Lost Lover at Law

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2010-10-11T08:37:00.001-07:00

I've added no new content to this blog. So I'm tired of spammers using my work to post random links in various languages that I don't endorse. I've shut off comments. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Lost - the Final Recap

2010-06-12T08:31:00.001-07:00

And so, my friends, we've reached the end. As I've said before, this post will be my last. Not because there's nothing more to say about Lost, but because the time has come to "Let go (Jack)."

So what was Lost, when all was said and done? Put simply, it was one of the two most complex, fully-realized and brilliant pieces of narrative fiction in the past decade (the other was the Harry Potter book series). Lost did not just entertain (though entertain it did, what with the beautiful locales, charismatic stars, sly humor, and sci-fi wonder). It made us think. It made us struggle to come to terms with its meaning (and, even after its conclusion, continues to do so). It was very much a religion - not in the sense that it should replace any other faith or be thought to offer the answers to everything in life, but rather because it presented us with all sorts of wonderment and made us struggle to come to terms with the meaning of its myriad puzzles. That's what a good religion does - it doesn't tell you the answers, it merely provides you the tools and invites you to ask the right questions.

That's not to say the whole of Lost cannot be understood. I'm particularly impressed with Doc Jensen's master theory of Lost, i.e. that the island was not just a setting, but rather a living, feeling, thinking protagonist, that became aware of its future at the moment that Sawyer and company time-traveled back to a time before the birth of Jacob. Check out Doc's theory at this link: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20313460_20393488,00.html

Of course, as with all works of art, pop or otherwise, Lost is and was subject to a number of criticisms. Before I praise the show further, let's air the dirty laundry. Here are my five biggest criticisms of Lost (in no particular order).

1. The over-use of unreliable narrators. A mystery is hard enough to solve, particularly when the final resolution of the story doesn't purport to give over the answers. What we, the viewers, were probably most frustrated by was Lost's tendency to give us information out of the mouths of people we knew better than to trust. Ben Linus. Charles Widmore. Anthony Cooper. And, of course, Smokey/ MIB/ Flocke. Their characters were richer for the ambiguity of their statements about what was really going on, but the sheer volume of lies these people spewed made the task of "solving" Lost that much more difficult. To this day, I still do not believe Flocke that he was Christian Shephard, at least not all the time.

2. The writers' inability to be the complete masters of their destiny. Hey, credit where it's due, and Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse controlled the sprawling mega-myth of Lost better than anyone ever has or ever likely will in a multi-season TV setting. But as they've said often, unlike J.K. Rowling, who alone wrote Harry Potter and was not subject to outside control, Damon and Carlton could not control everything. They could not make the end of Mr. Eko's character arc nearly satisfying enough because they could not keep Adewale Akinnoye-Akbaje happy enough to stay in Hawaii. They had some plotlines that meandered because they had run out of stories to tell in the time before they negotiated their end-date. And I'm sure that a higher budget (not that Lost wasn't already extremely costly) would have produced some cooler effects, like actually seeing Smokey turn into a human form.

3. The sheer volume of loose threads and unanswered questions. When all is said and done, I'm actually kind of happy that Lost left a lot to the imagination. But some things that were treated as supremely dire plot points were never resolved. What was with the fertility problems? What were the rules, and why could they be so easily changed? What did Charles Widmore want? What were the Others really all about? A fairly clever compilation of the unresolved mysteries can be found here...

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1936291

4. The wacky viewing schedule. It was only in the last two seasons that Lost finally figured out how best to air its episodes - in virtually uninterrupted weekly segments. In all honesty, the best way to watch Lost is in binges, by popping in the Blu-Ray disc versions of each season. But from reruns that tended to confuse viewers (given the non-linear nature of the story-telling), to long hiatuses (especially Season 3, the three-month break after episode 6), ABC often had a difficult time figuring out the best way to present the story in a way that held viewer's attention. And the frequent time-slot changes were unbearable. In particular, this should never have been a 10:00 pm show, given how much energy and focus it took to watch.

5. The artificial extension of mysteries. At times, it felt as if Lost made a mystery last even where the characters, if they acted true to character, would have solved it (or given us the tools to solve it). Sometimes, characters acted mysteriously just to give us a payoff at the end of an episode, or even 2-3 episodes later, when there was no reason to be so mysterious. Also, why on Earth did Widmore whisper his plan to Flocke, other than to prevent the audience from hearing it? And, of course, there was the Flash-sideways, the season-long, often frustrating plot device that seemed wedged in just to create one final mystery to solve in the remaining moments of the finale.

Not that any of these "problems" undoes all that Lost accomplished artistically, mind you. I'm just sayin...

Recap – Writing This Blog
I vividly recall my own experience with Lost, and of starting and plowing through this blog. In the late summer of 2004, before DVR had crept into my home, my wife and I saw promo after promo for this castaway adventure series ABC planned to air on Wednesdays at 8:00. We already had a firm commitment at that time - Smallville on the now-defunct WB - and were not too keen to intentionally create a viewing conflict. But the Lost pilot, "from the creator of Alias" (one of our favorite shows at the time) aired a couple of weeks before the Smallville season premiere, so we figured we'd give it a whirl.

We were hooked.

Of course, at first, it seemed just like another well-produced J. J. Abrams series (we didn't follow credits enough to realize J. J.'s involvement waned substantially after the pilot), and, despite the frustrating first season resolution (what's inside the mystery hatch? A mystery hole!), the finale was so well-executed, we knew we'd be around for the long haul.

Then Season 2 rolled around. A few episodes in, one of my wife's clients (a reader of this blog, if I'm not mistaken) got into an email chain with her about Hurley's dream sequence from "Everybody Hates Hugo" and pointed out how Walt's image appeared on Hurley's milk carton. We Googled this, saw it was true, and suddenly discovered both the online Lost community, and the full depth of Lost's intricacies. Suddenly, the way I watched TV was transformed forever. No longer could I watch a well-plotted show passively, while paying bills or reading the newspaper. Nope, this was appointment television, demanding close attention.

Within days I had gotten into an email-based virtual water-cooler chat with a number of fellow Lost fans at the office, and amongst my childhood and college friends, and soon added some of my wife's friends. This email tree, itself, became an appointment for the rest of Season 2, to the extent that my mother, concerned over a Today Show story about clerical workers being fired for misuse of company computers, warned me not to "blog" on the company time. In my typical fashion, the advice I ended up taking was to take this email chain and turn it into, well, a blog. And that was when Lost Lover at Law was born, in October, 2006, with my recap of the Season 3 premiere episode, "A Tale of Two Cities."

Why did I do this? As a lawyer and husband (and, over the course of the next 3 years, a father twice over), my spare time was always at a premium. But, in a full-on John Lockian missing of the point, I felt that by scrutinizing each episode to its most minute detail, and writing what I was seeing, I would be able to gather all the hidden clues to enable me to solve the show. Silly man of faith! It would not be until Season 6 when I finally realized that "solving" Lost was beside the point (though, dammit, I still wanted answers!) But by then, this blog was my hobby, and my chance to communicate with people all around the world (and have them post their porn and illicit pharmaceutical ads on my comments page - thanks, you spamming bastards).

And I'm glad I did it. But it's time to stop. As I said, Lost has many, many mysteries left to untangle, and I really do plan to get a copy of the complete series Blu-Ray set. But the time for prognosticating is ending, at least as an amateur vocation.

Thank you all so much for reading what I've had to say the past 4 years (and for those of you on that old email chain - Dave, Aviva, Kelly, etc. - the past 5).

Thanks to Doc Jensen, Lost Users, TheTailSection.com, Doc Arzt, lost-media.com, and so many others for giving me so much food for thought, and in so many cases, material I directly plagiarized as a short-cut.

Thank you all for forgiving my use of a "blog" medium to publish what was really a series of lengthy essays, better suited to a more hyper-linked website that I lacked the technical expertise to create and maintain.

Thanks so much to those of you who have engaged me in discussion, both on this blog, and in reactions to it on FaceBook, and to those of you who would egg me on to "post already!" when my recaps got delayed.

And thanks to the good folks at Google, who gave me this environment to pour my thoughts into, even if you never sent me a check despite my voluntarily putting your ads on my page...

Final Thoughts
People have asked me what I plan to do to replace Lost, or what I'll blog about next. My answer is "nothing." Lost stood alone in its achievements. I'm not saying nothing could ever top it - my critiques above certainly suggest I believe something can, though it may take years for a network to greenlight such an idea.

This blog didn't turn into a new career, and with the hobby at a natural close, I'll turn to other pursuits.

But I'm glad we had this time together.

And on a final, final note - look again at my theory explain the flash-Sideways (previous post), and their connection to Jughead. Look at this as a way to believe that the writers - who never "lied" to us - didn't "waste" our time with both the time travel and flash-sideways seasons. And think back to Lost, in general, as an excellent exercise in training our minds. Life is not always about finding the answers. It's often really about just figuring out what the right questions are.

And with that, for one last time, Namaste!

"The End" - Part 2 of 3

2010-06-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Foreword

In case you missed it, this is the second part of my finale recap. Part 1, which dealt with the Island story (except the last few moments) can be accessed by scrolling waaaay down, or by clicking on the title of this post.

This portion of the post deals with the “Sideways” story from “The End,” and the final moments of the island story. As was the case in Part 1, these are my thoughts and impressions. Click on the following link for Doc Jensen’s thought-provoking recap of the Sideways story wrap-up: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20313460_20388269,00.html As you’ll see below, Doc and I differ on a few salient points. Ok, on the meaning of just about everything. In any case, read on, and enjoy.

Sideways World (If That’s Even an Appropriate Nomenclature)

Christian’s casket is offloaded from a plane, bearing a routing sticker indicating that it has flown through Guam (where Ajira 316 was supposed to land). The casket is brought to a church – the same church that, in island world, housed DHARMA’s Lamppost station.

Meanwhile, Jack looks at Locke’s x-ray.

Aside Number 1 – Gotcha, Dan! Where’s the “Jack2” or “Alterna-Locke”? Well, in light of what we learned in this episode, I’d have to say that such naming conventions are no longer necessary, or even appropriate. As such, I will discuss the characters purely in terms of their “real” names (with all apologies to “Sawyer,” the man’s name is James Ford).

Dr. Linus is in his kitchen.

Locke is wheeled to surgery.

Detective Ford eyes the mirror he broke.

Kate waits in Hugo’s Camaro outside the church. Desmond signs for the casket, and has it brought inside. The delivery man asks if he works there, and he says, "I do indeed, brother." "Are you a priest or something," the man asks. "Or something," Desmond responds.

Hugo drives Sayid to a motel – the same one where Sayid once kept a safe house. Sayid explains that he can’t be held responsible for anything that happens from here on. Hugo pulls a tranq gun out of the glove compartment. He says, “none of this is wringing a bell, huh? You, me, a tranquilizer gun?” Sayid frowns, “you’re insane.” Hugo gives up for the moment and has Sayid wait in the car. "What if I don’t," the Iraqi ponders. "Then," Hugo sighs, "that is your choice. But if you stick with me, you’re going to be happy that you did."

Aside Number 2 - here we get the first, best sign of the rule regarding island flashes - it requires a moment that calls for substantial recall of a salient moment. So how did Hugo flash by kissing Libby? If I had to guess, I would say that he spent a lot of time dreaming about "what if" she hadn't died, and they had had their picnic.

So what's with all this "Hugo" stuff? Where are the "Hurley" references? You will notice, if you check again, that he never once went by "Hurley" in the sideways stories. Yes, I am mindful that they are still the same character. But we'll discuss that point more, later.

Hugo knocks on room 102, and finds a very drunk Chalrie inside. Hugo smiles at him, “grinning like a sodding idiot,” in Charlie's words. He shakes off the lack of recognition. “Didn’t I make it clear to Widmore’s other monkey? I don’t care about the sodding concert.” Hugo tries a new tactic – “what if I told you that playing the show will be the most important thing you will ever do? Would you come, then?” Charlie tells him to sod off. Hugo apologizes, then tranqs him, and sticks him in the back of the Hummer. Sayid asks what was that, and hugo responds, “that was Charlie.”

Desmond returns to Kate in the car. She asks who died. "A man named Christian Shephard." "Christian Shephard? Seriously?" She asks. "Seriously" responds Desmond.

Aside Number 3 - this was a clever moment, having a character, removed from her island memories, comment on the often overtly meaningful names given to characters on Lost. Of course, the true meaning of Christian's name becomes apparent at the end of the episode...

Kate wonders why she’s there, but Desmond says noone can tell her why she’s here. "I’m not talking about the church," he clarifies. "I’m talking about here." She asks who he is. He says he’s her friend, and what he wants is to leave. "Leave and go where," she asks. "Let me show you," he offers.

Miles sees Sayid arrive in the hummer and calls Ford, since Sayid is supposed to be at County. He tells him he checked and the transfer never happened. Miles dispatches Ford to protect the witness, Sun Paik.

Sun awakens. Jin says the OB is coming in, and when they see all is ok, they can leave. The doctor is Juliet – Dr. Juliet Carlson. She sees the chart says "no English." As she performs the sonogram, Sun flashes to the time in the medical hatch that she and Juliet first saw Ji Yeon, and suddenly she remembers. Jin checks on her. She says to him, "I…remember." Then Jin sees the image, and hears, “there’s your baby,” and flashes to all his memories with Sun on the island. They flash together, right to their reunion and mutual death. Sun asks, "Did you see?" Juliet shows them the heartbeat. In English, Sun tells Juliet she knows it’s a girl. And Jin says, “her name is Ji Yeon.” Juliet says, for the record, they speak English fine.

Aside Number 4 - that we see Sun and Jin flash all the way to their island deaths is a big hint of where the story is going. How does someone remember dying, and end up happier for it? Also, Jin's recall moment was the most subtle - he had seen Ji Yeon only as digital photos on the island, and seeing her as a songram flashed him in Sideways world. I wonder if Sun is "really" pregnant, at all? The answer in my mind is yes, and, in light of the rules for Sideways world, I think the relevant point is that she's "with" her parents.

As for Juliet, it really was great to see her again, particularly in light of how under-utilized Elizabeth Mitchell's talents are on "V.". And, once she appeared, and was named "Carlson" - her maiden name - and not "Burke" - her island world married name, wasn't it pretty obvious how her story would play out?

Jack greets Locke just before beginning the surgery, and asks if he’s nervous. Locke asks if he’s sure it’s going to work. Jack says he’s confident it will work. He jokes that he might kill him, but didn’t want to worry him. He says "I’ll see you on the other side," another hint of what's really happening, and these two characters' complete obliviousness to it all. Locke asks him if they ever found his father’s coffin. He says he got the call that morning, and it’s arriving. Locke says he hopes it brings him some peace. Jack says, "if I can fix you, Mr. Locke, that’s all the peace I’ll need."

Jack greets Juliet, and, of course Dr. Carlson is David’s mother. Jack can’t make the concert, but suggests they take Aunt Claire. As they leave, Juliet almost encounters Det. Ford coming out of an elevator.

Sayid asks Hugo, as they sit parked outside a bar, what they’re doing there. "I can’t tell you," Hugo explains. "There are rules, dude." "Who’s rules," Sayid demands, asking one of Lost's great unanswered questions. "Don’t worry about it," Hugo deflects. He tells Sayid he’s a good guy, and he shouldn’t let other people tell him what kind of person he is. Sayid laments that Hugo doesn’t know anything about him, but Hugo insists he knows a lot about him. A fight breaks out on the street, and a woman warns the assailant to leave her brother alone. Sayid steels himself, then goes to help. The woman, of course, is Shannon. And as he helps her, they both flash to their island past, and, their memories restored, are suddenly in love. Boone, having staggered to Hugo's window, talks about what a pain it was to bring Shannon back from Australia.

Aside Number 5 – How to put this gently…the great thing about Shannon’s death was that it was both sudden and shocking, and that it also didn’t kill a character who added anything to the show. I always loved Sayid’s quest for Nadia, and thought they were made for each other. I suppose the fact is, for what he had done to her, Sayid didn’t deserve her, and the fact that his faustian bargain with Flocke was to reunite him with Nadia meant that he should never be with her again. But Shannon? The convenient hookup who got bratty, then got killed? That’s his eternal soulmate?

I did like how Hugo helped Sayid finally overcome his biggest weakness – the tendency to let other people define him, and how that helped him flash back to his island life. Sayid was always such a tragic character, that it was great to see him earn some peace, especially after his explosive demise.

And now it looks like Boone may have been island-activated for quite some time. I think he was being ironic (as opposed to dramatically ironic) when he commented in the pilot that, if the plane went down, he was sticking with John Locke.

At the concert, Claire, David and Juliet are in line, but Juliet gets a call from the hospital, and has to go in. Charlie is awakened by Charlotte, who sees he has a piece of paper that says “Bass Player. Wake me for the show.” Charlie says, “I was shot by a fat man.” Behind them is Daniel. He and Chartlotte see each other and have a knowing look. He says he plays piano and she seems impressed.

Aside Number 6 – my attempt to reconcile this with full knowledge of the outcome is that, since Daniel and Charlotte crushed on each other, but never made the love connection on the island, this encounter is not enough for them to regain their island memories. Of course, Daniel seems to have some of his, accessible through dreams, anyway, which was how he remembered detonating jughead.

David and Claire go to table 23 (Shephard!), where Desmond and Kate sit. Kate and Claire recognize each other from their brief Thelma and Louise routine.

Dr. Chang introduces the concert, with Daniel playing, accompanied by Drive Shaft. A proud Eloise beams. Miles and Charlotte sit at their table and look as if they almost know him. Reluctantly Charlie starts to play, but doesn’t sing when he sees Claire, and stares at her, gobsmacked (“is this,” he seems to be thinking, “my vision of true love, made flesh?”). She notices, and assumes its someone else he’s looking at, then smiles…and promptly goes into labor. She gets up to “go to the bathroom,” and Charlie watches her leave. Kate follows. Claire goes backstage, under a picture of a shark that looks like the DHARMA shark. Kate finds her and helps her to a couch.

Desmond enjoys the concert, until Eloise joins him. “I thought I made it clear that you were to stop this,” she scolds. “Perfectly clear,” he responds (and man will I miss the way that Desmond accent sounds when he’s being petulant). “I chose to ignore you.” “And once they know, what then,” Eloise asks” “Then, we’re leaving,” Desmond responds. They look at Dan. “Are you going to take my son,” Eloise asks, deeply concerned. He takes her hand. “Not with me, no,” Desmond reassures her. She frowns, but then looks at peace.

Aside Number 7, AKA “The Big One.” In my mind, this discussion between Eloise and Desmond was the most revealing clue, in retrospect, as to what the Sideways world was all about. We know from later in the episode that entry into Sideways world was accomplished by dying, and that our characters all gained entry at various points in history, depending on their actual dates of death. There is substantial debate as to whether or not Sideways world can correctly be described as Purgatory, and Jeff Jensen certainly felt this to be the case. I’ll discuss the Purgatory-ness of Sideways world later. But for now, here’s my theory. Many have already told me – directly or through their own recaps (in the case of Jensen) – that they disagree, but ultimately, this blog is “Lost Lover at Law,” and I shall marshall the evidence that supports my theory.

First of all, whatever its metaphysical meaning, I believe Sideways world was created by the detonation of Jughead. Second of all, I believe one’s existence in Sideways world is the opportunity to live the life each character may have had, but without either or both of the influence the island and its synchronicity (and Jacob) exerted, or some other single aspect that haunted each character.

I also believe that Eloise Hawking, perhaps by being the single Others leader who came closest to qualifying to be Jacob’s replacement, may have been exposed to Source-y radiation (like Desmond) and, as such, had gained some of the same future-flashy abilities as Mr. Hume. But I also think her extra island experience gave her a better ability to read those flashes, and know their meaning.

With that foundation, I believe Eloise, from the moment she shot Daniel, was determined to undo her “mistake.” She came to realize that, what’s done is done, but another world could have been created under certain circumstances that would have given her and her son a posthumous life together free of the island forces that led to his death. In this world, Daniel could become the musical virtuoso he was always meant to be, and she and he could live together in a way that did not require her constantly molding him into the driven physicist who was needed to make that other world happen. The reason she knew the Jughead plan would work was that she had Desmond-type visions, where she saw that it had worked. Whether she ended up in Sideways world knowing it had worked or had to be “island-awakened” to gain that awareness is immaterial. She got there. Finally, I believe that everything that happened on the island, including the return of the Oceanic 6, was deliberately engineered by Eloise for the purpose of bringing about Sideways world. Here is my evidence:

1) Eloise was insistent, first with Desmond, and then with the Oceanic 6, that they had to return to the island and fulfill their destinies. She gave dire threats to cajole each of the characters into complying. She did this because, if they had not gone back in time (which her future flashes told her would happen), there would be no Jughead, and no flash-sideways.

2) When Desmond was shot by Ben, and Eloise was at the hospital, she told Penny she didn’t know whether Desmond would recover, because she didn’t know what happen from that point on. This tells me that her future flashes shifted gears so that, after she dispatched the Oceanic 6 on their Jughead mission, she could only “see” the Sideways world. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the same thing happened to Desmond, since we got no real indication that he ever detected any future beyond this point, either, except for the Sideways world he misinterpreted.

3) Sideways Daniel, despite not having been “island-activated” gained enough insight through his dreams to “remember” having detonated Jughead. For this to happen without a full regaining of his island memories, I think the event needed to have a special significance to the Sideways world.

4) Juliet’s final message to Sawyer – “it worked.” Sure, it took on the double-entendre from their Sideways vending machine encounter, but for that moment to carry back to the island world in her consciousness, I think both meanings needed to apply.

5) I just cannot reconcile the notion that an entire season (Season 5) of the series existed simply to motivate an in-person look at DHARMA with no further meaning other than to set up the mother of all red herrings. Season 5 was a full year and a half after the writers negotiated their end date and began plotting out how Lost would go. While I do believe they deliberately intended to leave the question open to debate as to whether or not Sideways world was related to Jughead, I think if we could read their minds, we would learn that it was. I think that, to the extent that other viewers disagree with me, it may be because they have imposed their own spiritual or religious world-view upon their viewing of Lost. But since mine does not have a well-defined notion of what the afterlife is, I am more of a blank slate capable of taking my meaning just from what the show presented.

Of course, over the past couple of weeks, various other thoughts have come in and out of my head about what evidence does and doesn’t support this theory, and if it comes to me after I post this, I’ll do an update in part 3 of my final post. But for now, there it is. Now, discuss.

Charlie goes back and finds Kate helping Claire. Kate sends him for water and blankets, and knows she has to deliver the baby. As Claire pushes, Kate flashes to the island, to the other time she delivered Aaron. She tears up, then gets back into it. She remembers everything as she takes Aaron, and when Claire sees him, she starts to remember, too. “Aaron,” she cries. And they’re proud, not just of the baby, but of their memory. When Charlie looks at Claire, and she looks back knowingly, he says it’s just a blanket. Kate tells him to give it to her. Claire takes his hand, and he remembers everything. She says, “Charlie,” And their whole relationship comes back. He tears up and kisses her, with Kate and Aaron there for the show. Charlie knows Aaron right then and there. Desmond comes back, and asks if Kate understands. She chokes up. “So, now what,” she aks and he smiles at her.

Aside Number 8 – my corollary theory is that, because of the involvement of Jughead, a person’s appearance and age in Sideways world matches up with how they were on the island. If Sideways were a separate purgatory, unconnected to the island, why would each character appear as they did in island time? Why would Ji Yeon be a fetus, and Aaron an infant? And why would island-enlightened parents still recognize their children as their children?

Jack’s neck cut reopens as Locke is wheeled to recovery. Locke wakes up earlier than he should have. Jack stays with him. Jack tells him not to move, but John says, “it worked.” He says he can feel his legs. Jack tries to pooh-pooh this, but then John wiggles his toes, and, as he does, he flashes to when he first awoke on the island, and then all his memories. “Ohhh…did you see that,” John smiles. “You don’t remember?” Jack starts to flash, but shakes it off. “What we need to do…” Jack says, trying so hard to stay in the moment. Locke interrupts, “what we need to do, is go. Will you come with me?” Jack says he needs to see his son. John says, “you don’t have a son, Jack.” Jack asks the nurse to get him something to rest. “Jack,” Locke says, “I hope that someone does for you what you just did for me.” And Jack turns and leaves.

Aside Number 9 – Could this be further support for my theories? John Locke died scared and alone and confused. Why would his moment of clarity not bring back those same feelings? Because he now knows, due to the connection between the island and Sideways, that his time there did make a difference.

Detective Ford goes to question Jin and Sun, but they’re checking out. He asks if they saw Sayid. She says no protection needed. “All due respect,” the confused detective insists, “I have a job to do here ma’am.” “It’s ok,” Sun assures. “I have faith.” As they leave, Jin says, “we’ll see you there.” James gives his best WTF look and asks, “See me where?” He encounters Jack in the hallway, and Jack directs him to the vending machines. James thinks he knows him, then shakes it off. The Appollo bar he tries to buy gets stuck, so he tries to reach for it. Juliet sees him and offers to help. He says he’s a cop, and she suggests, playfully, “maybe you should read the machine its rights.” She tells him if he unplugs and plugs it back in, the machine drops the candy. He goes to do just that, and accidentally kills the lights. She hands it to him. “It worked.” And then they both flash. They jump back. “Did you feel that?” he asks, as neither of them has fully given in to their respective flashes. “We should get coffee some time,” she suggests, re-flashing her death moment on the island. “I’d love to but the machine ate my dollar,” he responds. “I only got one left”. She says, “we can go dutch,” and their relationship comes back to them. They embrace. She cries, “kiss me, James.” “You got it, Blondie,” he repeats what he said during their last kiss on the island. And they kiss deeply.

Aside Number 10 – To me, this was the most powerful moment of the finale. For as little screen time as it enjoyed, I believed the Sawyer/ Juliet relationship as the most “real” relationship on the island (except, perhaps, for Jin and Sun). I had suspected for some time, without knowing precisely what Sideways was, that Juliet’s dying words somehow involved her channeling their Sideways meet-cute from the “future,” and that, of course, panned out. Perhaps Juliet’s presence when the bomb and the Swan energy pocket interacted gave her, in her dying moments, Desmond-type powers? In any case, I was positively weepy when these two got back together in this moment.

Jack tries to find David at the concert, but it’s done, and people are leaving. He goes for his phone, but then sees Kate. She says it’s over. “You looking for someone,” she asks. He says, yeah, and talks about his son. He looks at her and she looks for him to remember. “I’m sorry,” he says. “Where do I remember you from?” “I stole your pen,” she offers. “Oceanic 815? Coming from Sydney? I bumped into you and stole your pen.” “That’s how I know you,” Jack asks, his innate empiricism actually compelling his bigger meaning realization. “No,” smiles Kate. “That’s not how you know me.” She touches him, and he starts to flash. She says, “I’ve missed you so much.” He backs away. “What is happening to me,” Jack wonders aloud. “Who are you? I don’t understand.” “I know you don’t understand, Jack,” Kate reassures, “but if you come with me, you will.”

Aside Number 11 – Jack’s eventual inability to fight off his island recall brings to mind the ultimate weakness of his character. I’m ok with the notion that empiricism has a place in face of miracles. But to ignore the facts and sensations one encounters because you don’t have the explanation? That’s not empiricism. That’s giving over to cognitive dissonance. “I don’t understand so I will ignore until it goes away” is a stupid and dangerous way to live life, and I always faulted Jack’s character for acting that way.

At the church where Christian’s casket was delivered, Locke gets out of his cab. The driver brings around his wheelchair and helps him in. With a big smile, Locke rolls himself over to where Ben sits, staring at the church. “Hello, Benjamin,” Locke beams, full forgiveness in his gaze. “Hello, John,” Ben responds, humbly (perhaps for the first time). John smiles. “Is everyone already inside?” “I believe most of them are, yes,” Ben responds, and then apologizes for what he did. “I was selfish. Jealous. I wanted everything you had.” John asks, “what did I have?” “You were special, John, and I wasn’t,” Ben explains. John smiles at him. “Well, if it matters, Ben, I forgive you.” Ben thanks him, “it matters more than I can say. Ben says he has some things he still needs to work out, so he’ll stay there for a while. “You know, I don’t think you need to be in that chair anymore,” he suggests to John. And so, John stands up, and watches the chair roll away. “Good-bye, Ben,” Locke smiles. Ben nods at him, and John ascends the stairs. Hurley steps outside. “Hey, dude.” Ben beams, “hello Hugo.” “We’re all inside, beckons Hugo.” “I don’t think I’m coming in,” Ben politely responds. Hurley says, “you know, you were a really good number 2.” “And you were a great number 1, Hugo,” Ben responds. Hugo thanks him, and goes back inside.

Aside Number 12 – my take on Ben’s decision not to go inside is that, he never really enjoyed a nuclear family unit, and his newfound Sideways life with Danielle and Alex Rousseau gives him just that. I think, much as Eloise wanted Daniel to have time with his musical life, Ben wants to enjoy this existence before moving on.

My brother, Carl, has a different take. Carl believes that Ben has succeeded Hurley as “No. 1” on the island, and that one of the powers that comes with that station is the ability to move freely between island and Sideways worlds. While an interesting notion, I prefer my more “character-centered” explanation. Still, both Carl and I seem tickled by the notion of the further island adventures of Ben and Hugo (one of several possible spinoffs!) According to Michael Emerson, there will be a bonus feature in the Lost complete series box set that shows a 12-14 minute scene of Hurley and Ben running the island in the time after Jack’s passing. I, for one, would really enjoy seeing that.

As for Locke and Ben, I have nothing to add – the scene so eloquently spoke for itself, and it was great to see these two fine actors have one final shared moment before the series closed out.

Jack and Kate pull up in Jack’s old Bronco. She asks if he knows where they are. “Where I was going to have my father’s funeral,” he responds, still clinging to the Sideways life. She apologizes. She says she brought him here, because this is where he is going to have his father’s funeral. She sends him around back, and says she’s going inside to wait for him, once he’s ready, to leave.

In the church, in the room where Jack and Eloise once had their private meeting, Jack sees a rosary, then spots his dad’s coffin. He goes to open it. Behind him is a stained glass window with the symbols of many faiths. As he touches the casket, he flashes again. He is taken aback, but then embraces it, and his island history comes back to him. He lifts the casket, but it’s empty. “Hey, kiddo,” Christian’s voice calls.” Jack turns. “Dad,” he asks, confused. “Hello, Jack,” Christian smiles. “I don’t understand,” Jack protests, “you died.” “Yeah, yes I did,” Christian responds, smiling. “Then how are you here right now,” Jack asks. “How are you here,” Christian asks knowingly. Jack realizes. “I died, too,” he suddenly realizes. He cries. “That’s ok, son,” Christian reassures. They hug. Jack cries as they embrace. They say they love each other. Jack asks if he’s real. “I sure hope so,” Christian jokes, “yeah, I’m real, you’re real. Everything that’s ever happened to you is real. All those people in the church, they’re all real, too.” “They’re all dead,” Jack asks, feeling for a moment as though he failed his people. “Everybody dies some time, kiddo,” Christian explains. “Some before you, some long after you.” “Why now,” Jack asks. “Well, there is no now, here,” Christian explains. Jack asks where they are. “This is the place that you all made together so that you could find one another,” Christian further elucidates. “The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people. You needed all of them. And they needed you. To remember, and to let go.” Jack smiles, “Kate, she said we were leaving.” “No,” corrects Christian gently, “moving on.” “Where are we going,” Jack asks. “Let’s go find out,” Christian suggests. Arm in arm, they go into the church, and the whole principal cast is there, all greeting each other.

Intercut with the walk into the church is Jack’s death march on the island, out to the bamboo forest, to the spot where he first awoke on the island, by the lone sneaker, still dangling. His nose is bleeding like Minkowski, Charlotte, and Desmond – all victims of “island energy.”

Jack’s hug to Sawyer in the church is especially touching, as is the smile he shares with Kate.

On the island, Jack stumbles to that spot where he first awoke after 815 crashed. He lies down in the forest.

He sits down with Kate in the church.

As he stares up to the sky through the bamboo… as his friends sit down in the church…Christian holds his shoulder. Vincent barks, and comes to sit by dying Jack on the island, just as he ran by in the pilot. Jack is happy to see him, then looks up.

In the church, Jack is happy, at peace. Christian opens the back door, and a bright light washes over the assembled. They are all dazzled by its brilliance.

On the island, the last thing Jack sees is the Ajira plane taking off. Then Jack’s eye closes, the mirror image of the first scene of the pilot.

And with that, Lost ends.

Aside Number 13 – a popular, but misguided, interpretation of this last sequence was that all the main characters died when flight 815 crashed. Others believed that the Ajira plane crashed on take-off leaving the island. These theories were bolstered by the odd choice of ABC (and not the writers of the show) to run b-roll footage of the flight 815 crash site over the end credits. But that is not the meaning of this finale at all.

First, Jorge Garcia read the last page of the script on his last “Geronimo’s Jack’s Beard” podcast: "The plane clears frame, finally free of the island. Jack Shephard has finally done what he came to this place to do. He has found his purpose. He has found love and been loved. He has finally found a way to love himself. The bamboo sways across t...he blue sky, and Jack Shephard's eye closes one final time. He is gone."

Second, there is Christian’s line to Jack – that they all died at different times, some before Jack, others long after.

Third, there was Kate’s line about having missed Jack for so long.

And then there’s Ben and Hugo reminiscing over their time running the island. This only began after Jack turned over the reins to Hurley.

Finally, there’s Ben’s presence at all at the church (even if he did not go in). If Ben was never on flight 815, what would he be doing there with all the people who were?

Nope – the characters really did crash on the island. They really did have adventures there. They died as we saw them die, except for Kate, Hurley, Ben, Claire, Miles, Frank, Richard, Sawyer, Ji Yeon and Aaron. Those characters went on to live their lives, eventually dying, with their souls landing in the timeless “place” that was Sideways world.

So was Sideways world “Purgatory?” I share with you a discussion I had with Greg Smith, a friend of a friend. My take was that it was not Purgatory. Purgatory is a place where people go who have not quite earned themselves a path to either Heaven or Hell. Every character on Lost was going to get to move on to the light (the Lost version of Heaven) as soon as they remembered their pasts. The criteria for entry into this cosmic way point – which, as noted above, was created (in my mind) by the H-bomb blast – was being touched by the island. Purgatory, in my understanding, is an eternal place for those who do not qualify for Heaven, and yet do not find themselves consigned to Hell.

Greg responded, “I agree mostly with you except that I don't think Jughead had anything to do with the Sideways - it was just a part of the trick.... We've had a lot of discussions in the office about this. I've concluded that Jughead did nothing more than set off a time flash, transporting all the Losties back to the ‘Present.’ Strongest evidence for this is Juliet being transported to the hole... I might wager that there was no explosion at all, and the power of Jughead was dampened/restricted by the electromagnetic force of the future-swan. As the Sideways was not caused by Jughead, then we have to assume that the Present they are transported to is on the same time line as the Jughead incident. And since the Swan still appears to have been built, and there's no giant crater that would have been caused by an atomic blast. Lastly, when I use the term Purgatory - I'm speaking very broadly of aspiritual waystation of sorts... nothing in any theistic sense...”

Casey Flaherty, who introduced Greg and me for this discussion, weighed in on my take on Purgatory, too. “Not to get all 16-years of Catholic school on you, but I do not necessarily agree with your description of Purgatory. Purgatory is traditionally a place of purification for those who have died in a state of grace. That is, they are guaranteed a place in Heaven once they have paid for their sins…Indeed, I am not aware of any state for souls that have not been designated for assignment to Heaven or Hell (seems to obviate the importance of what is done in this world). The state that comes quickest to mind is Limbo, which has been discarded. Limbo, however, is largely nonpersonal because it is predicated on Original Sin and the temporal arrival of the Christ. I am not a theologian, not religious, and in no position to comment on Lost.”

I’ve said my peace on this, except to note that 6-faith stained glass window, which, to me, was placed at the church to tell us that no one religion’s views was being endorsed or depicted by Lost. Rather, this “afterlife” was the creation of the Lost executive producers – one Catholic, one Jewish, and neither expressly channeling either faith.

