Lost
Deus
Ex Machina
original airdate: 03-30-05
Give the writers some credit. They came up with a compelling,
tragic back-story for Locke that had nothing to do with
his pre-island paralysis. And give some credit to the director
and actors. Because even though you see the tragedy coming
a mile away, you still feel a strong sense of horrific tragedy
when it actually happens. The
episode opens with a much younger Locke working in a toy
store (perhaps why he relates so well to Walt). He soon
encounters a mysterious woman (Swoosie Kurtz) who turns
out to be his birth mother. As one might expect, that in
turn leads to flash back Locke tracking down his father,
a reclusive millionaire with a penchant for dove hunting.
Meanwhile
on the island, we learn that Locke and Boone have, in fact,
been busy with the portal (thus ending the Portal Watch
day count). Not opening it per se, but excavating around
it (quite a large area) and constructing a trebuchet to
smash the window (hmmm…I bet Locke could give Ken
Jennings a run for his money on Jeopardy!)
When
Locke’s siege engine scheme fails to pierce the portal
(Holy alliteration, Batman!), this dynamic duo seek after
another plane crash that Locke sees in a creepy dream and
believes is related to accessing the Portal. Meanwhile,
paralysis slowly returns to his legs.
Locke
isn’t the only one suffering from health problems.
Sawyer has a case of bad headaches and impaired visions.
Due to an uncle who succumbed to a brain tumor, the one
time con man and would be island rebel reluctantly seeks
out a diagnosis from Jack. Here the exchanges between the
two, as well as with others, are fun filler that necessarily
lightens the dark tone of the flashback sequences.
It is
just filler, though, as this episode is clearly focused
on Locke. Sure, sidekick Boone is in tow. But his character,
such as it is, lends little.
Perhaps
there is supposed to be a parallel to the bad outcome between
Locke and his father, and to what happens with Boone and
his surrogate father Locke. But if so, it’s not very
substantial or compelling.
Fortunately,
the overall episode is compelling. The surprising back-story
leaves plenty of room for further Locke flashbacks, and
the cliffhanger ending will leave most fans begging for
more.
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