Episode 613 - It's Tough For Jack to Avoid Being "The Last Recruit"

Foreword

“The Last Recruit” reminded me very much of the song “One Day More” in the musical theatre version of Les Miserables. Both Lost and Les Miserables involve epic stories with ensemble casts. Although I’ve not seen the episodes to come after “The Last Recruit,” what’s clear is that the, like “One Day More,” the episode served to move all characters into place for their final act. Both TLR and ODM occur right before an intermission – on Broadway, the lights come up and you get to pee and buy ju-ju bees. On TV, Lost has a one week hiatus before hitting the home stretch. Finally, both TLR and ODM temporarily bring the entire cast together before sending them all back out on their respective paths of destiny. Of course, the comparison is not perfect. ODM is a legitimate show stopper – the kind of rousing anthem that makes you buy the overpriced soundtrack album in the lobby after the show lets out. By contrast, TLR, for all its advancement of the plot, and its solving of one particular lingering mystery, felt a bit lurchy, like the chess pieces were being yanked and pulled around, sometimes in uncharacteristic ways, just so they can get where they need to be going forward. In the larger scheme of Lost, this doesn’t bother me, and the episode was fine in the watching, mostly because so much happened. It just wasn’t a classic the way “Happily Ever After” was two weeks ago. Anyway, on with it!

Flash-Sideways: Alterna-Everybody

As with “One Day More,” or, more appropriately, the Oscar-winning movie “Crash,” the entire principal cast crossed paths in little flash-sideways vignettes this week. First, we got the return to Alterna-Locke in the wake of last week’s vicious Desmond2-inflicted hit and run. Dr. Linus rides with him in the ambulance. The paramedics blurt out the line that I suspected last week – Locke2’s wheelchair saved him from taking the full impact of the car crash (which, if, like me, you believe Desmond2 was not expressly trying to kill Locke2, explains part of how he knew his actions would not prove fatal). Ben2 says he barely knows the substitute, except for his last name and the fact that he’s paralyzed (and yet, this version of Ben Linus didn’t hesitate before accompanying a virtual stranger to the hospital to look after him – something I doubt even “new” Ben would contemplate on the island). Locke2 says he “was gonna” marry Helen Norwood. Ben2 assures he still will because he’ll be ok. As they arrive, Locke2 and Sun2 (who is taken from the next ambulance over, fresh from her Mikhail2-inflicted gunshot wound) are wheeled in in parallel. Sun2 sees Locke2 and recognizes him, and says, in Korean, “no, no, it’s him, it’s him.”

Aside #1 – Since the method to Desmond2’s madness seems to be to try to get the alterna-Losties to flash recognize their island selves, let’s view these scenes through that prism. I interpret Locke2’s reference to his pending marriage to Helen2 in the past tense as a sign that he’s been infiltrated, in part, by his (departed) island self. He seems as surprised as anything by the realization that he was bound to marry his lost love, which I take as a sign that the “real” John Locke is no longer dead, and now has something to live for in his broken Sideways body. Of course, the other alternative is that Locke2, who already urged Helen2 to leave him over his paralysis, now just assumed, whatever the outcome of this accident, it somehow cost him the marriage he never felt he deserved. I prefer my first reading.

Then there’s Sun. Rather than gain insight into herself, she recognized Locke. The terrified reaction suggested she remembered him, not as his former wacky self, but more as the monster whose offer to reunite her with Jin she rejected. That said, it’s hard to tell if she had a full Hurley-type download of her island memories, or if she’s just skimming the surface of additional insight.

And now…the big continuity problem of the episode. We know from “The Package” that Sun2 was shot within 2 days of having arrived from Sydney. Yet, in “Everybody Loves Hugo,” Desmond2 commented to Hugo2 that a week had passed since their sharing a flight, in a scene that preceded his Locke2 attack. Somehow, Locke2 and Sun2, struck down 5 days apart with potentially deadly force, arrived at the hospital at the same time. There are only 2 explanations I can come up with. One, in a herky-jerky episode, Greg Nations blew it on script supervision and it’s just a plain old mistake. The other is that the Desmond2-hits-Locke2 flash-sideways, which took place in a “Hugo-centric” episode, was itself a flashback within a flash-sideways. In other words, while it may have taken Desmond2 4-5 days after his Penny/ Daniel/ Charlie-inspired island flash before hooking up with Hugo2, his Locke2 attack may have been the first thing he did after beginning his mission. It’s a stretch, but at least it explains the apparent error.

Det. Ford2 offers Kate2 an apple. He reads her rap sheet. “Funny, you don’t strike me as the murdering kind,” he grins. “That’s because I’m not,” she insists. (I kind of believe her…more on that in the next aside) “You be sure to mention that to the Feds when they get here,” James2 retorts. He asks if she thinks it’s weird they met up at the airport before she smashed into his car. It’s as if someone was trying to put them together, he surmises. He denies having seen her handcuffs at the airport. She thinks he let her go because he didn’t want anyone to know he was in Australia, which would have been hard to hide had he explained why he made a collar at the international terminal. She asks if she should tell that to the Feds, and he says, “oh, I like you.” Miles2 then enters and tells Ford2 about the shoot-out at the restaurant, about the fact that the boyfriend of the victim who survived saw what happened (i.e. Jin2, now at the hospital) and they see a photo of Sayid2 caught on a surveillance camera.

Aside #2 – At this point, I see no reason to revise my assumption that the characters’ sideways lives reflect an opportunity they’ve been given to change one thing about their pre-815 existences. As such, it’s telling to see what has changed for Kate2. She did not choose to have her life on the lam erased (if indeed conscious choice was involved). Rather, the change in her sideways life is that, while she’s still accused of murder, she’s actually innocent. Yes, that’s right, I really do believe her when she says she didn’t do it, since island Kate was always about justifying her violent act, and not pretending it didn’t happen. So if her heart’s desire was to not have the crime on her cosmic conscience, it suggests that her justifications to herself never quite worked on a fundamental level.

Now, about James2’s assumption that someone is trying to bring them together: I don’t get the sense that this particular happenstance has Desmond2’s fingerprints on it. What this suggests is that, whichever universe they’re in, course correction is in full effect (and Desmond2 is simply functioning as “course correction’s agent,” in much the same way Eloise Hawking did in “Flashes Before Your Eyes”).

Claire2 signs in for an appointment with the Western Pacific Adoption Agency. Desmond2 greets her at the security desk, and recalls meeting her at the airport. Creepily, he reads her name off the sign-in sheet and introduces himself. She says he was right about it being a boy. He follows her, and suggests she should have some legal representation before going to an adoption agency. He says he knows a lawyer, who he’s on his way to see at that very moment. She selects 15, and he says he’s going there, too. He urges Claire2 to see this lawyer, and promises it won’t cost her a cent. He leads her to the lawyer’s office, and… it’s Ilana2 (sans accent)! Ilana2 hugs Desmond2, and when he introduces her to “Claire(2) Littleton,” she says, “I’m sorry, Claire Littleton, from Australia? This is a coincidence, because we’ve been looking for you.”

Sayid2 returns to Noor2’s house and starts packing, quickly. She asks what’s going on, and he tells her, “everything will be ok for you, now, but I have to leave.” He says he’s never going to be able to come back, again. The doorbell rings, and he says, “stall them.” It’s Miles2. She opens the door. He sees the suitcase, but as Sayid2 tries to flee out the back, Ford2 catches him in the backyard.

Aside #3: I thought the story was going to take Miles2 and James2 to the hospital, to interview Jin2, perhaps with the aid of Korean-speaking Charlotte2. Instead, they somehow were able to figure out from a single photo of Sayid2, not only who he was, but what local relative’s house he’d be staying at. Again, a little herky-jerky, but I guess it served to move the plot forward. Given island Sawyer’s increasing animosity towards the possessed Iraqi, I wonder if spending time together will get these two to have their flashes.

