Title of this episode is pretty self explanitory as all shows begin with an episode named 'pilot' its just ironic that this first episode involves a plane crash. This is a great episode and in many ways sets the tone for the series. Obviously we have come a long way from then, with plot twists and events that we never could've seen coming. But we begin with the first of many episodes that begin with a closed eye that dramatically opens. The sound/music is mysterious and borderline creepy as we see our main character's pupils dilate.
This of course is Jack Shepherd, whom as we soon see is 'the hero' and main character of the series (at least for now). Interestingly enough Michael Keaton was supposedly in the running to play this character, but I think Matthew Fox does a fine job. Some will disagree, but I think a show like this is almost better suited for actors that are not necessarily 'big names'. No offense Foxy, you're a big name now, but Michael Keaton played Batman and Mr. Mom!! Even if the way Jack's character was written remained the same, it just would've given the show a slightly different feel. After coming to in the middle of the jungle, Jack finds that he has a small bottle of Vodka in his pocket. He gains his bearings and runs like someone is chasing him. No one is, but we shortly come to find out that he is in a hurry to get to the beach to find and help survivors of the plane crash that he was just a part of. On his way to the beach he passes by a random shoe hanging from a tree branch. This winds up being somewhat of a cliffhanger because it is not explained right away. This is only the beginning of the giant cliffhanger we know as 'Lost'. Jack gets to the beach and immediately starts helping everyone he can. When helping one, he is directing another and already eyeing the next victim that he intends to save or help. Jack quickly finds a character attempting to administer CPR on another passenger, he stops him because he was performing CPR incorrectly. The young character named Boone suggests that they 'do one of those thingys where they puncture a hole in the patients neck to create an airway'. Enter our first promotional product: the promotional pen! Jack plays along and sends Boone on a fools errand to go find pens while he properly administers the procedure and revives the victim. But after the smoke has cleared and everything that could be done was done, Boone comes back with a plethora of promotional pens. Jack thanks him and takes them.
Early on we have themes that will be a major part of the show in almost all future episodes: Jack as a hero / plot driver, Jack and his alcohol, the presence of the cliffhanger, and the mysterious and creepy soundtrack. The soundtrack was actually developed by using actual pieces of the plane wreckage as percussion instruments. And yes, the plane used on set was an actual plane.
Some other quick notes worth mentioning are the 4 scrapes on Jack's face. We know now that 4 is an important number later on in the series, but the writers were throwing things like this into the mix as early as episode one. It could of course be a coincidence, but there are other subtle examples of 'the numbers' appearing.
Suvivors (that we know of) = 48 -- 4 and 8 are both prevalent numbers.
Flight # = 815 -- 8 and 15 are prevalent numbers.
In the show's very first 'flashback' we see Jack on the plane while in the air before it crashes. He is sitting in seat 23A -- 23 is a prevalent number. This flashback is also significant because it is another theme that we see in nearly every episode from this point forward. The flashbacks help us get to know the character by showing us some of their past experiences. Sometimes it shows us how they got to this point, while other times it shows us how said character reacted in certain situations back at home as an indication of how they may react to a situation currently taking place on the island. In some flashbacks we see characters interracting with each other or being in the same place at the same time before knowing each other / crashing on the island. It shows us that it can be a small world and this also remains as a theme of the show.
In this flashback we see how Jack got his small bottle of Vodka. He was given the extra bottle by the flight attendant who would eventually become one of 'the others' - we eventually learn that everything that happens on the island happens for a reason. This is not only a recurring theme, but also leads one to wonder what the flight attendant's purpose is/was. Also in this flashback we see a character named Charlie frantically running to the bathroom, but we dont know why until episode 2.
After playing hero, Jack settles down with our second promotional product sighting! A custom sewing kit!
This is where he meets another main character named Kate. She helps him sew up his wound as they get to know each other. But here we get another recurring theme of the show. Dishonesty. Kate didnt exactly lie to Jack yet, but she wasn't completely honest either as we will eventually find out that she was a wanted criminal and was on the flight because she was being transported from Australia to L.A.
Jack, Kate and Charlie set out to find the cockpit in hopes of locating a transceiver that will help a rescue team find them. They find the cockpit with the injured pilot inside. This is where he informs them that they are 1000 miles off course after losing signal and turning back towards Fiji. Bad news for these characters because they had hoped to be rescued soon, especially if they found the transceiver. Not only are they off course, but they are confronted with the mysterious 'monster' that they heard the night before. We as the audience have no clue what this 'monster' is because we dont see it. We just know it makes a loud sound and knocks down trees. Jack, Kate and Charlie also know now, that it can grab a person when it yanked the pilot out of the cockpit, but they didnt get a look at it. They just ran like hell to get as far away from it as possible. Talk about a cliffhanger! I definitely thought it was a dinosaur at first, but it has since been made very clear that this is not the case.
Another fun production fact is that when filming Jack, Kate and Charlie running away, the actors were asked to simply run in place while the camera operator shook the camera to create the appearance of running. All this suspense leads to Jack, Kate and Charlie eventually finding each other while at the same time discovering the pilot, covered in blood and dead, laying across the top of a huge tree. The character and the audience are more perplexed than ever in regard to this monster. The perfect time for the end of the episode. Back next week with notes from episode 2.
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