Episode 1: Pilot, part 1

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1. ABC Episode Guide:

   A man awakes in a jungle. He is bruised and bloody, and doesn't know where he is. A yellow Labrador Retriever watches him from the trees, then suddenly runs off. He forces himself up and winces in pain, leaning against a tree. He checks his jacket pocket and finds a small bottle of vodka. Recognition of where he is begins to float across his face. He winces back the pain and begins to run through the trees, reaching a beautiful beach.
   
   He hears sounds — people screaming. He wanders around a bend and finds what has brought him here — a plane crash, survivors in shock. A man trapped beneath wreckage. A woman not breathing. A pregnant woman screaming for help. He runs to help those he can, and rallies the others to help him. One of these strangers asks his name: "Jack."
   
   After the initial shock of the crash has settled a little, Jack digs through the scattered luggage and finds a sewing kit. He goes off into the woods to check his own injuries, where he meets a young woman. He enlists her help in stitching a laceration on his back closed, and he explains that he is a doctor.
   
   Back at the crash site, the survivors do their best to make themselves comfortable. Sayid introduces himself to Charlie, and gets Charlie to help build a bonfire, for the rescuers to see. Hurley gathers together the food from the plane, and distributes it amongst the survivors. Michael checks on the welfare of his son, Walt. And Jack has returned to the beach with his new friend, Kate. Jack explains to her that if they can find the front of the plane, they may be able to radio for help with a transceiver. Kate says she saw smoke coming from the jungle — and tells Jack if he's going to look for it, she's coming with him. Just as Jack is about to argue, the group hears a sound from inside the trees — a loud, terrifying, monstrous howl that goes on and on. The tops of the trees shake, and eventually whatever is making the sound goes away, leaving the survivors marooned, exhausted — and now terrified.
   
   The next day, Jack and Kate tell the survivors that they are going to look for the rest of the fuselage. Charlie invites himself along for the trip, and the three head off. On the way, Kate realizes that she knows Charlie from somewhere, but can't place him. Charlie gleefully announces that he's the bassist for Drive Shaft, which pleases Kate. As the trio works their way across a valley and re-enters the jungle, the sky darkens, and a rainstorm strikes from out of nowhere. Back at the crash site, everyone rushes for cover as the strange sounds from the jungle begin again.
   
   Jack, Kate and Charlie find the wreckage in the jungle. They see no signs of survivors as they climb up into the fuselage towards the cockpit. After breaking their way in, they find the Pilot still strapped to his seat. As Kate and Jack search for the fuselage, the seemingly-dead Pilot wakes up. After they give him some water, they tell the pilot "at least 48" of the passengers have survived, and it's been sixteen hours since the crash. The Pilot then tells them they lost their radio six hours into the flight, and couldn't be seen by anyone. They turned around to head to Fiji, and by the time they hit turbulence and crashed, they were a thousand miles off-course. The rescuers are looking in the wrong place.
   
   The Pilot shows them where the transceiver is kept, and as he tries to get it to work, and Kate finds Charlie in the bathroom for some reason, the strange sounds are heard again — this time just outside the fuselage. They try to catch a glimpse of whatever is making the sound through the cockpit windows, and when the Pilot crawls out to take a look, he is snatched up by the mysterious force. The fuselage is then knocked to the ground, and Charlie, Jack and Kate try and make a run for it.
   
   The three survivors run for their lives, with whatever-it-is hot on their heels. Charlie falls, and when Jack goes back to help him, Kate finds herself alone in the jungle, terrified. Charlie comes upon her suddenly, and the rain stops just as quickly as it began. They go back looking for Jack, and find him a little ways back, along with the body of the Pilot — hanging from the top of a tree above them. They stand there, wondering what could do something like that.

