Happy July 1st, also known as Canada Day! In honour of three colonies being united into one country called Canada back in 1867,I’m going to dive into the past. Almost 4 years ago to the day, in fact.

Having graduated from Carleton University with my Master of Journalism, I was looking for something to do. A friend of mine, who ran the site GeekGirlsNetwork.com (which has since been taken down), asked me if I would be willing to contribute a series of posts for her regarding a specific TV show. Her idea was to recap the show from two very different perspectives: someone who has seen the show and someone who hasn’t. Being a fan of the show, I agreed, and thus, “Views from a Veteran” was born.

The TV show was LOST.

I am going, through the use of some dark magic and necromancy, revive these post from the dead during the month of July.

Every post will cover roughly half-a-season, except for season 4 which was drastically cut down due to the writer’s strike, and remain pretty much unchanged. I hope you enjoy.

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LOST – Views from a Veteran – Season One: Episodes 1-12

“Guys, where are we?” – Charlie in “Pilot Part 2”

Going into this project, I did not know what to expect as I threw disc one of the first season of “Lost” into my player to start watching it all again.

I am not going to talk plot much, as I assume everyone reading has already watched the show and are looking for how much the story evolved from the day the first episode aired in September 2004 to the last in May 2010. Now, it goes without saying, but SPOILER ALERT! However, if you want to keep reading until the fun tally of various “Lost-isms” I have created; please scroll down until after the “SPOILERS END HERE” section.

Right of the bat, the show begins with a close-up of Jack’s eye waking up in the bamboo forest, eerily similar to the way the series ended, with his eye closing. Knowing just how far Jack, as well as all the other characters come from that moment on, makes it all the more poignant.

In the first episode, there are all sorts of references to the numbers (4 8 15 16 23 42), Locke’s connection to the island, the mystery of the monster (AKA Smokie), etc…

But, one of the most important tidbits that I noticed was that Hurley gave out food after the crash to all the survivors. This is interesting, as it is THAT precise reason – his big heart and willingness to care for others – why he was chosen as the right person to protect the island after Jack in the finale. Now, I am not saying that the creators and producers knew that, but it is interesting, isn’t it?

Also in the pilot, we are shown (via Locke) to backgammon through the eyes of Walt. This is an intriguing way to introduce us to a common thread throughout the show: the battle between light and dark. This battle between what is right and wrong continues all the way to the final episode, in the climactic battle between Jack and the Man in Black.

As the episodes in the first season progress, more mysteries are unveiled and twists are uncovered. The most shocking for me was learning that Locke was paralyzed in one of my favourite episodes, “Walkabout.” This episode also had Locke’s first encounter with the smoke monster, which had a profound effect on his life both on and off the island. But, did the Man in Black (MiB) know what role Locke would play in the endgame? Or was he simply trying to eliminate another one of Jacob’s candidates?

In the following episode, “White Rabbit,” we unknowingly see the first appearance of the MiB taking the form of the deceased (in this case, Jack’s father, Christian). But, why did he led Jack to the caves and Christian’s empty coffin?

In the episode “Across the Sea” in season six, you learn the basic history of Jacob and the MiB on the island. At the end of the episode, you discover that the skeletons found in the caves are  MiB and his mother. However, in the actual episode in season one, they are not buried side-by-side, but in different outcrops within the cave. And the timeline of their deaths does not make much sense, as Jack said it would only take “40-50 years” for their clothing to degrade like that.

Sadly, as I write these questions, I know that they will remain unanswered for a long time … perhaps even forever. But, that will not stop me from asking them and guessing their true meaning, which I believe is open to interpretation. And that is one of the many things that make this show such a phenomenon.

It is in the episode “Solitary” where we are first introduced to Rousseau, and she makes a number of innocuous comments to Sayid that, upon watching the entire series, seem to hint at a greater realization on her part. She says that, “there’s no such thing as monsters,” as well as to keep an eye on all the survivors to see if they act strangely. At the time, it seemed that these comments were the ramblings of an insane woman. But looking back, it now appears that she knew much more than she was saying about the island and the MiB, and her appearance with Jin while the island was skipping through time would seem to confirm this. This episode also contains the first references to “the others” on the island, and the eerie “whispers” that turn out to be souls trapped on the island.

Also, in the episode “Raised by Another,” we learn that Claire saw a psychic who told her to board Oceanic flight 815 to meet a couple in Los Angeles. However, in a season two episode with Mr. Eko, while he is investigating a miracle, we learn that the psychic was a fake. So, why did he tell Claire to raise the baby herself and to get on that plane?

The other two episodes also had some major plot points – Locke and Boone discovering the hatch, Shannon and Sayid starting their love affair, and Claire and Charlie being kidnapped by Ethan.

SPOILERS END HERE

I am aware that I have not discussed all the intricate connections between the characters and themes brought up in the show, and that was not my intention . I simply chose the ones that I thought were the most interesting and thought-provoking, while keeping the end of the show in mind.

In my next post, for the last half of season one, I will discuss more of these hints and connections as they arise within the episodes.

Finally, the various “Lost-isms” I have been counting.

First up: the fights. Sawyer & Sayid have fought twice, followed by once a piece for Sawyer & Jack and Jack & Ethan.

Next, how many times has Sawyer said “Sonofabitch”?

The answer – Three

And lastly, what are the top Sawyer-isms?

“Freckles” wins so far with eight mentions, “Doc” comes in second with three, “Hero” is in third with two uses, and tied for fourth with one mention each are – “Sweetheart,” “Lardo,” “Chief,” “Sweet cheeks,” “Abdul,” “Aljazeera,” “Metro,” “Porkpie,” “Sticks,” “Mr. Miyagi,” “Omar,” “Captain Falafel,” “Jacko,” “Saint Jack,” “Sport,” “Muhammad,” “Amigo,” “Boss,” “Chico,” “Ali,” “Dr. Quinn,” “Stay-Puff,” “Tattoo” and lastly, “Dr. Do-Right.”

See you next time for the last half of season one!

“We’re not alone!” – Sayid in “Raised by Another”