You All Everybody
Episode 1x7: The Moth
Directed by: Jack Bender
Written by: Jennifer Johnson and Paul Dini
Airdate: 11-3-04
Summary: Charlie has to dig Jack out of a cave in. Sayid tries to triangulate a signal to get...uh...a signal.
Centric: Charlie
Review:
Alright, let's talk about Charlie for a moment, shall we? For the most part, I like to watch the show for what it is and not delve to deeply into the influences of the writers but Charlie's character, I'm going to. The Lost writers drew from a tone of things, most of them quite obvious, but one of the major ones, and a novel I absolutely love, is The Stand. I'll probably go more into that when we get to season six and they pretty much use the same ending as Stephen King's famous novel. But anyway, for the most part, I'd say plot was what the mostly stole from The Stand. Most of the characters are different. Except for in the case of Charlie, who the writers have admitted was supposed to be A Larry Underwood. I mean, it's the same, classic, cliche, drug addicted rock star finds redemption, etc, etc.
Here's the thing...Larry Underwood is a fantastic character. I mean, yeah, the guy starts out as a total douche but it's a cover for a ton of insecurities, which throughout the novel he slowly sheds until he finally becomes the man he wants to be just in time to sacrifice himself for all of human kind. (actually, Charlie shares with Larry that both their deaths were somewhat unnecessary but whatever...) My point is, that Larry Underwood's character arc is a great coming of age story, of a boy becoming a man, of how people can stay stagnant and immature until they've found their greater purpose. Sure, he's still that one hit wonder rock star but there's so much more to the character than that, both flaws and strengths.
The problem with Charlie is that, with maybe the exception of this episode and the end of season three, there's nothing more to Charlie than his ex junkie rock star persona. There's no depth, there's no arc. They attempt it a little with Claire and Aaron but I'll get to that failing later on. Charlie becomes a one-note character, and sure that stems from bad writing, but it also comes from the fact that they solve most of Charlie's issues in this episode
Okay, so the idea of the moth and it's struggle to become free is kinda a metaphor for most of our losties, not just Charlie. And, it'll go along nicely with the no pain no gain mantra that gets repeated throughout the series. And the metaphor is so blatant here. I mean, Charlie literally crawls out of the ground. He's reborn and on his way to being a better, non drug addicted person.
It's a good episode, even if the metaphor is pounded into you. But my problem is that the writers kinda went, now what? after this episode. It's a shame because the basis for the character held so much promise. I suppose, also, that with so many other good characters, someone was going to fall through the cracks and Charlie was the most obvious choice. His story just isn't interesting after this, which is a shame because there could have been more potential here. Or maybe not. Hard to say.
One cool thing I'd like to point out, that's not really relevant, just fun. The Stand was Stephen King's modern adaption of Lord of the Rings, and the name Underwood is a nod to the names of Hobbits. And, of course, Dom played a hobbit in LotR. I love circularity like that.
I should mention Locke and his Yoda-ness of the episode. I don't know, I don't have much to comment on. Locke can pull it off here, but I always had the impression that Locke was bs'ing his way through these master of the mind, jedi mind trick stuff. Eh.
Alright, so Jack gets trapped in a cave in. *shrugs* I suppose it was here to feature the caves (as well as stand for Charlie's metaphor) Also, everyone who wasn't important to the plot got to haul rocks, lol. The moment between Jack and Charlie in the caves is nice--though, Jack gets a lot of flack in this episode for treating Charlie like dirt. Did he? I kinda fail to see it. He may have been nicer but it's Jack and beside manor isn't his strong suit. Hurley was kinda mean to Charlie moreso than Jack. But then they hugged and made up and all was right in the world.
So, on to the b-plot of trying to get off the island.
Sayid's doing something technical again. What amuses me is that they're going out of their way to figure out how to find the transmission when I suppose they could start actually looking around the island. OMG, they might actually find something useful, like the radio tower or New Otherton. But can't jump ahead that quickly. hence, Sayid getting whacked on the head. I wish it'd been an other that did that. Locke being the one to do it just rings false somehow.
Anyway, the interesting part of the subplot is--how Shannon doesn't screw up the bottle rocket. No...can't be that...
