Lost: Season 1 Episode 23 "Exodus, Part 1" Review
"You have only three choices: run, hide...or die."
-Danielle Rousseau
The first part of the season 1 finale of Lost kicks off with Danielle Rousseau (Mira Furlan) arriving at the survivors camp with a warning...the Others are coming. 16 year previously, a pillar of black smoke appeared on the horizon. That night the Others came and took Rousseau's baby. As the survivors prepare for the launching of the raft, they see a pillar of black smoke coming from the other side of the island.
Jack (Matthew Fox) and Locke (Terry O'Quinn) decide to try and open the hatch so everyone can hide inside. Rousseau offers to take them to a place called the Black Rock to retrieve dynamite and blast open the hatch. Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), and Dr. Arzt (Daniel Roebuck) all decide to go with. Before they head out, Jack gives Sawyer (Josh Holloway) a gun to bring on the raft as a precaution. Sawyer finally tells Jack about his encounter with Jack's father, Christian (John Terry) in Sydney, which gives Jack some emotional closure.
Jack's group is briefly chases by the monster, but they continue on and eventually make it to the Black Rock, which is an old wooden ship in the middle of the jungle.
Sayid (Naveen Andrews) manages to build a radar device for the raft, though it has a limited power supplies. He also gives Michael (Harold Perrineau) a flare gun with one flare.
Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) creates a message in a bottle so everyone can write messages to their families. Charlie seals the messages in a bottle and gives it to Sawyer.
Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) finally reconcile, but Jin decides to go on the raft anyway.
Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) gives Vincent to Shannon (Maggie Grace) for emotional support before getting on the raft. Everyone helps push the raft into the water and Michael, Walt, Jin, and Sawyer sail away from the island.
In flashbacks, we get to see multiple characters in the hours before boarding the plane. Walt and Michael aren't getting along. Jack has a drink with a woman named Ana-Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez). Sawyer is banned from Australia after head-butting a government official in a bar and is on the plane because he is being deported. Kate is in federal custody. Shannon reports Sayid to airport security and lies that he was being suspicious simply to spite Boone (Ian Somerhalder). Sun overhears an American couple talking smack about how docile she is to her husband, but chooses not to say anything to them when she has the opportunity.
What Works:
This episode's opening on the island is pretty fantastic. We see Rousseau strolling into camp for the first time with an ominous message, but then we get to see the black smoke just before the title card. This is one of the most frightening things we've ever seen on the show. It's terrifying and a great way to kick off the episode.
We get a lot of emotional closure in this episode because our characters our truly splitting up for the first time. The moment between Shannon and Walt is sweet and the Sun and Jin reconciliation is great to get here before Jin leaves the island. The best one, however, is Sawyer and Jack's moment. Sawyer didn't need to tell Jack this story, but he did and Matthew Fox absolutely kills it while barely saying a word. It is, without a doubt, my favorite scene between these two characters.
We also get a very exciting jungle trek with Jack and his team. Dr. Arzt is very funny and I love that he abandons the group when they reach the Dark Territory. Later, the noises he makes when being chased by the monster are actually quite frightening and have always stuck with me. We also get to see the Black Rock for the first time, which is an awesome reveal.
Finally, the scene where the raft is launched is another all time great. Michael Giacchino's score is nothing short of epic and I get chills every time I watch this scene. There are so many emotions to feel as the raft takes the island; excitement, apprehension, fear, but mostly hope. Everything seems to be working as the raft sails away and we get to see a rare smile from Sayid. It's a wonderful moment and a scene that has always stuck with me.
What Sucks:
I got nothing for you.
Platinum Polar Bear:
This award goes to the most useful character in a given episode. For "Exodus, Part 1", I almost gave it to Sawyer for talking to Jack about his father, but ultimately decided to give it to Sayid for building the radar for the raft. This is Sayid's third time winning the Platinum Polar Bear.
Verdict:
As a lead in to the season finale, "Exodus, Part 1" functions to near perfection. We get plenty of emotional moments, some exciting and tense scenes, the black smoke, an answer for the Black Rock, and one of the best scenes in the series with the raft launch. What more could you ask for? Without a doubt, this episode has got it going on.
10/10: Amazing
What Works:
This episode's opening on the island is pretty fantastic. We see Rousseau strolling into camp for the first time with an ominous message, but then we get to see the black smoke just before the title card. This is one of the most frightening things we've ever seen on the show. It's terrifying and a great way to kick off the episode.
We get a lot of emotional closure in this episode because our characters our truly splitting up for the first time. The moment between Shannon and Walt is sweet and the Sun and Jin reconciliation is great to get here before Jin leaves the island. The best one, however, is Sawyer and Jack's moment. Sawyer didn't need to tell Jack this story, but he did and Matthew Fox absolutely kills it while barely saying a word. It is, without a doubt, my favorite scene between these two characters.
We also get a very exciting jungle trek with Jack and his team. Dr. Arzt is very funny and I love that he abandons the group when they reach the Dark Territory. Later, the noises he makes when being chased by the monster are actually quite frightening and have always stuck with me. We also get to see the Black Rock for the first time, which is an awesome reveal.
Finally, the scene where the raft is launched is another all time great. Michael Giacchino's score is nothing short of epic and I get chills every time I watch this scene. There are so many emotions to feel as the raft takes the island; excitement, apprehension, fear, but mostly hope. Everything seems to be working as the raft sails away and we get to see a rare smile from Sayid. It's a wonderful moment and a scene that has always stuck with me.
What Sucks:
I got nothing for you.
Platinum Polar Bear:
This award goes to the most useful character in a given episode. For "Exodus, Part 1", I almost gave it to Sawyer for talking to Jack about his father, but ultimately decided to give it to Sayid for building the radar for the raft. This is Sayid's third time winning the Platinum Polar Bear.
Verdict:
As a lead in to the season finale, "Exodus, Part 1" functions to near perfection. We get plenty of emotional moments, some exciting and tense scenes, the black smoke, an answer for the Black Rock, and one of the best scenes in the series with the raft launch. What more could you ask for? Without a doubt, this episode has got it going on.
10/10: Amazing
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