Justice or The Greater Good?














Episode 1.21, The Greater Good, is full of ethical
dilemmas.

First, we learn Boone wanted Jack to stop trying to save
him in part so that he, Boone, wouldn't use up the group's
antibiotics. Boone refused Jack's efforts for the greater
good of the group.

Jack in contrast is a man out for individual justice.
Locke lied to Jack, and in Jack's mind Locke must pay for
that. Jack's beatdown of Locke at the funeral and his
failure to offer medical care when Locke is shot reflects
his sense of justice and sets the tone for Jack and Locke's
interactions in Season 2.

In the flashback Assam, Sayid's friend, questions whether
the greater good of his cause and his desire for revenge for
his wife outweighs the innocent lives that will be lost in the
pursuit of those ends. Sayid in contrast has determined that
his chance to find Nadia outweighs the greater good of both
Assam's cause and Assam himself.

Locke tells Sayid that it was for the group's greater
good that Locke destroyed the transceiver and implies
that likewise putting hope in the raft is not in the
group's best interest.

Shannon like Jack is only concerned with revenge
against Locke in the form of eye for an eye justice.
(Maybe the Others should have taken her. :D)

And in the end, Sayid disagrees judging that Locke
and his skills are necessary for the greater good of the
group despite the possible injustice of Locke escaping the
consequences of Boone's death and even at the personal
cost to Sayid of Shannon's trust.

I kept expecting this notion of the greater good to
come up with respect to the Others in Season 3. But
we still haven't learned what possible greater good
Ben's Others represent in light of the actions they've
taken with respect to the survivors of Flight 815.

Their own system that we glimpsed with Juliet's trial
seemed to place higher value on justice than their own
greater good given that Juliet seems to be their last
doctor.

I know, I know, it's complicated. Still, will the Others
or the Island represent a greater good than living in
the real world? I can't wait to see.

Should Locke "Wacky Paste" Jack
To End His Savior Complex?














In Hearts and Minds, Locke leads Boone on a vision quest
so that Boone can let go of Shannon and his need to rescue
her. Maybe Locke should have wacky pasted Jack whose
Savior Complex puts Boone's in the shade.

Hearts and Minds is an underappreciated episode I think.
Since both it's main characters are dead, it's easy to forget
this episode that came midway through Season 1. It's a
very enjoyable episode, though it certainly lacks the dramatic
tension that existed on its first viewing, but still a number
of things happen.

It's Jatey, if you're in to that. Hurley and his scenes with Jack,
Michael, and especially Jin are fabulous. "Pee on it man!" Sun's
garden is introduced. Kate learns Sun speaks Korean. Sawyer
crosses with Boone in Australia. And we learn that the Island
has something strange going on that affects compasses.

There was only one outstanding question I had following this
episode. Boone says that Shannon was married, but isn't now.
Who was Shannon married to and what happened and most of
all, does it matter?