1x3, Tabula Rasa

I’m still working on the rate at which I’ll be posting. It will definitely be faster than what I’ve currently been doing, but I’m not sure how much faster (probably something in the range of two posts a week). Having said that, let’s jump back in after my extended break since I wrote about “Pilot, Part 2.”

The third episode is entitled “Tabula Rasa”, which is Latin for “Blank Slate” (which is also the name of a game show at my alma mater). For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of tabula rasa, let me save you the trip to Wikipedia by telling you what I found there. Tabula rasa is the philosophical concept that our minds are born with a literal mental blank slate, and we become who we are gradually through experiences and outside influences.

This concept can be applied in a few ways to this episode. In a way, all of Lost is an exploration of tabula rasa, as we are introduced to characters and then gradually, through flashbacks, it is revealed to the audiences how the characters became the people that they are. It is a narrative device that worked extremely well, at least for a while. Why is Jin is jealously protective of Sun? Where did John Locke learn all of his skills? How did Jack develop his hero complex? And most pertinent to this episode, what did Kate do? This question would not be answered until the ninth episode of Season 2, after several flashback episodes detailing her life as a fugitive.

Seeing this first instance of Kate on the run, I’m reminded me of how much the series eventually drives this concept into the ground. All of Kate’s flashbacks never seem to reveal anything more about her character than that no matter what situation she is in, she ends up running. Both Kate as a character and Evangeline Lilly as an actress have been criticized for being uninteresting and unconvincing. I think these criticisms are harsh, but not entirely undeserving. Kate does not strike me as a person capable of murder, but I guess that’s supposed to be part of it: her unsuspecting nature. Still, she doesn’t seem to carry the heft of a person who can kill someone and then stay on the run for so long. Kate feels like the film adaptation of a true-crime story, where the actress who plays the criminal is beautiful, when the real-life criminal looks like she’s being run down hard by life.

The Marshall Edward Mars claims that Kate is dangerous and that she’ll do anything to escape. I think Kate may have been more interesting if she had been a more desperate character, someone like Ben who is willing to do anything to accomplish the ends that they think are necessary. The main thing that Kate ever seems to do is break people’s hearts, and while potentially devastating, I’m not sure that qualifies as being willing to “do anything” to escape.

Returning to the idea of tabula rasa, the concept can also be seen in the possibility of the Island offering a fresh start to everyone. In Kate’s flashback, Ray states this explicitly: “Everyone deserves a fresh start” (Ray also provides one of the earliest instances of the Numbers: the bounty of $23,000). Jack has stated that he does not care what Kate did, because on the Island, all of them are starting over. It is interesting to note that when they get off the Island, Kate is the only one who does not fall into old patterns. She truly does start anew by establishing a stable life with Aaron.

The reoccurring motif of black and white or dark and light is introduced when John Locke is explaining backgammon to Walt. The episode also ends with a foreboding shot of John Locke. For a long while, it seemed like this shot was a red herring (as John is shown to be a helpful and wise character), but this could have been an instance of far foreshadowing for the writers. John eventually becomes a person who will “do anything” to achieve the ends he thinks are necessary (blowing up the submarine, killing Naomi, etc.). It will be interesting to see how far Locke is willing to go in the future to protect the Island that gave him so much.

Another character dichotomy is introduced here in the conflict between Jack and Sawyer over what to do about Mars. Sawyer recognizes that it is useless to waste valuable medication on a man that cannot be saved. Jack stubbornly insists on pushing ahead, trying to save him. This juxtaposition of viewpoints is carried out all the way to the fourth season, when Sawyer recognizes the good life that is to be had on the Island, while Jack stubbornly adheres to his promise of getting everyone off the Island.

Sawyer’s checkered character is also shown when he attempts to carry out the noble act of shooting Mars to put him out of his misery. Instead, he screws it up and makes things worse. The look on Sawyer’s face is almost heart-breaking. This con man never commands much sympathy, but he truly thought he was doing a good thing, and to have it turn out so horribly obviously tears him up inside. Jack then disappears into the tent by himself.

We are not shown what happens when Mars dies, only that Jack is in the tent with him alone. As far as I know, no one has raised the possibility that Jack in some other way killed Mars to end his suffering. Given the fact that we are intentionally kept out of the tent as viewers, it seems like the writers could be insinuating this. However, given Jack’s character, it seems unlikely that he could bring himself to give up in such a way, even though it is obviously the correct course of action (just as he cannot bring himself to give up on the freighter people, even though they are obviously not there to help them).