And that, my fellow Lostophiles, is the end of part 2 of my finale recap. I’ll return once more for my full recap of Lost as a series and a moment in popular culture. Until then, Namaste.

Episodes 617-618: "The End" (Part 1 of 3)

2010-05-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

Foreword

So, Lostophiles, we've reached the end, fittingly enough, with an episode titled, "The End." What follows is the first of three parts for my last ever post. In part one, I recap and interpret the end of island story...except for the very end. In part two, I will recap and interpret the end of the sideways story, as well as the final few beats of the island story. Then, in part three, I will look back at the series as a whole, and my experiences thinking and writing about it.

Unlike most of my recaps in the past three seasons, I came up with my interpretations on my own, largely while watching, but also while “sleeping on it.” That said, I have read, seen and heard others, and will call them to your attention from time to time.

So, with that in mind, let's pick up with the island story...(Cue that "whoosh" sound we're all going to miss http://www.losthatch.com/sounds/sound_effects/flashback_strings2.mp3)...

The Island – Jack Qua Jacob

Jack’s hands shake as he takes them from the water, his new life as protector beginning.

Kate watches Jack’s moment, but then it is Sawyer that joins Jack. Sawyer wonders what happened, and Jack says, “that makes two of us.” Jack says he doesn’t feel any different. In one of the great Sawyerisms of all time, James asks, “why don’t you come down off the mountain top and tell us what the hell the burning bush had to say for itself?”

Jack gathers his foursome, and tells them about the light, and the heart of the island, and how Flocke wants to put it out, and that would be “it for all of us.” Sawyer surmises that FLocke needs Desmond. Hurley says Jacob is worse than Yoda in his not saying anything substantive. Sawyer is dispatched to get Desmond, and bring him to the Source. He tells Kate he’d ask her along, but that would take the fun out of telling her she can’t come, and she smiles that she’ll just have to resist the urge to go anyway. Hurley has his second Star Wars moment – “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Aside Number 1 – This opening sequence with four characters who we first met in the pilot offered a quick summary of what was to come, but also a brilliant look back at wh these people were, and their history together. The Sawyer/Kate exchange, in particular, was one of many “for old times’ sake” moments in the episode.

Kate asks Jack why he took the job, and he says, “because I was supposed to.” “Why,” challenges Kate, “because some stranger wrote our names on the wall?” Candidly, Jack admits, “I took it because it’s the only thing I have left. The island is the only thing I haven’t screwed up.” She tries to assure him nothing is irreversible. Hurley silent throughout this exchange, quips, “this would be so sweet if we weren’t all about to die.”

Aside Number 2 – previewing a bit of my final thoughts, it’s dialog like this that hammers home the fact that Lost really was a character-based drama more than it was about the mysteries contained within its plot, and when we look back on the show, I have a feeling our lingering memories will be more along the lines of “oh, that’s so Hurley of you” than “I think I want to deteritorialize ursus maritimus” (bonus points if you get that reference).

Ben spots Sawyer watching Flocke retract the rope that had been lowered into the well, and “invites” him – at gunpoint – to join them. Flocke, smelling his final victory, actually smiles at him. He asks if James knows why he’s here. “I’m guessing you need Desmond to destroy the island.” Flocke is impressed. “That’s absolutely right.” Ben can’t believe his ears (which is odd, given that the last episode ended with Flocke specifically telling Ben he was going to destroy the island). Flocke insists he’s not going down with anything, but James and the other candidates are. James smiles that rakish Sawyer smile and assures him they’re not candidates anymore, then head butts Ben and takes his gun and walks off. Flocke tells Ben he doesn’t need to go after him, and then assures him, despite his lie about leaving him in charge, he would still sail away with him when the island collapsed. Flocke then spots dog tracks.

Aside Number 3 – since we never do get any kind of resolution on this, I’m going to find in this moment further support for my theory about Smokey, and how he works. There was never any evidence that MIB was a particularly exceptional hunter or tracker. That was all John Locke. In case you forgot my theory, it is that Smokey was always down in that Source cave, and MIB actually died at Jacob’s hand. Smokey is not, and never was fully human, at least not as MIB, and instead takes on the personality and characteristics of the dead bodies he copies. In the case of Locke, this makes him an expert hunter tracker, but also someone who refuses to listen to anyone telling him his personal limitations. I’ll discuss the weaknesses of this theory – which I do acknowledge – later.

Desmond awakens at casa de Bernard and Rose. Bernard greets him, and he and Vincent (the track-leaver) go for fish. Desmond asks Rose how long they’ve been living here. “Well, we built this place in 75,” reflects Rose, “and lived here a couple of years, and then the sky lit up again. So God only knows when in the hell we are now.”

Aside Number 4 – in the Geronimo Jack’s Beard podcast for this episode, Jorge Garcia’s girlfriend, Beth (who goes by the online handle “Sidekick 22”) questions if this was an error, since time jumps make things disappear. The answer to that is simple – no. Time jumps only make things disappear when they send you back in time before the current structure was built. Since the last time jump was 30 years into the future (to the present – Aaaaaaaigh!), Rose and Bernard’s structure was still there.

Umm, so then why did nobody find it in the intervening 30 years? First of all, who’s to say they didn’t? Second of all, Rose and Bernard were able to avoid detection during the island’s most populated time in history – the height of the DHARMA initiative. If they stayed hidden then, I see no reason their little hut wouldn’t still be there, perhaps in need of minor repairs, after that last time jump.

Rose levels with Desmond – after breakfast, she’s going to ask him to move on. They broke their non-involvement rule with him. Bernard returns with Flocke and Ben. Flocke greets Rose while pulling out his knife. He tells Desmond, “come with me now or I’ll kill them both right in front of you.” Rose, non-involvement no longer an option, assures him he doesn’t have to go,” and Flocke says, in perhaps his most evil line ever, “I’ll make it hurt.” Desmond gets Flocke’s word he won’t touch them, ever. “Then I’ll do what you want,” he agrees (with, as we soon learn, a really wrong idea about why he has nothing to fear). “Yes, Desmond,” Flocke says with a whole lot of smug self-satisfaction. “You will.” Desmond tells Flocke he assumes he’s being taken to a place with a very bright light. Desmond knows this because, well, “it’s just a hunch.” The walkie goes off in ben’s pocket, but he pretends he hears nothing when Flocke asks about it. Ben subtly turns it off.

Aside Number 5 – Flocke knows from Widmore that Desmond has survived the kind of E.M. bursts that the source will expose him to, but apparently doesn’t know the effect they’ve had on Desmond, i.e. his ability to perceive across time. Either that, or he just doesn’t care about Desmond’s lie about having a “hunch.” It was also great to see Ben’s last connection to his momentary stepping into the light – the walkie set he split with Miles – was still active, and that Ben still wanted to keep that from his new “master.”

Miles, unable to reach Ben, has found Richard. Richard asks if he still has the C4, because they need to go finish what they started.

Sawyer catches up to Jack and his crew. He starts to tell him they need to find Desmond, but Jack says there’s no point in racing to find Desmond, because they’re all going to the same place, anyways. Sawyer, wondering perhaps why he bothered walking into the lion’s den, asks, “what then?” “Then,” Jack says, “it ends.”

Aside Number 6 – I get the sense that at this point, Jack doesn’t so much have any additional knowledge per se abut what will happen at the Source. Rather, he just has a John Locke-level faith that things are supposed to work out, bolstered by his own empirical evidence of having seen some of the island’s miracles first-hand.

Richard and Miles get the outrigger ready. Richard notes a hell of a storm is coming. Miles says, “welcome to the club,” and demonstrates Richard’s first gray hair. Richard smiles, and explains to Miles it’s because he just realized he wants to live. Miles smirks, “good timing.”

Aside Number 7 – I think what we’re meant to take from Richard’s first sign of aging in 141 years is the notion that Jacob’s personal effects on the island and those he touched have been extinguished with his death. What the castaways probably don’t realize is that they are no longer protected by Jacob’s touch, and that Flocke can, probably, kill them all at will now. Of course, they probably never knew to what extent they were protected, so it’s not like they’re going to behave any differently. Kudos to Nestor Carbonell for bringing home this last great Alpert moment. I hope for Richard that the past century and a half have taught him that he’s not necessarily consigned to Hell for the accident that killed the doctor and failed to save his wife.

As they row, Miles and Richard hear debris floating, and see a dead body from one of the sub sailors. They hear a cry for help, and see, floating in a pile of life vests…Frank Lapidus! He asks what they’re doing. Richard tells him the “blow up the plane to prevent Flocke’s escape from the island” plan. “Well,” smiles Frank, “if we leave, that thing won’t have a plane anymore.” Richard asks how, and Frank says, gesturing to his increasingly beat up uniform, “in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a pilot.”

Aside Number 8 – I had held out hope that, since we didn’t actually see Frank die in the sub, he had not. Still, the producers certainly made it seem as though he might have, making Frank’s unsinkable nature that much more fun as a surprise. I want some Lapidus luck. He missed flight 815 by sleeping in. He survived the e.m. attack on his helicopter. He narrowly missed blowing up on the freighter. He survived his fuelless helicopter crashing into open ocean, and was rescued from a life raft floating in the middle of nowhere. He survived the crash-landing of Ajira 316. And, now, he was the last survivor of Widmore’s sinking sub. That said, I’d just as soon never be in any kind of vehicle with the man!

Flocke, Ben and Desmond encounter Jack’s group on a hill – the same hill where Ben once intercepted them on the way to the broadcast station. (Note – I base this on the similarity of the terrain; I’m sure Lost has reused many Oahu locales for multiple locations on the island. Still, I like the notion that this was “the place” for these adversarial détentes on the island). Flocke says, “ is going to be interesting.” Kate, grabbing the rifle Sawyer had taken from Ben, starts shooting (and Ben and Desmond drop and take cover). Flocke walks through it, and suggests she might want to save her bullets. He walks up to Jack, apparently sensing his water-drinking recent past. “So it’s you, huh?” “Yeah, it’s me,” Jack says, in the typical unimaginative heroic retort. “Jacob being who he is,” observes Flocke, “I expected more of a surprise. You’re sort of the obvious choice.” Jack corrects that he wasn’t chosen, and that he’s not there to stop Flocke. Jack says Flocke thinks he’s going to destroy the island, but that’s not what’s going to happen. “What’s going to happen, Jack?” In another in Jack’s long series of threats to island adversaries, Jack responds, “I’m going to kill you.” “How are you planning to do that,” asks the incredulous smoke monster. “That’s a surprise,” Jack says, with a hint of a twinkle in his eye. “Ok,” shrugs Flocke. “Let’s get on with it.”

Aside Number 9 – Another John Locke trait inherited by Smokey is this blind faith that he’s meant to complete whatever his current task is. It’s as though he cannot fathom the potential that he may not survive this encounter, perhaps because he’s lived for thousands of years.

Flocke leads the group. Sawyer asks Jack how he’s going to kill Flocke. The answer: Desmond. But he doesn’t know how, except he assumes Desmond is a weapon (which was why Jacob brought him back). Again - big leap of faith, Doc! Flocke insists just he, Jack and Desmond continue on. Hurley tells Jack, “I believe in you, dude.”

As they walk through the bamboo, thunder claps, and Flocke says, “it’s going to be a bad one.” Flocke sees the cave from which he sprung, and declares, “we’re here.” They both tie a rope around Desmond and a tree. Desmond tells Jack this doesn’t matter, the destruction of the island. Because he’s going to go someplace else, where they can be with the ones they love, and never need to think about the damn island again. Desmond tells Jack he’s there too, and they landed together on 815. Desmond says he thinks he can bring Jack, too. Jack says there are no shortcuts, no do-overs. All of this matters. He already tried this before.

Aside Number 10 - More on this in part 2 of my recap, but as I interpret this, Desmond's future flashes apparently have given him the ability to "see" the flash-sideways. The extra extra sensory perception appears to have been enabled by his Widmore-induced second EM blast. Given those perceptions, Desmond made the same misperception the audience has to date - that the sideways world is a parallel, "better" world, and that, by virtue of having seen it, he knows he will get there. I don't think Desmond would have been so inclined to walk to his apparent doom with such inner peace if he knew he would be compelling Penny and Charlie to live their whole lives without him, i.e. that one literally must die to get into Sideways world.

Ben’s walkie goes off, and Miles says they’re going to fly the plane, and everyone needs to get over there. Claire walks out of the jungle and shoots at Miles, Frank and Richard’ feet. Kate asks what happened, and to talk to Claire, who assumes they’ve been sent by Flocke. Richard tries to convince her they can escape and never look back. Richard says, “you can come with us, Claire,” and Claire says, “no.” And she walks off, in a huff.

Aside Number 11 – per Jorge Garcia on Geronimo Jack’s Beard, Claire and Flocke were supposed to have a scene last week where he cast her aside, but it was cut to fit the episode to time. I think that may have made her reactions here make a lot more sense. Given the whole “Claire is crazy” dynamic this season, I think the producers figured we’d just roll with her acting in a way that, objectively, makes no sense.

Desmond smiles as he says that he knows, when he’s lowered, he should go where the light is brightest. Jack and Flocke lower him down. Flocke talks about how this brings back old times, them staring down a hole with Desmond and electromagnetism in it. “If there was a button down there to push,” Flocke says nostalgically, “we could fight about whether to push it.” Jack reminds him he’s not John Locke. “You disrespect his memory by wearing his face,” Jack says with a certain amount of self-righteousness, “but it turns out he was right about pretty much everything.” Flocke says he was wrong about everything, and Jack will realize it when the island drops into the ocean. They stare down the hole, the duplicate of the last shot of Season 1.

Aside Number 12 – And here it is – the further evidence in support of my theory that Smokey eventually comes to believe he is the person whose form he emulates. Flocke just reminisced about memories that John Locke had had before he died, and he did so fondly, only to be reminded that he thought Locke was a chump. I wonder if his insistence on that point was itself to try to fight off the extent to which Locke’s personality was supplanting his own.

Bear in mind, that approximately 1700 years (give or take) transpired between Smokey’s “birth” in “Across the Sea” and the next time we saw him on the shore in “The Incident” as MIB. That’s presumably enough time for him to have forgotten he was never anything but a smoke monster and completely embraced his identity as Samuel.

Wait a second – what’s this about “Samuel?” Well, according to Kristen Dos Santos at E! Online, in the scripts where man in black appeared, he was listed as “Samuel” in certain drafts. Sure, we never got the name on screen, and even Titus Welliver, who played MIB, never seemed to adopt that name for the character. But somewhere in the Lostverse, MIB was called by some people, “Samuel.”

But then I promised earlier to discuss the flaw in my theory. I’m sure many of you have guessed it by now. If Flocke was really always a smoke monster, and, in particular, one that existed before Jacob became the island protector, then how is it he “became” human enough to kill in this episode? Doesn’t that suggest, Dan, that he had a human form to return to? Hmm...an interesting point. But the same flaw dogs the other prevailing MIB theory – that his soul was ripped from his body and became Smokey, leaving his former body dead on the creek bed. Because if that was his body, then when Smokey lost his Smokeyness, it should have been the cave skeleton, and not Flocke, that became kill-able. And that, my friends, would be the zombie season of Lost.

So I’ll toss out this little extra theory nugget: first, my theory stands, i.e. that Smokey had an existence before MIB and was not his ripped-out soul. I now add to it the following: you can’t really kill Smokey, at least not for all time. Rather, under certain conditions, he takes on the final attributes of whatever human form he’s emulating, and can be “killed” in such a way that he ceases to be a threat...unless and until conditions similar to MIB’s floating into the Source cave exist, at which point the Source recreates Smokey. Given the common theory that “Mother” had some degree of Smokey-ness to her, perhaps her having passed to Jacob the guardianship of the island was, in part, how it was that her smokey-ness became killable by MIB. But she, actually split the two aspects of herself into Jacob (Guardian) and MIB (monster), with the smoke monster only capable of being released after MIB’s mortal death. More on this theory, later, and more on the fact that I can still generate theories like this after the series has ended in part 3 of my finale post-a-pallooza.

At the base of the well, Desmond sees the skeletons of others who tried to get to the light. Then he sees a pool, with a series of aqueducts feeding it. In the middle of the pool is a rock, sort of a plug, from which the energy seems to emanate. As he steps into the water, the E.M. energy radiates, with the humming sound that is so familiar from the Swan station. He lifts out the plug, causing the familiar increased magnetism sounds, which then fade out as the ducts stop feeding the pool. The light fades, too, and the pool disappears. The light goes out, and the glow of lava shines through where the plug had been, with steam pouring out. Desmond screams, no! Flocke taunts Jack, “it looks like you were wrong.” He gets up, and says, “good-bye, Jack” as the ground starts to shake. Jack follows, and when he punches Flocke, they both notice that he made him bleed. “Looks like you were wrong, too,” Jack taunts back. But Flocke grabs a rock and smacks Jack in the head, then stumbles away.

Aside Number 13 – I took Desmond’s reaction, the “nooo!” to indicate that he just realized he was wrong about the flash-sideways, and thus also wrong to not fear death on his return trip to the island. As for Jack and Flocke’s dual mistakes – Desmond’s activity did start the process of destroying the island, but it also did make it possible for Jack to kill Flocke...well, doesn’t that make you think of the typical parental punishment for kids fighting over a toy, i.e. to take it from both of them?

I’m also thinking back to “The Man Behind the Curtain” where young Ben in his class with friend Annie was taught about the volcanic origin of the island. I don’t pretend to understand the science of it all, but it looks like the Source room worked somehow by using the ancient plug to unite water and volcanic energy to generate the “unique electromagnetic energy” found on the island. I guess to ask for more understanding on that is to ask just how it is that the midichlorians make you have The Force...

The quakes intensify, and Sawyer and company are smacked around. Ben pushes Hugo out of the way of a large falling tree, only to have the tree land on him.

Jack awakens in the pouring rain. He goes back into the cave and pulls the rope, calling to Desmond, but gets no response. Jack chases off after Flocke.

Kate assures Ben they’ll free him. She, Sawyer and Hurley struggle to do just that. Another tremor causes Sawyer to say Locke was right. The walkie goes off, and Kate answers. As Richard and Frank repair the plane, Miles tells Kate that Claire doesn’t want to come. Miles, at Ben’s direction, asks how long the repairs will take. Frank says 5 hours, maybe 6, but Richard says they have about 1. Ben says he knows how they can get to Hydra island that fast – Flocke has a boat.

