1.04 - Walkabout

Title’s significance: “Walkabout” refers to the nature expedition Locke was supposed to go on in Australia – “a journey of spiritual renewal” – but it also puns on his newfound ability to walk again.

Recap: This is Locke’s episode, no two ways about it. After boars attack the camp, Locke finds his calling as a hunter, and the survivors decide to burn the fuselage to prevent any more animals from coming and to send out a signal; they hold a memorial service. The survivors are foced to look for food elsewhere on the island (Locke leads the Scooby gang on a boar hunt), while Rose suggests that the tail section might have survived the crash, too. Locke encounters the thing in the jungle, but for whatever reason it lets him live, and Jack sees a mysterious man in the distance. But the most important mythological contribution this episode imparts is that outdoorsy Locke was once crippled.

Thoughts: I think it’s easy to take for granted what a huge surprise this episode was for all of us; the revelation that Locke was once paralyzed blew viewers away and was a total game changer for the rest of the show. This episode also reminds us why Terry O’Quinn is one of the best actors on the show and how strong the writers are, that they can pull off a surprise like this that seems so obvious the second time around (notice that Locke never stands up in his flashback).

Favorite moment: Just for sheer shock factor, the big reveal that Locke was paralyzed before the crash.

Characters introduced (in order):

• RANDY, Locke’s bullying boss
• BERNARD (mentioned), Rose’s husband

What we learned:

• Rose’s husband Bernard was in the tail section of the plane.
• Charlie’s got a little bit of a fancy for Shannon, too, but he drops it when she uses him for fish.
• Michael was in Australia to pick up Walt.
• Jack says that his being a doctor is part of “the family business.”
• Locke was in Australia while trying to join a walkabout tour.
• Locke encounters the thing in the jungle, but it lets him go.
• Before the crash, LOCKE WAS A PARAPLEGIC!

Questions:

• Why is Jack so resistant to the idea of a funeral service?
• Did the people in the tail section survive?
• Who’s the woman in Sayid’s photograph?
• Why did the thing in the jungle let Locke live, and why does he lie about it?
• Who’s the apparition that Jack sees, and why does it trouble him so much?
• How did Locke become paralyzed?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• “Any bodies we bury are not going to stay buried for very long.” I think this about sums up one of the chief mysteries on this island – how the deuce do dead people keep coming back?
• Locke brings up issues of destiny, a recurring theme on the show. What is the destiny of those on the island? Do they even have a destiny?
• It might not be a major point, but Locke is perennially saying, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do,” so we’ll probably see more about confronting limitations.
• Locke’s encounter with the thing in the jungle suggests that there’s a method to the creature – why does it kill some people and not others?