It's interesting how I can rewatch an episode for the fourth or fifth time, and it's only on the last time that an episode really grabs my interest. This is the case with TBOTE.
In previous finales and openers there was a conceptual/philosophical divide between Jack and Locke. This time around the divide is physical, with Losties splitting up into teams determined to follow one or the other.
Interestingly enough it's Hurley who actually drives the first wedge into the group, insisting it was no accident that Charlie wrote "Not Penny's Boat" as a warning. Therefore he sides with Locke, as does a surprising number of other people. Kate stays with Jack and they share a brief nostalgic moment at the front section of the plane (which raises the question of why they'd all assemble there if there was a known attack by the Smoke Monster at that exact spot).
It's interesting to note that at one point Hurley treks through the jungle and encounters the cabin. That whacky, whacky cabin. This time he sees what appears to be Christian sitting on the chair, then that familiar mysterious eye appears closer to the window. Could it be that BOTH Jacob and MiB were inside the cabin at this point? Perhaps the cabin was a rendezvous point of some sort? Regardless, it doesn't really explain why the cabin moved about a hundred feet as Hurley tried to scramble away.
The flash-forwards (FFs) are actually pretty interesting. The experiment worked, this approach did indeed inject new life and intrigue into the series all over again. That is to say, after the first FF which was entirely predictable. Did any devoted LOST fan NOT know that was Hurley in the car? The slow reveal seemed a bit gratuitous.
Anyway, Hurley doesn't seem to be coping with post-island life all that well. He's back in Santa Rosa after wigging out on the cops, he gets a visit from this mysterious Matthew Abaddon character, and he even has an extended conversation with Charlie. Charlie would go away after Hurley closes his eyes and counts to five — major props to Darlton for including yet another example of the famous count in an opening episode.
And now the $64,000 question: what exactly IS Charlie at that point? Is he a Whisper from the island? Is he an apparition, and if so, produced by whom? Is it all in Hurley's head? Whatever he was, a fellow resident at Santa Rosa also saw him and warned Hurley. That is, unless he too was a nutcase and just coincidentally saw someone at the same time.
That mystery aside, it's interesting to see the changes in dynamics between characters, this time between Jack and Hurley as they play a game of Horse. There's palpable tension through the latter half of the scene and Jack seems determined to make sure Hurley doesn't spill the secrets of the Oceanic Six.
This gets to the heart of why I appreciated TBOTE more this time around than ever before. In the past I've always been in a hurry to get to the freighter arc, this time I just drank it all in. Damon and Carlton rightly asked us to have a little patience while they set up the hooks. It was important to wonder why the characters were being so secretive, why they were slowly spiraling back into the troubled lives they once led.
I'm glad I listened to the commentary because it supported something I was going to mention about Jorge's performance anyway.
For the most part I'd say TBOTE was a turning point for Jorge, the moment where he began to step it up in the emotional range. From the storyline perspective you could pin it to Charlie's death, but from a real-life perspective I'd be curious to find out what prompted the improvement.
That said, when he first announced to Claire that Charlie was dead I wasn't impressed at all. Looked and felt like a guy trying way too hard to make himself cry. But oddly enough when Hurley gives a speech just moments later, he actually does break into a few tears and it feels completely natural. I don't claim to have the explanation for the difference in scenes, but Jorge says in the commentary that the scenes by the cockpit took 3 or 4 nights to complete. Even some of the emotional scenes were shot over two nights, so it makes me wonder if Jorge was simply "on" the night of his speech.
I realized earlier today that I haven't yet acknowledged Marsha Thomason (Naomi Dorrit), so now's the time. I thought she did very well considering Naomi was on the brink of death for 90% of her initial arc.
Finally, LOST gets to feature a bona fide car chase! The opening visual (a pile of papayas) might not have tricked much of the audience into thinking they were watching the island, but the car chase itself was effectively shot and choreographed even if it was a bit brief.
Absolutely loved the visual of Charlie swimming up to the two-way mirror in Hurley's holding cell. Speaking of swimming I also loved the underwater shot of Hurley's cannonball with just a joyful, innocent look on his face.
The cabin visuals were also nicely executed even if the mystery itself perplexes me.
Now that I think about it, Jack Bender really had a wide range of challenges in this episode. Car chases, underwater shots, a rainy rendezvous at the cockpit, cabin scenes, and even a game of Horse. That's a directorial tour de force right there.
Before today I'm not sure I would've rated this episode so highly on rewatchability, but considering I just watched it twice in a row (one with and without commentary) and was equally compelled both times, I've changed my mind.
It's clearly significant for Locke and Jack to split into separate teams, if not for the storylines than for the sake of easing the production schedules a bit (hey, just a reality check). It's equally important that Naomi survived long enough to re-calibrate her phone, for it introduced us to — tada! — Daniel Faraday.
Not only does TBOTE have atmosphere, it has a severe atmospheric shift over the course of a few seconds. The opening scenes on the island are actually quite warm and uplifting. You've got Rose telling a naughty joke at the radio tower and Hurley doing a cannonball into the ocean, people laughing and smiling all over the place. It was really quite nice to see...
... until Hurley emerges from the water and sees Desmond at the beach. Welp, that didn't last. Tragic news would ultimately lead everyone back to the cockpit area — another scene that I thought had some old-school island atmosphere.
I'd describe the flash-forwards as light on the atmosphere, heavy on the intrigue.
