Wednesday, April 21, 2010

LOST Episode 6.13: "The Last Recruit" (Initial Thoughts & Theories)



Greetings, Lost friends. I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed The Last Recruit primarily because it felt like and old-school episode of our favorite show. As notLocke said, "it's so nice to have everyone back together again." It was fantastic to see the original gang reunited, even under odd, new and strenuous circumstances. And to be honest, I found the lack of dense mythology to be refreshing (and a relief, from a typically all-nighter writer standpoint). 




By the way, I've decided that Season 6 should be given a tagline: They Like to Blow Sh*t Up. 


But without further ado, let's jump into the ocean and then regroup to tackle the unknown together... 


ALL SKATE, NOW REVERSE


Most of you are aware of my lack of interest in the love triangle/quadrangle, but I did appreciate Sawyer's line to Kate that "it's like someone's trying to put us together." 


I'm not a huge fan of Sawyer referring to Kate as Freckles again, only because it seems too soon after Juliet's death. Much like they seemingly rushed Claire's mourning of Charlie, I don't feel as though Sawyer would really revert back to to his cute ways with Kate mere days after burying Juliet. And yes, I realize that he first called her Freckles again back in Recon




By the way, what was with the his & hers Grease Lightning jackets that they were donning in the flash sideways?


ALL YOU DO TO ME IS TALK TALK


Earlier this season (Sundown), Dogen warned Sayid about notLocke that "if you allow him to speak, it's already too late." Claire reinforced that message to Jack in this episode, "you decided the moment you let him talk to you; you're with him now."




So here is where that 'rule' gets interesting - the Man in Black, as Christian Shephard, spoke to Jack back in S4 (Something Nice Back Home), as well as Sun and Lapidus in S5 (Namaste).  So technically, he already had them at hello. 




HOWEVER, if the Man in Black is unable to leave the island, then how is it that he appeared as Christian Shephard both on the freighter (to Michael right before it blew up) and then in Jack's office off island? HE. IS. LYING. I believe that he used Christian's body on the island but not on those other two occasions.  So who the hell was that?

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Sawyer: "We're done going back." Insert weekly dose of eerie goosebumps.  

THE DARK NIGHT

When notLocke ominously said "well, here we go" - this is what came to mind:



FEAR FACTOR




In my last post, I speculated that an extreme state of emotional fear causes people to remember their time on the island. Desmond under water after a car crash and Hurley on a first date are the first two examples. It seems as if Sun has experienced it after being shot, because she sees Locke at the hospital and screams "No! It's him!" I suspect that when Claire goes into labor, she'll see flashes of the island, especially if her delivery doctor happens to be Juliet Burke...or Juliet Shephard. 


FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE




It was a very pleasant surprise to see Ilana in the flash sideways, and I love that her last name is Verdansky because it is obviously a nod to Russian geochemist Vladimir Vernadsky. One of his tenets was that human cognition is an integral feature to the earth's evolution. Taking the flashes sideways into consideration, I believe it is an appropriate nomenclature for Ilana. 


By the way, I do not believe that her name was on either the cave wall or lighthouse wheel. I'm sure that it's a moot point now, but perhaps Jacob purposefully hid her existence from the Man in Black (if that's even possible). 


HEART TO HEART TALK




When Jin and Sun are FINALLY reunited (and it feels so good), Sun suddenly regains her ability to speak English. I might argue that it is a result of her regaining consciousness in the hospital simultaneously in the flash sideways after being shot.  




Sun's "I never stopped looking for you" reassurance to Jin reminded me of an essential S4 Desmond and Penny moment. In The Constant, Penny told Des on the freighter phone that "I've been looking for you for the past three years!" And in this episode, when Jin told Sun that "we'll never be apart again," I thought about Penny's boat picking up Des and the Oceanic 6 in There's No Place Like Home, when Desmond told her that "I'll never leave you again."


