Why "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" is My Favorite Episode of LOST
Look, I love "The Constant" as much as the next guy, because I'm not a monster. And I could name a dozen other absolutely superb episodes that are right up there ("LaFleur," "Man of Science, Man of Faith," "Through the Looking Glass," "Not in Portland," "Pilot," okay, I'll stop). But if forced at an Others' gunpoint to choose among so many darlings, I will reliably answer that “Tricia Tanaka is Dead” is my favorite episode of Lost.
Why? Several reasons.
First, as most people agree, and as I felt on first viewing, it works beautifully as comic relief in the middle of a lot of darkness and confusion in the overall story. The first half of Season 3 is somewhat uneven at times, as the writers acknowledge they were starting to spin their wheels. It seemed Kate and Sawyer were in those polar bear cages forever. Juliet and Ben playing mind games with the Oceanic 815 people can get tiresome. The question of whether or not Jack was going to operate on Ben’s spinal tumor wasn't the most compelling storyline to me. Nor, to say the least, was finding out where Jack got his tattoos (a widely held opinion). And then "Tricia Tanaka" comes along and reminds us that Lost can be fun. This episode has some of the series’ best jokes.
Second, it works even better on subsequent viewings, when you know where the story eventually ends up. Hurley, as we later know, turns out to be a very important character indeed. And the Dharma van and Roger “Workman” both turn up later in surprising ways.
But most importantly, I think some of the biggest themes of the series are explored in microcosm within this episode, especially redemption, and fate versus free will. For years Hurley has been burdened by his belief in the “curse” of the numbers. Even longer than that, he’s been a victim of his daddy issues. It seems to him that his life is out of his control, that his fate is up to the universe. But in this episode, he takes control of his life for the first time, maybe ever, and makes choices that lead him to conclude that fate only goes so far. “There is no curse — you make your own luck.” Words his deadbeat, abandoning father had said to him, which he reclaims in overcoming his fear of a cursed life. This is a turning point for Hurley, and I believe it foreshadows bigger turning points that are to come. When Hurley and Charlie defy the odds and cheat death, getting the van started just in time to avoid crashing into a boulder, they prove that redemption is possible, and you can make your own luck.
The cherry on top is the amazing use of the song “Shambala,” by Three Dog Night, whose groovy 70’s sound could be the theme for the Dharma Initiative, and whose lyrics could easily be about the Island's way of offering our characters catharsis and absolution:
Why? Several reasons.
First, as most people agree, and as I felt on first viewing, it works beautifully as comic relief in the middle of a lot of darkness and confusion in the overall story. The first half of Season 3 is somewhat uneven at times, as the writers acknowledge they were starting to spin their wheels. It seemed Kate and Sawyer were in those polar bear cages forever. Juliet and Ben playing mind games with the Oceanic 815 people can get tiresome. The question of whether or not Jack was going to operate on Ben’s spinal tumor wasn't the most compelling storyline to me. Nor, to say the least, was finding out where Jack got his tattoos (a widely held opinion). And then "Tricia Tanaka" comes along and reminds us that Lost can be fun. This episode has some of the series’ best jokes.
Second, it works even better on subsequent viewings, when you know where the story eventually ends up. Hurley, as we later know, turns out to be a very important character indeed. And the Dharma van and Roger “Workman” both turn up later in surprising ways.
But most importantly, I think some of the biggest themes of the series are explored in microcosm within this episode, especially redemption, and fate versus free will. For years Hurley has been burdened by his belief in the “curse” of the numbers. Even longer than that, he’s been a victim of his daddy issues. It seems to him that his life is out of his control, that his fate is up to the universe. But in this episode, he takes control of his life for the first time, maybe ever, and makes choices that lead him to conclude that fate only goes so far. “There is no curse — you make your own luck.” Words his deadbeat, abandoning father had said to him, which he reclaims in overcoming his fear of a cursed life. This is a turning point for Hurley, and I believe it foreshadows bigger turning points that are to come. When Hurley and Charlie defy the odds and cheat death, getting the van started just in time to avoid crashing into a boulder, they prove that redemption is possible, and you can make your own luck.
The cherry on top is the amazing use of the song “Shambala,” by Three Dog Night, whose groovy 70’s sound could be the theme for the Dharma Initiative, and whose lyrics could easily be about the Island's way of offering our characters catharsis and absolution:
Wash away my troublesFor the closing montage, Michael Giacchino even brings a little of "Shambala" into his score, and it hits me right in the tear ducts.
Wash away my pain
With the rain in Shambala
Wash away my sorrow
Wash away my shame
With the rain in Shambala
And finally, note that Hurley, as always, brings people together to cooperate on his Dharma-van soul-healing project with him. He doesn't do it alone. Besides Sawyer and Jin, he specifically recruits Charlie, who is suffering an existential crisis due to Desmond's prediction of his imminent demise. Even though it takes some tough love and a slap in the face, Charlie eventually finds enough hope in himself to show up and "ride shotgun." The episode is Hurley's big turning point, but it starts the process for Charlie, as well. I believe going on this little adventure helps snap him out of his doldrums and find the courage to later swim down to the Looking Glass station and his ultimate fate.
The Island is a magical place of healing and redemption, but you have to make your own luck. You choose to jettison your baggage and embrace that redemption — to remember, to let go, and move on. And you do it with people you care about, because nobody does it alone. That’s Lost in a nutshell.
The Island is a magical place of healing and redemption, but you have to make your own luck. You choose to jettison your baggage and embrace that redemption — to remember, to let go, and move on. And you do it with people you care about, because nobody does it alone. That’s Lost in a nutshell.
Comments