Jack2 and his son arrive at Ilana2’s office. David’s mother (who we still don’t see – anyone at this point think it’s not Juliet?) calls, and Jack2 says he’ll have him home at 5, but a longing glance from David, and he pushes it to 7. Jack2 assures him it will be sad to hear the will read, and David says he’s sad for Jack2. Ilana2 asks if Jack2 believes in fate. In the conference room, he’s introduced to Claire2. Jack2, who only knew her name from the will, asks how she knew his father. And she tells him – he was my father, too. As Jack2 processes this, he gets a call, and he tells the hospital to go ahead and prep. He apologizes to Ilana2 (and, out of politeness, Claire2), but he has to get to the hospital for an emergency.

Aside #4: For any other character, the discovery that Claire2 was his sister would have been enough of a jolt to push Jack2 to have his island flash. But Jack2 is right back in the “man of science” mode his island counterpart is only now shedding. Mysteries and miracles don’t faze him, not when he has crises and medical emergencies to tend to. So, at least at this point, no island flash (and, after getting past the appendix scar, the Charlie2 rescue, and seeing Kate2 on the run, you kind of wonder if he’ll need to have a lighthouse literally fall on him to “see” his other life).

Sun2 awakens, Jin2 asleep, holding her hand. She calls for him. He wakes up. She asks what happened. He tells her she was shot, but will be ok. She asks about the baby, and he says the baby is fine. He tells her it’s over, and they’re all going to be ok.

Aside #5 – “the baby is fine” was a nice moment for these two, but it pales in comparison to their big island moment this episode. There’s also no real sense that Sun2 awoke with the same realization of her island life as she had while bleeding from a gunshot wound. Jin2, of course, has shown no sign of flashing.

In the hallway, Jack2 and David walk by Jin2 and Sun2. David can’t believe Jack2 never knew he had a sister. “Grandfather kept a lot of things to himself,” Jack2 apologizes for his departed father. “Now I know where you get it from,” David playfully observes. David wishes him luck. Jack examines the x-ray, which, of course, belongs to Locke2, and sees a tricky dural sac problem. “Yeah, I got this.” He goes into the O.R., and sees himself in the mirror under the operating table, and then sees Locke2’s face in it. Jack2 suddenly realizes, “I think I know this guy.”

Aside #6 – Ah, spinal surgeon Jack and his dural sacs. Astute Lost watchers will recall that, back in the pilot, Jack told Kate about his first solo surgery, in which he nicked a dural sac, and nearly killed the patient, before he dug down and found the strength and focus to continue. In last season’s finale, we learned that this episode in his island life widened the wedge between Jack and his father, and immediately preceded his touch from Jacob. Now, Jack2 confronts the same surgical crisis, only here, it’s at a time where it most likely will serve to jumpstart his personal island flash. Moreover, it comes at a time when the life at stake is another sideways Lostie, also on the verge of self-realization. So, the question that remains is, does Jack2 recognize Locke2 from their LAX airport exchange, or does his view of his island frienemy bring back memories of their other selves’ connection, of his desperate (failed) attempt to save Boone, of the whole “last recruit” status the island bestows upon him in this very episode? Indeed, Jack2’s almost willful blindness to his other existence suggests he is, indeed, the last recruit in both worlds.

Island – Also Everybody

Picking up where “Everybody Loves Hugo” left off, Flocke greets the last member of Team Hurley to enter the clearing. “Hello, Jack. I was hoping you’d come.” Flocke takes Hurley’s torch, and invites Jack to “catch up” with him. Jack follows, but only after getting the blessing (a better you than me) from his new spiritual guidepost, Hurley (who may just as easily have been relinquishing the reigns on island destiny to his once and future leader).

Flocke plants his torch. Jack marvels, “you look just like him.” “Does that bother you,” old Smokey asks. “No,” Jack responds, “what bothers me is I don’t have any idea what the hell you are.” “Sure you do,” Flocke responds.

Aside #7: What the heck does Flocke mean here? He had always insisted deep down he was a man, who just wants to go home. I don’t get that at all underlying the “sure you do,” as though Flocke knows he’s more than just that, and more than just a “smoke monster,” and, what’s more, he knows that Jack knows this, too. I’m betting we’ll get smokey’s backstory two episodes from now. But now back to our scene…

Changing the subject (deep realizations are never Jack’s strong suit), he asks, “why John Locke?” “Because,” Smokey eagerly explains, as though he has longed to unload this on someone worthy, “he was stupid enough to believe he was brought here for a reason, because he pursued that belief until it got him killed, and because you were kind enough to bring his body back here in a nice wooden box.” He confirms someone has to be dead before he can take their form. Jack tries to build to his real query by asking who else Smokey has been, but when prompted instead to ask the “real” question, Jack asks if he was his father. “Yes, that was me,” Flocke candidly admits. “Why?” Jack asks, and we wonder if he means “why him” or “why me?” Flocke shrugs, “you needed to find water. This may be hard for you to believe, Jack, but all I’ve ever been interested in is helping you.” “To help me to do what,” an incredulous Jack asks. “Leave,” says Flocke, his familiar diatribe just getting started. “But because Jacob chose you, you were trapped on this island, before you ever even got here.” He assures Jack, with Jacob dead they can leave, but it has always had to be to be together. Jack protests that Locke was the only one who believed in the island. “He did everything he could to keep us from leaving this place.” “John Locke was not a believer, Jack,” Flocke responds. “He was a sucker.”

Aside #8 – I’ll let Doc Jensen (who never thanks me, by the way), take over at this point: “What were some of Man-Thing's previous disguises? Man-Thing didn't answer the last one. Instead, he huffily asked Jack to ask him the question he really wanted to ask. Yes, Man-Thing wanted Jack to cut to the chase. But I also wondered if Man-Thing was trying to derail Jack's philosophical investigation, lest he find himself dealing with questions he didn't want to deal with, including the ones that I really wanted answered, like 'What's your name?' and 'Where do you come from?' and 'Who's your mom?'

“When Man-Thing said that John Locke wasn't a believer but rather a 'sucker,' I didn't disagree. The story of John Locke plays like a cautionary tale about faith, not a glorious affirmation of it. Jack and the castaways have surely been negatively impacted by their dead friend's scary need for The Island and his zealous belief in destiny, and so I don't think Jack could intellectually argue the point with Man-Thing. At the same time, did you get the sense that Jack was a a little offended for John? I think Jack could and would say that Locke opened his eyes to the need for faith and helped him see that — to paraphrase Shakespeare — 'there are more things in Heaven and Earth, Jack, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' If Jack is capable of recognizing that he's been a pawn in a horrible game between morally dubious gods, he must also be able to see that Locke was used as a pawn, too — maybe more of a pawn than any of the other candidates and castaways. What I'm trying to say is that Jack's proper regard for his former Island rival should now be profound empathy — and maybe even a desire to seek justice on his behalf. 'Sucker'? I say, 'There's no need for name-calling, Mr. Monster.'

Flocke calls out Claire, who was following them, but did not expect her leader to see her. She was following them because “he’s my brother.” Flocke leaves them to catch up. Claire asks if Flocke said he was the one pretending to be their father. Claire says she pretty much gave up hoping Jack ever come back, but now that he’s here…(pregnant pause)… it’s great to see him (phew! She put away the crazy…right?) She says it means a lot that he’s coming with them. He corrects he hasn’t decided to come, but she says, “yeah, you have, you decided the moment you let him talk to you, just like the rest of us. So, like it or not, you’re with him, now.”

