Lost episode 1.5 - White Rabbit by Tom Pengelly
Episode five continues the tale of a weary man. Well, we're just about as weary from trying to keep up with all these plotlines, so the question is, is it Jack who's seeing the businessman in strange places, or is it us who's possibly hallucinating? You just don't know with JJ at the helm. The episode title should give us some reference into the plot of the episode, and from the start of the episode, we know it's about Jack. So at the start, the worst we can theorise is jack wearing a dress and chasing a talking rabbit with a pocketwatch. Although with this series and this island, anything, and i mean anything, is possible.
Another episode starts with an opening eyeshot. This episode however starts off with a flashback of the past, we've only had a episodic flashback teaser of the plane crash. This eye-opening theme looks like it's going to continue, possibly being a metaphor for the characters themselves opening them up to a new world. The first flashback is of Jack as a child, trying to save someone else and getting hurt in the process, symbolising the whole doctor thing. We then see his dad confronting him. We immediately gather that Jack's dad isn't a good person with the atmosphere of the room. His back is turned away from us as if he was arrogant, which is then proven. It makes it like the flashback is all about his dad. But Jack's dad's self-centredness is the reason why Jack is who he is today. Someone who doesn't want to be a leader because he doesn't want the repurcussions. The coward's way out. His dad was a coward, and it wasn't until i wrote it down that I realised it. This cowardice has been given to Jack, this insecurity. In surgery, you're with your team, and death is a huge possibility, blame isn't 100% of the time assigned to you. As a leader, the leader can be easily blamed. And Jack is forced not to want that. However, his dad's advice is scarily thought-provoking also. "Don't choose, don't decide, don't be a hero because when you fail..." Failure is what a coward won't risk. But what if this is regarding Jack's dad? Does Jack's dad follow that so he won't suffer the guilt from being a hero? Is his Dad intelligent or a coward? All this leader stuff looks like it's being places in fatherhood, because the father is usually the leader of the house. This however is only answered when our next flashback reveals he's gone to Australia, leaving the household again. Something is up with that family. Even Jack's mother isn't that nice, she has an attitude problem. Comparing previous episodes of Jack to this family, we can estimate that he's had a lot of problems becoming the person he is. The scary thing though is that mum knows dad died and Jack doesn't. Only Jack can get his dad, and he has to. She says to bring him home. Why can't she though? Criminal record? And what did Jack do and what happened with his father? So many questions, for such a peculiar family, though one thing that is solidly theorised: daddy dearest is not looking to be blamed for the relationship he and mummy dearest had, because he didn't lead it. Could explain a looming divorce, an abusive wife, a father ashamed of his family when really he is ashamed of himself.... He refuses to accept blame, and won't put himself in that place again (indicating he did something terribly bad), and this could have gotten into the relationship... Too many theories for one little reviewer to handle. We do find out however that his dad died from an alcohol-induced heart attack in the land of Oz.... (Oz, The Wizard of Oz, fairytale, Alice in Wonderland, White Rabbit! Are these connections on purpose?) The fact he was drinking indicates an addiction, or at least depression. What had he done? People could theorise that Jack confronted his dad and told him to sod off, proving to his dad he was a failure all along, and he didn't need to be the hero. Jack wants to bury his father, get him out of his life so bad, he hates him that much, not even that, he resents him. His emotions at the airport to a stranger may seem like he cares, but he's really scared and wants the quick way out. Jack's character is at it's shining point in this episode, he becomes more than even a real human being. His character is so thick in personality and questions, just like JJ and Damon want him to be. It's pretty amazing when you think about it, how it's ended up from a flashback into a character analysis.
And to think that I'm onto the main plot now. The first thing we encounter is Jack's struggle to save "Joanna" who turns out to be Boone drowning. Question is, isn't he supposed to be a lifeguard? Yet Jack can swim better than him. What is with these people!? Even though Boone says he runs a business, is it related to anything lifeguard-ish? Well we find out that Joanna died. The annoying part about that is the shot where we see Kate rushing to the sea. Her face, the return of the tribal drums heard earlier, the rushed camera angle suggesting panic, you'd think it was her turn to strip down to the waist like Jack did and jump in to save the girl. But no, it's just helping Boone out, hum-di-dum. The result of Joanna's death screws up the whole system of JJ's obession with 47. Also brings a lot of guilt on Jack's part, and a confrontation between Boone and Jack that makes us hate Boone, making us wonder why Kate bothered with Boone in the first place. The whole hating Boone for the episode does continue when we find that he's also a thief. The island plot here is regarding water shortage, something that was bound to happen. Then Claire faints from lack of water, it's Murphy's Law in the form of one day, especially when Jack decides to chase his hallucination. The format of this is very hard to negotiate, whether each episode should bring a problem or they should create hell for even Mr. Murphy, yet Lost seems to manage to detract attention from this with its flashbacks. Each episode has its own mass drama, but its softened by many things, comedy, flashbacks, so without these, Lost would certainly be a lost cause (although "technically," it already is!). Unless there is a metaphor going on here. This is Jack's episode, and the badness is climaxing on this episode, could this be symbolising Jack's history? Right up to his near-death experience he has been unlucky. Then Locke comes and everything gets all better. Locke talks some sense into Jack, some valuable knowledge escaping the new-lease-on-life man. "Crazy people think they're getting saner." It does ring some truth into it, if you're coping, then usually self-doubt comes in and says something can't be right. It follows on from last episode's self-belief motto.
