Official Discussion: 1x05 White Rabbit

[Hollywood Heidi]

1x05 White Rabbit

Original Air Date: October 20, 2004
Centric: Jack centric
Directed by: Kevin Hooks
Written by: Christian Taylor
Summary: The survivors begin to struggle as they realize they are running out of fresh water. Meanwhile, Jack continues to see his dead father's figure on the Island. Flashbacks in this episode show a little bit of Jack's childhood and also what Jack was doing in Australia. (tv.com)
Trailer:

 

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Discuss the episode! Below are some discussion points to get you started.  Feel free to simply copy and paste and insert your thoughts or write out your thoughts however you like.  Constructive comments make for better and more interesting conversations so feel free to elaborate and explain your thoughts, conclusions, and opinions.  Repeat Viewers, answer these as if watching for the first time or what your original answers would have been when you first watched:

What did you think of the episode?

What expectations or theories did you have that either ended up right or wrong?

Who was your favorite character in this episode and why?  Least favorite?

What scenes or situations did you like best?  Least?

What were some of your favorite quotes?

How do you rate this episode compared to the rest?


Repeat viewers
Be mindful of the first-time viewers and give fair warning of spoiler comments by putting spoiler tags (directions below) or at the very least keep them at the bottom of your post with a big texted SPOILER before it.

[spoiler]spoiler text[/spoiler]
What do you think of the episode now that you've seen the whole series?

Did you find anything new you didn't catch the previous time(s) watching?

[DarkSideCookie]

This episode was actually good, but compared to the episodes before it didn't blow my mind, so I gave this a 3 star rating. Despite, there were of course great moments in it.

Episode's title in Germany is "Das weisse Kaninchen", which is a word by word translation of the original title. I'm relieved, that they don't seem to change them for now, as I think they are always good choosen.

I like the beginning scene, when Jack hurries to rescue Boone out of the water. The music and the camera work does it make kinda hectic. I felt like being Jack on that scene and felt his inner war of what to do. It's understandable, that Boone later says Jack shouldn't have rescued him instead of the woman, though it's not really fair to blame him for his decision. I mean, Jack wasn't able to rescue both of them at the same time and Boone was looking like drowning either. Should he have just let him sink and swim to the woman, he even didn't speak any word with?

The man with the suit scenes always give me goosebumps. The way he just stands there and disappear. I still wonder who that person could be. I'm pretty sure, that it's not Jack's father, even when he imagined his face in him. I think Jack was just seing what was flying around in his head. But I may be wrong with that.

I always enjoy the Sawyer scenes! Like the one, when he talkes to Shannon, calling her "sticks" ("Stelze" in german btw, which means exactly the same. I just looked up the original nickname in the web and was totally amazed about the amount of nicknames he uses for everyone. xD I love that!). I think he already became my favourite character.
The way he just is sitting there in coolness, watching the others. And wouldn't you know, they are suspecting him to have stolen the water bottles? Sure. But I knew he wasn't. Though I thought it was actually no one of the survivor group at all. Like I mentioned in another comment, I think that there are others at the island.

I hate Jack's parents. How can parents say such things to a child? The mother is almost even more unlikable as the father, when she wants Jack to bring back his father, using the words "to ME" not "to US". But Jack is quite a good leader, when you think about how he had to grow up.

I totally loved the scene, when Jack was following the man in the suit through the jungle - was actually my favourite scene in this episode. I love that the scene was showing like we would see everything like Jack does, the camera shaking and the view sometimes impaired, near to powerlessness.

At the scene, when Locke was stretching out a helping hand to Jack, I was awaiting to see his father pull him up. Ot at least that he would see his father's face as a Fata Morgana in Locke.

I liked the scenes with Claire and Charlie. I think they would make a sweet couple someday. I'm looking forward to both of their backstories.

Locke seems to be totally satisfied, since he has seen the "beauty" of the island. He always wears a smile on his face, even when the others are looking kinda shocked. I wonder, when he gonna tell the others about it or IF he will at all. I imagine such a beautiful creature with a colorful feathering and eyes like crystals or something like that. A dangerous but beautiful creature. I also wonder how Locke survived the encounter with it.

Ohh the porcelain dolls gave me nightmares lol. I hate dolls, as they really scare me out. xD Portraits with serious looking persons on it does the same. Oh and little girls with long black hair and a teddybear. Haha

I like to see someone else in the flashback scenes like this time Jin, when Jack was talking to the airline woman. And I was pretty sure to see the same scene in a Jin or Sun flashback at one point. This makes the show totally interesting!

The episode's ending was pretty sudden I think. Kinda unusual when you look at the great ending scenes of the other episodes before.
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My favourite quotes:

Sawyer: So how does it feel?
Boone: How's what feel?
Sawyer: Taking my place on top of everyone's "Most Hated" list... Suck's don't it.

Locke: Crazy people don't know they're going crazy. They think they're getting saner.

Jack: But if we can't live together... we're gonna die alone.

Sawyer: You're in my light, sticks.
Shannon: Lightsticks? What the hell is that supposed to...?
Sawyer: Light, comma, sticks. As in those legs of yours.

Sawyer: You really think I stole your damn water?
Sayid: We know you gave two bottles to the Koreans.
Sawyer: I don't give nothing to nobody.