Actually, it's the Kate/Sawyer/Jack stuff. First of all, while there were smaller hints in the last episode, here's the beginning of Sawyer wanting to bang Kate. I refuse to believe it's anything more than primal at this point. But he's still a jerk and, well, it's not going to end well at this point. There are two points I'd like to make, though--the first being that Kate is rather bitchy to him in this episode. I mean overly so. I mean, overly so in the way that you know she'll eventually come around--and see through his little charade. But, even though he's been a complete ass, he hasn't done anything to her personally and nothing at all in this episode, so why is she overly sensitive to everything? Actually, I know the answer to that but still, I want to say, chill out! The other point is the conversation Kate and Sawyer have about Jack. I do believe Sawyer has a point about he and Jack not being that different from each other--it's true and I think it's one of the cooler aspects of the show, how these two men go through mirroring arcs. It's a shame that it's often deluded by Kate's presence.
As for the Kate/Jack side of this episode, which there's a lot of actually, despite the break-up, they're still BFFs--if Kate's freak out over his possible death wasn't enough, she goes a bit crazy trying to move those rocks. Hell, she even made him a sling, how cute is that? I still say the rift between them is contrived but gotta give Sawyer an in somehow, right?
So, I think that's it. Not enough Hurley as of late. But a lot of the cast that's usually annoying doesn't do that much.
Flashbacks:
I hate to say it but Charlie's flashbacks have got to be some of the most boring and cliche backstories of any character. Thankfully, there isn't a lot of them. I'm not sure why they decided to put the religious angle there, definitely wasn't a part of the Larry Underwood mold, but I kinda wish they hadn't. It seems like such overkill--a good catholic boy who succumbs to drugs, sex, and rock'n'roll. *rolls eyes*
The other thing that kinda bugs me about Charlie's backstory is that his path to drug addiction just doesn't ring true. I mean, he starts because his brother was a jerk and already using, so he feels he has to as well to keep up? Or that he's hit rock bottom so what the hell? I feel like they try to paint Charlie so much as the good boy, it's hard to believe that he'd actually start using himself.
In addition, this episode brings up an issue I have with a lot of the flashbacks--that the person isn't responsible for their own bad choices, someone else is. I realize this started more with Jack but I can let it go if it's one character--not all of them, which it eventually ends up being. In this case, Charlie's brother Liam is the source of all Charlie's issues. Not Charlie himself. This I find a little hard to swallow. And, in fact, I actually think Liam's story may be more interesting than Charlie's--I mean, the guy does get his life turned around, so what's the story there?
So, anyway, my overall point is that the flashbacks don't really do Charlie any favors and despite the growth on island, which kinda gets destroyed anyway, Charlie comes off as a less sympathetic character than he was to begin with.
At least getting to see You All Everybody performed live was fun.
The Little Things:
*Sawyer waving as Jack vacates his old tent is absolutely priceless.
*I wasn't aware, until a little while ago, that the actor who plays Liam is actually American. Now that I know, I kinda can tell he struggles with the accent.
*It's interesting that this early on, Boone and Shannon already get a lot of sideline stuff. (As well as Claire, but I think she was always meant to be a minor character.)
*Firework smugglers. Really?
*I'm noticing a trend that I didn't so much before, each episode has a plotline that sets up the next week's centricity. (for a while anyway)
*Yay for Sun slowly breaking out of her battered wife role. Man, it probably was too hot to be wearing that sweater thing all the time.
*I'm hard pressed to believe that Charlie's meek little voice caused that big of a cave in--but what do I know?
*Kate believes the crashed for no reason. Oh, Kate. Someday you'll wish you were right about that.
*Oh, hey, the beginning of the Scott/Steve joke. I was always amused by it.
*Again, Kate and Sawyer with an unnecessary recap of the episode so far. GAH! These episodes are pretty straight forward--we don't need this!
*Yay, the beginning of Hurley/Charlie love!
Favorite Quotes:
KATE: I take better pictures than that. Smaller, too, if you want something for your wallet.
All of the lyrics to You All Everybody
Huh, serious lack of good lines in this one. Locke's speech about The Moth and struggle is nice and profound, though not memorable enough to quote here. The Kate/Sawyer exchange with the bottle rocket was nice too but that was more about body language than actual words.
Unanswered Questions:
There really isn't any mythology in this episode to question. Though, what if Jack HAD died in that cave in? Or, would it have been more interesting to have an Other hit Sayid.
Grade: B- For a Charlie episode, it's not bad. I like the overall plot and message, even if it was heavy handed--and I liked the transmitter side plot. It's just slow in places, namely Charlie running around the jungle and the amount of rock digging they do. Also, once you've seen the flashbacks, there's really no need to ever go back and see them again--unless it's You All Everybody live.
