Apparently, it was after this episode's first airing that ABC announced that Lost had been picked up for a full season. Quite fitting, since this is the moment of the show that made sure a lot of people - myself included - fell in love with J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof's twisted brainchild. Although more strange stuff has happened in the series, Walkabout is the episode that showed just how delightfully insane Lost was (and is) willing to get.
A lot happens in this one: the camp is attacked, which reveals Sawyer's less endearing habits (scavenging) and prompts the survivors to hunt for food when their supplies start running out. Initial attempts fail, only for Locke to take over and display some impressive hunting talents. Later on, Shannon gets in a quarrel with Boone (the first of many, it would seem) and befriends Walt, and something attacks Kate and Michael when they venture a bit too far into the jungle.
As for the life before the crash, this time it's Locke's turn: contrary to expectations (I mean, he's a skilled hunter in touch with nature), it turns out he was a mere office drone (there's a hilarious reference to Mike Judge's cult comedy Office Space), stuck in a dead-end job. The reason he was in Sydney, it is revealed, was to participate in a walkabout, something he claims he was "meant to do".
Walkabout is a great, surprising episode for a number of reasons: it provides a few more mysteries (who's attacking the survivors?) and there's good character development, particularly the Locke section, which automatically establishes him as the most interesting individual in the show and justifies Terry O' Quinn's richly deserved Emmy nomination. Remember the secret hinted at in Pilot: Part 2? Well, the pay-off is Lost in a nutshell. Exceptional.
A lot happens in this one: the camp is attacked, which reveals Sawyer's less endearing habits (scavenging) and prompts the survivors to hunt for food when their supplies start running out. Initial attempts fail, only for Locke to take over and display some impressive hunting talents. Later on, Shannon gets in a quarrel with Boone (the first of many, it would seem) and befriends Walt, and something attacks Kate and Michael when they venture a bit too far into the jungle.
As for the life before the crash, this time it's Locke's turn: contrary to expectations (I mean, he's a skilled hunter in touch with nature), it turns out he was a mere office drone (there's a hilarious reference to Mike Judge's cult comedy Office Space), stuck in a dead-end job. The reason he was in Sydney, it is revealed, was to participate in a walkabout, something he claims he was "meant to do".
Walkabout is a great, surprising episode for a number of reasons: it provides a few more mysteries (who's attacking the survivors?) and there's good character development, particularly the Locke section, which automatically establishes him as the most interesting individual in the show and justifies Terry O' Quinn's richly deserved Emmy nomination. Remember the secret hinted at in Pilot: Part 2? Well, the pay-off is Lost in a nutshell. Exceptional.