Maybe some of you saw it coming based on last week’s post-show preview so knew going into last night that you would not be treated to a new episode. But if you were like me, you did NOT notice and therefore got a kicked-in-the-gut feeling once you realized it was a replay. Anyway, I thought I would attempt to fill this temporary LOST-shaped hole in your life with the following public service announcement.
As you know, the end draws nigh. There are only three new episodes left until the 2-hour finale. While I’ve enjoyed recapping this last half of the show’s existence, I must admit it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without your colorful commentary and insightful contributions serving as mile markers along the way. Many of my revelations and ideas are in no small way indebted to you… the readership.
For this reason, I wanted to create something together—a little “community project” if you will—that combines the collective wisdom that LOST has imparted over the years. And so, dear reader, may I now extend the writer’s cap to you in a collaborative effort entitled:
“EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW… I LEARNED FROM LOST”
At first I was thinking a Letterman-esque Top 10 or 20, but I thought surely we could come up with more than that. So in these last few series-closing weeks, send me your ideas (funny, deep, or Chicken-Soup-for-the-Soul-inspiring) and I’ll compile them into a comprehensive list and distribute after the finale. Something for you to keep, print out poster-size, and hang over your bed as a reminder of the important life lessons that LOST has to offer.
If I may start us off…
Who needs biological children when you can create fake animal-skull babies of your own?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
S6E12 - The Last Recruit
I've wanted to do this recap theme for a while, but no episode seemed momentous enough… that is until last night’s episode came along. Not that there were any huge revelations falling from the sky, but just focusing a little bit on everyone like they did gave me a high-speed-buckle-your-seat-belt-and-grip-the-arms-of-the-sofa feeling. Anyway, without further adieu, may I present…
(NOT-SO-FUNNY) LOST JOKES
Hugo, Sun, Frank, and Jack walk into a bar. The bartender (played by Flocke) says, “What’ll ya have?” Jack orders a water. The bartender leaves and returns a few minutes later, handing him a backpack. “What’s this for?” Jack asks. The bartender smiles then turns into Jack’s dead father and says, “If you need water, I figure I’d lead you to it.”
So, Flocke admits that he “posed” as Christian when the plane first crashed in order to lead Jack to water so the LOSTies could survive. If true, that’s one point in Flocke’s recently suffering benevolent column. Though Jack seemed to be waiver on whether or not to join Camp Flocke, Claire seemed to think the decision was made as soon as he spoke to him. Another interesting reference to that whole, “Kill him before he speaks to you” thing, don’t you think? I especially thought it was interesting in the beginning when Sun seemed to recognize (and fear) Locke as they were both being rushed into the hospital. Further evidence of alternate lives merging?
“Knock-knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Flocke.”“Flocke who?”
“Flock to me, all ye who want to escape.”
Flocke had his fair share of nice and naughty this episode. On one hand, he ordered Desmond’s murder. On the other hand, he saved Jack at the end. But if it’s true that Desmond is a threat to him and that he needs Jack (and the other candidates) in order to leave, it’s all ultimately about serving his own selfish needs. And what about that air strike that Zoe threatened him with? Duh, bullets bounce off him and knifes have no effect. What’s an oversized grenade supposed to do? Seems like that was more of a threat to his followers than to him.
A cop catches an attractive female criminal whom he attempts to flirt with. “Is your mom a criminal too?” he asks. The criminal says, “No, why?” “Because she stole the stars and put them in your eyes.” The criminal thinks about this for a moment then asks, “Are you huge fan of marsupials?” The cop says, “No, why?” “Just curious why you went to Australia.” Any further flirtatious dialogue ground to a halt.
Sawyer interrogates/flirts with Kate… interroflirts?... no wait, inflirtogates. Nice. Anyway, Miles pulls him away to show footage of Sayid fleeing the scene of a triple homicide. I’m digging how people are starting to intersect more and more in the alternate life. Especially when you consider Desmond’s new role… makes you wonder if something major is going to get them ALL together soon. Speaking of which…
How many lawyers does it take to find your long lost half-sister?
Zero.
Desmond will just do it for you.
Let’s see, in this episode, alone, we’ve got a Kate/Sawyer, Sawyer/Sayid, Jack/Claire, and Jack/Locke intersection. Not to mention a nice touch with Ilana as the lawyer.
An Iraqi finds a leprechaun trapped in the bottom of a well. The leprechaun says, “Hey, brotha. If you let me out, I’ll grant you three wishes.” The Iraqi says, “I wish my dead wife were alive again.” The leprechaun says, “I’m sorry, brotha, but I can’t bring the dead back. What’s your next wish?” The Iraqi says, “I wish I had a gun.” The leprechaun says, “That’s easy,” and a gun appears in the Iraqi’s hand. “What’s your last wish?” The Iraqi points the gun at the leprechaun and says, “I wish you farewell.”
