Lost: Season 1 Episode 4 "Walkabout" Review

"Don't tell me what I can't do!"

-John Locke

"Walkabout" begins with the survivors of Oceanic 815 hearing noises in the fuselage of the plane and they discover wild boars inside.  John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) claims to be able to hunt the boars and has a suitcase full of knives.  He recruits Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Michael (Harold Perrineau) to assist him on the hunt.

Sayid (Naveen Andrews) builds an antenna that will help triangulate the source of the French distress call and gives it to Kate.  The hunting party is attacked by a boar and Michael is injured.  Locke continues after the boar, while Kate and Michael make their way back to camp.  On the way, Kate stops to put the antenna in a tree, but drops it when she hears the monster making its way towards Locke, which causes the antenna to break.  She and Michael make it back and Sayid is resolved to try again.

Jack comes to the conclusion they need to burn the fuselage and the bodies inside to stop more animals from coming to the beach.  He decides to burn it at night to create a signal fire and gets the rest of the castaways to put firewood inside.  When he is informed that Rose (L. Scott Caldwell) is sitting alone and hasn't eaten or drank anything, Jack talks to her about her husband who was in the tail section of the plane, but she believes he is still alive.  Jack starts to have visions of a man in a suit standing and watching him.

Shannon (Maggie Grace) manages to manipulate Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) into catching a fish for her and he later finds out she was just using him.

Locke sees the monster, though the audience doesn't see it, and he manages to bring back a boar that the monster killed.  That night, Claire (Emilie de Ravin) leads a memorial service for all those who died in the crash.

In flashbacks, we learn that Locke lived a very sad life.  He worked a boring desk job and had issues with his boss, who was much younger than him.  He seemingly had a girlfriend who was actually just a phone sex operator and he tried to go on a walkabout in Australia but was rejected because, in a shocking twist, it's reveled that Locke was paralyzed from the waist down and, when the plane crashed, he could walk again.

What Works:

First thing I need to talk about is the twist.  This was the first episode of Lost I ever watched and I was recall digging it with all of the boar hunting and the mysterious monster, but all of sudden we learn Locke was in a wheelchair.  I remember my jaw dropping to the floor when I saw Locke wheel out from behind that desk.  Michael Giacchino's score is just so powerful as we watch Locke stand for the first time after the crash.  It's really a beautiful moment and of of my favorite scenes from the whole series,

All of the flashbacks are really brilliant and do a great job at hiding Locke's disability, but still hinting at it.  One of the best parts about rewatching the series is getting to see all of the hints and clues.

The on-island story is very exciting as well.  Both boar attacks sequences are very engaging, even if they seem kind of quaint to those of us who have seen the entire series.  And Locke getting a glimpse at the monster is very intense and another memorable scene.

The Charlie/Hurley (Jorge Garcia) scene where they go fishing is hilarious.  It comes off as very genuine watching them struggle to try and spear a fish.

Sawyer (Josh Holloway is especially funny in this episode, when Jack (Matthew Fox) suspects Sawyer is the one in the fuselage, I love when he appears behind the doctor and calls him a jackass.  Later, his remarks about Locke's hunting plan are simply hilarious and it's some of the best comedic dialogue the show has ever had.

What Sucks:

I've got nothing for ya.

Verdict:

"Walkabout" is a masterpiece of a TV episode.  It hits plenty of emotional beats, both comedic and dramatic, it has exciting sequences, a great twist, and excellent performances.  "Walkabout" remains one of my favorite episodes of the entire series and to see a show knock it so far out of the park this early in its run is amazing.  "Walkabout" has absolutely got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing