Lost from the beginning (NO SPOILERS)

[Orac Zen]

This should be fun. It's kinda like all the people discovering Babylon 5 and getting to vicariously see it for the first time. I usually enjoy those threads and expect this one will be much the same.

Have fun, OdoWan. You've got a hell of a ride ahead of you.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

The Moth:

I feel like I've missed the most essential part of Charlie's backstory. We see him first as an idealistic young man, to whom it's all about the music. His brother wants to be the rock star with all the "perks" that go with it. Suddenly, we see his brother as a family man and Charlie as the washed up heroin addict. I'm sure future episodes will fill in the gap, but for now the transition seems jarring.

Meanwhile, on the island, Charlie is going through withdrawal, Locke continues being awesome, and Jack goes and gets caught in a cave in, and it's up to Charlie to stop being useless and save him. This particular bit of the episode seemed to be pretty run of the mill. Sad for a show that's been anything but so far. Kinda early in the show to begin picking off regulars, so there's really little sense of danger.

The other plot involves Sayid attempt #27 or so to make a gizmo to get them off the island. Once again they have to trek in to the jungle to place some doohickey at some convenient place. Then when the word comes down that Jack is trapped, the whole thing goes to hell. I thought Boone was a moron for leaving something that important to Shannon, who is far from the most dependable person on the island, but she surprised me and came through. Sawyer continues to be a total dick, but I never thought he would intentionally sabotage the project. Then when all seems to be going well, someone smacks Sayid on the head with a log. Hmmmmmmmm.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Confidence Man:

Can Boone ever do anything that doesn't involve Shannon? It's like he's her little one man cheer-leading squad. Ok, ok, he's trying to save her life here, but has his character done anything else but do stuff for Shannon since he got here? He's acting less like her brother, and more like a guy trying to get in to her pants. Speaking of getting into people's pants: Charlie, buddy, pal, Claire's are off limits for the foreseeable future, man.

Ok, joking done. The meat of this episode is the Sawyer stuff. After this episode, I'm still unable to see him as anything but a self-serving dick. Ok, he's a con man, but he won't rip off someone when he sees they have a kid. He's become that which he despised out of desperation, and wants revenge for his parents' murder. I don't know. I guess I just don't know what to think about him. Is that supposed to make me sympathetic to him? He's been nothing, and continues to be nothing, but an asshole to everyone. I mean, why would he waste everyone's time making them think he has the inhalers, even to the point of letting them torture him for them?

I guess that's why this episode just doesn't work for me, right now. I can't like Sawyer. He's complete scum. Unless there's a drastic change in his character, I don't know if I ever will.

 

[DonIago]

Well, it sounds like you're thinking what TPTB want you to be thinking at this point in the series.

FWIW you just discussed three of my favorite characters in the series. But not necessarily at that point in time or during the first season.

 

[Trippy]

"Confidence Man' is when I started getting my soft spot for Sawyer. I mean, sure, on the island, right now, he's brash. Kate had his number even back then. I loved when she figured out that HE wrote the letter as an 8 year old, who'd lost his parents in a murder/suicide.

He wanted to be hated RE: the non-existant inhaler and the torture scene. That's part of Sawyer's self-punishing M.0. and his achilles heel, just like Jack's daddy issues, and Locke's self-esteem 'don't tell me what I can't do' issues.

I heart Sawyer

 

[Orac Zen]

...whereas I disliked Sawyer for the entire series.

To each their own.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Sawyer's the best character on the show!

 

[DonIago]

Also, sexiest.

There is no aspect of Lost that Shirtless!Sawyer can't improve.

 

[TheGodBen]

He's acting less like her brother, and more like a guy trying to get in to her pants.

Don't be absurd. She mostly wears skirts.

Ok, joking done. The meat of this episode is the Sawyer stuff. After this episode, I'm still unable to see him as anything but a self-serving dick.

But doesn't he have a nice chest? I mean, I'm a heterosexual man, but even I'm swayed by that chest.

I guess that's why this episode just doesn't work for me, right now. I can't like Sawyer. He's complete scum. Unless there's a drastic change in his character, I don't know if I ever will.

