Lost - Orientation***

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was quickly introduced in Orientation with a club and mission of subduing Mike, Sawyer, and Jin, throwing them into a pit. The first season, thanks primarily to Rousseau, kept alive this idea that “others” were on the island. Who were they? When would they emerge? The patience of the creative team in Lost to hold that off until the second season took a ton of discipline. Television, even as it is now a medium with great freedom and capacity to give those in charge of producing storytelling and character development the time and length needed, doesn’t often allow for such extension in just who the “others” are. I had a thought to the other day: perhaps to Akinnuoye-Agbaje and those in his entourage, the passengers on the Oceanic are those “others”. It all depends on whose perspective gets attention.

Michelle Rodriguez was introduced to Lost viewers at an airport bar initiating a dialogue (brief but friendly) with Jack before boarding the plane that would eventually split apart taking passengers to different parts of the island it seems. She is dropped into the pit and is asked by Mike if Walt was noticed by her. She hadn’t seen him, and later Rodriguez’s “Ana Lucia” sees Sawyer packing, punching him and taking the weapon! Soon she’s revealed to be associated with Akinnuoye-Agbaje, with the trio of the Oceanic left in the pit to contemplate how duped they were. Akinnuoye-Agbaje asks her about them as he pulls her up with the gun in hand (holding it on them before he dropped down the rope needed to ascend her out…). Again, to Akinnuoye-Agbaje and his bunch, those of the Oceanic are the “others” so it is all a matter of perspective. For Sawyer, Mike, and Jin, getting out of the pit is the top priority and finding Walt is the next item on the agenda…