Locke gets more cryptic as he goes along. He tells Jack he's seen the eye of the island and that it's beautiful. The first thought is the sight of the monster. But it's never as plain simple as that. Locke is hiding something. Analysing the words, is this beautiful thing beautiful in general, or HIS version of beautiful? (ie. Would the other castaways see it as beautiful?). But he's doing this stuff to try and help people survive, trying to show courage through decisiveness, so i guess we can't fault him. He also spurs Jack on to confront his past and become the leader and saviour of the island's water crisis, he becomes the wiseman all of a sudden. And normally with great knowledge, comes great corruption, or great loss so i hold my breath for now. The storyline between Charlie and Claire deepens, the comedic lovebirds at each other's throats, or wishing they were with the romantic tension going on, which is so sickeningly heartwarming. But is this forced love, or is this a possible crush? Are they in love because their common interests is in surviving or does Charlie really have a pregnancy fetish? Sun is getting fed up, as are we of seeing her suffer under Jin's "together forever" policy, even if they are married. But they're apt at knowing what the others are talking about is getting suspicious for people who don't speak a word of English. The best bit about the episode is Kate rising in the ranks and becoming the sheriff. Pure irony at work. But it makes sense why she's sheriff. She must know what the law is, she's broken it god knows how many times. Boone becomes the hated person on the island, taking a breather from his spat with Shannon and now spatting with everyone else, especially Michael, who's taking an active role in keeping the peace, which we can assume is to be a good example to his son. It's good to see some values aren't forgotten despite the de-evolution of the situation the characters are forced under. Sawyer starts to show some emotion.... dear god they're all going to die!! Talking to Boone, he admits it sucks being the most hated on the island. Am i hearing loneliness in his voice? He did say he was an optimist (with a cheery perk in his face, body and voice, classic sign of lying through over-emphasis of a single subject), but even optimists struggle to be happy without friends. Boone also suffers with his emotions, but doesn't wallow in self-pity. He lashes out at Jack because he's too ashamed to admit that he failed to save someone, Jack being the scapegoat, which is anything but how Jack wanted to end up, echoing his father's words and putting the sense into them (but without risks ie. non-sense, where do we go in life? As proved here, people will die without risks). Is Shannon the reason for this? She criticises everything else he does, could he be scared she'll break him down completely if she reaches him, so he uses Jack unfairly and aggressively (for his own guilt) to escape his fate of mental loss? We have known Shannon to be cruel and careless, and loathing of her brother. The whole bickering of those two is put into a scary light. Hopefully Boone isn't this troubled outside of the island. Hopefully, Shannon IS mentally troubled, explaining her crude behaviour.
This episode heralds another theme, which is clearly noticable, and is directly affected towards Jack. This music is sad and emotional, a break from the fantasy that the episode has endured. Everything about this music is blurred throughout the genre of fantasy though, although just enough to keep the main theme as melancholy of the alcoholic kind, sort of, regarding Jack anyway, who looks like he's dying to turn to the booze, possibly echoing his father's actions in his life. Could this be why his father was such an embittered man, guilty and ashamed about leading and then failing? The sense of survival horror is gone in this episode, especially as the missing water is more of a mystery than anything. The best part of the episode would have to be after Kate and Charlie rush to help Boone and Jack.. The camera shot pans up and back to reveal a series of froth in the huge view, anyone containing the ill-fated Joanne, with everyone standing by helpless and Jack's plight being useless emphasised beyond scale. With this, the music continues to rise in pitch with violins loud and proud and deadly quick movements. If you want something bad to be seen, overemphasis is always the key, and is played almost perfectly here. The range of genre this show accommodates from action thriller to emotional horror and romantic comedy shows the complexity of this show and can be interpreted as symbolic to the island itself. With comedy still rearing its head in the show, it never fails. The characters are starting to get personal with one another down to star signs, and caringness is developed further throughout this episode. The main theme though is shrouded. Obviously there are many lessons. Don't flee to Australia and drink to your heart dies. Don't charge after hallucinations on a mystery island unless accompanied by someone who doesn't see them. And most importantly, do smash up empty coffins at random if emotional stress is ieduced as a result. What strikes this episode as a milestone is the journey of self-discovery. Jack still has what it takes, despite the self-esteem loss he suffered under his father's tyranny, and the brink of destruction he was taken too because of his hallucinations. Him being a surgeon, he has a lot of pressure, and proves to us we can be strong and stronger than Jack, even if we aren't the leader, for everyone in a team counts and shares responsibility. Responsibility is proven to be our low while experience returns us to our high, the same goes for Jack, he fails, he takes time off, he thinks, he smashes, and he is proud to be a leader again, proving to us all we all have it in us, we just gotta take the time to search for it, unlike people like Jack's dad did. The failures of society clearly mark themselves because they refuse to accept responsibility for their actions, their failure and guilt and shame consuming them forever until they accept its been, happened and must be learned from, not forgotten, repressed or warped into some other event just to escape reality's harshness and society's stereotyped ideas, which are always there and mostly repressive, but it takes a special person to overcome them. Jack managed to beat his father's oppressive ways and realise the responsibility of responsibility. Luckily, we all can too. These episodes are written to represent people from many lifestyles, so it makes sense this series is about the basics of human nature. And human nature therefore dictates we can live with responsibility. Otherwise we wouldn't have survived for so long in the world, or evolve to the high standards we have reached today (when you compare it a century ago, where the Japanese were considered slitty eyed yellow people and colonial expansion resided over world peace). The theme of self-belief appears to stem into all episodes so far seen, and may accommodate a theory in itself about each character's independence, or possibly each character's fate. Everything is linked in this series, flashbacks, music, life lessons, character's actions, random objects, and this episode proves that flashbacks and character traits are linked, further prompting us viewers to give in to unholy sins and read spoilers. But we viewers aren't like that. Any unholy spoilers read and Americans are blamed immediately. Aren't scapegoats fun?
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10-16-2005
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