MUSINGS OF A SCI-FI FANATIC: LOST S1 E24: Exodus (Part 2)

"If anyone hears anything or sees anything..." -Jack-

"...like a security system that eats people."

-Hurley-

"Do you think we're being punished... things we did before... the secrets we kept... the lies we told."

-Sun-

The well paced and slow burn of mystery that has been sprinkled throughout Season One has finally led us to the three part (according to my Blu-Ray collection) season finale, Exodus.

LOST's creators have cleverly paced their mystery yarn over the course of a full season by delving into a number of unique back stories for its ensemble cast in anthology style. The result has been a season of wonderfully fascinating stand alone stories simply about damaged people like any one of us while offering small bits of island mythology. And we are right there with them, all just a little bit lost in this life.

It's all finally coming to a nice little head here at season's close as we look at LOST, Season One, Episode 24, Exodus (Part 2).

The search for dynamite at Black Rock (Portsmouth) continues.

This may be the episode that goes down as LOST's version of the red shirt as Dr. Leslie Arzt with a sweaty beige shirt is all blown to smithereens. He wasn't made annoying to a fault for no reason and compounded with that name Leslie. Why exactly did he tag along with Jack, Kate, Hurley and Locke? Yes, he had to go. He was the Jar Jar Binks of LOST, but clearly George Lucas just couldn't hear the deafening volume of his own annoying character that screamed for a much required death scene. And of course Rousseau exits upon arrival there. Clearly, the Frenchwoman isn't stupid.

Highlights: Locke and Jack tensely removing dynamite to the analogy of the game Operation. The handling of the dynamite is fairly well-rendered and as intense as scenes go as our would be heroes move away from Black Rock and into the Dark Territory as its referred.

The raft scenes and character interaction between Jin, Michael and Sawyer are always good. Just escaping into that big blue ocean alongside these people is an experience alone.

Sayid and Charlie seek to find Claire's baby Aaron now missing and in the hands of Frenchwoman Danielle Rousseau as her potential bargaining chip to regain her own daughter Alex from The Others.

There were many theories that the series hinged on baby Aaron and that The Others were strictly after Aaron. Just as Danielle had lost her baby to them years ago and where most others perished from that expedition. If this would hold true the future would not bode well for the remaining survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.

Overall, penultimate Season One entry Exodus (Part 2) (of three parts) is a bit like the middle child. It's hard to stand out, yet is a required part of this trilogy of episodes moving the story forward to its rousing conclusion.