Lost: Season 1, Episode 5: White Rabbit Review
White Rabbit
Original Airdate: October 20, 2004
Writer: Christian Taylor
Director: Kevin Hooks
Now we come to the most important facing our castaways: how do they get the group to function in a way that benefits everyone? At this point, people are still acting in their own interests from draining the water supply to Sawyer using his perks to gain influence. That won’t work for a long term stay. Sun mentions that they need someone to tell them what to do. Their water is now down to about a cup per person and the castaways wake up to a drowning. The people now turn to Jack, who they’ve turned to since the crash, to see what to do. Only Jack is unsure. The constant assistance and the lack of sleep have taken a toll on him. At first, Jack was willing to be a leader for the sake of the survivors, but now his thoughts are on his father, whose detachment created his problems with leadership.
Jack's leadership was something he didn't want. He only got it because he was the first to create organization within the chaos of the crash. His reluctance stems from his daddy issues (the first time we've seen a character with one so far). As a kid, his father told Jack that he didn't have what it takes to be a leader because of his unwillingness to let things go instead of praising his son’s decision to do the right thing. Jack’s stubborn nature is a sharp contrast from his dad’s, who is detached to the point of apathy, largely because of alcoholism and pills. It is this detachment that leads to his downfall.
Jack goes on a bender of sorts himself, disregarding the group to pursue the vision of his father lurking in the jungle. The pursuit puts up his blinders so that he almost dies in the process. But the person to save him is Locke. If there is someone who can come close to deciphering what this is about, it would be Locke, the closest connected person to the island. He doesn’t know everything, or at least doesn’t reveal everything.
Locke and Jack’s conversation in the jungle is the first of many scenes contrasting the differences between the man of science (Jack) and the man of faith (Locke). This moment could’ve been when Locke revealed his secret, but instead he is vague about his epiphany (staring into the eye of the island). Since he is the man of faith, he is more interested in having Jack believe the power the island holds rather than know. Therefore, he leaves Jack to finish his journey so he can lead.
Locke brings up some interesting points, like what if they were all brought there for a reason and what is possible on the island is different from what is possible elsewhere. Fate is a huge part of this show, and it is appropriate that they’re including other castaways’ chance encounters with other castaways before the flight. The next logical question is why did fate bring these people on the island? Of those we’ve seen, the island appears to be bringing out the full potential of the castaways. Locke certainly hopes that it can bring the leader out in Jack, but he doesn’t know how to get him there.
While in the jungle, Jack faces many of his daddy issues that are getting in the way of him leading the group. Jack has to let go of these problems and “lessons” his father taught him to be a leader for the long term. We see this in the flashbacks that he defended his father despite the fact that Jack’s dad wasn’t fit to be the head of surgery. Destroying his father’s empty casket is symbolic of him cutting the control his father once had. Jack’s quest brings him to a source of fresh water and a sustainable shelter, two things they’ll need if they want to stay there for a long time. It is his reward.
Of course, the empty casket offers some more questions. Where is Jack’s father? Was Jack’s father on the island a hallucination? If it was, did stress or sleep deprivation cause it or was the island involved? What's with the white sneakers? Because the answers aren’t clear, Jack can dismiss it as a hallucination (we can’t have him become a believer by episode five).
It is interesting to see this episode knowing that Jack wasn't going to be around after the first hour of the pilot. Because Jack is away from the others, many scenes could've played out with little alteration. However, I do not know at what point in the planning of the series that they decided to keep Jack around, so this could be idle speculation.
Through these early episodes, remnants of the Sayid-Kate-Sawyer triangle are still clear. Sayid and Kate are the two subleaders, and Sawyer is out to subvert that power. Kate's authority is ironic, as she spent her time off the island avoiding authority. Kate's power has come from her time with Jack, whereas Sayid has his professional training to gain influence. He finds fault in the plan to keep the water in one place and knows that they needed to wait until Sawyer went to his stash to confront him. Sawyer has no intention to start a new life as a good person just yet with all the things he has that everyone else wants.
