Lost 1.23: "Exodus I"
Written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
Directed by Jack Bender
In which the French woman arrives at camp with a dire warning as the survivors prepare to launch the raft, which leads to an expedition to Black Rock and several farewells…
Status Report
Considering that this is the first of three parts, it plays like the beginning of a trilogy: fairly short on answers, but big on the setup. In a nice move by the writing staff, the story is filled with bookends that define the scope of the season thus far: flashbacks to the airport, just hours before the crash, inserted between the slow but steady rising action on the island. In a lot of ways, the entire season laid the foundation for these final moments, especially in terms of the characters and their motivations.
It’s hard not to feel as if the writers were intentionally crafting this season so that the series could end with a sense of satisfaction from a character perspective, should the network fall on its head and make a very stupid decision. Had the series ended with this trilogy, there’s the sense that there would have been closure on some of the character-specific mysteries. Of course, that’s the perspective after seeing the first part of the trilogy; it’s also entirely possible that the writers are bringing the characters to a certain point so that the events to come have greater impact.
For those looking for reason to complain, not a whole lot happens in this episode. That’s typical for the first third of a trilogy. The elements and scope of the story are seeded and hinted, but that’s about it. So this is all about Danielle coming to warn the survivors of Oceanic 815 that the “others” are coming (Ethan’s friends!), now that Claire’s child has been born. Seems the same exact thing happened when Danielle had Alex (resolution to “Solitary”!), who turns out to have been a girl (kudos to those who guessed), and that is not good news for Claire and Turniphead.
Locke and Jack come up with a rather intriguing and disturbing plan: get that hatch open and hide everyone in there. Sayid brings up one of several dozen reasons why that is likely to be a bad idea. As he mentioned in the previous episode, there’s probably a reason why the hatch is sealed to prevent anyone from opening it from the outside. The “numbers” were probably etched there as a warning, in retrospect. And there’s plenty of reason to believe that the hatch is only part of a much larger system, probably related to the “monster” and the “others”, at the rate that things are going.
Danielle doesn’t seem convinced that it’s the best of ideas, but since she seems to think that the “others” are impossible to fight, there aren’t too many other options. As others point out: her survival has been predicated on hiding one self-sufficient and possibly nutty person for 16 years. She still hasn’t worked out a better plan, and the “others” are doing a fine job of maintaining their strength over time.
Danielle remembers that there were explosives at Black Rock, from when she went there with her team to alter the transmission from the “numbers” to her distress signal. Leaving aside the question of whether or not they would still be there, it means crossing into the “dark territory” of the “others” and raiding Black Rock. This is a major part of the episode, and it also allows Danielle to dump out some useful exposition.
For one thing, the “monster” sounds a lot more mechanical in this episode, which fits with her explanation that it’s some kind of security system. That, of course, brings up more questions than it answers, but it’s a kind of resolution, all the same. How that would be something that Locke considers beautiful is not clear, but he’s not afraid of it. They know that Danielle has seen it and understands its functions, so why not spend some of that travel time by interrogating her and getting some sense of the technology of the “others”? Granted, Jack and his merry band have other things on their mind, but Danielle is an exposition dump waiting to happen!
The revelation about Black Rock comes out of left field, and yet it makes a certain amount of sense. How the ship got that far inland is a matter for another day, and it opens up the question of whether the “others” and the technology on the island are really connected. Did the “others” come on Black Rock, after it was also lured to the island by the transmission of the “numbers”? Or are the “others” the descendants of those who apparently started this whole mess on the island in the first place?
If the “others” are after Turniphead, then they apparently abducted Claire in the hopes that they could take custody as soon as he was born. How she got away is still unclear, but this business with the baby is probably connected to Claire’s dreams from her journal (didn’t they mention Black Rock?) and the psychic’s vision from “Raised by Another”. One way or another, if people are paying attention, the pieces are starting to fall into place.
