Lost [1.5-1.8]

No major revelations in this section, mostly character back story.

SPOILER ALERT












Each episode focused on the back story of one character.

White Rabbit: Dr. Jack has father issues, and the guy he saw on the beach was a hallucination of his dead father (whom he was trying to find in Australia). Whether he's going crazy or the island is messing with his mind remains to be seen, but my money's on the latter. Is the island basically a big dream machine that exposes people to their fears, helps them face their inner demons? Chasing his faux father helps Jack find a new cave home for everyone.

House of the Rising Sun: The Japanese couple (Jin and Sun) once were in puppy love, but working for his father-in-law changed the husband into a brute. Sun was planning to leave him at the airport before the ill-fated flight, but at the last minute a sappy flower reminds her of the pure love they once enjoyed, and she forgot the years of abuse and neglect to remain true to her asshole hubby. We also learn, unbeknownst to Jin and everyone else, Sun speaks English. She'll be eavesdropping on conversations soon.

The Moth: Charlie used to be in a band loosely based on Oasis as far as I can tell (led by two brothers, one's name Liam). At first it's "about the music", but the fame changes them, man. Locke ("the colonel")l helps Charlie kick his habit with a combination of Zen witticisms and tough love.

Confidence Man: Sawyer's a self-absorbed con artist, but he has a soft side - he only acts that way because he hates himself. Why? Because a con man seduced his mother and stole all their money, resulting in the murder-suicide of Sawyer's parents. But, in his revenge quest, he became a con man himself - he became exactly what he hated. This would have been an example of subtle irony if it had been subtle. Some combination of self-loathing and enjoying messing with people's heads leads us on a "slippery slope to torture" storyline that rang false for me.

All 4 episodes were quite sappy, but I actually enjoyed them for the most part. We didn't learn anything about the island, and we only answered one mystery (Jack's halluci-dad). The only new mystery introduced was speculation by Locke that they couldn't possibly have survived the crash out of mere chance.

So, we're left with:

1. What's the big beast?
2. Why is there a polar bear on a tropical island?
3. What is the origin of the french distress signal, and is the speaker still alive?
4. Did anyone in the tail section survive?
5. What did Kate do that led her to a life on the lam?
6. How did Locke regain use of his legs?
7. How did they all survive the crash?