Episode 19 - The Brig
2 January 2009
Review
Present: Locke comes to see Sawyer and tells him he has Ben tied up and wants him to kill him. He tells Sawyer that he read his file and he knows about the man he killed and that’s why he came to him. Once at the Black Rock it turns out to be Anthony Cooper tied up and not Ben. Locke locks Sawyer in with him. Sawyer soon realises that Cooper is the original Sawyer and he strangles him. On the beach Hurley and company confide in Sayid about Naomi the parachutist. Kate discovers what’s going on and tells Jack.
Flashback: Locke leaves with the Others and Ben tells him to kill his father. Locke can’t do it and is humiliated in front of the whole camp who had begun to revere him for being special. Richard Alpert comes to Locke and tells him why Ben wants to show him up. He suggests Locke get Sawyer to kill his father because he wants Locke to prove Ben wrong.
The Good: This episode is about Lost. It’s the essence of the show. The show isn’t about the island and the mysteries and the science fiction; it’s about the characters. The island may not really be purgatory but for the survivors it is. It’s there chance to overcome their pasts and the things which have held them back from being all that they could be. Lost is about redemption, it’s about people finding their way and finding out who they can be. This episode is about two men who have had their whole lives ruined. Both lost their parents and have spent great portions of their lives haunted by that loss. Here, they both get the chance to be set free.
Of course great television isn’t just about the story you are telling but how you tell it. As a viewer you realise what is going on sooner than Sawyer and that is key to building anticipation for what is about to happen. When Cooper reveals that he was a conman all the pieces fall into place and suddenly the tension begins to play out beautifully. The acting from both men, but particularly Sawyer is tremendous. You can see so many emotions rushing through Sawyer, as he realises the day he has been dreaming of has finally arrived. His anger is still raw and the murder is brutal and effective. It is filmed with no musical accompaniment which was very necessary. Afterwards poor Sawyer looks sad and then vomits at the shock of what he has been through. It’s interesting that he earlier tried to excuse the murder in Sydney. Despite the way he treats people he is not at all comfortable with being seen as a killer. Now that Locke has seen him commit murder he still doesn’t look happy. That emotional discomfort is what makes Sawyer one of the good guys and his story is really well written and performed.
The producers of Lost deserve huge credit for building Sawyer’s story (since 108) up to this moment. As soon as he is locked in with Cooper you realise how important and significant this scene is going to be and that heightens the gripping action which follows. The setting aides the drama too, a slaving ship in the middle of the jungle is a unique and unusual backdrop. But it seems very poignant that Cooper is delivered in chains, on the proverbial plate to Sawyer – the island giving him what he has always wanted.
For Locke too this is such an important development and the contrast between him and Sawyer is portrayed very strongly. He walks in to see his father dead and looks at peace while Sawyer looks sad and spent. Then outside the ship Sawyer asks if Locke really was a cripple and of course he can reply “Not anymore” with a determined smile. While the island has set Sawyer free from his past, it has given Locke his future. He is no longer handicapped either physically or mentally by his father and is free to pursue his destiny.
We also learn lots of good information in this episode which is building up the season finale in a strong way. Richard Alpert, the mysteriously empowered Other comes to John and tells him that Ben doesn’t want anyone to think he is special. It would seem that by being healed, the Others believe Locke is special and clearly the Others hierarchy is somehow influenced by that (see The Unknown). Then we have Naomi claiming that she has a boat near the island which they might be able to contact and find rescue – which is a huge development (see The Bad). She also adds to our understanding of the island’s position in the world when she claims that she was sent to a spot in the ocean where there was no island and only after thorough searching did she chance upon it (More for The Unknown).
It makes sense that the survivors are suspicious of Jack and even more sense that they turn to Sayid who has been conspicuously committed in his attempts to get off the island and attack the Others.
The Bad: Kate immediately betraying Sayid and telling Jack in front of Juliet about Naomi and her boat. The suspicion is still strong that Juliet is still working with the Others, so to tell her about a potential rescue boat is pure stupidity on Kate’s part. Worse than that though is that she is more bothered with Jack not being trusted by his friends than she is in the potential for rescue. I have said it many times but any possibility of rescue should be treated with huge seriousness. It ought to have been all Kate could talk about and playing out the tension between her and Jack is ridiculous in that context.
Similarly why does Ben tell Locke his plans for the survivors. Locke was helping them rescue Jack only a day or two ago. Rather like his admission to Juliet about his plans for Jack (in 314) it seems like either poor writing or stupidity on Ben’s part. Neither of which I like.
The Unknown: A lot here clearly. What is the pillar that they tied Cooper too? Was it part of some grander construct at one time? Why is Rousseau getting dynamite? Or more to the point what is the significance of us seeing that? It’s fascinating that Cooper implies he was kidnapped and brought to the island. That would imply an agent of the Others or some other organisation brought him to the island, rather than him magically appearing. What is the true story? Who is Richard Alpert and why is he helping Locke? How can he claim that fertility projects are a novelty? What is the work he thinks the Others ought to be doing? Is Naomi telling the truth?
Best Moment: Do you have to ask? Practically the entire episode from the moment Cooper first speaks to his last breath. The tension builds so beautifully from his fascinating suggestion that they are in hell, to the revelations that Locke was paralysed and that Flight 815 crashed. Then once he uses the word conman you know what Sawyer is going to do. Suddenly every moment is must-see TV. Each moment becomes more dramatic as the inevitable murder inches closer.
The Bottom Line: This is a great episode for many reasons. It is forty minutes of drama and development for one. It presents a very fitting and needed climax to two characters stories. And most of all it shows that Lost can still consistently deliver compelling episodes within an even more compelling arc plot. This episode reassures me that the early part of this season was a blip and not the start of Lost’s inevitable decline.
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