While I doubt Sayid killed Desmond, it also seems doubtful that a guilt-trip would be enough to persuade Sayid to spare his life. He definitely didn’t look like he was on his way to rejoin the group when Locke found him. I’ll bet he set him free or at least was on his way to find a vine to dangle down the well or something. Either way, even if he is dead, we still have alternate Desmond working his matchmaking magic.
You might be a redneck if…
you wear a rifle when you go swimming instead of a bathing suit.
Was I the only one bothered when Sawyer went for a dip in the ocean with his gun? Granted, I’m no expert on firearms, but I’d at least be mildly concerned about wetting a weapon that essentially relies on making fire in order to ignite a dry powder.
How many people does it take to escape from a mysterious island?
Seven.
Two to steal a boat. Four to sneak away. And one to pull a gun on everyone until she can be convinced to tag along.
I’m glad Kate stood up for Claire and insisted that she be included. Her little speech was icing on her character-redeeming-flavored cake, though I must say she’s slid so low in my opinion, I now find her merely tolerable at best. But hey, that’s an improvement.
What do you call a dumb blonde with 2 brain cells?
Pregnant.
Is it me, or did Claire give in waaaaay too easily to suspiciously free legal counsel from a man that from all appearances is stalking her? Geez… factor that in with her accepting a ride from Kate, the woman that hijacked her taxi, and you’ve got one fairly dumb blonde on your hands (no offense to all of you smart blondes out there). By the way, did anyone else laugh out loud when Hurley gave her a hug and said, “Wow, Claire… you look uh… great!” – not to mention the line where Sawyer said Frank looks like he “walked off the set of a Bert Reynolds movie.” Classic.
What did the Korean man say to his Korean girlfriend who got shot and almost lost their lovechild?
I don’t know… I don’t speak Korean.
What did the Korean man say to his Korean wife after learning English and being separated for three years?
“We’ll never be apart.”
Well, it seems that alternate Ji Yeon is alive and kicking (literally). And, wait for it… island Jin and Sun are back together. FINALLY! I was kind of hoping they’d reunite in an episode of their own. You know… give the reunion a little more oomph. Either way, hope their celebration isn’t cut off too abruptly now that Widmore decided to renig on his “deal” with Sawyer.
Why did the ex-con cross the ocean?
To get to the other side!
Why did the doctor cross the ocean?
Because he had nothing better to do!
That is until he decided his destiny was back on the island. Very interesting that Jack is “officially” with Flocke now.
All together, I thought this was a great episode. Even though the only answer worth anything was that Smokie was the one that posed as Christian back in Season 1, the episode seemed to still cover a lot of ground and set things up for the final four (three?) episodes. What were your thoughts?
(NOT-SO-FUNNY) LOST JOKES
Hugo, Sun, Frank, and Jack walk into a bar. The bartender (played by Flocke) says, “What’ll ya have?” Jack orders a water. The bartender leaves and returns a few minutes later, handing him a backpack. “What’s this for?” Jack asks. The bartender smiles then turns into Jack’s dead father and says, “If you need water, I figure I’d lead you to it.”
So, Flocke admits that he “posed” as Christian when the plane first crashed in order to lead Jack to water so the LOSTies could survive. If true, that’s one point in Flocke’s recently suffering benevolent column. Though Jack seemed to be waiver on whether or not to join Camp Flocke, Claire seemed to think the decision was made as soon as he spoke to him. Another interesting reference to that whole, “Kill him before he speaks to you” thing, don’t you think? I especially thought it was interesting in the beginning when Sun seemed to recognize (and fear) Locke as they were both being rushed into the hospital. Further evidence of alternate lives merging?
“Knock-knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Flocke.”“Flocke who?”
“Flock to me, all ye who want to escape.”
Flocke had his fair share of nice and naughty this episode. On one hand, he ordered Desmond’s murder. On the other hand, he saved Jack at the end. But if it’s true that Desmond is a threat to him and that he needs Jack (and the other candidates) in order to leave, it’s all ultimately about serving his own selfish needs. And what about that air strike that Zoe threatened him with? Duh, bullets bounce off him and knifes have no effect. What’s an oversized grenade supposed to do? Seems like that was more of a threat to his followers than to him.
A cop catches an attractive female criminal whom he attempts to flirt with. “Is your mom a criminal too?” he asks. The criminal says, “No, why?” “Because she stole the stars and put them in your eyes.” The criminal thinks about this for a moment then asks, “Are you huge fan of marsupials?” The cop says, “No, why?” “Just curious why you went to Australia.” Any further flirtatious dialogue ground to a halt.