Flocke stands at the ladder over the cliff, Elizabeth in the water below him. Jack finds him, and charges from the higher ground. He fly-tackles his nemesis, and they struggle. Flocke drops his pack, and Jack starts to choke him. Flocke gets the upper hand, but his knife starts to shake away. They dive for it. Jack chokes Flocke as the cliffs fall away. Flocke gets the knife and stabs – right where an appendix scar would be (and where, I'm told, Jesus was speared during the crucifiction). Flocke goes to slash Jack's throat, and starts to cut it. He says, "I want you know, Jack. You died for nothing." But then he gets shot, by Kate, who says, “I saved you a bullet.” Flocke looks up at Jack. "You’re too late," he gloats. Jack kicks him over the cliff face, and he falls, much like John Locke falling out of the window. He lands on a ledge, dead.

Aside Number 14 - Jack's sideways injuries have just been explained. The appendix scar was a red herring we thought was meant to refer the audience to Jack's appendix having been removed by Juliet. And the recurring neck wound was the cut by Flocke's knife.

An interesting story about the shot where Jack got stabbed in the abdomen. According to Jorge Garcia, while they were shooting the scene, Matthew Fox (Jack) experimented with different knife-catching "pads," and in some takes wore nothing. On the final take, he went with a kevlar pad. Meanwhile, Terry O'Quinn (Locke/ Smokey) had both a real knife and a retractable one that he was supposed to grab out of frame before stabbing Jack. On that last take, O'Quinn forgot to make the switch, and stabbed Fox with the real knife. Fortunately, the mistake was made on the same take for which Fox wore the kevlar pad, the only one that would have prevented a real knife from actually puncturing through to his gut!

Finally, a note on the death of Smokey. As cool as Kate's 80's action-movie type line, "I saved you a bullet" was, I kind of wanted the smoke monster to be a little harder to kill than one gunshot and a kick over the ledge. Supposedly, this was the one "big bad" who had menaced our characters from day 1, and his death was so anticlimactic, particularly after Jack had to go through the whole "you're the new Jacob" thing before Flocke could be killed. Of course, the story didn't end here...

Kate helps Jack back from the edge, but he’s clearly hurting. He tells her he’ll be fine. "Find me some thread," they joke, referring back to their first encounter, "and I’ll count to five." The others come. Kate says, "Locke’s dead. It’s over." But then there’s a tremor. Sawyer frowns, "sure don’t feel like it’s over."

Aside Number 15 - apparently, in the pissing match over which of them was wrong, Jack and Flocke failed to consider the possibility that both of them were right. Indeed, Desmond's monkeying about in the Source cave both killed Flocke and destroyed the island. Oops.

Frank resets the Ajira plane's electronics, but there’s something wrong with the hydraulics. He sends Miles to fix them. Ben calls and asks, "what’s going on with your timetable?" "Don’t bother me!" Lapidus shouts, and tosses the walkie aside. "Sounds like they’re making progress," Ben shrugs direly. Jack knows – whatever Desmond turned off, he needs to turn on again. Kate insists he doesn’t have to do this. " Let the island sink, Jack," she implores him. "I can’t," he responds. He asks if Sawyer can get the boat across in time. Sawyer shakes Jack’s hand. "Good luck to you, James," Jack says, one final note of grace for his former rival. "Thanks, Doc, for everything," Sawyer responds. Ben tosses Sawyer the walkie. "If the island’s going down," Ben proclaims, "I’m going with it." Hugo knows he can't go down the ancient ladders, so he’s with Jack. Jack tells Kate to go, get Claire on the plane. She cries, "tell me I’m going to see you again," but he subtly shakes his head. She kisses him, hard. They profess their love for each other. Jack turns and stumbles away, with Hugo and Ben helping him.

Aside Number 16 - Poor Hugo. Already having been consigned to a life of insanity, then the "mis"fortune of his lottery numbers, all because of his weight, at last has his final fate determined by the inability to safely navigate the ladders.

Miles gets the hydraulics patched up. He tells Richard, "I don’t believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape." Sawyer says via walkie they’re heading over, but Frank says they need to leave while there’s still a ground to take off of. James knows – they have to jump for the boat. Kate goes first, and then James follows.

Jack leads Ben and Hugo to the Source cavern. He’s in bad shape. Hugo asks (already knowing the answer) "how we going down there?" Jack confirms, "we’re not. I’m going alone." Hugo protests. "You can’t! Desmond didn’t make it. How the hell are you going to survive?" But Jack looks away. Hugo tears up. "No way I’m letting you die," he whines. "You’re not supposed to die. The island needs you." But Jack corrects, "it needs you. It only needed me to do what I gotta do. It needs to be you." Over Hurley's protests, Jack says, he believes in him (the same message Hurley gave Jack earlier). Hurley says he’ll take it, "but as soon as the light comes back, I'm going to pull you up and give it right back to you." Jack asks for something to drink out of. Ben gives him an Oceanic bottle. Jack soops up some dirty water, and gives it to Hurley. Drink this. Hurley drinks. Jack says, “now you’re like me.” Hugo tries to stay strong.

Aside Number 16 - was there any doubt at all that, when Hurley said in the prior episode, "I'm just glad it's not me," that those would become the quintessential famous last words? And what must Ben think, watching all this, having devoted his life to this island, only to see Hurley, a misfit who just wanted to help his friends, become the island's grand protector? Based on the way Michael Emerson played the scene, I'd say he was in awe, finally seeing in Hugo the same potential Jacob did.

Frank tries to start up, and the engines start to turn. "That, my friends, is pure music."

Ben and Hurley try to slowly lower Jack into cave, but with another tremor, he falls. He unties himself and finds Desmond lying near the source. He rouses him. Desmond says, "the light. I put it out. It didn’t work. I thought I’d leave this place." Jack helps him up. "I’m still here," Desmond continues. "You were right Jack." "Well, smiles Jack, "there’s a first time for everything." Desmond tells him to put the plug back, and insists it has to be him to do it. But Jack says to go home to is wife and son. "What about you, Jack?" Desmond asks. Harkening back to their first conversation from seven years earlier, Jack says, "I’ll see you in another life, brother."

Aside Number 17 - all of this was, of course, foreshadowing to the final reveal of the true nature of the flash-sideways. You have to feel for Desmond, who now doesn't know what to make of his misinterpretation of what he had come to learn about the sideways world. But then again, he presumably survives to return to his wife and son.

James and Kate climb onto Hydra beach, and find Claire. They see another piece of the main island fall into the ocean. Kate collects Claire. They see the plane start to go. Miles hangs out to help Frank spot. Claire says she can’t go. The island made her crazy. She doesn’t know how to be a mother anymore. "None of us do," Kate reassures, "but you’re not alone. Let me help you." This gets her, and the three of them run to the plane. Frank pulls back, then starts to spin it around. Saywer tries to call to them, but Frank doesn’t hear. As he starts to push the throttle, he sees James stumble out in front of them. He throttles down. "Boys, we got some late arrivals. Open the door!"

Jack rolls towards the source. He gathers the strength to lift the plug, and moves it into place. As he does, the shaking continues.

Miles throws open the door, and he and Richard help Claire, then Kate, then Sawyer onto the plane. Miles teases his "boss," "way to wait to the last second." Sawyer smiles back, "good to see you, too, Enos." Frank tells them all buckle in. He pushes the plane forward. Kate takes Claire’s hand. The plane launches up, them turns to avoid a mountain. "Amen," frank whispers. Kate and Claire continue to hold hands. Sawyer looks out the window.

Aside Number 18 - as if to create full and complete symmetry, we now have the "Ajira 6." Of course, only two of the six were on flight 316.

At the source, Jack looks on, feeling that he failed. Then the water starts to flow in from the aqueducts, and the glow resumes. Jack laughs as the sound of the E.M. energy returns. Ben looks down the well, and knows he did it. The light’s back on. Hurley tells him to pull when he feels a weight on the rope. Jack laughs as the glow restores, and Hurley pulls up… Desmond! Hurley calls to Jack, who laughs with pride. Hurley calls – "Jaaaaack."

Outside the cave, Ben tends to Desmond. Hurley stares at the rope and the light. He asks, mostly to himself, "Jack’s gone, isn’t he?" Ben nods. Hurley fights back tears. Ben assures him Jack did his job. "It’s my job now," Hugo sobs. "But what am I supposed to do?" "I think," Ben, finally free of the drama that has so shaped his life, "you do what you do best. Take care of people. You can start by helping Desmond get home." "But how," Hurley asks. "People can’t leave the island." Ben shrugs that that’s a Jacob thing. "Maybe there’s another way," Ben offers, "a better way." Hurley asks him to stay and help. "I could really use someone with experience," he practically begs, "for a little while. Can you help me, Ben?" Ben, truly floored to finally find his destiny, and all due to the grace of a former enemy, responds humbly, "I’d be honored." Feeling comforted, Hurley responds, "cool."

Aside Number 19 - don't look now, Lostophiles, but just about every remaining question about the island's mysteries was just answered, albeit not in the most satisfying way. I think Ben's little aside about Hurley's ability to do things differently than Jacob did is meant to tell us that, if there's something about island physics, or the "rules," that we're left feeling was arbitrary, the explanation is, basically, "oh, that was just Jacob being Jacob." Which is not, of course, to suggest there was no further room for interpretation of what Jacob's rules actually were, and how they flowed from what we know about Jacob's personality and experience. A cop out? Sure, kind of. But come back (whenever it's done) for part 3 of this final recap, for my discussion of this very issue.

Jack awakens outside the cave, washed out by the once-again running waters. He’s no better off than he was before, and, indeed, has sprung the now familiar nose bleed that non-Desmonds seem to get from too much exposure to island-style radiation. But he staggers to his feet, and climbs out of the water.

Aside Number 20. I'll leave this portion of the recap here, since the final final island beats are best summed up in connection with the Sideways ending with which they were intercut. So keep a look out over the next week or so for that very story (which, of course you all already saw...but, given the scuttlebutt on the internet and at water coolers everywhere, you may not have understood, at least not the way I did). Until then, all, Namaste!

Episode 616 - Jacob Tells Us "What They Died for" (Sort of)

2010-05-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

A return to the main narrative! The Jack/Jacob meeting we’d long been awaiting!! The candidate chosen!!! A major villain dispatched!!!! All this, plus the return of Ben, Miles and Richard, all in the last ever hour-long episode of Lost, “What They Died for.”

Island – Team Jacob

As Jack stitches up Kate’s wound (the mirror image of the scene from the pilot) Kate tells him pointedly about Ji Yeon, and how Jin hadn’t met her yet. She frowns – “Locke did this to them. We have to kill him, Jack.” He nods. “I know.”

Aside Number 1 – Jeff Jensen, for all his Jin-enabling from two weeks ago, had this to say about the Kate/Jack exchange: “I'd like to think Kate was speaking for all those who were outraged by Jin's so-called ''selfishness'' by invoking her name and memory.”

Sawyer watches debris wash up on shore, as if waiting for someone to come out. But all he sees as Kate puts her head on his shoulder is a life jacket. Hurley and Jack join them, too. Jack says they should get going. He tells them about Desmond in a well, and how, if Locke wanted him dead, they’re going to need him.

After some small talk about how to get to the well, Sawyer asks Jack why Flocke didn’t kill Desmond. Jack says “who knows? Maybe it was one of his rules?” Sawyer is guilt racked that he killed their friends with his attempt to disarm the bomb, but Jack insists it was Flocke who killed them. Sawyer seems less than sure.

Aside Number 2 – Jensen’s take on Jack and Sawyer, and their long history, culminating in this moment: “In their few scenes together this season, Sawyer has done nothing but heap physical and emotional abuse upon Jack for his Juliet-destroying Jughead recklessness. Yet with the tables turned, Jack gave him grace as well as the gift of perspective. Hopefully Sawyer will use it to see a way out of his crippling despair and toward the heroism that will be needed of him in the final act. I've always hoped that the end of Lost would offer some understanding/reconciliation between Jack and Sawyer. My favorite moments with the pair have nothing to do with them fighting. (Of course, they're probably my fave moments because they're so different from their usual dynamic.) Sawyer telling Jack about meeting his father in season 1. Sawyer and Jack in The Hatch and talking about Ana Lucia at the end of season 2. Jack teaming with Sawyer to free Frank Lapidus at the end of season 4. Perhaps the finale will see them resign their animosity once and for all and bind them permanently as allies in survival and partners in redemption.”

Hurley sees young Jacob in the jungle. The boy demands the ashes Hurley took from Ilana’s things. He says they’re his. Hurley demands to know what he wants them for, but the boy takes the ashes, and runs, and Hurley loses sight of him. He tries to follow, but instead he finds grown Jacob with the ashes. “Dude,” a relieved Hugo begins, “I’ve been waiting for you to show up”. Jacob says his ashes are in the fire, and when they burn out, he’ll never see him again. He says to tell his friends, “we’re very close to the end, Hugo.”

Hurley leads the group to Jacob, and they all see him as he greets them. Kate asks if he’s the one who wrote their names on the wall, specifically Sun’s, Jin’s and Sayid’s. When Jacob confirms he did, she angrily demands, “Is that why they’re dead?” Very empathetically, Jacob tells her, “ I’m very sorry.” And promises if they sit down, he’ll tell them what their friends died for. “I’ll tell you why I chose them,” Jacob promises, “and why I chose you. And then I’ll tell you everything you’ll need to know about protecting the island, because by the time that fire burns out, one of you will have to start doing it.”

Aside Number 3 – I have now watched this scene over again, and find myself a little dissatisfied in Kate’s acceptance of the “why they died” explanation that follows. Her righteous indignation at Jacob for leading these people to their gruesome deaths is fully justified, and shared by the audience. By now, each of these characters has gotten a sense that the island protects those it still needs, but tosses aside those it doesn’t, not only allowing them to die, but perhaps encouraging it. Jacob’s explanation that follows here is pretty good for explaining why the castaways were brought to the island. It does very little to justify their deaths.

The sitdown begins with Jacob telling the assembled, “I brought all of you here because I made a mistake a very long time ago. Because of that, there’s a very good chance that every single one of you is going to die.” He clarifies that this “mistake” is the monster. “I’m responsible for him,” Jacob confesses. “I made him the way he is, and he’s been trying to kill me ever since.” Sawyer asks why he had to be punished for Jacob’s mistake, i.e. because he was doing just fine before he got dragged to that rock.

Aside Number 4 – I’ll let Jensen’s interpretation cover the recap of Jacob’s response: “Jacob responded to Sawyer's complaint by rising to his feet and calling bulls--t on him. On all of them. He hadn't plucked them from some 'happy existence.' They were all miserable, spent, and wasted. He said they were all like him: 'flawed' and 'alone.' They all needed to be on The Island as much as Jacob did. Sawyer could have gotten up in Jacob's grill and challenged him further. Still, I got the point. From a timeless, spiritual perspective, the castaways are better off than they were before they crashed on The Island. Yes, they have suffered, yet their adventures together have brought them to a place where they find themselves more self-aware and liberated from ruts of self-destructive behavior. Jacob has also given them something which I'm not sure they yet fully recognize and appreciate, at least not in the Island world: a community of fellow souls deeply invested in each other's survival, growth, and flourishing.” You may all notice that you’ve been quietly humming “kumbaya” while reading this, but Jensen’s point is valid – even Sawyer seemed silenced by this. And, in the wake of his refusal to let go and trust Jack on the submarine, I think we can all agree: for James Ford, lesson learned.

Kate asks why her name was crossed off in the cave, and he tells her - he crossed her name off because she became a mother. But that’s when the real kicker about the lack of rigidity concerning island “rules” kicks in. Per Jacob, “It’s just a line of chalk in a cave. The job is yours if you want it.”

Aside Number 5 – with his power dwindling here, I wonder how much Jacob knows about what is to come. Still, I get the sense from this, not that Jacob now values motherhood less, but rather that he assumes that Claire will not only return to Aaron, but raise him well.

Jacob tells them about the light in the cave, and the need to keep it safe from the monster. He hopes they can kill Flocke, which he hopes is possible, because Flocke wants to kill them. But Jacob won’t pick his successor. He wants them to have a choice he didn’t have. That said, Jacob tells them, if none of them does, “this ends very badly.” Jack volunteers. He says it’s why he is there. “This is what I’m supposed to do.” Jacob asks, “is that a question, Jack?” More assured, Jack says, “no.” Jacob responds, “good. Then it’s time.” Jacob leads Jack away. Sawyer mutters to Kate and Hugo, “I thought that guy had a God complex before.” Hurley’s thought that follows is, “I’m just glad it’s not me.” Jacob tells Jack that the Source is just beyond the bamboo field where he first awoke after the 815 crash. Jack says there’s nothing out there, but Jacob says, yes there is, and now he’ll be able to get there. Jacob borrows a cup and fills it, chanting as “mother” did last week over the wine. He hands the cup to Jack to drink. Jack asks how long he’s going to have to do this job. “As long as you can,” Jacob responds direly. As Jack drinks, a look of sudden understanding washes over him. “Now,” Jacob assures Jack, echoing mother’s similar sentiment “you’re like me.”

Aside Number 6 – This grand sit-down between the man behind Lost’s curtain and the last remaining 815ers did a lot to make last week’s outing – whatever you thought of it – relevant. Still, I find myself thinking that the context provided by “Across the sea” would have worked just as well if the episode gave Jacob flashbacks interspersed with these scenes of his choosing of his successor, and not devoting the full 42 minutes to the over-the-top self-importance of last week’s speechiness. Then we could have spent more time this week with…

Island – Team Ben … and Flocke

At last, after an interminable hiatus, we meet up again with Miles, Ben and Richard. Miles asks if Ben knows where he’s going, but Ben scoffs that he lived at the barracks long before Miles. Miles begs to differ – sort of: “''I lived in these houses 30 years ago — otherwise known as last week.” Ben insists he has lots of C4 left, in his secret room behind the bookcase. Miles starts flashing as they enter the barracks. He feels bodies. Richard explains to Ben, “It’s your daughter. After you left, I buried her.” Ben, the hurt of losing Alex flooding back to him, thanks Richard, and coldly turns and moves on.