Sawyer and Hurley compare notes on their post-Temple experiences, including Widmore and the sub, and Sawyer’s plan to leave. Kate tells Sun simultaneously now. “Sayid ain’t invited,” Sawyer tells Hugo, “because he’s gone over to the dark side.” Hurley insists Sayid can be brought back from the dark side, like Anakin. Sawyer, who has no idea who “Anakin” is, tells him to keep his mouth shut. Claire, Flocke and Jack return, and Flocke announces, “it’s so nice to have everyone back together again.”

Aside #9: Doc Jensen on the “Anakin” reference: “Sawyer looked at Hurley like he was speaking Korean when the ex-Dharma chef (and would-be rewriter of The Empire Strikes Back) invoked the name ‘Anakin' when he likened Sayid's potential for redemption to Darth Vader's character arc in the complete saga. Sawyer knew enough geek stuff to make a 'dark side' reference, but not enough to know the significance of the name Anakin. Three thoughts: 1. Sawyer is most likely a prequel hater. 2. Sawyer is offering us a metaphor of Kant's Thing-in-itself. He knows Darth Vader only by appearance, but doesn't know the reality behind the mask. 3. Sawyer probably only ever saw Star Wars: A New Hope. Why is this a problem? Because it shows that Sawyer lacks reference points for the kind of redemption that the fallen souls of Lost need. Anakin went to the Dark Side because he stopped believing in distinctions between good and evil. In the process, Little Orphan Annie came to believe he could never been anything but ''evil'' until the day Luke came along and told him that good men who become bad men can become good men again if they only allowed themselves to believe in it. Redemption begins with believing in the idea of redemption. This is the psychological war that Sayid is currently fighting in his own head, and I worry it's one that looms for Sawyer. In other words: the church of Star Wars can solve all of our problems!

Kate joins Jack, watching Sayid. She says he’s different now. “I guess we’re all different now,” Jack responds, in the second loopiest line of the episode. Jack tells her FLocke said he wants to leave, and they all have to go together, but he’s not sure yet if he believes him.

Zoe walks into their camp and asks for the man in charge. Flocke comes out. She says she wants what they took from them. She orders into a walkie-talkie, “show them what we’re capable of.” And a rocket detonates a few feet away. “You have until nightfall to return what you took, or next time we won’t miss.” She leaves him the walkie and says, “call me when you’re ready for us to pick him up.” As she leaves, he smashes the walkie, and says, “well, here we go.”

Aside #10 – no astute observation here, but doesn’t Zoe kind of make you question if Nikki really was Lost’s worst character, ever?

Claire asks what’s going on, and Hurley responds, matter-of-factly, “people trying to kill us again.” Flocke says it was only a matter of time before confrontation. He directs Sawyer (with Kate) to a boat moored around the island. Flocke then takes Sayid off for another mission.

Sawyer takes Jack, and says they’re not going to the rendezvous point. He says to bring Hugo, Sun, and Frank away from Flocke and meet up with them at the dock. “Sayid ain’t coming and Claire’s nuts.”

Aside #11 – for me, the weakest part of “The Last Recruit” was Jack’s response to Claire. Sure, Claire is Kate’s mission. But learning that he has a sister, and that she’s one of the ones he left behind, was what made Jack start to question his off-island life, and what cost him his relationship with Kate and Aaron. Now he finally sees Claire, for the first time sharing space with her as his sister, and, odd behavior or not, he is content to just sit back and let Sawyer say she’s getting abandoned? I know Jack has had some “growth” in his ability not to always be in charge, but ditching your sister? Cold, man. Just cold.

Flocke tells Sayid to go kill Desmond. “You do still want what you asked me for, right,” urges Flocke. “Yes, I do,” responds a wavering Sayid. “Then you’ll do what I said.”

Sayid comes to the well, gun in hand, and spots Desmond at the bottom. He points the gun. Desmond asks, “so what did he offer you? If you’re going to shoot me in cold blood, brother, I think I have the right to know” Sayid responds, “he told me I’d get back something I lost... the woman I loved.” He explains that he believes Flocke will be able to bring her back, because, “I died, and he brought me back.” “So what will you tell her,” Desmond asks calmly.” “This woman, what if she asks you what you did to be with her again? What will you tell her?”

Aside #12 – If it was effective, this was a far cooler Jedi mind trick than “these are not the droids you’re looking for.” Doc Jensen on some possible motivation behind Desmond’s tactics: “If we are to believe that Island Desmond shares a mind with Sideways Desmond, then clearly Island Desmond knows that Man-Thing's Faustian bargains won't quite play out the way that the castaways are expecting. (This assumes that the Sideways world is the payout for said bargains.) So why didn't Desmond just say so? Because Desmond can only help bring enlightenment through indirect means. Oh, and by running people over with a car. Fortunately, Desmond's brand of indirect can be pretty damn effective.”

Sawyer and Kate find the boat – Desmond’s boat, Elizabeth, bestowed by Libby, stolen by the Others in Season 3. Kate asks if they’re going back to get FLocke, and he says no, and reveals the plan. She notes he didn’t say Claire. “The Claire you said you’d come back for, she’s gone.” Kate protests that she promised, and Sawyer insists that she really wouldn’t want this woman near Aaron. She glares, and they swim towards the boat.

Flocke leads his group. Jack approaches Claire. He asks how long she’s been with FLocke. “Ever since you left.” (Okay, Claire, we get it. You’re pissed about being left behind). “You trust him,” Jack asks. “Yes. He’s the only one that didn’t abandon me.” (Seriously, Princess Koo-Koo Bananas – you’re the one who wandered off with him and abandoned your baby.) Flocke asks Sun if she’s seen Sayid. She looks at him. “Oh, the silent treatment,” he smiles. She writes, “you did this to me,” but he apologizes that he didn’t do anything. Flocke goes to find James, and Jack pulls Frank, Hurley, and Sun out, and says they have to come now. Claire watches them leave, steels herself, and follows.

Aside #13 – According to Doc Jensen, a number of on-line posters have surmised that Sun’s loss of English resulted, not from Flocke, but rather from a reverse link to her Sideways self, who didn’t know English. That link may have been forged, I’m assuming, by Sun’s decision not to follow Flocke with his promise to reunite her with Jin. Hey, if we’re going that far, perhaps her getting shot in Sideways world was a consequence of her not quite buying into Flocke’s brand of wish fulfillment. In any case, Flocke can do all sorts of things, but I kind of believe he didn’t really cause her aphasia, particularly since she did, in fact, hit her head pretty hard.

Flocke finds Sayid, and asks where he’s been. “Doing what you asked,” Sayid says coldly, and Flocke seems to detect for the first time since Sayid’s conversion a bit of rebellion in his voice. “What took you so long,” Flocke asks. “I just shot an unarmed man, I needed a moment,” Sayid says, somewhat sarcastically. “Did you do it,” Flocke asks pointedly. “Of course I did,” Sayid says. “Go and check if you like.” Flocke considers this, then says, “come on, we got a boat to catch.”

Aside #14 – the germ of a theory begins here. I believe that, of all the Sideways characters, Sayid2 is the one who began his journey most in touch with how he got there. I believe the reason he, back in time, pushed Nadia to his brother instead of loving her himself is that, in order to make this alternate world happen, he did, indeed, have to kill Desmond. This, and not the actions he committed in Iraq, is why he felt unworthy of Nadia’s love in Sideways world. That said, I think Jacob is a smart guy, and I think Hurley knows a thing or two, as well. Hurley’s talk with Sawyer about Anakin? I think there is some instability to Sideways world’s existence, and that, in this island reality, Sayid did not in fact kill Desmond. I think the only Sayid’s 6-season character arc works is if Dogen is proven wrong, and Sayid, when push comes to shove, is not better off dead. And, perhaps, Desmond’s words are what got him there. The strongest hint of this is in Sayid’s defiant tone with Flocke, who previously he had blindly and loyally followed. And I believe Flocke knows it. Either that, or centuries of island visitors failing their temptation tests have so jaded him, he can’t imagine any of his converts can ever break free…

Jacks’ crew boards Elizabeth, but Claire follows, rifle drawn. She asks where they’re going. Kate says they’re leaving. “Then why aren’t you waiting for John,” Claire demands. “That’s not John,” Kate reminds her. Kate insists Claire is coming. Claire protests John promised, but Kate says she’s promising. Pulling the Aaron strings, Kate says, “I was there when he was born. I never should have raised him. I came back for you, so you could be with him again.” She pleads, and Claire boards. Kate gets her gun. Claire warns that, when Flocke finds out they’re gone, he’s going to be mad.