Sawyer interrogates/flirts with Kate… interroflirts?... no wait, inflirtogates. Nice. Anyway, Miles pulls him away to show footage of Sayid fleeing the scene of a triple homicide. I’m digging how people are starting to intersect more and more in the alternate life. Especially when you consider Desmond’s new role… makes you wonder if something major is going to get them ALL together soon. Speaking of which…
How many lawyers does it take to find your long lost half-sister?
Zero.
Desmond will just do it for you.
Let’s see, in this episode, alone, we’ve got a Kate/Sawyer, Sawyer/Sayid, Jack/Claire, and Jack/Locke intersection. Not to mention a nice touch with Ilana as the lawyer.
An Iraqi finds a leprechaun trapped in the bottom of a well. The leprechaun says, “Hey, brotha. If you let me out, I’ll grant you three wishes.” The Iraqi says, “I wish my dead wife were alive again.” The leprechaun says, “I’m sorry, brotha, but I can’t bring the dead back. What’s your next wish?” The Iraqi says, “I wish I had a gun.” The leprechaun says, “That’s easy,” and a gun appears in the Iraqi’s hand. “What’s your last wish?” The Iraqi points the gun at the leprechaun and says, “I wish you farewell.”
While I doubt Sayid killed Desmond, it also seems doubtful that a guilt-trip would be enough to persuade Sayid to spare his life. He definitely didn’t look like he was on his way to rejoin the group when Locke found him. I’ll bet he set him free or at least was on his way to find a vine to dangle down the well or something. Either way, even if he is dead, we still have alternate Desmond working his matchmaking magic.
You might be a redneck if…
you wear a rifle when you go swimming instead of a bathing suit.
Was I the only one bothered when Sawyer went for a dip in the ocean with his gun? Granted, I’m no expert on firearms, but I’d at least be mildly concerned about wetting a weapon that essentially relies on making fire in order to ignite a dry powder.
How many people does it take to escape from a mysterious island?
Seven.
Two to steal a boat. Four to sneak away. And one to pull a gun on everyone until she can be convinced to tag along.
I’m glad Kate stood up for Claire and insisted that she be included. Her little speech was icing on her character-redeeming-flavored cake, though I must say she’s slid so low in my opinion, I now find her merely tolerable at best. But hey, that’s an improvement.
What do you call a dumb blonde with 2 brain cells?
Pregnant.
Is it me, or did Claire give in waaaaay too easily to suspiciously free legal counsel from a man that from all appearances is stalking her? Geez… factor that in with her accepting a ride from Kate, the woman that hijacked her taxi, and you’ve got one fairly dumb blonde on your hands (no offense to all of you smart blondes out there). By the way, did anyone else laugh out loud when Hurley gave her a hug and said, “Wow, Claire… you look uh… great!” – not to mention the line where Sawyer said Frank looks like he “walked off the set of a Bert Reynolds movie.” Classic.
What did the Korean man say to his Korean girlfriend who got shot and almost lost their lovechild?
I don’t know… I don’t speak Korean.
What did the Korean man say to his Korean wife after learning English and being separated for three years?
“We’ll never be apart.”
Well, it seems that alternate Ji Yeon is alive and kicking (literally). And, wait for it… island Jin and Sun are back together. FINALLY! I was kind of hoping they’d reunite in an episode of their own. You know… give the reunion a little more oomph. Either way, hope their celebration isn’t cut off too abruptly now that Widmore decided to renig on his “deal” with Sawyer.
Why did the ex-con cross the ocean?
To get to the other side!
Why did the doctor cross the ocean?
Because he had nothing better to do!
That is until he decided his destiny was back on the island. Very interesting that Jack is “officially” with Flocke now.
All together, I thought this was a great episode. Even though the only answer worth anything was that Smokie was the one that posed as Christian back in Season 1, the episode seemed to still cover a lot of ground and set things up for the final four (three?) episodes. What were your thoughts?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
S6E11 - Everybody Loves Hugo
While tomorrow marks the 2009 tax year deadline, I would like to focus on a far better date. One that is less stressful and exponentially more awesome. Today. Also known as… my birthday! I know what you’re probably thinking… crap, I didn’t buy him anything! Well never fear, because the LOSTies came bearing gifts.
PARTGOER: Dr. Chang
GIFT: Door stop in the shape of a dinosaur
REACTION: “You shouldn’t have... seriously.”
So Dr. Chang presents a man-of-the-year trophy to Hugo for opening a paleontology wing of whatever organization Chang now works for. While it was mildly interesting to see this alternate match up, I wonder if Chang should remember Hugo from the island. In one respect, Hurley was there with Chang before the bomb blew up, so theoretically while the bomb should have altered Hugo’s life, it would have only done so from 1977 and after. Chang, though, would have remembered Hurley. Then again, if alternate Hurley never went to the island therefore never time-traveled to the past, by blowing up the bomb, he essentially erased himself from Chang’s past. I think I’m getting a headache.
