Episode 3 - Further Instructions
3 January 2009
Review
Present: Locke wakes up in the jungle but can’t speak. He builds a sweat lodge where “Boone” tells him to save Eko from a polar bear. Charlie joins Locke and they encounter Hurley who in turn meets a naked Desmond. Locke saves Eko and tells the survivors that he will save Jack from the Others.
Flashback: Locke picks up a hitchhiker, Eddie, and then invites him to join a commune he belongs to. There we see how Locke learnt about sweat lodges. Eddie turns out to be an undercover cop and the leaders of the commune blame Locke for bringing down their marijuana operation. Locke confronts Eddie but can’t kill him.
The Good: This is an effective episode for resetting Locke’s character and purpose on the island.
The first question is how the show deals with the hatch implosion and its consequences. At least Claire and Charlie are curious as to where Locke has been (see The Bad) and there do seem to be ramifications for those who were in the hatch. Locke has some cuts and scrapes and has lost his voice, Desmond loses his clothes and apparently can see the future and Eko looks much the worse for ware even before being mauled by a polar bear. It’s good to see the remains of the hatch as it would be odd not to return there. I don’t have a problem with none of the characters dying in such an implosion because they did survive a plane crash unscathed. The show is consistent with its unlikely incidents.
Locke’s opening scene deliberately echoes the first scene of the whole show where Jack woke up in the jungle. The message is clear, Locke will be the leader now, he will have to take care of the survivors. Locke’s whole story is about him and the island and there is no question of whether the island is talking to him or not. Both Boone and Eko act as the voice of the island and Locke’s apologies to both can clearly be taken as apologies to the island as well. “I’m sorry, sorry I ever doubted you” he says.
The episode reminds us of Locke’s whole story. In the flashback he tries once more to find acceptance, to become someone important and yet he is betrayed and played for a fool. On the island “Boone” puts Locke back in his wheelchair, a reminder that only the island can make him the hunter he wants to be. The most interesting aspect of the story is that Eddie calls Locke a “good man”, insisting that he won’t kill him. It echoes Goodwin’s comment to Ana Lucia (208) that Nathan wasn’t a good person. Does the Others strange morality come from the island? Has the island made John its disciple because he is a good man? It also reminds us of Sun (in the previous episode) being told that she was not a killer before shooting Colleen. John it seems can’t cross that line, perhaps that is what makes him a good person.
It’s an interesting story as it unfolds, the drama in the bear cave is entertaining. As are Hurley and Charlie who act as the audience surrogate asking Locke and Desmond the obvious question. Desmond’s ability to see into the future is the most intriguing part of the short term story. It would seem turning the fail safe key has had a huge consequence for him, but how will that develop?
We see the first appearance of Niki and Paulo, two new characters who will be presented as if they have been present all along. I don’t mind this idea because the lack of development for the other survivors has been a weakness in the logic of Lost’s story so far.
The Bad: I have already complained bitterly about the lack of interest which the survivors showed in the sky turning purple (see 224). The writers make a better fist of it here but there is still a worrying lack of interest in where Locke has been. Didn’t anyone go looking for him? Didn’t the survivors want to see what happened to the hatch? If the sky went purple and made a loud noise wouldn’t you be a bit more panicked and curious than this?
The “speech” which Locke gives in order to fulfil Desmond’s prophecy is not really long enough or important enough to earn that title. It’s a slightly odd moment when Charlie comments “not a bad speech.” What speech? You have to ask.
The Unknown: What happened to the hatch exactly? What has it done to Desmond? What did Boone mean by saying that Charlie and Claire were ok “for now” or that Desmond was “helping himself”?
Best Moment: Boone leading Locke through the airport. It’s an intriguing foreshadowing of events on the island and it is made much more dramatic by the unique way in which it was filmed.
The Bottom Line: It’s a solid episode from Lost, but the first three episodes have been distinctly lacking in twists and turns. I barely mentioned Locke’s flashback because it seemed so straightforward. Once more Locke was fooled, once more we see only on the island can he fulfil his potential. There is intrigue in Locke and Desmond’s stories but there isn’t a sense of urgency or excitement in the show at the moment.
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