Lost: Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot, Part 1 Review
Pilot, Part 1
Original Airdate: September 22, 2004
Story: Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Writers: J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof
Director: J.J. Abrams
With one plane crash, forty-eight survivors and an uncountable amount of mysteries, Lost, along with Desperate Housewives (which premiered less than two weeks later), revived ABC, which had been relegated to a joke among the big three. Those made cynical by the way TV works may have been likely to believe this show would've been good, had a strong cult following, but quickly canceled while the rest of the world doesn't notice. That assumption makes Lost one of the biggest surprises of 2004. It also marks a watershed moment for network TV: a shift from the glut of reality shows back to scripted shows, a moment that couldn't have come sooner for those jaded by them.
Pilots are always tricky to do. You have to balance setting up the characters and the problems while simultaneously telling a good story. Lost has the added challenge of introducing 14 characters and to convince the audience that this show wasn’t Survivor, Jurassic Park or even Gilligan’s Island (now deep in the second season, such a comparison is now absurd). Thanks to one of the largest budgets ever allotted to a pilot episode, a well-written script, and great direction, they pull it off fantastically in a production that looks cinematic in scale.
The intensity and urgency grab you from the second that pupil dilates. We feel much like Jack, confused and a little scared. It builds as he runs through the jungle, then stops. The silence adds to the suspense to the plane crash site. Focusing on Jack, we're thrown headfirst into the crisis, but we can still comprehend enough not to be confused. We're given several different reactions: those who are dazed from shock (Charlie), those who panic (Shannon), those desperately looking for someone (Michael) and those who try to help (Jack and Boone). This exhaustive sequence is thrilling; piling on the problems for Jack, never giving us a feeling of safety. Of course, we have to mention the guy who got sucked into the jet engine, which adds to the sense of anything can happen on this island. This sequence is a large reason behind the episode's huge budget, but it pays for itself in what it did for the show as a whole.
One of the most interesting aspects of this episode is what we don't know. Of the cast, only a handful are named. This certainly helps the show avoid the exposition dump common in pilots. Also, we don't need to juggle all fourteen names right now. If we did, some would tune out from information overload. The immediate aftermath of the plane crash would be an implausible place for people to tell each other their life stories. The only people they need to name are the ones heading to the cockpit since that is the big piece of the episode post-crash.
As the crash aftermath subsides, they need to continue a sense of urgency, so the "monster" starts tearing down trees in the jungle. If anything that fans wants to know about, it is this. From what we have in this episode, it sounds like a combination of organic and mechanical sounds (how much fun must it have been to make the monster noises). There is that dominant horn, followed by the chirping that sounds like a machine printing a receipt. Whatever it is, we know immediately why it strikes fear in the people on the island.
An interesting choice in this pilot is that two characters who would become central to the show, Sawyer and Locke, don't do anything significant in this first part. Since they didn't have much to do with the plot in this part, the writers manage to craft in some quick characterizations. Sawyer's lighting of a cigarette made my dad comment that something about him was up to no good. As for Locke, he stares at the shoreline in meditation. When everyone seeks shelter from the rain, Locke embraces it, as if it is cleansing. It's important that they show this mysterious nature as it adds to the speculative nature that fuels this show.
For the other cast members, I remember Daniel Dae Kim from his work on Angel, where he was always in Christian Kane's shadow, and 24, where he didn't have much to do character wise. While we initially see the yet unnamed Jin demand that he and his wife Sun stay together, it doesn't leave a desirable impression. This relationship is definitely a stock relationship: the overbearing husband and the submissive wife who obeys. Many are like that: spoiled brat Shannon, painting her toenails; Hurley, the fat guy serving as comic relief; Boone, the guy who wants to help, but is useless. However, when we look closer through the series, we see that there is far more to them than that.
The diverse cast is refreshing. There is one Latino, three blacks, a Middle Easterner and two Asians. When was the last time you saw two Asians in the lead cast of a primetime show (or how many shows have had even one)? As it is a show whose cast consists of passengers on a plane, it would hard to believe it would be entirely white people. It works for character heavy drama to have people from different walks of life. Co-creators Abrams and Lindelof said that an important piece of this show is to have people who would never interact otherwise become friends on this island.