PARTYGOER: Libby
GIFT: A picture of us holding hands made out of elbow macaroni glued onto red construction paper
REACTION: “Oh, so they offer art classes at the uh… institution? That’s nice.”
Libby ambushes Hugo at the Mexican restaurant claiming they know each other. Despite not remembering, he seems more than interested, though is somewhat deflated when she rides off in the crazy van. In the end, she one-ups her pasta-based artwork with a reality-merging kiss. So far, it seems there are two established ways of seeing your alternate life. You must either come into contact with someone you loved (that you should not have otherwise met) or you must have a near-death experience. This theory makes me wonder if that is what Desmond intended to do in the end when he ran over Locke. After all, there isn’t a significant other from the island that can jog Locke’s memory so the only other option would be to bring him within an inch of death like Charlie experienced on the plane.
PARTYGOER: Ilana
GIFT: A backpack full of unstable dynamite
REACTION: “Maybe you should leave that outside…”
Wow. Didn’t see that coming. Kind of funny, though. I think Ben expressed it best when he pointed out how odd it was that Ilana was hand-picked by Jacob, himself, to protect the candidates and when it came down to it, she blew up only a day or two after telling them who/what they were. As if the island was done with her. Again, this points to there being something bigger in play than just Jacob or Flocke. This is underscored later on when we see another mystery kid taunting Flocke, presumably reminding him of what he can and cannot do.
PARTYGOER: Flocke
GIFT: A stick carved in the shape of… a stick.
REACTION: “How did you know I collected these?”
The natives are restless back at Flocke’s camp. Well, Sawyer at least who feels like they’re all sitting around doing nothing. Flocke says he’s waiting for the remaining candidates to come and Kate expresses her doubts. Meanwhile, Sayid shows up and leads Flocke to none other than Desmond. We know in the end, Hurley, Jack, and Sun did eventually come as he predicted so it makes me wonder how much Flocke already knew. Or if Flocke can manipulate or control the “trapped souls” like Michael and make them carry out his nefarious schemes.
PARTYGOER: Hugo
GIFT: Family-sized bucket of chicken and a check for $100,000
REACTION: “Awesome! Come on in.”
Seriously, if you want to win me over… show up at my house with a bucket of chicken. Either that or a hundred-grand. Hurley has a “chance encounter” with Desmond at Mr. Cluck’s and Desmond encourages him to pursue Libby. I suspect we’ll see more of Desmond carrying out his “alternate life interventions” for the remainder of the series. Hugo takes him up on the advice and bribes Libby’s psychiatrist to allow a meeting during which he asks her out on a date. Meanwhile on the island, Hurley decides he knows what’s best for the group and tries protecting them (and supposedly others) by blowing up the remainder of the dynamite. It seems that Jacob’s instructions about Richard knowing the next move is in conflict with what Hurley thinks. I wonder who’s correct? My money’s on Hurley.
PARTYGOER: Desmond
GIFT: Mellow dialogue
REACTION: “Yeah man… it’s like the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And like… smoke monsters.”
Very interesting interaction between Desmond and Flocke. Flocke suggests that the island “has it in” for him and Desmond counters with the likelihood that it has it in for ALL of them. Flocke agrees, but ultimately seems bothered by the fact that Desmond wasn’t afraid of him. Again, Desmond was in a very zen place. Kind of like the antithesis of how Sayid is acting now that I think about it. Another “ghost kid” pops up (different from the one that Flocke first encountered with Sawyer, I believe) and Flocke tells Desmond to ignore him. Again, I wonder if these manifestations are the island, itself, or at least some greater power. In the end, Flocke pushes Desmond into a well (perhaps one of the many electromagnetic pockets on the island) and while I doubt he’s dead, he’s out of the way for the time being.
PARTYGOER: Michael
GIFT: Revelation about what the whispers are
REACTION: “Oh… okay.”
Not that I thought “the whispers” were the answer to everything, but the revelation of them being “stuck souls” seemed somewhat anticlimactic. Michael indicated the souls were stuck because of “what they did” but I feel that goes against other ghosts or spirits we’ve seen throughout the series. Anyway, it seems Hurley is the new leader for now, at least when it comes to the other candidates plus Frank. Interesting that Jack decided to give up his default leadership role. I wonder if he still feels good about that decision after coming face to face with Flocke in the end. The expression on his face seemed to indicate he was beginning to have his own share of doubts. Meanwhile Richard, Ben, and Miles are off to execute “plan A.”