The raft is also launched, after a bit of repair, which also marks the beginning of changes for the survivors. They really have no idea what they’re going to encounter once they leave the island. If the writers are going in the direction as suggested by this episode, then they will also run into the “others” or perhaps yet another group. It’s still possible that the raft will take them to wherever the survivors from the tail section have gone (if they did, in fact, survive), which could have been the reason for the scene between Anna and Jack; imagine if the raft runs into a similar improvised craft manned by Anna and Rose’s husband!
For all that, character is still king on “Lost”, and this episode answers some lingering questions from earlier episodes and flashbacks. Perhaps most important is the conversation between Jack and Sawyer. In a rare display of human decency, Sawyer informs Jack about the encounter with Jack’s father (resolution to “Outlaws”!), which could finally give Jack a sense of closure. It’s unlikely that this will absolve Jack of his daddy issues, but it’s a start. The conversation between Jack and Locke in the previous episode seems to have helped as well; Locke may not be forgiven, but Jack is no longer quite so self-righteous.
Also interesting is the revelation that Jack’s marriage didn’t last. This was fairly obvious already, but “Do No Harm” didn’t really get into the whys and wherefores. Neither does this episode, but for those looking for a plain laying out of facts, the answer has been given. What that means, of course, is that Jack could find himself torn between his questionable choice of marrying Sarah and starting up a relationship with Kate. Daddy issues evolve into ex-wife issues.
For her part, Kate is still trying to win back trust, and it’s a hard road. As already hinted, Kate seems to be looking for Jack’s approval, if only because he has so many qualities in common with Tom. Jack has a capacity for forgiveness (see Locke and/or Sawyer), so it’s a safe enough bet. Once more, the audience is reminded (during the exposition scene with the Marshall) that Kate’s initial crime could have been explained by mitigating circumstances, but her choices made it look like she’s a career criminal (which she now is, regardless of how it all began).
Speaking of that scene, that’s the kind of dry and uninteresting scene that one gets when one complains about how the writers would prefer to unveil a character’s background. The Marshall’s exposition is easily the worst scene of the episode, and yet it’s exactly the kind of step-by-step explanation that some fans have been demanding. Is that really so much better than letting the writers delve into character motivations over time?
Sawyer is more himself in this episode, though he makes a concerted effort to avoid Kate before disembarking. That apparent cruelty is offset by his surprising conversation with Jack, and the fact that he was being forcibly deported out of Australia (resolution to “Hearts and Minds”!). The warning about stepping foot on Australian soil again feels like foreshadowing, which could signal an expansion of the series’ scope in the relatively near future.
Sayid doesn’t get much face time in this episode, beyond giving Michael (and the audience) clear instructions on the technology on the raft. Needless to say, that technology will become important before long! Sayid might have been a more logical choice for the expedition to Black Rock, but it’s actually wise to leave him behind in Jack’s absence. One would expect that Sayid’s story will come back into play in the second or third part, since there has to be more to the story of his run-in with airport security.
Claire doesn’t get to do much more than react to the news that Turniphead is in danger again, but like Sayid, the connections of her background will likely come into play in the second hour, especially if they intersect with elements of the upcoming encounter with the “others”. Charlie’s part is mostly comic relief, gathering messages for the bottle and playing a support role. Since the two of them have been in a good place since Turniphead’s birth, there’s reason to be worried. For one thing, the writers could avoid the whole baby problem by having the “others” be successful, thus raising the stakes and making Claire even more dependent on Charlie. That could bring the heroin from the plane Locke discovered into play.
Shannon has been understandably bitter over the past couple of episodes, but Walt’s gesture of giving her Vincent to help heal open wounds gives her a chance to open up. This is one instance where the “bookending” is very effective; Shannon’s journey from hot spoiled brat to hot mourning sister is striking. She’s still not the most sympathetic character on the planet, but it’s hard not to feel her pain. (And the fact that she gave Sayid trouble from the beginning, before he even realized it, is classic!)
Hurley is still around for comic relief, but it’s interesting to note that he’s also been identified as the biggest snitch on the whole island. If the rest of the survivors are beginning to feel like Hurley can’t keep their confidences, then he could become more isolated. Equally interesting is the message he places in Charlie’s bottle. What are the chances that he wrote the “numbers” down, in the hopes that he could pass on the “curse” to someone else?
