These are just a few of many classic ideas that we have now become accustomed to in LOST that all appear in the very first groundbreaking episode of the series. Groundbreaking not only for being the most expensive pilot in television history (somewhere around $10 million), but also for what it would do to TV, and to all of us, over the next six years.
As is the point of doing this rewatch, which I am calling "Piecing the Puzzle Together," we have all seen the pilot and the following 100+ episodes of the show before, but even though we may be familiar with what happened, there is now a new way to watch them. After all that has happened since September 22, 2004, what can we see in these episodes now? What clues that we never even knew were clues back then will reveal themselves as we go back and watch from the beginning? That is what I aim to find out. This is not a recap or summary of each episode, but a breakdown of anything that might have some bearing on what we know of LOST now. Some episodes will be packed with interesting and important dialogue, visuals, props, characters, and moments, while others may not have much to offer. Regardless, I will present everything that I can find. And I hope that if you know of anything that I missed in an episode, you will let me know by commenting. I also hope to hear your questions and reactions to these "puzzle pieces," too!
So, let's begin with the alpha-episode: Pilot, Part 1.
The much-discussed and debated first shot of LOST is, of course, Jack's eye opening. His pupil dilates, and the bamboo shoots that surround him are reflected. Apparently, at some point the producers, Damon and Carlton, said that everything you need to know about the show is in this scene (or something to that effect), so fans have been picking it apart ever since. Two other things appear in this scene: there is a black tube to the right of Jack's head which is never addressed or explained, and Vincent appears.
I mention Vincent because of his introduction. He is introduced in a foreboding way; Jack hears a rustling and is afraid of what is coming towards him (and I think the music even gets a little "scary") much like we will see and hear when the Monster makes an appearance. But of course, it's only our favorite yellow lab. He runs up to Jack, they look at each other, and then Vincent runs off into the jungle.
The other reason I mention Vincent is because of something that happens with him before this scene, because this is not the actual first scene of LOST. When the producers released the "LOST Missing Pieces" series of "mobisodes" after Season 3, the final mobisode, "So It Begins," showed Christian Shephard telling Vincent to go wake up "my son" because "he has work to do." Vincent then runs off to Jack, which is when we see him in the first scene of Pilot. You can watch the mobisode, and all of the others, here. When we consider this, we know that Vincent must be more involved in the goings-on on the Island in some way. More on this later...
The scene when Jack walks through the wreckage and we see many of the main characters for the first time is still amazing to watch.
Claire, Rose, Hurley, and Charlie were all in immediate danger in some way right from the start. Rose was actually dead until Jack performs CPR on her. Claire was having contractions. Hurley and Claire are almost crushed by the falling plane wing. Charlie is just missed by flying wreckage after the plane's engine explodes.
Jack helps to save, or at least help improve the condition of, his half-sister and his half-nephew.
The first time we see Sawyer, he is smoking.
Jack tells Kate his now-famous surgery story as she stitches up a wound in his back. Interestingly, he says that "I had to make a choice," to let the fear in but only for five seconds, but we learn in the Season 5 finale that the five seconds was actually his father's idea. Jack doesn't tell the story to Kate that way, though. Ego? Refusing to give his father credit? Trying to impress the hot chick stitching him up?
Charlie has FATE written in tape across four of his fingers. We will see him write other words on his fingers over the next few episodes. This is the introduction of the idea of fate on the show, which has become one of the central themes of LOST.
There is an interesting series of scenes that are linked. Boone offers Shannon a chocolate bar, but she refuses ("I'll eat on the rescue boat!"). Then we see Hurley offer Claire some airline food, trying to make sure she is taken care of. Next, Michael checks that Walt is warm enough: they are family but they hardly know each other. Then we see Jin telling Sun that she cannot leave his sight and must follow him: they know each other well, but have grown apart as a family. He tells her, "Don't worry about the others, we need to stay together." Interesting use of "others" there, though I don't think it means anything in terms of the island Others, but the part about staying together: look at them now in Season 5, separated by space and time.
A shot that was talked about frequently early on was the one of the night sky above the beach. It appears that the stars in the sky are repeated, almost like a pattern, and even resemble the number 88 or two infinity symbols turned sideways. Was it a production error, or was this done purposefully? On a show like LOST, it would be a pretty major gaffe if it wasn't done on purpose, but back when maybe they didn't think fans would screencap and investigate every shot of the show, maybe it was a production shortcut that they hoped no one would ever notice.
