Romain
01-21-2011, 04:00 PM
As promised on Ome's Buffy the Vampire Slayer thread in the Gothic TV forum, this thread will recount my journey through Lost, which RomTV will be airing in its entirety for the first time ever this year.
I insist on the very important precision that while Seasons 1 and 2 are in reruns, Seasons 3 to 6 have never been shown on RomTV before and should therefore remain completely unspoiled: not a single detail is to be revealed, not a single character from these seasons is to be mentioned or alluded to until they have been aired. This is very important to me as I feel this particular show is one where every single detail matters and where any revelation made ahead of time can ruin your enjoyment of what is to come.
Now that this rather unwelcoming warning has been made, without further ado, let's jump right into the heart of the matter.
http://images.wikia.com/lostpedia/images/8/83/Season1dvdscover.jpg
Lost - Season 1
Starring
Naveen Andrews as Sayid Jarrah
Emilie de Ravin as Claire Littleton
Matthew Fox as Dr. Jack Shephard
Jorge Garcia as Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes
Maggie Grace as Shannon Rutherford
Josh Holloway as James 'Sawyer' Ford
Malcolm David Kelley as Walt Lloyd
Daniel Dae Kim as Jin-Soo Kwon
Yunjin Kim as Sun-Hwa Kwon
Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie Pace
Terry O'Quinn as John Locke
Harold Perrineau as Michael Dawson
Ian Somerhalder as Boone Carlyle
1.01 - "Pilot" - Part 1
Teleplay by J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof - Story by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof - Directed by J.J. Abrams
Guest Starring
Fredric Lehne as Marshal Edward Mars
L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Nadler
Official Episode Summary:
During a routine trip from Sydney, Australia, to Los Angeles, Oceanic Flight 815 is blown off course and crashes on a remote, deserted island. Convinced that rescue is coming soon, the surviving passengers set up camp on the beach and try to make the most of what they think will only be a short time on the island. One of the 48 survivors, Dr. Jack Shephard, suggests that they find the transceiver in the front of the plane so they can radio for help. But when a terrifying howl comes from the jungle, it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary island.
Flashback focal point: Jack
1.02 - "Pilot - Part 2"
Teleplay by J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof - Story by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof - Directed by J.J. Abrams
Guest Starring
Fredric Lehne as Marshal Edward Mars
L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Nadler
Official Episode Summary:
Jack, along with fellow passengers Charlie and Kate, returns to the beach with the transceiver they've found. Sayid, a former military communications officer, gets the transceiver working but tells the others he can get better reception if they head to higher ground. When they get there, they pick up a mysterious broadcast, prompting Charlie to ask the question everybody has been thinking - "Where are we?"
Flashback focal points: Charlie, Kate
1.03 - "Tabula Rasa"
Written by Damon Lindelof - Directed by Jack Bender
Guest Starring
Fredric Lehne as Marshal Edward Mars
Nick Tate as Ray Mullen
Official Episode Summary:
Jack discovers that the injured man he has been trying to save is a U.S. Marshal. "Don't trust her, she's dangerous," the Marshal mutters repeatedly. When Jack asks him who "she" is, the Marshal shows him a picture of Kate, the woman Jack's been spending a lot of time with. On another part of the island, single father Michael questions his son about a conversation he had with another passenger - Locke.
Flashback focal point: Kate
1.04 - "Walkabout"
Written by David Fury - Directed by Jack Bender
Guest Starring
L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Nadler
Official Episode Summary:
A series of flashbacks reveals a secret that Locke has kept hidden from the other passengers. Meanwhile, the bodies inside the plane need to be disposed of, but how? Jack decides the most effective way of doing so, but it's grisly. When the castaways realize that the food supply is running out, Locke has a suggestion.