Aside #15 – again, I would have preferred just one line of Jack telling Sawyer it had to be this way. Jack’s indifference towards Claire really doesn’t work for me.

On the boat, Frank asks Sawyer the plan. “Make for the sub, put a gun in someone’s face, and make him take us home.” Frank and Claire go below for food (would you want to be alone with Claire?). Sawyer goes to talk to Jack. “Taking orders doesn’t seem your strong suit,” Sawyer observes. “Glad to see you came around.” Jack tells him leaving the island doesn’t feel right, because he remembers how he felt last time. Channeling his inner Locke, Jack says, “we were brought here because we’re supposed to do something.” And if Flocke wants them to leave, maybe it’s scared of what we’ll do if we stay.

Aside #16 – Jensen’s take on Jack’s plea: “In that line, it seemed to me that Jack was applying several lessons of his Island experience, including all the hard lessons Ben had taught him over the years about Island bad guys. Island bad guys figure out what you want most in life, then exploit it. Island bad guys always motivate you with fear and urgency and want you to act before you've taken the time to think things through. Island bad guys make it sound like you share common interests, but in most cases, whatever it is they want you to do is actually the exact opposite of what you should be doing.”

James tells Jack to get off the boat or stow it. “You want to take a leap of fate, you take it,” he says, his tone getting harsher. “Get off my damn boat.” Jack apologizes for getting Juliet killed, and then, channeling Sawyer, Season 4, jumps off the boat. As he swims for shore, Kate demands to know what Jack said to Sawyer. She says they have to go back to get him, but Sawyer says they’re done going back, channeling Season 4 Kate.

Jack stumbles onto the shore, and Flocke is there. “Nice day for a swim,” Flocke observes. The Others are all there, too. “Sawyer took my boat, didn’t he,” the astute former smoke monster asks. “Yeah,” Jack admits.

Team Sawyer takes to the beach on Hydra island. They’re greeted with Widmore’s armed people. Zoe has them turn the fences off, and, finally, Jin and Sun see each other. Their embrace rivals Desmond’s and Penny’s call from “The Constant” as one of the most satisfying emotional moments Lost has ever delivered. Sun says – in English – “I love you. I never stopped looking for you.” He promises they’ll never be apart again, and they kiss. Frank comments, ham-handedly, “hey, look who got her voice back,” in the easy winner of the worst line of the episode award, and the scene gets stopped dead by this cornballery, preserving Des/Pen as the best tear-jerking love moment in the series. Zoe takes a call, then tells them all to get on their knees, as they raise their guns. Sawyer says they had a deal, and she says, “deal is off.” A missile fires at team Locke. Jack gets caught in the blast wave, and Flocke carries him off as more rockets fire. Flocke assures him it will be ok. “You’re with me now.” And with that, by happenstance, Jack, indeed, becomes “The Last Recruit.”

Aside #17 – I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge again Doc Jensen, who wrote, “I wish to use this opportunity to acknowledge a school of thought that theorizes that Man-Thing's conflict with Team Widmore is a giant ruse, that The Monster and Charles Widmore are actually collaborators in a conspiracy to manipulate (and ultimately destroy) the castaways in order to achieve mutually advantageous goals. We know that Man-Thing wants to leave The Island. What might Widmore want in this scenario? Here's my thought: Charles Widmore wants to replace Man-Thing as the new monster. Before his not-quite-sure-I-believe-it-anymore turn toward righteousness this season, I believed Widmore was driven by a fear of death; becoming a black cloud of all-powerful disembodied consciousness is his ticket to eternal life. I find myself slipping back into that view. Then again, he hasn't been around lately to convince me different. Out of sight, out of mind — and back in the villain box.” In any case, at this point in time, it seems there is no reason to treat Team Sawyer as they are being treated if Widmore has any plans other than to kill them all – a plan, we should recall, he had ordered in Season 4. There is no reason to believe he wanted them all dead then but doesn’t now. Don’t believe so many beloved characters can be massacred in one bunch? Consider this – 1) the series is almost done. 2) Only one candidate can emerge as Jacob’s replacement, and this would wipe out 3 of the remaining choices. 3) There are always Sideways world versions of these people (except for maybe Frank, who we haven’t seen in Sideways world), who can cut down on some of the impact of the death of island versions of the Kwons, Sawyer, Kate, Hugo, Claire and Frank. I fully believe these guys are all goners, at least for a time.

So there will be no Lost this week, I’m afraid, a decision that seems motivated by ABC’s desire to maximize the number of Sweeps period episodes it can air. But when Lost resumes, from its intermission (just as Les Mis did after “One Day More,”) it will be in what can only be considered the final, bloody act. Bear in mind that in Les Mis, (spoiler alert, if in fact you never saw the show), one of the most beloved characters, Eponine, is killed almost as soon as the last act begins, and consider that was we head into the home stretch of Lost.

I leave you this week with an observation Doc Jensen posted yesterday about what Lost, from its inception, has really been about. We’re almost, but not quite, at the point where retrospective of the entire Lost experience makes sense. So read this, and check back in after the next episode, “The Candidate,” airs. Until then, Namaste!

Lost is a show full of mystery, but I don't think finding ''the answers'' has ever been the point. I think the point has been to dramatize the usefulness of mystery. Lost shows us that mystery is an invitation to seek meaning in life. But it also shows us that you can get Lost in mystery, too. And the cost for those who do can be profound. It's about the perils and pitfalls of anyone who dares to seek meaning in such an age — and about the cost to anyone who dares to not seek meaning in life regardless of the age, and especially now. Lost is about the pain of being Lost and the profound challenge of being found. That's what I think Lost is about. That's what I've always believed it was about, even back in Season 2, when I wrote my first serious piece about Lost and identified it as an attempt to make sense of the world in spiritual terms. Time and again in my writing, as I have pursued all sorts of nutty flights of fancy, I have always returned to this theme. And now I'm going to hold fast to it as Lost takes us into its last act.

Ep 312 (part 2) - "Everybody Loves Hugo," Especially Libby2

Note – this is the second of two parts of this week’s recap. If you have not already read the island story recap, read no further. Click on the title of this post to be taken to the earlier-posted part one, then come back here when you’re done. Of course, if you already read part one, enjoy!

Sideways – Alterna-Hugo

The sideways story opens with the unmistakeable voice, and then image, of Dr. Pierre2 Chang, introducing a man of the year award at a museum in Los Angeles. Uncharacteristically generous, Chang2 gushes, “one fact we can all agree upon - everybody loves Hugo.” Chang2 regales the crowd with how Reyes2’s lifelong love afair with Chicken led him to buy the Mr. Cluck’s chain, but “financial success wasn’t the end.” Hugo2 donated parks, playgrounds, and hospitals. And, of course, he won the man of the year award (a Lucite T-Rex) for donating the Hugo Reyes Paleontology wing at the museum. Alas, while the crowd is adoring, Hugo2’s mother seems unimpressed.