The change in the relationship between Michael and Walt is also striking. They may not be completely on the same page yet, but they get along far better than they did before getting on that plane. Much of the emotional aftermath left out of “Special” gets touched on in this episode. The fact that it gives a sense of closure to Michael’s motivations could be trouble. The circumstances are begging for another casualty, and Michael would be an obvious choice.
Also obvious would be the loss of Jin, considering that he’s finally told Sun that he’s doing all of this as penance, for her sake. The scene between Jin and Sun gives them a certain closure on “House of the Rising Sun” and “…In Translation”, which is good to see, but it also highlights the fact that there’s far more left on the table for Sun than for Jin. Would it be so hard to imagine the raft ride ending with Sawyer and Walt as the only ones left?
There’s also a sense that Locke’s ongoing character threads are culminating with this finale. His experience in “Walkabout” is still driving his behavior, especially with respect to the “monster”, and that could present an interesting conflict if Jack doesn’t agree with Locke’s point of view. Jack could see the “will of the island” from a more practical, less mystical perspective, setting up the chieftain/shaman conflict that has been brewing all season long.
With the rest of the story coming on one night, seeing how this plays out should be quite the rollercoaster ride. With so many little character elements culminating with this finale, it’s easy to see that the writers have been working towards a set of goals all season long. The revelation about Black Rock makes sense, as does the connection between Danielle/Alex and Claire/Turniphead. Patient viewers are being rewarded, and hopefully some of the more impatient critics are beginning to realize that they weren’t seeing the forest through the trees.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode was a good first third for the season finale, bringing some long-standing character elements into perspective and pulling subplots together in the same direction. As usual, the answers provided only give way to new questions, but there’s a growing sense of a consistent whole, even if only part of it is likely to be addressed by season’s end. For those looking for quick and clear answers, the writers provide a couple of instances to demonstrate why that’s not dramatically satisfying.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
Season Average (as of 1.23): 8.0
Directed by Jack Bender
In which the French woman arrives at camp with a dire warning as the survivors prepare to launch the raft, which leads to an expedition to Black Rock and several farewells…
Status Report
Considering that this is the first of three parts, it plays like the beginning of a trilogy: fairly short on answers, but big on the setup. In a nice move by the writing staff, the story is filled with bookends that define the scope of the season thus far: flashbacks to the airport, just hours before the crash, inserted between the slow but steady rising action on the island. In a lot of ways, the entire season laid the foundation for these final moments, especially in terms of the characters and their motivations.
It’s hard not to feel as if the writers were intentionally crafting this season so that the series could end with a sense of satisfaction from a character perspective, should the network fall on its head and make a very stupid decision. Had the series ended with this trilogy, there’s the sense that there would have been closure on some of the character-specific mysteries. Of course, that’s the perspective after seeing the first part of the trilogy; it’s also entirely possible that the writers are bringing the characters to a certain point so that the events to come have greater impact.
For those looking for reason to complain, not a whole lot happens in this episode. That’s typical for the first third of a trilogy. The elements and scope of the story are seeded and hinted, but that’s about it. So this is all about Danielle coming to warn the survivors of Oceanic 815 that the “others” are coming (Ethan’s friends!), now that Claire’s child has been born. Seems the same exact thing happened when Danielle had Alex (resolution to “Solitary”!), who turns out to have been a girl (kudos to those who guessed), and that is not good news for Claire and Turniphead.
Locke and Jack come up with a rather intriguing and disturbing plan: get that hatch open and hide everyone in there. Sayid brings up one of several dozen reasons why that is likely to be a bad idea. As he mentioned in the previous episode, there’s probably a reason why the hatch is sealed to prevent anyone from opening it from the outside. The “numbers” were probably etched there as a warning, in retrospect. And there’s plenty of reason to believe that the hatch is only part of a much larger system, probably related to the “monster” and the “others”, at the rate that things are going.