Flashback focal point: Locke
1.05 - "White Rabbit"
Written by Christian Taylor - Directed by Kevin Hooks
Guest Starring
John Terry as Christian Shephard
and Veronica Hamel as Margo Shephard
Official Episode Summary:
While bordering on exhaustion, Jack repeatedly sees a mysterious man watching him from afar. He asks the other survivors if they've seen him too, but no one has. Haunted by the strange vision, Jack follows the man, only to recognize him as someone to whom he was very close. Meanwhile, the water supply runs dangerously low - a situation that erupts into violence when someone steals the last remaining bottles.
Flashback focal point: Jack
1.06 - "House of the Rising Sun"
Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach - Directed by Michael Zinberg
Official Episode Summary:
Jin, a Korean castaway who speaks no English, assaults Michael, seemingly without provocation. Sayid resolves the conflict by handcuffing him to the wreckage. Jack's decision to move to the caves causes division among the castaways, and Jin's wife must decide whether or not to free her husband... at the cost of revealing a long-hidden secret.
Flashback focal point: Sun
1.07 - "The Moth"
Written by Jennifer Johnson & Paul Dini - Directed by Jack Bender
Guest Starring
Neil Hopkins as Liam Pace
Official Episode Summary:
Charlie goes through a personal crisis, while Jack is trapped by a cave-in. The castaways struggle to free Jack, while Kate and Sayid attempt to triangulate the French broadcast - but their exploration is thwarted by a mysterious attack.
Flashback focal point: Charlie
1.08 - "Confidence Man"
Written by Damon Lindelof - Directed by Tucker Gates
Guest Starring
Michael DeLuise as David
Kristin Richardson as Jessica
Official Episode Summary:
The onset of an asthma attack threatens Shannon's life, and the only man who can help her is Sawyer, whom Boone believes stole her inhalers from the fuselage. When Sawyer refuses to help, Jack must decide whether to resort to violence to retrieve the medicine. Sayid is forced into a similar decision when Locke becomes the prime suspect in the attack that destroyed his radio equipment.
Flashback focal point: Sawyer
That is all I have managed to watch so far. When I popped the first disc into the player last Saturday, I must admit that I expected to have watched much more than I actually have six days later, but this viewing has actually made me realize that Lost is a difficult show to apprehend: I often find myself frustrated at the end of an episode that, while I have caught a few glimpses of one particular character's life prior to the crash, I find myself having more new questions emerging than answers to my initial questions. It is all done very cleverly but add to that the fact I'm also constantly looking for clues as to how and why this particular group of people ended up on this island in the first place and the show can quickly give you a headache. This is why I have come to the conclusion that for the sake of my sanity, I would not watch more than two episodes in one sitting. Unlike a show like 24 where everything moves so fast you must absolutely watch the entire season over the shortest amount of time you can manage, Lost is a show that needs to be reflected upon, you need to let each episode settle in before moving forward.
This time around, I find myself being much more observant, paying much closer attention to every little detail than I did the first time I watched these episodes, six years ago. I don't know if it reflects on my personal growth during the past few years, but it certainly makes me appreciate the show much more now than I did back then. Among the details that flew above my head back then, I have noticed that several episodes open with an extreme close-up on someone's eye, and one of the lines that have stuck with me is Jack telling Kate "Three days ago, we all died. We should all be able to start over." in the episode "Tabula Rasa". What if they indeed have all died, and the island is nothing more than a materialization of purgatory? This is a theory I remember reading about back in the day, and I don't find it so far-fetched. Then, each character's individual death could represent their passing on to Heaven or Hell. I'll be looking for further clues down the line for sure.
My opinion on the characters and their relationships is also something I want to discuss. While the way I feel about some of them remains unchanged, I also have been surprised to discover I had either completely changed my mind on some of them or come to understand some of them better than I used to.
