Underappreciated 'Lost' Theatre: Outlaws
While Michael Emerson recently won an Emmy, I think most people would declare Season 5 of "Lost" to belong to Sawyer. Nothing against Ben, Faraday, or Frogurt, but Josh Holloway brought all that, a bag of chips, AND a healthy amount of dip to his work this season as James Ford. Didn't help that the writers gave him most of the best scenes and a variety of new and interesting challenges to the character, either.
With that in mind, we're going to look at an episode many of you suggested when I first announced the Underappreciated "Lost" Theatre series: "Outlaws." It's easy to look at the primary action on-Island and dismiss this episode when thinking back over Season 1. But looking at little closer not only yields some nice rewards, it also contains a scene that might stand out at the series' end as one of the most important scenes in this show's history.
Why it's overlooked
C'mon: Sawyer chases a boar. For an entire episode. Even before you exactly understood what the boar represented, you still sorta knew what the boar represented. For a show that specializes in mystery, this was both obvious and clunky. On an island where anything can happen, viewers were simply praying for SOMETHING to happen.
Why it's underappreciated
Because this episode's all about the small moments. Because "I never" was never so fraught with sexiness mingled with mystery. Because Locke's story about his foster mother's dog is a highlight in a season full of Locke-centric highlights. Because in an Australian bar, we might have seen the first glimpse of Christian Shephard dealing with the future he knows lies in wait for his son in the near future, a future he's helpless to prevent. Because that meeting leads to Sawyer's finest moment of Season 1: telling Jack about this encounter in "Exodus."
Sandwiched between the raft's destruction and Hurley's backstory, "Sawyer and the Boar" sometimes gets short shrift when talking about Season 1. Especially considering Christian's ever-growing importance, it's worth it for no other reason than to watch him and Sawyer share a beer at the bottom of the world, each unware of the other's importance in the events to come.
What's your favorite part of "Outlaws"? Leave it below!
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I saw this episode again recently (on the ABC weekend rerun) and fell in love all over again with the "I never" scene, which I had almost forgotten about.
I agree with everything you said, especially (as one would guess from my previous posts regarding how much I am moved by the scene) "Because that meeting leads to Sawyer's finest moment of Season 1: telling Jack about this encounter in "Exodus."
I think I actually appreciated this episode more the first time around. "I never" was an AMAZING scene, that scene alone I think had to be one of the very best scenes in season one, and maybe the series. I didn't LOVE this episode but it was good.
Hands down my favorite episode of Season 1
'Outlaws' along with 'Walkabout' and 'In Translation' are my top three episodes from S1 because each one allowed the characters to drive the plot, but it also added layers to the increasing mythology of the show. Each time I re-watch either of those episodes, I'm always amazed at how much better this show was when character development WAS the story, and the emotional impact tagged with the intellectual appeal of the storytelling was satisfying and honest. Josh Holloway has always played this character with so much earnestness and heart even when the material he's had to work with hasn't been up to par. However, 'Outlaws' was a standout in terms of writing, and his acting complemented it fantastically. Looking forward to S6 giving us more of those moments.
This episode is good because it established, through the boar, that the ghosts of people's pasts (figuratively & literally) could manifest on the Island. And yes, the Christian scene is crucial for events to come in Season 6, I feel.
Great episode and a great post Ryan. If you took that episode out of season 1, I don't know that Lost would be the hit it is today. It sells why Kate has genuine attraction for him. It sells that he's not just a one note scoundrel character. His acting is fantastic in the ep. and he's been underappreciated overall. It's good to see him get some "All Wise and Knowing Blogger" props.
A typically good episode from Season 1. Although not one of my favorites, it still is an episode you can easily watch whenever it appears on tv. On a side note....except for maybe Michael Emerson, is there a better actor on Lost besides Josh Holloway? Whatever scene he is in or whatever his line might be, he nails it. His acting is greatly underated when it comes to award shows and any media talk about actors. I guess if you aren't seen on the runways and don't appear on all the nightly tv shows like Extra or Access Holywood, then your acting can't be too good. Maybe if he adopted a few foreign children with his wife he could get more publicity.
YAY!!! I'm not firewalled at work anymore!!!! Let's see how long this quirk lasts!!!
I hope I can still read the LOST blog when the show actually returns because I've missed reading during the day.
The biggest sin the Lost producers have ever committed was not utilizing the gold mine they have had all this time in Holloway until the series is almost over. What freakin' a waste.
This is another one of my favorite episodes. Most of the episodes that feature Josh Holloway are great. As Paula said earlier, he's a gold mine that's been way under-utilized. He doesn't get his due as an actor because he's easy on the eyes and charming. Anyway, Ryan, you're absolutely right when you said Season 5 belonged to him.
I just watched the episode again, just to confirm my opinion of it. My favorite scene is the "I Never" game.