Charlie and Hurley serve as helpers. They know they aren't fit to lead the group and they know to alert those who are taking those roles when things go wrong. Charlie's main concern is for Claire, whose health goes south from the heat and lack of water. Claire’s health scare allows them to realign the Charlie/Claire arc, which almost seemed to be swerving back to Shannon after he caught the fish.
We see a little bit more of Claire’s personal beliefs, as she tells Kate how she "gets" astrology. Since this does tie into her own history, this foundation is very helpful when rewatching season one. Charlie's shoulder tattoo also can be some connection they have. For those unaware, the phrase is taken from The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever". That one line can be interpreted in many ways. As far as the show is concerned, many characters have problems seeing the whole picture, especially Charlie. His bag of heroin is diminishing and it has affected the way he’s acted, which eventually will come to a head.
Boone's ego has been bruised as his attempts at leadership and heroism fail miserably. Unlike Jack, he wants to be a leader, but isn’t. He blames Jack because he got there first, although Boone would've drowned had Jack not saved him. What hurts Boone in the group most is his need to have control. Although he does give Claire some water, his thievery likely caused her to pass out. He wanted to use the water the same way Sawyer uses bug spray, to gain power because they have access to it. However, the analogy doesn’t work considering that water is a necessity and Sawyer is withholding creature comforts.
If Jack’s dad did aside from reveal a lot about Jack, he showed us that Michael is far from being the worst dad on the show. He obviously is inexperienced as he is unable to calmly explain why not to drink ocean water, but hardly telling Walt he doesn’t have what it takes. There is a hint of Sun-Michael drama, but that is overshadowed by Sun-Jin drama. Jin does have feelings for Sun, but he is still angry being stuck with only his wife to converse with, and even that isn’t making him treat her nicely. He does ease up a little bit with the water, though.
Now we’ve reached another important piece of what it’ll take to live on the island, when the immediate aftershock of the crash is fading and now they have to worry about what everyday life on this island will be like. In addition to that, the leader is now facing doubts about his position. They do a good job showing Jack’s emotional growth, emphasizing Jack’s warning that they need to learn to “live together, or we’re gonna die alone” and Locke’s advice that leaders need to know what direction they’re going in if they want that role.
Score: 8/10
Original Airdate: October 20, 2004
Writer: Christian Taylor
Director: Kevin Hooks
Now we come to the most important facing our castaways: how do they get the group to function in a way that benefits everyone? At this point, people are still acting in their own interests from draining the water supply to Sawyer using his perks to gain influence. That won’t work for a long term stay. Sun mentions that they need someone to tell them what to do. Their water is now down to about a cup per person and the castaways wake up to a drowning. The people now turn to Jack, who they’ve turned to since the crash, to see what to do. Only Jack is unsure. The constant assistance and the lack of sleep have taken a toll on him. At first, Jack was willing to be a leader for the sake of the survivors, but now his thoughts are on his father, whose detachment created his problems with leadership.
Jack's leadership was something he didn't want. He only got it because he was the first to create organization within the chaos of the crash. His reluctance stems from his daddy issues (the first time we've seen a character with one so far). As a kid, his father told Jack that he didn't have what it takes to be a leader because of his unwillingness to let things go instead of praising his son’s decision to do the right thing. Jack’s stubborn nature is a sharp contrast from his dad’s, who is detached to the point of apathy, largely because of alcoholism and pills. It is this detachment that leads to his downfall.
Jack goes on a bender of sorts himself, disregarding the group to pursue the vision of his father lurking in the jungle. The pursuit puts up his blinders so that he almost dies in the process. But the person to save him is Locke. If there is someone who can come close to deciphering what this is about, it would be Locke, the closest connected person to the island. He doesn’t know everything, or at least doesn’t reveal everything.
Locke and Jack’s conversation in the jungle is the first of many scenes contrasting the differences between the man of science (Jack) and the man of faith (Locke). This moment could’ve been when Locke revealed his secret, but instead he is vague about his epiphany (staring into the eye of the island). Since he is the man of faith, he is more interested in having Jack believe the power the island holds rather than know. Therefore, he leaves Jack to finish his journey so he can lead.
