Original Investigations

Way back in Season 1, investigations weren't quite the same as they are now. We were still figuring out what kind of show LOST was, and the number of easter eggs and hidden clues weren't as numerous or as vigorously pursued back then. For many, LOST was simply a rich island drama with a hint of mystery and suspense. We couldn't have imagined that the Dharma Initiative, Time Travel, or Egyptian deities would come to play such a prominent role in our humble survivor-esque show. In fact, there were only two investigations in this four episode block. In Solitary, we originally took a screenshot of Michael's aquaduct drawing, providing a second look at his engineering ambitions. Michael is a man after my own heart in this regard. For whatever reason, it has long been a dream of mine to move to a third world nation, build an aquaduct, and create my own little version of the ancient Roman Empire. Unfortuantely, we never got to see the aquaduct realized. We also looked at Tom's toy plane that ended up in the Haliburton gun case on the island, and which Kate had earlier robbed a bank to recover.

The black and white themes started early on, and with the season finale appearance of a White dressed Jacob, and an opponent dressed in black - perhaps this is something we should be more attentive to. In Claire's bizarre dream sequence, we see Locke with a black and white eye. This week, we also saw Hurley and Walt playing backgammon with white and black pieces. Of course, this significance of all this is still unknown.

Looking back over these four episodes, I was particularly impressed with how well Season 1 still stands up. These episodes are really strong, and really well produced. I'm reminded why I fell in love with this show to begin with... great acting, great writing, beautiful photography and an intriguing plot. In particular, I thought the cinematography in Solitary was amazing... too bad Michael Bonvillain isn't still doing DP work on LOST! In a lot of ways, I feel that these early episodes are some of the best in the series. Though, I have to say, Josh Holloway and Jorge Garcia have noticeably grown into stronger actors since Season One. I'm also amazed by how much younger everyone looks only five years ago! Even knowing what is going to happen, I still find Season 1 entertaining to watch, and hope those who haven't ever been exposed to LOST will find a way to get in on the experience.

Solved Investigations

One of the biggest questions at the time these episodes originally premiered was "Who is Ethan?". It's hard to remember LOST without Ben, Juliet, and the mysterious league of Others - but back in Season 1, all of this was yet unknown. We now know who Ethan was, and why he was sent by Ben to infiltrate the losties. Season 2 filled us in on what happened to Claire when she was taken, another intriguing Season 1 mystery.

New Investigations

One area that hasn't been completely cleared up, at least to my satisfaction, is Danielle's description of the sickness and the events surrounding the demise of her team. In solitary, she tells Sayid that the "Others" were carriers of the sickness, which infected her crew. After which, she was forced to kill them all, including her husband (Robert) out of fear for what would happen if they were rescued and the sickness allowed to spread through the outside world. This doesn't completely seem to match up with what we've seen in Season 5. The reality, as it turns out, is that Danielle's team was infected at the temple, apparently by Smokey - not on the way back from the Black Rock, and without any obvious "Carrier" transmission by the Others.

Another subject of interest is Claire's visit to the psychic, Richard Malkin, in Raised by Another. Malkin arranged for Claire to be on Flight 815, seemingly with the foreknowledge that it would crash, forcing Claire to raise her baby rather than give it up for adoption. Malkin insisted that the baby needed Claire's goodness as an influence, and that she and only she must raise the baby. He warned that the baby was surrounded by danger, and would not know happiness and safety without Claire's protection. Yet, as events have unfolded, Aaron has ended up largely being raised off island by Kate, and now is left to be raised with his grandmother. What about Malkin's predictions? Will we get back to this story line in the final season?

I also took notice of Claire's pen not working when she is trying to sign the adoption papers to give her unborn baby to the Melbourne couple. The first pen doesn't work, so she is given a second. That also didn't work, and she is given a third pen. But, this has given Claire time enough to pause and reconsider. She walks out, and goes to see Malkin... leading to a series of events that put her on flight 815. This reminded me a bit of Michael's attempts to kill himself after escaping the island and returning to New York. Even when he tried to shoot himself with a loaded gun, it wouldn't fire because the island wouldn't "allow" it. Perhaps the island (or Jacob, or "Esau") also wouldn't allow Claire to sign the adoption papers.

The last thing I will mention is Beth. In All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues, Christian Shepard kills a patient named Beth (who was also pregnant) while operating under the influence. This action causes him to lose his license, and sends him on a downward spiral that leads to his death in Sydney, and later zombification on the island. Only because it is LOST, it's somewhat odd that we've never learned more about Beth or any connection between her and one of our other losties.

Let us know your thoughts on these re-watched episodes in the comments below!

Finally, don't forget to visit the Lost Rewatch page at Lostpedia as well as Docarzt's and Friends Lost Blog for more rewatch articles.