1.24 - Exodus, Part II

Title’s significance: While last episode focused on the raft’s exodus from the island (see last episode), this episode delves into the exodus from the beach camp.

Recap: Flashbacks continue to explore where the survivors where just before boarding Flight 815: Jin found out he was being followed by one of Mr. Paik’s employees, Charlie was clinging to his last fix, Michael still tried to bond with Walt, Hurley overslept and just barely made his flight, while Locke felt inadequate being helped onto the plane. As the beach campers prepare to move to the caves, the A-Team encounter The Black Rock and begin to move the dynamite, but Arzt blows himself up. On the raft, Michael and Sawyer bond over Bob Marley songs while sending out a radar signal, and Claire has a memory of scratching Rousseau’s arm before Rousseau abducts her baby to trade with The Others. Claire names her baby Aaron as Charlie and Sayid go to rescue him. When Walt finally makes nice with Michael, the rudder breaks and Sawyer dives in after it; Michael finds the gun Jack gave Sawyer and gets suspicious. Charlie finds the Nigerian plane and is tempted by the heroin stash, and he takes one of the Virgin Mary statues. The dynamite teams encounter the monster, which is revealed to be a cloud of black smoke, but Locke seems unafraid of it until it tries to drag him into a big hole in the ground. The raft picks up a signal as Charlie and Sayid reclaim Aaron from Rousseau. Before the dynamite blows, Hurley sees the numbers stamped on the hatch and freaks out, but Locke lights the fuse and blows the lid off the hatch. The signal the raft picked up turns out to be a fishing boat filled with strange people (Others?) who abduct Walt and destroy the raft. The episode ends as Jack and Locke stare down the hatch, which seems to go underground many hundred feet.

Thoughts: Probably one of the best episodes of the season. Damon & Carlton knock it out of the park and set everything up for a riproaring Season Two. It’ll be difficult for LOST to recapture the momentum of this episode (indeed, they don’t for a great long time), but I have faith (like Locke) that all this is for a purpose.

Favorite moment: Arzt as the self-conscious background character who says that the characters who don’t get screen time “are people, too” – and then blows up; “You got some... Arnst on you.” I also loved Locke comparing the dynamite removal to the game Operation – and then making the BZZT noise to freak out Jack. Hurley’s flashback about getting on the plane was priceless, but for sheer mythological significance, the opening of the hatch was A#1.

Characters introduced (in order):

• “MR. FRIENDLY,” an Other whose name we’ll later learn is TOM

What we learned:

• Arzt posits a tsunami brought The Black Rock inland, but Arzt is an idiot.
• The Black Rock was a slave ship.
• Arzt has been married at least three times.
• Jin was being followed by one of Mr. Paik’s goons.
• Michael didn’t know how to take care of Walt and asked for his mother’s help.
• Rousseau is planning to trade Claire’s baby for Alex.
• Claire’s baby is named Aaron.
• The monster is actually a cloud of black smoke.
• Hurley’s bad luck was, in this case, working to prevent him from boarding Flight 815.
• Jack doesn’t believe in destiny, but Locke claims he does.
• Walt’s been abducted.
• The hatch goes far, far underground.
• Walt’s comic book was actually Hurley’s.

Questions:

• How did The Black Rock get all the way inland?
• Michael said it best: “How the hell does a place this big never get discovered?”
• Is Sawyer ever going to learn the difference between Steve and Scott?
• What does Sun have to be punished for?
• Will Charlie relapse? (He has the statue, but we don’t know if he intends to use it.)
• What’s inside the hatch – Twinkies or hope?
• Why isn’t Locke afraid of the smoke monster?
• Where did the smoke monster try to take Locke?
• Who lit the pyre for the pillar of smoke?
• Who took Walt?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• “Who do you think is punishing us?” Shannon asks.
• Locke exhibits a curious relationship with the black smoke monster, one that could come especially in handy if The Top Pop Stop’s theory is true that Un-Locke/Jacob’s Nemesis IS the black smoke monster.
• Who will take the day – men of science or men of faith? Is it possible to be both?
• Locke and Jack start out on opposite sides of the science/faith question. When the dust settles, where will everyone be?