HIS DARK MATERIALS


Although Sawyer aptly summed it up with "Sayid's a zombie, Claire is nuts," it appears that a glimmer of Sayid's former self remains. That the rules don't apply to Desmond and because he's uniquely and miraculously special leads me to believe that Sayid did not kill him. And, much like Desmond is doing in the flash sideways, he pulled at Sayid's heartstrings in order to snap him out of his zombie state.




When Desmond asked Sayid what he would tell the love of his life he did in order to be reunited with her, we found out immediately. In the flash sideways, Sayid told Nadia that "I'm leaving and I'll never be able to come back again." So the consequences of Sayid's actions in the flash sideways, as well as on the island, seem to indicate that he is destined to either die or remain on the island. If he isn't the final Candidate, perhaps he takes over the Man in Black's role as the Evil Incarnate trapped soul leader.  


THE MAN IN BLACK BACKPACK




Weekly update of ridiculousness: the Smoke Monster is still toting around that damn backpack. 


MAN OF SCIENCE, MAN OF FATE




The last time we had a Jack and Locke scene, one of them was dead. Jack put his father's shoes on Locke in the coffin before heading back to the island on Ajira flight 316. The beauty of that scene now is that the Man in Black was literally in Christian Shephard's shoes...both as ghost Christian and ghost Locke. 


"It doesn't feel right, leaving the island. I remember how I felt the last time I left; like a part of me was missing." There is very little of the Man of Science left in Jack on the island. He has been drinking original Locke's kool-aid since he returned. "John Locke was the only one who ever believed in this place." 


I winced when notLocke told Jack that John Locke was "stupid enough to think he was brought here for a reason. He pursued that belief until it got him killed and you were kind enough to bring his body back here in a nice wooden box." That, and "John Locke was not a believer; he was a sucker." Ouch. 


MIRROR MOMENT




One of my favorite moments from this episode was Jack's look of recognition when looked into the mirror showing Locke's face before surgery. Not only was it yet another Mirror Moment for Jack in the flash sideways, it was a visual throwback to Jack's S3 surgery on Ben's spine (when Juliet has a private chat with him via mirror).  




NOBODY PUTS (SQUIRREL) BABY IN A CORNER




I believe that Crazy Hair Claire has perfected the art of stink eye. 


OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN




The best line of the night, and perhaps the season thus far, was courtesy of Sawyer...naturally. Referring to Frank as "that pilot that looks like he stepped out off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie" was classic.


I share the general frustration with the lack of quality Lapidus time and dialogue in S6, but I have a feeling that our patience will be rewarded in these final episodes.  Right now he is with Sawyer & co. but the logical thinking is that he will be faced with the opportunity to fly that Ajira plane off of the island. 


PARALLELS 


S1, Pilot


While explaining to Kate how he overcomes fear, Jack mentions ripping a patient's dural sac during spinal surgery. As it turns out, Jacob had visited Jack in the hospital after he fixed that patient, touched his hand while passing him a candy bar and said "I guess it just needed a little push." (Desmond gave Locke more than a little push to reunite him with Jack in the flash sideways). In this episode, Jack mentions that Locke's dural sac is in bad shape before his spinal surgery.


S1, White Rabbit




Jack first sees his deceased father Christian on the island, and chases him into the jungle. 




He winds up over a cliff and is saved by John Locke, who shows up out of nowhere to help him. Locke describes his initial encounter with the Man in Black (in Smokey form), "I looked into the eye of the island, and what I saw was beautiful."

{Sidenote: in that episode, three key Lost phrases were introduced; Locke said "what if everything that happened here happened for a reason" and "a leader can't lead until he know's where he's going," and Jack said "if we can't live together, we're going to die alone."} 


In this episode, Jack finds out that the Man in Black (speaking now as notLocke) had used his father's body to lead him to find water (in the caves) because "all I've ever been interested in is helping you." 


S4, There's No Place Like Home, Pts 2 & 3




Sawyer decided to jump out of the helicopter into the ocean. He swam ashore and said "nice day for a swim" to Juliet on the beach. In this episode, Jack decided to jump off of the boat into the ocean. He swam ashore and notLocke greeted him with "nice day for a swim."