They go into Ben’s former house. He moves the bookcase, and goes back to the secret closet, revealing to Miles the entrance to the “secreter” room. “It’s where I was told I could summon the monster,” Ben explains. “That’s before I realized it was the one summoning me.”

Aside Number 7 – As Jensen points out shrewdly here, “I think we got official confirmation from Ben that the entity in the old Goodspeed love shack which he took to be Jacob was actually the Man In Black. This is interesting to think about. If Ben has always been wrong about being Jacob's chosen one for a period of time, then that means his tenure as the leader of the Others was fraudulent and invalid — which means that Charles Widmore was probably quite sincere in his persecution of Ben. Megabucks Chuck never wanted to get back to The Island to exploit it. He wanted to get back to The Island to save it from Ben's corrupt administration. Still, I'd like to think that through it all, Jacob was always in control and will remain in control until his ashes evaporate in the campfire.” I had long assumed it was the monster that called Ben to the shack, and that then preyed on Locke with the whole, “help me” revelation. This was further suggestion when Ilana’s team found the broken ash and assumed the monster had escaped from the cabin, though it was less clear at the time that they knew it was he and not Jacob in the cabin.

Ben opens his safe. “Richard, it’s your idea,” Ben ponders. “Are we looking to cripple the plane, or blow it to hell?” In a response fit for an 80s action hero, Richard responds, “blow it to hell.” Ben’s response is pure Ben. “Then we better take it all.” They hear a sound, and find first Zoe, then Charles out in the kitchen/ living room area. Hello, Benjamin. May I come in? Ben asks what he’s doing there. Widmore orders Zoe to take their equipment from the outrigger and sink it. He shuts up Ben’s order to Zoe not to leave. “If you shoot me,” he admonishes, “your last chance at survival will be gone.” Widmore asks Richard why he’d rig the plane, since he rigged the plane with explosives. “As usual, Benjamin, I’m three steps ahead of you.” (Note to eeeevil masterminds – it’s never wise to bait Ben Linus.)

Charles says Jacob visited him right after the freighter blew up, and convinced him of “the error of my ways,” giving him his purpose. Charles is interrupted by Zoe on the walkie-talkie saying she sees Flocke. Charles then warns that they need to hide if they don’t want to die.

Aside Number 8 – I’ll talk more about the Lost “Times Talk” event I attended this week later. Here, it’s relevant that Damon Lindelof pointed out about Widmore’s Jacob showed me the light story, that on Lost, by now we should know that, when we see something happen, we can trust it. But when a character – particularly one like Charles – tells us something happened, the question should always linger about how true such a tale might be.

Flocke emerges from the outrigger onto the dock. He sees the other boat, with Widmore’s equipment, then walks up the dock. Zoe returns to Ben’s house. Widmore wants to use Ben’s secret room. Miles wants to run, but Ben wants to stand his ground. Ben gives Miles a walkie, and Miles runs. Richard insists all Flocke wants is for him to join him, and, if he does, maybe he’ll give the rest of them a chance to get away. Richard exits, followed by Ben (while Charles and Zoe flee to the back room). Richard looks for Flocke….and Smokey flies by and sends him flying off into the jungle. Ben, seeing this, sits on the porch.

Aside Number 9 – as with Frank Lapidus, I’ll believe Richard is dead when I see a body. The gift Jacob gave him was to “live forever,” and not just to stop aging. I don’t know what this means about Richard’s actual mortality, but I suspect, aside from some bruising, he’s going to turn up alive in the finale.

Flocke comes from around a building and spots Ben “Just the man I was looking for.” Ben offers him lemonade. Flocke pulls out a knife. “I need you to kill some people for me, Ben.” “And, why would I do that,” the old, cagey Ben asks. Flocke repeats his promise from “Dr. Linus:” “Because once I leave this island, you can have it all for yourself.” Flocke asks about the outrigger, and Ben says it’s Widmore’s, and that Widmore is hiding in his closet.

Aside Number 10 – Jensen’s take(s) on this interplay is spot-on: “Basically, Fake Locke was forcing Ben to become his a personal assassin — a reversal of what Ben did to Sayid during his Oceanic 6 days. Ben accepted, and we must ask why. We know that Ben is wired for survival. His typical M.O. is to glom onto a power player, then subvert and take control — very Sith-esque. With the death of his forgiving benfactor Ilana, Ben may have sensed that a shift in Island power had occurred and so he decided to shift allegiance accordingly. This would be a bummer. I had bought into Ben's redemption. I want him to stick with it. So here's another thought:

“Ben is conning Fake Locke. Recall that Ben had broken ranks with the castaways over Hurley's plan to try and hug it out with Smokey. That didn't work so well — for either side. Ben, himself something of an evil mastermind, must have realized that; he must have realized that Smokey only needed him because something had gone wrong. Smokey was coming to him out of weakness, not strength. Smokey radiated intimidation — but I'm betting Ben saw through the tough-guy veneer. Smokey is vulnerable. And he's scared. And Ben knows it. His plan: Stick by his side, figure out what can kill this man-thing, take him down. Ben is on the side of the castaway angels. He must be! (Then again, if Island Ben does go totally dark, it does set up the dramatically delicious moment when his more morally principled Sideways doppelganger becomes fully 'Island Enlightened' and remembers all his past life crimes. There goes that happily ever after with Rousseau and Alex.)

“The scene that followed was pretty awesome — the three great villains of Lost together in one confined space, three heavyweight peacocks trying to out-preen each other for control.”

Ben points out the closet, and says, “after you. Charles and his lady friend are in here. She’s armed, but I’m guessing that’s not a problem for you.” Flocke says to wait outside because he doesn’t need to see this, but Ben, freshly reminded about Alex, says, “I want to see this.” As they enter, Ben says, Sorry Charles. Flocke, smirking, does his best evil genius mock gentility act for Widmore. “How nice to be able to talk without those fences between us.” Charles warns Zoe not to talk to him, so Flocke slits her throat (her silence, you see, made her “pointless.”) Flocke says if Widmore doesn’t help him, the first thing he will do when he leaves is kill Penny. Widmore confesses – he brought Desmond back because of his resistance to e.m., as a measure of last resort. But Chalres won’t talk any more in front of Ben. “Well then whisper to me.” But as Widmore starts to whisper to him, Ben shoots him multiple times. As Widmore slumps down, Ben, a thoroughly intense look on his face, says, “he doesn’t get to save his daughter.” “Ben,” marvels Flocke. “You never cease to amaze me. Fortunately he had already told me what I needed to know, so no harm done.” Ben turns to his once and current master. “Didn’t you say there were some other people to kill?”

Aside Number 11 – my initial take was that, as part of Ben’s con on Flocke – and I share Jensen’s theory on that one – he had arranged with Widmore to pretend to kill him to gain Flocke’s good graces. That’s right – I assumed Widmore had survived. The evidence, however, contradicts this. For starters, Michael Ausiello of ew.com has added Charles Widmore to his “sweeps death” chart, a chart that had a fixed number of entries heading into May. (That said, the chart also includes Tess Mercer from Smallville…who was just listed as a regular character for next season). Then there was the Times Talk this week, in which Damon and Carlton discussed the significance of Widmore’s death at this juncture before the ambiguity of his redemption or not was resolved. All in all, looks like my theory was short-lived, and wrong.

Can we blame Ben? In one sense, yes we can. The bodies around him just keep piling up. But come on…this guy sent the men who killed Ben’s daughter. Moreover, if Ben is somehow still on the side of angels, his killing of Widmore may have stopped him from revealing what can defeat ol’ Smokey. But there’s something that makes me still wonder about this scene – we were led to believe in the past that Ben and Charles were somehow prevented from killing each other, i.e. one of those rules that have never been explained but that seem to apply. Did Charles’ island return take him out of the protection of the rule? Or is he really not dead?

My final piece of evidence for the notion that Ben hasn’t completely reverted back to the dark side – the walkie-talkie he gave Miles. He clearly intended to retain a connection to the other people who oppose Flocke, and, I believe, hoped that Flocke would allow his knowledge of Ben’s tendency towards concerted survivalism to cause him to miss Ben’s re-betrayal down the line. Or not.

Back in the jungle. Ben asks Smokey why he bothers walking. Flocke explains, the feel of his feet on the ground reminds of being human. (Do you think that’s the whole story?) They come to the well, but Desmond isn’t in it. Ben says it’s clear someone helped him out. “No, Ben,” corrects Flocke, “someone helped me out.” Ben asked what Widmore said to him. Flocke explains that Desmond was a failsafe – one final way to stop him if he killed all the candidates. “I’m going to find Desmond,” swears Flocke, “and when I do, he’s going to help me do the one thing I could never do myself. I’m going to destroy the island.”

Aside Number 12 – I don’t know how it is that Flocke can tempt Ben with a promise to let him rule the island, then tell him he plans to destroy it, and still expect Ben to do anything else willingly for him. Now, on to the sideways stories...

Sideways – The Shephard Bunch

Jack2’s eyes open, in a shot highly reminiscent of the first one of the series. His shaving cut has opened again, in a nod to the first episode of the season (Do you get the sense we’re supposed to be thinking “full circle” or something like that?). David comes in as he contemplates, and tells Jack2 he made breakfast (i.e. poured juice and cereal). David gets Jack2 to confirm he’s going to his big concert, and Mom is coming too (Is there any way at this point that mom is not Juliet???) . David warns him not to get all weird when he sees her. Claire2 joins them, and David pours her cereal (“Family Size Super Bran.”) Aaron2 kicked like crazy at night. Jack2 gets a call from Oceanic – they found his missing cargo (which he takes to mean his father’s coffin), and it will arrive at the end of the day. Only the caller is not from Oceanic. It’s Desmond2.

Aside Number 13 – I saw a couple of tongue-in-cheek mentions of the bran flakes online, but I think, if anything, the salient aspect of the cereal box was the display of “family size” in a room with Jack2, Claire2, and David – i.e. this is the family unit that neither Jack or Claire ever enjoyed in the island world.

I have no idea what it is that Desmond2 is hoping to accomplish with this prank call. The rest of his machinations all seem to have some sort of direction and purpose. Given that Jack2 is already going to the same concert as (we assume) everyone else in the sideways world, I don’t know what Des2 has in mind…

Sideways – Dr. Linus and the Rouseaux

Desmond2 waits in his car and watches Locke2’s return to the school. He starts the car, but Ben2 sees him and tries to make a scene to protect Locke2. Desmond2 insists he’s not here to hurt Locke2, but to help him let go. Ben demands, “who are you?” “You want to know who I am,” Desmond demands with a real edge. And he starts to beat Ben, who recalls their fight at the marina from island world.

Aside Number 14 – it figures that getting beaten up is the most appropriate recurring memory from island world that could jumpstart Ben’s memory. And, as if to torture him for his transgressions, his first memory, while of a time of maximum evil (his attempt to kill Penny for revenge), he doesn’t even get a memory of his precious island, instead recalling Marina del Rey. Funny backstory to this scene - Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) accidentally made contact with Michael Emerson at one point, leaving a serious black eye. They tried to cover it with makeup, but during the whole DHARMA barracks sequence, you could kind of see it there.

Ben2 is tended by the nurse (the same one having the affair with the principal, who seems not the least impressed by the doctorate), then contemplates himself in the mirror (as Sideways characters are wont to do). Locke2 rolls in and asks what happened. Ben2 tells him about Desmond2. He tells him about what he saw while being beaten. Locke2 calls the police. Ben2 tells him Desmond2 wasn’t trying to hurt him, but to get him to “let go.” “And for some reason,” admits Dr. Linus, “I believed him. Do you any idea what he was talking about Mr. Locke? Does that mean something to you?” Locke2, seeing the coincidences start to mount, hangs up before responding to the police officer who took his call.

Outside, injured Dr. Linus drops his keys. Alex2 goes to help him, and asks why someone would want to hurt him. She offers him a ride home with her mom. Danielle2 emerges – utterly not insane – and is happy to help. It’s a very different meeting this time then their island encounter. They invite him for coq au vin night, and Danielle2 insists, he must come, “even if we have to kidnap you.” (Love the altverse irony!) After dinner, Danielle2 thanks him, and says how nice it is to cook for someone other than Alex2, whose father died when she was 2. That’s probably, surmises Danielle2, why she’s so attached to him. He’s the closest thing to a father he’s ever had. He sees her, and is taken aback, choking back tears, a real sense he’s channeling his island memory of actually being her father. Danielle2 asks if he’s ok. He says he thinks it’s the onions. He looks at her knowingly, a hint of blossoming romance in the gaze.

Aside Number 15 – Huzzah! Mira Furlan, back again as Danielle Rousseau, missing since she “died” in season 4. Jensen’s take on this bizarro world version of a family reunion: “'It's probably why she's grown so attached to you. You're the closest thing to a father she's ever had.' The whole Sideways Rousseau/Alex played that way, winking ironically at every aspect of the Island Rousseau story. Ben enjoyed himself, which troubled him even more. The story also tried to suggest the possibility of a love connection between Dr. Linus and Alex's mother, and all of this, I think, was in service to this idea: Perhaps not everyone in the Sideways world would be better off with Island Enlightenment. Let's say this really is Reincarnation Land. Don't these souls deserve to live out the new existence they've been given by the cosmic Wheel of Life? Should Sideways Ben be robbed of happiness in this life by being saddled with the memories and consciousness of his damaged and damned Island-word self? Should Rousseau and Alex be victimized anew by being made to meld with the fate-screwed people they once were? Can they decline getting hit with the Enlightenment whammy stick? Do the Sideways world peeps have any control over the process that Desmond seems determined to unleash?” In any case, to the extent that Sideways world represents a whole nature/ nurture study, there can be almost no doubt that Dr. Linus is a good guy. All the more pity to see what happened to him when his dad didn’t quit DHARMA.

Sideways – Locke2

The coincidences were just too much for Locke2, who rolls into Jack2’s office. After some small talk, Locke2 runs through their history, and the coincidences. He tells him about what Desmond2 – the man who “drove” them back together – told Ben2, and how it was the same thing Jack2 said to him the last time they saw each other (“let go”). He doesn’t mean that Jack2 sent the man, but maybe this all happened for a reason. Maybe you’re supposed to fix me. The old debate begins, and Jack2 “echoes” Mr. Eko – “don’t confuse coincidence for fate.” “You can call it what you want,” smiles Locke2, “but I think I’m ready to get out of this chair.”

Aside Number 16 – just as island world Jack has finally overcome his own demons, Sideways Locke, never entirely beholden to the faith-based insanity of his island counterpart, appears ready to be the alterna-hero. As Jensen notes, “'I'm ready to get out of this wheelchair,' he said. It was less about wanting to walk and more about wanting to meet the meaning behind this divine conspiracy. But more than anything, it was a choice. Like Island Jack, Sideways Locke seized the opportunity life had given him: the chance to decide who and what he wanted to be.”

Sideways – Sawyer and the Suspects

The cop who took the aborted call from Locke2 hangs up, and is approached by…Desmond2, who asks for a detective. Miles2 is dressing up for the concert at the museum and invites Ford2, who says no, due to Charlotte2’s presence (we shall see if fate really allows James2 to avoid the concert….) Desmond2 then comes in and turns himself in for the two incidents at the school. “Thanks for saving the taxpayers the trouble of hunting you down,” Ford2 says, leading Desmond2 to the holding cell. “You’re welcome,” Desmond2 says, just as lacking in irony as his island self was in identifying the smoke monster with, “you’re John Locke.” He greets Sayid2 and Kate2 in the holding pen with a smile.

Ford2 prepares to ship Jarah2 and Austen2 off to county. Kate2 says he can still let her go. Why would he do that? Her pathetic plea is, “because I told you I was innocent.” “Doesn’t matter,” he says, not looking at her. “I’m still a cop.” She says he doesn’t seem like a cop to her. In the wagon, Desmond2 says he thinks it’s time to leave. Sayid2 calls him crazy. Desmond2 says the driver already knows when to stop. They’ll have to give him their trust, because after he releases them, he’ll ask them to do something. Alright then, Sayid2 smirks, willing to play along. The car stops. The driver was Ana Lucia2. “Who’s Hume?” she asks (and we recall that these two characters occupied mutually exclusive pieces of the Season 2 story). She had taken a bribe to drop them off at the harbor, and Hugo2 comes to pick them up. “Sorry I’m late,” he says to Desmond2. He sees Ana2. “Oh hey, you didn’t tell me Ana Lucia was going to be here,” he says, completely island enlightened. But she isn’t joining them because, according to Desmond2, she isn’t read yet. Hurley’s Camaro is there. Kate is to ride with Desmond2, and Sayid with Hurley. Desmond2 is taking Kate to the concert.

Aside Number 17 – It’s fairly obvious by now that, just as there is only one doctor, one hospital, one courthouse, one police station, and one museum in Los Angeles in the sideways world, so is there only one concert coming up. This one concert will feature the musical stylings of Daniel “Widmore,” as well as David Shephard, Penelope “Milton,” and, if their bassist sobers up, Drive Shaft. David’s mother – has to be Juliet! – will be there, too. Care to lay odds that Detective Ford2 will track is now escaped prisoners to the concert – not just ‘cause he’s crafty, but because Desmond2 wanted him to? That he’ll meet Juliet2 there, and, while flirting with him, she’ll suggest they go Dutch for coffee?

I also loved how fully into it Hugo2 is. He has downloaded his other life as fully as anyone, perhaps even more so than Desmond2. I get the sense that there’s something about Hugo Reyes – any Hugo Reyes – that just lets him perceive that which is already there, but invisible to more skeptical people. But I can’t help but wonder one thing about the two Hurley’s sharing one mind: if Sideways world takes place in 2004, and the “enlightened” characters have downloaded island world events that took place in what would have been their futures, just how far does their knowledge extend? On the island, Hurley didn’t meet Ana Lucia until about 50+ days in. It seems unlikely that much time has passed since 815 landed in Sideways L.A., so the memories are not simply a perception of the other universe. Do those memories go all the way to 2007/2008 (whenever exactly they’re supposed to be on the island now?) Does Hugo2 already know what will happen in the finale? Does he know that Jack became the new Jacob? Or is there a finite cutoff to the knowledge he and Desmond2 have?

