WALKABOUT
Original Airdate: 10/13/2004
Written By: David Fury
Directed By: Jack Bender
Character: Locke
Days Four - Five
I said in my reviews of the pilot that Locke had a very good reason for being the only happy person on the island. I also claimed that no one on the island, even Kate, comes close to the freedom and sense of belonging that Locke feels upon letting go of his old life and claiming the island as his new home. Because that's just what he's doing, claiming the island as his own. Nothing could prove this more than the fact that the monster let him live. In fact, let's start with the monster. Up until this point, the monster has done nothing but kill and terrify our precious Losties. And then it meets Locke, Locke who has literally been healed by the island, or so we must assume. Locke who has not walked for four years, who wanted nothing more than to take a Walkabout of Australia and to commune with nature. He certainly got his wish. That the monster allows him to live means that Locke does not pose a threat, even that the monster may feel some affinity with Locke.
There has been much speculation over the past three seasons of the show over Locke's connection to the island, but it all begins right here: the moment that Locke looks into the eyes of the monster and lives. I argue that what that monster sensed, what connects Locke to the island, is nothing more than his simple, but very strong, faith. Faith in himself, faith in the future. And faith in the healing power of nature. We see in this episode that Locke prior to the crash was living a very sad, almost pathetic existence. He works for a box company for a man who mocks him at every turn; his only sense of adventure comes from playing war games. He tells his friends that he has a girlfriend named Helen, but we soon learn that he has become emotionally attached to a woman that he pays to talk to him. God only knows what kind of company she works for. Even with her, though, we see his faith in the goodness of humanity. Even though he literally pays her to talk to him, he still truly believes that she cares about him enough to buy her a ticket as his Walkabout companion. More importantly, this shows that he believes himself worthy of being cared for. This is even more amazing when you consider the amount of stomping-upon this man's heart has taken, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.
Finally, we come to the most important indication of his faith: the wheelchair. We learn that he has been paralyzed for four years, that he has lived this barren existence for four years. And yet he still believes himself capable of going on this walkabout, it never even crosses his mind that he might fail. When the walkabout agent tells him that he cannot go, that he wouldn't be able to handle it, Locke becomes incensed with rage. Who is this man to tell him what to do? Who is this man to judge what Locke is capable of, what Locke knows he is destined to do? When the agent doubts him, he is not only doubting Locke's abilities, he's doubting his beliefs, the very core of his being. And so he is sent back home, only to be given the most magnificent gift...
His freedom, a chance to start over, and a blank slate with which to do it upon. This is not the blank slate that Kate struggles with, Locke's blank slate seems to be the island itself. In his former life he could only play at adventure, preparing with optimism for the day that a true one might come along. Now he's living a true Walkabout, and the island is a sea of mystery just waiting for him to discover its secrets. When Locke sees the boars on the beach, his eyes light up. He sees not danger, but opportunity. He is more willing than any of the others to let the island work his magic upon him, and so it does. When Kate tells Jack that Locke is gone and he believes her, it is apparent that none of the others, with the exception of Rose, have as much faith as Locke does. They immediately believe him dead because that is what they expect to happen; they have no hope, no faith in the positive. They expect the worse, and the worse they shall receive. There is only one moment in the jungle when Locke's faith wavers and his paralysis seemingly returns when he lets his fear of the boars take over, but soon so does his faith and Locke is healed once again. Rose, like Locke, has copious amounts of faith. We see her sitting alone on the beach and we assume that she is in mourning for her husband. What she is really doing is praying, hoping for the fate that she believes will come: that he is alive, and whole, and just as worried about her as she is about him. She certainly surprises Jack with her beliefs.
Speaking of Jack, when the first image we see in this episode is Locke's eye, we immediately remember the opening shot of the pilot: Jack's eye. I argued before that Jack and Locke were set in opposition in the pilot and this is made visually clear by this shot. The Pilot was Jack's perspective: save those who can be saved and prepare for rescue, be practical and do the right thing. This episode is Locke's: a man who recognizes not the negatives of their situation, but the opportunities. When Jack tells the others that he must burn the fuselage he has finally come to accept that their course of action must be adapted to their circumstances. He knows that these people deserve a different fate, but he also knows that they cannot have it unless the lives of the other Losties are put in jeopardy. He is finally playing by the new rules that Sawyer understood implicitly. He is not, however, accepting his role as leader. Claire and the others intrinsically sense in Jack the qualities of a leader, so when she comes to him and asks him to lead the memorial, he doesn't understand why. (It is worth noting that Sayid, who clashes with Jack over decisions, would like to be the leader. It is for precisely this reason, his arrogance, that he is not as fit to lead as Jack.) They look to him as their safety, a person who knows what to do. It is only natural that they should look to him for solace. It is the same when Boone approaches him about Rose. He doesn't understand why he must be the one to help her, but in the end his connection to her is too strong and he goes to her.
