First off, I should explain. Swan asked me to help out this week with a 2 hour gut reaction blog since the schedule for the blog has been a little odd lately. I hope that I can live up to the excellent quality that the previous posts have embodied.
That said, what the heck, LOST? I think that this week's episode was overall a solid one, though it was a bit jarring not to have a central character to flash back/sideways to. It was more like an ensemble flashsideways, where we got a little more of everyone's stories. I really enjoyed that.
The episode was really an outgrowth of The adventures of Desmond Hume , as characters were all being brought together either by fate or the hand of Hume. in fact, it seems like Desmond is pretty adept at convincing people to get to where they need to go. He could give John Locke some lessons on how to get the castaways to do what they need to do - though Locke's Season 5 method of asking "Hey, wanna come? No? Oh thats ok" didn't really seem to have his heart in it.
Instead Desmond managed to just lead characters to places where they would encounter important figures who would help them remember the island. For Hurley, he pushed her towards Libby, for Claire, he led her to Jack and Ilana. And for Locke, he ran into him with a car at 40 miles per hour. Well. At least that led him to Jack as well. The one question I am curious about is HOW exactly Desmond is finding all of these people. Sure, he has the manifest, but how is he tracking them down all over the city? He's like Desmond Hume, Private Detective.
Actually, that is a show I would watch. Solving mysteries, traveling through time.
The show seems to be moving back towards a dynamic from Season One, where the central conflict is one between Free Will and Destiny. This week's "The last recruit" cut right to the chase, and put Jack and Loophole Locke face to face. I really liked that Loophole knew that Jack was the key to convincing the other candidates to join Team Smokey. He's a smart creature…thing…he is. The situation is also reversed now - with Jack as a main of faith and Locke (or at least someone who looks like Locke) talking about how there is no purpose for any of this, and that whatever happens happens, without any thought towards Destiny.
In LAX, a similar reversal occurs when Sawyer arrests Sayid. In Season One, Sayid was the Sheriff, keeping the outlaw Sawyer in check for his transgressions. I like how the show is reversing itself in that way.
I think that the most direct idea that this week's episode ponders is : What does it mean to be on which side? Loophole Locke says "You're with me now" to Jack, but is he? The lines of good and evil seem less clear with the betrayal of Team Widmore once Sawyer and Co arrive on Hydra island. Jack is starting to see the big picture a bit more clearly, and its interesting to me that Sawyer, who usually sees the whole gameboard was conned. Jack is finally coming to understand that being a candidate has always been his fate, and that he needs to start acting like it. The scene between he and Sawyer on the boat was poignant though, and Jack's decision to abandon the people he cared about in favor of possibly protecting the island was a huge shift in his character, perhaps as large as the dynamite scene with Richard in the Black Rock. It was a great moment for the character, even if my roommate Luke yelled out "PIRATE SAWYER! Just making him walk the plank!"
Luke's right though.
The reunion of Sun and Jin was actually sweet, even if I WAS worried that somehow the Pylons would turn back on and their brains would explode.
The big question of the episode : Is Desmond Alive? Of course he is. If they kill Desmond, the show is over.
Also, why did Widmore alter the deal? ( "I Have altered the deal, pray I don't alter it again…") Was it because Sawyer didn't bring Loophole Locke back with him? And why was Loophole suddenly vulnerable once the candidates were mostly on Hydra island?
*Shakes fist* WIDMOREEEEEE.
How can we tell who is on the Dark Side without the color of their Lightsabers and what ships they fly?
-The Looking Glass
Well thought out, Alex. (I have to assume it's Alex, and not Jason, because those are the only two candidates. :P)
ReplyDeleteI like that you pointed out the pylons thing. I had that same jarring moment of "OHGODNO!" as they were running.
What do you make of the scene where Sun and Locke are both being rushed to the hospital, Sun sees Locke and says, "It's him.." (I think) or something to that effect. Is it significant?
I was going to include that moment but I wasnt really sure how it fit, other than that it supported my idea that whatever is happening in LAX is happening AFTER the island timeline, and that was some sort of racial memory bleeding through from Island Sun to LAX Sun. Is that injured Locke really Loophole?
ReplyDeleteI love every episode, but this one seemed like obligatory plot progression without having any focus or accomplishing anything. It was a step sideways. Nothing really surprising happened except for the bombs/missiles/whatever.
ReplyDeleteThe only constant is my enjoyment of watching Locke in every episode. Making Terry O'Quinn play the villain is genius. It wouldn't have worked with a new guy.
My other thought during the show was how obvious it is that they're not going to explain any more backstory or loose ends. Like why the "natives" of the island all speak English, or how Dharma started and found the island. Or how polar bears can live there, or who even thought of that. Oh well. :\
I was freaking out to about the pylons, I thought they were going to get fried lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I wasn't the only one worried about the pylons :P. I definitely was relieved when they were okay.
ReplyDeleteGreat guest post, Alex.
ReplyDeleteI thought someone was going to shoot either Sun or Jin for sure. That's what LOST does to people. You can't appreciate good moments because you KNOW that something bad is going to happen right after. Ugh.
But what the first commenter said, about the Sun/Locke moment...it's interesting for sure. I don't think LAX Locke is Smokey, but I think Sun's memories are of Smokey...or maybe even Locke. Maybe Sun just really hates John Locke.
I can see how eventually everyone in the LAX timeline will manage to come together at a crucial moment...will they need to do something? Or will their remembering of each other, of that first moment when they all came together, be enough to cancel out one of the time lines?
