Further Instructions
Original
Airdate: October 18, 2006
Writers:
Director: Stephen Williams
Of the trilogy of introductory episodes, this
episode is the simplest in terms of its story: Locke’s back and he’s on a
mission to save Eko, correcting the mistake of
rebelling against what he perceives is the island’s destiny for him. However, Locke has been one of, if not the
most, developed characters in the series, and this episode delves into his
doubtful side, in addition to having the return of the hunter, who was a fan
favorite in season one. Such an episode
is always welcome.
Some complained about the direction Locke’s
character went last season, but it was a logical next step. Throughout season two, Locke’s resentment that
destiny lead him on a mission to sit at a desk pushing buttons (similar to his
box company desk job) with no known benefit was far more compelling than if
Locke’s faith was steadfast. Of course,
the disaster in “Live Together, Die Alone” showed him just how important The
Swan’s mission was, albeit a little too late.
This could’ve been the end of his arc, but Locke is far too central a
character to kill him off this early. Having
gotten a second chance, Locke is aware of some higher purpose, and “talks to
the island” to get further instructions.
The hallucination could’ve easily deserved a
full analysis, but I’ll try to get the highlights. It’s important for Locke’s character to have
Boone appear in this vision. His
problems with his destiny were compounded by the fact that Boone died so he
could get there, because he was a “sacrifice that the island demanded”. Forgiving himself for what happened to Boone
is instrumental for him to move forward, both figuratively and literally. Although Boone in this hallucination heads
too close to mocking him, but perhaps that is a tough love approach.
Boone guides him through the airport, watching
our fellow castaways and island mates paired up the same way they were at the
end of the season. Had they been allowed
to come back, I would’ve liked to see where the deceased castaways would be in
the giant metaphor.
Charlie, Claire and Aaron, looking like a normal
family, are “safe…for now”. Considering
the island’s nature and the supposed danger surrounding Aaron (which may be
just a con), it’s not hard to believe that there will be trouble along the way,
especially since they had reconciled at the end of last season.
Hurley as the ticket agent, as well as Desmond
as a pilot, could foreshadow some power that they’ll obtain later. Perhaps Hurley will have exclusive access to
something people on the island would need or want. As for Desmond, he has already has some
precognitive abilities (more on that later), which would be useful in
determining the destination of the castaways like a pilot would on a flight.
Jin and Sun arguing, with Sayid
directing Jin somewhere, alludes to their predicament on the boat, something of
which Locke was likely unaware. This
could’ve been hinting at “The Glass Ballerina”, but because this episode
swapped places with that one, it is more an update on them because they are
absent in this episode.
The most intriguing grouping would be Kate &
Sawyer in line to be wanded, with Ben checking
Jack. There is a lot that can be read
into this. This could be considered a
sign that Ben wants to indoctrinate them to The Others’ way of life, with Jack
being the priority. Kate and Sawyer
certainly are getting close, with hints of Sawyer’s plan to turn the tables on
The Others.
It ultimately leads him to realize Eko needs the help.
This could’ve been seen earlier as Eko’s stick
nearly knocks Locke out in the beginning of this episode or the fact that we
hadn’t gotten any update on him before then.
Boone, bloody in a way similar to his look in “Deus Ex Machina”, warns that “they” got him. Considering the first two episodes, it could
be determined that The Others have him, especially since they failed to take
him in “The Other 48 Days”.
Instead, when Locke emerges from his sweat lodge
it’s revealed that a polar bear has Eko. Considering they (there were at least two)
hadn’t been seen since “Special”, it was nice to see them back in the story,
even if they are just plot devices. The
bear who took Eko could’ve easily been the one
Michael fought back in season one.
Regardless, it lives in a surprisingly large
cave, adorned with human skeletons, the go to harbinger of doom for a large
creature. There are odd pieces in there,
like a toy fire truck and some of the bodies had on Dharma (
The biggest problem facing Locke is the constant
doubt lingering in his mind. He constantly
searched for purposed in his life only to be burned by people ready to take
advantage of him. The only person who
didn’t con him was Helen, and he blew that because he wanted Cooper, a scumbag,
to be the dad he wanted. This episode
shows at least one more, Eddie, who Locke befriended only to learn his true
motives later. This likely occurred
shortly after Helen dumped him in “Lockdown” and Locke was desperate for
acceptance and friendship. The commune
could’ve tricked Locke as well; not revealing their entrepreneurial activities
until later.
Locke’s story in this episode is all about
“cleaning up his mess”. The Swan’s
implosion was his fault and because of it Eko is
primed to be polar bear chow. Also, he
feels that his actions are partially to blame for Jack, Kate and Sawyer’s
abduction. While he accomplishes his
first goal, it is rescuing the trio that will prove more difficult. In the flashback, he tries to clean up
bringing in Eddie by killing him.
Fortunately, he doesn’t go through with it for the same reason he
succeeds in saving Eko: he’s a good person.
Considering Eko’s
faith provided endless frustration for Locke last season, the scene where Eko (possibly in a vision by Locke) tells him that he can
still save the trio The Others captured marks as a nice resolution to their
head butting last year and the pivotal piece to bring back the hunter side of
Locke.
The Swan implosion brings up many
questions. If it imploded, how did
Locke, Desmond and Eko not become a smashed mass of
flesh and blood? Also, where is the
wreckage? Shouldn’t there be a metallic
ball in that massive hole? Did the
pieces disappear?
Locke’s reawakening in the prologue is
reminiscent of Jack’s in the pilot episode, even using several similar
shots. Is this meant to show that
Locke’s will be assuming a leadership role that Jack’s inhabited? Some jokingly referred to Desmond as “the new
Vincent” if Locke is supposed to be the new Jack.
If the implosion reawakened the man of
faith/hunter side of Locke, it brought something out of Desmond. Naked in the jungle, the discharge has given
him a degree of precognition. The nudity
recalled “Terminator” in many, which showed that characters traveling in time
couldn’t bring their clothes. How would
a discharge create a situation where he could time travel? What exactly did he see after he turned that
key?
It was good to see those at the beach
again. It seemed odd not to include
anything from them in the first two episodes.
In this “mini-season”, one of the many complaints was that there was
hardly any time spent on the beach in significant plot lines.
Hurley’s return was also welcome, including the
first “dude” of the season. I was hoping
to see a storyline with him wandering the jungle alone, encountering weird
things that would further detail the island’s mysteries, but nothing had to be
told, at least for now.
This episode suffered from being cut to fit
airtime. Locke’s flashback stops more
than ends. Production photos show that
there is an epilogue after Locke confronts Eddie in the forest. The flashbacks lacked a coda to make it
complete. Also, Locke’s big speech is so
terse that it makes anyone complementing it look a little foolish. He didn’t do more than sum up what happened
and his game plan.
Then there is also the introduction of Paolo and
Nikki, two characters who have become infamous for some fans. Some complained that their introduction in
this episode was painfully forced. I’d
disagree with that. While it must be
difficult to introduce new characters in this setting, they only had a line or
two each in this episode. There have
been far more awkward introductions of characters on other series.
Nonetheless, this episode was a welcome return
of a beloved character at his best, a side we haven’t seen since the first
season. Although the flashbacks lacked a
proper conclusion, it did offer a different side to Locke’s life while further
developing his character as a man of faith haunted by betrayal.
Overall
Score: 8/10