Locke brings up some interesting points, like what if they were all brought there for a reason and what is possible on the island is different from what is possible elsewhere. Fate is a huge part of this show, and it is appropriate that they’re including other castaways’ chance encounters with other castaways before the flight. The next logical question is why did fate bring these people on the island? Of those we’ve seen, the island appears to be bringing out the full potential of the castaways. Locke certainly hopes that it can bring the leader out in Jack, but he doesn’t know how to get him there.
While in the jungle, Jack faces many of his daddy issues that are getting in the way of him leading the group. Jack has to let go of these problems and “lessons” his father taught him to be a leader for the long term. We see this in the flashbacks that he defended his father despite the fact that Jack’s dad wasn’t fit to be the head of surgery. Destroying his father’s empty casket is symbolic of him cutting the control his father once had. Jack’s quest brings him to a source of fresh water and a sustainable shelter, two things they’ll need if they want to stay there for a long time. It is his reward.
Of course, the empty casket offers some more questions. Where is Jack’s father? Was Jack’s father on the island a hallucination? If it was, did stress or sleep deprivation cause it or was the island involved? What's with the white sneakers? Because the answers aren’t clear, Jack can dismiss it as a hallucination (we can’t have him become a believer by episode five).
It is interesting to see this episode knowing that Jack wasn't going to be around after the first hour of the pilot. Because Jack is away from the others, many scenes could've played out with little alteration. However, I do not know at what point in the planning of the series that they decided to keep Jack around, so this could be idle speculation.
Through these early episodes, remnants of the Sayid-Kate-Sawyer triangle are still clear. Sayid and Kate are the two subleaders, and Sawyer is out to subvert that power. Kate's authority is ironic, as she spent her time off the island avoiding authority. Kate's power has come from her time with Jack, whereas Sayid has his professional training to gain influence. He finds fault in the plan to keep the water in one place and knows that they needed to wait until Sawyer went to his stash to confront him. Sawyer has no intention to start a new life as a good person just yet with all the things he has that everyone else wants.
Charlie and Hurley serve as helpers. They know they aren't fit to lead the group and they know to alert those who are taking those roles when things go wrong. Charlie's main concern is for Claire, whose health goes south from the heat and lack of water. Claire’s health scare allows them to realign the Charlie/Claire arc, which almost seemed to be swerving back to Shannon after he caught the fish.
We see a little bit more of Claire’s personal beliefs, as she tells Kate how she "gets" astrology. Since this does tie into her own history, this foundation is very helpful when rewatching season one. Charlie's shoulder tattoo also can be some connection they have. For those unaware, the phrase is taken from The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever". That one line can be interpreted in many ways. As far as the show is concerned, many characters have problems seeing the whole picture, especially Charlie. His bag of heroin is diminishing and it has affected the way he’s acted, which eventually will come to a head.
Boone's ego has been bruised as his attempts at leadership and heroism fail miserably. Unlike Jack, he wants to be a leader, but isn’t. He blames Jack because he got there first, although Boone would've drowned had Jack not saved him. What hurts Boone in the group most is his need to have control. Although he does give Claire some water, his thievery likely caused her to pass out. He wanted to use the water the same way Sawyer uses bug spray, to gain power because they have access to it. However, the analogy doesn’t work considering that water is a necessity and Sawyer is withholding creature comforts.
If Jack’s dad did aside from reveal a lot about Jack, he showed us that Michael is far from being the worst dad on the show. He obviously is inexperienced as he is unable to calmly explain why not to drink ocean water, but hardly telling Walt he doesn’t have what it takes. There is a hint of Sun-Michael drama, but that is overshadowed by Sun-Jin drama. Jin does have feelings for Sun, but he is still angry being stuck with only his wife to converse with, and even that isn’t making him treat her nicely. He does ease up a little bit with the water, though.
Now we’ve reached another important piece of what it’ll take to live on the island, when the immediate aftershock of the crash is fading and now they have to worry about what everyday life on this island will be like. In addition to that, the leader is now facing doubts about his position. They do a good job showing Jack’s emotional growth, emphasizing Jack’s warning that they need to learn to “live together, or we’re gonna die alone” and Locke’s advice that leaders need to know what direction they’re going in if they want that role.
Score: 8/10
posted by Matt @ 1:15 AM
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