Lost: Season 2, Episode 2: Adrift Review

Adrift
Original Airdate: September 28, 2005
Writers: Leonard Dick & Steven Maeda
Director: Stephen Williams

Probably the gutsiest thing about last week’s stellar opening was that there was no follow up on Michael, Jin and Sawyer. Last time we saw them, The Others took Walt, shot Sawyer and cast off Jin and Michael before blowing up their raft. Some of those unhappy with the ending of season one thought that Michael screaming for Walt would’ve been better than Locke and Jack staring down at the hatch. This frustration must’ve been increased with the lack of follow up in “Man of Science…”

So we get the aftermath in this episode, picking up immediately where we left them, complete with stock sound bytes from “Exodus II”. Michael screams desperately for Walt before almost drowning. Sawyer, reeling from his gunshot wound, saves Michael through mouth to mouth resuscitation, in a rare instance of selflessness. It’s interesting that neither of them initially shouts for Jin, who appeared to be going in after Sawyer in “Exodus II”.

The shock of having lost his son triggers Michael’s memory to the last time he lost his son, when Walt’s mother, Susan, gained custody. Throughout his flashback sequences, which don’t deliver much we didn’t already know from “Special”, we see how Michael’s fight for his son was marred because he wasn’t involved in Walt’s life and lacks the money Walt’s mom has. Despite that, Michael is determined to fight to keep Walt. His lawyers, her lawyers, and Susan ask him why he suddenly cares so much about him. We can assume that it is because Michael realized he took Walt for granted until it was too late and his pursuit made him overlook the fact that Susan could provide a good life for Walt.

But that obviously doesn’t mean anything following Susan’s death and their time on the island. Since then, Michael has grown as a father, as he fought a polar bear for his son, but clearly, he has work to do. Much of his present storyline focuses on him passing blame on Sawyer for Walt’s abduction. Had Sawyer not urged Michael to fire the flare gun, The Others wouldn’t have been tipped off to their location. Sawyer points out that the boat had to have been close, like the island. By morning, Michael is ready to admit that he is largely responsible for what happened because Walt was on the raft because Michael wanted it, and he is determined to get him back.

Co-creator JJ Abrams once said that Michael was his favorite character and he could do a series revolving around him. After “Special”, which was an all around well made episode, this statement had some weight. However, not much use has been made of Michael’s character otherwise. Early on there was some intimations that there was going to be some kind of relationship between him and Sun, but that was dashed by midseason. For the second time Michael gets an episode about him, we are given very little aside that we couldn’t already assume, although his goodbye to Walt was heartfelt.

I heard that originally this episode was going to deal with Sawyer, which would make sense because his high profile character is more suited for early in the season. Plus, his impromptu surgery was one of the highlights of the episode. However, losing Walt would make a Michael flashback appropriate. I wonder if there was footage for Sawyer’s flashbacks that will get pushed back to a later date. It’d certainly be interesting to see how this episode would compare with Sawyer flashbacks instead.

One aspect of this episode, which some felt was confusing, was the retelling of the last episode’s events from the perspective of those in the hatch. Considering the storyline ends exactly where it ended in the season premiere, we’re given little feeling of plot advancement. Though there are some aspects explored, it could’ve been just a part of the last episode or the episode afterward. Not that I mind it when there is a change in perspective. Often it offers an interesting look into the minds of the characters and can show the events from an interesting point of view. However, this time it doesn’t feel necessary.

One thing the perspective change does is let us know Kate’s location during Jack and Desmond’s confrontation. Locke agrees to tie up Kate, knowing that she can escape and so he can be the one to interact directly with Desmond. All Locke manages to learn is that Hurley’s numbers need to be entered into a computer to reset a clock back to 108 minutes. Kate manages to find the food pantry and from there the ventilation shafts, which place her behind the vent Desmond shoots.

Desmond is certainly a lot like fellow island exile Rousseau. He has been on this island for a long time, and having to enter this code every 108 (the sum of the evil numbers) minutes has obviously affected his sleep patterns, which would totally warp his mindset. Add the isolation from being down in the hatch to that and we can see how Desmond changed from the way he was in Jack’s flashback. One must wonder now what Rousseau was like before her crew was shipwrecked.

The biggest advancement is the increased presence of the logo plastered everywhere throughout the hatch. The Dharma logo, which no doubt had fans scouring the internet and libraries for more information, is on Desmond’s uniform, the cans of food, and most revealingly, on the shark terrorizing Michael and Sawyer. This organization apparently must be behind what is happening on the island. Simultaneously it serves to answer some questions, while leaving many in its wake.

Only one scene appears outside of the A and B plot and that is the scene where Claire discovers Charlie’s Mary full of heroin statue. Although Charlie appeared to have kicked his heroin addiction with Locke’s help early in the first season, it isn’t as easy as it initially appeared to be. This scene functions not for plot so much as a reminder for something they will use in the future.

As the episode ends, Michael and Sawyer return to the island, a place Sawyer now calls “home”. This moment is thankfully underplayed, since its significance doesn’t need emphasis. They have been stranded on this island for a month and a half. For all they (and we) know, they could be there for the rest of their lives. Considering all the connections they have made and things they’ve experienced, the island is now home. Alternatively, we could look at it as Sawyer resigning himself to what Arzt had predicted before they set sail.

But the big surprise at the end comes when we finally reconnect with Jin, who is tied up and screaming at Michael and Sawyer, warning them of “Others”, a group of scary looking people. One claimed that one of the Korean words Jin was yelling translated to “Infected”. I don’t believe they’re affiliated with The Others who took Walt. Those others had a boat and guns, whereas these people don’t have anything as sophisticated as that. What we really want to know is how exactly did Jin go from the raft to the island in enough time to be kidnapped by these others and escape.

The second part of the three part introductory arc doesn’t introduce as much as the premiere or “Orientation” does, so the lack of momentum causes the episode to lag. Michael and Sawyer’s mid sea drama was well done considering the limits they have both in characters and surroundings. Perhaps had this episode merged with the episodes before and after, it would’ve made for a good two and a half hour event.

Score: 6/10