1.7 The Moth

Kate and Jack ‘have it out’ about their decisions to live in different camps.

Charlie is unhappy about being used as boar bait by Locke. He flashes back to his decision to leave his band just before they got signed to a recording contract. Charlie wanted to quit, but his brother convinced him to keep going. It quickly turns wild, with drugs and girls, but it’s too late for Charlie to get out. When his bro

Charlie is detoxing. He asks Locke to give him back his drugs, but Locke refuses.

Sayid has a plan for pinpointing the 16 year old distress signal, but he needs a battery. Kate manages to coerce one out of Sawyer.

Charlie is getting more and more agitated and takes it out on Jack. Charlie’s yelling triggers an avalanche that buries Jack in a cave. Michael, the construction expert, leads the relief efforts, and Boone joins in, leaving Shannon in charge of turning on the third antenna to enable triangulation of the signal. When Sawyer tells Kate that Jack is trapped in a cave-in, she leaves Sawyer to mind the second antenna.

Charlie volunteers to crawl through a small opening and rescue Jack. He makes it in, but not before the tunnel collapses, trapping both of them. But Charlie finds a way out.

Sayid is just about to triangulate the signal when he is knocked cold by an unseen assailant.

Comments

This is probably the best episode so far, intertwining two very strong story lines.

Sayid thinks that there was more than luck involved in their survival of the crash. Was this whole thing planned in some way?

Despite Jin’s protestations, Sun has taken to wearing a sheer white camissole top. She says it is because it is hot. I agree.

Nits

It’s typical of television and movies that people can creep up on other people without making a sound (they do it by turning their sound effects off). How did Sayid’s assailant creep up without Sayid hearing something? Have you ever tried to walk across a field full of grass? It makes a lot of noise.

Memorable Moments

• Locke’s ‘moth cocoon’ analogy to explain why he is only going to give Charlie his drugs if he asks three times

• The emotional moment when the group (and especially Kate) see Jack and Charlie

• Charlie throwing his stash into the fire, then seeing the moth flying above the flames. He tilts his head back, and the hood of his sweatshirt falls away

• The general arc of Charlie’s character in this episode, as he battles demons and drug addiction

Quotable Quotes

Walt: We should get Mister Locke.
Hurley: Locke's out in the jungle killing stuff.

"You see this little hole? This moth's just about to emerge. It's in there right now, struggling. It's digging its way through the thick hide of the cocoon. Now, I could help it - take my knife, gently widen the opening, and the moth would be free - but it would be too weak to survive. Struggle is nature's way of strengthening it."
- Locke to Charlie