LOST: Fate & Introductions (Ep. 1 – Pilot Part 1) by Robert Lee

It begins again. Eight months later, I’ve gone back to the island with the knowledge of everything that is to come. While re-watching the pilot, I paid close attention to two elements: Introductions and the concept of fate as applied to the castaways.

1. Introductions – I wanted to keep a close eye on who latches onto who first. Boone and Jack saved Rose’s life. Jack paired Hurley with Claire so Hurley could keep her safe. Sayid enlisted Charley to build a fire. Shannon took care of herself and her own needs. Locke, on his new magic legs, rushed to help Jack pull people from wreckage. And when the dust had settled, Jack wandered off into the woods like a hurt cat so he could tend to his own wounds. That is when Kate comes walking out of the forest to complicate the rest of his life. And, of course, the Smoke monster was heard but not seen going for a walk through the jungle.

2.The Idea of Fate – The first night on the Island Charley writes the word FATE across four of his fingers on pieces of white tape. People often associate fate with something bad. The phase “accept your fate” carries with it a connotation that you have to accept something less than desirable. This is because so few of us actually have a fate in store for us that is something like, say, King Arthur. He needed to accept his fate after freeing Excalibur, but of course his fate meant he got to be king, marry Guinevere and rule from Camelot. His fate also entailed his wife cheating on him with his best friend, having an incestuous bastard child, and then killing that child. It was a tough life and a sorry fate but a grand fate nevertheless.

While paying attention to the featured characters in the first part of the pilot, I noticed that regret and acceptance are huge plot points. They all seem to have a guilty look about them as they tend to their wounds. What do they have to feel guilty about? Well, maybe EVERYTHING! They all think the crash is their fault in some sort of karmic way. Hurley believes that the cursed numbers crashed the plane. Sun believes that her cheating led her to this place and she deserves all the horror of the island. Claire thinks that she is on the island because she chose to give her child away. Kate is on the island because she is running from her crimes. Locke believe this was the price to regain his legs.

Then there is Jack. Jack carries the literal weight of the world on his back. He is the King Arthur of this story right from the start. He might not believe that it is all his fault, but he believes he can fix it all.

In an ensemble story, it is always important to introduce your characters early. If I’m writing a screenplay I like to get all my primary characters into the first five to ten minutes. Sometimes it is difficult to do that. To convincingly weave all of your characters into a story efficiently and quickly might feel contrived. One tool that I used recently was having all the primary characters in their various homes, jobs, offices, all watching the same television program about the main character of the story. So, I was able to link all of their interests and knowledge of the subject, and as they meet, it is already established that they have this common thread.

Lost introduced all the primary characters with organic ease. All of their quirks and traits were prevalent right from the start. Using the crash as the event that relates all the characters is brilliant in that the writers can constantly go back to that one moment and tell another character’s story of who, what, where, when and how they found themselves on flight 815. All at once it is simple and brilliant.

I’m going to have fun re-watching. If you'd like to join in on my 2011 Great LOST re-watch, visit me at http://ialwayshaveaplan.wordpress.com/