***
That’s all for now. The biggest thing I took away from this episode was the potential methodology of opening everyone’s eyes to their alternate lives. Charlie almost died. Desmond almost drowned, got exposed to heavy doses of electromagnetic energy (not recommended for anyone else), and came into contact with Penny who he would not have otherwise met. Hurley kissed Libby, who he also “shouldn’t have met” in the alternate reality. As for everyone else, I wonder what it will take to get them to “see.” For Locke, I imagine getting run over will did the trick. For Jack, maybe coming into contact with Kate. The reverse goes for Kate. For Sawyer, he’ll have to find Juliet. For Jin and Sun, I imagine it might have something to do with the birth of Ji Yeon (who exists in reality A, but might die in reality B considering Sun’s gunshot wound). For Sayid, I’m not sure. He’s already come into contact with Nadia, but then again she was already part of his life in both realities. If it must be someone who “wasn’t mean to be” then I imagine he’ll have to encounter Shannon in the alternate reality since he was starting to have feelings for her just before getting shot on the island. And finally for Ben… well, I’m not so sure he’s part of the bigger plan. Anyway, that’s my crazy theory for the week. What are yours?
PARTGOER: Dr. Chang
GIFT: Door stop in the shape of a dinosaur
REACTION: “You shouldn’t have... seriously.”
So Dr. Chang presents a man-of-the-year trophy to Hugo for opening a paleontology wing of whatever organization Chang now works for. While it was mildly interesting to see this alternate match up, I wonder if Chang should remember Hugo from the island. In one respect, Hurley was there with Chang before the bomb blew up, so theoretically while the bomb should have altered Hugo’s life, it would have only done so from 1977 and after. Chang, though, would have remembered Hurley. Then again, if alternate Hurley never went to the island therefore never time-traveled to the past, by blowing up the bomb, he essentially erased himself from Chang’s past. I think I’m getting a headache.
PARTYGOER: Libby
GIFT: A picture of us holding hands made out of elbow macaroni glued onto red construction paper
REACTION: “Oh, so they offer art classes at the uh… institution? That’s nice.”
Libby ambushes Hugo at the Mexican restaurant claiming they know each other. Despite not remembering, he seems more than interested, though is somewhat deflated when she rides off in the crazy van. In the end, she one-ups her pasta-based artwork with a reality-merging kiss. So far, it seems there are two established ways of seeing your alternate life. You must either come into contact with someone you loved (that you should not have otherwise met) or you must have a near-death experience. This theory makes me wonder if that is what Desmond intended to do in the end when he ran over Locke. After all, there isn’t a significant other from the island that can jog Locke’s memory so the only other option would be to bring him within an inch of death like Charlie experienced on the plane.
PARTYGOER: Ilana
GIFT: A backpack full of unstable dynamite
REACTION: “Maybe you should leave that outside…”
Wow. Didn’t see that coming. Kind of funny, though. I think Ben expressed it best when he pointed out how odd it was that Ilana was hand-picked by Jacob, himself, to protect the candidates and when it came down to it, she blew up only a day or two after telling them who/what they were. As if the island was done with her. Again, this points to there being something bigger in play than just Jacob or Flocke. This is underscored later on when we see another mystery kid taunting Flocke, presumably reminding him of what he can and cannot do.
PARTYGOER: Flocke
GIFT: A stick carved in the shape of… a stick.
REACTION: “How did you know I collected these?”
The natives are restless back at Flocke’s camp. Well, Sawyer at least who feels like they’re all sitting around doing nothing. Flocke says he’s waiting for the remaining candidates to come and Kate expresses her doubts. Meanwhile, Sayid shows up and leads Flocke to none other than Desmond. We know in the end, Hurley, Jack, and Sun did eventually come as he predicted so it makes me wonder how much Flocke already knew. Or if Flocke can manipulate or control the “trapped souls” like Michael and make them carry out his nefarious schemes.
PARTYGOER: Hugo
GIFT: Family-sized bucket of chicken and a check for $100,000
REACTION: “Awesome! Come on in.”
Seriously, if you want to win me over… show up at my house with a bucket of chicken. Either that or a hundred-grand. Hurley has a “chance encounter” with Desmond at Mr. Cluck’s and Desmond encourages him to pursue Libby. I suspect we’ll see more of Desmond carrying out his “alternate life interventions” for the remainder of the series. Hugo takes him up on the advice and bribes Libby’s psychiatrist to allow a meeting during which he asks her out on a date. Meanwhile on the island, Hurley decides he knows what’s best for the group and tries protecting them (and supposedly others) by blowing up the remainder of the dynamite. It seems that Jacob’s instructions about Richard knowing the next move is in conflict with what Hurley thinks. I wonder who’s correct? My money’s on Hurley.
PARTYGOER: Desmond
GIFT: Mellow dialogue
REACTION: “Yeah man… it’s like the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And like… smoke monsters.”
