This episode is often remembered as Kate's first centric, and while that's true there were additional obligations with it being the follow-up to Pilot. It had to briefly re-establish the perilous situation without feeling like a seminar, but it also had to move forward with character exploration.
To that end, Tabula Rasa was very successful. Distinct personalities were established in Pilot, but Tabula Rasa is where we really start to explore key dynamics BETWEEN characters. Dynamic #1: Charlie and Locke share their first "conversation", in quotes because Charlie does most of the talking. Dynamic #2: Kate and Jack have a bit of a "silent" standoff on the beach, with Kate prodding for a status on Marshal Mars and Jack waiting for disclosure. Dynamic #3: Jack and Sawyer draw figurative lines in the sand, one committed to tackling a crisis, the other to an "every man for himself" philosophy.
The Kate-centric plot is serviceable but not mind-blowing. There were a few minor inconsistencies like Kate eating bacon and eggs despite being a vegetarian, but nothing egregious.
The biggest thing I'd forgotten about this ep is that Sawyer takes a big step forward. Nicknames like "Abdul" and "Freckles" roll off his tongue this time around, a big part of what would define him over the series.
A very strong performance by Nick Tate, otherwise known as Ray "Heluva Mortgage" Mullen. He plays the sympathetic, weather-worn gentleman quite well.
Bonus points for Fredric Lehne selling the excruciating pain endured by Marshal Mars in his final hours.
Overall, solid performances by the main cast as usual but nothing stands out as a defining moment.
This episode was obviously far less ambitious than Pilot, yet they minimized the roller-coaster dropoff. The weaving of flashbacks into an increasingly dire on-island situation was very well executed, particularly the slow-mo sequence with Kate leaning over the face of her former captor.
But the most memorable and well-directed sequence is the closing montage, an uplifting stage-setter showing the Losties mingling, mending a few fences, even reuniting with their beloved pets. All of this to the tune of Joe Purdy's "Wash Away", which will forever be linked to the series. The very last shot with the camera panning across Locke's face is cinematic excellence.
This is a tough one, for the episode truly breaks necessary ground in character dynamics and has a lovely montage that I could watch a million times. But it is a Kate-centric episode at heart, which by default isn't a bad thing — but the bulk of what we see is her running and dodging, something we'll see quite often over the series. It loses its novelty after a while.
There's just enough of that "shiny new car" smell to Tabula Rasa, and close enough proximity to the Pilot, to give it a bit of a boost in Intangibles. It has enough character revelations to make it fun to rewatch, and there are just enough long shots of gnarled wreckage and the peaceful ocean waves to really let us soak us in atmosphere.
Bonus points: the final shot of Locke's face gets my vote for one of the most chilling and powerful endings to any episode of the series.
