Lost: Season 2, Episode 2 "Adrift" Review

"What did one snowman say to the other snowman?"
-Desmond Hume



The second episode of of Lost's second season is focused on Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau).  In flashbacks we see Michael attempting to legally stop Walt's (Malcolm David Kelley) mother, Susan (Tamara Taylor), from leaving the country with Walt.  Eventually, Susan manages to convince Michael to let Walt go.  Michael gets to see Walt one last time before they leave and gives him a stuffed polar bear.

In the present, Sawyer (Josh Holloway) saves Michael from drowning and the two of them are stranded on the destroyed raft with Walt kidnapped and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) missing.  The two of them argue with each other, get the bullet out of Sawyer's shoulder, and fight off a shark before getting back to the island, where they run into Jin, who has his arms tied behind his back and is shouting about "Others."  They then see a group of people approaching them from the jungle.

In the Hatch, we get to see what happened to Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Locke (Terry O'Quinn) before Jack's (Matthew Fox) arrival.  Kate gets locked in the pantry, but manages to escape into the air vents, while Locke is interrogated by Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) and is forced to press the button for the first time.  Their story ends exactly where the previous episode did.


What Works:

I like shipwreck and shark movies, so I enjoyed Michael and Sawyer's storyline in this episode.  It gives us some cool moments like Sawyer pulling the bullet out of his shoulder and Michael shooting the shark.  Plus we get Michael splashing Sawyer, causing his section of the raft to break, which is hilarious.

The flashbacks are really heartbreaking in this episode and add some interesting backstory for the character of Michael.  We get to see him let go of his son and we can understand why he is unwilling to do so again.

The Easter eggs in "Adrift" are on point.  Not only do we get the stuffed polar bear, but we also get the shark with the Dharma logo on it.  That's an awesome detail especially when the episode first aired.

Finally, the cliffhanger ending is one of my all-time favorites with Jin's return and the appearance of "the Others."  It's a chilling end for the episode and I remember losing my mind with anticipation for the next one.


What Sucks:

The biggest problem with the episode comes from the Hatch storyline.  We get absolutely no progress in their story and it ends at the exact same point the premiere episode did.  It makes the entire Hatch plot feel like a waste of time.

To make things even worse, what we do get from the Hatch plot isn't even compelling.  Kate eats some candy bars and Locke and Desmond talk.  Some of their dialogue is interesting, but I found it mostly to be frustrating.  It feels like the writers were stalling for some reason.


Platinum Polar Bear:

This award goes to the most useful character in a given episode.  For "Adrift," the award goes to Sawyer for saving Michael, getting the bullet out of his shoulder, and for being sympathetic to Michael's plight (up to a point).  This is Sawyer's 4th time winning the award.


Verdict:

While I enjoyed the raft plot, the flashbacks, and the ending of the episode, the Hatch story was a complete waste of time bringing the episode down significantly, but overall, "Adrift" has still got it going on.

 7/10: Good   


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Speak No Evil (2024) Review

Image
 "What is wrong with you?" -Louise Dalton While on vacation in Italy, the Dalton family befriends Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son, Ant (Dan Hough).  Paddy invites the Daltons to visit their farm in the British countryside.  The Daltons agree to go, but the weekend getaway slowly becomes more and more uncomfortable and escaping the farm threatens to turn deadly. What Works: All of the actors give really great performances.  Both McAvoy and Franciosi have great chemistry and, especially in the early parts of the film, they do come across as a really likable and loving couple.  They're both very charming until they're not.  As the film goes on, both of their performances become more unhinged and they absolutely kill it.  I also really like Dan Hough's performance, especially since the character can't speak.  Hough still manages to give a memorable performance. Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy also do a great job, especially dealing
Read more

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Review

Image
 "Welcome to the MCU.  You're joining at a bit of a low point." -Deadpool Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) has retired from being the mercenary Deadpool until he is kidnapped by the Time Variance Authority (TVA).  With the death of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Wade's timeline is deteriorating and Wade is given the opportunity to join the Sacred Timeline.  Wade decides to fight back in order to save his friends and timeline and searches the multiverse for help in the form of another Wolverine.  Unfortunately, the only Wolverine he can get to help him is known as the worst Wolverine in the multiverse. Spoilers below.  In short, this isn't a very good movie in terms of narrative or story.  I wouldn't say it's really about anything.  It's an excuse to have Deadpool and Wolverine in the same movie and done properly.  It's more of an event special and less of a film.  It's fun, but definitely the weakest of the Deadpool trilogy. What Works: The best part of
Read more