Lost
Special
original airdate: 01-19-05
Brace yourselves. Are you ready? Are you sure? Walt,
it seems, has “special powers.” And there’s
a weird place on the island called “Black Rock.”
And a polar bear appears from nowhere on a tropical island!
Oh, and that Sawyer fellow isn’t very nice most of
the time.
What?
You knew all that? You mean you didn’t need a lackluster
episode to remind you?
Unfortunately
that’s what fans got in what might be the weakest
episode yet. With so many unanswered questions, it’s
astonishing that the writers couldn’t give the audience
more. LOST has set the bar high. But instead of a Fossbury
Flop (if you don’t know, that’s what Google
is for), we just get flop.
Basically
there’s a not-much-happens front story that is little
more than an excuse for a series of Michael centered flashbacks
that explain his relationship with Walt’s mother Susan
and his previous absence from Walt’s life. That
back story is somewhat interesting, and Harold Perrineau Jr.
does a capable job of showing his character’s rather
sad development. Even if Michael still isn’t a more
likeable character, he’s certainly more sympathetic.
This is also the first episode to feature flashbacks from
two different points of view.
But
the scenes in the present are weak and uninspired (perhaps
because we’ve seen them on previous episodes). They
add nothing new except that Charlie is physically tougher
than we might have thought. Last week the writers made Locke
fascinating. This week they manage to render him dull.
At least
the episode does remind us that we may have at least two
wunderkind on the island: Walt and Claire’s unborn
child. Maybe three if Alex ever shows up. Given one bird’s
unfortunate fate in one of the flashbacks, we learn that
Walt’s powers actually existed before the crash. For
once The Island is not responsible something unusual. And
since the Aussie psychic implied that Claire’s child
had potential for great evil, perhaps Walt has the potential
for great good.
In any
case Locke seems to recognize the boy’s abilities
and is trying to recruit him just like he recruited the
now über-loyal Boone. But since we don’t know
yet if Locke is good or bad, Walt is still up for grabs.
Next
week there’s a repeat. Maybe that’s good since
it will give fans time to forget an episode that, even without
much screen time for Vincent the Labrador, was a dog.
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