Lost: Season 2, Episode 11: The Hunting Party Review

The Hunting Party
Original Airdate: January 18, 2006
Writers: Elizabeth Sarnoff and Christina M. Kim
Director: Stephen Williams

Following last week’s superb installment, there was a bit of disappointment. Although Jack’s flashbacks played off well against the current situation, there wasn’t enough forward movement in the plot, especially when they were placed in a position where it was necessary. However, the final moment showed that there may be some significant acceleration of the plot. As they are eleven episodes into the season, this is about the time they introduce the complications that will make up the finale.

At this point, it is worth discussing flashbacks. They are an integral piece of the show, but perhaps we’ve passed the stage when flashbacks are necessary for every episode. Originally, it helped develop these characters, giving us insight that would otherwise be missing on the island part of the story. Now we’re at the point where we have seen at least two flashbacks for most of the primary characters. This is Jack’s fifth. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think with some of the flashbacks, notably Michael’s in “Adrift”, simply rehash what we already know instead of advancing the character arcs and overall island mythology. It is a little depressing to think that these rich characters only have one worthwhile story of their lives before the island.

That being said, I don’t think Jack’s flashbacks were as worthless as some criticized. It is true that they reiterated Jack’s obsession with saving everyone, but it was appropriate considering the current situation. His constant vigil over the man with the spinal tumor and the hot daughter took its toll on his marriage. Christian has always advised Jack to be detached, but he can’t. Perhaps a good flashback idea would be detailing how Jack became a person who wanted to save everyone.

The flashbacks, although they didn’t reveal anything shocking, work with the telling of Jack’s back story. Since Jack was able to work “a miracle” on Sarah, he now has the added pressure of being a miracle worker. He can’t be faulted for his diligence, but that is what causes his personal life to fall apart. Sarah dealt with it by finding someone else (who has been subject to debate). Jack was unable to fix the man or his marriage, so the idea that he’s going to start an army works with him learning from his past mistakes.

Jack still is unable to deal with his feelings for Kate. Sawyer is clearly in the running, but as far his experiences in this episode, all we see is that he’s jealous of what they’ve been sharing since Sawyer came back. By the end of the episode, he hasn’t found a solution to that dilemma, nor was he supposed to. This triangle is a big part of the series so far.

I was a bit disappointed in the reveal of what caused the disintegration of Jack’s marriage. Judging by the writing, it seems like they were going to have Sarah miscarry Jack’s baby, and the lack of consoling caused the split. This might’ve been too heavy and so it was rewritten as an affair, but a miscarriage would’ve worked better, playing into the Savior complex Jack has.

Michael’s meltdown was certainly expected, as he must be obsessively focused on his son the way Jack focuses on saving people. Although it is interesting that he knocked out Locke in the process. Of all the people, Locke would probably put up the least amount of resistance in Michael’s mission. In fact, he probably would’ve offered some more help. Michael needs it, since. Zeke apparently knew of Michael’s intentions and claimed (rightfully) that Michael wouldn’t find them. This adds weight to the theory that Walt’s IMs were a trap, but why do they want Michael to go out and to where?

Daniel Dae Kim continues to reap the rewards of a really well made arc. He has come a long way from isolating himself from the other castaways. His friendship with Michael is genuine and though he doesn’t know much English, he knows when he hears “Michael” and “Walt” the way it was said that he needs help. Jin’s desire to help them find Michael provides the writers a good opportunity to explore some of the issues of Sun and Jin’s marriage. The experiences they’ve had have taught Jin a lot about how he used to treat Sun. Although they were able to make up for lost time, their relationship still needs work.

A little character moment that resonated was Locke’s referral to Sawyer by his real name, James Ford. This puts to rest the speculation from fans wondering if Sawyer’s real name or his con name was on the flight manifest and how Locke knew Hurley’s real name in “Exodus II” (that still doesn’t mean Hurley didn’t own the box company Locke worked for). We haven’t seen many scenes with Sawyer and Locke, but it is interesting to see the differences between these two men. Sawyer, who picks nicknames for everyone, is a cynic, but Locke is more earnest, almost to the point of naïveté.

Then we have Charlie and Hurley in the hatchelor pad. It fits that they are hanging out talking about music because of Charlie’s career and Hurley’s CD player from season one (hopefully there is a plug outlet in there for him, I know I’d have a hard time without music). Then the conversation shifts to their women troubles. Hurley’s is cuter as he doesn’t have the control issues Charlie has. Charlie’s problems certainly stem from his addiction and recent “break up” with Claire. Locke filling in the role as “Uncle” isn’t making things easier.

The confrontation with The Others appears to be rather significant, but it doesn’t add much. Zeke (or Mr. Friendly as he is credited, but Sawyer’s nickname is better) appears to have some connection with Dharma, as he quoted Hanso to the party. Some believe that Zeke is Mr. Degroot, one of the original professors who started Dharma. It would’ve been nicer to have some type of definitive connection aside from some vague references. Zeke didn’t confirm that Ethan was a part of their group when Jack told them. A look he gave could indicate that he didn’t know Ethan, but merely bluffed. Some criticized the party for not being inquisitive enough (which makes Zeke’s comments on curiosity rather ironic), but judging by the situation, they were completely at Zeke’s mercy. I still would’ve liked someone to say they didn’t have choice about being on the island.

Perhaps there is a misunderstanding between The Others and our Castaways. It is worth noting that despite the obvious strength Zeke and his group yielded, none of the hunting party were seriously injured in the process. In addition, in “Exodus II” the only time they acted out against the raft pack was when Sawyer pulled his gun on them. He made sure they knew that the only reason they were still on the island was because they were allowed. Ethan was clearly a malevolent force, so there still could be some other groups there and Zeke’s Others served to protect those they took.

Of all the people to ask to start an army, why Ana-Lucia? Ana-Lucia has LAPD training, but Sayid was a member of an army, Locke knows a lot about weaponry and Eko is, well, Eko. I can see why he would go to her instead of the other three. We have to remember that Shannon was killed only three days earlier. Therefore, Sayid is still mourning, as we saw during the Charlie and Hurley scene. Locke, while certainly knowledgeable about survivalist techniques, isn’t likely to be one to use it for offensive measures. Finally, Eko isn’t likely to fight anyone following his epiphany and what happened the last time he took on some of the Others. Ana-Lucia makes sense: all the anger she has been feeling needs to be released somehow.

It will be interesting to see how other people react to Jack’s plan. Obviously, not everyone is going to be up for an army, be it because they are unfit for combat or they are opposed to aggression. Such a drastic move (although one that many thought was a long time coming) is going to cause a big rift among the group. If they can avoid having too many “Lord of the Flies” similarities regarding the schism, they could pull it off well for a rousing season finale.

Score: 7/10