One of the most fascinating relationships on the show for me is the one between Jin and Sun. Yunjin Kim is absolutely riveting to watch, she expresses more with a single look than some actresses do with a thousand words. I am really glad that the writers decided to create this role specifically for her after her terrific reading for the part of Kate, especially since I find Sun much more interesting than Kate. I am so far always positively impressed by how resourceful she is: she has learnt English, she knows that eucalyptus can be used to cure Shannon's asthma, even the funny way she shows Walt how to use a piece of bamboo as a toothbrush, all these details seem to indicate that so far, Sun would probably be the only main female character that would have managed to survive alone on the island. I used to despise the way Jin acts around his wife, but lately I have come to realize that his harsh attitude and overprotectiveness actually comes from his deep love for her and his fear that he might lose her when everything he does, he actually does for her: be it whatever dirty work it is he did as her father's employee or simply negotiating with Sawyer for a bottle of water so her lips won't dessicate. His concern whenever Michael is around is also due to not wanting to lose Sun, or at least that's the way I understand it now.
While Sun is my favorite female character, Charlie is my favorite male character. This time around, I actually keep noticing obvious things that I didn't remember from my first viewing, like his eagerness to remind everyone that he happens to be in a famous rock band and that he was actually pursuing Shannon before turning his attention to Claire. Dominic Monaghan does a very convincing job, he manages to be both hilarious and heartbreaking at times.
To me, Charlie works much better as the show's comic relief than Hurley, who is most definitely one of the few characters I absolutely haven't changed my opinion on in the past six years. I don't know if it's due to Jorge Garcia's delivery but most of his lines that are supposed to trigger hilarity fall completely flat as far as I'm concerned. I can't help but think he is a failed attempt at giving the show a lovable geek à la Marshall from Alias, who actually was hilarious. So far, Hurley's been of strictly no use: he didn't know what to do when Jack asked him to watch over Claire while he rescued Rose in the pilot episode, he fainted at the sight of blood when Jack needed him to keep Marshall Mars stable while he removed the shrapnel, he refused to eat the fish provided by Jin and laughed in his face, he couldn't teach Charlie how to fish properly... He's simply a character I have zero patience for.
Another character I am not particularly fond of is Sawyer. I know they are selling him to us as the arrogant jerk with a sad backstory but I still despise his constant need to create conflict over nothing. Having had a sad life is no excuse for being a complete jerk. Why did he slap Boone around and why couldn't he simply tell Jack straight away he did not have Shannon's inhalers? We are also apparently supposed to root for him and Kate to get involved (especially now that Jack's trust issues have become an obstacle to whatever feelings were developing between the two of them), but I couldn't care less if I tried.
Kate's holier-than-thou attitude is something I have a real problem with. She is always quick to jump at Sawyer's throat whenever a conflict emerges that he caused, but she is also quick to forget that she herself is no saint. I am intrigued by finding out what crime she committed that led Marshal Mars to come down all the way to Australia to capture her, but unfortunately, Jack did not want to know when she wanted to tell him, so we'll have to wait on that one. I am intrigued though by how quickly she and Sayid came to trust each other. That is one relationship I had completely overlooked the first time around.
As far as Claire is concerned, I have to say I am surprised by how much Emilie de Ravin reminds me of a young Laura Leighton, when Sydney first appeared on Melrose Place as the naïve but up-to-no-good new girl in town. She is probably the character I have forgotten the most about since my first viewing, so I'm looking forward to rediscovering who her baby's father is and what part she plays in the bigger picture. There is definitely an air of too good to be true about her, IMHO.
The first time around, I didn't really pay close attention to Shannon and Boone but I now have to say, I have come to reconsider my opinion of them with this viewing. While on the surface, Shannon is clearly the more shallow and selfish of the two, she actually annoys me less than her stepbrother in that she fully embraces who she is. Boone, on the other hand, is a little boy trying to be a man, he is constantly trying to be a hero and failing miserably at it, be it by not doing CPR on Rose properly, almost drowning while swimming offshore to rescue Joanna, stealing the remaining water to give it to those who most need it or going through Sawyer's stuff to find Shannon's inhalers and getting beaten up as a result. He is also constantly telling other people off for not doing things the way he wants them done: one minute he says Shannon knows French then he says she is not translating the message properly, he cries out for help while drowning then criticizes Jack for rescuing him instead of Joanna... Shannon does not go out of her way to help, but she does what she is asked to do and does not bitch about it unless provoked.