S5, 316


Eloise Hawing reprimanded Ben for failing to bring all of the Oceanic 6 back for Ajira flight 316, "I thought I said all of them." In this episode,  notLocke told Jack that "it has to be all of you."  {Sidenote: in the guise of Christian Shephard, the Man in Black said the same thing to Locke at the frozen donkey wheel in This Place is Death.} 


Eloise Hawking told Jack to "start asking yourself whether or not you believe it's going to work...that's why it's called a leap of faith." In this episode, Sawyer tells Jack that "if you want to take a leap of faith, take it."


SIMPLY IRREVERSIBLE


In the S6 premiere (LA X), Locke told Jack that his condition "is irreversible" and Jack responded with "nothing is irreversible." It is fascinating that in this episode, Desmond warns Claire that "you could find yourself in a situation that is irreversible" because he is the key connection to the pending flash sideways/island convergence. My first thought was that Jack would actually 'fix' Locke after this accident and reverse his paralysis, and now I'm wondering if Desmond ran Locke over a) to lead up to that miracle or b) to prevent it. 


YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME




After Widmore's crew firebombed notLocke & co., I think that they specifically made it sound like Jack was experiencing the hearing loss we heard post-Jughead detonation in LA X. Perhaps Island Jack is now Flash Sideways Jack on the island, just as Flash Sideways Locke may wake up after surgery to be Island Locke. 




When notLocke told Jack that "it's okay - you're with me now," it was a striking realization that the roles in both worlds are concurrently flipped. In the flash sideways, Jack is saving/taking care of Locke. On the island, Locke is saving/tending to Jack. 


CLAIRE




So Claire knows about her half-brother Jack in the flash sideways, but was she aware that their father had not only recently passed away - he was on their flight? 


HURLEY


I heart Hurley's optimism and fanboy heart. "You can always bring people back from the dark side."




I'm fairly certain that Hurley has no idea that the sailboat his on belonged to Libby. Of course it isn't relevant at this juncture, but it's fun to continue observing little nuances. 


JACK


"We were brought here because we're supposed to do something. If that thing wants us to leave, maybe he's afraid of what will happen if we stay. The island is not done with us yet."
- Jack Shephard, Last Recruit. Last Action Hero. Final Candidate?




I have no idea what will happen to Jack, but I have to admit that I love his relationship with his son.




Did you notice that Jack had the exact same reaction to finding out that Claire is his half-sister both off the island (post-Oceanic 6) and in the flash sideways?




LOCKE




As soon as Locke said "Helen Norwood...I was going to marry her," I had a feeling that Desmond's plan had worked; he knew that Locke wouldn't die (even off island) if he ran him over, but he also knew that stirring Locke's island memories required a violent trauma. In my opinion, the Locke that Jack is operating on will wake up remembering everything on and off the island.


WIDMORE


Sawyer spent far too much time watching Little House on the Prairie and the Brady Bunch when he should have been an X-Files fan instead. Trust No One. Being a con man himself, why would he be surprised that Widmore turned on him? 


So Widmore does not want the Man in Black to leave the island, but he's also not on Team Jacob because he is willing to kill the remaining Candidates. I have to say that I have no clue what Widmore's end game is, but I hope that if he dies in the end - it is at and in the hands of Ben Linus.


Random Aside of the Week




I find it rather odd that in Happily Ever After, Desmond tells Penny he'll meet her at a coffee shop on the corner of Sweetzer and Melrose (which are real streets in LA)...and in this episode he lures Claire to the law firm of Sweetzer & Verdansky. Nothing is a coincidence on Lost, but this one is particularly baffling.


---
Just a reminder - there is NO new episode next week! Although I'm sure that some of you will find that infuriating, I am thankful for the night/week off to prepare for what will be an insane three weeks of very busy Lost related writing and travels. Here is the schedule for the remaining episodes: 


Tuesday, May 4: Episode 6.14
Tuesday, May 11: Episode 6.15
Tuesday, May 18: Episode 6.16
SUNDAY, May 23: Episode 6.17-6.18 (series finale)


I will be in LA for the Lost Weekend Fan Party and charity auction from May 14-16, and then again from May 22-24 for Jay and Jack's Lost Series Finale Party. I had a change of heart and decided that it would be far more fun to Watch Together, Write Alone for the very last episode. I started off this final season in Hawaii with Jay, Jack and other Lost bloggers, podcasters and fans - so why not finish out the experience that way. 