Watching in retrospect (at this time, the most recently aired episode was the ninth episode of the second season), I caught many hints and foreshadowing of events to come later in the season. Some of these things would be revealed later in the second part of the pilot. I'll talk about those in future reviews. This show takes its time, which is certainly wise in terms of the pilot.
Evangeline Lilly, in her first speaking role, is a true find for the producers. Originally, Jack was going to be the one hanging in the tree at the ending of this episode and the show was going have Kate as the focal point. We could see from her performance in this episode that such an alternative reality Lost could've worked well. In this episode, she gives some looks that hint towards things revealed later and her chemistry with Jack is great from its start, which is a major part of the show. There was that great moment when they've escaped the monster and Kate "lets the fear in" as Jack told her. It is such a great tense moment thanks to her performance.
It is interesting to know that originally Jack was going die early in the pilot (and that Michael Keaton would've played him!) Such a shock would've been true for Lost's format, but it might've been too much for such a packed episode and a series this early in its time. Because he has been such a big part of the show since then, it's hard to imagine that they were able to retool the show so quickly to accommodate that. But judging by the flashback on the plane, he has some issues, which explains the alcohol in his pocket when they land and his speech about fear when Kate stitches him up.
Charlie, played by Hobbit superstar Dominic Monaghan, is the last character to get significant attention in this part. Originally Charlie was supposed to be twenty years older, but considering the fickle nature of the music business, it still works. Since Kate vaguely recalls seeing him and Charlie's explanation that they're still together, Driveshaft has seen brighter days, and they were some time ago.
The only time we're given an exposition explanation isn't to describe the characters, but the situation our castaways are in. With our modern technology, many can wonder why they wouldn't be found within hours, as Shannon assumed. That's why we need the pilot to tell us that the technology that would help them failed and they were planing to land elsewhere and crashed. No one but they know where this plane is.
Lost's pilot is easily one of the best pilot episodes I've ever seen. From the urgency that grabs you instantly to the characters to the unbelievable production, it's hard to match on TV and in some cinema. Some were worried that ABC decided to split this feature length pilot into two episodes, but the first episode was so good (and the retained audience from week to week) that such a concern was rendered useless within weeks. There is so much that going on, so many mysteries and characters, that this bold mission statement of a pilot makes me willing to commit to this show for a long time.
Score: 10/10
Original Airdate: September 22, 2004
Story: Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Writers: J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof
Director: J.J. Abrams
With one plane crash, forty-eight survivors and an uncountable amount of mysteries, Lost, along with Desperate Housewives (which premiered less than two weeks later), revived ABC, which had been relegated to a joke among the big three. Those made cynical by the way TV works may have been likely to believe this show would've been good, had a strong cult following, but quickly canceled while the rest of the world doesn't notice. That assumption makes Lost one of the biggest surprises of 2004. It also marks a watershed moment for network TV: a shift from the glut of reality shows back to scripted shows, a moment that couldn't have come sooner for those jaded by them.
Pilots are always tricky to do. You have to balance setting up the characters and the problems while simultaneously telling a good story. Lost has the added challenge of introducing 14 characters and to convince the audience that this show wasn’t Survivor, Jurassic Park or even Gilligan’s Island (now deep in the second season, such a comparison is now absurd). Thanks to one of the largest budgets ever allotted to a pilot episode, a well-written script, and great direction, they pull it off fantastically in a production that looks cinematic in scale.
The intensity and urgency grab you from the second that pupil dilates. We feel much like Jack, confused and a little scared. It builds as he runs through the jungle, then stops. The silence adds to the suspense to the plane crash site. Focusing on Jack, we're thrown headfirst into the crisis, but we can still comprehend enough not to be confused. We're given several different reactions: those who are dazed from shock (Charlie), those who panic (Shannon), those desperately looking for someone (Michael) and those who try to help (Jack and Boone). This exhaustive sequence is thrilling; piling on the problems for Jack, never giving us a feeling of safety. Of course, we have to mention the guy who got sucked into the jet engine, which adds to the sense of anything can happen on this island. This sequence is a large reason behind the episode's huge budget, but it pays for itself in what it did for the show as a whole.
One of the most interesting aspects of this episode is what we don't know. Of the cast, only a handful are named. This certainly helps the show avoid the exposition dump common in pilots. Also, we don't need to juggle all fourteen names right now. If we did, some would tune out from information overload. The immediate aftermath of the plane crash would be an implausible place for people to tell each other their life stories. The only people they need to name are the ones heading to the cockpit since that is the big piece of the episode post-crash.