[Hollywood Heidi]

I have to agree that this ep wasn't as good as some of the others but I think the fact I'm a re-watcher made me go for a 4 instead of a 3.  There are some key things that happened for the first time in this ep that become a theme of the show and I think that really hit a nostalgia cord with me.  First off, it's the first time I remember hearing that moving background music that kind of became the theme music for Lost.  During the scene where Jack first comes across the caves, it's playing.  It feels a little bit like a lighter version of it but it's definitely the song that was played in really touching and moving scenes and also at award shows whenever Lost went up to stage to pick up an award.

Another key phrase that become a manta is the "If we can't live together, then we're gonna die alone" which will eventually become the "Live together, die alone" phrase uttered by several throughout the rest of the series.

Poor Joanna.  She wasn't even supposed to be on that flight.  All because of a stupid ear infection.  If I'm remembering correctly, Joanna is the 4th death we saw happen.  First there was Gary Troup being sucked into the jet engine, then Seth Norris (the pilot) killed by the monster, then Edward Mars (marshal), and now Joanna of drowning.  Jack says there are now 46 survivors.  That's a lot of people, if you think about it, especially since the show only concentrates on a handful of them.

Boone was very wishy washy in this one, especially as far as Jack is concerned.  He goes to Jack to tell him about Rose, expecting Jack to do something about it.  He's reporting to him like he thinks Jack is in charge but then this happens and he starts yelling at Jack, asking who put him in charge.  The other thing is that Boone had previously said he was a lifeguard and yet he nearly drowned out there at a spot that Jack got to with ease.  I also found it funny when he yelled "I run a business!" like that entitles him to more leadership power than Jack.  Obviously, Boone and his sister grew up in a rich household because they're both coming off as spoiled and entitled.

Nobody is to blame for Joanna.  She was obviously caught in a tide.  Look how much further out she still was from Boone.  It doesn't matter how good of a swimmer you are, there's no way you'd get to her but that doesn't stop Jack from guilting the hell out of himself.  His father was partially right when he said "You don't wanna be a hero.  You don't wanna try to save everyone 'cause when you fail... you don't have what it takes."  I think Jack makes a great leader and the fact that he doesn't have what it takes to be able to sweep failure under the rug like it was nothing helps to make a better leader.  Maybe if you've spent as many years as Christian (Jack's dad) has and had enough people die on your table, you start to become desensitized but unless you're a sociopath, you'll always feel something.  Perhaps that's the reason Christian always seemed to have a drink in his hand.

Yes, the man in the suit did give me the chills even in the eps before when we didn't even know who he was.  By the time we find out that it was Jack's dad AND that Jack's dad was dead, it became even more creepy.  Was he really there?  I didn't think so simply for the fact of the way he seemed to appear and disappear.  Jack did mention he'd only been getting 2 hours sleep every night since the crash and he said they'd been there 6 days.  Yah, I think I'd be hallucinating as well.

Lol, of course they suspected Sawyer, Ilona!  Look at all the stuff he's done so far!  I loved Sayid's comment.  "A rat will always lead you to it's hole."  I was surprised that it had been Boone but at least it wasn't really out of bad intentions.  It was a flimsy attempt to keep the water rations under control but he acted before formulating a plan which is why he felt he had to sneak the water to Claire.

Yes, Jack's parents aren't gonna be winning any Parents of the Year awards.  Actually, as you see their backstories, you'll see most of the character's parents seem to be competing for the World's Crappiest Parents award.  I do wonder though why Jack's mom blames Jack for Christian taking off.  What did Jack do?

I think my favorite scene is where Jack and Locke talk.  There were so many great lines from that one scene.  You really start to see that man of science vs. man of faith aspect.  The man of science actually takes the advice of the man of faith which eventually leads him to the water.  When someone is so in one camp of thought an belief, it's really good for them to have someone in the opposite camp to remind them of things they may be blind to.  One is not necessarily more right than the other.  I think they both have rights and wrongs which is why they need compliment each other.  Unfortunately, when one or the other is close-minded to something outside of their camp, it can lead to ugly disagreements.

Charlie and Claire are so sweet together.  I was definitely rooting for them!

Yes, Locke seems to ALWAYS have a smile on his face!  He is so at home on that island and in this situation.  I think he's the only one to be completely happy that this whole thing happened and probably thrilled that rescue hasn't come.  When he mentioned he looked into the eye of the island, you just knew he was referring to the monster.  Whatever it was he saw, it struck such a cord in him that he thinks that thing is the eye, the center, maybe even the embodiment of the island.  Man, I remember I wanted to see what it was so badly!!

I also love seeing the other survivors in other people's flashbacks!  So much fun!  We saw Jin standing in line at the airport as Jack was at the counter arguing to get the body of his father on the flight.  I really love when they do that and show it from different angles as if seeing it from the perspective of someone else.  So neat!

Agreed that this wasn't a very exciting ending but I think they set up stuff earlier on in this ep that made you want to come back.


We've got a couple of the same fave quotes on this one, I see.  That Boone/Sawyer exchange was funny but I found myself telling Sawyer "Yah, but the difference is you purposefully put yourself on everyone's shit list whereas Boone was making a crappy attempt to take charge of a bad situation."

Locke:  Crazy people don't know they're crazy. They think they're getting saner.

Locke:  What if everything that happened here, happened for a reason?

Jack:  If we can't live together... we're gonna die alone.


I also like Charlie's tattoo:  Living is easy with eyes closed.  It's a real tattoo he's had since before the show and a line from Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beetles.