"The Moth"

Written by Jennifer Johnson and Paul Dini
Directed by Jack Bender


In which Jack is caught when a cave collapses and Sayid tries to find the source of the French transmission, while Charlie makes a critical choice about his drug habit...

Status Report - Final Analysis







Status Report
As with so many of the episodes thus far this season, the ongoing struggles of the survivors are placed in perspective against the events that brought individuals to the island in the first place. Once again, one character stands at a crossroads, forced to place their previous lives in perspective and make a choice. The underlying theme of “faith” is very evident in this episode, as is the concept of spiritual renewal.

This episode sets aside the more subtle metaphors and Biblical parallels and cuts to the chase with some seriously heavy-handed plotting. One could suspect that the writers were afraid that the concepts introduced in the previous episode were too vaguely religious in connotation, and they wanted to make sure the audience understood the whole idea of the “moth” and the nature of Charlie’s choice. That simplicity is something of a drawback.

It’s rather interesting that Charlie began his career as a young man at a spiritual crossroads. He stands between two very different paths: the morality of his upbringing, clearly very religious, and the desire for a sense of validation through his music. He seems to perceive his chances of fame as a source of self-worth, and yet he knows that the excesses of the “rock god” life are morally impossible to reconcile.

When his dreams of fame are dashed by broken promises and an increasingly diminished role in his own creative work, old questions of self-esteem begin to rear their ugly heads. He sees his brother falling deeper and deeper into the world he wanted to avoid, and he actually makes an effort to stop the downward spiral. Instead, when his own dreams and illusions are forcibly shattered, he turns to drugs to cover up the pain and escape his feelings of worthlessness.

The irony is that his life becomes an endless cycle of seeking out whatever scraps of confidence he gained from his time with Driveshaft, even after his brother leaves for something approaching a normal life. By the time he’s on that plane, he’s still chasing his dreams down the only road he knows, unable to break the cycle. In other words, he’s as lost as everyone else when they stepped on that plane.

The bulk of this episode is about Charlie’s choice to seek redemption. In that respect, Locke is once again acting as the emissary of a higher power, giving Charlie a symbolic “three chances” to make the right decision and discover his true worth. It’s so perfectly staged that one begins to wonder if it was a matter of life or death for Charlie. Would the island have killed him, had he turned back to his drugs? It certainly seem as though his decision to get clean and find himself again is a renewed possibility for salvation. The religious context is not hard to recognize.

This seems to be supported by the observations of Sayid, who points out that the circumstances of their arrival on the island are highly unlikely. It’s interesting that many of the criticisms of the fans are brought up as a plot point; it suggests that the survival of these specific individuals was purposeful. If a higher power has brought them to the island to find themselves through epiphany, then it makes sense that they would survive without a scratch. It could very well be something that is addressed in the future, when the mysteries of the island are unveiled.

Though it’s not something as obvious as the “moth” metaphor, there seems to be a particular effort to place Charlie in Jack’s emerging fellowship (forgive the choice of words!). If Jack is being groomed as the “deliverer”, flawed as he might be, then a transformed Charlie would look to him for healing and a sense of worth. The conversation between Jack and Charlie in the cave has interesting Christian nuances; consider the Biblical implications of Jack reminded Charlie that he could have come to him, whenever he needed to, and he would have received help. Jack takes on the Christ-figure role once again, in a situation where a person’s character is revealed. Jack grants Charlie forgiveness, and one Charlie seems to realize his own potential, a way out of the cave is presented.

The more time passes, the more it seems that Kate is taking on the role of Mary Magdalene, a woman with a past who becomes transformed into something greater than herself through love. Kate may still be unwilling to give up her life of running from every problem, but she is beginning to realize that Jack is someone she wants to run towards. She’s not at the point of love just yet, but there is a connection between the two of them that cannot be denied. If the survivors on the beach are in greater danger from the island and the higher power that resides there, then Kate’s redemption could indeed be found through accepting her love for Jack.

Hurley doesn’t do very much in this episode, other than point out the obvious and keep people on task. Even if the theory formed after the previous episode holds true, it still seems consistent that Hurley would be the one to point out the problem and push others to find a solution. In this case, when the other survivors are stunned, he’s the one that gets people started on the efforts to dig Jack out. That in turn serves the greater purpose of placing Charlie at a decision point.

Sayid remains one of the best Islamic characters on television, if only because he portrayed as a decent man, even if his methods are sometimes draconian. It’s not often that a person of Islamic faith is given a fair and balanced rendering, and Sayid is played beautifully by Naveen Andrews. He works methodically towards the goal of getting off the island, even as his faith and perception tells him that something more is at work. It could take some time for Sayid to realize that his efforts are doomed to failure, and when that time comes, his story promises to be very compelling.