Regarding Locke, he is quite possibly the most mysterious character so far. The suitcase of knives is a perfect example of his ambivalence. He is creepy yet resourceful. He talks about the ancient game of backgammon where every piece has a light side and a dark side, just like human nature. He knows a good deal about nature and animal life - the beehive, the boars, the moth, even Vincent the dog, he's always around when they come into play, yet he is uncomfortable around people - flashbacks from his pre-island days show his conflicts with his colleagues and the man from the traveling agency and reveal the love of his life to be a phone sex operator. It could be argued that he's doing better socially on the island, but so far the only two people he's really made a connection with are a recovering drug addict and a little boy who has just lost his mother. Somehow, now that he's no longer physically-crippled, he's turning his attention to the emotionally-crippled.
Last, but certainly not least, a few words about Jack. The first time around, I didn't realize how much his authority was put in question by the other characters: if I remember correctly, so far Sawyer, Boone, Sayid and even Locke have all pointed out that nobody appointed him leader of the gang but he's not doing too bad considering the original plan of the writers was to kill him off right away in the pilot episode. I'm glad that they've kept him around as I already liked Matthew Fox as an actor back when he played Charlie on Party of Five. As shown by a flashback to his childhood where he stood up for a friend who was being bullied, Jack is the reluctant hero, who stands for what is right, but doesn't allow himself to be terrorized and who desperately wants to leave the demons from his past behind. His strained relationship with his father, whose body he was taking back to bury in Los Angeles, has left him with trust issues that come in the way of his developing romance with Kate.
I'll stop here for now but before I hit the "Submit" button, I just want to mention I will probably continue doing my reviews this way, not going into the specifics of each and every episode, but making long posts that cover a batch of episodes instead. I find it much easier to keep track of what I want to say about the show in general this way. I'm looking forward to reading your comments, but please, keep them spoiler-free!
I insist on the very important precision that while Seasons 1 and 2 are in reruns, Seasons 3 to 6 have never been shown on RomTV before and should therefore remain completely unspoiled: not a single detail is to be revealed, not a single character from these seasons is to be mentioned or alluded to until they have been aired. This is very important to me as I feel this particular show is one where every single detail matters and where any revelation made ahead of time can ruin your enjoyment of what is to come.
Now that this rather unwelcoming warning has been made, without further ado, let's jump right into the heart of the matter.
http://images.wikia.com/lostpedia/images/8/83/Season1dvdscover.jpg
Lost - Season 1
Starring
Naveen Andrews as Sayid Jarrah
Emilie de Ravin as Claire Littleton
Matthew Fox as Dr. Jack Shephard
Jorge Garcia as Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes
Maggie Grace as Shannon Rutherford
Josh Holloway as James 'Sawyer' Ford
Malcolm David Kelley as Walt Lloyd
Daniel Dae Kim as Jin-Soo Kwon
Yunjin Kim as Sun-Hwa Kwon
Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie Pace
Terry O'Quinn as John Locke
Harold Perrineau as Michael Dawson
Ian Somerhalder as Boone Carlyle
1.01 - "Pilot" - Part 1
Teleplay by J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof - Story by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof - Directed by J.J. Abrams
Guest Starring
Fredric Lehne as Marshal Edward Mars
L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Nadler
Official Episode Summary:
During a routine trip from Sydney, Australia, to Los Angeles, Oceanic Flight 815 is blown off course and crashes on a remote, deserted island. Convinced that rescue is coming soon, the surviving passengers set up camp on the beach and try to make the most of what they think will only be a short time on the island. One of the 48 survivors, Dr. Jack Shephard, suggests that they find the transceiver in the front of the plane so they can radio for help. But when a terrifying howl comes from the jungle, it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary island.