Very interesting interaction between Desmond and Flocke. Flocke suggests that the island “has it in” for him and Desmond counters with the likelihood that it has it in for ALL of them. Flocke agrees, but ultimately seems bothered by the fact that Desmond wasn’t afraid of him. Again, Desmond was in a very zen place. Kind of like the antithesis of how Sayid is acting now that I think about it. Another “ghost kid” pops up (different from the one that Flocke first encountered with Sawyer, I believe) and Flocke tells Desmond to ignore him. Again, I wonder if these manifestations are the island, itself, or at least some greater power. In the end, Flocke pushes Desmond into a well (perhaps one of the many electromagnetic pockets on the island) and while I doubt he’s dead, he’s out of the way for the time being.
PARTYGOER: Michael
GIFT: Revelation about what the whispers are
REACTION: “Oh… okay.”
Not that I thought “the whispers” were the answer to everything, but the revelation of them being “stuck souls” seemed somewhat anticlimactic. Michael indicated the souls were stuck because of “what they did” but I feel that goes against other ghosts or spirits we’ve seen throughout the series. Anyway, it seems Hurley is the new leader for now, at least when it comes to the other candidates plus Frank. Interesting that Jack decided to give up his default leadership role. I wonder if he still feels good about that decision after coming face to face with Flocke in the end. The expression on his face seemed to indicate he was beginning to have his own share of doubts. Meanwhile Richard, Ben, and Miles are off to execute “plan A.”
***
That’s all for now. The biggest thing I took away from this episode was the potential methodology of opening everyone’s eyes to their alternate lives. Charlie almost died. Desmond almost drowned, got exposed to heavy doses of electromagnetic energy (not recommended for anyone else), and came into contact with Penny who he would not have otherwise met. Hurley kissed Libby, who he also “shouldn’t have met” in the alternate reality. As for everyone else, I wonder what it will take to get them to “see.” For Locke, I imagine getting run over will did the trick. For Jack, maybe coming into contact with Kate. The reverse goes for Kate. For Sawyer, he’ll have to find Juliet. For Jin and Sun, I imagine it might have something to do with the birth of Ji Yeon (who exists in reality A, but might die in reality B considering Sun’s gunshot wound). For Sayid, I’m not sure. He’s already come into contact with Nadia, but then again she was already part of his life in both realities. If it must be someone who “wasn’t mean to be” then I imagine he’ll have to encounter Shannon in the alternate reality since he was starting to have feelings for her just before getting shot on the island. And finally for Ben… well, I’m not so sure he’s part of the bigger plan. Anyway, that’s my crazy theory for the week. What are yours?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
S6E10 - Happily Ever After
Maybe it’s the nice weather we’re having or the fact that I’m going to a Braves/Cubs game tonight, but I’m in the mood to recap using baseball terminology.
At Bat this episode… Desmond!
Desmond wakes up, thinking he’s still in the hospital, but Widmore throws him a curve ball, saying he’s back on the island. He says, “The island isn’t done with you yet.” Well lah-dee-freakin-dah. I guess the island is used to getting what it wants. I think it’s interesting throughout the show they’ve referred to what Jacob wants and what the island wants, but I wonder if those two things are interchangeable? I believe it’s been said here before, but it seems there is a higher power at work. Higher than Jacob or Flocke. Obviously they are bound by rules so there must be a rule-maker, right? Perhaps that ghost kid that appeared to Flocke? Anyway, just thinking out loud.
Jin wants to know what’s going on and Widmore says it would be easier to show him and orders “the test” to start immediately. After a few mechanical glitches, an extra goes down to check the “electromagnetic shack” as soon as someone turns the machine on. Three strikes and he’s out. Needless to say, Desmond doesn’t look too stoked to play along. After strapping Desmond in the chair, Widmore says after it’s all done he’ll have to make a sacrifice bunt for the home team. Soon after, he reveals to Jin that he wants to see if Desmond can survive (another) catastrophic electromagnetic event. He flips the switch as Desmond is bathed in light, then flash…
Desmond has landed at LAX and shares an exchange with Claire, asking if it’s a boy or girl in her dugout. He offers her a ride, but she politely declines. And speaking of rides, his limo driver is none other than George Minkowski, the communication specialist from the freighter that died of a brain aneurism just before Desmond made a life-saving phone call to his stabilizing constant, Penny. He drives Desmond to the office where we experience a significant change up in the form of a hug from his boss, Widmore. They even share a glass of his 60 year-old scotch that in Desmond’s first flashback, Widmore said he wasn’t good enough to have.
