Lost 2.3: "Orientation"
Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Craig Wright
Directed by Jack Bender
In which Jack and Locke discover the apparent purpose of the hatch and its contents, forcing Locke to deal with a crisis of faith, while the survivors of the raft deal with their captors…
Status Report
As promised by the producers, the situation with the hatch makes a bit more sense after this episode. One could still quibble over whether or not three episodes really needed to be utilized to attain this goal, but the pacing of the series is such that this kind of slow and methodical process is now expected, and in most cases, appreciated.
This episode revolves around Locke, which is a smart move, in terms of the overall season arc. The writers have effectively smacked the entire audience upside the head to ensure that the “faith vs. reason” debate between Jack and Locke is clearly understood. There is a definite point that the writers want to make, and this episode belabors that point in fine fashion.
Most of the time, an exposition dump is far from welcome, and if that “orientation” film is anything, it’s an exposition dump. For all that, it adds some interesting possibilities to the entire premise. The debate between Jack and Locke now takes on a very different aspect. In the past, one could assume that the dangers were real and that Jack and Locke were simply disagreeing on how to respond to that. This is no longer the case, or at least, the psychological aspects are even more complex.
Locke has been chasing after his sense of destiny and purpose, because he needs to believe that everything has a reason and that living on faith reaps rewards. This episode takes the evolution of Jack’s philosophy as seen in the season premiere and applies it to Locke in similar fashion. It’s not simply that these men represent the warring philosophies of rationalism and faith; both men struggle to maintain their philosophies against strong evidence to the contrary.
In this case, Locke’s flashbacks were to a time just after the events of “Deux ex Machina”, where his need to believe in the possibility of a real relationship with his father betrayed him. He’s clearly bitter and unable to move past this psychological obstacle. His sense of faith in his own destiny, that eventually his life would have meaning, fell apart. This goes back at least four years, and so even if his faith was restored again by Helen, something brought him to the desperation seen in “Walkabout”.
This episode is just as much about Jack, in a way, because it pays off some of his doubts in “Man of Faith, Man of Science”. While Locke is brought to yet another crisis of faith, where his purpose is about as doubtful as it’s ever been, the episode eventually puts him in a position to justify his faith. On the other hand, Jack recognizes that the whole system of entering the code and hitting that button could be nothing more than an aspect of an ongoing experiment, but his sense of rationalism is shaken by Desmond’s presence and the consequences of being wrong. Where Locke gains strength from this situation in the end, as he did when Boone’s death seemed to serve a larger purpose, Jack’s trust in the rational order of the universe is shaken considerably.
Beyond the character dynamics of Jack and Locke, quite a bit of information was provided. Some of that information provides context, but in several other ways, larger questions are raised. In terms of timeline, there are elements that suggest relationships. The Dharma Institute emerged in the early 1970s as a think-tank (for lack of a better term) regarding human psychology with an unusual twist. (It’s unclear if any of the people pictured were related to the current batch of survivors.)
At some point, before 1980 (given the date on the orientation film), the island was determined to have unusual electromagnetic properties. This is important because it could explain why people eventually act differently the longer they are on the island, since EM fields can negatively influence one’s mental state. Also, it could explain why planes and ships sometimes end up off-course and converging on the island, if the EM fields affect instruments.
Anyway, this “Station 3” was set up on the island and from there, things get sketchy. There’s the implication that something went wrong, to the point that some contagion was discovered that could destroy humanity. That part is still far from clear. The point is that by 1980, a team was placed in the station with the task of ensuring that this disaster be averted by entering a code and hitting a button every 108 minutes. If this does not happen, the implication is that this contagion would be released and the world would end. The two-person team supposedly needs to be there for 540 days at a time (5 x 108), and there’s this “Hanso” person funding the whole thing, and his goals at now at the heart of the mystery.
Jack is right to a certain extent; why would such a system be put into place? The answer seems reasonable enough, given the point of the Dharma experiments: to see if people will believe it and endure sleep deprivation for years through belief that they are saving the world. It’s likely more complex than that, but the whole thing sounds rather silly. If there really was such a threat, why would this be the only way to prevent it?
This is where the previous timeline comes into play. Around 1988, someone started broadcasting the code through the transmission that ultimately ensnared Hurley, Danielle, and others. Danielle and her shipmates came along sometime after that, and at that point, the Others were presumably there and had been for quite some time. According to Danielle, something happened that made her shipmates “sick”, and one would assume that the same is true of the Others, who are clearly a real threat.
So therein lies the philosophical issue. For all that the system in the hatch doesn’t make much sense, something unusual is happening on the island. Are the Others the remnants of some kind of control group, or some small population infected with something and left on the island so that the occupants of the hatch would believe that the rest of the world would be similarly infected if the code/button were not used? Or is this something on the island that is a real danger, especially given how people keep hearing whispers and voices? And is that “security system” for the hatch, and is it designed to keep people out or convince those within of the important of their task?
