Lost - The Moth

I had been wondering when the official Charlie episode might eventually be introduced in the first season. Being a guitarist for his band, Driveshaft, Charlie was introduced to women, drugs, a record deal, and possible fame and fortune. But as he run around on the plane looking for a bathroom to ease his anxiety with smack in a baggie, Charlie was far from the glamour and bright lights, adoration of screaming girls wet in their panties and noisy sound equipment reaching the rooftops of impressive venues. He is trying to cope with addiction, the prospects of recovery and detox, and hoping that he might can substitute his current product with something Jack might have available among his cache of medicinals. John Locke knows of Charlie’s addiction and what he’s fighting, offering support and wisdom…but Charlie is an addict so often all that matters to him is the next high.

Struggle is nature’s way of strengthening.

“The Moth” is a damn good redemption story about a young man at war with his past, place on the island, and the lure of the fix. Because of the past, Charlie finds himself on the island with a baggie of junk that takes the ache of the fix away for a bit. His older brother was a driving influence in his life in the band, urging Charlie to tour with him. And with that came the drugs that Charlie would use and be tied to while his brother eventually left the band and got clean, married, and started a family. Leaving behind what Charlie is not shackled to, the brother wants to help him get off the junk but there’s a plane ride awaiting him. Charlie was at Sidney to hopefully encourage his brother to return with him to LA to form the reunion of Driveshaft. So Charlie hops on the plane without his brother, winding up on the island, and battling the seduction of his smack. John Locke has possession of the baggie and tells Charlie that if asks for the drugs three times he will hand them over. But John uses the cocooned moth as an example of how to overcome through the struggle…John tells him that he could help the moth out of the cocoon but the struggle to do so is more beneficial for it. So Charlie escaping his own struggle by overcoming it is more beneficial to him. Hence, the name of the episode and how Charlie and the moth are similar. Charlie sees the moth fly in full-wing totally free right after asking for the smack from John, tossing the baggie in the fire. He’ll choose the struggle.

Sayid believes he’ll be able to receive the signal through a three-point triangulation. Kate will need to be at a considerable distance, Sayid will need to be at a certain selection point, and a third (Boone, designated, but Shannon will be called on to step in his place when Jack needs his help) will wait on the beach. Each will need to click on their antennae and hopefully the distress signal of the French woman will reach Sayid’s receiver. Wishful thinking is undermined by a cave-in while Jack and Charlie are talking (Jack storing some supplies away in another area of the cavern when Charlie confronts him over being considered useless), which results in Kate leaving her position after Sawyer holds onto the news for a period of time and Boone flees his post to assist Michael and company in recovering the doc before he runs out of air. Charlie is able to escape in the nick of time but crawls through a hole dug out by Michael and company (Michael worked construction for a while) to return to help Jack, eventually having to pop his arm to fix a dislocation. Charlie sees a moth (conveniently) and will lead Jack out of the rubble towards light. Sayid appears on the verge of securing the signal on his receiver when a branch from a tree clunks him from behind…who would do such a thing?

The show has obviously gradually built the relationship between Jack and Kate, carefully cultivating their potential for romance, not as much passionately as patiently. There is respect, chemistry, conversation, and attraction. It is obvious to everyone…including them although they don’t rush into it or anything. When Jack emerges okay, Kate immediately hugs him, and their sitdown next to the fire [once again] has great affection this go-around.