Leave a Comment to Win


As always, I appreciate and encourage constructive feedback! I love reading your thoughts and theories each week, so don't be shy. 


Every week until the finale, I am giving away a piece of Lost memorabilia to a fellow fan. Simply leave a comment to be eligible. Up for grabs this week - a complete set of Season 3 Trading Cards. 




The winner of last week's tee (What Would John Locke Do) is...Dee! Please email me your shipping address, Dee. 


In case you missed it, here is my appearance on last week's AOL TV video series Instant Dharma, as well as an article I posted this week called How Will Lost End? It Doesn't Matter.


Take care and enjoy the week off between episodes!


-Jo

48 comments:

Tammy said...

Hi Jo! Nice post as always. What keeps coming to my mind: this episode was full of half-truths or outright lies. Jack is now corrupted/on Team MIB because he got blown up and NotLocke spoke to him? I doubt it. I don't think anyone believes Sayid shot Desmond (not even NotLocke) - so Sayid lied. NotLocke of course is lying - all he ever tried to do is help Jack, he was posing as Christian? (As you noted, he couldn't have been EVERY Christian apparition; then we must also consider Michael's explanation last week for apparitions.)

Thank you for pointing out things I missed - especially that it was Libby's boat Hurley was on. Lovely nuance, yes.

the flour child said...

I'm actually crying - whether it's the early morning baking that's seeping into my brain or seeing you list the final air dates, it's anyone's guess.

last night was unsettling yet calming to me.
Jin and Sun = crying. and yay.
Desmond and Sayid interaction = holding breath. Sayid has always been one of my favorite character dynamics to follow, and this season does not prove differently now. At first, I lost hope that he was truly gone, that writers had literally written him off to just be a victim of this darkness that enveloped his soul. I'm regaining it slowly and hope they continue.

Never really being a fan of Kate and Sawyer, I'm with you Jo. The return of the nickname in the reality of Blondie's passing is not welcome in my book.

And darnit, if David Shepard does not have Kate's squinty smile, shame on me for thinking so. I know it's impossible but I mean JACK HAS NOW SPOKEN TO SAID MOTHER ON THE PHONE ONSCREEN. A cell shot? A voicemail? anything? I don't know why it bothers me so much but I'd really love to know.

You make me laugh, a lot. I'm probably going to call her Stink Eye Claire for the rest of the season.

Thanks so much as always for your great insights. I'm halfway to okay with the break next week. :)

Anonymous said...

Great commentary once again Jo! - I saw this episode as a filler before something big happens, and as usual, you revealed a LOT more going on. That's why we read you every week!
-Carole T

canhamam said...

Jo! You must get NO sleep after each episode! Thanks.

I'm remembering the flashing-through-time episode ('Little Prince') where Sun, Sawyer, Daniel, Miles and Juliet are paddling the outrigger toward the Orchid, when they find themselves pursued by a second group. Because they're being fired on by this unknown party, Juliet shoots back and hits one of them. Was this second group our missing party of Ben, Miles and Richard?

Unknown said...

Jo, Great recap as always. Just wanted to say thank you for pointing out that bit about Sweetzer....I KNEW we had heard that name somewhere else and it was driving me crazy!

lennyg said...

Jo - as always great recap and insights. It sucks to be Jack. He leaves his buddies because he doesn't want to leave the island but where's he going? To the one guy who we think has been trying to leave the island for a gazillion years. Jack and his son's relationship only gets better. That kid can act - the scene of them walking together is great - their walk is practically synchronized.

Eloise said...

Great recap! I liked that you caught the past tense from Locke regarding his wedding plans.

