I never noticed this before today, but the noise Locke’s adding machine makes at the box company is the same noise the smoke monster makes. The sound guy even adds some reverb to it going to commercial to complete the effect. That’s fucking planning ahead.
Previously, on Lost. Oceanic 815 crashes on an island and the survivors band together for safety on the beach while something big knocks down trees in the jungle. Up to this point, Lost had already hinted at a few mysteries: The French Woman’s Transmission, The Monster, The Polar Bears — but with the fourth episode, Walkabout, we begin to see the more mystical, spiritual side of the show. And that side is deftly realized in a castaway suddenly thrust forward as a Major Character: John Locke.
"Do you want to know a secret?"
We would only find out later just how critical Locke is to the dynamic of the show, but for now, he’s the great white hunter who is first to realize the need for survival skills, as the other survivors still cling to the idea that rescue will be coming at any moment.
"You either have very good aim, or... very bad aim, Mr...?"
In Locke’s flashbacks as a paper pusher in LA, we quickly see the contrast in him on and off the island. The crash has become Locke’s walkabout, and while everyone else is panicking, he’s finding himself. Locke and his Risk-playing, white-man tactician ways are unique, yet instantly familiar. He becomes a character we thought we always knew. I think one of the secret appeals of Lost is that everyone, deep down, wants to crash on a deserted island, (provided they survive of course). The island, in our modern, dull society, is a place where we can become who were really are. And Locke becomes the mysterious, confident hunter. “Call me paranoid,” says Jack, “but anyone who packs a suitcase full of knives…?”
"Locke. His name is Locke."
Walkabout is the story of why Locke was packing those knives. It is a perfect building-block episode, expanding characters, plot and “mythology” in every direction as it goes. There is no A story and B story. There’s flashbacks with John Locke, Charlie and Hurley trying to catch a fish for Shannon, Kate and Michael going hunting with Locke, while Kate also tries to plant an electronic device in a tree for Sayid, Claire begins gathering personal effects for a mass funeral and Jack tries to comfort a catatonic Rose, while going a little crazy. (side note, that shot above is fucking beautiful. Not only does Lost have excellent writing, but its photography and direction are better than most big-budget films. Kudos to the entire production crew.)
The Colonel at work
All these elements make a great episode, but then we also have two awesome reveals. The first: Locke meets the Monster. We don’t know what happens and Locke isn’t telling but he survived. Locke’s encounter with the Monster is one of the enduring mysteries of the show.
"I've looked into the eye of this island, and what I saw was beautiful."
But perhaps even more key is the second reveal, which is probably the moment when Lost officially rose to The Next Level.
"Don't tell me what I can't do!"
Terry O’Quinn does a wonderful job capturing the frustration of a man who believes he is capable of more than his body allows. Seeing John in the wheelchair, and suddenly realizing how slyly he was framed in all of the other flashbacks, is an epiphany not just for the show, but for the viewer as well. Only now do we realize all that is possible on the island. Locke is the embodiment of a universal human condition: the belief that there’s more inside of us than other people can see. And the lasting appeal of Lost won’t be the twists, but the excellent character drama that those twists create.
"Boone was a sacrifice that the island demanded."
See you in another day for #3, brotha!
