J.J. Abrams’ serialized television drama LOST follows the stories of a group of survivors of a violent airplane crash on a deserted island, stuck without any hope of rescue and beholden to the mysterious forces that govern their new home. In its pilot episode, the filmmakers of LOST firmly establish the recurring theme of good vs. evil that establishes the characters’ journeys in their island setting. This is done through a combination of visual motifs, symbolism, and character moments juxtaposed through flashbacks and editing. Throughout the course of the pilot, the flaws, alignments and attitudes of the characters are weighed against a sense of moral order to the universe, as it is implied that their worldly mistakes have led them to this place through a cruel twist of fate.
The opening of the pilot clearly establishes the show’s dedication to exploring the blurred lines between good and evil, and how they relate to the character’s inner personalities. The opening shot of the film is a close-up of Jack’s eye, which opens and focuses. By starting the show in this way, the audience is introduced to the world of LOST literally through Jack’s eyes, thus cementing the character-centric nature of the show. As Jack climbs through the thick brush of the beautiful island jungle and onto the beach, the camera stays on Jack as he stumbles through the wreckage of the plane and screaming people. By focusing on him and keeping the carnage in the background, the audience is meant to understand Jack’s reaction to all of this, the horrifying wreckage clashing with the image of the serene beach to demonstrate Jack’s moral ambiguity. Good and evil are colliding around him, and he does not know what to make of it. While he quickly assumes the role of leader, instructing people to pull others from wreckage and treating people’s injuries, he later secretly reveals to Kate that he is in immense pain from a large cut on his back. This simple character moment establishes a lot about Jack’s character, namely his desire to be good which is threatened by an inner vulnerability.
Kate, played by Evangeline Lilly, is another character who has a complicated relationship with good and evil, given her actions compared to her life before the crash. When the audience first sees her on the island, she is simply a scared young woman who helps Jack sew up his wound. By connecting with Jack in this way, and appearing so innocent, Kate establishes herself as an outwardly good person. However, later in the pilot, flashbacks reveal that she was a prisoner being escorted by a federal marshal on the airplane. Her crimes are not revealed, but this sudden revelation hints at a hidden evil within this ‘good’ character.
The character of rock star Charlie Pace showcases even further that the sins of the past are catching up to the characters in the present. At the beginning of the show, Charlie seems like a helpless, hapless comic relief character, attempting to provide mild assistance and cheer people up with his gregarious attitude. Flashbacks, again, are used as a device to reveal the character’s true past: Charlie is shown attempting to use heroin in the airplane bathroom right before the crash. Many of his good deeds on the island are shown to have ulterior motives; he helps Jack and Kate get to the front of the plane, but only because he wants to find his heroin stash. In this way, he takes actions that are both good and evil, showing the moral ambiguity of his character.
The most mysterious character of the pilot is John Locke, a quiet, reclusive bald man who succinctly sets up the show’s themes of good and evil in his backgammon game with Walt. Throughout the pilot, he sets himself apart from the other characters by peacefully sitting by the beach, almost as though he belonged there. This firmly separates him from everyone else and establishes a special connection between him and the island. When Walt sits down with him to play backgammon, Locke explains the rules of the game – “Two players, two sidesone is light, and one is dark.” He holds up two backgammon pieces, one white and one black, on either side of his head (and the shot that frames it), visually establishing the central conflict of the show. By using this mysterious side character to spell out the binary nature of good and evil, the show demonstrates that these morally ambiguous characters will have to pick which side of the board they are on, likening life to a game they must win. While Locke is the one to give this ominous monologue, it is left unclear by the pilot which side he is on.
The remaining characters on the island are shown to have their own struggles with good and evil as well. Boone and Shannon represent the good and evil sides of affluent uselessness, respectively; Boone is a self-righteous idealist with no skills, as shown by his constant scrambling around for a pen. Shannon, meanwhile, simply wishes to suntan on the beach, confident that they will be rescued. Sawyer presents himself as standoffish and aggressive to the others, playing evil; however, a later shot shows him sensitively reading a letter that he has hidden. Characters like Walt and Claire are pure innocents due to being children or being with child, respectively; they are constant for the more ambiguously characters to react against. Jin’s aggressive behavior toward Sun can be interpreted as both protectiveness and overbearingness, making both a good and evil character. Sayid is another such morally ambiguous character; in one scene, he must defend himself against Sawyer’s accusations of being a terrorist, which may be true given his skill with technology and his stated history with the Republican Guard. Michael, Walt’s father, must balance his good desire to be a good father with his irritation and inability to relate to his estranged son, which are clear character flaws. Through this smaller ensemble, the greater morality play of the pilot episode is played out in the background, while the central characters are focused on more directly.
Other visual and literary elements of the pilot play into this theme of good versus evil. At one point in the pilot, Charlie, in contemplation, wraps tape around the fingers of one hand and writes FATE on them in magic marker. This illustrates his feelings about how he ended up on the island (it was his destiny), as well as playing back into Locke’s assertion that people will eventually have to pick a side between good and evil – it is their fate to do so. The logo of the plane’s fictional airline Oceanic looks like a bulls-eye; this plays into the theme of fate, as it visually suggests that the plane ended up exactly where it needed to. Fate is shown to bring these characters to the island so that they may explore their inner lives, and play out a greater conflict of good versus evil. The smoke monster, through its ominous sounds, mysterious presence, and its ability to violently kill the pilot, is shown to be an arbiter of evil – something that the good characters must avoid if they are to remain good. These elements and more contribute to the pilot’s visual suggestions of its themes of morality.
In conclusion, the pilot of LOST shows a direct intention to discuss the struggle between good vs. evil, both in the world at large and within the personalities of the characters. The island is both a punishment for their sins and a chance to start over; there are many mysterious elements to the island that elevate the show’s tone to a mythic, operatic treatise on the complex nature of morality. Many of the show’s characters are shown to have made horrible mistakes in their pasts, which they struggle to overcome after the crash gives them a new start. Jack learns to be a responsible leader, Kate learns to leave her violent past behind her, Charlie struggles with his continuing addiction, and so on, setting the stage for these character to decide whether they are good or evil. Visual motifs and references to the fate-centric nature of the show foreshadow the inevitable conflict between the light and dark sides of morality that will take place on this mysterious island.
Works Cited
Abrams, J.J. (dir.) “Pilot, Parts 1 & 2.” LOST Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2. Perf. Matthew Fox,
Naveen Andrews, Evangeline Lilly. September 22, 2004.
