Lost recap #3: White Rabbit
Season 1, episode 5
Hero of the episode: Jack/Boone, for trying to rescue a drowning woman
Zero of the episode: Boone is on both sides in this episode. He tried to lead with fear, and it didn’t work.
Quote(s) of the episode: “A leader can’t lead until he knows where he’s going.” – Locke to Jack; “If we can’t learn to live together, we’re gonna die alone.” – Jack to the rest of the group
Music vibes: Out of control and dizzy, just like Jack is for part of this episode.
Little things: Walt brushing his teeth with leaves from Sun. | Charlie brings Claire water. | Sawyer with yet another nickname. This time for Jin, “Mister Miyagi.” I know Sawyer’s nicknames were supposed to be funny, but they were often racist.
Episode notebook:
Another shot of someone’s eye to open the episode turns out to be a teenage Jack.
Boone and Jack try to save a drowning woman but can’t.
Jack blames himself for the woman drowning. He starts seeing a man in a suit.
Boone is mad at Jack for saving his life instead of going after the woman.
Flashbacks to Jack’s youth, and the start of his hero complex
Sun trying to appeal to Jin that they need to communicate with the rest of the group.
Jack’s dad, Christian, is also a doctor. This I remember, but I don’t remember why Daddy Shephard had a fall from grace. Jack had something to do with it. But what?
Jack runs after the man in the suit and quickly learns he is chasing a ghost. The ghost of his dead father.
While Jack is chasing ghosts, Claire collapses and Hurley makes a grim discovery. The remaining water is missing. Who took it? Too easy for it to be Sawyer.
Christian pulls disappearing acts. Jack often has to chase him. One chase led him to Sydney and eventually Oceanic Flight 815.
Kate and Sayid suspect Sawyer is the water thief. Sawyer has a big stash of everything else, so why not water?
Chasing Daddy led Jack to the caves. Where there’s freshwater and wreckage from the plane. Jack returns before there is mutiny on the beach.
Episode recap: The episode with a glimpse into the beginning of Jack’s daddy issues. We open with yet another eye shot, this time it’s a teenage Jack—fighting with some kids. Jack is trying to defend another kid—also the start of his hero complex. In the aftermath of the fight, Jack’s dad, Christian, gives a speech about heroism and failure. The underlying message from that speech, when push comes to shove Jack doesn’t have what it takes. A sentiment an adult Jack still carries. On the island, Jack has shown many times he can save lives but when given chances to truly take charge of his fellow survivors he doesn’t take them. Heavy lies the crown!
In the present day, Jack’s internal struggles start to manifest on the outside. He keeps seeing a mystery man in a suit, a man no one else sees but Jack. We learn that the man is Jack’s dead father. Why? Why does Jack keep seeing him? Is Dad trying to send him a message or is Jack going crazy? Jack chooses to confide in Locke, and he is probably the perfect person to lay out his burdens.
Locke is one of the few survivors who knows how special the island is. Locke started to get his catharsis by hunting the boars. He tells Jack to keep searching for his father. Maybe when he finds him, Jack will get his answers. His catharsis. Locke senses Jack can lead the group, who are desperate for someone to tell them what to do. But that can’t happen until Jack finds his own direction, his own path. Like Locke, Jack needs to go on his own “walkabout.”
While Jack is off in the jungle, the rest of the survivors are panicking. The last of the water goes missing. Who took it? Once again, I thought it was Sawyer and his every man-for-himself attitude. But that’s too easy. It’s never the most obvious suspect. I totally forgot it was Boone. He didn’t take the water to be malicious but to ration it. With Jack gone, Boone saw an opportunity to take charge. To take the lead. But leading through fear, or in this case, the fear of dehydration wasn’t the best idea.
Fortunately, Jack returns before everyone completely turns on Boone. Jack found his answers and courage in the caves. The caves are flowing with fresh water. Caves the ghost of his dead father led him to. I’m pretty sure Jack and his dad have some sort of spiritual connection to the island. Everyone was pulled to the island for a reason. Those reasons are a blank for me. But I’m enjoying discovering those reasons all over again. Please keep reading. My recap for episode six is also posted.