Another flashback ensues to open Lord of the Flies episode 3, this time it's from Simon's perspective as he serves as the eponymous character. He's dreaming of his days in the choir, and featured in the flashback is Simon, albeit without any dialogue. Things cut back to the island after the opening credits, with Simon now providing voiceover narration about a recent Christmas memory.
He mentions his mother in the aforementioned monologue, which is interrupted by Ralph and Piggy as they join Simon in the lagoon. Soon thereafter, Simon shares a conversation with Ralph in which the former gives context to his complicated friendship with Jack, but the moment is put on hold when the twin characters—named Eric and Sam, played by Noah and Cassius Flemyng—arrive with threatening news.
Intensity underlines the sound design and camerawork as the crew return to the beach, just having heard that the twins indeed saw a creature on the island. This has long been speculated by one of the "Littleuns" named Phil, who's played in the series by Beau Thompson.
Hoping to parley, Ralph and Piggy's group approach Jack and his crew, explaining to the hunters that the beast has again been sighted. They discuss their next move—when Jack shuts down the idea of Simon offering advice, their relationship is palpably splintered.
A Hapless Hunt
A group is formed to track down the beast, though without any leads, the boys end up traversing some rather precarious landscapes in hopes of searching areas of the land hitherto uncharted by Jack and all the hunters. An obvious power struggle between Ralph and Jack remains at center stage, but this particular episode shines through Simon's perspective thanks to performer Ike Talbut's ability to convey a sense loyalty that's masked by a sort of displeasure.
His narration continues to act as an occasional scene transition while the camera pans around some gorgeous Malaysian scenery, and a choir continues to chime while the boys traverse the island. Technical elements of filmmaking aren't exactly at the forefront, but they do make for some thrilling sequences every once and a while, including in the scenes that set up the finale.
Setting up the finale
A hunting group eventually sees what most believe is a creature, but they ran away in fear before any confrontation. They hold another meeting where Jack claims that Ralph is unfit to lead the group, and conflict for the finale becomes set in stone as the two lead characters have a brief brawl on the beach.
One of the fresh and welcome additions that wasn't in the source material would be Simon's diary, which serves a more symbolic purpose than it does act as a sort of plot device. It creates some more intimate moments with the episode's titular character, and it conveys information with regard to the friendship of Simon and Jack.
Rounding out episode three of this most recent Lord of the Flies adaptation, Jack and his crew drop by the beach, some with face paint and others with masks. They scream, shake their spears, intimidate Ralph, Simon, and Piggy—otherwise known as Nickie, as revealed here in episode 3—but ultimately, they invite them to a feast.
Fully embracing the savagery of survival, Jack and his crew have clearly bad intentions as the others approach the feast. The hunters, led by Jack, perform rituals on the beach just before heartbreak ensues. They leave to hunt the beast just as Simon comes running out of the woods, leading to the death of the episode's titular character, an eventuality that was rendered emotionally impactful through the efforts of the cast.
Whether this Lord of the Flies series manages to sticks the landing its up to episode four, but make no mistake: This third chapter justifies another Golding adaptation almost entirely through its performances.
Stay tuned for our review of "Ralph," the series finale, here on Show Snob!
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