Aside #1 – Not that there was much doubt, but it’s clear now that the father Miles2 said worked at the museum with Charlotte2 is, indeed, Pierre2 Chang, further evidence that the DHARMA high command just up and left the island in sideways world. Also, did you all catch the mention of Hugo2’s giving to the Human Fund – the fake charity George established in “Seinfeld?”

“You know who doesn’t love Hugo,” asks a bored mother Reyes. “Women.” Hugo2 makes excuses, but his mom won’t hear it. “You’re not too busy, you’re too scared.” She made him a date with Rosalita, who she describes as “willing to meet you.”

Hugo2 sits alone at a Mexican restaurant, “Spanish Johnny’s” (kudos if you caught the dual Springsteen reference; I did not). Rosalita never showed…but then she does… Libby2!!! She says she saw him from across the room, and she knows his name because…”do you believe that two people can be connected, like soul mates? You don’t remember me, do you?” Hugo2, kicking himself, asks, “Should I?” But then Dr. Brooks2 (the same shrink who in island world exposed “Dave” as a figment of Hurley’s imagination”) collects Libby2, who had wandered off from her Santa Rosa field trip group. Dr. Brooks2 puts her back in the Santa Rosa van, and Hugo2 smirks. “Figures. She’s nuts.”

Aside #3 – How great was it to see Libby again, albeit Alterna-Libby? The ability to reconnect her with Hugo, even in the sideways reality, provided such a rich story for the flash-sideways. And to think, at the start of the season, it appeared as though Cynthia Watros (who will soon appear as Wilson’s ex and soon-to-be girlfriend on House) would be unavailable to reprise her Libby role.

Hugo2 goes to a Mr. Clucks, and demands a bucket, from a star-struck employee. While he binge eats, Desmond2 spots him. Desmond2, who pretends to be surprised to recognize him from Flight 815 (Des2 lets slip that it’s been a week since they were on the flight), joins him. Hugo2 apologizes, “I eat when I’m depressed.” “Ah,” understands Desmond2, “so what’s her name.” Hugo2 relates the story about Libby2’s belief they already know each other. Desmond2, who clearly has an agenda, sees an opening. “Tell me something…did you believe her when she said she knew you? I say go with your gut. You should try to find out where she thinks she knew you from, before you give up.” They call Desmond2’s number (42, although he does not resemble Jin in the least), and Desmond2, having set Hugo2 on his quest, takes his leave.

Hugo2 goes to see Dr. Brooks, who doesn’t think it would be a good idea for a non family member to visit with Libby2…until Hugo2 donates 100k for a new rec room. As Hugo2 waits in the butterfly-adorned old rec room, Libby2 is brought in to him, ecstatic. She asks if he remembered. “No,” Hugo2 admits. “I’m sorry.” He asks how it is she thinks she knows him. A few days ago, she explains, she was watching TV, and his commercial came on. It was like she suddenly had memories coming back. Of her life. Only it was another life. She tells him about the plane crash, and the island. He was there. We knew each other…liked each other. This bizarre version of déjà vu convinced her to check in to Santa Rosa, only, when she got there, it was like she had been there before, and she had some memory of him having been there, too. She was hoping, if he remembered her…but he stops her. “I wish I could, Libby, but I can’t.” He says it’s the first time he’s ever been to a mental hospital. She says she’s crazy, but he brushes this off, saying how brave she was to approach him from across a restaurant, since he has trouble just saying hi to a girl. “You’re doing fine,” she reassures (in her customary manner of making Hugo feel at ease). He asks her out (since she’s in the facility voluntarily), and she happily accepts.

Aside # 4 – so, among the differences between island world and Sideways world is the fact that Hugo never spent time in Santa Rosa. Perhaps we can extrapolate that he never accidentally killed three people by stepping onto a crowded balcony, and he never made an imaginary friend named Dave. Nor, for that matter, did he get his winning lotto numbers from a fellow inmate. And Libby, herself, never spent time in Santa Rosa before flight 815, though it appears she also had not gotten on the flight, either. Without the excessive guilt about his weight, I think we can probably assume Hugo2 never went by the name “Hurley” either.

Hugo2 finally gets the picnic with Libby2 that his island self had been denied by Michael’s bullet. After he nervously babbles about picking up 6 different kinds of cheese, she comments that she feels like something is off. He asks if she’s been there before. She says it’s familiar, like a date they never had. He assures her she doesn’t sound completely insane. She assures him she wants to be with him, because she likes him. He says it’s because she’s delusional. But then she leans over and kisses him…and suddenly, he flashes to their past on the island. She asks what’s wrong. “Whoah, dude. I think, I’m remembering stuff.” She asks,” you mean, I’m not crazy?” “No,” Hugo2 says, surprised as the words come out. “I don’t think that you are.” In a car, Desmond2 watches. He sees the scene unfold, pushes his sunglasses up on his nose, and drives off, a sort of heaven-sent matchmaker content in a mission, accomplished.

Aside #5 – This may be reading more into the scene than it deserves, but I got the sense that Desmond2 had no memory of having met Libby2, and thus no memory of having gotten a boat from her that never led him to the island. This, of course, makes sense. With no prior relationship to Alterna-Penny, and no need to impress Sideways Widmore, Desmond2 had no need for a boat. Even if he somehow encountered Libby2 in the Sideways world, he would not have had a reason to strike up a conversation with her about his need for a boat. Not that there’s any reason to believe that she was previously married, or that her late husband left her the boat. After all, her grief over his death seems to be the most likely explanation we can surmise as to how island Libby ended up at Santa Rosa, and since had not previously been an inmate in sideways world…well, there you go.

Meanwhile, if the Sideways story ended here, we’d already have had a Eureka moment. The obvious conclusion would have been that, after Desmond2 had his memory flash from Charlie2’s hand, and then met Penny2 and had it all come back, he was determined to help all Oceanic 815 passengers find the lost loves they were supposed to have in island world, or at least help them remember what their lives were meant to be but for Faraday’s blow the bomb gambit. But alas, while Hugo2’s Sideways story ended with his own “Happily Ever After” kiss on the beach, we got an epilog for Desmond2 (who, having been absent for half a season, was kind of owed some screen time…)

Desmond2 watches Locke2 wheel himself out of the school, until Dr. Linus knocks on his window, suspicious of a non-parent who appears to be stalking a high school parking lot. Desmond2 doesn’t really seem to recognize Ben2, but cleverly lies that he just moved there and was looking for a school for his son, Charlie. As Ben2 walks off, Desmond accelerates, and plows right into Locke2, and then drives off, as though he had just accomplished exactly what he he came for. As Ben2 runs to tend to his fallen comrade, Locke2, looking much like his island counterpart did when he was pushed out the window by his father, lies bleeding and twitching.

Aside #6 – Talk about a shock ending! How to understand this scene? First, I think there really is something to the fact that Des2 didn’t seem to recognize Ben2, as though this is the cross-time version of Jacob’s having asked Ben, “what about you?” just before Ben stabbed him. In the cosmic “things that are meant to be,” Ben apparently doesn’t matter at all, his Dr. Linus meek persona more in keeping with his actual station in the universe than his leader of men iteration.

But this chance encounter is not the big deal, obviously. Having just spent the hour coming to understand that Desmond2’s mission is to show his alterna-comrades the better lives they had forgotten, we see him commit an act of savage brutality, against, of all people, a crippled teacher! So how do we understand this?

The first, perhaps most satisfying explanation is that, when the “two Desmonds” forged what appeared to be a cross-universe understanding of each other, this came along with island Desmond’s talent to know the future. In other words, Desmond2 knew that somebody he thought was Locke had suddenly and brutally flung him into a well, even if that event was still 3 plus years in the future…in another universe…and involved someone only masquerading as Locke. In other words, this was some combination of revenge, or the idea that “I better take you out before you take me out.” Are you satisfied by this? I know I’m not. If for no other reason, there’s a serious pragmatic problem: Desmond2 just had a lengthy conversation, sitting in his car, with a teacher at the same school as his intended victim. Surely this would have caused him to change his plan and not run the guy down in the same car as Dr. Linus just saw him in, if simply taking out Locke for being the guy that attacked him on the island were the goal.

