Through the many small scenes, we see Ollie lying alone in a puddle of water and discussing with Billy their undying friendship. Billy is scampering to look for Ollie in the woods, dressed in a tuxedo. They promise that they will never leave or forget each other. Cut to Ollie waking up disoriented in a cardboard box. Billy’s father is dropping him with some of Billy’s old stuff off to a woman named Flossie. She runs some kind 0f store where Ollie is put on sale by her. She staples the price tag to his long, bunny ears, and places him on the shelf. But she cannot hear Ollie, who hurls all sorts of threats to her to put him down. After settling on the shelf, he tries to escape and finds a young girl, Sue, looking at him. She can hear him just fine and the two start talking. Ollie pleads with Sue to help him find Billy, but the bunny cannot remember Ollie’s last name or where he lives. Sue offers to take him to her home instead but Ollie politely declines. As Sue leaves with her father, Flossie is about to close the shop. Ollie notices this and makes a run for the exit. He is just about to make it before the tag stapled to his ear gets stuck in a pair of scissors kept on the table-top. Flossie goes upstairs to her house with her dog, Buttons, as Ollie hangs in mid-air. He wrestles around and tries to free himself. He is successful but drops the things in the tumbler, attracting Buttons’ attention. A gold star falls off as Ollie descends the scissors. It goes under the table. Ollie retrieves the star and closes his eyes. A memory flashes from his days with Billy. They’re pretending to be pirates and looking for treasure together. This scene confirms that Ollie can only talk with other toys and children his age. A drop of something liquid on his head brings him out of the memory. When he looks up, he sees Buttons standing over him and growling. Just then, a voice emerges from behind the rack and distracts Buttons. It is a fellow toy who is barely saved from Buttons’ clutches as Flossie calls him upstairs. Ollie is introduced to Zozo, a crystal-eyed clown who dresses like a gentleman in a suit and has hair like Elvis Presley. Zozo takes Ollie to his safe space before Buttons returns. Both exchange their names and Ollie tells him that he wants to get back home. Where and how is something that he doesn’t know yet. But Zozo agrees to help him go back. Using the star, Ollie is able to revisit the memory that Buttons interrupted. Billy gives Ollie the star as a sign that if his star and Billy’s star always remain together, they both will too. Billy’s father (Jake Jackson) walks in to find Ollie playing in the hallway. He is upset with him for creating more work for his sick mother. Before this scene, we also saw a flash of Billy sitting in a hospital and crying. Maybe one of his parents is sick. Mama (Gina Rodriguez) walks in on Billy and his father discussing him being more responsible. She handles the situation beautifully and brings a smile to his face. She also bows and makes the father also bow to “the pirate king”. Billy and his mother go into her room where they talk about various things. She first explains that his father is burdened with a lot of responsibilities and does not mean ill to Billy. It is also revealed that Billy is adopted and not the biological son of the two. He is bullied at school by a larger boy to say the same but he doesn’t. His mother takes pride in his resoluteness and love for his parents. We also get to learn the origin of the star. Billy’s mother calls the two gold stars the “Twin Stars of Enchantment”, which are slated to remain together forever. But the most crucial thing for Ollie from that flash is the “memory map”, a composite of pictures of all the places that Billy and his parents have done/or will do together. Ollie rushes for pencils and paper to draw out the memories. Zozo looks at them and starts recognizing things like the Black river (referring to the Ohio river), trolls, and Mark Twain. Ollie asks Zozo to help him get back but he is reluctant to leave the place. Zozo is saddened by the memory of a lost one, Nina, whom he hasn’t seen in years. Ollie promises to help him find Nina if he helps Ollie to find Billy. Zozo agrees and also tells Ollie how they will escape the place: Buttons’ dog door. They try their best to prod it open but are unsuccessful. Zozo devises a strategy to drop some things, make noise, and call Buttons to open the door. Their plan is almost successful as they’re able to get out but Ollie drops his star and Zozo ventures inside with his hand to retrieve it. Buttons is right there and grab hold of his hand. Ollie helps him escape and the two run in the backyard as Buttons gives the chase. They’re cornered on the bonnet of the car when a pink bear with a thunder sign on one of her eyes saves the day. She uses her small toy swords to irritate Buttons in the nose and he runs away. Her name is Rosie and Zozo is familiar with her. The two have some unsolved issues and Ollie ventures out of the house to leave them at peace. He trudges forward and excitedly calls out for Zozo and Rosie, who meet him at the hilltop. Ollie has spotted the Black river, filling him with renewed hope that Billy is close by. The episode ends with Billy screaming Ollie’s name and running around in the woods in his tuxedo.
The Episode Review
Lost Ollie has a strong start and tells the tale of a stuffed bunny looking for his best friend and family. From the looks 0f it, it seems to be the perfect candidate to be one of Netflix’s most unexpected breakout hits. A sense of adventure, heartbreak, and revelations await us as we dive deeper into the show’s cinematic universe. The VFX work looks stunning and kudos to the team for making the right creative choices with the character’s appearances and aesthetics. The storytelling isn’t too straightforward either, indicating that we might well be challenged as viewers to keep up with the plot. What remains to be seen is if it constantly unfolds or not. From what we see with the memory map and Ollie remembering things one at a time, this too seems to be checked. Episode 1 of Ollie holds immense promise for showing us the bond of family through the eyes of a child’s most beloved gift – his toy.
