Top Ten Cases: All Time Top Ten Episodes of Lost - #3

Number 3: Episode 1x04 – “Walkabout”

Featured Character: Locke
Major Events & Revelations: Locke was paralyzed before crashing onto the island

Years from now, when we look back at Lost, I do believe one of its primary legacies will be its unique manner of storytelling. As I noted in my “Pilot” column, the series kicked off right in the midst of the action and with all of our characters already on the island. And it would be through character-centric flashbacks where we would learn all about everybody’s lives before that fateful flight. And I credit “Walkabout” with being the first major and legitimate revelation of the series. I believe this episode enlightened and prepared viewers for the shocking and unexpected discoveries we would learn about these characters’ pre-island lives.

As we watched John Locke unload his suitcase full of hunting knives, it seemed that he was tailor made for this sort of wilderness survival. He threw weapons with such precision and he seemed to understand the nuances of his prey. Jack may have emerged as the leader-by-default, but it was becoming increasingly apparent that Locke might be the one born for that role. But by the conclusion of the episode, when we learned that before the crash that would forever change his life, Locke was confined to a wheelchair (a twist nobody could have seen coming), we realized that he wasn’t made for this. Part of him is living out his dream. Another part is simply rebelling against a reality that forced upon him limitations and restrictions.

And this episode further accentuated the shroud of mystery surrounding the island itself, echoing Charlie’s memorable premiere-concluding line of, “where are we?” We couldn’t help but wonder what role this mystical island played in Locke’s miraculous recovery.

But “Walkabout” revealed a whole lot more about John Locke than the mere fact that he was paralyzed prior to his island arrival. For the first couple episodes, he was portrayed as this rugged survivalist, an apparently real man’s man. However this episode would show us that behind that facade Locke is actually a sad man living a pathetic life. Before the crash, he was working in a cubicle at a box factory, where he was verbally bullied by his office manager – a little man half his age. He would call phone sex hotlines pretending that the woman on the other end was a caring companion, where he would lie about standing up for himself with his office superiors.

“Walkabout” introduced the theme of Locke being a cautionary tale about a man who wasn’t able to comprehend or accept his limitations. A man who was so incredibly desperate to escape from his past life that he was willing to do anything to prevent them from leaving the island, no matter who it impacted. And that behind the mask of this confident would-be leader was a man who was easily manipulated and constantly used. The juxtaposition between Locke’s island fantasy and his pre-island reality was just so incredible that he instantly became the series’ most intriguing character.

Oh, and this episode also featured the first island appearance of everybody’s favorite tennis-shoe wearing Ghost Dad, Dr. Christian Shephard. That alone warrants it a spot in the top three!

Watch this episode in its entirety: