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
No comments:
Post a Comment