Sawyer, on the other hand, continues to be less and less sympathetic a character as the episodes march on. If the previous episode established Sawyer as Jack’s apparent dark opposite, then this episode continues to build on that impression. Sawyer seems to live and breathe temptation, almost the living embodiment of the “trickster” figure. Whereas Jack is trying to help everyone, Sawyer is placing himself in a position of power, forcing everyone to come to him for what’s needed. Sooner or later, one has to think that items will come at a price. If Jack is meant to aid others in finding their true path, then Sawyer could very well exist simply as an obstacle.

Boone and Shannon show up again in this episode, which is good to see. Boone seems to have calmed down a bit since his conflict with Jack. In fact, Boone seems more than willing to jump into danger to help save Jack, which doesn’t quite fit with the impression of a young man falling into Sawyer’s influence. Shannon shows another side of herself by taking action when it counts, even if the rest of the time she’s acting the part of “little rich girl”.

This is the second episode in a row with no sign of Claire. The last time she was on screen, she wasn’t doing very well. It still hasn’t been revealed which camp she’s joined, either, which is actually somewhat important. With the days crawling by on this show at a pace of one or two per episode (Kate says 8 days have passed since the crash), it seems that Claire’s baby is still a long way off, pending complications. That said, her health issues should have been addressed by now, even if only for a few seconds.

Michael gets some good character development in this episode. It’s unexpected for him to have just the right skills to determine where to dig to rescue Jack. By leading the rescue effort, he gains the respect of his son, which is something he dearly wants. When all is said and done, he even has the choice to stay with Jack’s camp. The fact that Sun is there could play into that decision.

Speaking of Sun, it seems that something of her former desire for independence has returned. She wears a revealing top against the wishes of her husband, which is a big step for her to take. For the moment, it seems as though she’s chosen to stick with her husband, but that might not last long if her apparent attraction to Michael continues to grow.

Locke’s role as the guide/prophet continues to expand. Most of the evidence supporting the “religious metaphor theory” is based on Locke’s particular approach with Jack and Charlie, as well as his own experience and miraculous restoration. Sayid’s discussion with Kate in this episode backs the theory, but it’s also possible that Locke and the others are drawing religious conclusions based on a mixture of insanity and something pharmacologically active on the island itself. Something could be affecting them, making them see patterns where they don’t exist, and Locke could be more susceptible than others based on his own questionable sanity. If there are other survivors on the island, then it would be important to know what they’ve gone through and seen. It’s just as possible that Locke has been “possessed” by the creature that was once roaming around, since it hasn’t been seen since he encountered it. He’s certainly been different since!

This episode effectively cuts between Charlie’s story and Sayid’s attempt to triangulate the source of the French transmission, maintaining a good amount of tension throughout. It’s a real shock when someone comes along and smacks Sayid up the head, apparently to keep the location of the transmission a secret. One could assume that it’s all about keeping the survivors on the island so they can be tested, so to speak, but it could easily be someone trying to keep a secure location secret from others. If someone among the survivors has been in the island all along, then perhaps they want to keep their previous lair secret.

One disappointment is the rather blatant “moth” metaphor. Being obvious is one thing; beating the audience over the head with the concept is quite another. This episode strays more to the “beating” side of the fence, which is unfortunate. The previous episode managed to pull together several religious concepts without being too obvious about it, so it’s certainly possible. By the time Charlie was pushing through the little hole at the top of the cave, aided by a moth, it was almost like the writers weren’t even trying to be clever.

Still, the “live” footage of Driveshaft was hilarious, especially since the hit song they were playing sounded like a Spinal Tap spoof gone horribly, horribly wrong! Dominic Monaghan did a great job with the character, especially when it came to communicating his lack of confidence. It’s amazing to see how far someone can go to achieve a sense of accomplishment, and while this appears to be the story of how the survivors are transformed by their experiences, it would be interesting to see whether Charlie goes on to make a successful career for himself through his renewed musical inspiration.

Whatever the case, the writers have managed to escape the trap of losing the interest of the viewers through lack of narrative advancement. Even though the episodes tend to focus on one character, the flashbacks almost always give context to the events of a particular episode while giving the plot a chance to move forward. Sooner or later, of course, events on the island are going to have to take more importance, or the audience could begin losing interest as the main ensemble is more or less covered. By planting the seeds of the future well in advance, the writers seem ready to deal with that possibility.


Final Analysis
Overall, this episode builds on many of the themes introduced previously while delving more deeply into Charlie’s background. The writers are a bit too heavy-handed with the metaphor for Charlie’s plight, and that takes something away from the episode. Still, there’s more than enough to make up for it, especially when it comes to the character interactions.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10




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