While we’re theorizing and pondering, I’ll direct the narrative here to an email chain forwarded to me by Windy McCracken in which she and her fellow LLL reader, Amy Basile, traded theories in an emailed version of water-cooler talk. Just as Season 6 keeps teasing back to earlier seasons of Lost on the show, reading this exchange brought me back to this site’s origins. Back in Season 2, when my wife’s then-client David Basler emailed her that Walt’s face appeared on the milk carton in Hurley’s dream sequence in “Everybody Hates Hugo,” I started googling Lost easter eggs and hidden clues. That led me to start up email chains much like Windy’s and Amy’s in the days after each new episode. Ultimately, when my mom mistakenly referred to this activity of group emailing as “blogging,” it occurred to me that a blog was a more efficient way to download my thoughts to other Lost fans. So, before Season 3, “Lost Lover at Law” was born.

Now…back to Amy and Windy. Here’s Amy’s theory on where the finale will take us: “Desmond goes down the light tunnel somehow (maybe Flocke sends him), but since he is resistant to electromagnetism, he comes out in a cloud of white smoke and sounds ike a laser printer (versus the dot matrix printer sound of Smokey). Black and white smoke fight, white wins, Flocke is dead. Jack is now free of his obligation to protect the light, since there is no threat; however, Desmond kills them all to preserve the sideways universe. Since Desmond is now Abraham and has shown the sacrifice of his son, some god-like being played by Christopher Lee gives him redemption by sending him back to sideways universe and sinks the island. Sideways universe prevails, Penny is pregnant with a son. Booya.” Amy, there’s a lot to like about this. The two bones of contention I have are: 1) The Christopher Lee thingy. Damon and Carlton have oft mocked the Architect scene from the Matrix films. Your version here sounds a bit too close to that. Then there’s 2)an ending that, like the Ang Lee version of Hulk, suddenly drops the humanity from the primary conflict and gets into energy beings duking it out. The Damon/ Carlton Times Talk pretty much shot that notion down, too. They pointed to the line from Flocke about being human because he likes to remember the feel of the ground under his feet. They find the best drama to be in human conflict, and the best answers to change “whats” into “whos.” For example, they turned “what’s in the hatch” to “who’s in the hatch – Desmond!” They turned “what’s the monster” into “Who is the monster – Man in Black!” But I like the way you think, and I think Desmond ending up in that light cavern makes a lot of sense.

As for Windy, her take went something like this: my actual theory is... Sideways world is what happens(ed) when Smokey destroys(ed) the island/sinks it after killing Jack. Clearly this involves the light and electromagnetism in some way because Desmond is the failsafe for that sideways world, thus somehow escapes, and brings everybody together and they somehow band together (i.e. no longer be lost by being alone, letting go of whatever made them lost and finding redemption in a community) and defeat smokey in the sideways world and there is no guardian needed for the island. The light or whatever it was they are protecting somehow gets split up between them and everybody ends up happier (particularly Hurley, who, if they kill, I will personally lead some slaughter in retribution). Not everybody will live, but I have no idea who will ultimately die.

Juliet and Sawyer will end up together somehow or I simply will wash my hands of the entire series :) For those of you just joining us, this last part is funny because the series will be over. Ha! Just kidding. Clever there, McCracken. The notion that the final battleground will actually be the sideways world is a nifty conceit. Jeff Jensen had a bit of a similar thought this week: “What if once upon a time, The Source did reside within all of humanity? What if we stopped believing in The Source, or we convinced ourselves that The Source stopped believing in us, so much so that now The Source exists as an anomaly that's hidden away from us — as something lost that must be found. The Truth Is Out There — but once, The Truth Was In Here.”

Times Talk

As I mentioned before, my friend, Grant, and I went to the Century City, L.A. showing of the Times Talk with Damon and Carlton this week. Billed as the producers’ last public appearance or discussion of Lost, at least for a very long time, it offered a great peak into the creative process underlying the show. They reiterated again that the last scene on Sunday night will be exactly what they’ve planned for years, and that the major beats were developed back in the first season. However, there have been moments of improvisation along the way, so there is no place where there’s a secret binder of the story that both explains each little hint and served as a Bible for where the series would go.

Damon and Carlton were very mindful of not spoiling the finale just days before it airs. But they did give some hints and clarifications. Read no further if you want to go in completely blind. This is your warning, and if you read no more, I’ll see you (at some point) after the finale.

Still with me? Cool. One thing Damon mentioned was that the prevalence of mirror shots in the sideways world is meant to convey that feeling one sometimes gets when looking at the mirror and wondering if we know the person looking back. This is that much deeper for the sideways characters, because they do have another life that is just escaping their recall.

Eventually, Michael Emerson and Jorge Garcia joined them on stage, and teased the notion that they will have some very meaningful time together on screen in the finale.

There was a suggestion that the first ever conversation between Jack and Desmond – when they met in the stadium three years before Oceanic 815 – will take on additional poignance after the finale.

We were told there will be a significant Star Wars reference in the first few minutes, and that Walt will somehow make an appearance (though they joked Malcolm David Kelley is now 39 years old and 6’5”).

Garcia explained that he has a podcast (which I will try to check out between now and Sunday) called “Geronimo Jack’s Beard” – a play on two “props” well known to Lost fans, the fake band Geronimo Jackson, and that awful beard that Oceanic 6 Jack grew during his addict days. All in all, it was a fun program, and we did get to see an extended clip that ran a little longer than one of the sneaks currently running on ABC.com. It wasn’t spoilery, but there’s no point in describing it before the finale, anyway.

A final word from Jeff Jensen

Not that the Doc is done, but he has a sign-off heading into the finale that I echo: “I'm ready. I'm ready for the final chapter, ready to see how it sums up the season and brings the series to a close. I'm ready to watch meaning (which, to be clear, is different than answers) flood into the Lost saga like a surge of Island Enlightenment.” I, too, am ready. And that’s why the finale recap will take a while. For the first time since Season 3, I plan to watch an episode of Lost without a laptop or notepad on my lap. I want a “pure” experience of seeing the finale – really seeing it – without any need to furiously jot everything down, ironically missing some of the more nuanced moments.

Like Jensen, I am ready for meaning, and have, like John Locke2, “let go” of the need for answers. That said, the one answer I really, really hope we get – though I suspect we will not – is what the heck was up with the infertility thing? It seems so long ago, but it was such a major plot point, and there’s been no hint, no clarification, no meaning.

But whatever happens Sunday night, I’m looking forward to an emotional ride, a satisfying ride, and, most of all, some damn fine television. So I leave you with this fun clip that Grant pointed me towards. This is really NSFW, and you should not watch it anywhere near a child who understands speech. It’s apropos of nothing, but it’s kind of funny.

Sizzle Alert: LOST with Sarah Silverman! from Sarah Silverman

Hope you enjoyed that, as well as this post, and that Sunday is a great unifying moment for we the Lostophiles. Until after then, Namaste, y’all.

Additional reflections heading into the final week

2010-05-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

(If you came to this page looking for my recap of "Across the Sea," have no fear - it's the next post down. And you should read that before you read this.)

This post is about a couple of further thoughts heading into the final week of Lost. Required reading (or at least recommended) is the last ever Lost podcast, which you can get to by clicking on the title of this post.

But, I guess, you really do come to me because most of you don't want to listen to podcasts, so two highlights from Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.

1) As Carlton said this week, "['Across the Sea'] is what answers [on Lost] look like." The story is, and always has been about the main characters. Sure, there is this whole cosmology about the island and its properties, but what matters is what brought the characters to where they are in the story. And that story began with this one woman's really awful parenting of Jacob and his brother, a series of lessons and decisions that culminated in 815 crashing on the island.

But there will be no deeper answers on what predated this chapter, because to do so would be to fall into the "midichlorian"/TMI problem that the Star Wars prequels had.

2) But, for what it's worth, there was one line in the episode that was very important - when the man in black told mother that the donkey wheel system would harness the light and water. If the light is the heart of the island, then the water is its circulatory system (the blood, so to speak). This "blood of the island" was what healed people in the Temple, and what became corrupted (and in turn corrupted Sayid) when Jacob died. We should keep an eye on this, since it may well factor heavily into the finale.

That was it. Nothing major. Just a couple of points that merited an extra post before "Why They Died." See you after Tuesday! Namaste!

Episode 615 - Jacob's Origin Lies "Across the Sea."

2010-05-11T22:13:00.001-07:00

"Every question I answer will only lead to more questions."

- Unnamed Woman (Alison Janney), "Across the Sea"

...and with that quote, the character who we actually first saw (sorta) waaaay back in the 6th episode of the first season, but who still has no name, summed up exactly what it is to view Lost.

(What's this, you wonder? Dan doesn't usually start recaps with pullout quotes...but then again, I don't usually recap episodes like "Across the Sea," because there's never been truly like it in 6 seasons of Lost. As such, a different structure this week. I'll recap the story in very broad strokes (because, once the speechifying is taken out, that's how it happened), and then dive into my crackerjack analysis).

So, here's what happened.

(1) A Roman (we're guessing, based on the Latin and the dress) woman named Claudia landed on our familiar island via shipwreck, very, very pregnant. She was found and taken in by a nameless woman who shortly thereafter delivered her son - Jacob - before delivering her other son - for whom she hadn't thought of a name, because Romans didn't have ultrasounds. She wrapped calm Jacob and cranky other kid in white and black, respectively, then shielded them from Claudia's view. Woman (who I will call C.J., Ms. Janney's last big character's name, keenly aware of the irony that the "C" stands for "Claudia") then bludgeoned Claudia to death.

(2) C.J., who spends an inordinate amount of time weaving, raised the boys (and, indeed, boy in black never did get a name onscreen, though presumably he didn't go through life known as "Jacob's brother" or "BIB") with all sorts of interesting notions. Chief among them? There is no world "across the sea," i.e. the island is everything. People, if you ever meet them, are dangerous. They lie, kill, destroy and corrupt, so it's best to stay away from them. Jacob and his brother are special, and C.J. has made it so they can't hurt each other, even if other people do hurt each other. Adolescent Jacob, incidentally, looks just like the boy who has been haunting Flocke throughout the season, reminding him of rules, like his inability to kill Sawyer.

(3) Boy in Black finds a game, the ancient Egyptian game, Senet, in which the pieces are black and white stones. C.J., upon learning that her sneaky son has this game, seems to lie and tell him she left it for him, because he’s special (her word for “dishonest trickster”). She tries to pretend it didn’t come from anywhere else, because there is nowhere else. She claims she had a mother on the island, but that mother died, but death is something BIB “will never have to worry about.” Over the years, BIB and Jacob would play the game often, each always playing with his corresponding color. BIB would chastise Jacob for moves that were “against the rules,” but would assure his brother that one day, Jacob could make up a game, and come up with his own rules that people needed to follow.

(4) It turns out Claudia was not the sole survivor of her ship, and the others formed a community, with an Etruscan-era version of the DHARMA barracks qua thatched huts. The boys see some of the men from the village hunting one day, which prompts C.J. to improvise that she always knew there others on the island, but she kept the boys from knowing about this to keep them safe from all that lyin' and destroyin' and fightin' and what have you. She then showed the boys a cavern, with a stream running into it, from which a brilliant glowing golden light poured out. She explained to the boys that this light is “the warmest, brightest light you’ve ever seen or felt,” and they must make sure nobody ever finds it. It’s beautiful, you see, and “that’s why they want it, because a little bit of the light is inside of every man. They will try to take it, and if they try, the light goes out. If the light goes out here, it goes out everywhere. She has protected it, but she can’t forever. Her replacement will have to be one of them.”

(5) BIB, like Hurley does centuries later, can see the dead. Jacob, however, cannot. BIB has a run-in with Claudia (much like Ben did with the dead mother he never knew). Claudia shows him the village, and tells him that she is his real mother, whereas C.J. was just the woman who killed her. Claudia tells BIB about ships – a way for people to get from one place to another – and about how, contrary to what C.J. told him, there are many things across the sea.

(6) BIB tries to convince Jacob to run away with him, to join the people and find a way back to where they truly came from. Angry and confused, Jacob starts pummeling his brother, bloodying his nose until C.J. comes and separates them. BIB accuses her of lying, and when she insists he’ll never be able to leave the island, he swears that one day he will be able to prove her wrong. With that, BIB leaves, and C.J. is left with her second choice, Jacob, the boy who cannot tell a lie, as her new heir apparent. She asks if he will stay with her, in light of her deception (which was intended to ensure he stays “good”), and he responds that he will, “for a while.”

(7) After Jacob has grown into the man we recognize (at least physically, right down to the weaving skill), he spies from time to time on his brother, who has grown into the Man In Black we’ve come to recognize. He watches MIB work with “his” people (or so they have become after 30 years). But the brothers often secretly meet, and play their Senet game. MIB, for all the time he has spent living with the villagers, agrees with C.J. – they are greedy, manipulative, untrustworthy and selfish, but, to him, they’re also a “means to an end.” MIB tells Jacob they’ve discovered a way to leave the island, and, flinging the knife that Sayid failed to kill Smokey with towards one of the (newly constructed) wells, demonstrates...magnetism!

The smart men among the villagers dig wells every place they find on the island where metal acts strangely, and this will enable their escape. MIB begs Jacob to come, because what will Jacob do when their “mother” dies, but Jacob insists she never will.

(8) Having secured the whole story from Jacob, C.J. at last goes to see her other “son” in the bottom of one of the wells. He tells her spent 30 years looking in vain for the glowing cave and waterfall she’d shown him, but then realized he might be able to find the light from another directions. Indicating his unhooked donkey wheel, he points her to a wall – one which predates his people’s time on the island. Prying away a stone, he shows her the gold light pouring through, and says their plan is to hook the wheel up to a system they’re building amongst the wells, which will channel the light and water, and let them leave. Thinking he’s convinced her of his need to leave, he is caught completely off-guard by her grabbing him and ramming his head into the wall, knocking him out.

(9) C.J. knows the time has come, so she leads Jacob back to the cavern of light, which is now his to protect. She pours him wine – wine from the green bottle Jacob would centuries later show Richard as a metaphor for the island’s purpose, and tells him what is in the cave is “life, death, rebirth. The source, the heart of the island,” which he must promise never to go down into, because that would be worse than dying. By drinking the wine she’s given him, he accepts responsibility to protect the place for as long as he can, until it’s time for someone else to. Reluctantly, he drinks, and she assures him, “now you and I are the same.”

(10) MIB awakens outside the well, which has completely collapsed. He sees a plume of black smoke, and discovers his entire village, and everyone in it, burned to the ground. He finds his Senet game in the fire and retrieves it.

(11) C.J. returns to her cave after sending Jacob to collect fire wood. When she gets there, she finds her weaving destroyed and the cave a shambles. She spots the Senet game...then jerks as MIB’s knife protrudes through her chest. She says the word, “nothing,” and when he asks why she wouldn’t let him leave, she says, “because I love you.” She thanks him, and then dies. Jacob returns and sees what his brother has done, and administers another beating. He then drags MIB back to the cavern, and MIB is shocked, “she brought you back here?” Jacob assures his brother he won’t kill him, then throws him down into the stream. MIB hits his head and floats down the waterfall, into the cavern. As MIB disappears from view, the light goes out, and is replaced by the smoke monster roaring out of the cave, past Jacob, and into the jungle, its crackling lightning trailing behind.

(12) Jacob finds his brother’s lifeless body on a pile of rocks and logs, then carries him back to the cave where their “mother” lies. Jacob takes one black and one white stone from the Senet game, puts them in a pouch, and places the pouch in his mother’s hand. He then lays C.J. and MIB side-by-side in the cave, and we flash back and forth to the scene from the Season 1 episode, “House of the Rising Sun,” in which Jack, Kate and Locke find the bodies and the white and black stones. Finally, Jacob says good-bye to his brother.

Discussion

What Lost is About – As I thought about this episode, and the other “mythological download” we got this season in “Ab Aeterno,” it occurred to me, I finally know what Lost is about. Yes, folks, it’s all summed up in that blowup quote I opened this post with. “Every question I answer will only lead to more questions.” Now, think back to “Ab Aeterno,” in which Jacob explained to Richard that he could not explain what people who come to the island must do, because they need to figure it out for themselves. Hold those thoughts...

And now...think back to Season 2. John Locke (and we the viewers) opened up and got into the hatch, and sure enough, everything we thought we knew about the show blew up on us. Locke found himself pushing that damn button; the island had given him a task, and, like clockwork, he was going to complete it. But then he went to the Pearl station, and saw the “Mark Wickmund” video in which the artist formerly known as Pierre Chang basically told knowing insiders in the Pearl station that those people pushing buttons in the Swan hatch were being duped into thinking their task mattered, when, in fact, they were just being played with for an experiment. Locke completely lost faith, but this same experience taught Mr. Eko that “pushing that button is even more important now than ever.”

Ok, Dan. What on Earth are you babbling about? Let me explain. Lost is, to me, about faith, and the search for meaning. But that search is compromised if there is a single “meaning” out there to actually find. In truth, what makes Lost such a special show is that every question answered really does lead to more questions. If the critique about TV or film is that, unlike the written word, it provides no room for imagination, then Lost is the answer. Because Lost does guide its viewers, not to the “actual” answers (of which there may be none), but to a place where they can try to answer the questions themselves. Lost makes water cooler talk, and, for that matter, blogging, into work, but, if approached correctly, a labor of love. As Jacob said to Richard, he (as a stand-in for Lindelof and Cuse) can’t just show us what Lost is about. He has to just sit back and hope those of us who are here to prove our people are worthy can do it ourselves.

So what’s this about the hatch and faith? I liken the first 5 seasons of Lost to the parable of the button. We got an ever-increasing mystery that seemed to flow and build on itself, but always offered the promise of answers just past our grasp. The flashforwards were like the Lockdown – they showed us that we could glimpse a sense that this was all going somewhere, but we were not yet ready to know where. The time travel in Season 5 was like Ben’s taunting Locke. On the one hand, it seemed so random, it made us wonder, for a moment, if this was all going somewhere. On the other, by taking us back to DHARMA time, and giving Jack an actual plan beyond just “go home,” it renewed our purpose.