As already mentioned, the situation with Michael, Sawyer, and Jin serves to remind everyone watching that there is an element of the situation that is truly threatening, regardless of the situation in the hatch. With the revelation that there are survivors from the tail section on the island (presumably linked to Boone’s conversation with someone in “Deux ex Machina”), it seems like both groups were dealing with the threat posed by the Others. So there is still much to be dealt with from the simple aspect of survival. (It remains possible that Ana Lucia and her people are the Others themselves, but that seems doubtful at this stage of the game.)
One possibility, given the connection between Dharma and parapsychology, is that the various plane crashes and similar events were engineered by this mysterious organization. Walt would make a good candidate for parapsychology research. In terms of social dynamics, setting up a survival scenario in this remote location would also fit within the Dharma mandate. At the same time, if Dharma is involved, there’s an equal possibility that these events are being used by the Institute but are otherwise coincidence.
It all boils down to the fact that there may be a rational explanation for everything, based on some psychological/sociological experiment on a worldwide scale, but it could just as easily be a matter of several unrelated elements that become connected through assumption and synchronicity. That lies at the heart of the series since the very beginning, and even if placing Jack and Locke on opposite ends of the spectrum is a bit obvious, it’s also completely in keeping with the show’s central philosophy.
Like the two episodes before it, the focus is so strongly on a handful of characters that there’s not much time to spend on anyone else. Hurley was brought face to face with the hatch and yet another hint as to the source of the numbers, and that will probably spiral into the events of the next episode. The scenes in the pit revealed much about those in the tail section, at least through suggestion, but the main goal there was to allow those characters to inform the other survivors about the JackLocke tribe.
In many ways, this is the end of a three-part season premiere, and there’s every reason to believe that the format that was in place for most of the first season will return in the next episode. That should help to bring some of the less recognized characters into the situation, while also beginning the process of learning more about the island. Whatever the case, this is a nice way to take the story in a new and unusual (yet consistent) direction.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is a strong conclusion to what appears to be a three-episode premiere arc. Locke’s background, while not quite as strong as one might have hoped in this instance, brings complication and scope to his personal ups and downs. The hatch and its purpose brings up a number of intriguing questions, many of which build on the philosophical and psychological ground cultivated in the first season.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
Directed by Jack Bender
In which Jack and Locke discover the apparent purpose of the hatch and its contents, forcing Locke to deal with a crisis of faith, while the survivors of the raft deal with their captors…
Status Report
As promised by the producers, the situation with the hatch makes a bit more sense after this episode. One could still quibble over whether or not three episodes really needed to be utilized to attain this goal, but the pacing of the series is such that this kind of slow and methodical process is now expected, and in most cases, appreciated.
This episode revolves around Locke, which is a smart move, in terms of the overall season arc. The writers have effectively smacked the entire audience upside the head to ensure that the “faith vs. reason” debate between Jack and Locke is clearly understood. There is a definite point that the writers want to make, and this episode belabors that point in fine fashion.
Most of the time, an exposition dump is far from welcome, and if that “orientation” film is anything, it’s an exposition dump. For all that, it adds some interesting possibilities to the entire premise. The debate between Jack and Locke now takes on a very different aspect. In the past, one could assume that the dangers were real and that Jack and Locke were simply disagreeing on how to respond to that. This is no longer the case, or at least, the psychological aspects are even more complex.
Locke has been chasing after his sense of destiny and purpose, because he needs to believe that everything has a reason and that living on faith reaps rewards. This episode takes the evolution of Jack’s philosophy as seen in the season premiere and applies it to Locke in similar fashion. It’s not simply that these men represent the warring philosophies of rationalism and faith; both men struggle to maintain their philosophies against strong evidence to the contrary.
In this case, Locke’s flashbacks were to a time just after the events of “Deux ex Machina”, where his need to believe in the possibility of a real relationship with his father betrayed him. He’s clearly bitter and unable to move past this psychological obstacle. His sense of faith in his own destiny, that eventually his life would have meaning, fell apart. This goes back at least four years, and so even if his faith was restored again by Helen, something brought him to the desperation seen in “Walkabout”.
This episode is just as much about Jack, in a way, because it pays off some of his doubts in “Man of Faith, Man of Science”. While Locke is brought to yet another crisis of faith, where his purpose is about as doubtful as it’s ever been, the episode eventually puts him in a position to justify his faith. On the other hand, Jack recognizes that the whole system of entering the code and hitting that button could be nothing more than an aspect of an ongoing experiment, but his sense of rationalism is shaken by Desmond’s presence and the consequences of being wrong. Where Locke gains strength from this situation in the end, as he did when Boone’s death seemed to serve a larger purpose, Jack’s trust in the rational order of the universe is shaken considerably.