Flashback focal point: Jack
1.02 - "Pilot - Part 2"
Teleplay by J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof - Story by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof - Directed by J.J. Abrams
Guest Starring
Fredric Lehne as Marshal Edward Mars
L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Nadler
Official Episode Summary:
Jack, along with fellow passengers Charlie and Kate, returns to the beach with the transceiver they've found. Sayid, a former military communications officer, gets the transceiver working but tells the others he can get better reception if they head to higher ground. When they get there, they pick up a mysterious broadcast, prompting Charlie to ask the question everybody has been thinking - "Where are we?"
Flashback focal points: Charlie, Kate
1.03 - "Tabula Rasa"
Written by Damon Lindelof - Directed by Jack Bender
Guest Starring
Fredric Lehne as Marshal Edward Mars
Nick Tate as Ray Mullen
Official Episode Summary:
Jack discovers that the injured man he has been trying to save is a U.S. Marshal. "Don't trust her, she's dangerous," the Marshal mutters repeatedly. When Jack asks him who "she" is, the Marshal shows him a picture of Kate, the woman Jack's been spending a lot of time with. On another part of the island, single father Michael questions his son about a conversation he had with another passenger - Locke.
Flashback focal point: Kate
1.04 - "Walkabout"
Written by David Fury - Directed by Jack Bender
Guest Starring
L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Nadler
Official Episode Summary:
A series of flashbacks reveals a secret that Locke has kept hidden from the other passengers. Meanwhile, the bodies inside the plane need to be disposed of, but how? Jack decides the most effective way of doing so, but it's grisly. When the castaways realize that the food supply is running out, Locke has a suggestion.
Flashback focal point: Locke
1.05 - "White Rabbit"
Written by Christian Taylor - Directed by Kevin Hooks
Guest Starring
John Terry as Christian Shephard
and Veronica Hamel as Margo Shephard
Official Episode Summary:
While bordering on exhaustion, Jack repeatedly sees a mysterious man watching him from afar. He asks the other survivors if they've seen him too, but no one has. Haunted by the strange vision, Jack follows the man, only to recognize him as someone to whom he was very close. Meanwhile, the water supply runs dangerously low - a situation that erupts into violence when someone steals the last remaining bottles.
Flashback focal point: Jack
1.06 - "House of the Rising Sun"
Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach - Directed by Michael Zinberg
Official Episode Summary:
Jin, a Korean castaway who speaks no English, assaults Michael, seemingly without provocation. Sayid resolves the conflict by handcuffing him to the wreckage. Jack's decision to move to the caves causes division among the castaways, and Jin's wife must decide whether or not to free her husband... at the cost of revealing a long-hidden secret.
Flashback focal point: Sun
1.07 - "The Moth"
Written by Jennifer Johnson & Paul Dini - Directed by Jack Bender
Guest Starring
Neil Hopkins as Liam Pace
Official Episode Summary:
Charlie goes through a personal crisis, while Jack is trapped by a cave-in. The castaways struggle to free Jack, while Kate and Sayid attempt to triangulate the French broadcast - but their exploration is thwarted by a mysterious attack.
Flashback focal point: Charlie
1.08 - "Confidence Man"
Written by Damon Lindelof - Directed by Tucker Gates
Guest Starring
Michael DeLuise as David
Kristin Richardson as Jessica
Official Episode Summary:
The onset of an asthma attack threatens Shannon's life, and the only man who can help her is Sawyer, whom Boone believes stole her inhalers from the fuselage. When Sawyer refuses to help, Jack must decide whether to resort to violence to retrieve the medicine. Sayid is forced into a similar decision when Locke becomes the prime suspect in the attack that destroyed his radio equipment.
