Opening with a flashback from the perspective of Jack the choirboy, Lord of the Flies episode 2 shows the process of each child boarding the plane that crashed onto the remote, tropical island where their infamous story unfolds. We then get shots of the boys on the plane, and the flashback is punctuated by scenes in present time of Jack crawling across the jungle, covered in mud and hunting a pig with a spear.
That's his primary goal throughout this his titular episode, "Jack" being the second entry in the recent Lord of the Flies adaptation. The series was created by Jack Thorne, while directing each episode was Marc Munden, who leads his cast to greatness in each and every scene.
Appearing as Jack, up-and-coming star Lox Pratt, a talented English performer, channels an obsession for survival in this haunting and indelible portrayal. He's particularly fixated on hunting down a pig, while his fellow survivors have different tasks in mind. Some, like Ralph, strive to fix the shelters, while others, such as Piggy, are focused on designating spots for the smaller kids or "littleuns" to relieve themselves.
A meeting is held at the episode's midpoint, where we become acquainted with such new characters as Percival, one of the "littleuns" at the meeting. Again, this episode is mostly focused on expanding the character of Jack—his dynamic with others like Ralph, Maurice, and Simon, and of course, his development from an individual perspective.
All the while, a threat looms large over the island, as one of the "littleuns" during the meeting reassured the group that he'd been seeing things in the night. At first disregarding the little boy's warning due to his knowledge of the island and the beings that lie within, Jack is overcome with uncertainty when he's informed that the creature is coming from the sea.
After scaling a mountain in a sequence that's rendered thrilling through sundry means of technical filmmaking, Jack continues his hunt for a pig by gathering a group with spears in tow. They eventually close in on their prey, stabbing at the pig with their makeshift spears, and an orchestral score makes Jack's coup de grace a seriously haunting scene.
The series reaches its midpoint
Spirits are high as Jack and the choirboys make their way to the rest of the group, heading to the beach with dinner in tow. They're singing along the way, and the aforementioned score makes another haunting image all the more impactful: The pig's head on a pike, watching over the choirboys as they collectively bath in a lagoon.
Any sense of triumph is killed when the boys get back to camp, as the signal fire atop the mountain has gone out, and there's a nearby boat at sea. It's then that Jack sprints up the mountain and finds Ralph attempting to restore the flames. The boys work together for a brief, hopeful moment before Simon informs the pair that the boat is out of sight.
Lines are soon drawn in the sand as Ralph accuses Jack of failing at his task—while the choirboy indeed captured his prey, he also volunteered to keep the fire ablaze. Their argument eventually leads to a physical altercation as Jack knocks down Piggy and even breaks his spectacles; the choirboy then marches off to the forest on his own and breaks down in tears.
Humanity clings to Jack like the pig did for life, but much like the fire that he was in charge of keeping, his light is starting to dim. Things leave off more hopeful than they did in episode 1, but make no mistake: Death seems to linger all around the island, and that will undoubtedly be the case for Lord of the Flies until its impending finale.
Stay tuned for our review of "Simon," which is episode 3, here on Show Snob!
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