1x7 - The Moth

The main theme of the episode is redemption – admitting to your mistakes and trying to make up for them. Charlie acknowledges his drug addiction was bad, and he later gains redemption when he rescues Jack from the cave-in.

Charlie did not start out wanting to do drugs. He was an innocent church-goer at the start of the episode. He was worried about temptations, like he told the Priest. The flashback is an old fashioned origin story, explaining his drug use, and how his brother, who started on his side, changed with the fame into a colossal jerk, and eventually convinces Charlie he is nothing without it. 

Charlie is struggling with his withdrawal, and his crankiness levels are upped when he is made to feel useless around the camp – Jack deems the fat guy more useful in transporting large bags from the beach to the caves. He confronts Jack about this, screaming his signature quote "I'm a bloody Rock God!" – which causes the caves to collapse (not particularly convincingly) on top of Jack. For once, it is the hero in need of help.

The episode gets its title from a cool metaphor – Locke demonstrates that struggle is natures way of strengthening. Of course, Charlie in this instance is the moth. When Locke acts as a mentor, he is excellent.

Sayid is in full badass mode this episode, and he even gets a 360 spinning camera whilst he's explaining his plan to Kate and Boone (although neither end up being the ones helping him in the end – leave that to Sawyer and Shannon). He wants to triangulate a signal – whatever the hell that means. And to do it he needs fireworks. Wait, what?

"Thank Heavens for firework smugglers" announces Sayid. Yes, indeed. I've always thought one of the most unrealistic things about LOST (other than smoke monsters, obviously) is the amount of equipment they have. They didn't really explain where the hell the axe came from.

So, some of the beach people have reached the caves now, including Scott and Steve who are introduced – with lines! Michael works in construction (though we never saw this in any of his flashbacks) and is able to dig a tunnel. Charlie plays hero and goes through the dark tunnel to rescue Jack (although to be fair, he was the one who caused the cave-in) but gets trapped himself. It’s actually a great cut to flashback in this scene, as the contrast with the confined tunnel and the corridor full of fans works perfectly.

Kate is unnecessarily mean to Sawyer in this episode, telling him nobody loves him. It pays off the first time, as he gives them a laptop battery from his stash. But the second time, after Sawyer finds her to tell her about Jack, I bet she regrets interrupting him, and telling him "What makes you think I'm interested in anything you have to say?"...because it's at that point Sawyer decides not to bother.

"So what is it about that guy – Jack?" Sawyer asks Kate, being the first to acknowledge the love triangle. If you can even call it that at this point – Kate appears to detest Sawyer, asking "You're actually comparing yourself to Jack?" Sawyer says the difference between them isn’t too big. He's not wrong, we just haven’t seen his good side yet. Kate, having shared her body with both of them, now has plenty of reasons to compare the two.

This is definitely a strike for Team Jate, though. Look at how Kate tirelessly tries to dig Jack out of the cave whilst everyone else takes a break. Look at the hug she gives him when they are reunited. She even makes him a sling (which is off the very next episode, by the way).

Charlie asks for his drugs back from Locke. We think – "oh no! He’s reverted!" – but no, he throws them in the fire and destroys them, completing his transformation to good guy as the cocoon transforms into a moth.

10/10 – The series' best musings on one of its most interesting themes, redemption.

1x6 - House Of The Rising Sun

Seeing sweet, flower-bearing Jin was a shock. This is not the brute that we're used to seeing. The episode acknowledges this because the very next scene we see Jin at his worst, beating up Michael for no reason and trampling one of Sun's plants on the way.

Sayid and Sawyer imprison Jin until they can find out what happened. Sun points to her wrists, to which Sayid responds "the cuffs stay on". However, Sun wasn't talking about the cuffs, she was talking about the watch. 

Michael claims that he was attacked because Korean people don't like black people. Later on his son asks him what he meant by this comment. This is pretty much the only LOST episode to deal with race relations. Surprising for a show with such a diverse cast.

Sun learned English with the intention of leaving her husband, and it is this episode in which she reveals that secret. She tells Michael he was attacked over the watch. When Michael finds this out he's even more pissed. He yells angrily at Jin, who obviously can't understand him, holding an axe. Jin's reaction as Michael swings the axe at his cuffs to free him is priceless.

The flashbacks show the gradual deterioration of Jin and Sun's marriage. First, he has to spend time away for his training but assures her he'll be back later. Then he comes home with blood on his hands and yells at her when she expects an explanation. His transition to the brute we know is complete by the end of the episode, although not really explained. But don't worry, they're saving that for later in the season.

We see at the airport that Sun came very close to leaving her husband forever but decided to stay when she caught a glimpse of the old Jin. The downside is she's now stuck on an Island.

The producers have said Adam and Eve will be the mystery that proves they weren't "making it up as they go along" – so their introduction may be season one's most important moment. Speculation has ranged from Amelia Earhart and her Navigator, important characters from the Island's past to Jack and Kate after time travel.

Jack and Kate stripping their clothes off may not have just been for gratuitous value. The fact that they are naked (or as naked as you can get on Network television) in the presence of the skeletons fortifies the Adam and Eve comparisms. With the lovely lush caves as their Garden of Eden.