2. Live Notes taken during episode:

   • opening shot of Jack's eye
     
   • Whats up with the dog (Vincent)?
   • Vodka bottle: is Jack developing a drinking problem like father (foreshadow)?
   • Funny how at first glance beach is clean and then, 5 feet away around the bushes its a war zone
   • Shannon just standing screaming, rather than actively looking (for Boone I would guess), shows a lot about her needy character
   • Locke helps move landing gear so Jack can pull man out (in the extra's, Terry O'Quinn said that during the filming of the pilot he didnt even know that before the crash Locke was confined to a wheel chair)
   • Charlie still high (I just find his reaction funny when piece of plane falls right behind him after huge explosion)
     
   • Boone sort of set up as dumb (lifeguard that cant perform CPR, takes Jack literally and finds a ton of pens)
   • When Kate stumbles upon where Jack is, she's coming from the jungle, holding her wrist (like she just broke out of handcuffs)
   • Sawyer looks so different in the first few episodes compared to at the end of the season (character growing/changing?)
   • Naveen Andrews (Sayid) sounds nothing like his character in real life (middle eastern on show, irish/english real life)
   • Jacks tatoo's (5 is from party of five i believe, but can also tie in with Jack's spinal surgery, 5 seconds of fear story)
     
   • Kate likes to play weak (can't stitch, thinks she would run, etc) but thats not what she's actually like
   • Shannon is a bitch. . .
   • Hurley is nice (gives Claire extra food), doesnt think ahead though (food supply runs out in short time)
   • 40,000 ft. . .when tail ripped off wouldnt that have killed everyone due to temperature?
   • Jack and Kate moment (first time either truly smiles I think), followed by first "monster" encounter
   • No wonder Jack blacked out when plane was going down. . .was drinking in Sydney and on plane
   • Woman on beach: monster sound familiar, she's from the Bronx though
   • Kate/Locke interaction: she doesnt seem to be as friendly as Locke is
     
   • Charlie wants to help. . .but not really
   • "I am in Driveshaft". . .too bad they've been broken up for a while
   • Charlie likes to think Driveshaft is still going places
   • Vincent in middle of jungle
   • Locke welcomes the rain, accepts what the Island gives him
     
   • Pilot is an actor from another JJ Abrams show, Alias
   • Charlie in the bathroom. . .thats his way of "helping" (himself) while still on drugs
   • Originally Jack was supposed to be killed, not the pilot
   • Kate uses Jacks 5 seconds of fear advice
   • After that, Kate takes on a more "leader-like" role (as was originally planned after Jack died)

Looking back in retrospective, after seeing the entire first season, this first episode really sets the tone for the show. It has some backstory/flashbacks, great character interaction and also leaves a lot of questions unanswered (fans of this show got used to it. . .but that doesn't mean we like it).

The episode starts off with a shot of Jack's eye, which JJ and Damon seem to like to do. Many of the episodes in the first season begin with a close-up of someones eye. What could it mean? Normally, whoevers eye is shown, the episode focuses on their backstory. Maybe the eye symbolizes seeing into the soul or shows how the islanders are really all unique although they're all in the same place now.

One interesting note I picked up while watching the extra's DVD is that in this pilot episode, JJ and Damon originally killed Jack off (the airline pilot got offed instead). This would have led to Kate being the lead character then. Knowing this, I wonder if they completely re-worked her character or not. I say this because, before Jack, Kate, and Charlie were running from the monster, Kate seemed like a weak character, but after she thought Jack was dead, she becomes more of a leader, insisting to Charlie that they go back and look for Jack. Just interesting to me. . .not sure if it was intentional or not.

Lastly, something I remember about this episode from the first time I saw it. Vincent, the dog. I thought that there was something strange about him when he appears the two times in this episode. Almost like he's watching over Jack, making sure he's OK. While this may sound like a good thing, when I first watched it I thought that there was something, I don't know, evil about it. I'm probably reading way too far into it, but what if what Walt said ("Is that Vincent" after seeing trees fall down and the loud "monster" sounds) was true? What if the Island (I capitalize Island because I believe it is a cast member as well) could transform beings? I don't want to sound too far out there, but it's just a gut feeling that there's more to Vincent that the first season doesn't show.