2.03 - Orientation

Title’s significance: Locke and Jack discover the orientation video in The Hatch.

Recap: In flashbacks, we learn that Locke was in anger management, where he met romantic interest Helen. Locke was shadowing his father, even after Helen told him to stop. Helen helped Locke learn that you need help to move on. On the island, The so-called Others drag the raft survivors into the jungle and throw them into a hole with fellow 815er Ana Lucia, who reveals that the tail section survived. But the “Others” are actually the Tailies, and Ana Lucia has been trying to gather information all along. In the hatch, Desmond flips out when the computer gets shot, since he claims it’s saving the world; an old orientation video says that the computer in the hatch prevents an “incident” as part of a larger DHARMA Initiative science experiment. Jack abandons the video, but Locke watches it again; the computer’s busted, and Desmond takes off while Jack abandons Locke in the hatch. Jack returns with the code as Sayid fixes the computer, to Hurley’s dismay; Jack enters the code, apparently a man who believes in destiny even though he doesn’t know it. Locke says he’ll take the first shift to enter the numbers.

Thoughts: Locke’s reaction to the orientation video – “We’re gonna need to watch that again” – pretty much sums up the philosophy behind this rewatch project, and I’m glad it came up in this episode, which introduces a whole mess of mythology to the show while delivering a solid third-in-a-row episode. The flashbacks continue to track Locke from being weak and walked over to being the strong and faithful hero he is on the island.

Favorite moment: For entertainment value, it’s Locke telling off the entire anger management group for “feeling too much.” But for the most awesome moment, it’s the orientation video.

Characters introduced (in order):

• HELEN, Locke’s love interest
• MARVIN CANDLE, a scientist in the DHARMA orientation video
• MR. EKO, one of the Tailies

What we learned:

• Anthony Cooper has conned people before.
• There’s a side entrance to the hatch.
• Three years ago, Desmond’s boat crashed on the island during the boat race around the world.
• A man named Kelvin was in the hatch before Desmond.
• Pushing the buttons on the computer is supposed to save the world.
• The hatch is Station 3 – The Hatch.
• The DHARMA Initiative was created in 1970 as a large-scale communal science compound.
• The Swan was designed to experiment with electromagnetism, but an “incident” requires the button to be pushed every 108 minutes.
• The tail section survived the crash.
• Desmond “doesn’t get out much.”

Questions:

• If Cooper has conned people before, is he the original Sawyer?
• Why would we all die if the computer’s broken?
• How did Kelvin die?
• How many Others are there?
• What will the other five DHARMA orientation videos show?
• What information is in the orientation video’s missing footage?
• What happened in the “incident”?
• Is Jack right in suggesting that the computer is just a mind game?
• Who’s the woman in the photograph with Desmond?
• Where is Desmond running off to?
• Why the numbers – why do those get entered into the computer?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• This episode continues to build the DHARMA Initiative into something that we know is of great importance. As of Season Five, we still don’t have a clear vision of who they were and what they were doing on the island.
• I think the orientation video is so important that I’m attaching it to this post. Namaste.