Flashback focal point: Sawyer
That is all I have managed to watch so far. When I popped the first disc into the player last Saturday, I must admit that I expected to have watched much more than I actually have six days later, but this viewing has actually made me realize that Lost is a difficult show to apprehend: I often find myself frustrated at the end of an episode that, while I have caught a few glimpses of one particular character's life prior to the crash, I find myself having more new questions emerging than answers to my initial questions. It is all done very cleverly but add to that the fact I'm also constantly looking for clues as to how and why this particular group of people ended up on this island in the first place and the show can quickly give you a headache. This is why I have come to the conclusion that for the sake of my sanity, I would not watch more than two episodes in one sitting. Unlike a show like 24 where everything moves so fast you must absolutely watch the entire season over the shortest amount of time you can manage, Lost is a show that needs to be reflected upon, you need to let each episode settle in before moving forward.
This time around, I find myself being much more observant, paying much closer attention to every little detail than I did the first time I watched these episodes, six years ago. I don't know if it reflects on my personal growth during the past few years, but it certainly makes me appreciate the show much more now than I did back then. Among the details that flew above my head back then, I have noticed that several episodes open with an extreme close-up on someone's eye, and one of the lines that have stuck with me is Jack telling Kate "Three days ago, we all died. We should all be able to start over." in the episode "Tabula Rasa". What if they indeed have all died, and the island is nothing more than a materialization of purgatory? This is a theory I remember reading about back in the day, and I don't find it so far-fetched. Then, each character's individual death could represent their passing on to Heaven or Hell. I'll be looking for further clues down the line for sure.
My opinion on the characters and their relationships is also something I want to discuss. While the way I feel about some of them remains unchanged, I also have been surprised to discover I had either completely changed my mind on some of them or come to understand some of them better than I used to.
One of the most fascinating relationships on the show for me is the one between Jin and Sun. Yunjin Kim is absolutely riveting to watch, she expresses more with a single look than some actresses do with a thousand words. I am really glad that the writers decided to create this role specifically for her after her terrific reading for the part of Kate, especially since I find Sun much more interesting than Kate. I am so far always positively impressed by how resourceful she is: she has learnt English, she knows that eucalyptus can be used to cure Shannon's asthma, even the funny way she shows Walt how to use a piece of bamboo as a toothbrush, all these details seem to indicate that so far, Sun would probably be the only main female character that would have managed to survive alone on the island. I used to despise the way Jin acts around his wife, but lately I have come to realize that his harsh attitude and overprotectiveness actually comes from his deep love for her and his fear that he might lose her when everything he does, he actually does for her: be it whatever dirty work it is he did as her father's employee or simply negotiating with Sawyer for a bottle of water so her lips won't dessicate. His concern whenever Michael is around is also due to not wanting to lose Sun, or at least that's the way I understand it now.
While Sun is my favorite female character, Charlie is my favorite male character. This time around, I actually keep noticing obvious things that I didn't remember from my first viewing, like his eagerness to remind everyone that he happens to be in a famous rock band and that he was actually pursuing Shannon before turning his attention to Claire. Dominic Monaghan does a very convincing job, he manages to be both hilarious and heartbreaking at times.
To me, Charlie works much better as the show's comic relief than Hurley, who is most definitely one of the few characters I absolutely haven't changed my opinion on in the past six years. I don't know if it's due to Jorge Garcia's delivery but most of his lines that are supposed to trigger hilarity fall completely flat as far as I'm concerned. I can't help but think he is a failed attempt at giving the show a lovable geek à la Marshall from Alias, who actually was hilarious. So far, Hurley's been of strictly no use: he didn't know what to do when Jack asked him to watch over Claire while he rescued Rose in the pilot episode, he fainted at the sight of blood when Jack needed him to keep Marshall Mars stable while he removed the shrapnel, he refused to eat the fish provided by Jin and laughed in his face, he couldn't teach Charlie how to fish properly... He's simply a character I have zero patience for.