As the crash aftermath subsides, they need to continue a sense of urgency, so the "monster" starts tearing down trees in the jungle. If anything that fans wants to know about, it is this. From what we have in this episode, it sounds like a combination of organic and mechanical sounds (how much fun must it have been to make the monster noises). There is that dominant horn, followed by the chirping that sounds like a machine printing a receipt. Whatever it is, we know immediately why it strikes fear in the people on the island.
An interesting choice in this pilot is that two characters who would become central to the show, Sawyer and Locke, don't do anything significant in this first part. Since they didn't have much to do with the plot in this part, the writers manage to craft in some quick characterizations. Sawyer's lighting of a cigarette made my dad comment that something about him was up to no good. As for Locke, he stares at the shoreline in meditation. When everyone seeks shelter from the rain, Locke embraces it, as if it is cleansing. It's important that they show this mysterious nature as it adds to the speculative nature that fuels this show.
For the other cast members, I remember Daniel Dae Kim from his work on Angel, where he was always in Christian Kane's shadow, and 24, where he didn't have much to do character wise. While we initially see the yet unnamed Jin demand that he and his wife Sun stay together, it doesn't leave a desirable impression. This relationship is definitely a stock relationship: the overbearing husband and the submissive wife who obeys. Many are like that: spoiled brat Shannon, painting her toenails; Hurley, the fat guy serving as comic relief; Boone, the guy who wants to help, but is useless. However, when we look closer through the series, we see that there is far more to them than that.
The diverse cast is refreshing. There is one Latino, three blacks, a Middle Easterner and two Asians. When was the last time you saw two Asians in the lead cast of a primetime show (or how many shows have had even one)? As it is a show whose cast consists of passengers on a plane, it would hard to believe it would be entirely white people. It works for character heavy drama to have people from different walks of life. Co-creators Abrams and Lindelof said that an important piece of this show is to have people who would never interact otherwise become friends on this island.
Watching in retrospect (at this time, the most recently aired episode was the ninth episode of the second season), I caught many hints and foreshadowing of events to come later in the season. Some of these things would be revealed later in the second part of the pilot. I'll talk about those in future reviews. This show takes its time, which is certainly wise in terms of the pilot.
Evangeline Lilly, in her first speaking role, is a true find for the producers. Originally, Jack was going to be the one hanging in the tree at the ending of this episode and the show was going have Kate as the focal point. We could see from her performance in this episode that such an alternative reality Lost could've worked well. In this episode, she gives some looks that hint towards things revealed later and her chemistry with Jack is great from its start, which is a major part of the show. There was that great moment when they've escaped the monster and Kate "lets the fear in" as Jack told her. It is such a great tense moment thanks to her performance.
It is interesting to know that originally Jack was going die early in the pilot (and that Michael Keaton would've played him!) Such a shock would've been true for Lost's format, but it might've been too much for such a packed episode and a series this early in its time. Because he has been such a big part of the show since then, it's hard to imagine that they were able to retool the show so quickly to accommodate that. But judging by the flashback on the plane, he has some issues, which explains the alcohol in his pocket when they land and his speech about fear when Kate stitches him up.
Charlie, played by Hobbit superstar Dominic Monaghan, is the last character to get significant attention in this part. Originally Charlie was supposed to be twenty years older, but considering the fickle nature of the music business, it still works. Since Kate vaguely recalls seeing him and Charlie's explanation that they're still together, Driveshaft has seen brighter days, and they were some time ago.
The only time we're given an exposition explanation isn't to describe the characters, but the situation our castaways are in. With our modern technology, many can wonder why they wouldn't be found within hours, as Shannon assumed. That's why we need the pilot to tell us that the technology that would help them failed and they were planing to land elsewhere and crashed. No one but they know where this plane is.
Lost's pilot is easily one of the best pilot episodes I've ever seen. From the urgency that grabs you instantly to the characters to the unbelievable production, it's hard to match on TV and in some cinema. Some were worried that ABC decided to split this feature length pilot into two episodes, but the first episode was so good (and the retained audience from week to week) that such a concern was rendered useless within weeks. There is so much that going on, so many mysteries and characters, that this bold mission statement of a pilot makes me willing to commit to this show for a long time.
Score: 10/10
posted by Matt @ 7:52 PM
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