It depends on what you mean by change. Sawyer will always be Sawyer, but other sides of his personality will become apparent with time. Personally, I hated Sawyer for the first season but came to love him later, especially after he started spending more time with characters other than Kate.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Solitary:

So, Sayid gets captured and tortured by Delenn, who turns out to be the French woman from the distress signal. Meanwhile, we get some glimpses into his past. We see he's generally a good guy, who just has the misfortune to be working for an evil regime, I guess. I think they edit it a bit too carefully though, as to not really show Sayid doing anything bad. I mean, we already saw him shove bamboo under Sawyer's fingernails last week. We know he's capable of, and has committed such acts. Why hide them from us, now? Also, I'm assuming that they are always speaking Arabic in the flashbacks. It started out as Arabic, and then abruptly became English. I assume they just didn't want to have to subtitle the whole sequence, but wanted to assure us that they were indeed speaking Arabic, so they started with it in one language before changing to the one most of the viewers would speak. I guess it worked ok. We also learn pretty definitively that there are others on this island. I guess it's a pretty big place if Delenn, er, Danielle is the first anyone has run in to.

Meanwhile, with the other outcasts, Hurley actually has a damn good idea. Boredom can be just as much a killer as anything else on this island. It's nice to see everyone stop being so serious for a while, and just have some fun. Also, I think it's probably worth noting that Michael needs to start paying a whole lot more attention to his son. He's losing him. I also like that they remembered there were at least 40 survivors from the plane crash. For several episodes, all we've seen is the main cast. Finally, I've been pretty vocal with the Sawyer hate here, but I liked when he actually decided to act like part of the group at the end.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Invisible jump jets was one of the early theories
going around on this site on what the monster is. Which one of you started it? I wanna say it was EMH. I can't remember.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Invisible jump jets was one of the early theories
going around on this site on what the monster is. Which one of you started it? I wanna say it was EMH. I can't remember.

Temis, I believe.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Raised By Another:

Claire's story seemed like it was combining every pregnancy story, and every psychic story cliche at once. Then it turned it on its head. Is there a reason that everyone is on this island, then? Were they called there? Do they have a destiny? Maybe that could explain why there are so many survivors, or how Claire survived the crash without a miscarriage.

The non-flashback parts of the episode raise more questions than they answer (not that I expect any answers at this juncture.) Was Claire really attacked? What role does her baby have to play in the days to come? Who is this Ethan guy? Where did he come from? How many more are there? Will I ever stop asking questions? Why am I still typing?

But anyway, yeah this show is pretty cool.

 

[DonIago]

Interesting questions, but I'm not about to spoil you.

 

[RoJoHen]

Will I ever stop asking questions?

I will spoil this one. The answer is, "No, you will never stop asking questions."

 

[DonIago]

I thought the last episode wrapped up all of the unanswered questions quite nicely...

 

[sidious618]

Raised By Another:

Claire's story seemed like it was combining every pregnancy story, and every psychic story cliche at once. Then it turned it on its head. Is there a reason that everyone is on this island, then? Were they called there? Do they have a destiny? Maybe that could explain why there are so many survivors, or how Claire survived the crash without a miscarriage.

The non-flashback parts of the episode raise more questions than they answer (not that I expect any answers at this juncture.) Was Claire really attacked? What role does her baby have to play in the days to come? Who is this Ethan guy? Where did he come from? How many more are there? Will I ever stop asking questions? Why am I still typing?

But anyway, yeah this show is pretty cool.

Wasn't that dream sequence at the beginning awesome? Locke looked so evil.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues:

First off: Great episode title. Great episode, too. Probably my favorite since Walkabout.

Now, down to business. Flashback stuff first. Jack is put into a simply impossible position. On the one hand, he has a duty to the truth, and to the patient. But on the other hand, that's his father. The moment in his father's office, where Christian puts on some (to me) incredibly transparent manipulation is just great. You can see the conflict on Jack's face, and he's forced to make an impossible choice. Then later, when he's forced to re-examine his choice, that same great look of pain is seen again. This is wonderful character stuff.

Now, on to the island stuff. Well, Ethan is pretty firmly a bad guy now. Of course Locke, being Mr. Badass, is the first person jumping to go looking for them. Most surprising to me is Boone, who actually decides to do something useful for a change. Meanwhile, Michael continues to be freaking useless. Seriously, we've had enough time to get acquainted with everyone. Could they please so something with his character? He doesn't seem to serve any purpose so far except to be the token black guy.

Poor Charlie gets hanged, and winds up shell shocked. I'm a little curious about the means of his survival, though. I mean, how long was he hanging there before Jack and Kate found him? Are there other (perhaps mystical) forces at work here? Then we get another shocker: Shannon actually showed legitimate concern for someone, and Sawyer actually shows some rational behavior! Then to top it all off, Locke and Boone find some steel on the ground. Well, yay! More questions!

Oh, and loved the Star Trek reference. "Sounds like a piss poor captain, to me."

 

[DonIago]

It's a shame that steel on the ground is never explored any further...

 

[TheGodBen]

Yeah, that was a huge missed opportunity, you'd think they'd try and do something iconic with a reveal like that.