Beyond the character dynamics of Jack and Locke, quite a bit of information was provided. Some of that information provides context, but in several other ways, larger questions are raised. In terms of timeline, there are elements that suggest relationships. The Dharma Institute emerged in the early 1970s as a think-tank (for lack of a better term) regarding human psychology with an unusual twist. (It’s unclear if any of the people pictured were related to the current batch of survivors.)
At some point, before 1980 (given the date on the orientation film), the island was determined to have unusual electromagnetic properties. This is important because it could explain why people eventually act differently the longer they are on the island, since EM fields can negatively influence one’s mental state. Also, it could explain why planes and ships sometimes end up off-course and converging on the island, if the EM fields affect instruments.
Anyway, this “Station 3” was set up on the island and from there, things get sketchy. There’s the implication that something went wrong, to the point that some contagion was discovered that could destroy humanity. That part is still far from clear. The point is that by 1980, a team was placed in the station with the task of ensuring that this disaster be averted by entering a code and hitting a button every 108 minutes. If this does not happen, the implication is that this contagion would be released and the world would end. The two-person team supposedly needs to be there for 540 days at a time (5 x 108), and there’s this “Hanso” person funding the whole thing, and his goals at now at the heart of the mystery.
Jack is right to a certain extent; why would such a system be put into place? The answer seems reasonable enough, given the point of the Dharma experiments: to see if people will believe it and endure sleep deprivation for years through belief that they are saving the world. It’s likely more complex than that, but the whole thing sounds rather silly. If there really was such a threat, why would this be the only way to prevent it?
This is where the previous timeline comes into play. Around 1988, someone started broadcasting the code through the transmission that ultimately ensnared Hurley, Danielle, and others. Danielle and her shipmates came along sometime after that, and at that point, the Others were presumably there and had been for quite some time. According to Danielle, something happened that made her shipmates “sick”, and one would assume that the same is true of the Others, who are clearly a real threat.
So therein lies the philosophical issue. For all that the system in the hatch doesn’t make much sense, something unusual is happening on the island. Are the Others the remnants of some kind of control group, or some small population infected with something and left on the island so that the occupants of the hatch would believe that the rest of the world would be similarly infected if the code/button were not used? Or is this something on the island that is a real danger, especially given how people keep hearing whispers and voices? And is that “security system” for the hatch, and is it designed to keep people out or convince those within of the important of their task?
As already mentioned, the situation with Michael, Sawyer, and Jin serves to remind everyone watching that there is an element of the situation that is truly threatening, regardless of the situation in the hatch. With the revelation that there are survivors from the tail section on the island (presumably linked to Boone’s conversation with someone in “Deux ex Machina”), it seems like both groups were dealing with the threat posed by the Others. So there is still much to be dealt with from the simple aspect of survival. (It remains possible that Ana Lucia and her people are the Others themselves, but that seems doubtful at this stage of the game.)
One possibility, given the connection between Dharma and parapsychology, is that the various plane crashes and similar events were engineered by this mysterious organization. Walt would make a good candidate for parapsychology research. In terms of social dynamics, setting up a survival scenario in this remote location would also fit within the Dharma mandate. At the same time, if Dharma is involved, there’s an equal possibility that these events are being used by the Institute but are otherwise coincidence.
It all boils down to the fact that there may be a rational explanation for everything, based on some psychological/sociological experiment on a worldwide scale, but it could just as easily be a matter of several unrelated elements that become connected through assumption and synchronicity. That lies at the heart of the series since the very beginning, and even if placing Jack and Locke on opposite ends of the spectrum is a bit obvious, it’s also completely in keeping with the show’s central philosophy.
Like the two episodes before it, the focus is so strongly on a handful of characters that there’s not much time to spend on anyone else. Hurley was brought face to face with the hatch and yet another hint as to the source of the numbers, and that will probably spiral into the events of the next episode. The scenes in the pit revealed much about those in the tail section, at least through suggestion, but the main goal there was to allow those characters to inform the other survivors about the JackLocke tribe.
In many ways, this is the end of a three-part season premiere, and there’s every reason to believe that the format that was in place for most of the first season will return in the next episode. That should help to bring some of the less recognized characters into the situation, while also beginning the process of learning more about the island. Whatever the case, this is a nice way to take the story in a new and unusual (yet consistent) direction.
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is a strong conclusion to what appears to be a three-episode premiere arc. Locke’s background, while not quite as strong as one might have hoped in this instance, brings complication and scope to his personal ups and downs. The hatch and its purpose brings up a number of intriguing questions, many of which build on the philosophical and psychological ground cultivated in the first season.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
posted by John Keegan | 17:33
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home