sawyer and his character arc.

Some trivia on this one:
-- This is the first episode where the flashback does NOT involve how a person got to the island.
-- In the season 6 episode "Lighthouse," Jack and Hurley find Shannon's inhalers outside the caves.
-- This is the first episode where a credited actor does not appear -- in this case Walt. Claire was missing from the previous two episodes, but she wasn't credited in either of them.

 

[oaken1]

S1E8 Confidence Man

By the time this episode aired on November 10th, 2004, the show had gained its legs and every episode became a master class of television writing and became the standard bearer for serialized drama. Definitely a much more sophisticated structure that was first put in place way back in 1993 with The X-Files. This episode is also notable because in my opinion, Sawyer becomes the series anti-hero rather than the villain, which was what he was portrayed as in the early part of Season 1.

Funny thing is that this transformation from villain to anti-hero happens very late in the episode with the big reveal about the "note." And this transition is seen in both the flashback and on the island. The flashback itself isn't very long and is pretty simple in it complexity.

In the flashback, Sawyer is running a con with his lover Jessica and her family. It's not very heavy-handed, actually, but it's very measured and he seems to be good at what he does. He even hands over the money to the husband for safe-keeping, something that the loan shark floating him is wary of. When he is about to finish the deal, he sees that Jessica and her husband have a little boy. Out of nowhere, Sawyer ends the deal and leaves. Why?

The island scenes start with a flirting conversation with Sawyer and Kate on the beach -- further strengthening what would become the show's primary romantic triangle story. Afterwards, Sawyer returns to his tent on the beach finding Boone going through is stuff. Off camera, he badly beats Boone for it.

Boone has a good reason for his actions, however. Due to embarrassment, Shannon has hidden the fact that she has asthma and she is starting to have attacks. Her inhalers are gone, and Boone just assumed that Sawyer had them since he was the biggest scavenger of them all.

Jack demands Sawyer give over the inhalers. He refuses and sends Kate. She asks Sawyer what it would take to get the inhalers and Sawyer says, "A kiss ought to do it." This is top Sawyer here. Kate sees something in Sawyer, which he has consistently hidden. Kate mentions the letter that she catches him reading all the time, and Sawyer's swarmy attitude changes to anger. He gives the letter to Kate and asks her to read it. The letter is from a young boy to Mr. Sawyer, who conned his mother out of all their money, so the father shot his mother and killed himself. Kate knows that Sawyer is feeling guilt over that letter, hence she believes there is a human somewhere inside him.

Meanwhile, Sayid is trying to figure out who hit him before he can operate the antennas. Locke suggests that Sawyer is the one who did it since he is doing well for himself on the island, hoarding other people's possessions and also seems to dislike Sayid.

Shannon's breathing problems are getting worse, and Jack and Sayid approach Sawyer again. He refuses to cooperate, so they tie him to a tree and Sayid proceeds to torture him, something that Sayid had vowed never to do again. This is a tough scene to watch, as it is for Jack, who clearly doesn't like this option. Sayid reveals that he has tortured people before, which of course is disturbing to Jack, but is explained in the next episode. Sawyer finally agrees to give up the inhalers, but only to Kate. They share a kiss, and Sawyer (of course) says he didn't have them after all. Kate slaps him, and Sayid attacks Sawyer, stabbing him in the arm. Jack is there to stop the bleeding and save Sawyer's life, even after Sawyer tells him not to bother and that if the roles were reversed, he'd let Jack die.

The next day, Sawyer wakes on the beach with his arm bandaged up. It is here that Kate figures out that Sawyer wasn't the person that the letter was addressed to, Sawyer was the kid who actually wrote it. He tells Kate that after a con man ruined his family, he became a con man himself, adopting the name of Sawyer as an alias.

The episode ends without anyone finding the inhalers, but Sun has created a salve from eucalyptus leaves that improves Shannon's breathing. And in one of the sweetest interactions of the show, Charlie convinces Claire to move to the caves when he produces a jar of peanut butter. Of course, it's pretend peanut butter, but Claire is so impressed that she moves to the caves.

The last thing in the episode is a visibly distraught Sayid leaving the beach to map the island. He can't stay after doing what he told himself he'd never do. Sayid kisses Kate's hand and says, "I hope we meet again." And as we know, they do.

Full disclosure, Sawyer is one of my favorite characters, and "Sawyer" was one of the two name options my wife and I had when our son was born. I'm a big fan of Sawyer and his character arc.

Some trivia on this one:
-- This is the first episode where the flashback does NOT involve how a person got to the island.
-- In the season 6 episode "Lighthouse," Jack and Hurley find Shannon's inhalers outside the caves.
-- This is the first episode where a credited actor does not appear -- in this case Walt. Claire was missing from the previous two episodes, but she wasn't credited in either of them.

Yeah I found it pretty appalling that the main characters seemed to instinctually treat Sawyer with disdain and disrespect.
Never once did they, "hey Sawyer...this chick lost her inhaler and is having an asthma attack...did you happen to find any inhalers in your travels?"
Treating him as a human rather than as an animal would have gone a long way in smoothing that road.