Lost with Locke

I have always been a fan of Emmy award winning actor Terry O'Quinn. From his role as Admiral Erik Pressman in Star Trek The Next Generation to his enigmatic character as Peter Watts in Millennium, O'Quinn has proven to be one of those actors who can simultaneously inspire in the viewer reassurance and uneasiness.

So it was with great pleasure that I discovered his role as John Locke in the hit series Lost continues this dichotomy. Locke is one of those guys that you would like to have with you if you were trying to survive in the wild. Yet you would be more comfortable having him walking in front of you where you can keep an eye on him.

I just finished watching season one of Lost and at first I was not sure if I could get around the fact that I had a somewhat emotional connection to O'Quinn playing Peter Watts on Millennium. How could I accept O'Quinn frolicking through a tropical jungle killing boar as John Locke? And where was the famous Watts moustache?

But John Locke's character grew on me, and I think, like most viewers, you cannot help but like the guy, heck, even sometimes feel a bit sorry for him given his life journey. Yet, there is "something" that just does not click right with the guy. Maybe sometimes it is his smile when there seems to be no reason to smile, or maybe it is the fact he seems not only comfortable in slitting a boar's neck, but appears to relish the action.

And just how many knives does a dude need for a guided Australian safari? It is interesting to note that O'Quinn himself is quite good at throwing knives.

O'Quinn has a wonderful talent for playing these mysterious characters. There are many times in Millennium you are happy to see the arrival of Peter Watts, but at the same time you are suspicious of his motives.

I can remember first seeing O'Quinn in the film, Stepfather. In some ways his character in that film of a charming yet psychotic killer is not unlike the characters of Watts and Locke. We are sometimes charmed and even comforted by the men, but also spooked by the secrets we know they have, and the secrets we have yet to discover about them.