Here’s another possibility, one that brings up a theory I’d seen a few weeks ago and dismissed, only to find more sensible in this greater context: what if, when Jughead blew up, and Sideways world was born, this new universe became Flocke/Smokey’s escape plan. In other words, what if Flocke regained his humanity by taking his doppelganger’s form in this other universe? That could explain his slightly different, more measured reactions to similar stimuli. The biggest hint of this? Mr. Locke’s inciting Dr. Linus to carry out his coup attempt against the principal. If that didn’t strike you as an odd thing for a new faculty member – a substitute, no less – to do, particularly a guy who seemed pretty well adjusted, then I don’t know what your definition of “odd” must be.

So then, if this is Flocke, and Desmond2 somehow realized this when he flash-downloaded the other world, perhaps he discovered the only way to defeat this ancient evil in a world with no “cork” was to kill the now-mortal monster before he could do his real harm.

But, then again, there’s a flaw in this reading. Namely, if you truly felt you were trying to kill the embodiment of all evil, a shapeless monster, would you really go with such an unreliable, random, haphazard technique as hitting him with a car, and then driving off without checking to see if you finished the job? So this doesn’t work either.

Make no mistake – I do think both Desmonds know all about both Lockes. I think this is why island Desmond practically accused his captor of being John Locke, and why he had no fear when they were alone. Why fear when you know the attack is coming, and that it needs to come?

But that realization does not, by itself, provide the third explanation for the hit and run. This third option is, quite literally, the “I have no idea” option. But that’s not a cop out. What it is is simply the realization that we don’t yet have enough information to understand what Desmond was all about. That said, given his tactics – a dangerous, but hardly foolproof attack, with no follow-up – perhaps we can assume that his goal was merely to injure Locke2, to set in motion some set of circumstances (indeed, this week’s official podcast strongly suggests this non-explanation explanation is what’s going on).

So what could Desmond2 be trying to bring about? Perhaps what it takes for Locke2 and Jack2 to have the moment of clarity that Hugo2 and Desmond2 had when reuniting with lost loves is to spend more time with each other. After all, these are two guys whose sideways lives seem better and more fulfilled than their island lives, so why would they want to seek out a Libby2 or Penny2 for a memory upload? In the natural course of events, they may have had plenty of interaction, since Jack2 gave Locke2 his card at the airport for a consult. But then Locke2 had to let Helen2 tear the card up.

By now, you should realize that a rule of Lost is that L.A., or the country as a whole, only appears to have one museum, one courthouse, one police station and…one hospital. If any of the characters go to any of these facilities, they will run into each other there. So when Locke2 is rushed to the hospital to be saved, it’s a safe bet Jack2 will do the saving. In any case, Desmond2’s mission is clearly hard to comprehend at this point.

So that’s it for this week’s recap. Next week, we get one of Lost’s non “centric” episodes, in the ironically titled “The Last Recruit.” I say it’s ironic, because if the title refers to one person, you would think that would suggest a focus on one character. I of course can’t help but wonder who this last recruit is. By now, it seems almost everyone (and certainly all the Candidates) are already at Flocke’s camp. Who does he have left to recruit? Miles? Ben? Is it a reference to Jack’s decision to just go with the flow, more than his commitment to join Smokey? In any case, thanks for bearing with the double-dose recap this week. Until next week, Namaste!

Ep 312 (part 1) - "Everybody Loves Hugo," Including the Whispers

As the "what the frak is going on" question begins (ever so slowly) to crystallize, and as Lost inches into its final 6 hours, "Everybody Loves Hugo" brought us a trademark love letter to our loveable fluffy man, Hugo Reyes. Unlike most Hurley-centric episodes, which tend to feel like pleasant diversions while the big players move into position for the coming weeks' episodes, this one clearly moved things along nicely.

But first, a further observation that hit the internet last week about "Happily Ever After." In last week's recap, I pointed to Eloise Hawking, er, Widmore's brooch and pondered its significance. But as an astute observer pointed out, and Jeff Jensen relayed, and I now steal...the brooch itself closely resembled the symbol with which the Others branded Juliet after she killed Danny Pickett. The only real difference between her line bisected with a starburst and Eloise's pin is that Mrs. Widmore sported two such starred over lines, running parallel. The significance? It could be as simple as Lost having only one designer who likes that look. Or it could be a signal that the Others' symbology reveals that they sort of know something about the island, and the larger universe, but it takes an Eloise to be aware of the nature of parallel universes with their respective similarities. Or not. Either way, just a thought, based on a keen observation. So without further ado...

The reunion of a love that even death couldn't stop! A shocking death leaves our heroes rudderless!! A beloved landmark blown to smithereens!!! All this, plus an apparent conflict straddling two universes, in "Everybody Loves Hugo!"

Foreword
Typically, I get the flashback or sideways portion of the episode out of the way first. Given the shocking ending of this week's flash-sideways, and how it was (apparently, or at least deceptively) set up by the island story, we're going in reverse here, and will open on the island. What's more, given that I seem crunched for time, I'm going to post my island recap today, and will follow some time before Tuesday with the Sideways Recap.

Island Story
Hurley visits Libby’s grave on Boone Hill. He wonders aloud why Libby, of all the dead Losties, has not come to visit him (unspoken, even with no person to talk to, is Hurley’s obvious belief that somehow he’s unworthy of a visit from the one dead comrade he most wants to see). Ilana to round him up for her expedition to Black Rock to fetch dynamite. Hurley asks, “you sure that’s the right move?” Ilana responds, “no, but it’s the only move we’ve got.” “Well,” Hurley says, his trademark conciliatory look weighing down his expression, “you’re the expert.” He tells her about Libby, without going into details. As Ilana leaves, Hurley hears The Whispers. As they disappear, Michael comes out. Hurley, still in the middle of his visit with Libby, cannot think of a single person he’d like to see less than her killer. Nevertheless, Michael tells Hurley he’s here to stop him from getting everyone killed. Hurley just stares, and Michael, frustrated, asks, “you going to say something?” Hurley does not like getting pushed by this man. “Why should I trust you? You murdered Libby and Ana!” he accuses. Michael says that blowing up the Ajira plane will kill people, and it will be Hurley’s fault if he doesn’t stop it, because people listen to him. Jack approaches, Michael disappears, and Hurley says he’s talking to no one.

Aside #1 – Of all the spirits who could come to visit Hurley, it’s interesting to see that Michael is the one who did. But then again, especially while Hurley is deep in thought about Libby, who better to get a rise out of him? As for Michael’s message, sometimes it takes the observation of someone you otherwise would not trust to make you see something you’re not ready for yourself, i.e. the fact that Hurley’s friends and comrades, who have embraced his ability to talk to the dead, really do listen to him as a sort of prophet.

Ilana rounds up the troops. She has 4 sticks of Black Rock brand unstable dynamite (apparently, the beach isn’t so far from the middle of the jungle when you think you’re following Jacob’s plan). Hurley warns her this is a bad idea (after all, if she’s protecting them from the smoke monster, then trapping them on the island with what will surely then be an angry smoke monster seems like an odd plan). Ilana continues to have faith in Jacob and Richard. As she makes her case, i.e. that Flocke is evil, and needs to be stopped, she puts down her bag o’ dynamite…and blows up!

Aside #2 – In Lost, you never want to be the character who knows a little more than the people around you. It’s a sure way to be killed in a shocking manner. See also Daniel Faraday getting shot by his mother while she actually pregnant with him. After all, if people with too much information get to hang around long enough, the other characters might get to ask them questions, which would give us answers before the show wants to reveal those answers. And that, dear Lostophiles, can never, ever happen.

