Exodus, Part I (S01E24)
Airdate: May 25th 2005
Written by: Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cruse
Directed by: Jack Bender
Running Time: 42 minutes
It was perhaps inevitable that the second part of Lost’s first-season finale, Exodus, Part II, would suffer in comparison to its predecessor. Originally conceived as a single, feature-length episode before being split for international markets, this installment lacks the semi-closure of Part I’s raft launch. Instead, it leaves the audience in medias res with a series of irritating cliffhangers, feeling less like a coherent episode and more like an abruptly truncated second act. This structural flaw underpins a chapter that, while packed with incident, struggles to achieve a satisfying narrative rhythm of its own.
The episode juggles three major plots, with the first being its undisputed centrepiece. Jack, Locke, and Kate’s mission to blow open the mysterious hatch using dynamite from the inland-stranded Black Rock is a great example of escalating tension. The introduction of Dr. Arzt, the self-proclaimed science teacher, provides a burst of darkly comic energy. His pedantic lecture on the instability of nitroglycerin in tropical heat—abruptly terminated by his own spectacular, mist-forming demise—is a standout moment. Director Jack Bender executes this sequence with a grimly humorous precision that hardcore cinephiles will recognise as a direct homage to Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear. The subsequent, solemn determination of Locke and Jack, stabilising the remaining sticks with clay and dividing them between themselves, adds a palpable weight to their perilous trek. Hurley’s inclusion, however, feels undercooked; he functions merely as a passive “Greek chorus,” muttering about his cursed luck without actively contributing to the drama.
The second plot thread sees the Danielle Rousseau’s motives turn sinister. Her arrival at the beach culminates in Claire recognising the scratch marks on Rousseau’s arm, a chilling reveal that recontextualises the Frenchwoman’s madness as a vehicle for a desperate, potentially malicious agenda. The subsequent kidnapping of Claire's son introduces a compelling twist, transforming a tentative ally into an adversary driven by a hauntingly tragic goal: trading Claire’s baby for her own stolen child. Sayid and Charlie’s pursuit leads them to the fateful Beechcraft, where Charlie is confronted with a vast stash of heroin. This confrontation with his addiction is a nuanced touch, though the accompanying flashback—featuring Charlie hiding drugs from a heroin-addicted groupie before Flight 815—feels like a weak, redundant echo of his established backstory, adding little new depth.
Conversely, the third plot, following Michael, Walt, Jin, and Sawyer on the launched raft, is the episode’s most tenuous element. The drama hinges on a conveniently failed rudder, salvaged only by Sawyer’s athletic swim. While it offers a moment of reluctant heroism for the conman, the sequence feels engineered more for fan service—a chance to admire Josh Holloway’s physique—than for organic narrative tension. With the open sea offering limited opportunities for action, this subplot leans on contrivance to maintain momentum before its own cliffhanger arrival.
The episode’s flashbacks, a consistent structural pillar of Lost, are notably feeble here. Charlie’s hotel-room scene is forgettable, while Jin’s encounter with an Australian Korean-speaking agent of Mr. Paik feels like filler, doing little to advance his character. The sole exception is Michael’s flashback, which reveals his last-ditch attempt to place Walt in his mother’s custody before the flight. This moment of acknowledged inadequacy adds a layer of tragic pathos to their strained relationship, making Michael’s subsequent paternal desperation on the raft more resonant.
Exodus, Part II is an episode of compelling highs and frustrating lows. The dynamite plot is a superbly executed set-piece, balancing mystery, suspense, and macabre humour. Rousseau’s heel-turn is intriguing, though slightly muddied by Emilie de Ravin’s occasionally over-wrought portrayal of Claire’s distress. The raft storyline feels thin and contrived, and the flashbacks largely falter. Ultimately, the episode’s greatest weakness is its lack of a proper ending—a direct consequence of its artificial separation from Part III. It delivers thrilling moments and crucial plot advancements but stumbles as a standalone piece of television, leaving the audience suspended in mid-air, waiting for a conclusion that might not arrive for days or weeks.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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