On the subject of Ilana, besides the Vladimir Vernadsky reference, there is a Verdansky research station in Antarctica(!). There is a bar there, named the Faraday Bar.
http://digitalrabbit.org/wordpress/2010/01/18/verdansky-the-southernmost-bar-and-bra/

Thanks, Jo!

shar said...

Great job Jo. Loved that your hospital reunion in the flash sideways is starting!!

The Key Lime said...

Excellent recap, as always :)

I disagree about Widmore "turning" on them, however. If I was trying to save the Island or whatever and my Desmond got stolen, I would be super paranoid, skeptical, and protective of some candidates and people from Not!Locke's camp coming up on my shore. I believe Widmore wants to protect them, but he also cannot trust them, so some caution is in order. The "Fire at will" was directed to the air strike people, not the nerds on the beach.

Unknown said...

There's some about David that isn't sitting well with me and I think it's because he's the one thing that's not in both timelines. What's his purpose? Is he Isaac to Jack's Abraham? Why is he?

I loved FLocke's "here we go".

Sayid killing Desmond - Didn't see it, it didn't happen.

Another great recap Jo!

Unknown said...

BEST LINE:

Hurley, "Hi, Claire. You look great!"

gabo said...

I'm not all into revealing the misteries but it was a great episode to watch.

Frank said...

Great Job, I think Jack just died, and NotLocke is bring him back to life, because he still needs him. Just a thought, maybe a post next week about Ab Aeterno, rewatch style, adding what we know now. As always, Great Job Jo!

Valerie said...

Great post! I really enjoyed this episode, as I've enjoyed all the episodes of this season. I was so happy to see Ilana! And Jack's son!

I didn't realize that next week wasn't a new ep. Aaaaack!

Erin said...

Great thoughts as always! I liked this episode, but two things really bugged me.

1) Jack has spent the past three years feeling horribly guilty for leaving his little sister on the Island. He finally is reunited with her, and at last they are together and aware of their connection to each other... and he almost immediately ditches her again. What?

2) Sawyer has given four different people Star Wars nicknames and pulled off a maneuver inspired by Return of the Jedi, and he doesn't know who Anakin is?

Loved the Burt Reynolds line, and I noticed those matching Kate and Sawyer jackets too. What a lovely pair of renegades. There did seem to be a lot of flirtatious tension between those two in this episode, but I still have a feeling they won't end up together.

Boo for Widmore. Also, did you get the sense Smokey expected Sawyer to take the boat? He didn't seem surprised or particularly bothered.

Hard to wait two weeks. But I'm sure it will be worth it!

Baldwin said...

I'm not sure if the back to the future reference, but Sawyer said "we're done going back", because Jack said to Kate "we have to go back"... Maybe you meant that and I didn't pick up on it?

I thought the same thing with Jack and his cellphone.. Maybe Juliet is his wife on the other end.

I like the fact that Jack's kid wished him luck before going into the operating room.

Maybe Desmond ran over Locke was to bring Jack and him together? To show them the other parallel universe?

I hadn't noticed the Jack/Locke flip of taking care of each other before you mentioned it…

I thought the same trauma about Jack/Locke in the operating room. Something might go wrong, and the two will start to remember the island.

Great post!

Baldwin said...

Also, Jo. The cross streets Sweeter and Melrose... There isn't a coffee shop there. (as mentioned).

Target Addict said...

There was a point last night when the MIB/Locke took off his backpack and I SWEAR he almost opened it... but then didn't. It's maddening!

Also: like you, Jo, I'm a bit put off by the inconsistencies in some of the "explanations". Like last night's revelation that the MIB was Ghost Christian. I agree that the MIB was NOT Ghost Christian in ALL cases, esp. those that occurred off-island. Likewise, I don't buy the blanket explanation for the Whispers from last week. You can't tell me that EVERYONE that died there "can't move on". For instance, Boone and Libby died there, but they weren't bad people...so why can't they move on?

Dee said...

Loved your recap (as always) Jo and thanks for t-shirt. I Facebooked you my shipping address!