Danielle doesn’t seem convinced that it’s the best of ideas, but since she seems to think that the “others” are impossible to fight, there aren’t too many other options. As others point out: her survival has been predicated on hiding one self-sufficient and possibly nutty person for 16 years. She still hasn’t worked out a better plan, and the “others” are doing a fine job of maintaining their strength over time.
Danielle remembers that there were explosives at Black Rock, from when she went there with her team to alter the transmission from the “numbers” to her distress signal. Leaving aside the question of whether or not they would still be there, it means crossing into the “dark territory” of the “others” and raiding Black Rock. This is a major part of the episode, and it also allows Danielle to dump out some useful exposition.
For one thing, the “monster” sounds a lot more mechanical in this episode, which fits with her explanation that it’s some kind of security system. That, of course, brings up more questions than it answers, but it’s a kind of resolution, all the same. How that would be something that Locke considers beautiful is not clear, but he’s not afraid of it. They know that Danielle has seen it and understands its functions, so why not spend some of that travel time by interrogating her and getting some sense of the technology of the “others”? Granted, Jack and his merry band have other things on their mind, but Danielle is an exposition dump waiting to happen!
The revelation about Black Rock comes out of left field, and yet it makes a certain amount of sense. How the ship got that far inland is a matter for another day, and it opens up the question of whether the “others” and the technology on the island are really connected. Did the “others” come on Black Rock, after it was also lured to the island by the transmission of the “numbers”? Or are the “others” the descendants of those who apparently started this whole mess on the island in the first place?
If the “others” are after Turniphead, then they apparently abducted Claire in the hopes that they could take custody as soon as he was born. How she got away is still unclear, but this business with the baby is probably connected to Claire’s dreams from her journal (didn’t they mention Black Rock?) and the psychic’s vision from “Raised by Another”. One way or another, if people are paying attention, the pieces are starting to fall into place.
The raft is also launched, after a bit of repair, which also marks the beginning of changes for the survivors. They really have no idea what they’re going to encounter once they leave the island. If the writers are going in the direction as suggested by this episode, then they will also run into the “others” or perhaps yet another group. It’s still possible that the raft will take them to wherever the survivors from the tail section have gone (if they did, in fact, survive), which could have been the reason for the scene between Anna and Jack; imagine if the raft runs into a similar improvised craft manned by Anna and Rose’s husband!
For all that, character is still king on “Lost”, and this episode answers some lingering questions from earlier episodes and flashbacks. Perhaps most important is the conversation between Jack and Sawyer. In a rare display of human decency, Sawyer informs Jack about the encounter with Jack’s father (resolution to “Outlaws”!), which could finally give Jack a sense of closure. It’s unlikely that this will absolve Jack of his daddy issues, but it’s a start. The conversation between Jack and Locke in the previous episode seems to have helped as well; Locke may not be forgiven, but Jack is no longer quite so self-righteous.
Also interesting is the revelation that Jack’s marriage didn’t last. This was fairly obvious already, but “Do No Harm” didn’t really get into the whys and wherefores. Neither does this episode, but for those looking for a plain laying out of facts, the answer has been given. What that means, of course, is that Jack could find himself torn between his questionable choice of marrying Sarah and starting up a relationship with Kate. Daddy issues evolve into ex-wife issues.
For her part, Kate is still trying to win back trust, and it’s a hard road. As already hinted, Kate seems to be looking for Jack’s approval, if only because he has so many qualities in common with Tom. Jack has a capacity for forgiveness (see Locke and/or Sawyer), so it’s a safe enough bet. Once more, the audience is reminded (during the exposition scene with the Marshall) that Kate’s initial crime could have been explained by mitigating circumstances, but her choices made it look like she’s a career criminal (which she now is, regardless of how it all began).
Speaking of that scene, that’s the kind of dry and uninteresting scene that one gets when one complains about how the writers would prefer to unveil a character’s background. The Marshall’s exposition is easily the worst scene of the episode, and yet it’s exactly the kind of step-by-step explanation that some fans have been demanding. Is that really so much better than letting the writers delve into character motivations over time?
