Lost: Season 2, Episode 19 "S.O.S." Review

"I think I liked you better when you just hit people with your stick."

-Bernard Nadler

"S.O.S" focuses on Rose (L. Scott Caldwell) and Bernard (Sam Anderson).  In flashbacks, we see them meet for the first time when Bernard helps Rose get her car out of the snow.  Five months later, Bernard proposes marriage, but before saying yes, Rose tells Bernard she is dying of cancer and only has about a year to live.  For their honeymoon, Bernard takes Rose to Australia to see a faith healer, Isaac (Wayne Pygram).  Rose is not thrilled, but agrees to see him to appease Bernard.  Isaac tells Rose she can be healed by energy from the earth, but not by him.  He doesn't know where the location is, but it's out there somewhere.

Rose decides to tell Bernard that Isaac healed her so they can enjoy the time they have left.  At the airport, Rose drops a bottle of medicine and John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) retrieves it for her.  Rose is one of the few people who knows Locke was in a wheelchair before the crash.

On the island, Bernard gets fed up with the lack of plans for the survivors to get rescued.  He recruits the other survivors to build a large S.O.S. on the beach with heavy rocks.  Rose is vocally opposed to the idea.  Bernard grows very frustrated, especially when Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) refuse to help because they are busy building a church.  Bernard eventually alienates everyone who was helping him and builds the sign alone.  Rose eventually comes clean about her lie, but that after she landed on the island, she knew she was cured.  Bernard realizes she doesn't want to leave the island and promises they never will and the two reconcile.

Jack (Matthew Fox) decides to go out to the line they aren't supposed to cross to try and trade Henry (Michael Emerson) for Walt (Malcolm David Kelley), though Henry says the Others will never give up Walt.  Jack and Kate (Evangeline Lilly) go out to the line, where Jack shouts himself hoarse at the jungle.  That night Michael (Harold Perrineau) stumbles out of the jungle and collapses in front of them.

What Works:

The best parts of "S.O.S" are the little moments and we get a few of them.  One of the best comes when Locke is pounding on the door to the armory trying to get answers out of Henry.  Inside, we just see Henry smiling to himself.  He's gotten in Locke's head and it's wonderful.  Emerson says so much without saying a word.

I also really like the brief scene between Locke and Rose at the beach.  Rose rips on Locke for not be able to walk, which is hilarious, and then we get the acknowledgement that these two are more connected to the island than the rest of the cast.  It's a solid scene.

The best storyline of the episode is Jack and Kate's.  I'm not a big fan of their romance as it's frequently irritating, but when they get caught in the net, it's some of their best flirting on the show.  Plus the cliffhanger where Michael reappears is very exciting.

Finally, the resolution to Rose and Bernard's story is very sweet.  These two are great and I didn't love seeing them fight, but their reconciliation and Bernard promising they won't ever leave the island is wonderful.

What Sucks:

I have a lot of problems with the Rose and Bernard story.  The biggest one is I don't like how Bernard is treated in this episode.  He's 100% right; no one is doing anything to try and get rescued.  Why not build a big sign?  There's evidence that planes fly over the island to drop off food and what else do these people have to do?  Yeah, Bernard should have been a better leader, but he's not wrong.  People are building churches!  It's ridiculous, yet Bernard is treated as the butt of the joke.

The conflict between Bernard and Rose is also not great.  It's bad writing because all of their problems could be solved if they have one quick conversation.  This entire plot could have been avoided.  It's sloppy on the part of the writers.

Finally, the flashbacks don't do a lot for me.  Bernard's proposal and Rose's confession are good, but the trip to see Issac is just..."eh."  It doesn't stand out at all.

Platinum Polar Bear:

The Platinum Polar Bear goes to the most useful character in a given episode.  For "S.O.S." the award goes to Bernard Nadler.  Yes, he wasn't the best manager, but he showed initiative in trying to get the group rescued.  He had a good plan and at least got a bit of the sign built.  This is Bernard's first time winning the award.

Verdict:

"S.O.S" isn't the most memorable episode of Lost, but the Jack and Kate storyline is solid, there are some great smaller moments, and the Michael cliffhanger is excellent.  I just wish Rose and Bernard's story was better written and more interesting.

 7/10: Good