KOA Reviews LOST: Season One, Episode Two - PILOT PART TWO

We left with the Losties still trying to figure bedroom arrangements back at the beach, with Charlie, Kate and Jack finding the pilot dead up a tree. Before the pilot left for good, he was able to give a transceiver (glorified radio) to the trio.

Season One - Episode Two - PILOT (PART TWO)

SYNOPSIS

Jack, Kate and Charlie return to the group, but the transceiver is broken. Sayid Jarrah fixes the apparatus and organizes an expedition with Kate, Charlie, Shannon Rutherford and her brother Boone Carlyle and the dangerous James "Sawyer" Ford to hike and climb a mountain to transmit a SOS. The group receives a sixteen years old distress call from a French woman in the island instead and kills a polar bear.

MY TAKE (84/100)

Enjoyed the second half of the pilot a tad more than its predecessor. It had more unity between the Losties. One could sense the beginning of the story developing after watching this episode. We start to learn more about the characters persona, and lastly, this episode made me laugh a bit more as well.

FLASHBACK STORY LINE (13/15)

This episode had two separate flashbacks, as it showed the plane crash from Charlie and Kate's perspective. We see that Charlie has developed a tad of a drug habit, and we find out that Kate was the criminal in handcuffs. The best thing I liked about these flashbacks is when Charlie runs by Jack on the plane. We saw it from Jack's perspective in the first episode, and I loved how they came back to this brief moment and saw it from Charlie's. This is a terrific element of LOST that is used throughout the series.

ACTING (13/15)

More people were involved, and one person, Sayid (Naveen Andrews) thrived. Even though he wasn't the main character, he stole the show. He gives a comical look during the Shannon-Boone fight and shows true leadership throughout. Loses a couple points for Michael screaming about Walt. It's only been two episodes, but Michael is already starting to bug me ... again.

ADVANCE OF STORY (10/15)

The story really doesn't advance too much in this episode. Rather, it is created. There is the radio signal trek involving Shannon, Sayid, Boone, Kate, Sawyer, and Charlie. There is the guy with a piece of shrapnel stuck in his side. There is Locke telling Walt he has a secret. You get a sense of what direction this story is going to go, but to say it advances, well that would be incorrect.

KEY MOMENT FACTOR (7/10)

This episode lacks one true defining moment, and when push comes to shove, it has to be the ending, which we will get to in a bit.

SHOCK VALUE (9/10)

So as the Losties are treking through the jungle they hear another noise, but this time it is in the form of a polar bear. That's right ... a polar bear in the jungle. Luckily, Sawyer pulled a gun from the U.S. Marshall after the crash and shoots the bear. Who saw that coming? Also, we learn that Kate is the criminal in discuss, which is surprising considering all the better candidates that were out there.

ISLAND MYSTERY (9/10)

The first mystery comes from Walt finding a pair of handcuffs, but we later learn that they belong to the U.S. Marshall and used to be around the wrists of Kate. The shooting of a Polar Bear in the jungle brings to question where exactly this island is. Also, the ending of this episode is surrounded in island mystery. Add those up, and you have a fairly mysterious episode.

LOSTIES UNITED (10/10)

Loved this episode for all of the uniting the Losties did. Sayid and Sawyer get into a fight, but later, when Sayid is fixing the transceiver, Hurley enters. Sayid and Hurley share a moment getting to know each other, which is one of my favorite scenes. Jin goes around and hands out some fish, and when Claire eats some she feels the baby kick for the first time since the crash. Also, Walt and Locke talk about backgammon, which is the first time we hear Locke talk the entire series. Lots of stuff fell under this category. Would have given bonus points, if allowed.

THE ENDING (5/5)

So, the Losties who are in the jungle finally get to a point where they can try the transceiver. It works, and for a moment it appears someone is talking to them. But they are mistaken. Sayid informs the group that something is blocking the transceiver from sending out a message because another message is currently being sent from the island. They listen to a French lady (Shannon translates) call for help. The French lady says everyone is dead, and she is all alone. The message is being played on a loop, which Sayid quickly calculates has been playing for more than fifteen years. The last line comes from Charlie who asks what everyone is thinking, "Where Are We?"

HUMOR (5/5)

Sawyer also gets his first speaking lines in this episode and does not disappoint. He begins dishing out his nicknames, calling Hurley "lardo" and Jack "Doc." Hurley provides a comical relief moment when he passess out from all the blood during the removal of the sharpnel procedure. The scene that had me laughing the most was when Sawyer was gave the line regarding the "bear village." It was perfect. Lots of laughs to be had on this episode.

OTHER INTANGIBLES (5/5)

- MUSIC - We hear the "Trek" music, which plays from time to time throughout the series when the Losties are running through the jungle, for the first time. It's a cornerstone of LOST.

- BEST QUOTE - Charlie (at the very end, after they realize some French lady has been on the island for 16 years and everyone she knew was dead), "Where are we?"

- REASONS - We get to see how much of a hottie Shannon and Kate are, which is a plus. It shows that LOST definitely has a sexy side to it as well. Meanwhile Charlie continually busts out one-liners. His "I'm definitely going," remark when learning that Shannon was going on the trek was well-placed.

We will be back tomorrow with reviews for Tabula Rosa and Walkabout. Don't miss it.

"See ya in another life brotha."