I am so excited that Jack has literally jumped into his destiny (yes I believe its his destiny) whole-heartedly. I think he was spot on when he said that if Locke wants them to leave, its because he is afraid of what will happen if they stay. I just can't believe this show only has 5 hours left. How in the world are they going to resolve this in 5 hours?

Anonymous said...

What Claire said about Locke is not rue, once he talks to you he claims you.No free will is till in play he had to promise Sayid Nadia, (selling one's soul) promised James to get him off the island. The rest he didn't. But more importantly and the key to all of this is Desmond. UnLocke talked to Desmond and could not claim him; dropped him down a deep well last week which turned out to be a very shallow well this week. Desmond is the key to the island world the Sideways world, the MIB and Jacob (whom I think will become one and the same at the end)

Kristi said...

I love the new facebook pic, Jo! Great thoughts and theories. This blog is essential to the Lost fanatic!

RowanRaven said...

Jo, great write-up, as usual! Thanks. :)

Wow, so you think John Locke (LA X version) might wake up ON THE ISLAND? Holy cow. I have theorized that there is some kind of "bleed through" happening between MIB/Smocke and "real" Sideways John Locke, ...but if both versions of Locke's body can be on the Island, it will make for one amazing showdown!

Did not notice the "Sweetzer" name on the attorneys' office door. Cool! Sharp eyes, you have. I must rewatch the episode on my lunch hour today.

Thanks again!
--Kimberly a.k.a. rowantree67

Jo said...

@Baldwin - I was just using Back to the Future as the theme & title of the paragraph, not trying to tie it to the film.

And although the corner of Melrose & Sweetzer does exist in LA, I'm aware that there isn't really a coffee shop there. :)

Unknown said...

we love your thoughts and theories!
greetings from greece!!!

Brian said...

Jo,

Not much to say except that I, too, wonder about Christian Shephard's manifestations. If he was really a manifestation of MIB on island, that works fine. And somehow I could believe he could appear on the freighter as such, so long as they were in "the radius" of the island, as Faraday called it. But how could he appear in America? I wonder if this is simply a continuity error in the show or if Jack was losing his mind and was seeing things.

Are you worried about the time left? We have about 3.5 hours of real programming left to solve mysteries and resolve character arcs. Can it be done?

I'm curious about Sayid. If he were really a zombie, he wouldn't have waited a moment to shoot Desmond. I, too, think he didn't kill Desmond, but I wonder what happened at the well.

Unknown said...

So when Smokey manifested as Christian Shephard and told Locke to spin the donkey wheel... he knew a dead Locke would be coming back to the Island?
I'm a little confused about that.

Ben said...

Great review Jo! re: Claire knowing Jack is her half-brother, it seems simple enough that Ilana explained to her the relation while they waited for Jack to arrive.

I like the symmetry of Jack/Locke caring for each other, but my first thought during the explosion was that the explosion would paralyze Jack. notLocke would then have to restore Jack's legs just as Jack is restoring Locke's legs off the island.

I'm also very intrigued by Jack's conversion to the man-of-faith. I think he makes a more convincing and persuasive man-of-faith because his skeptical man-of-science persona failed to explain all that happened on the island after exhausting all possibilities. By painfully eliminating all of the "rational" explanations, his faith in the island seems more convincing than Locke's faith which was based mostly on his sudden ability to walk again. It makes me quite excited to see what Jack does


anyway, first time poster, love the blog.

v said...

Sweetzer is the name of a 2007 movie Jorge Garcia was in... maybe they included it as a nod to his other work?

Anonymous said...

First time poster, long time reader - nice recap! This struck me as a very nostalgic episode - confused heroes, shifting alliances, stuff gettin' blown up...

I believe that Smokey probably was Christian on the Island, but Christian was just a helpful ghost on the mainland. One thing I've never figured out though is, why does Smokey have to ditch the bodies from time to time. Is it just to trap who he needs to trap? Titus Welliver was pretty awesome.

I didn't even know they made LOST trading cards- but now I have to have them.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

First time poster, long time reader - nice recap! This struck me as a very nostalgic episode - confused heroes, shifting alliances, stuff gettin' blown up...

