S1E04 – Walkabout

When I think back on the first time I watched Lost, I mostly remember the broad strokes of what I enjoyed about the show. I remember the gripping pilot episode. I remember the evolution of the characters and the clever use of flashback to slowly pull back the curtain on the many mysteries that get peppered throughout the show.

I also distinctly remember Walkabout as the episode that made me sit up, take notice, and fall in love with the show. In some ways, this episode is the payoff to all the tense, foreboding establishing shots of John Locke over the past three hours of Lost. In others, it is a master class in subverting expectations. Walkabout is Lost learning to do what it does best. Continue reading “S1E04 – Walkabout”

S1E03 – Tabula Rasa

It’s our first episode with an actual title and it’s a doozy. I could probably write an entire post about why “tabula rasa” is not only a great title for this particular episode but also a fantastic piece of showmanship for how Lost rewards fans who dig beyond the surface, but let’s just take a quick dip in the pond for now.

Tabula rasa is a Latin phrase – which translates literally to “scraped tablet” – and is often casually taken to mean “blank slate.” Most obviously, this refers to our hardy survivors. The crash has equalized their histories, putting them on this island together with blank slates to start anew. Who cares if you were in handcuffs? Who cares if you were a drug addict? Welcome to the island of second chances (and jungle monsters)!

But if we take one more layer off of this, tabula rasa as a philosophical concept also refers to the idea that the human mind is blank at birth and that all of our ideas and reasoning come from experience; it supposes that there is very little that is innate about us. Care to take a guess which English philosopher is most associated with exploring this idea? It was John Locke. Of course it was.

All right, let’s talk about this episode. Continue reading “S1E03 – Tabula Rasa”

S1E02 – Pilot, Part 2

I suppose I could have lumped this episode in with the first and written about the pilot in all of its two-hour-long glory, but it broadcast as two separate episodes and I have opinions for every hour of LOST and so here we are.

Once more, there’s a lot here. While the first half of the pilot set the tone for the series, hinting at its intoxicating mix of familiar real-life tragedy and supernatural mystery, this second half invests in what will become the lifeblood of the series: the histories, motivations, and foibles of the unlikely cast of characters stuck on this island together.

Are you going on the hike? I’m definitely going. When we get home, I’ll get you a new dog. Continue reading “S1E02 – Pilot, Part 2”

S1E01 – Pilot, Part 1

The pilot episode of Lost is extraordinary in many ways. It was one of three episodes to win a Primetime Emmy for the show. It was the most expensive pilot on television at the time. It set audience records when it aired. It is, simply put, an expertly written and executed hour of television.

Personally, I thought that the remaining 120 episodes continued to tell a spellbinding story as well, but we’ll get there in due time. Where’s Walt? is a chronicle of a dedicated rewatching by a self-proclaimed Lostie of all six season of Lost. It is a journal of joys and sorrows, attempts at snark and wit, passing allusions to English philosophers, and a list of definitive answers for every question you may have ever had. You know – all the things you watch Lost for!

All right, let’s get started. The Pilot! Part 1. Continue reading “S1E01 – Pilot, Part 1”