Jack may not have Rose's faith, but he does share something with her: their compassion and lack of selfishness. Jack has been killing himself to help everyone else since the crash, and when he tries to comfort Rose she simply tells him that everyone is in the same situation as she is. She's nothing special. This is in stark contrast to Shannon, who complains loudly to Boone that she is special and is going through something horrible. Shannon thinks nothing of others at this point. She uses Charlie and his obvious attraction for her to make a point for her brother. Even more cruel, she doesn't even bother to hide it from him, but lords her argument with Boone right in front of his face. It's no wonder that the next time we see Charlie he's getting a fix.
The final thing I want to talk about is Walt and Michael. We finally learn why they are so awkward with each other. Michael literally does not know how to be a father to Walt because he barely knows him. He tries so hard to connect with his son that he pushes him away. Locke, the man of the hour, however, treats Walt with respect and intelligence and does not try to get him a babysitter. This immediately puts Michael at odds with Locke: he's competition. Possibly dangerous competition. Even Locke's kind gesture of finding Vincent has put Michael off because it was something that Michael couldn't do. Moreover, because Locke is so connected to the island and he has seemed to bond with Walt, this suggests that Walt might somehow become connected to the island as well. There's also Vincent to support this argument; in the very first scene of the Pilot, we see Jack through Vincent's eyes, implying a connection with the island. Maybe this has something to do with dogs being closer to nature, but in either case, Vincent is connected to island and Vincent is connected to Walt. This is not coincidence, people.
Some quick, final thoughts. I loved seeing Shannon screaming again right after the crash; it just cracks me up. Locke's confusion at being able to walk is wonderful. I understand him completely, but I still thinking Michael is an annoying little turd. I loved Walt's response to Sun: "Yeah...whatever." I smell puberty coming. Michael asking Kate what she was doing in Australia makes us wonder what all of them were doing in Australia. Claire reading off these pathetic pieces of people's lives is so pathetic that it's touching; they're trying to stay human in the midst of all the horror. Hurley and Charlie fishing was really, really funny. Sawyer's Jack-insults were especially dead-on today. Jack-ass....very clever.
Questions Raised
1. How was Locke healed of his paralysis?
2. Who was the man on the beach that Jack was fixated on?
3. Why was everyone on Flight 815?
4. Is Rose's husband alive? Or, more importantly, what happened to the tail end of the plane?
5. Why did the monster let Locke live?
Questions Answered
1. The miracle that happened to Locke was that he can walk again after having been in a wheelchair for four years.
Mythology
1. The island has healing powers?
Motifs/Themes
1. Eyes
2. Spiritualism
3. Back to Nature vs. Corporate Civilization
4. Freedom
5. Blank Slate
6. Destiny
7. Faith and Hope
Death Count
1. One wild boar.
Sawyerisms
1. To Jack: "Right behind you, jackass."
2. To Hurley: "I'll hurt you, pork-pie."
3. To Jack: "Stay out of this, metro."
4. To Kate: "The mighty huntress returns. What's for dinner, hon...?"
Character Connections
n/a
Lines of the Week
"It's not about what they deserve, they're gone....and we're not." Jack, finally understanding that it's time to play by new rules.
"It appears you're as anxious to get off this island as I am." Sayid to Kate, being really wrong.
"Who is this guy?" Hurley, on Locke, after the spectacular knife toss.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have trouble staying in one place for very long, Kate." Jack, with a much more accurate read of Kate than Sayid had.
"So tell me something, how come any time there's a hike into the heart of darkness you sign up?" Jack showing us he's not only a hero, but he's well-read.
"Hey, hey, don't you walk away from me. You don't know who you're dealing with! Don't ever tell me what I can't do, ever! This is destiny. This is destiny. This is... This is my destiny. This... I'm supposed to do this, dammit! Don't tell me what I can't do! " Locke, telling us how he really feels, and so much more.
"Everyone who was in the rear of the plane is dead."
"They're probably thinking the same thing about us." Jack and Rose, with a lesson in faith.
"You know, doctor, you don't have to keep your promise."
"What promise?"
"The promise you made to keep me company until my husband got back from the restroom. I'm letting you off the hook." Rose, displaying her sense of humor, and acknowledging Jack's efforts.
