Thanks to Dee for commission the pilot! I hadn’t re-watched this in a couple years, and it was a fantastic reminder of how fucking great the opening of Lost was. LET US ALL REMEMBER TOGETHER.
Videos first:
Part 1
[vimeo 58052759 w=500 h=375]
Part 2
[vimeo 58052758 w=500 h=375]
I did not actually watch the pilot until a few days after I watched “One of Them.” The show had a two-week break before “Maternity Leave” aired, so I spent that time catching up. I’M SERIOUS. I watched like 30-some episodes in 13 days. It was beautiful and I do not regret it. So when I finally did see the pilot, I felt like kicking myself. HOLY SHIT, IT WAS SO GOOD, WHY DID I DOUBT WHAT ANYONE SAID?
I know that the show only loosely planned out its mythology, but there are so many moments in this pilot that I adore because they fit so well into the greater story.
- Look, I am not sorry for flailing during the entire backgammon sequence. JESUS. THAT WAS THE ANSWER THE WHOLE TIME. Well, okay, there was never a single answer to Lost, but that scene honestly hints at what the whole show is about: two sides, one dark, one light. To Jacob and the Man in Black, these people they brought to the island were a game. For better or for worse, I do appreciate how much the characters found their own way to subvert this game and escape, and y’all, I cannot deal with Hurley being the new protector of the island. It’s so beautiful. (I’m commissioned to watch “The End” on February 7th, and I can’t guarantee a dry eye, y’all.)
- I never knew until TODAY that the pilot was aired as two parts. I thought it was all aired at once!
- I love how so many characters are introduced, the writers prey on our prejudices, and then they flip them. SAYID I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.
- I know Kate irritated everyone forever, but I liked her a lot! The same goes with Shannon. She was supposed to annoy us, but I grew to enjoy her. I couldn’t figure out why we hadn’t seen her in “One of Them,” but that’s because I didn’t realize this show killed off so many people.
- The pilot feels like a movie. This show really set the bar for cinematography for a television show, y’all.
- CLAIRE OH GOD. I will say that she has the most confusing story in season six, and season six is a hot mess. It’s the most inconsistent of the entire show’s run, and half the episodes are totally forgettable.
- The Smoke Monster/the Man In Black is so loud in these earlier episodes. I seriously loved the crack theory that they were all secretly on the Jurassic Park island. COME ON IT TOTALLY SEEMS THAT WAY IN THE PILOT.
- Speaking of pilots, hello, Matt Parkman!
- Remember when Rousseau’s story was this huge mystery that was left hanging FOR FIVE YEARS?
- Still mad about Alex’s death. SUPER FUCKED UP.
- I’m not even talking about the pilot episode anymore. Oh god, I just have so much to say about this show!
DISCUSS.