At the still remarkably stationary Camp Flocke, Sawyer and Kate ask Ol’ Smokey why he’s carving away at a long stick. Flocke’s zen answer is that the stick is not so much an attempt to fashion a spear, as a project in which the stick will reveal its true purpose to him after he continues to work on it.

Flocke, sensing Sawyer’s frustration, says, “there’s a difference between doing nothing and waiting.” He says the Oceanic 6 (er, 5) only managed to come back because they were together. Ergo, they need to wait for Hugo, Jack and Sun to join them, or they can’t get off the rock. Kate mutters that she doesn’t see that happening.

Aside #3 – Jeff Jensen pointed out this week the similarity between this “parable of the stick” and Michelangelo’s famous claim that he did not turn marble into sculpture, but rather, the sculpture was always there, and he merely discovered it by removing the irrelevant parts. I’ll add this thought – much like the man whose visage he’s chosen to adopt, I get the feeling Mr. artist-formerly-known-as-Man-In-Black has the unfortunate combination of a strong sense of purpose about his actions and a lack of any idea what his plan really is. Rather, Flocke knows he wants to leave, and strongly believes that doing so requires the candidates to be gathered (and, it seems, terminated, only not by his direct action), but doesn’t really seem to have a complete idea how this is supposed to play out. This is not the first time Flocke has taken on characteristics that are decidedly Locke-like. See, also, Flocke’s tirade in “The Substitute” where he bellowed out the familiar, “don’t tell me what I can’t do!” Indeed, his plan to sit and wait for Jack and company to come to him seems more like it’s based on a hope that the island will reveal its needs to him than on any actual confidence it will happen, even though, of course, it eventually does. More on these Flocke/Locke similarities later.

Sayid comes back, ignores Sawyer, and asks Flocke if they can speak in private. He says he saw Widmore’s people, but there was no reason to kill them when he found what they came for (apparently, the snapping of that one guy’s neck doesn’t count, since infiltrating assassin/spies get at least one free kill before it starts to count against them). Intrigued, Flocke asks, “so you found what they had hidden in the sub?” “I most certainly did,” Sayid responds, and his cold, altered persona gets us to recall how “old Sayid” would have smiled slyly when reporting some valuable intel. Sayid pulls back branches to reveal Desmond tied to a tree.

Hurley finds looks through Ilana’s things, and finds a Russian translation of an existentialist text (I’ll direct you to Jeff Jensen’s recap at ew.com for a lengthy discussion on the significance of this book, and existentialism, to this episode, and the entire season). He then sees her bag of Jacob ash. He looks inside, then takes on a determined look as he rises to rejoin his comrades. (Query whether, even unbeknownst to him, Hurley just got, if not a message, than at least some inspiration from Jacob’s remains). Richard, hurriedly preparing a bag or two to fetch some more dynamite, makes ready to jump into Ilana’s shoes, lest her death mean nothing. Jack asks, pointedly, if her death’s real meaning was to convince them to “stay the hell away from dynamite.” As they continue to argue, Jack tries to impress upon Richard that he promised Sun that he’d get her off the island, and Richard laments, “well, you shouldn’t have done that.” Hurley watches this argument, then, surprisingly, says they should go with Richard.

Flocke greets Desmond, and apologizes for his having to be tied up so he didn’t run away. Desmond says, as he explained to Sayid, he has nowhere to run to. Flocke smiles, “if that’s not the best argument I ever heard against captivity, I don’t know what is,” and starts cutting Desmond’s binds. He asks why Widmore brought him back. “Seeing as how I was kidnapped,” Desmond says matter-of-factly, “you’ll have to ask Mr. Widmore.” He tells Flocke how Widmore shoved him into a box and blasted him with electromagnetism. Flocke asks how he can be sure what it was he was blasted with. “Experience,” Desmond responds, which seems to remind Flocke of Locke’s memory of Desmond, a memory he files away for later. Getting right down to it, Flocke asks, “do you know who I am?” “Of course,” says Desmond, without a hint of irony, or the more expected, “duh.” “You’re John Locke.” Flocke considers this answer, then smiles, slightly. Flocke dismisses Sayid, and says he and Desmond are taking a walk. He tells Desmond he has something to show him.

Aside # 4 – The question, “do you know who I am,” in context, essentially had 3 possible answers. The first would be something like, “uh, yeah, guy, you’re John Locke, right? I mean, we spent a few months together here three years ago? Remember? I suckered you into pushing my button for me while I tried, in vain, to sail away, and then I foolishly listened to you tell me not to push the button?” Had Desmond answered as such, Flocke might have been content to allow the deception to continue. The second response would have been some variety of “you’re the smoke monster,” or “you’re someone/something impersonating John Locke.” With such a response, Flocke would have confirmed that Desmond is merely caught up with what’s been going on. But Desmond came back with “you’re John Locke.” The flat intonation in the response indicated he understood why the question was relevant, and yet picked the visibly obvious response. The way Flocke reacted was to consider the response, if not an insult, then perhaps an accusation. Is it that Desmond, in just a couple of minutes, also sees how much the Locke persona has taken over this otherwise formless host? As we’ll explore later, it could be that Sideways Locke and Flocke are more deeply connected than simply sharing a face, and somehow Desmond, with his EM-blast-induced hyper awareness sees this. In any case, Flocke seems a bit unnerved by Desmond’s laid back attitude about their encounter, but simply smiles at the answer he gets.

Richard leads the former team Ilana towards Black Rock. Ben comments, “it kind of makes you think. Ilana. Hand picked by Jacob to protect you candidates. No sooner did she tell you who you are, she blows up. The island was done with her. Makes me wonder what will happen when it’s done with us.”

Aside # 5 – Is Ben questioning his decision to follow Ilana? He blindly followed Jacob, to the end that he got so frustrated (and lost so much), he murdered his leader. Then, at his lowest point, he accepted Ilana’s forgiveness and invitation to join her in picking up Jacob’s task, only to see his new leader tossed aside by the island just he felt he had been. Not that Flocke is a better option. This whole monologue just struck me as a guy who’s kind of learned to despair his “I’m screwed no matter what” status.

Richard says he doesn’t want anyone else handling the dynamite (assuming, perhaps, that he is still protected by Jacob’s touch – query why he let Ilana go for the dynamite before, at all)…but then they notice all Hurley is gone. Hurley comes running towards them…from Black Rock, warning them all to get back. A moment later, Black Rock, one of the first, greatest mysteries of Lost, blows up in a huge fireball. Richard angrily demands, “why the hell did you do that?” Hugo, looking determined, stares right at Richard, and insists, “I’m protecting us.” Richard insists they’re all dead now (shades of Bill Paxton’s awesome delivery of the “game over” line from Aliens reverberate). Miles grumbles to Hugo, “a warning would have been nice.” Hurley frowns, “I did say ‘run’.” Miles, who seemed content to follow any plan, just so long as it was a plan, asked, “why’d you do that?” Hurley explains, “Michael told me to do that. One of the dead people who came back and yell at me.” Miles, who may have a case of “my dead people communication talent isn’t as cool as yours” envy, asks, incredulously, “and you just listen to what they say?” Hugo responds, “dead people are more reliable than alive people.”

Aside #6 – Hurley raises a good point. Has he ever been steered wrong by a dead person? Even when Jacob doesn’t give him all the details, he seems to set him on the right path. Charlie convinced him of the need to return to the island. Ana Lucia taught him to hide from the cops. And then there’s the sense that, once dead, these people, friends or otherwise, no longer have a reason to lead him astray. I wonder if that will hold true…

Flocke asks Desmond, “remind me, Desmond, how long were you down in that hatch?” When Desmond responds, “three years,” Flocke answers, almost taunting, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this island has it in for you.” “There’s nothing special about me, “Desmond responds. “This island has it in for all of us.” Then they both see the boy in Others clothing. Flocke angrily tells Desmond to ignore him. The boy smiles at Desmond, then walks off.