Sawyer is more himself in this episode, though he makes a concerted effort to avoid Kate before disembarking. That apparent cruelty is offset by his surprising conversation with Jack, and the fact that he was being forcibly deported out of Australia (resolution to “Hearts and Minds”!). The warning about stepping foot on Australian soil again feels like foreshadowing, which could signal an expansion of the series’ scope in the relatively near future.
Sayid doesn’t get much face time in this episode, beyond giving Michael (and the audience) clear instructions on the technology on the raft. Needless to say, that technology will become important before long! Sayid might have been a more logical choice for the expedition to Black Rock, but it’s actually wise to leave him behind in Jack’s absence. One would expect that Sayid’s story will come back into play in the second or third part, since there has to be more to the story of his run-in with airport security.
Claire doesn’t get to do much more than react to the news that Turniphead is in danger again, but like Sayid, the connections of her background will likely come into play in the second hour, especially if they intersect with elements of the upcoming encounter with the “others”. Charlie’s part is mostly comic relief, gathering messages for the bottle and playing a support role. Since the two of them have been in a good place since Turniphead’s birth, there’s reason to be worried. For one thing, the writers could avoid the whole baby problem by having the “others” be successful, thus raising the stakes and making Claire even more dependent on Charlie. That could bring the heroin from the plane Locke discovered into play.
Shannon has been understandably bitter over the past couple of episodes, but Walt’s gesture of giving her Vincent to help heal open wounds gives her a chance to open up. This is one instance where the “bookending” is very effective; Shannon’s journey from hot spoiled brat to hot mourning sister is striking. She’s still not the most sympathetic character on the planet, but it’s hard not to feel her pain. (And the fact that she gave Sayid trouble from the beginning, before he even realized it, is classic!)
Hurley is still around for comic relief, but it’s interesting to note that he’s also been identified as the biggest snitch on the whole island. If the rest of the survivors are beginning to feel like Hurley can’t keep their confidences, then he could become more isolated. Equally interesting is the message he places in Charlie’s bottle. What are the chances that he wrote the “numbers” down, in the hopes that he could pass on the “curse” to someone else?
The change in the relationship between Michael and Walt is also striking. They may not be completely on the same page yet, but they get along far better than they did before getting on that plane. Much of the emotional aftermath left out of “Special” gets touched on in this episode. The fact that it gives a sense of closure to Michael’s motivations could be trouble. The circumstances are begging for another casualty, and Michael would be an obvious choice.
Also obvious would be the loss of Jin, considering that he’s finally told Sun that he’s doing all of this as penance, for her sake. The scene between Jin and Sun gives them a certain closure on “House of the Rising Sun” and “…In Translation”, which is good to see, but it also highlights the fact that there’s far more left on the table for Sun than for Jin. Would it be so hard to imagine the raft ride ending with Sawyer and Walt as the only ones left?
There’s also a sense that Locke’s ongoing character threads are culminating with this finale. His experience in “Walkabout” is still driving his behavior, especially with respect to the “monster”, and that could present an interesting conflict if Jack doesn’t agree with Locke’s point of view. Jack could see the “will of the island” from a more practical, less mystical perspective, setting up the chieftain/shaman conflict that has been brewing all season long.
With the rest of the story coming on one night, seeing how this plays out should be quite the rollercoaster ride. With so many little character elements culminating with this finale, it’s easy to see that the writers have been working towards a set of goals all season long. The revelation about Black Rock makes sense, as does the connection between Danielle/Alex and Claire/Turniphead. Patient viewers are being rewarded, and hopefully some of the more impatient critics are beginning to realize that they weren’t seeing the forest through the trees.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode was a good first third for the season finale, bringing some long-standing character elements into perspective and pulling subplots together in the same direction. As usual, the answers provided only give way to new questions, but there’s a growing sense of a consistent whole, even if only part of it is likely to be addressed by season’s end. For those looking for quick and clear answers, the writers provide a couple of instances to demonstrate why that’s not dramatically satisfying.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
Season Average (as of 1.23): 8.0
posted by John Keegan | 17:54
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home