Written By: David Fury
Directed By: Jack Bender
Character: Locke
Days Four - Five
I said in my reviews of the pilot that Locke had a very good reason for being the only happy person on the island. I also claimed that no one on the island, even Kate, comes close to the freedom and sense of belonging that Locke feels upon letting go of his old life and claiming the island as his new home. Because that's just what he's doing, claiming the island as his own. Nothing could prove this more than the fact that the monster let him live. In fact, let's start with the monster. Up until this point, the monster has done nothing but kill and terrify our precious Losties. And then it meets Locke, Locke who has literally been healed by the island, or so we must assume. Locke who has not walked for four years, who wanted nothing more than to take a Walkabout of Australia and to commune with nature. He certainly got his wish. That the monster allows him to live means that Locke does not pose a threat, even that the monster may feel some affinity with Locke.
There has been much speculation over the past three seasons of the show over Locke's connection to the island, but it all begins right here: the moment that Locke looks into the eyes of the monster and lives. I argue that what that monster sensed, what connects Locke to the island, is nothing more than his simple, but very strong, faith. Faith in himself, faith in the future. And faith in the healing power of nature. We see in this episode that Locke prior to the crash was living a very sad, almost pathetic existence. He works for a box company for a man who mocks him at every turn; his only sense of adventure comes from playing war games. He tells his friends that he has a girlfriend named Helen, but we soon learn that he has become emotionally attached to a woman that he pays to talk to him. God only knows what kind of company she works for. Even with her, though, we see his faith in the goodness of humanity. Even though he literally pays her to talk to him, he still truly believes that she cares about him enough to buy her a ticket as his Walkabout companion. More importantly, this shows that he believes himself worthy of being cared for. This is even more amazing when you consider the amount of stomping-upon this man's heart has taken, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.
Finally, we come to the most important indication of his faith: the wheelchair. We learn that he has been paralyzed for four years, that he has lived this barren existence for four years. And yet he still believes himself capable of going on this walkabout, it never even crosses his mind that he might fail. When the walkabout agent tells him that he cannot go, that he wouldn't be able to handle it, Locke becomes incensed with rage. Who is this man to tell him what to do? Who is this man to judge what Locke is capable of, what Locke knows he is destined to do? When the agent doubts him, he is not only doubting Locke's abilities, he's doubting his beliefs, the very core of his being. And so he is sent back home, only to be given the most magnificent gift...
His freedom, a chance to start over, and a blank slate with which to do it upon. This is not the blank slate that Kate struggles with, Locke's blank slate seems to be the island itself. In his former life he could only play at adventure, preparing with optimism for the day that a true one might come along. Now he's living a true Walkabout, and the island is a sea of mystery just waiting for him to discover its secrets. When Locke sees the boars on the beach, his eyes light up. He sees not danger, but opportunity. He is more willing than any of the others to let the island work his magic upon him, and so it does. When Kate tells Jack that Locke is gone and he believes her, it is apparent that none of the others, with the exception of Rose, have as much faith as Locke does. They immediately believe him dead because that is what they expect to happen; they have no hope, no faith in the positive. They expect the worse, and the worse they shall receive. There is only one moment in the jungle when Locke's faith wavers and his paralysis seemingly returns when he lets his fear of the boars take over, but soon so does his faith and Locke is healed once again. Rose, like Locke, has copious amounts of faith. We see her sitting alone on the beach and we assume that she is in mourning for her husband. What she is really doing is praying, hoping for the fate that she believes will come: that he is alive, and whole, and just as worried about her as she is about him. She certainly surprises Jack with her beliefs.
Speaking of Jack, when the first image we see in this episode is Locke's eye, we immediately remember the opening shot of the pilot: Jack's eye. I argued before that Jack and Locke were set in opposition in the pilot and this is made visually clear by this shot. The Pilot was Jack's perspective: save those who can be saved and prepare for rescue, be practical and do the right thing. This episode is Locke's: a man who recognizes not the negatives of their situation, but the opportunities. When Jack tells the others that he must burn the fuselage he has finally come to accept that their course of action must be adapted to their circumstances. He knows that these people deserve a different fate, but he also knows that they cannot have it unless the lives of the other Losties are put in jeopardy. He is finally playing by the new rules that Sawyer understood implicitly. He is not, however, accepting his role as leader. Claire and the others intrinsically sense in Jack the qualities of a leader, so when she comes to him and asks him to lead the memorial, he doesn't understand why. (It is worth noting that Sayid, who clashes with Jack over decisions, would like to be the leader. It is for precisely this reason, his arrogance, that he is not as fit to lead as Jack.) They look to him as their safety, a person who knows what to do. It is only natural that they should look to him for solace. It is the same when Boone approaches him about Rose. He doesn't understand why he must be the one to help her, but in the end his connection to her is too strong and he goes to her.