Then along came Season 6, and right off the bat, we got these flash-sideways. These weird stories told of a parallel universe in which the island stories we’d watched for five years didn’t matter anymore. I know a lot of you started to feel like Locke did when he saw the Pearl video – like everything we’d poured so much time and energy into was a waste of time. But for those of us who, like Eko, saw this deviation as a test of faith that required us to stick it out, the flash-sideways, which seem ever so close to colliding with the island story are not what shakes our faith, but will ultimately be what affirms it.

So do not expect Lost to answer all of your questions (or mine). Indeed, Damon and Carlton admitted that one of the questions they planted last year to be answered this year – who was shooting at Sawyer and company’s outrigger during the time jumps – got tossed aside because it forced the story into an unnecessary quagmire. Rather, expect every answer to pose more questions. And with those questions, Lost will continue to live beyond its finale and inspire the imaginations of countless fans for years to come in the same way that Star Wars did a generation ago. As Doc Jensen put it this week, “It's the meaning of life in the raw. It is physical proof that life actually has meaning. To behold it is to take a metaphysical Rorschach text. I might see God and a call to worship. Someone else might see science and a call to investigate. Someone else might see a practical joke and start looking around for Ashton Kutcher. I suspect Lost would say that no single interpretation is correct; that those who insist on a single interpretation couldn't be more incorrect; that the history of human catastrophe on The Island is comprised of eras of dogmatic, abusive interpretation run amuck. I don't think Lost is saying to stop pursuing truth. Not at all. I think it's more concerned with how we conduct our search and how we can labor with our neighbor in their search. Because lord knows that the bloody, brutal fight over all this stuff remains more troubling and terrifying than ever.”

On Island motifs In an interview with Alan Sepinwall of hitflix.com this week, Damon and Carlton confirmed that a great deal of “Across the Sea” was meant to demonstrate that certain broad brushes of story repeat themselves countlessly throughout the ages on the island:

DL: What our intention was is that there is a repeating vicious cycle that seems to happen on this island, where people come to the island, they try to figure out what makes the island work, and the closer they came leads them to their own inevitable demise.

CC: Like Icarus

DL: The more curious you become about why the island has its properties, inevitably the protector of the island feels the need to engage in some form of mass genocide. It was more our attempt to say that history repeats itself, and this is an ongoing and continuing motif.

Ready for a great Lost-type flashback coincidence? Sepinwall, the interviewer in this piece, was in my local, Morristown New Jersey chapter of Young Judaea with me some 20 years ago. We have not spoken since. But here we are two decades later, both writing about the same topic, and quoting each other. Very, very flashback...

The Meaning of What We Saw Part 1 – “The Rules”

Alas, the “mother” character was another in a long line of unreliable narrators (Ben Linus, anyone?) who told us so much, but left us to question what we just learned. See, for example, this passage from Jeff Jensen:

“'I've made it so you can never hurt each other.' This little line holds a lot of significance. Besides explaining why the Man In Black had to use a proxy to slay Jacob, Mother's line said something about the power that an Island guardian wields — including the ability to make 'the rules.' ...Why can't the Man In Black leave The Island? Can he or can't he kill the candidates? Can or can't the candidates kill each other? What's the difference between the gift of agelessness that Jacob gave Richard and the protections (if any) he bestowed upon the castaways he touched?

“I know a lot of fans were hoping 'Across The Sea' would answer those questions, and it appears many of those fans are deeming the episode a disappointment because it didn't. I share their desire to know, but not their impatience or cynicism...Still, I think 'Across The Sea' offered a revelation about 'the rules' that's just as important if not more so than the rules themselves: they are entirely subjective. I think many fans have assumed that 'the rules' exist as external truths that regulate all life on The Island, mortal or immortal, human or god-like. And maybe some of them are. I think fans have assumed that The Island possesses an orderly if complex internal logic that can be puzzled out. And to some degree, maybe it does. But I think Lost was telling us something when they had Jacob and Boy In Black arguing over the proper way to play Senet. BIB said: 'One day, you can make up your own game and everyone else will have to follow your rules.'

“'The rules' are, for the most part, pure whimsy — an expression of the unique interests and will of The Island's guardian. They are arbitrary inventions of The Island's custodian. And I suspect he or she can reinvent them any time he or she wants. (I am reminded of the scene in season 4, when Keamy assassinated Alex and Ben said, 'He changed the rules.' I always thought Ben was referring to Charles Widmore. But after 'Across The Sea,' I'm thinking that Ben was talking about Jacob.”

The Meaning of What We Saw – Part 2

Upon first seeing the final sequences of this episode, I thought, as did Jensen, that what we learned about MIB and Smokey was that Smokey was born of MIB’s soul being untethered from his body in the glowing cavern, the very wrong MIB would spend centuries curing Jacob for.

But then, the next morning on Facebook, my friend Steven Rosenaus posted a comment about Smokey that prompted me to a different understanding, one I actually think makes more sense. To test this out, I put it in an email to Jeff Jensen, hoping to get an honorable mention in one of his last ever Doc Jensen columns this weekend. Time will tell. For now, here’s the theory (touched up ever so slightly for my own blog, and thanks again to Steven, for getting me started on this):

Smokey is not MIB's disembodied soul. Rather, Smokey was forever trapped in that wormhole cavern, under a rule (those pesky rules!) that said a certain type of murder was the only thing that could free him/her/it. Jacob fulfilled that condition when he threw his brother down the hole, killing him.

But there are other rules, and one such rule is that Smokey, to act in any meaningful way, has to take on a human shape, and he is limited in selection to dead bodies on hand (in much the same way Miles is limited in which dead souls he can contact, i.e., those whose bodies are present in his immediate area). So Smokey, finally free, took on the form of the nearest dead body - the nameless MIB. But there is a consequence to picking a form. Smokey takes on, at least subconsciously, some of the attributes of the person he mimics. Hence, as Christian, he had to lead Jack to water. As Locke, he bellowed, "don't tell me what I can't do!" And, as MIB, he eventually came to actually believe that he was once Jacob's brother. I think Jacob, in his loneliness, came to indulge that mistake, just for the companionship (and, in his own way, to be with his brother, since we learned this week that Jacob cannot see dead people). In reality, other than seeing dead people, Jacob's brother was a wholly unremarkable mortal, who died at his brother's hand shortly after murdering his fake mother. Finally, I think this is the meaning behind Desmond’s practically accusatory tone when he answered Flocke’s question of “do you know who I am” with “yes, you’re John Locke.”

So, yeah, I was hoping for more on the Rules, as Jensen said above. But a new understanding of how Jacob and Smokey really fit into island legend (at least in theory), and a new perspective on what Lost is really about, made this one worthwhile, even if a little slow in the execution. But next week, we return to our normal narrative, and pick up the pace for the final 3 1/2 hours, with “Why They Died.” Between that episode, and the finale (entitle “The End,”) I’m accompanying my buddy Grant to one of the videoconference sites where Damon and Carlton will conduct their last ever public address on Lost (at least the last one until they shoot some extras for the DVD/ Blu Ray release in August). So there will be lots and lots to talk about over the next week and a half. Until next time, Namaste.

Episode 614 - In part 2, "The Candidate" is Revealed - For Realsies

2010-05-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Island - Everybody

(Note – this is part 2 of the recap from “The Candidate.” If you did not yet read part 1, click on the title of this post, and you’ll be taken to my discussion of the sideways story. Then click on the title of that post to come back here).

Jack awakens, lying in an outrigger. Sayid wecomes him to Hydra island. “At least you didn’t have to paddle,” he observes, his trademark deadpan preserved.

Widmore’s people reposition the pylons, and march our heroes to the polar bear cages. Sawyer gets a gun from the doughy scientist guy, but Charles Widmore emerges, and holds Kate at gunpoint. Sawyer attempts to call his bluff, but Widmore explains that Kate is not on his list of names, so he doesn’t care what happens to her. He assures them he’s doing this for their own good, which, of course, Sawyer does not buy. Widmore urges his men to hurry – the hour their preparations will take is too long, because he’s coming.

Aside #1 – Sawyer knows Widmore is telling the truth, because he’s been to the cave, and has seen the name “Austen” crossed out. Like Flocke, Widmore clearly seems to need all the candidates, but he also doesn’t seem to need anyone else.

Jack asks what happened. Sayid tells him FLocke saved him from the mortar attack, and those who weren’t killed in the attack scattered into the jungle (did you find yourself worried for Cindy, Zack and Emma?) FLocke tells Jack, “your friends got themselves captured, and we have to rescue them.” Flocke says they need to move quickly to get them out and leave the island together. Jack corrects that they’re not his people, and he doesn’t want to leave. Jack asks Flocke why he should trust him. Flocke considers this, and responds that he can kill Jack, and all of them, but instead of doing that, he wants to save them. “So will you help me?”

Aside #2 – Personally, I never particularly bought the whole notion that there was any real ambiguity in terms of whether or not Flocke/ Smokey was a bad guy. That said, from Jack’s perspective, Flocke’s statement probably seems pretty reasonable. On the other hand, Jack has, like Locke before him, chosen to listen to “the island,” or, in his own case, to Jacob. So he ain’t buying.

Back in the bear cage, Sawyer asks Kate if it feels like they were running in circles. Sawyer tells her that her name was crossed out in the cave, to assure her Widmore doesn’t need her. Jin asks Sun about Ji-Yeon, and gushes over having seen her pictures. Sun gives him back his ring. For the time being, all is, at last, right for these two. The power goes down, and Frank in particular seems worried. The Smokey sounds go off. Hurley mutters, “and…we’re dead.” Smokey shows and surrounds the area, drawing the gunmen’s fire. He kills one of them against the cage (the doughy guy), leaving the key just out of Kate’s reach. Jack shows up and gets the key and gets them out. Kate asks what he’s doing there. “I’m with him,” he indicates towards the smoke.

The sprung prisoners make their way through the jungle, towards the Ajira plane. Jack tells Kate he’s not getting on the plane, because he’s not meant to go. Sawyer thanks Jack for coming back with them. Sayid emerges, and Jack says it’s ok, as Sayid was the one who turned off the generator.

Gunmen shoot at Flocke as he approaches the Ajira plane, but he snaps one’s neck and shoots the other. He rather deliberately takes the watch from the second corpse. Flocke boards, and finds an odd wire running along the bulkhead. He removes something it’s attached to. Frank and his crew emerge, and Frank says, “let’s see what it will take to get this baby to fly.” Sawyer sees the dead men, “Son of a bitch.” Flocke takes credit for the deaths. “ If it’s any consolation,” he offers to an incredulous Jack, “Charles wanted me to kill them.” He says it was Widmore’s plan to kill them all together on the plane with the C4 he found wired throughout the plane. Flocke says they can’t trust the plane, so they need to take the sub, instead. Sawyer plays along. Hurley tries to talk him out of it, because Alpert said, but Sawyer cuts him off: “screw Alpert.” Looking at Flocke, he acknowledges, “that’s twice you saved us.”

Aside #3 – if Sawyer has indeed taken up Jack’s formal mantle as the token empiricist, he should be sold by now on the notion that Flocke is really trying to help them even if Jack, in his Locke 2.0 mode, is not.

Jack says he’ll help, but he’s not coming with. Claire apologizes to Flocke, but he says he understands. Sawyer asks Jack for another favor – he wants him to make sure Flocke doesn’t get on the sub. “Just get him in the water,” Sawyer asks, “and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Aside #4 – what Sawyer does so much better than Jack did as either man of science or man of faith is realistically gauge a situation, and not just cling to one orthodoxy or another. As such, while singing Flocke’s praises, Sawyer instead is (trying to) work(ing) a long con. But recall back in Season 3, when Ben said, “the only way to get a con man’s respect is to con him. You’re good, Sawyer. We’re better.” And who is the best? Howsabout Flocke?

For that matter, I’m really doubting that the confession last week that he was Christian was entirely true. First of all, we saw Christian in the cabin – when the ash still kept Smokey in – with another person, an angry presence that was decidedly not Jacob-like. Then there was Christian’s appearance to Jack in the hospital (albeit while Jack was addicted to pain pills). Also, Christian appeared to Michael on the freighter, at least 12 miles off the coast of the island, and we’ve been led to believe that Smokey can’t cross that length of water unaided. So it would seem that not all of the Christian manifestations could have been Smokey. Or could they?

The group crouches in view of the sub. “Just cause there ain’t any goons at the sub,” Saywer cautions, “don’t mean there aren’t any on the sub.” Sawyer asks Jack if he and Flocke can get their backs, and Jack knowingly says, “absolutely.” The first wave make for the sub. Sawyer opens the hatch and goes down, followed by Frank. They succeed in taking a watchman, and then the captain. Sawyer has Frank get ready to fire it up. Wave two gets up to go. Flocke hands Jack his pack. They bring up the rear. Flocke asks him to reconsider his decision to stay. “Whoever told you to stay had no idea what they were talking about.” Jack says, “John Locke told me to stay,” and pushes Flocke in the water. Kate gets shot in the shoulder. As the firefight continues, Claire takes out some men. Flocke emerges from the water, and pulls his gun out. He approaches Widmore’s men and starts shooting.

Aside #5 – and part of Flocke’s con of Sawyer was to create the mistaken impression that he is vulnerable to water. Having been pushed in, however, all he got was wet, and pissed.

Jack brings Kate in and demands a first aid kit from Hurley (who can’t find one) (mini-aside: there is one clearly visible on the bridge where Frank has taken the captain hostage). Sawyer goes for Claire. Flocke comes to join them, and Sawyer shuts Claire behind to lock Flocke out, too. Sawyer orders Frank to dive. Flocke stops Claire from running after them. Claire screams, “they’re leaving us,” and Flocke says, “no trust me, you don’t want to be on that sub.” Kate asks where Claire is. Jack assures her it will be ok. He goes through his pack to find something to use for pressure on Kate’s wound…and finds that Flocke left one of the C4 packs, wired to the watch he had taken from the corpse. “We did exactly what he wanted,” Jack laments. And just like that, all the candidates realize they have placed themselves in a death trap, under the water.

With 3:43 to go on the timer, Jack says they need to surface now. Jin calls to Frank to take them up. Jack assures them nothing is going to happen, because FLocke can’t kill them. He says FLocke wanted this – he can’t leave the island unless they all die. He wants them to kill each other. Jack tells James to trust him. In the wake of Jughead, bad move! Sawyer says, sorry Doc, I don’t, and pulls the wire. The timer goes rapidly. Sayid tells Jack about Desmond, sitting in the well, and that he’s going to need him (more on this in a moment). Sayid takes the bomb and runs aft, to get away from the rest of them, and blows up! A hatch door knocks out Frank. Sun is pinned under some equipment. Jack moves Kate, and gives her to Hurley, with an emergency tank. As the sub sinks, Hurley and Kate make their way out of the room. The others try to pull Sun free…only there is more debris than they thought. Sawyer gets knocked out by another beam. Jin tries to pry Sun free. She tells him to save himself. Jack swims with Sawyer. Jin says he can get her free, and insists Jack save Sawyer. Jack tries to give Jin the last breather, and says he can get out without it, but Jin says no, he can’t. Jack takes the tank, and Saywer, and leaves. Jack ducks with Sawyer, and pulls him out of the sub, to the surface. Jin still can’t get Sun free. She insist that he go. He says he won’t leave her, and tries to pry her free. She begs him to go. He says again, in Korean, “I won’t leave you. I won’t leave you ever again.” He tells her he loves her. They kiss as water fills the chamber, and the sub goes down. Eventually, their grip comes apart, and they are gone.

Aside #6 – I credit Jeremy Turk with this observation about Jack’s logic: “If Sayid didn't run away with the bomb, would it have exploded? When Jack and Richard were in the Black Rock, Richard had Jack light the fuse because Richard could not kill himself. Jack assumed the same logic applied to him and stayed put, and poof, the dynamite failed to explode. By the same logic, even though (or because) Sawyer pulled the wires on the FLocke bomb, if Sayid didn't run away with the bomb, there's almost no way (under island rules) the bomb should have exploded, because Sawyer would have caused his own death. I guess it's not a flaw, because in the end Sawyer ‘killed’ Sayid and the Kwons -- arguably Sayid did not kill himself, because Sawyer set the bomb off, and for the same reason, Jin didn't kill himself, even though he could have tried to escape without Sun -- but it is an interesting intellectual exercise in island logic.”

And now, a lengthy excerpt from Doc Jensen, about this bloodiest, most tragic sequence in Lost to date, followed by my reactions: (BTW: What did you make of Sayid's final instructions to Jack? Sayid told him that Desmond was alive and well in the well. He told him that Fake Locke wanted him dead — which by Sayid's reasoning must mean that Desmond poses some kind of threat to him. Jack asked: ''Why are you telling me this?'' Sayid: ''Because it's going to be you, Jack.'' Most likely, this was Sayid's way of saying: ''You have to do the work of saving him, because I'm about to get blown up.'' But is it possible that Sayid was actually revealing to us something that he probably learned from Desmond — that Jack is 'The Candidate,' Jacob's final choice for Island protector?)

RIP Jin and Sun. I took a break after writing that last paragraph to wipe away some tears and read some other reviews of the episode. It seems everyone is agreed that the married entity that was Sun/Jin was a moving, compelling presence on the show. Their love for each other and commitment to each other was inspiring. Yet there are those who will also say that Lost didn't quite do justice to Jin and Sun as individual characters, especially over the past two seasons, when their storylines were all about their respective quests across space and time to be reunited. I do think Jin and Sun's individual redemption arcs were all but resolved in the season 4 episode ''Ji Yeon,'' and I do think Sun's telescoped and underdeveloped Lady Vengeance storyline in season 5 ranks as one of Lost's biggest blown opportunities.

But screw the haters! I think with time and perspective, the Jin/Sun storyline will grow in power and significance. Yes, their long separation felt like a story contrivance, and it probably was — but I think the more that we think through the Man In Black's master plan (and I suspect the majority of post-Lost theorizing will and should be devoted to puzzling out and re-reading the entire saga through the Monster's conspiracy), the more the Sun/Jin separation will make sense to us as a necessary part of his strategy. Oh, and by the way? What the hell is so wrong with only focusing on Jin and Sun as a marital unit? Let me tell you what's wrong with that: Nothing. I think it's awesome that Lost chose to tell us a story about two people who took their marriage seriously, who worked through their problems when their union was in crisis, who forgave each other for their sins and redeemed their transgressions by using them as opportunities to build a stronger relationship (Jin's admission in ''Ji Yeon'' that he was basically responsible for Sun's infidelity was a powerful expression of grace and reflection), who saw themselves as better and greater when they were together than apart. I am grateful that Lost told that story. Lost is better for telling that story than not telling any other Jin and Sun story. I am not saying it was perfect. I'm saying I appreciate it for what it was, not what it wasn't.

