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Underappreciated 'Lost' Theatre: Do No Harm
In all the craziness that is my life this Fall, I straight up forgot all about one of my favorite ongoing series: Underappreciated "Lost" Theatre. And methinks it's high time to reintroduce it as we hit the midpoint this week. I have a pretty long article planned for Thursday, so consider this the appetizer before the main course.
Past entries in this series have included:
Tricia Tanaka is Dead
S.O.S.
Live Together, Die Alone
Outlaws
Today, we're going back to Season 1 with "Do No Harm," a Jack-centric ep that saw the show's first major death as well as the birth of Turnip Head himself, Aaron. Should be a no-brainer in terms of canonical eps, and yet barely gets mentioned even when discussing Top 10 Season 1 episodes. So let's break down why that might be, and why it deserves a second look.
Why it's overlooked
Jack's flashback, in which we see the events leading up to his wedding, could possibly be used in sleep wards to cure insomnia. While later flashbacks involving his wife Sarah add shading to their unique relationship, at this point little is added to Jack's character. We already knew that he was Mr. Fix-It to a fault. Ironically, Christian's warning to his son in this episode ("Commitment is what makes you tick, Jack. The problem is that you're just not good at letting go.") rings even truer considering the dude just dropped a hydrogen bomb on the off chance he might score with Kate in another life, brutha.
As for Boone's death: I know only a few that truly loathed his character, but even fewer that truly liked him, either. His death was perhaps shocking at the time, but currently sits buried beneath the cavalcade of corpses that followed.
Why it's underappreciated
Boone's death might not be unique in terms of its importance, but it's incredibly unique in terms of its circumstances. Go ahead, watch the excruciating, ultra-realistic way in which Jack and Sun work to keep Boone alive. The show simply doesn't approach this level of specificity anymore, thanks to the discovery of hatches, arrival of pallet drops, and overall interaction with the outside world providing more and more creature comforts to the show's characters. But in "Do No Harm," Jack and Sun use their wits, what the Island provides, and make impossible choice after impossible choice. Boone's death ultimately matters through the effort made to keep him alive.
Of course, no discussion of this episode could be complete without mentioning the parallel plot involving Aaron's birth. Aaron's birth achieves about sixteen things at once. It solidifies the bond between Kate and Claire that drives Ms. Austen to return to the Island years later. It solidifies Charlie's desire to protect Claire, ending with his death two seasons later in the Looking Glass station. It instills a sense of paternity in Jin, leading to his drive to get Sun off the Island three seasons later. And let's not forget the complete recontextualization of this scene four seasons later in "The Little Prince," in which Sawyer witnesses the scene that sticks in his brain during the three years spent under the name "LaFleur" in New Otherton.
What's your favorite part of "Do No Harm"? Leave it below!
Ryan invites you to join the hundreds already in Zap2It's Guide to Lost Facebook group.
S.O.S.
Live Together, Die Alone
Outlaws
Today, we're going back to Season 1 with "Do No Harm," a Jack-centric ep that saw the show's first major death as well as the birth of Turnip Head himself, Aaron. Should be a no-brainer in terms of canonical eps, and yet barely gets mentioned even when discussing Top 10 Season 1 episodes. So let's break down why that might be, and why it deserves a second look.
Why it's overlooked
Jack's flashback, in which we see the events leading up to his wedding, could possibly be used in sleep wards to cure insomnia. While later flashbacks involving his wife Sarah add shading to their unique relationship, at this point little is added to Jack's character. We already knew that he was Mr. Fix-It to a fault. Ironically, Christian's warning to his son in this episode ("Commitment is what makes you tick, Jack. The problem is that you're just not good at letting go.") rings even truer considering the dude just dropped a hydrogen bomb on the off chance he might score with Kate in another life, brutha.
As for Boone's death: I know only a few that truly loathed his character, but even fewer that truly liked him, either. His death was perhaps shocking at the time, but currently sits buried beneath the cavalcade of corpses that followed.
Why it's underappreciated
Boone's death might not be unique in terms of its importance, but it's incredibly unique in terms of its circumstances. Go ahead, watch the excruciating, ultra-realistic way in which Jack and Sun work to keep Boone alive. The show simply doesn't approach this level of specificity anymore, thanks to the discovery of hatches, arrival of pallet drops, and overall interaction with the outside world providing more and more creature comforts to the show's characters. But in "Do No Harm," Jack and Sun use their wits, what the Island provides, and make impossible choice after impossible choice. Boone's death ultimately matters through the effort made to keep him alive.