Widmore tasks Desmond with babysitting none other than Charlie and after Desmond picks him up from the station, Charlie tries to orchestrate his own hit and run. After his confession in the bar, perhaps it’s not too surprising that Charlie cares so little about “this” life. He thinks there’s a hot blonde waiting for him in the afterlife. I guess that’s just a bleed over memory of the reality we know, because technically he’s dead. Charlie redoubles his efforts when he grabs the wheel of the car and attempts to hit a foul ball into the waterfront. Fortunately, Desmond saves him, but not before getting flashes of “Not Penny’s Boat” from the reality “A.”
At the hospital, Desmond’s put in an MRI. I thought this would jog him back to the island, but instead he gets thrown a fast ball of “alternate” memories. Mostly about Penny. He freaks and encounters Jack while searching for Charlie, who soon runs by in a flattering hospital gown. Desmond confronts him about Penny and Charlie realizes he hit a home run in his attempt to “show” Desmond his alternate life.
Widmore scolds Desmond for being in a slump and sends him to apologize to Mrs. Widmore (ie. Eloise Hawking). Even though it’s the bottom of the ninth, she doesn’t seem to mind Charlie’s last minute disappearance. In fact, she seems too cool with it. When Desmond overhears Penny’s name on the guest list and demands to see it, that’s when things start to get freaky. Eloise shoos her servants and says someone has “affected the way he sees things,” and that’s a problem. She tells him to stop looking for whatever he’s looking for and goes on to say she doesn’t know why he’s looking for anything considering the perfect game he’s got going. Finally, when he insists on seeing the list she says he’s “not ready for the list.” WHAT THE FO? Just like in Desmond’s first flashback years ago, Eloise shows up and seems to know WAY more than she should to the point of reprimanding him for trying to change his fate. What gives? To my knowledge, he’s the only one who can time travel or go between realities, though Charlie and Daniel are starting to get glimpses. At any rate, instead of a glimpse, she seemed to have the full picture. Very interesting…
Daniel invites Desmond for a seventh inning stretch after overhearing the conversation with his mother and explains that a case of love at first sight has opened his eyes to an alternate reality. You can write all the equations you want, dude, but that seems just a touch cheeseball. At any rate, I think it’s interesting that the two people (besides Desmond who is “special”) that have had “visions” of reality “A” are both dead. Maybe being dead in one or the other allows you to see what’s going on in the counterpart. Anyway, Desmond asks what it has to do with him and Daniel says he must have felt it too if he’s asking about Penny. Apparently he’s aware that Penny is his half-sister in this reality and sends Desmond off like a stalker to meet her. She’s at the same stadium Desmond was when he met Jack and she’s also running the steps. He sees her and is instantly choked up. They shake hands, he faints, and…
Wakes up back on the island. The bases are loaded and Widmore tries to explain why he did what he did, but Desmond is in the zone, saying whatever important thing he’s there to do, he’s ready to start. Zoe leads him away, questioning why he’s suddenly so cooperative just as Sayid pops up and kills one of the security team members and tells Zoe to run. He explains to Desmond that these are bad people and he needs to come with him to which Desmond replies, “Of course, lead the way.” Talk about a change in perspective. Any ideas what’s going on with him? I mean, it’s great that he caught a glimpse of his what-if life with Penny, but he STILL has a life (and son) with her in this one so I’m not sure why he’s all eager to help Widmore. And if he is ready to help, why the nonchalance about switching teams?
In the closer, we’re treated to one final flash where Desmond comes to and asks Penny out for coffee (who doesn’t seem to be weirded out that he knew her name and where she’d be). He goes back to the limo and asks George for the Oceanic 815 manifest, claiming that he wants to “show them something.” This part was also a little strange to me. I guess Desmond’s new mission in the flashsideways is to wake everyone up to the realization of their alternate lives, just as Charlie “showed him” his own?
All in all a very interesting episode. I can’t even wrap my head around some of the thoughts I had, especially in regards to the conversation with Eloise. What are your theories?
On Deck for next week looks like Hurley!
At Bat this episode… Desmond!
Desmond wakes up, thinking he’s still in the hospital, but Widmore throws him a curve ball, saying he’s back on the island. He says, “The island isn’t done with you yet.” Well lah-dee-freakin-dah. I guess the island is used to getting what it wants. I think it’s interesting throughout the show they’ve referred to what Jacob wants and what the island wants, but I wonder if those two things are interchangeable? I believe it’s been said here before, but it seems there is a higher power at work. Higher than Jacob or Flocke. Obviously they are bound by rules so there must be a rule-maker, right? Perhaps that ghost kid that appeared to Flocke? Anyway, just thinking out loud.