Finally, let's talk about the Ji Yeon thing, because apparently this is an issue. I'm seeing Tweets and reading comments that basically say that Jin was a selfish jerk for choosing to die with his wife than give his kid a father. That's horrible! You mean to tell me that you think Jin would be a better man if he lived the rest of his life wracked with guilt over letting his wife die alone? Let me rephrase: How do you think Ji Yeon will feel when she gets old enough to realize that her father chose her over her mother? I suppose she might say, ''Wow! Thanks, Daddy! I feel special! I feel loved!'' But if she was any kind of thoughtful, sensitive, normal person, I suspect she'd follow that up with: ''Wow. Now I kinda feel like crap. My dad chose me over his true love. He's never gotten over it. Does he secretly hate me? Does he blame me for his misery? Probably not, because my dad is kick-ass cool! He knows martial arts and catches fish! But has he never been able to love me fully because every time he looks at me he sees a choice he regrets? That's very possible, if not extremely likely. Now I have to live the rest of my life burdened with this guilt. Thanks, Dad. And thanks, Dead Mom. Thanks a lot!'' I could be wrong. But I also think my defense of Jin is just plausible as any criticism of Jin. I like to think that if Ji Yeon should ever learn about what happened to her mother and father, and if she were to ever learn of the choice her father made, she would be grateful, and more, she would be inspired. It's a wonderful story, a story that says something about the way life should be lived, a story she can pass on to her children, and they to their children, and so on. Jin didn't hurt his daughter with his choice — he gave her a gift. If you disagree with me, you're just wrong.

Well, Doc, in this case, I do disagree. I know you’re a parent, as am I. And while an ex post rationalization may be able to lessen the sting of young Ji Yeon’s being orphaned (and left to be raised by that rat Mr. Paik!), I cannot forgive Sun for her failure to plead to her husband to leave, not for his own sake, but for their daughter’s. And I can barely forgive Jin for not doing so on his own, even though he had never met his daughter. He had just seen her picture for the first time, and just bonded with Sun about what she was like. Sun’s death was a foregone conclusion, as tragic as that was. To consign his daughter to live on parentless just for one final romantic gesture was horrifically selfish. After all, this girl was named with the name he had chosen. She was his legacy. And chances are, she would never know of his parent’s sacrifice if neither of them made it back to her. Finally, there was no time, in the heat of the moment, to make the rational decision Jensen seems to think justified the call. As such, I feel the whole Jin/Sun plotline was partially despoiled by this glaring omission. That said, what Jensen said about their story arcs, and the beauty of their love for each other, was spot on, and while it’s odd the say the show will miss them when there’s only 3 episodes left (one of which won’t have any of the main cast), I had hoped they would have their happily ever after…

…which is where that last sideways scene kicks in. Recall from the first half of my recap that, in the very next scene after Jin and Sun died on the island, we saw Jin2 en route to bring Sun2 flowers at the hospital, a reminder that, (to borrow from another powerful famous tragic drowning), their hearts will go on…unless you believe too strongly in course correction, and remember that sideways world is more than 3 years before island world in linear time.

And then there’s Sayid, who had his Anakin moment, as Jensen notes, and, much like the once and former Darth Vader, reclaimed his soul in self-sacrifice. I find the whole thing odd, i.e. why did Flocke resurrect him just to kill him again? The reason to try to kill all the candidates together was so that none of them would survive to know their enemy. But Sayid was basically dead before hand, when the Roger Linus-inflicted bullet wound took him out at the temple. I don’t see what Flocke gained by keeping him around…unless he truly did believe Desmond was dead, and that the rules no more allowed him to kill Desmond than it did, for example, Jack.

As for what Sayid said to Jack, I didn’t even think there was any ambiguity. I think Sayid just told Jack that he was the candidate, when all is said and done. Will Jack actually listen? Who can say? But between his trusted lieutenant status with Flocke, the mystical way he was brought back to life, and the off-camera interaction he may have had with an increasingly omniscient Desmond, I’m pretty sure Sayid did know that Jack was our guy. And, come on, hasn’t he always been the hero of the show, even when his heroism came up short? That’s right. As I said in the intro to the first part of this recap, the title “The Candidate,” was a double foiler, designed to make us think it tricked us with the whole Locke2 being a candidate for surgery, when in fact it revealed the answer in overt dialog that happened so quickly, and just before three incredibly jolting deaths of beloved characters, that it was sure to be missed.

Now…what about Frank Lapidus? I see no reason to raise Frank to the status of a series regular, only to have his death merely implied. I’m betting Frank will show up again, and I don’t just mean in sideways world.

Finally, going way back to Jeremy Turk’s logic. I think, in the end, the island may only prevent suicide, and not actions that could result in a person’s death. Also, there’s the whole notion that, once the island is done with you, you’re fair game. Perhaps the island was done with Sayid, once he completed his redemptive journey, and done with Jin and Sun. The sure sign that it isn’t done with Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer is that they survived yet another impossible ordeal.

Jack pulls Sawyer out of the water. Sawyer coughs, and Hurley leads Kate over to them. She cries – twice – that she couldn’t find Jack (the first real sign that the “final answer” to that question is…Jaters win). Kate asks about Jin and Sun, but Jack shakes his head. Hurley cries, hard. Jack walks to the water, and looks out, then up. He cries and shakes his head.

Aside #7 – if you didn’t get at least a bit choked up when Hurley cried…well, then perhaps you have been “claimed” by “the sickness,” and you would be better off dead. Just sayin’.

On the dock, Flocke says, “it sunk.” Claire asks, “what the sub? They were all on it.” (And it was a bit refreshing to see her genuinely concerned) “What, they’re all dead,” she pleads. And Flocke says, “not all of them,” as he sheaths his knife and starts to leave She asks where he’s going, and he responds, “to finish what I started” and storms off.

Aside #8 – And so ends the island world story of at least three beloved characters, and possibly Frank. Next week, according to Michael Emerson, we’ll see an episode the likes of which has never been done on TV. Here, with only three episodes to go, we will get an installment that virtually entirely ignores the main cast of the series, focusing, it would seem, on the backstory behind Jacob and Smokey. Keep an eye out for Allison Janney, formerly of the West Wing, who is rumored to be playing the mother of at least one, if not more, major Lost figures. I, for one, am incredibly excited for “Beyond the Sea,” even if makes me think of the end credits of Finding Nemo. So, until then, Namaste!

Episode 614 - The first of two "Candidate"[s]

2010-05-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Foreword

(Note - what you are about to read is just my recap of the Sideways Story from "The Candidate." Check back later this week for the recap of the Island story).

Sometimes, an episode title on Lost is a spoiler. After all, we never see them in the episodes themselves, so you have to go out of your way (or read the entry on your DVR) to find them. Sometimes, it’s a foiler (i.e. a seeming spoiler, which actually misdirects the audience). The title of Season 6’s 14^th hour – “The Candidate” – is perhaps a double foiler. Whaaaaat? you ask, incredulously. Here’s what I mean. On first blush, those of us who knew we were seeing “The Candidate” this week assumed the mystery of Jacob’s replacement would be solved. But what did we get instead? A clear narrowing of the playing field, as well as a sideways story in which Jack2 told Locke2 that he was a “candidate” for experimental spinal surgery. (This, of course, makes Locke2 the titular referent in two episodes this season – “The Substitute,” and “The Candidate”). But, in a line that went by in a cough-and-you-miss-it kind of way, I believe that this episode indeed did reveal who Jacob’s replacement is, or at least who it will be. But we’ll get to that when we get to it….(i.e. when I post the rest of the recap). So, on with it.

Smokey’s endgame revealed! Jack2 gets smacked around by island world hints and still stays clueless!! The deaths of more main characters in one episode than we’ve ever seen before!!! All this, plus Smokey wiping out some ill-equipped armed physicists, all in, “The Candidate”

Sideways World – Jack2 (with a Healthy Dose of Alterna-Locke)

Locke2 wakes up in the hospital to the voice of Jack2, saying, “Welcome back.” Locke2 gazes at the doctor, then says, “I know you.” Jack2 explains they were on the same flight, and Locke2 blinks it off.

Aside #1 – (What, already?) even as island Jack, finally, in the final hours of the show, is at last becoming the kind of hero you can root for, his sideways self remains an enlightenment killer. More than any other character, he has been presented with little hints of his other life, yet Jack2 just keeps missing the point. I truly believe that Locke2 – a much more level-headed, grounded version of John Locke – was starting to remember, not the airport, but the island world, when he said, “I know you.” But whereas island Jack and Locke would have sparred over the meaning of this recognition (Jack – “It’s just a coincidence”; Locke – “Why don’t you believe that déjà vu proves we are the center of everything?”), Locke2 just accepts Jack2’s more mundane explanation and shrugs it off.

Jack2 tells him about the car crash, and his ruptured dural sac. He says saw Locke2’s initial injury while operating, and asks about what caused it. He’s a candidate for a new procedure – he may even walk again. “I think I can fix you,” Jack2 says, echoing his island counterpart’s obsessive mantra. “No thank you,” Locke2 dismisses. Jack tries to convince Locke2, to no avail, and then Helen2 comes in. She kisses Jack2 and thanks him for saving John2.

Jack2 finds a dentist carving a dental mold…it’s Bernard2. He introduces himself, and asks for Locke2’s patient files, to figure out why he was so hurt (Bernard2 had done the emergency dental fix after Locke2’s initial accident). Bernard2 tells him he remembers him from flight 815, and suggests he may be on to something here, what with all the connections he keeps stumbling upon. Bernard2 recalls another man in the same accident – Anthony Cooper. Bernard2 wishes him luck, and hopes he finds what he’s looking for.

Aside #3 – I get the feeling that Bernard2 is fully island-flashed at this point, but part of the understanding he has gotten, much as seems to be the case with Desmond, is that each 815er needs to find the truth on his or her own. The thought now occurs to me that, if Bernard2 is thus enlightened, perhaps Rose2 is, as well. Maybe it was no coincidence that she sent Locke2 to that particular school as a substitute teacher. Maybe she knew Desmond would come to find him there, and this was all part of the path to setting Locke2 about his destiny…

As Jack2 tries to get access to Cooper2 at some sort of hospital, Helen2 comes in, surprised to see him. She tells Jack2 to “just go.” Jack2 pleads that he can’t understand why Locke2 doesn’t want the surgery. “You saved John’s life, why can’t that be enough,” she asks. Jack2, still stuck in his must-fix-everything obsession, responds only, “because it’s not.” So she leads him in to the visiting room, where Cooper sits in a wheelchair, catatonic. She wipes his drool off, and introduces him as John2’s father.

Aside #4 – I wonder if, in the remaining 4 ½ hours of Lost, James2 will continue his search for Cooper2. On the island, there was an easy to understand satisfaction in killing the bastard who practically taunted him to do so after having been his bogeyman for so long. But how would he react to seeing this pathetic creature? To the extent the sideways world corrects something in each person’s life, perhaps James2 was set up to give up on revenge. After all, even if he found the answer to his private Sawyer mystery, there could be no satisfaction in killing this man.

Jack2 stands over Locke2’s bed. Locke2 says, “push the button. I wish you had believed me” (the latter of which harkens back to the message in his “suicide” note to Jack). Out in the hall, Jack2 sees Claire2, who was looking for him. She asks him if they can talk. He gets an Apollo bar from the machine, but this one needs no help in falling. He apologizes for running out of Ilana2’s office. Claire2 says her father especially wanted her to have a box. He doesn’t know why, but then he didn’t know about her, either. She asks how their father died. Jack2 says he was found in an alley outside a bar in Sydney, where he drank himself to death. She says she just flew in from Sydney, and he makes the 815 connection. He shakes his head, then asks to look at the box. It opens and plays “Catch a Falling Star,” the oft-repeated anthem from their island stories. They look at each other in the mirror, but he says he wishes she knew why their father wanted her to have it. He asks where she’s staying, and then offers to have her stay with him. She says they’re strangers, and he says, “no we’re family.”

Aside #5 – Aaaaargh! One of you two, flash already!!! Claire2, listen. Just listen. That’s the same music your island self remembered your father singing to you as a child, the same song you wished your baby’s adoptive parents would sing to Aaron, and the same song creepy island Ethan had a mobile play over the would-be nursery crib. And Jack2, for the love of Jacob, how many people of relevance to your life do you have to bump into from the same Sydney flight before you see what’s going on? On the other hand…it is nice to see that, rather than flashing back to their inchoate squirrel-baby/ I blew up a nuke and all I got was my friends killed world, that these two finally got something they never had before – a sibling relationship.

Locke2 is wheeled out, past Jin2 who catches his notice…only to have it fade just as easily. Jack2 catches him. He admits that he went to see Cooper2. He felt he had to understand why he didn’t want to see his father. Locke2 explains he was in a plane crash. He had his license for a week, and begged his father to be his passenger. They barely got off the ground. He doesn’t remember what he did wrong, but it was his fault, that this man he loved more than anything would never walk or talk again. Jack2 reminds him of how John2 had told him that his father was gone, and tells him that his father is gone, too. “What happened, happened, and you can let it go.” “What makes you think letting go is so easy,” Locke2 asks him. “It’s not,” smiles Jack2, nervously. “In fact, I don’t really know how to do it myself. That’s why I was hoping that maybe you could go first.” Locke2 laughs at this, and then says good-bye. As he rolls away, Jack2 says, “I can help you, John. I wish you believed me.” This seems to spark something for Locke2, but he rolls away, anyway.

Aside #6 – soooo much to unpack in this scene. First of all, Jin2’s appearance, even in the briefest cameo, is huge. In the normal order of the episode, this scene immediately follows our having seen Jin and Sun’s lifeless bodies sink with the submarine (oh, please, it’s no spoiler – you really wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t a big enough fan to have already watched it, right?). So the meaning of that is clear: Jin and Sun may have died on the island, but, like Libby and Charlie, they live on in Sideways world.

Then there’s this week’s bit of course correction – it seems Locke2 was going to have ambulation affected by air travel no matter what. But instead of regaining his legs in a plane crash, here he lost them. But pay special attention to the reveal that Locke2 has a pilot’s license. How much you want to bet that, on the island, Smokey got that knowledge, too? With Frank Lapidus out of the picture, and no more sub, that probably explains, in part, why Smokey chose Locke, apart from the reasons he gave Jack – because this was a guy who could fly a plane (albeit, not very well).

Jack2, of course, isn’t being completely honest about not knowing how to let go. Sure, he can’t stop fixing things. But, on the other hand, he has clearly let go of his fatherhood issues to develop a relationship with David.

And then, at long last, the big role reversal. Here, of course, it is Jack2 telling John2 he wishes he had believed him, had taken that leap of faith with him, the polar opposite of John Locke’s posthumous last message to Jack.

One last thing – excerpts from Doc Jensen’s take on the Sideways story this week…I thought John Locke was destined for a cosmic wake-up call after Desmond rammed him with the car. Nope. In ''The Candidate,'' we heard him suddenly blurt ''push the button'' in his sleep … do a double-take at Jin, and flinch at Jack's line ''I wish you believed me,'' which is what Locke wrote in his suicide note to Jack. But those dim epiphanies failed to blow his mind.

Jack's trademark ''fixer'' pathology was tempered with humility and self-awareness, wisdom and grace. He tried to coach Locke through his father guilt with counsel that his Island world self has only recently learned to accept. ''What happened happened,'' Jack said. ''And you can let it go.'' Locke's response echoed Doc Jensen's Personal Pick For The Greatest Lost Moment Ever — the moment in the season 2 episode ''Orientation'' when Jack accused Locke of being too quick to believe and Locke retorted ''It has never been easy!''

Sideways Locke: What makes you think letting go is so easy?
Sideways Jack: It's not. I don't really know how to do it myself. Which is why was kind of hoping you could go fist.
I loved that exchange. I like the implication that these two flawed, fallen men could join forces and labor together to complete their respective redemption projects. This is what we religious people call ''church.'' But Locke wasn't quite ready to become a man of faith. He said goodbye and wheeled away. Jack stopped him in his tracks with ''I wish you believed me,'' (which, I must admit, felt a little forced, too, but I rolled with it) and Locke had a moment of recognition... and then kept on going.

It really does seem that there's something fundamentally ''off'' about the Sideways world. I come to this conclusion not because of what anyone said in the episode, but because of Jack's reactions to the increasing pile-up of incredible post-Oceanic 815 coincidences. Fellow passengers Locke, Bernard … and then another encounter with Claire — all of these moments made Matthew Fox do that weird blinking thing when he gets flustered. In the context of the Sideways world, it gives the impression of a man trying to wake up. Maybe that's going to be the key to Jack's Island Enlightenment: a slow, steady, gentle pounding of meaningful coincidences that will finally cause the wall between his Island world and Sideways world selves to collapse. More likely, all these little moments are probably setting him for One Big Moment, a head-spinning Synchronicity, that will finally seal the deal.

But first, I think he'll have to surrender his Sideways world attachments. That includes his newfound relationship with his half-sister, Claire, who may or may not be Island Enlightened; I really can't tell. I waited for Jack to become ''activated'' when he and Claire shared that mirror-moment together. But per my new making-this-up-as-I-go attachment/detachment theory, perhaps the reason Jack didn't blaze into self-awareness was that Claire represents a stronger, even reinforced attachment to the Sideways world. (After all, he did ask her to move in.) Jack's biggest obstacle to becoming linked to his Island mind is his son, David. Through his boy, Jack has experienced the reconciliation of his father issues — the resolution of Island Jack's ''white rabbit'' angst.

And with that, Lostophiles, I leave you for now. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before long with the recap of the island world story, the bloodiest of its kind in the show’s history. And then, next week, oh, I am so looking forward to “Across the Sea.” But that’s getting ahead of ourselves, right? Check back this weekend for the island recap, and NAMASTE! (And, if I don’t get back before then, a happy Mother’s Day).

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

2010-04-20T22:11:00.001-07:00

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

2010-04-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

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.