There are a lot of Jack and Kate moments in this episode. First Kate asks about his tattoos (a set-up for a future flashback, perhaps?). Then she takes her shirt off in front of him. Then she bends over in front of him to give him a great view of her ass and accuses him of checking her out. But it doesn't end happily for the couple as they decide to part ways when the group splits. Jack has also changed his mind about not wanting to know what Kate did, but Kate has changed her mind about wanting to tell him.

Charlie and Locke also share a lot of scenes. At first Locke comes off as a creepy stalker, but he's actually trying to help Charlie overcome his addiction. Last episode, he introduced Jack to the idea of faith. This time, he does so to Charlie. He tells him he has faith that he will find his lost guitar. And sure enough, once Charlie gives up his drugs, he gets his guitar back.

The camp can't agree on where to live, so they split up – but who goes where, and why? Well, it seems the people who went to the caves – Jack, Hurley, Jin, Sun and Charlie – are the ones who don’t believe rescue is coming. The ones who stayed – Sayid, Kate, Michael, Walt, Shannon, Boone and Claire – just want to get off the Island as quickly a possible. Interesting then, that Sawyer stays on the beach, after previously announcing in Tabula Rasa "rescue boat ain't coming". The song choice is Willie Nelson’s "Are you sure?", and as the last character on screen it seems it is aimed at Kate – is she sure she is where she wants to be?

6/10 – Decent episode, but more of a set-up for the other Sun/Jin episode later in the season

1x5 - White Rabbit

Christian Shepherd is the least encouraging father figure ever. He tells his son to not become a leader because he doesn't have what it takes when he fails. His message evokes the words of Homer Simpson: "Trying is the first step towards failure".

Jack went against Christian's wishes and, on the Island at least, became a leader. We've already seen his never-leave-a-man-behind attitude in the opening scene (young Jack trying to save his friend from bullies) then we switch scene to Jack going after a drowning woman and instead rescuing Boone. The woman dies, and Jack does fail. And Christian was right...Jack takes it badly.

Jack gets frustrated at the way Hurley and Charlie follow him around like sheep (to his Shepherd) asking him about the low water supply. Jack thinks it is unfair of them to ask so much of him – and expect him to come up with solutions to problems that are unavoidable. He doesn’t want to be leader yet everyone asks him to be. 

Boone is angry at Jack for saving him. Either this is due to his selflessness or humiliation. Boone fancied himself as a leader, but his is not the first time he has failed – in the Pilot he makes a half-assed attempt at saving Rose before being bailed out by, yes, Jack. Apparently Boone is a lifeguard. Not a very good one, it seems. This cement Boone’s reputation as The Guy Who Tries To Be Helpful But Rarely Is. 

There are two great self-contained scenes in this episode, both between pairings that don’t usually interact. The first is between Shannon and Sawyer. Shannon approaches asking to buy the sunblock when Sawyer tells her "You’re in my light, sticks". "Light sticks? What the hell are those?" she replies before Sawyer clarifies he meant lights, comma, sticks - referring to her legs. The two characters have a great dynamic together which makes for a lot of humour. The second scene is between Kate and Claire, when Kate is sorting clothes. Claire correctly guesses Kate is a Gemini. It tells us a lot about Claire.

Jack undergoes a kind of spiritual journey. It's what he needs at this point – some time alone, and some time to decide if being a leader is right for him. Both in flashback and in real time, Jack is chasing his father. His mother sends him to Australia after Christian goes AWOL and the island contains a shadowy figure of the man who may or may not be an apparition. Jack has always felt in his father's shadow, and for most of this episode he literally is.

In one of LOST's most ridiculous act breaks ever, Jack somehow trips and ends up hanging from a rocky edge. Literally a cliffhanger ending. Don't worry though, help is on hand from the show's other hero, John Locke.

Locke and Jack share their first and most meaningful exchange of the series. Locke discusses with Jack the possibility that everything happens for a reason and that his white rabbit may be real despite his refusal to believe so. This discussion is much calmer than ones that will follow – neither are trying to force their viewpoint on each other. They are acceptant and respectful of one another. 

With Jack out of action, Sayid and Kate team up to find out who stole the water. (Told you they work well together.) Their first suspects are "the Chinese people" – They're Korean, dude. Jin and Sun are unresponsive to Sayid's interrogation. "She understands me" insists Sayid. He's always been good at telling when people are lying. Next episode he is proved right. 

Their next suspect is Sawyer, but this turns out to be another red herring. The thief is actually Boone. Just when things are going to get messy, Jack comes in to defend him and gives a call for unity. Everyone agrees and rallies behind him, and finally Jack is comfortable as leader.

Jack tells the stewardess he needs his coffin on the plane because he needs the funeral over as soon as possible. Unfortunately it looks like he'll have to wait a little longer. Jack needs to bury his father, to get over his past. Their bad relationship was hinted earlier on when Margo tells Jack that Christian doesn’t have friends any more after what Jack did, and Jack mentions they haven’t spoken in months. The missing coffin that Jack finds is a metaphor for his inability to bury the past.

8/10 – Important episode, basically essential to understanding LOST