1x03 Tabula Rasa

[Losty McLost]

Just rewatched. I remember how obsessed I was with Locke in season one: he was so mysterious, but he seemed calm, clever and all-knowing, yet creepy and unsettling. The Vincent scene was just adorable. And I loved the Marshal's death, it felt very true, in a harsh yet honest way. Plus, the way all of the characters dealt with it told you a lot about them. I also like how Kate hasn'[t started to get really annoying yet.

[bloomingdale]

Originally Posted by BobW

As for Kate, I don't think the writers knew what her crime was at this point. Thus the marshall constantly making it sound like she was some kind of female Hannibal Lecter or something.

seriously, I know here crime was terrible, but he had a serious personal grudge against her!

[bloomingdale]

Originally Posted by Lorite

So I realize the ending to this episode serves mainly as foreshadow to Walkabout, but MAN is that circular camera pan around to face Locke at the end CREEEPY. I know they have pushed the mysteriousness of Locke in these early episodes and his general "craziness" throughout the series but I'm still struck by how stark it is in the beginning. I know it's a hard case to make how much the writers had planned in all of the little details of each episode, especially in the very early episodes of season one, but I definitely think they always had Locke pegged as a mysterious, ambiguous character that would constantly surprise people throughout the show.

Others' thoughts on the Locke scenes in these first couple of episodes?

I had forgotten how creepy I found Locke at the beginning of season 1, but by season 2/3 he had become so pathetic to me, he seemed totally impotent.

[bloomingdale]

So when Mars is asking Kate if she's going to "do it" (i.e kill him, because he's dying), then in the next scene she walks out of the tent and Sawyer is in the tent and shoots Mars, did Kate go get Sawyer to kill him for her (sort of like Locke getting Sawyer to kill Cooper for him)

I'm assuming that's what happened. Did she want him killed for humanitarian reasons (end his suffering) or to have her tabula rosa.

[ZEITGEIZT]

Originally Posted by bloomingdale

So when Mars is asking Kate if she's going to "do it" (i.e kill him, because he's dying), then in the next scene she walks out of the tent and Sawyer is in the tent and shoots Mars, did Kate go get Sawyer to kill him for her (sort of like Locke getting Sawyer to kill Cooper for him)

I'm assuming that's what happened. Did she want him killed for humanitarian reasons (end his suffering) or to have her tabula rosa.

There was some sort of agreement between her and Sawyer. He pointed out she was in a tough position being the one with the gun in her belt because everyone wanted the Marshall to be dead already. Perhaps she agreed that he could have it back if he would do it, or something like that.

If Kate wanted the Marshall to die so she could have a fresh start, she wouldn't have put the oxygen mask on him during the plane crash. She knew he was dying anyway and for the sake of everyone on the beach not having to hear the screams until he passed, they killed him.

[bloomingdale]

Gosh, the music is so happy at the end, showing Hurley chilling with his tunes, Jin stroking Sun's hair, walt getting his dog, Boone giving shannon sunglasses, everything so peaceful, and then the music ends and the doom music starts as we circle to Locke with, actually, quite a vituperative, chilling look on his face as he gazes at Michael, Walt and Jacob.

I could be a conspiracist and say this is Locke/Mr. X looking with anger at Vincent/Jacob... and so it begins my friend etc. Just kidding, don't jump all over me. However, the music change was drastic and dramatic, Locke is certainly someone to keep your eye on, we learn, very early on.

[bloomingdale]

Originally Posted by ZEITGEIZT

If Kate wanted the Marshall to die so she could have a fresh start, she wouldn't have put the oxygen mask on him during the plane crash. She knew he was dying anyway and for the sake of everyone on the beach not having to hear the screams until he passed, they killed him.

Agree, she put oxy mask on Mars (similar to pulling the farmer out of the car when they crashed, even though he had betrayed her). I think it was to end his suffering, though, more than the suffering of the people on the beach.

[Miss4pt0]

What exactly was up with that last scene? Why was Locke shown like that? It was more than mystery, it was creepy - foreboding with the eerie music. I still don't get that scene, and the next episode shows us a pathetic old paralyzed man talking to a sex phone operator getting turned down for his walkabout...

[hailey]

that last scene is probably one of my favourites from all of lost. its so happy...it makes me cry.

im still finding that these first episodes are pretty void of hints of the future. they are just setting everything up. i think moving later in this season, or even into season two will give us a lot more "ah ha!" moments.

how does locke know how to make a dog whistle? this episode would definatly have first time watchers flipping between wanting to know "what the heck is up with that locke guy" and "what did kate DO???"

i LOVE it!!

[ConstantVariable]

Originally Posted by bloomingdale

So when Mars is asking Kate if she's going to "do it" (i.e kill him, because he's dying), then in the next scene she walks out of the tent and Sawyer is in the tent and shoots Mars, did Kate go get Sawyer to kill him for her (sort of like Locke getting Sawyer to kill Cooper for him)

I'm assuming that's what happened. Did she want him killed for humanitarian reasons (end his suffering) or to have her tabula rosa.

I think truly Kate wanted the Marshal to die for humanitarian reasons, but his passing sure did make things a little less complicated for her.