Lost Season 1: "Walkabout"

Jack is certainly set up as the hero by now. Everyone is looking for him to lead, his initial action at the crash has caused everyone to see him as their leader, whether they want it or not. This episode they come to him to solve the problem of the dead in the fuselage. Jack wants to burn it, not only to keep the animals from desecrating the dead, but also to function as a signal fire. More and more, as he days go on with no sight of rescue, their decisions are forced to be practical in some way. Even a funeral has to serve the practical purpose of being a signal fire. It'll be interesting to see where this leads, and how necessity will continue to drive decisions as desperation grows.

Jack is beginning to pull away from leadership though. He refuses to lead the memorial service when asked. Is he getting tired of leading and helping the others? Or does he not want the responsibility of the lives of so many other people? Do the deaths of the others remind him of all this responsibility? These are questions not answered yet, but there is obviously something going on in Jack to make him pull away from what he so naturally did earlier.

It is interesting to note as well that Sawyer is beginning to emerge as Jack's opposite, especially in the wake of Jack refusing leadership. He doesn't appear to be an antagonist per se, but he is definitely leading in a different direction than Jack. It'll be interesting to see how the struggle between these two affect the group.

This show's concept is genius! When on a plane, we know absolutely nothing about anyone else, and yet we're stuck in a small compartment for hours with them, going to the same destination. Our fates are intertwined in a sense. And this bond is what makes this show work. In the plane we rely on the pilots to get us there, but this interwoven bond only gets stronger when that pilot is gone, when the people must rely on each other to survive. The survivors even want to hear "trivial" information at the funeral because these people are now connected in some way. I'm definitely going to be paying more attention to who's on the plane next time I fly!

And destiny and fate seem to be becoming recurring themes in this show. Were they meant to be on this island? Or is it just a way for them to give meaning to their suffering? Two very different world-views, I'm intrigued to see which one the show takes.

This question is also central to Locke's character. Why is he so sure the "walkabout" s his destiny? How does he view it? I have a feeling we will see the show's view of fate through his character. This is definitely Locke's episode, revealing his history and the effect of the island on him. It seems so far that he is the only one who is truly happy to be on the island. It gives him the adventure he wanted, freedom from a monotonous office, and his legs back. It was so perfect to have his wheelchair burning in the last shot. he truly has been given a new life.

(Want to read more of my thoughts on Lost? Check out my series!)