I believe that Smokey probably was Christian on the Island, but Christian was just a helpful ghost on the mainland. One thing I've never figured out though is, why does Smokey have to ditch the bodies from time to time. Is it just to trap who he needs to trap? Titus Welliver was pretty awesome.

I didn't even know they made LOST trading cards- but now I have to have them.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I don't believe that Ben can be the one to kill Widmore. This would be a violation of "the rules."

Nurby said...

I keep waiting for every episode for them to finally disprove my husband's theory that Locke in LA X is NotLocke, but still this episode they kept the mystery going for me. Especially with adding in Sun's response to seeing him.

Also in your post you pointed out that Locke (LA X) says "is irreversible". I didn't think of it until you said that but that totally reminds me of Ilana saying that MIB is stuck with Locke's body.

Ok, I know I say it every week, but heck I'm also trying to win a shirt :)

Anonymous said...

I need to come to MIB's defense... he said he took Christian's form to help the castaways find water, not that he was Christian every single time. I still say the differing colored shoes on Ghost Christian means there's MIB and an actual ghost...

And I agree with Deneph: Jack's Sideways son is so easy going and friendly to his father, I half expect him to turn into Smokey at any moment...

Marygail said...

Great post as always. Every time I read your blog I have to watch the episode again :)

Unknown said...

Jo, like everybody else, I love your recaps. Lost is probably my favorite show ever and your insights make it even richer.

I think we discovered at least one thing that was in MIB’s backpack – In the scene where MIB is gathering everyone together right after they all were attacked by the Hydra rockets he picks up the backpack. He does appear to begin unzipping it. You don’t see him actually take it out but in the next scene he’s handing Sawyer the map to where the sail boat is.

Sherylm said...

One of the advantages of reading your blog at the end of the week after we're finally able to watch the episode is getting to read everyone else's comments just after the blog. It's like being part of a long-distance conversation with friends and I'm always thrilled when someone says just what I'd be thinking ;-) Like Addie and the comments about what Claire said..and the suddenly super shallow well.

To me, Hurley's comment about it always being possible to bring someone back from the dark side and Claire's glib "you're a lost soul now and it's not even your fault so just give in like Sayid and I have done" really demonstrate the two opposing belief systems. The first one is optimistic but very hard and often requires sacrifice (Jacob) and the other is dark, fatalistic and seemingly easy while requiring people to willingly do bad things to supposedly get their heart's desire (MIB).

I was really impressed with Kate embracing her responsibility towards Claire for having taken her place (even if she did it for what seemed at the time to be the right reasons). I'm hoping that sacrifice on Kate's part will be what brings Claire back from the dark side.

Although previously I would have thought it a bit hokey to have Jack be the final candidate, I'm at ease with that idea after this episode. It just makes me very worried about David.

During the Jin/Sun reunion, I was most touched by the obvious suffering and remorse Sawyer felt watching their reunion...he hasn't forgotten Juliet, far from it, I'd say.

One character who is really annoying me, though, is Zoe, who is turning into the Froghurt of this season. Who knows if Widmore even realized Jack was still over there with Demon Locke, since she seems to be awfully ready to jump the gun (pun intended) just like she did in kidnapping Jin.

All in all a very enjoyable episode :-) Thanks again for providing us this forum to share our thoughts

The Rush Blog said...

So here is where that 'rule' gets interesting - the Man in Black, as Christian Shephard, spoke to Jack back in S4 (Something Nice Back Home)


I don't think it was possible that the MIB was Christian in "Something Nice Back Home". He was unable to get off the island back then.

The Rush Blog said...

I was really impressed with Kate embracing her responsibility towards Claire for having taken her place (even if she did it for what seemed at the time to be the right reasons). I'm hoping that sacrifice on Kate's part will be what brings Claire back from the dark side.


Kate did NOT claim Aaron as her son for the right reasons. She did it out of her own selfishness. "The Little Prince" made that clear. Kate is aware of this. That's why she told Claire that she was wrong to raise Aaron in the first place.

