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