Orientation

Copyright 2005, ABC Studios

We're going to need to watch that again--John Locke (Terry O'Quinn)

Season 2, Episode 3. October 5, 2005. This is when the most important episode, the one where folks such as Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof asked us to truly step down into the rabbit hole of weirdness that is ABC's brilliant Lost.

Don't believe me? Yes, the first season introducing the hatch was a major step in the show's trajectory. Even with the polar bear and smoke monster, pre-hatch on Lost, the show was still about people trying to get off an island from a plane crash. Yes, the beginning of season two showed us that the hatch was really part of a mysterious station where a man pushed a button that saved the world. It was, however, this episode that gave us a very clear message: this show is now officially not about a plane crash. It's about a state of mind, about something very, very strange.

With the fifth season premiering in just under two weeks, looking back on this show is worth a try. That line quoted above was not just a meta shout-out to the many, many folks on the Interwebs (not me, to be honest) who loved dissecting every little bit of trivia in every single shot of Lost, but the beginning of an entirely new show. John Locke was already someone in need of a true calling, Jack Shephard was already a man who felt like he always had to lead, and Benjamin Linus....well, we'll get to him next time. Still, it was the Orientation video from the Dharma Initiative in the Swan station that really hit the message home.

This video gave Locke some kind of purpose. It may not have actually been wise to stop pressing that button, or to become so obsessed about doing it at all, but it lead to the fights between him and Jack, the introduction of the mysterious Henry Gale, and it added to the confusion of the show. Most importantly, it provided audiences a chance to leave...one last chance. Sure, some got frustrated during the third season (honest to God, the episode where we found out what Jack's tattoos meant...worst episode of the series), but if anyone didn't want to watch a truly weird show, this video was a great place to step out and find something more comforting.

The episode itself is not one of the series' best; that honor still goes to the season premiere...or the finale. Either or were immensely satisfying; granted, in between was Sawyer trying to show dominance by hoarding the guns, Charlie turning crazy in his protectiveness toward Claire's baby son, and Locke pushing that damn button for half a season, but we also got...well, Ben.

Next week, I'll write my ode to the best thing about not only the second season but the entire series: the byplay between Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson as Locke and Ben. The two of them together in any scene is a guaranteed bulls-eye of a success. But that's next week. For now, consider again the Orientation video with Marvin Candle...Edgar Halliwax...well, whatever his name is, don't forget this video or this episode. It's the most important one Lost ever had.