Ellen said...

Hi Jo,

Great post, as always. Thanks for spending the time.
I am confused about a few things involving the MIB/Smoke Thing. If he cannot leave the island, as we have been led to believe, then who was it who appeared to Jack at the hospital that night in the form of his dead father? There is evidence pointing to it being the MIB. Why? Because the smoke detector went off. In fact, that noise is what caught Jack's attention and drew him to the hospital lobby, which is where he saw his dead dad sitting in a chair. Was that the writers just having some fun with everyone or was that a clue? I don't know. But if that apparition appearing as Christian Shephard was really the 'smoke thing,' then it raises some a question about the nature of the conflict between the MIB and Jacob, as in - can the MIB leave the island after all? Any thoughts?

tracindarella said...

Thank you Jo for being committed to remaining spoiler free. I'm finding these landmines of information in crazy places all over the web and I don't want to know! I'm hanging on to my denial with a very short thread and when people put unmarked spoilers in comments at other sites it sucks. Or when they list all the episode titles under JJ's name at IMDB it sucks even more. I think I will pick up the latest Stephen King book and just stay away from most of the internet - LOL! Beware all you other fans that wish to remain unspoiled!

Unknown said...

Awesome episode. I can't wait for the finale next month. I'm so glad it's on a weekend and not Tuesday. I don't have to watch it on DVR.

Sherylm said...

Hi, The Rush Blog,
I personally have always been against Kate's claiming Aaron as her son and you're right about The Little Prince episode, but that episode also showed that Kate had been fooling herself all along and hadn't really realized what her underlying motives were. But, all that aside, after three years of sharing a child's life, however you might have come by him/her, it would be a real sacrifice to give them up to anyone, even their own true parent. And isn't that how Demon Locke tried to draw Kate in? By offering her more justification for keeping Aaron herself? Kate seems to be the only one, besides Hurley, to have any real pity for Claire and her state. I haven't been a Kate fan since all the love triangle stuff started but she's been showing real progress and focus this season.

Lance said...

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who really liked this episode. Too many people complain about the unanswered questions so I'm ecstatic to come to your blog, Jo. It's my constant.

I thought I'd throw it out there in case nobody's told you but Sweetzer is also the name of an independent film. What does it have to do with Lost? Jorge Garcia plays Sergio (wait for it) the sex addict.

But anyway, I might be going to that Michael Giacchino concert and I hope to see you there. I'm debating whether or not I should don my dharma jumpsuit, but i will definitely be wearing my jopinonated pin!

Anonymous said...

Enjoy your insights! I saw a slanted parallel that might be jogging Jack's memory. Locke is injured, face down on the operating table and Jack leans down and sees Locke's 'familiar' face at an angle. On the island, after the explosion, Jack is face down and injured; he sees Locke (at an angle) coming towards him.

Maureen said...

Thanks for your insight - your writing is fantastic and so well thought out. What do you think about a Willie Wonka connection: six Golden Ticket holders (Oceanic Six), with one selected to take Wonka's place running his chocolate factory (one selected to take Jacob's pace controlling the island). By the way, thanks for the Lost Fan pin!

missmolly said...

Great writing!!! I caught a few things you mentioned but love the connections back to the earlier episodes.

Disappointed about no new LOST next week but maybe we all need it to take a deep breath and prepare for "The End".

Will miss reading your insights every week!

BadRobot64 said...

Jo amazing posts... alot of amazing insights, with no spoilers... i am a huge fan of your site. i have a good collection of your buttons and wear them proudly as i play my music on stage... Bass guitar Charlie style... keep up the good work and i will enjoy your posts on the other shows you also comment on... keep up the good work !

irolina said...

One more comment post-chat, now I am re-watching "The Last Recruit".....and I confirmed another of the time inconsistencies...Jack told Fake Locke that on the third day they were at the island they were looking for water..however, in "White Rabbit" that I also rewatched recently it was definitely their sixth day..... I really wonder what is going on with all of these time perception or whatever it is differences....anyone, any thoughts?