18 March 2007 - Sky One, 10.00 pm
WRITERS: Jordan Rosenberg & Christina M. Kim DIRECTOR: Paul Edwards
CAST: Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie), Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Mira Furlan (Rousseau), Andrew Divoff (Mikhail Bakunin), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Yunjin Kim (Sun), Matthew Fox (Jack), John Terry (Christian Shepherd), M.C Gainey (Tom), Gabrielle Fitzpatrick (Lindsey), Julian Barnes (Dr Woodruff), Rhett Biles (Officer Barnes), Danan Pere (ER Doctor), Anne Elizabeth Logan (Head Nurse), John Medlen (Man At Crash Site) & Arlene Newman-Van Asperan (Carole Littleton)
Claire devises a plan to send a message for help, stirring memories of a family tragedy with her mother. Meanwhile, the expedition team reach a strange perimeter fence...Some characters are treated better than others on big ensemble shows. It's only natural, but it's unfortunate for the "lesser" characters who are forced to sit around in the background with no discernable point.
Emilie de Ravin has been particularly mistreated by the show as Claire; a character whose sole purpose has been to give birth in season 1. After a few years of cooing over baby Aaron and a tempestuous relationship with Charlie, Claire gets a belated turn in the limelight.
I'll be honest: Claire isn't my favourite character. She's been written mundanely and de Ravin has a tendency to whine her dialogue, but the great strength of Par Avion is that she's still a relative mystery. So, while the writers strain to squeeze more goodness from Jack, Sawyer, Locke, et al, it's nice to see a character with untapped potential being used.
Par Avion, written by Jordan Rosenberg and Christina M. Kim, gives an insight into Claire's life following a tragic car accident that puts her mother in a coma. The flashbacks are good old fashioned family drama, neatly played by de Ravin, but most notable for confirming a suspicion from season 2 concerning Claire's father...
The script's contemporary events are enjoyable too, with Claire convinced she has a way to send a message to the outside world using migratory birds. It's about time Lost started focusing on the reality of being stranded on an island again and it's also funny that "insignifant" Claire has such an ingenious idea. It certainly has a better chance of evading the Others than homemade rafts!
Elsewhere, the main subplot follows the island trek with Sayid, Locke, Kate, Rousseau and their prisoner Mikhail. Here they find a perimeter fence that surrounds "The Barracks" and traverse it to find the Others' stronghold. It's great that Lost is getting back to pure exploration after the claustrophobic hatch last year and the final moment is sure to earn some wide smiles.
But this is Claire's episode. Emily de Ravin does very well with the material, helped enormously because her character is so underdeveloped. For once the flashbacks are just as insightful as they were in season 1 and not just diversions that tread water.
Overall, this is a solid episode that entertained me more than I thought possible. The fence subplot fuels your appetite for Lost's grander themes, the beach-based story is interesting, while the flashback reveals important information. It's a triple hit and another sign the third season is getting back on-track after a hit-and-miss beginning.