Kate is the only character that we know of who was on Oceanic 815 that actually watched the plane break up. She says she saw it happen. Jack says he didn't see it.
Jack says that they need to find "the way we came in" to the Island to find the plane's cockpit in an effort to find the transceiver to communicate with or to pick up a signal from anyone nearby. In a way that he could never imagine at that moment, he was right about needing to find the way they came in to be rescued; they needed to find the exact bearing to leave the Island to return to the outside world.
Jack says that he took a couple of flying lessons, but says that "it wasn't for me."
Kate and Jack, after interacting quite a bit during the day of the crash, finally introduce themselves that night. Immediately after they do, they (and we) are introduced to the Monster for the first time. Jack and Kate hear the sound coming from the jungle.
When the Monster is heard for the first time, we see a close-up shot of Locke - is this meaningful? Then there is a shot of Walt. Then Boone and Shannon, Jack and Kate, and Sayid and Charlie.
The Monster seems to come from two directions, which is something I never noticed before, and I've seen this episode maybe ten times. As she listens to the strange sound, she looks one way, and then hears another loud crash from another direction, where trees are being taken down.
Everything that we see up to the introduction of the Monster happens before the first commercial break. That's incredible.
After the first commercial, we get the first flashback in LOST. It's on the plane, where Cindy the flight attendant gives Jack two extra mini-bottles of vodka, one of which he drinks. There is a constant white light coming through the windows from the outside, and when the plane starts to crash, a whirring sound that builds higher in pitch. There is no "flash" sound at this point.
When Kate tells Jack that she is going with him to find the cockpit, he tells her she'll need better shoes. She takes a pair off of a dead body, which is slightly similar to Jack taking his father's shoes and putting them on Locke's body.
We see the scene when Locke smiles at Kate with an orange peel in his mouth. She is not amused.
As Kate, Jack, and Charlie are walking across an open field on their way to the cockpit, Charlie reveals to Kate that he was in the band Drive Shaft, which is the first time we are introduced to his role of "rock star." This includes his high-pitched LOST debut of "You All Everybody." Kate knows the band and is excited about this revelation, but Jack doesn't know about the band and doesn't seem that interested, either. But as this is happening, we are shown Vincent sitting still and quiet in the jungle, watching them. Not barking for their attention, or running out to follow them, but watching them. This is where I'm getting a sense that Vincent really is a key part of what's happening on the show, or is at least a symbol. He's "blonde" and has light features...just like Jacob! Could it be? Is Vincent Jacob taking on the form of a yellow lab that was on the plane? Is this how Jacob knows about all of them? The producers have guaranteed that Vincent will make it to the final episode of LOST - because Jacob will be there?
The very next shot after Vincent is watching the three Losties walking to the cockpit is of Locke sitting on the beach and looking out at the ocean. And that's all. Why? What is this shot doing here? Is it tied to Vincent, who was also simply sitting and watching, somehow? Is is symbolic of Locke's future connection to Jacob?
It rains. Locke is on the beach, and as the other survivors scurry for cover, he sits with his arms out and and his face to the sky, as if he's being cleansed or baptised. Because he has regained the use of his legs, we can understand now why he might be in such a state of mind. As this is happening, the Monster is in the edge of the jungle close to the beach, taking down trees.
Kate, Jack, and Charlie reach the cockpit and climb in. Charlie heads directly to the bathroom to get his bag of heroin, which is miraculously still in there (later we see him flushing it, but I guess it doesn't make it down because the heavy turbulence starts at the same time) and is the reason why he tags along with Jack and Kate. They get the transceiver, but the pilot, who is still alive, is ripped out of the cockpit by the Monster. Was he taken because he didn't belong? After all, it was supposed to be Lapidus flying the plane. If, as some theories go, the Monster is somehow working for or with Jacob, and Jacob brought our Losties to the Island, is it getting rid of someone who shouldn't have been there? Is the Monster a course-correcter? Does it scan people to see if they belong in that "timeline" and kills them if they don't?
The scene when Kate counts to five in the banyan tree is still an excellent scene to watch. Nice job, Evangeline Lilly.
Once the coast is clear of the Monster, Charlie finds Kate, but they don't know where Jack is. In a line that is echoed by Jack himself to Kate three seasons later, she says, "We have to go back for him!"
Pilot, Part 1 ends when Jack, Kate, and Charlie see the bloodied body of the pilot in the highest branches of a tree.
Next up is Pilot, Part 2!