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"And Jack, the worst part's over." The concept of ending Lost's spectacular first season with a 3-hour TV episode with no main character, but instead, flashbacks to everyone's time in Sydney just before the flight is nothing short of genius. What's even more impressive is that no one flashback is anything close to a waste of time. We see Sawyer at the epitome of troublemaking rebel, only to return to him being useful on the island by making Michael a mast. In flashback, Kate is an unstable criminal, and on the island, she's still one of the most respected and responsible people at camp, even though everyone has just found out about her past. In Sydney, Michael and Walt are worst enemies, but on the island, Walt is looking to Michael to protect him; the two have truly bonded. The flashback has Sun and Jin at the worst moment of their marriage, and real time has them finally making amends, and in contrast the woman in the airport falsely assuming Sun speaks no English, Sun finally gives Jin the first major step to him learning English. And of course, Walt's gift of Vincent to a comfort-needing Shannon is contrasted by a memory of Boone; and it's not even a happy memory. It also contains an instance of Shannon harshly disregarding Sayid and showing no care toward him; a stark contrast to their eventual romance. However, perhaps none of these is as memorable as Jack's (albeit brief) flashback, with the debut of Michelle Rodriguez as Ana-Lucia Cortez.The tragedy of the scene with Ana-Lucia is the assumption that she is one of the people who died in the crash. It's difficult to tell whether or not the scene is more powerful with or without having seen season 2, but its brevity and the subtlety of Rodriguez and Matthew Fox makes it just as excellent and memorable as it needs to be. The irony of Ana's "The worst part's over" line holds strong to the show, but at the same time you can't help but wonder if the crash was all bad for these people.Meanwhile, the on-island events of part 1 of "Exodus" are key pieces of setup to the epic finale. Perhaps much of the genius of the episode lies in its ambiguity; the monumental scene legendary among fans in which Sawyer tells Jack about having met his father in Sydney leaves some doubt in the viewers mind as to whether or not these two leading men will ever see each other again. This only gives the scene more impact, as does Josh Holloway's stunning delivery of the speech after a shakier start early in the season. This is perhaps a pinpoint moment for when he proved to audiences how much he matured as an actor, and the scene has gone down as one of the show's finest.The quest for dynamite to blow open the hatch begins as the episode's A-plot, but is ignored in the entire final act. However, it still leaves audiences with infinite intrigue for the finale to come, especially upon the revelation of what the Black Rock is. Rousseau's teaser pieces of knowledge about the island, a cameo from the monster, and some decent comic relief from Arzt and Hurley makes for a great start to a story with nothing to complain about.Meanwhile, events related to setting sail on the raft take up the majority of the island action. The episode manages to fit in an appropriate and realistic number of goodbyes without coming off as cheesy, and the terms that the raft crew leave on are brilliant. Sawyer and Kate's lack of a goodbye makes viewers long for an eventual reunion. Sun and Jin at last are ready to live together, only to be separated moments later. Walt gives Vincent to Shannon, in turn giving her a sense of purpose. Walt, too, having burned the previous raft, has now redefined himself, and is happy setting off with his father, with whom his relationship is literally better than ever. The moments when Vincent chases the raft coupled with some of Michael Giacchino's best music on the show to date makes for one of the most moving moments of the entire series.More than anything, the first part of Exodus leaves viewers wanting more. What's the Black Rock? Why was Rousseau so interested in the baby? Will the raft crew find rescue? What's in the hatch? And of course, who exactly does Rousseau claim is coming? No answer could cause more intrigue than the one she gives Jack."The Others. You have only 3 choices: run, hide, or die." Standuot performances: Josh Holloway, Matthew Fox, Harold Perrineau.Standout scene: The raft is launched.
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