Lostpedia
Directed by: Jack Bender
Written by: Jennifer Johnson and Paul Dini
Airdate: 11-3-04
Summary: Charlie has to dig Jack out of a cave in. Sayid tries to triangulate a signal to get...uh...a signal.
Centric: Charlie
Review:
Alright, let's talk about Charlie for a moment, shall we? For the most part, I like to watch the show for what it is and not delve to deeply into the influences of the writers but Charlie's character, I'm going to. The Lost writers drew from a tone of things, most of them quite obvious, but one of the major ones, and a novel I absolutely love, is The Stand. I'll probably go more into that when we get to season six and they pretty much use the same ending as Stephen King's famous novel. But anyway, for the most part, I'd say plot was what the mostly stole from The Stand. Most of the characters are different. Except for in the case of Charlie, who the writers have admitted was supposed to be A Larry Underwood. I mean, it's the same, classic, cliche, drug addicted rock star finds redemption, etc, etc.
Here's the thing...Larry Underwood is a fantastic character. I mean, yeah, the guy starts out as a total douche but it's a cover for a ton of insecurities, which throughout the novel he slowly sheds until he finally becomes the man he wants to be just in time to sacrifice himself for all of human kind. (actually, Charlie shares with Larry that both their deaths were somewhat unnecessary but whatever...) My point is, that Larry Underwood's character arc is a great coming of age story, of a boy becoming a man, of how people can stay stagnant and immature until they've found their greater purpose. Sure, he's still that one hit wonder rock star but there's so much more to the character than that, both flaws and strengths.
The problem with Charlie is that, with maybe the exception of this episode and the end of season three, there's nothing more to Charlie than his ex junkie rock star persona. There's no depth, there's no arc. They attempt it a little with Claire and Aaron but I'll get to that failing later on. Charlie becomes a one-note character, and sure that stems from bad writing, but it also comes from the fact that they solve most of Charlie's issues in this episode
Okay, so the idea of the moth and it's struggle to become free is kinda a metaphor for most of our losties, not just Charlie. And, it'll go along nicely with the no pain no gain mantra that gets repeated throughout the series. And the metaphor is so blatant here. I mean, Charlie literally crawls out of the ground. He's reborn and on his way to being a better, non drug addicted person.
It's a good episode, even if the metaphor is pounded into you. But my problem is that the writers kinda went, now what? after this episode. It's a shame because the basis for the character held so much promise. I suppose, also, that with so many other good characters, someone was going to fall through the cracks and Charlie was the most obvious choice. His story just isn't interesting after this, which is a shame because there could have been more potential here. Or maybe not. Hard to say.
One cool thing I'd like to point out, that's not really relevant, just fun. The Stand was Stephen King's modern adaption of Lord of the Rings, and the name Underwood is a nod to the names of Hobbits. And, of course, Dom played a hobbit in LotR. I love circularity like that.
I should mention Locke and his Yoda-ness of the episode. I don't know, I don't have much to comment on. Locke can pull it off here, but I always had the impression that Locke was bs'ing his way through these master of the mind, jedi mind trick stuff. Eh.
Alright, so Jack gets trapped in a cave in. *shrugs* I suppose it was here to feature the caves (as well as stand for Charlie's metaphor) Also, everyone who wasn't important to the plot got to haul rocks, lol. The moment between Jack and Charlie in the caves is nice--though, Jack gets a lot of flack in this episode for treating Charlie like dirt. Did he? I kinda fail to see it. He may have been nicer but it's Jack and beside manor isn't his strong suit. Hurley was kinda mean to Charlie moreso than Jack. But then they hugged and made up and all was right in the world.
So, on to the b-plot of trying to get off the island.
Sayid's doing something technical again. What amuses me is that they're going out of their way to figure out how to find the transmission when I suppose they could start actually looking around the island. OMG, they might actually find something useful, like the radio tower or New Otherton. But can't jump ahead that quickly. hence, Sayid getting whacked on the head. I wish it'd been an other that did that. Locke being the one to do it just rings false somehow.
Anyway, the interesting part of the subplot is--how Shannon doesn't screw up the bottle rocket. No...can't be that...