Of course, no discussion of this episode could be complete without mentioning the parallel plot involving Aaron's birth. Aaron's birth achieves about sixteen things at once. It solidifies the bond between Kate and Claire that drives Ms. Austen to return to the Island years later. It solidifies Charlie's desire to protect Claire, ending with his death two seasons later in the Looking Glass station. It instills a sense of paternity in Jin, leading to his drive to get Sun off the Island three seasons later. And let's not forget the complete recontextualization of this scene four seasons later in "The Little Prince," in which Sawyer witnesses the scene that sticks in his brain during the three years spent under the name "LaFleur" in New Otherton.
What's your favorite part of "Do No Harm"? Leave it below!
Ryan invites you to join the hundreds already in Zap2It's Guide to Lost Facebook group.
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Oh yes, I remember when Sun had "wits". But sadly the writers thought that turning her into a character that apparently has no problem abandoning her daughter and then saying "where is my husband" every five second made for a much better character.
One of my favorite episodes! I'm not usually a Jack fan, but this was definitely one of Matthew Fox's most compelling performances. Thanks for mentioning this one!
I am a Jack fan, and this episode was fantastic and heartbreaking, especially at the end when Boone tells Jack that it's okay to let him go. Jack was destroyed.
More importantly, Ryan, this episode is what truly began the animosity between Jack and Locke. Locke dumped Boone at Jack's feet and took off, and he gave Jack a bogus story about how Boone was injured. After Boone died, Jack even had to tell Shannon what happened. By the time Jack saw Locke again, he wanted to rip his head off. I can't blame him.
Matthew Fox and Terry Quinn are great as Jack and Locke.
Agree completely with everything Ryan and Sam said. I always liked the island part of this episode a lot, especially "the excruciating, ultra-realistic way in which Jack and Sun work to keep Boone alive" and how Boone himself finally convinces Jack to not waste any more vital resources (antibiotics and blood) on a lost cause. (I definitely had tears in my eyes.)
I also agree that the flashbacks were incredibly boring and redundant. (Amazing how the same episode can have such good and bad in it simultaneously.)
"As for Boone's death: I know only a few that truly loathed his character, but even fewer that truly liked him, either."
Are you kidding? I loved the character of Boone...the character and the actor, Ian Somerhalder, were my favorite part of LOST and any passion I had for the show died then and there with Boone's demise. I tried to keep watching it but simply no longer cared. I am considering tuning in this season ONLY because there will be Boone flashbacks.
At the time it seemed our only "constant" (sorry) in Lost were the connections to the characters. What with an island full of inexplicable monsters, apparitions, mysterious others and spooky whispers the only thing keeping it all grounded were the characters. Boone's death was shocking, despite his character being so weak, because it took away our last safety net as viewers. It redefined the standard rules of shows by saying that a major character could not only die, but that we should expect death's inevitability more often than not. Really took the show to another level. It is also important to remember the first tarnish to Locke's character, a man so easily loved at first glance but revealed to be flawed over and over again.
This episode brings back memories of some of Jack's finest hours....before he became very angry Jack and before he became Prosaic Jack this last season. It is easily Mathew Fox's finest season of acting. But as mentioned this did start the chain of events that would forever up until this season put Jack and Locke at odds over anything they spoke about. The scenes with a dying Boone and Sun were great theater and once Boone died we knew almost anyone else could die at any point.
I have always found this to be one of the most moving episodes of Lost. I thought Ian Sommerhalder put in a terrific performance as the dying Boone, and no matter how many times I watch it, I still cry as the beautiful "Life and Death" theme plays as Shannon and Sayid walk back up the beach towards the other survivors, unaware of the tragedy that has been unfolding during their absence.
I agree with those who think that this is Jack's finest hour; if not, then certainly one of his best. Boone's death will always be the most painful for me, considering the lengths taken by Jack try to save him. No death in Lost was more emotional, imo.
JACOBY: "...before he became Prosaic Jack this last season."
Not sure, since it is capitalized, if you meant Prozac Jack. (Though actually either interpretation kind of works I think!)