Throwback Thursday – LOST - Pilot: Part 1

Throwback Thursday, a weekly article in which we look back at our favorite TV episodes from over the years.

Lost is easily my favorite show of all time, it was pure quality right from the beginning. The pilot to this date is amongst the best I have seen. What made is so great wasn't the storyline, it was the characters. There use of flashbacks throughout the show was remarkable, it made us really get to know each, and every character.

I will never forget the jaw dropping opening sequence when Jack wakes up in the middle of a jungle disorientated, wondering where he is, he then runs towards the screams of fellow survivors. In a desperate attempt he tries to save as many people as possible in the chaos of the plane wreck. While most shows normally take the whole episode to introduce you to the setting, and the characters LOST dived straight into all that from the first minute. Getting a quick insight into the setting so quickly made me feel as if I was experiencing the plane crash with these characters. There was very little time in the pilot to digest what you were watching,it was very fast paced. Which is what I liked, I hate how we get pilots now that take so long to build up to something. LOST's Pilot was action packed throughout, I couldn't take my eyes of the screen for a second.

As the chaos slowly dies down Jack goes to attend a wound of his own, this was when we were first introduced to Kate. Straight away they instantly clicked, and I had a feeling they would eventually end up together. You could feel the chemistry between those two from a mile off. I have to admit I haven't always liked Kate, her persistence to have to do something every minute was very frustrating at times. Also her back and forward romance with Jack and Sawyer was beyond annoying. I was actually so thrilled when they introduced another female partner for Jack/Sawyer in Juliet, as it took attention of Kate, and her back and forth romances. Then again it kind of created a four way love triangle in the end.

Anyway back at the plane wreck everyone is getting to gripes with what has happened, this is when we really get introduced to a whole bunch of characters, who would soon become the main group of survivors we would see week in week out. What I really liked is the pilot wasn't focused on just one person; it was focused on multiple people's different experiences to what has happened. Shortly after you thought everything had died down, we got our first appearance from "the monster" which when I first saw something knocking down the trees I thought "Here comes King Kong". I did think it would be something really cheesy, although it kind of was. What I liked was you didn't actually see what was out there, which is what made it such a great scene as it began the first mystery surrounding the island and its inhabitants. We were all left wondering what was out there, and what kind of place it was.

During the morning Jack, Kate and Charlie head out to try to find the transceiver. This is when we first got a real glimpse of what Kate is like; her constant nagging to Jack to go along with him was a particular standout. I didn't mind it, as I liked seeing her and Jack venture out into the unknown, as it created some pleasant dialogue between them. We also found out about Charlie's heroin addiction which later would go onto to play a huge part in the series for his development. I really liked Charlie's character, he was one of my favorites. I was very sad when he died in the season 3 finale. He was a well rounded individual that had an interesting back story.

Once they eventually meet with the pilot (Greg Grunberg, Heroes) he informs them that they have been flying in the wrong direction, and that they are probably looking for them in the wrong place. The characters are given little time to mull over this dire news, as smokey attacks, and kills the pilot. The three characters make a desperate dash for it, this provided us with one of the most memorable scenes in lost. The three of them running through the jungle in the pouring rain, hardly being able to see a few feet in front of them was filmed brilliantly. They knew they were running from something, none of them or we knew what it was. All we knew was that it killed the pilot in a horrific fashion, and that the island is more dangerous, and mysterious than we first thought. It was a frantic chase through a jungle running in fear of the unknown. When Charlie falls when they are running, Jack goes back to help him up, whilst Kate continued to run. Once Charlie found Kate again, she cared not for him, but for Jack. You could already tell from the pilot that she cared for him, and it planted the first seeds for there 6 season on off romance. Before that she was trying to consume the fear she had, by counting to 5. The last thing in the first episode we get treated to is an image of the pilot in the tree ripped apart. When I first saw the episode with the ending of seeing the pilot in the tree, my initial thoughts were "what kind of an island is this".

Favorite Quotes

The Pilot: "Our radio went out, no one could see us. We turned back to land in fiji;by the time we hit turbulence, we were a thousand miles of course. They're looking for us in the wrong place"

Charlie: "Hey guys, is this normal? Sort of, day turning into night? You know, end of the world type weather? Is this... Guys?"

Jack "So I just made a choice. I would let the fear in let it take over let it do its thing. But only for five seconds. That's all I was going to give it."

Charlie: "Kate, there's a certain gargantuan quality about this thing!"

Favorite character from the episode: Charlie
Without a question, he was my favorite character from the episode. Everything he said was pure gold, he added some comic relief to the episode as well. Even though his plane just went down, he was still trying to find humor in it, and I really liked that. He actually is my second favorite on the show of all time, behind Ben.

Summary
LOST easily is my favorite show of all time, the pilot set the tone for the whole series. The idea of it was just perfect, a group of survivors forced to live and work together if they are going to survive. It was a simple idea, made into perfection. The pilot was thrilling, mysterious, moving, well directed and well acted from top to bottom; which is all I could want from a pilot. For me to keep watching a show it has to interest me in the pilot, and LOST did within the first 5 minutes.

Sorry this is rushed, had very little time to write it.

As always , thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of the episode!

About the Author - Robert Fruin

Robert is a sixth form student from the United Kingdom, who is currently studying IT, Media and Business Studies. Robert is a huge fan of the ended ABC series LOST, he has seen it many times over and has even visited some of the filming locations for it. Robert mainly watches drama series such as Game Of Thrones and Person of Interest, but has a soft spot for the comedy The Middle. Some other shows he watches are The Walking Dead, Arrow and The 100. Some other interests include cycling, photography and kayaking. Robert will be reviewing Z Nation,The Librarians, Sons Of Anarchy, Intruders, The Fosters and Aquarius. Feel free to connect with him on any of these social media sites.

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