Actually, it's the Kate/Sawyer/Jack stuff. First of all, while there were smaller hints in the last episode, here's the beginning of Sawyer wanting to bang Kate. I refuse to believe it's anything more than primal at this point. But he's still a jerk and, well, it's not going to end well at this point. There are two points I'd like to make, though--the first being that Kate is rather bitchy to him in this episode. I mean overly so. I mean, overly so in the way that you know she'll eventually come around--and see through his little charade. But, even though he's been a complete ass, he hasn't done anything to her personally and nothing at all in this episode, so why is she overly sensitive to everything? Actually, I know the answer to that but still, I want to say, chill out! The other point is the conversation Kate and Sawyer have about Jack. I do believe Sawyer has a point about he and Jack not being that different from each other--it's true and I think it's one of the cooler aspects of the show, how these two men go through mirroring arcs. It's a shame that it's often deluded by Kate's presence.
As for the Kate/Jack side of this episode, which there's a lot of actually, despite the break-up, they're still BFFs--if Kate's freak out over his possible death wasn't enough, she goes a bit crazy trying to move those rocks. Hell, she even made him a sling, how cute is that? I still say the rift between them is contrived but gotta give Sawyer an in somehow, right?
So, I think that's it. Not enough Hurley as of late. But a lot of the cast that's usually annoying doesn't do that much.
Flashbacks:
I hate to say it but Charlie's flashbacks have got to be some of the most boring and cliche backstories of any character. Thankfully, there isn't a lot of them. I'm not sure why they decided to put the religious angle there, definitely wasn't a part of the Larry Underwood mold, but I kinda wish they hadn't. It seems like such overkill--a good catholic boy who succumbs to drugs, sex, and rock'n'roll. *rolls eyes*
The other thing that kinda bugs me about Charlie's backstory is that his path to drug addiction just doesn't ring true. I mean, he starts because his brother was a jerk and already using, so he feels he has to as well to keep up? Or that he's hit rock bottom so what the hell? I feel like they try to paint Charlie so much as the good boy, it's hard to believe that he'd actually start using himself.
In addition, this episode brings up an issue I have with a lot of the flashbacks--that the person isn't responsible for their own bad choices, someone else is. I realize this started more with Jack but I can let it go if it's one character--not all of them, which it eventually ends up being. In this case, Charlie's brother Liam is the source of all Charlie's issues. Not Charlie himself. This I find a little hard to swallow. And, in fact, I actually think Liam's story may be more interesting than Charlie's--I mean, the guy does get his life turned around, so what's the story there?
So, anyway, my overall point is that the flashbacks don't really do Charlie any favors and despite the growth on island, which kinda gets destroyed anyway, Charlie comes off as a less sympathetic character than he was to begin with.
At least getting to see You All Everybody performed live was fun.
The Little Things:
*Sawyer waving as Jack vacates his old tent is absolutely priceless.
*I wasn't aware, until a little while ago, that the actor who plays Liam is actually American. Now that I know, I kinda can tell he struggles with the accent.
*It's interesting that this early on, Boone and Shannon already get a lot of sideline stuff. (As well as Claire, but I think she was always meant to be a minor character.)
*Firework smugglers. Really?
*I'm noticing a trend that I didn't so much before, each episode has a plotline that sets up the next week's centricity. (for a while anyway)
*Yay for Sun slowly breaking out of her battered wife role. Man, it probably was too hot to be wearing that sweater thing all the time.
*I'm hard pressed to believe that Charlie's meek little voice caused that big of a cave in--but what do I know?
*Kate believes the crashed for no reason. Oh, Kate. Someday you'll wish you were right about that.
*Oh, hey, the beginning of the Scott/Steve joke. I was always amused by it.
*Again, Kate and Sawyer with an unnecessary recap of the episode so far. GAH! These episodes are pretty straight forward--we don't need this!
*Yay, the beginning of Hurley/Charlie love!
Favorite Quotes:
KATE: I take better pictures than that. Smaller, too, if you want something for your wallet.
All of the lyrics to You All Everybody
Huh, serious lack of good lines in this one. Locke's speech about The Moth and struggle is nice and profound, though not memorable enough to quote here. The Kate/Sawyer exchange with the bottle rocket was nice too but that was more about body language than actual words.
Unanswered Questions:
There really isn't any mythology in this episode to question. Though, what if Jack HAD died in that cave in? Or, would it have been more interesting to have an Other hit Sayid.
Grade: B- For a Charlie episode, it's not bad. I like the overall plot and message, even if it was heavy handed--and I liked the transmitter side plot. It's just slow in places, namely Charlie running around the jungle and the amount of rock digging they do. Also, once you've seen the flashbacks, there's really no need to ever go back and see them again--unless it's You All Everybody live.
Lostpedia
Labels: lost
posted by spaceorphan @ 9:04 PM
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