Jack may not have Rose's faith, but he does share something with her: their compassion and lack of selfishness. Jack has been killing himself to help everyone else since the crash, and when he tries to comfort Rose she simply tells him that everyone is in the same situation as she is. She's nothing special. This is in stark contrast to Shannon, who complains loudly to Boone that she is special and is going through something horrible. Shannon thinks nothing of others at this point. She uses Charlie and his obvious attraction for her to make a point for her brother. Even more cruel, she doesn't even bother to hide it from him, but lords her argument with Boone right in front of his face. It's no wonder that the next time we see Charlie he's getting a fix.
The final thing I want to talk about is Walt and Michael. We finally learn why they are so awkward with each other. Michael literally does not know how to be a father to Walt because he barely knows him. He tries so hard to connect with his son that he pushes him away. Locke, the man of the hour, however, treats Walt with respect and intelligence and does not try to get him a babysitter. This immediately puts Michael at odds with Locke: he's competition. Possibly dangerous competition. Even Locke's kind gesture of finding Vincent has put Michael off because it was something that Michael couldn't do. Moreover, because Locke is so connected to the island and he has seemed to bond with Walt, this suggests that Walt might somehow become connected to the island as well. There's also Vincent to support this argument; in the very first scene of the Pilot, we see Jack through Vincent's eyes, implying a connection with the island. Maybe this has something to do with dogs being closer to nature, but in either case, Vincent is connected to island and Vincent is connected to Walt. This is not coincidence, people.
Some quick, final thoughts. I loved seeing Shannon screaming again right after the crash; it just cracks me up. Locke's confusion at being able to walk is wonderful. I understand him completely, but I still thinking Michael is an annoying little turd. I loved Walt's response to Sun: "Yeah...whatever." I smell puberty coming. Michael asking Kate what she was doing in Australia makes us wonder what all of them were doing in Australia. Claire reading off these pathetic pieces of people's lives is so pathetic that it's touching; they're trying to stay human in the midst of all the horror. Hurley and Charlie fishing was really, really funny. Sawyer's Jack-insults were especially dead-on today. Jack-ass....very clever.
Questions Raised
1. How was Locke healed of his paralysis?
2. Who was the man on the beach that Jack was fixated on?
3. Why was everyone on Flight 815?
4. Is Rose's husband alive? Or, more importantly, what happened to the tail end of the plane?
5. Why did the monster let Locke live?
Questions Answered
1. The miracle that happened to Locke was that he can walk again after having been in a wheelchair for four years.
Mythology
1. The island has healing powers?
Motifs/Themes
1. Eyes
2. Spiritualism
3. Back to Nature vs. Corporate Civilization
4. Freedom
5. Blank Slate
6. Destiny
7. Faith and Hope
Death Count
1. One wild boar.
Sawyerisms
1. To Jack: "Right behind you, jackass."
2. To Hurley: "I'll hurt you, pork-pie."
3. To Jack: "Stay out of this, metro."
4. To Kate: "The mighty huntress returns. What's for dinner, hon...?"
Character Connections
n/a
The eyes have it...a fresh perspective from Locke, and an image connecting him directly to Jack.
Kate, pondering just how anxious she is not to get off the island.
A classic shot, if only we could see Sawyer this freaked out more.
Rose, sitting on the beach, and thinking exactly the opposite of what we expect her to be thinking.
Seeing the heart of the island.
The mysterious man who freaks the crap out of Jack.
Locke, broken and defeated, never gives up on himself...
...and proof that he was right not to.
Lines of the Week
"It's not about what they deserve, they're gone....and we're not." Jack, finally understanding that it's time to play by new rules.
"It appears you're as anxious to get off this island as I am." Sayid to Kate, being really wrong.
"Who is this guy?" Hurley, on Locke, after the spectacular knife toss.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have trouble staying in one place for very long, Kate." Jack, with a much more accurate read of Kate than Sayid had.
"So tell me something, how come any time there's a hike into the heart of darkness you sign up?" Jack showing us he's not only a hero, but he's well-read.
"Hey, hey, don't you walk away from me. You don't know who you're dealing with! Don't ever tell me what I can't do, ever! This is destiny. This is destiny. This is... This is my destiny. This... I'm supposed to do this, dammit! Don't tell me what I can't do! " Locke, telling us how he really feels, and so much more.
"Everyone who was in the rear of the plane is dead."
"They're probably thinking the same thing about us." Jack and Rose, with a lesson in faith.
"You know, doctor, you don't have to keep your promise."
"What promise?"
"The promise you made to keep me company until my husband got back from the restroom. I'm letting you off the hook." Rose, displaying her sense of humor, and acknowledging Jack's efforts.
A note to my readers, all ten of you: I'm not exactly sure how to get people to read this strange little thing that I'm doing, or even what the protocol for that sort of thing calls for. If you could spread the word about my journal, that would be awesome!