(This review was written after already watching and rewatching the entire TV show)
After intense and plot-driven premiere episode, "Pilot part 2" takes the story to the next level, elevating tension between the characters and giving us first insight into their shady pasts. The characters' complex personalities and their past actions would eventually become a major (if not "the" major) theme for the show's evolving story.
On second day of the crash, characters' "masks" start to fall and the tension eventually elevates in the camp when bits of their pasts start to get revealed. The episode very quickly shakes things up by showing us audience in form of flashbacks that Charlie, the cheerful rock star from previous episode, is actually a drug addict, who ventured to the cockpit with sole intention to retrieve his stash of heroin. But while Charlie's revelation is known only to us audience, a pair of handcuffs discovered near the crash site at the beginning of this episode brought a lot of tension and distrust among the survivors themselves.
The two characters finding themselves in most unwanted spotlight regarding the handcuffs were an Iraqi former soldier Sayid (Naveen Andrews) and a guy named Sawyer (Josh Holloway), with suspicion raising in both cases likely because of national stereotypes in first case, and aggressive "redneck" behavior in second case, even more after they discovered a gun in his possession. The survivors' speculation turned out to be far from truth though as through another flashback, the person in handcuffs is revealed to be Kate and federal marshall escorting her being the heavily wounded man that Jack has been actively treating in this episode. Kate's fugitive status is not yet known to any character at the end of this episode but the revelation raises several questions and potential future plot points for her.
In the midst of all character revelations and tension, this episode manages to successfully capture the mystery element as well, revealing a presence of a polar bear on the island and more importantly a chilling French distress message originating somewhere from the Island that has been playing in a loop for over 16 years. If previous episode didn't make it clear enough that they won't be getting off-island anytime soon and that they're stranded in a very mysterious place, then this chapter definitely did. Charlie's closing line "Guys, where are we?" pretty much summarizes the question the audience must have been wondering about as a very chilling and mysterious story is about to unveil.
In my opinion, "Pilot part 2" is just as important and quality episode as its predecessor and marks the beginning of a crucial LOST theme, which is the characters themselves. We see first glimpses of their darker sides and how the protagonists may not be as "good" as we may have believed at first. Apart from that, the episode introduces more island mysteries that the audience would keep wondering and speculating about and expanding the show's mythology.
All in all, "Pilot part 2" is another very gripping piece of LOST which expands the show into new directions, provides insight into show's major themes and keeps the hype going for future episodes with its mystery elements. On my list, "Pilot part 2" gets 10/10 just like its predecessor, being my 16th favorite LOST episode overall.
After intense and plot-driven premiere episode, "Pilot part 2" takes the story to the next level, elevating tension between the characters and giving us first insight into their shady pasts. The characters' complex personalities and their past actions would eventually become a major (if not "the" major) theme for the show's evolving story.
On second day of the crash, characters' "masks" start to fall and the tension eventually elevates in the camp when bits of their pasts start to get revealed. The episode very quickly shakes things up by showing us audience in form of flashbacks that Charlie, the cheerful rock star from previous episode, is actually a drug addict, who ventured to the cockpit with sole intention to retrieve his stash of heroin. But while Charlie's revelation is known only to us audience, a pair of handcuffs discovered near the crash site at the beginning of this episode brought a lot of tension and distrust among the survivors themselves.
The two characters finding themselves in most unwanted spotlight regarding the handcuffs were an Iraqi former soldier Sayid (Naveen Andrews) and a guy named Sawyer (Josh Holloway), with suspicion raising in both cases likely because of national stereotypes in first case, and aggressive "redneck" behavior in second case, even more after they discovered a gun in his possession. The survivors' speculation turned out to be far from truth though as through another flashback, the person in handcuffs is revealed to be Kate and federal marshall escorting her being the heavily wounded man that Jack has been actively treating in this episode. Kate's fugitive status is not yet known to any character at the end of this episode but the revelation raises several questions and potential future plot points for her.
In the midst of all character revelations and tension, this episode manages to successfully capture the mystery element as well, revealing a presence of a polar bear on the island and more importantly a chilling French distress message originating somewhere from the Island that has been playing in a loop for over 16 years. If previous episode didn't make it clear enough that they won't be getting off-island anytime soon and that they're stranded in a very mysterious place, then this chapter definitely did. Charlie's closing line "Guys, where are we?" pretty much summarizes the question the audience must have been wondering about as a very chilling and mysterious story is about to unveil.
In my opinion, "Pilot part 2" is just as important and quality episode as its predecessor and marks the beginning of a crucial LOST theme, which is the characters themselves. We see first glimpses of their darker sides and how the protagonists may not be as "good" as we may have believed at first. Apart from that, the episode introduces more island mysteries that the audience would keep wondering and speculating about and expanding the show's mythology.
All in all, "Pilot part 2" is another very gripping piece of LOST which expands the show into new directions, provides insight into show's major themes and keeps the hype going for future episodes with its mystery elements. On my list, "Pilot part 2" gets 10/10 just like its predecessor, being my 16th favorite LOST episode overall.