Aside # 7 – There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not this scruffy Other boy is the same one who “reminded” Flocke he couldn’t kill Sawyer. I looked at still images of both. While the earlier boy looked more…blond, the lighting was different in the two scenes. Ultimately, I think we’re meant to understand that both were the same boy. But there is some credence to the notion that this version is an older version of the same kid we saw earlier. One theorist, who had his thoughts repeated this weekend by Jeff Jensen, surmised that the boy may be Jacob, who, since his death, has been appearing as he was as a boy, aging over time. This theory holds that the rapid aging functions in some way as a sort of hourglass, perhaps to the time when Jacob’s final candidate will replace him. The frustration, followed by anger, Flocke showed upon seeing the kid certainly does indicate that he feels like he’s being rushed, or otherwise having his hand forced, but the reminder that the kid is present.

Richard wants to get grenades from the DHARMA barracks. Hurley says Jacob is nearby, and tells him they need to talk to Locke. Richard, duped before by Hurley’s insistence that they come to Black Rock, wants proof. He says to ask Jacob what the island really is. But Hurley says he doesn’t have to prove anything. “You can either come with me, or you can keep blowing things up.” Richard calls the bluff, but only Ben says he’ll go with him. And then Miles says, “I saw that thing in action. It doesn’t want to talk,” and, reminiscent of Sawyer joining Team Locke is Season 4, he moves off to follow Ben and Richard. But Frank, Jack and Sun say they’re going with Hurley. Richard warns them not to get in the way. When they’re gone, Jack says, “alright, Hurley. Let’s go talk to Locke.”

As night falls, Sun writes to Frank, “did we make a mistake?” “Probably,” Frank mutters. Jack asks Hurley what the plan is. Hurley, nervously, asks, “how do you break the ice with a smoke monster?” He’s worried, and confesses he didn’t see Jacob. Jack says he knows. Jack unloads his recent self-realization, and tells Hurley how badly he has wanted to fix things since Juliet died, “since I got her killed.” But then, he says, he realized he can’t fix everything. He needs to let go. Not that this has been easy for him. “You have no idea how hard it is to sit back and let other people tell me what to do.”

Aside #8- It’s perhaps Karmic that Jack, who spurned Hurley’s insistence shortly after they became the Oceanic 6 that they needed to return to the island, would now find himself following Hurley. I wonder to what extent Jack’s new attitude is swinging the pendulum just a bit too far. It’s great that he’s learned he doesn’t have to rush to fix everything. But shouldn’t he have learned after his DHARMA adventure, that when you sit around waiting for inspiration to hit you long enough, ideas like detonating hydrogen bombs start sounding good?

They hear The Whispers, but as Jack readies his gun, Hurley says he knows what the whispers are. He tells Jack to wait, then follows the sound. Finally alone, he asks, “hey, you around?” He calls to Michael, specifically, and Michael emerges. Hurley asks, “you are stuck on the island, aren’t you?” With a slight nod, Michael responds, “because of what I did.” Michael says the whispers are the ones who can’t move on. He directs Hurley to Flocke’s camp. Despite his innate hatred for the man who took away Libby, Hurley digs down for some forgiveness, and asks Michael, “is there anything I can do to help you?” Michael considers this, and responds, “don’t get yourself killed. And Hurley, if you ever do see Libby again, tell her I’m very sorry.” Hurley, perhaps not wanting to consider what would make such a reunion possible, says, “I’ll be sure to do that, dude.”

Aside #9 – And with that, one of Lost’s great mysteries is (largely) solved. The Whispers are, indeed, the souls of those who have died on or near the island, or had their bodies brought to the island, who could not move on because of what they have done. I wonder how closely they are tied to Hurley’s ability to see dead people? Is he just better attuned to their frequency (since, we’ve seen, all the characters seem able to hear the whispers, even if they can’t understand them). But what do the Whispers want? Do they, like Flocke, want to escape? Are they leading Hurley into a trap, getting him to help Flocke arrange his escape, in some manner they can follow? Are they benevolent, warning of danger to those who may hear them? Why are they trapped here? And doesn’t this explanation sort of admit that, yes, the island is purgatory, after all, at least for some people?

Flocke leads Desmond to a well. Desmond shrugs, “what is it?” “It’s a well,” smiles Flocke. “Let me guess…you’re wondering how deep it is,” and Flocke lights his backup torch and drops it into the well, where it ultimately disappears with a splash. He asks if Desmond knows how old it is? “Very old,” Desmond guesses, not quite sure what the point of the guessing game is. Flocke smiles in agreement. “so old, in fact, that the people who dug this well did it by hand. They weren’t looking for water. They looked for answers. They didn’t find what they were looking for. The reason I wanted you to see this, is Charles Widmore is not interested in answers. He’s only interested in power. After all, this isn’t the only well.” As Desmond listens, a sort of “what’s your point?” look on his face, Flocke seems frustrated that he hasn’t gotten any kind of rise out of the Scot. He asks why Desmond isn’t afraid, out there alone with him in the jungle. Desmond looks at him quizzically, still not the least bit concerned, despite being challenged about his lack of fear. “What is the point in being afraid?” Desmond asks. And Flocke smiles, then throws him into the well!

Aside # 10 – You get the clear sense that Desmond is perhaps even more aware of what’s “really” going on than Flocke is here. I also get the sense that Flocke knows damn well that his savage, sudden attack would not kill Desmond. There are two reasons for this belief – 1) the smile from the Others boy. I took that to mean, as the prior encounter told us, that Flocke can’t kill certain people directly. Although “Hume” is not a candidate, per se, that smug smile the boy gave Flocke indicated he wouldn’t be able, permitted, or both to kill Desmond. The other reason? The promos for next week, which showed Desmond sitting in the bottom of the well. I do think Flocke knew he couldn’t kill Desmond, but throwing him down a well sure seems like a good alternate means of keeping him from causing trouble.

Now, let’s talk about this well. First of all, this is not the well Locke fell down before he turned the donkey wheel. Since the island timeline is once again at 2007 (or 2008), that well is long since gone, replaced and built over by the Orchid station. But, as Flocke pointed out, there are multiple wells (perhaps corresponding to the EM pockets on the Jin Kwon map that Widmore’s people plan to follow). Do not be surprised if Zoe and Jin lead the rescue party that finds Desmond, even if rescuing Desmond is not exactly their first priority.

I also wonder if, before he was a smoke monster, man-in-black was one of those people who dug these wells, searching for answers. Perhaps one of those very answers is what made him a smoke monster. But that, alas, is pure speculation…

When Flocke returns after nightfall, Sayid asks, “how’s our friend?” “You don’t have to worry about him any more,” Flocke assures him. Sawyer asks Flocke where he’s been. As they’re about to argue, Hurley comes out. “Son of a bitch,” Sawyer mutters, reduced of late to these one-liners. Hurley begins his détente with, “umm. Hey.” “Hello, Hugo,” says Flocke, smug in his victory now that at least one candidate came willingly. “I don’t know who you are, dude, or what you want, but we have to talk, dude.” Hurley gets Flocke to give his word that there will be nobody hurt if his friends come out. Flocke symbolically hands over the knife, and Hurley calls his group out. Sun looks around for Jin, but is defeated not to see him. Jack sees Kate, and they smile at each other. Flocke says, “hello Jack.” And the two men – who had not previously met – eye each other.

Aside #11 – Thanks for bearing with this two-part structure. Click the title of this post to be whisked away to part 2 of the recap, addressing the Sideways story.