Jin wants to know what’s going on and Widmore says it would be easier to show him and orders “the test” to start immediately. After a few mechanical glitches, an extra goes down to check the “electromagnetic shack” as soon as someone turns the machine on. Three strikes and he’s out. Needless to say, Desmond doesn’t look too stoked to play along. After strapping Desmond in the chair, Widmore says after it’s all done he’ll have to make a sacrifice bunt for the home team. Soon after, he reveals to Jin that he wants to see if Desmond can survive (another) catastrophic electromagnetic event. He flips the switch as Desmond is bathed in light, then flash…
Desmond has landed at LAX and shares an exchange with Claire, asking if it’s a boy or girl in her dugout. He offers her a ride, but she politely declines. And speaking of rides, his limo driver is none other than George Minkowski, the communication specialist from the freighter that died of a brain aneurism just before Desmond made a life-saving phone call to his stabilizing constant, Penny. He drives Desmond to the office where we experience a significant change up in the form of a hug from his boss, Widmore. They even share a glass of his 60 year-old scotch that in Desmond’s first flashback, Widmore said he wasn’t good enough to have.
Widmore tasks Desmond with babysitting none other than Charlie and after Desmond picks him up from the station, Charlie tries to orchestrate his own hit and run. After his confession in the bar, perhaps it’s not too surprising that Charlie cares so little about “this” life. He thinks there’s a hot blonde waiting for him in the afterlife. I guess that’s just a bleed over memory of the reality we know, because technically he’s dead. Charlie redoubles his efforts when he grabs the wheel of the car and attempts to hit a foul ball into the waterfront. Fortunately, Desmond saves him, but not before getting flashes of “Not Penny’s Boat” from the reality “A.”
At the hospital, Desmond’s put in an MRI. I thought this would jog him back to the island, but instead he gets thrown a fast ball of “alternate” memories. Mostly about Penny. He freaks and encounters Jack while searching for Charlie, who soon runs by in a flattering hospital gown. Desmond confronts him about Penny and Charlie realizes he hit a home run in his attempt to “show” Desmond his alternate life.
Widmore scolds Desmond for being in a slump and sends him to apologize to Mrs. Widmore (ie. Eloise Hawking). Even though it’s the bottom of the ninth, she doesn’t seem to mind Charlie’s last minute disappearance. In fact, she seems too cool with it. When Desmond overhears Penny’s name on the guest list and demands to see it, that’s when things start to get freaky. Eloise shoos her servants and says someone has “affected the way he sees things,” and that’s a problem. She tells him to stop looking for whatever he’s looking for and goes on to say she doesn’t know why he’s looking for anything considering the perfect game he’s got going. Finally, when he insists on seeing the list she says he’s “not ready for the list.” WHAT THE FO? Just like in Desmond’s first flashback years ago, Eloise shows up and seems to know WAY more than she should to the point of reprimanding him for trying to change his fate. What gives? To my knowledge, he’s the only one who can time travel or go between realities, though Charlie and Daniel are starting to get glimpses. At any rate, instead of a glimpse, she seemed to have the full picture. Very interesting…
Daniel invites Desmond for a seventh inning stretch after overhearing the conversation with his mother and explains that a case of love at first sight has opened his eyes to an alternate reality. You can write all the equations you want, dude, but that seems just a touch cheeseball. At any rate, I think it’s interesting that the two people (besides Desmond who is “special”) that have had “visions” of reality “A” are both dead. Maybe being dead in one or the other allows you to see what’s going on in the counterpart. Anyway, Desmond asks what it has to do with him and Daniel says he must have felt it too if he’s asking about Penny. Apparently he’s aware that Penny is his half-sister in this reality and sends Desmond off like a stalker to meet her. She’s at the same stadium Desmond was when he met Jack and she’s also running the steps. He sees her and is instantly choked up. They shake hands, he faints, and…
Wakes up back on the island. The bases are loaded and Widmore tries to explain why he did what he did, but Desmond is in the zone, saying whatever important thing he’s there to do, he’s ready to start. Zoe leads him away, questioning why he’s suddenly so cooperative just as Sayid pops up and kills one of the security team members and tells Zoe to run. He explains to Desmond that these are bad people and he needs to come with him to which Desmond replies, “Of course, lead the way.” Talk about a change in perspective. Any ideas what’s going on with him? I mean, it’s great that he caught a glimpse of his what-if life with Penny, but he STILL has a life (and son) with her in this one so I’m not sure why he’s all eager to help Widmore. And if he is ready to help, why the nonchalance about switching teams?
In the closer, we’re treated to one final flash where Desmond comes to and asks Penny out for coffee (who doesn’t seem to be weirded out that he knew her name and where she’d be). He goes back to the limo and asks George for the Oceanic 815 manifest, claiming that he wants to “show them something.” This part was also a little strange to me. I guess Desmond’s new mission in the flashsideways is to wake everyone up to the realization of their alternate lives, just as Charlie “showed him” his own?
All in all a very interesting episode. I can’t even wrap my head around some of the thoughts I had, especially in regards to the conversation with Eloise. What are your theories?
On Deck for next week looks like Hurley!
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