Television Review: S.O.S. (Lost, S2X19, 2006)

S.O.S. (S02E19)

Airdate: 12 April 2006

Written by: Steven Maeda & Leonard Dick
Directed by: Eric Laneuville

Running Time: 43 minutes

By the time Lost’s second season approached its finale, the series’ foundational narrative formula—each episode centring on specific characters while exploring their pre-crash lives via flashbacks—was beginning to show its limits. With the core survivors’ backstories largely exhausted, the writers faced the challenge of sustaining this structure without resorting to increasingly brief, weak, or inconsequential flashbacks. One solution had been the mid-season introduction of the tail-section survivors, but another, more elegant precedent was established with S.O.S. (Season 2, Episode 19). This episode cleverly sidestepped the main ensemble to focus on two beloved recurring side characters: the steadfast, pragmatic Rose Nadler and her relentlessly optimistic husband, Bernard. In doing so, it proved that the flashback mechanism could still yield powerful, emotionally resonant stories even when extended to the periphery of the cast, weaving their personal journeys seamlessly into the Island’s overarching mysteries.

The episode’s flashback begins with a charming “meet cute”: Bernard, a lifelong bachelor, helps free Rose’s car from snow, earning a reluctantly offered cup of coffee. Their romance accelerates quickly; months later, at Niagara Falls, Bernard proposes, only for Rose to deliver the devastating news that she has terminal cancer. Undeterred, Bernard insists they marry. Their honeymoon in Australia, ostensibly a celebratory trip, is revealed to be Bernard’s desperate ploy to take Rose to a famous faith healer, Isaac (Wayne Pygram), in the shadow of Uluru. Rose, sceptical and angry, nevertheless undergoes a session where Isaac bluntly states he cannot help her. In a poignant act of love, Rose decides to lie to Bernard, claiming she has been cured. As they board Oceanic Flight 815, both wear expressions of fragile happiness, a touching façade built on Rose’s desire to spare her husband further pain.

On the Island, this dynamic is inverted. Bernard, witnessing the survivors eagerly unpacking a new cache of Dharma Initiative supplies, erupts in frustration. He accuses them of having gone “native” and abandoning the goal of rescue. His proposed solution is to build a gigantic “S.O.S.” sign on the beach, visible from the air. Rose, ever the realist, is sceptical of his plan, and Bernard’s lack of practical experience dooms the project to chaotic failure. This conflict culminates in a tender, profound scene where Rose confesses her deception: she was not healed in Australia, but believes she has been healed by the Island. She reveals she wishes to stay. Bernard’s response—simple, steadfast, and deeply moving—is that if she stays, he stays too. Their arc concludes with a mutual, chosen commitment to their new reality.

Meanwhile, in the episode’s B-plot, Jack formulates a plan to trade the captive “Henry Gale” for Walt. Venturing into the jungle with Kate, they accidentally trigger Rousseau’s trap—a neat, tense sequence—before freeing themselves and encountering a frantic, battered Michael running through the foliage. This thread efficiently advances the season’s serialised mythology, providing necessary plot momentum while the A-plot explores character.

The script by Steven Maeda and Leonard Dick was notably informed by real-life circumstances. Actress L. Scott Caldwell had, at the start of the production, met and married photographer Dasal Banks, who quickly became ill and passed away in 2005. This personal layer of experience undoubtedly deepened Caldwell’s empathetic performance. Originally slated for Season 3, the Nadlers’ storyline was moved forward due to strong fan interest, a decision that proved entirely justified.

Thematically, S.O.S. engages masterfully with Lost’s central dialectic between science and faith. Rose embodies the latter path. Having met Locke in a wheelchair before the flight, she possesses direct knowledge of the Island’s curative power. Her quiet confidence is later showcased when she assures the injured Locke that his recovery will come much sooner than the weeks predicted by Jack—a moment of serene faith contrasting with the medical certainty of the Hatch. Her journey from sceptical resignation to belief forms a perfect, intimate parallel to Locke’s own transformation.

The episode benefits significantly from Eric Launeville’s direction, which is imaginative without being overly flashy. He captures the intimate, fraught exchanges between Rose and Bernard with skill, ensuring the emotional beats land with precision. The on-Island scenes are paced to balance Bernard’s increasingly frantic efforts with Rose’s calm certainty.

In the end, S.O.S. is a particularly strong instalment of Lost’s second season. It succeeds not by advancing the most explosive mythology, but by grounding the series’ grand themes in a profoundly human story. The episode is elevated by exceptional performances from L. Scott Caldwell and Sam Anderson, who bring a palpable, weathered warmth to their roles, making Rose and Bernard’s love story one of the series’ most genuinely affecting. By skilfully connecting their personal narrative of faith, healing, and acceptance to the broader mythos of the Island, S.O.S. demonstrates that even within a rigid narrative formula, there remained deep wells of emotional truth to be drawn from Lost’s rich ensemble.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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