TV - Lost Season One

Re-watching Lost has been more rewarding than I predicted. I thought it was going to be fun, I didn't realize it was going to be crazy, awesome fun.

I'm already completely invested in the characters, and I know some answers to the mysteries they are questioning right now (so I'm not burdened with that "WTF?!" rage). Most importantly, I don't really remember any of the details of the early seasons, so as I watch, I still get surprised and even sometimes teary-eyed!

After the jump here, I'm going to go on a tremendous rant about Lost. If you feel like nerding-out with me, please, read on!


The outline to the following rant is as follows:
1. Character Analysis
2. Favorite Moments and Episodes
3. Repeated Lines and Their Significance
4. Goofy Theories

1. Character Analysis:

JACK:
Without doubt the most complicated character, for me, is Jack. All of the other characters' redemption stories are a bit more cut and dry, but Jack's is layered and difficult for me to wrap my head around. My best guess is that he needs to accept humility, because obviously pride is a major problem for our "hero." We hear Christian telling Jack he doesn't have what it takes to be a hero because he cannot deal with failure.

However, I think this goes beyond him accepting that failure is sometimes inevitable. I think he is meant to have humility towards his abilities as a human to control his own fate. The Island is haunting Jack with images of his father. One time Jack follows Christian through the jungle and falls of a cliff-edge, only to be saved by Locke. Is Christian being used as a tool to lead Jack to follow Locke (and his Man of Faith philosophies)? Obviously, we see Jack embrace ideas of Destiny and Purpose in Season Five. The big question is: what will be the pay-off for Jack's believing in Fate? (I'm capitalizing like a German here!)

SAYID:
Sayid says an interesting line at the beginning of this season: "Losing hope is a dangerous thing." We see how this philosophy plays out in Season Five when he has lost Nadia and is back on the Island he so desperately wanted to escape. With no hope left in his heart, he shoots a child (albeit a child version of Ben) and signs up for Jack's mission of blowing up a hydrogen bomb to destroy his 1977-day self in favor of granting sweet Island-ignorance to future versions of Sayid.

Sayid is also a major player. First he's trying to bone Kate, and then he moves on to Shannon (INEXPLICABLY: She's the worst!). All while grieving the loss of Nadia?! I get that it's been seven years since he lost track of Nadia, but still: if he was this ready to move on, wouldn't he have a wife or girlfriend on the mainland? What leads him to go on a booty quest only after he crash lands on an Island of mystery?

KATE:
In the very first episode, Jack explains to Kate his Count to Five method of dealing with stress (which we learn in Season Five was actually taught to him by his father, interesting!). Kate responds that if she had been in such an intense situation, she probably would have run. Jack says that she doesn't believe she would have, and that, my friends, is why Kate falls for Jack. He believes the best of her. Whenever Jack treats Kate like the schemer she is (as when he asks her if she poisoned Michael) she gets mega-pissed. But Kate did poison Michael (second-handedly, by giving Sun the idea), so she gets mad at Jack for not believing that she's a person she isn't.

Sawyer, on the other hand, loves Kate for who she really is, not some ideal image of her. (DISCLAIMER: Sawyer is my favorite character and has been from the first time I watched Season One, and although I'm not thrilled about Kate, I want Sawyer to be happy, and if that means being loved by Kate, so be it.)


2. Favorite Moments and Episode

SAWYER AND KATE PLAY "I NEVER": Sawyer doesn't need any mugshot pictures to realize that Kate's a fugitive: he knows that just by looking at her. I think that when it really boils down to who Kate is supposed to be with, it's Sawyer.

CLAIRE CUTS CHARLIE'S HAIR WHILE HE WRITES A SONG: It's called "The Monster Eats the Pilot"!

BACKGAMMON BETWEEN LOCKE AND WALT: "Two players, two sides: light and dark." Finding out what's up with Walt is something I hope gets fleshed out a bit more in Season Six, even though Walt will look like he's 25.

Favorite Episode: Exodus Part One
This episode is such an amazing piece of work. My two favorite parts are when Sawyer tells Jack about his chance encounter with Christian, and of course the entire goodbye scene. Sun and Jin reconciling was sweet enough to bring me to tears! I also loved the shots of Sawyer and Kate looking for each other at various points to attempt a goodbye. But the best is the entire ending scene. We see the raft hit the water successfully, and everyone is happy and sad and scared and hopeful! There's a slow fade, but then OH YEA! BAM! The shot of the smoke billowing up into the sky signifying that the Other's will soon be attacking. SO GOOD.

3. Repeated Lines and Their Significance:

I'M LETTING YOU OFF THE HOOK: Both Rose and Boone tell Jack that they are forgiving him for his broken promises. All part of Jack learning that failure is sometimes inevitable?

DO YOU HAVE MY BACK?: This is how people on Lost as their significant others if they love them. We see Jack ask Kate in this season, and we will see it be a key element to the blossoming of Sawyer and Juliet's romance in Season Five.

DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO: Both Jack and Locke yell this sentence, always wanting to feel empowered and constantly feeling challenged by others. They long for limitless abilities and complete confidence in those abilities by those who surround them.

4. Goofy Theories:

I've got to tell you, I'm starting to think that VINCENT IS JACOB.

IS THE SMOKE MONSTER THE MAN IN BLACK / JACOB / OR SOMETHING ELSE?
The monster certainly doesn't seem happy that the castaways are on his Island, so it seems more likely that it's The Man in Black rather than Jacob.

The monster also revealed itself in some way to Locke. He says that he looked into the eye of the Island and it was beautiful: which makes me think it's plausible that Jacob is the monster.

I feel pretty confident that the monster is under the control of one of these guys, rather than it being an independent-minded spirit or a creation of the Others.

But seriously, Vincent... something's going on there.