I cannot believe there's only a few more episodes to wrap this season up. And I still feel like we lack the answers to so many questions.
Great analysis, Alex!
ReplyDeleteI'm also wondering about Sun recognizing Locke when they were both going into the emergency room. It seems like everyone else recognized people the knew from the Island due to specific circumstances: Hurley didn't recognize Libby till they kissed, which was something that happened on the Island; Desmond remembered "Not Penny's boat" when he and Charlie were underwater, like they were in the Looking Glass; Jack recognized Locke in surgery, although he operated on Ben on the Island, not Locke, so maybe that one's a stretch. I was wondering if Desmond drove into Locke to recreate the feeling of Locke lying on the ground after the plane crash and wondering whether or not he could move? It would be really weird if Jack can somehow make LA X Locke able to walk again after this surgery. And LA X Jack and Claire didn't seem to recognize each other from the Island; they were more just blown away by the realization that they're siblings.
I can't even begin to predict what's going to happen next.
Desmond Hume's detective show would be freaking made of AWESOME! He needs a sassy girl partner like Veronica Mars!
ReplyDeleteAnd Widmore is always going to be the evil rich dude. He plays that character in every single TV show! He was even the evil rich dude in a skit on Important Things with Demetri Martin! I never thought he would hold up his bargain with Saywer.
Also Sawyer was looking damn sexy in this episode - and when Claire was pointing the gun at Kate by the boat, I was screaming at my TV going "SHOOT HER CLAIRE! DO IT!"
Random collection of thoughts!
Awesome guest post!
I probably shouldn't comment on this sense I still haven't made a post. Ah well. Maybe since Sun was in a near death sort of experience, like Charlie and Desmond were, that was why she associated Locke on the gurney with Smokey? That's my guess.
ReplyDeleteI thought the exact thing about the pylons as well - "Wow. To be finally reunited after three years/two seasons and then blow up or get your brain fried or something disastrous".
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think was very important: Claire. I never for a moment doubted that she would find some way to join Jack and the others. I was a bit surprised when Jack didn't offer himself (seeing as he felt pretty guilty when she disappeared the first time and how torn up he was when he found out they were siblings). Jack experienced some major changes this episode. When Claire had her gun pointed at Kate, I was half "Shoot her, it'll make things a lot more interesting" and "Don't you dare! I will lose all respect I still hold for you, Ms. Littleton". Claire's choice in not shooting Kate and going with the rest of the Oceanic crew/freighters could be taken two ways. Is she getting cured of the "sickness" and remembering what's important? Or is she going to spy for Locke?
Claire and Sayid, Locke's main lackeys, behaved a bit differently this time around. I loved Desmond's pleading, and I hope it is the first step in Sayid's recovery.
Ilana. I was stunned to see her, especially cause she freaking blew up last episode. I thought the lawyer would be Ana Lucia for unknown reasons (a bit odd she still hasn't popped up [working with Sawyer at the police station would be perfect] and since Daniel Dae Kim and Cynthia Watros are still on. Even with their DUIs. Ilana as a lawyer was an interesting choice - perhaps it alludes to her untold past life?
I can't believe that in both time-lines Jack and Claire have brother-sister bonding time. I thought it was particularly odd; perhaps this is the second step in the time-lines finally getting into place and converging. Two things happening at the same time in alternate realities - that was an interesting choice, Lost.
I wasn't surprised Widmore altered his deal (Sawyer changed it up a bit for himself) but I am surprised that they still went ahead and blew everything up. Except Jack and Smokey. Because Jack is oh-so-lucky that he misses flaming fire balls by inches. Really?
I loved this episode. Period.
The only thing that I really remember about my initial reaction to this episode was that I kept yelling at Desmond to stop being such a creeper. I mean, seriously? Claire just met him at an airport one time for, like, two minutes. And all of a sudden he keeps talking to her? CREEEEEEEPER.
ReplyDeleteBut I still love Des <3
Gosh, Lost is getting really confusing now. I love how when I talk about each episode with my friends (who do not watch it), they are really surprised at my reactions to horrible things. For example, last week: "Oh, yeah, this girl blew herself up with this really old dynamite. It was an accident though... And, yeah, Des was thrown down a well... But, I mean, I totally saw that coming. And he obviously can't die... So... Yeah."
My dad and my sister just brought this up, and I thought it was super-interesting and needed to be shared!
ReplyDeleteGetting back to the biblical imagery...Smokey threw Desmond down a well and left him there, then sent Sayid back to take care of him. In the Bible, Joseph (the one from Genesis) was thrown down a well by his brothers, and they were going to leave him there to die until some Ishmaelites (Middle-Eastern guys) came along, and they sold Joseph to him. Who was Joseph's father? Jacob. Is Desmond somehow Jacob's son? We don't know much, if anything about Desmond's family. Also, Joseph was known for having strange dreams and for being able to interpret dreams. Goodness knows Desmond has had a lot of weird dreams and visions!
So maybe next week we'll see Desmond dancing around in a Technicolor DHARMA suit...??
Also, irony: my word verification word was just "disertd"...like "deserted"...like people who deserted Claire on an Island. Maybe words just amuse me too much.
@Madeline
ReplyDeleteAwesome reference. I'm not entirely there on your Desmond-is-Jacob's-son theory, but that is really cool. I could totally live with Desmond dancing in a technicolor Dharma suit. Or just dancing in general.
"Actually, that is a show I would watch. Solving mysteries, traveling through time."
ReplyDeleteYou're thinking about Doctor Who