Another character I am not particularly fond of is Sawyer. I know they are selling him to us as the arrogant jerk with a sad backstory but I still despise his constant need to create conflict over nothing. Having had a sad life is no excuse for being a complete jerk. Why did he slap Boone around and why couldn't he simply tell Jack straight away he did not have Shannon's inhalers? We are also apparently supposed to root for him and Kate to get involved (especially now that Jack's trust issues have become an obstacle to whatever feelings were developing between the two of them), but I couldn't care less if I tried.
Kate's holier-than-thou attitude is something I have a real problem with. She is always quick to jump at Sawyer's throat whenever a conflict emerges that he caused, but she is also quick to forget that she herself is no saint. I am intrigued by finding out what crime she committed that led Marshal Mars to come down all the way to Australia to capture her, but unfortunately, Jack did not want to know when she wanted to tell him, so we'll have to wait on that one. I am intrigued though by how quickly she and Sayid came to trust each other. That is one relationship I had completely overlooked the first time around.
As far as Claire is concerned, I have to say I am surprised by how much Emilie de Ravin reminds me of a young Laura Leighton, when Sydney first appeared on Melrose Place as the naïve but up-to-no-good new girl in town. She is probably the character I have forgotten the most about since my first viewing, so I'm looking forward to rediscovering who her baby's father is and what part she plays in the bigger picture. There is definitely an air of too good to be true about her, IMHO.
The first time around, I didn't really pay close attention to Shannon and Boone but I now have to say, I have come to reconsider my opinion of them with this viewing. While on the surface, Shannon is clearly the more shallow and selfish of the two, she actually annoys me less than her stepbrother in that she fully embraces who she is. Boone, on the other hand, is a little boy trying to be a man, he is constantly trying to be a hero and failing miserably at it, be it by not doing CPR on Rose properly, almost drowning while swimming offshore to rescue Joanna, stealing the remaining water to give it to those who most need it or going through Sawyer's stuff to find Shannon's inhalers and getting beaten up as a result. He is also constantly telling other people off for not doing things the way he wants them done: one minute he says Shannon knows French then he says she is not translating the message properly, he cries out for help while drowning then criticizes Jack for rescuing him instead of Joanna... Shannon does not go out of her way to help, but she does what she is asked to do and does not bitch about it unless provoked.
Regarding Locke, he is quite possibly the most mysterious character so far. The suitcase of knives is a perfect example of his ambivalence. He is creepy yet resourceful. He talks about the ancient game of backgammon where every piece has a light side and a dark side, just like human nature. He knows a good deal about nature and animal life - the beehive, the boars, the moth, even Vincent the dog, he's always around when they come into play, yet he is uncomfortable around people - flashbacks from his pre-island days show his conflicts with his colleagues and the man from the traveling agency and reveal the love of his life to be a phone sex operator. It could be argued that he's doing better socially on the island, but so far the only two people he's really made a connection with are a recovering drug addict and a little boy who has just lost his mother. Somehow, now that he's no longer physically-crippled, he's turning his attention to the emotionally-crippled.
Last, but certainly not least, a few words about Jack. The first time around, I didn't realize how much his authority was put in question by the other characters: if I remember correctly, so far Sawyer, Boone, Sayid and even Locke have all pointed out that nobody appointed him leader of the gang but he's not doing too bad considering the original plan of the writers was to kill him off right away in the pilot episode. I'm glad that they've kept him around as I already liked Matthew Fox as an actor back when he played Charlie on Party of Five. As shown by a flashback to his childhood where he stood up for a friend who was being bullied, Jack is the reluctant hero, who stands for what is right, but doesn't allow himself to be terrorized and who desperately wants to leave the demons from his past behind. His strained relationship with his father, whose body he was taking back to bury in Los Angeles, has left him with trust issues that come in the way of his developing romance with Kate.
I'll stop here for now but before I hit the "Submit" button, I just want to mention I will probably continue doing my reviews this way, not going into the specifics of each and every episode, but making long posts that cover a batch of episodes instead. I find it much easier to keep track of what I want to say about the show in general this way. I'm looking forward to reading your comments, but please, keep them spoiler-free!