Top Ten Greatest Episodes Countdown - #6 “Walkabout”
This week’s entry takes us back to season one for the unforgettable introduction to John Locke. The fourth episode of the series, “Walkabout” is the episode that truly hooked a lot of viewers, myself included. The two part “Pilot” and “White Rabbit” are both great episodes, but after the first time you see “Walkabout”, it is nearly impossible to dismiss Lost as just another prime-time, quasi sci-fi island drama.
The flashback portion of the episode shows Locke in his position as Regional Collections Manager at the box company. His tragic history soon begins to unfold. We see his constant belittlement at the hands of his much younger boss, his “relationship” with a phone sex operator, and of course, it is revealed that all along he has been paralyzed. On the island, Locke is portrayed as the fearless hunter, but the flashback paints him in an entirely different light. In all aspects of his life he is completely helpless. He is a grown man playing board games at lunch and paying just to speak with a woman on the telephone (even calling her the name of a former love interest). His handicap seems to restrict him to this life as well. As he searches for a new beginning through embarking on the walkabout tour, he is denied a spot due to his perceived inability to fend for himself. Locke’s rebirth comes soon though, and with the plane crash, we find him not on a walkabout tour sponsored by some Australian company, but a real-life survival situation, in which others come to depend on him to be the hunter.
We also see the first instance of a survivor seeing a vision/re-animation on the island. Jack’s father appears at the edge of the jungle a few times, but as Jack chases after him, Locke appears with the freshly slain boar, curtailing that story line for a while. Although not pursued in this episode, the visions continue often down the road, even up to where we are now, four seasons deep.
“Walkabout”’s excellence comes in the wonder it conjures in the viewer. Up to “Walkabout”, we had seen a polar bear appear on a tropical island and we had heard the rustlings of a giant unknown monster, but this episode intrigues on a different level. Seeing Locke in the wheelchair, and then the immediate shot of him realizing he can again use his legs is a landmark moment in Lost. It was the moment so many of us realized we were dealing with a truly special show, and we had no choice but to continue watching to see what was really going on. Not many scenes can compare to the last few moments of “Walkabout”.
What do you think of John Locke’s first episode?
I’m not really responding to your question, I just wanted the readers to know that they were filming up at Dillingham Airfield and Camp Erdman today and probably will be this whole week. Aloha!
Comment by lostie — December 1, 2008 @ 9:46 pm
im on the island in case anyone else is, it was awesome to see the cast, their lunch table is literally next to the road where people can drive by. pretty cool, got pics if anyone want em!
Comment by lostie — December 2, 2008 @ 12:17 am
This was an eeexcellent episode, very worthy of it’s place in the top 10. I’ve been a huge Locke fan from the beginning so this was a monumental episode for me. Much like a lot of the episodes in season 1 the ending was done superbly, the cuts between him being denied the walkabout tour and of him waking up on the beach after the crash…genious. Moments like that were so commonplace in season 1 that it’s hard to remember things used to be that way. Lost used to be such an emotionally powerful show, now so much of it is about who is Kate going to pick and the action that those tender sort of moments that almost bring you to tears are lost in the mix.
I totally agree that this episode was what made you sit back and go “okay, what’s going on here? I neeeed to keep watching this show”.
I loved Locke as the hunter in season 1, I really miss that Locke, that’s the Locke we all came to love. That was when he was the great bald hunter and the mysterious guru sort of guy that people would look to for insight. These days Locke has really been twisted into this pathetic sort of guy that everyone hates(much like he was before the crash) but the season 1 Locke still shines though in select moments and that’s why I’ll always love Locke (dead or alive).
ONLY ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL THE U.S. SEASON 4 DVD RELEASE!!!
One more Lost season to line up on top of my tv next to the other three.
Three down two to go…
Comment by B*Locke — December 2, 2008 @ 2:23 am
–I mean four down two to go
Comment by B*Locke — December 2, 2008 @ 2:25 am
Yeah, whenever I get people into LOST, I tell them they just have to get to episode 4, and then they’ll be hooked! I call “Walkabout” the hooker episode for that reason. And then I think the episode that turns you into a fanatic is episode 10 “Raised By Another,” ’cause at the end of that episode you go: “HOLY SH**! What’s he gonna do with Claire and Charlie? And what’s up with this baby?!” I really believe that every John Locke episode in the entire series is LOST at its best (except for “Further Instructions…” that one kinda stinks…) He really is my favorite character, followed closely by Ben and then Juliet… I like all the bad ones (even though no one on this show is really “bad…” they just do what they need to to survive)
Comment by Matthew — December 2, 2008 @ 7:43 am
This is one of my favorite episodes ever as it was when Locke became my favorite character on the show. It really showed the contrast of pre-Island Locke and Island Locke and how much he has changed. Locke is dark and dramatic character and this first Locke-centric episode truly showed that.
Comment by Becky Mochaface — December 2, 2008 @ 8:58 am
This was probably the best episode of the first half of season 1, with the exception of “Daddy issues”, which I really hope gets a look in in this countdown list. The reason that this episode excels over others is due to it’s revelation of a story element nobody could have expected, one of the two great mysteries of season 1 yet to be revealed… Locke’s supposedly cured paralysis, the other being Adam & Eve. Although Ben briefly brooched the subject midway through season three, there hasn’t been a full explanation as to why the island possesses these super healing powers. And yes, some might argue that the reason is due to Locke’s destiny to become the leader of the Others, a task that would be rather difficult if confined to a wheelchair. I just feel that there is a bigger explanation at hand, and I’m going to bet that season 5, episode 6 (which I believe is supposed to titled “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”) could possibly provide us with such an explanation. Here’s hoping anyway.
Comment by Jack Daniels — December 2, 2008 @ 9:53 am
Well i think it’s a good episode but not really TOP 10 IMHO but that’s just me..
Comment by JB — December 2, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
1. music was incredible for this episode, one of the things that makes Lost great is that it does so many things well.
2. I would rank this episode in the top five.
Comment by George — December 3, 2008 @ 7:59 am
I really liked that episode as well. I watched it yesterday and I felt good and happy. But I think that I think I like to watch it again to determine just how much it is liked by all. If Locke really is who they say he is, then why is he doing it? Why does he propose to do what he doees? If anything, I think Locke is the creator of the new island, which I believe is neat. It’s so kewl.
Comment by They Call Me Pietras — December 3, 2008 @ 10:07 am
does anyone remember Locke selling pot and was about to shoot some young kid in the forest? lol that story arc proved to be about as useless as nikki and paolo
Comment by Garen Arargil — December 6, 2008 @ 9:37 pm
Didn’t thought further instructions’ flashback were useless.. Theyre really relied to Locke,s personnality, shown he always had been manipulated, he had a lot of reasons to feel remorse and like crap and that when he had the chance to do things by himself to be a *hero*, he take it. Tired of only been crap.
A lot of Flashbacks during season 3 were to shown characters in other kinds of story than the main one they were having in other seasons.
Comment by jschartrand — December 13, 2008 @ 5:13 pm