Key Points from "Through the Looking Glass"
Season 3, Episode 22
Episode Air Date: 05/23/07
Point 1
It's a good thing season four doesn't start until 2008; well need the extra time to process this time-shifting, jaw-dropping, series-changing episode. To quote
Ned Ryerson: This was a
doo-oooo-ooooozy.
So let's get to it!
The episode begins with a beach exodus. Jack rounds up the assorted castaways -- including all those background people who waste their days refilling the communal water trough and hunting for ripe mangos -- and the group heads out "Rawhide" style toward the island's radio tower.
The early portion of the journey is without incident, save for Kate's odd sartorial choice of a hooded sweatshirt. But as night falls and the group crests a far hill, they see that all is not well with the world.
You'll recall that our castaways had recently developed a "blow up the Others" plan that involved three snipers (Sayid, Jin and Bernard) exploding old sticks of dynamite as the Others entered the beach camp. From afar, the castaways can see that one tent explodes (more on that later), but two additional batches of dynamite fail to ignite. Rose and Sun immediately demand to return to camp to see what's what, but Jack nixes the idea. Drawing upon a reserve of positivity we've never seen before, Jack says that perhaps the Great God of Explosive Devices intervened and wiped out the Others with only one explosion.
Nice try, Jack.
Rose and Sun don't hold much sway over the group -- and besides, they've already trekked miles into the jungle -- so the castaways reform the herd and continue their journey.
This long trip gives the writers ample opportunity to insert lots of plot details and relationship tangents. For example:
- In an expository scene, Naomi whips out her satellite phone and shows Jack how it works. You might want to take notes, 'cause it's pretty complicated. Naomi says the phone's red blinking light is bad (i.e. communication is still jammed, rescue isn't happening anytime soon), and a green light is good (the line is open, operators are standing by). Somehow, Jack manages to retain this copious amount of information.
- Sawyer and Kate are on the rocks because Sawyer is still reeling from the unfathomable appearance of Anthony Cooper (and Cooper's subsequent demise). Sawyer hasn't told Kate about his extracurricular Black Rock activities. Instead, he's opted for the "bury it deep and mope" technique, which always works fantastically. Kate tries to coax information out of Sawyer, but he's not interested. And when Kate discusses pregnancy, Sawyer immediately excuses himself from the Father of the Year competition by growling: "Let's hope you're not." Yeah. Sunny days.
- The outlook is much cheerier on the Jack-Juliet front. Mid-way through the journey, Juliet decides to accompany Sawyer back to the beach camps (more on that later), but before departing she plants a big ol' non-platonic kiss on Jack.
- Of course, Jack is an idiot and doesn't realize that Juliet is, by far, his most viable romantic option on the island. Instead, he and Kate share a moment later in the episode that reignites the Jack-Kate tango. Jack tells Kate that Sawyer's gruff attitude is a defense mechanism -- he simply wants to protect her, much the way Jack wanted to protect her from the Others. Suddenly, Jack blurts "I love you."
BLAM! Cupid's arrow zings into Kate's behind. Jack walks off, knowing full well he just rocked Kate's world.
With satellite phones deconstructed and romantic entanglements further entangled, the castaways continue their hike across the island.
And then Ben appears.
Our buggy-eyed psycho has inserted himself directly in the castaways' path. Alex has joined him because Ben is an evil little ******* who delights in torturing his "daughter." Or something like that. Basically, the writers needed Alex and Rousseau to meet up and this is how they do it (more on that in a minute).
Ben is unarmed, save for his exoskeleton and heightened sense of smell, but Jack's "Leader Alarm" immediately blares. Jack scrunches his face and stares at Ben real hard.
Ben tells Jack they need to talk and for some inexplicable reason, Jack agrees. The pair retire to a quiet spot away from the group and begin a classic
tete a tete. We've been waiting a long time for this.
"Not so long ago Jack, I made a decision that took the lives over over 40 people in a single day," Ben says, referring to the
Dharma purge. "I'm telling you this because history is about to repeat itself, right here, right now."
Jack isn't impressed. His botched surgeries have accounted for at least 2,000 deaths. "Forty? Hell, I killed 40 people last year!"
Ben continues, claiming that Naomi is not who she says she is. In his typical vague way, Ben says Naomi is part of a group that's been searching for the island for a long time. And if this group happens to stumble upon their tropical locale, "every single living person on this island will be killed." (Except for Locke, because he's got serious mojo. And Juliet, because she's smokin'.)
Again, Jack isn't swayed. He's played Ben's little game in the past. It's not much fun.
Ben turns to Plan B. He asks Jack to hand over the walkie talkie he lifted from Ben's belt moments earlier. And again, for some unbelievable reason, Jack
does what he's told.
Ben flips the radio on and speaks to Tom, who's watching over captives at the castaways' beach camp (more on this in Key Point 4).
Ben instructs Tom to shoot the hostages if he doesn't hear back from him in exactly one minute. Ben turns to Jack and issues his ultimatum: Jack needs to bring Ben the satellite phone in 60 seconds, or Sayid, Jin and Bernard will die.
Jack paces like a caged bobcat. Decisions ... decisions.
Ben watches the second hand swing across the face of his wristwatch. 30 seconds ... 20 seconds ...
"'I'm getting them off the island," Jack growls. "All of them!"
10 seconds ...
Jack isn't moving.
3 ... 2 ... 1
Gunshots crackle through the radio. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Anguish runs through Jack. The boys are dead. Sayid ... Jin ... that dentist who disappears for months at a time ... all dead.
Jack looks at Ben.
Oh Ben. Ben Ben Ben. This isn't going to end well.
You see, Ben may be an evil genius, but his intelligence doesn't extend to physical comparisons. If it did, he'd realize that Jack is a big, strong, athletic guy with a violent streak. He'd then also realize that he, Ben, is a wimpy, gamey, spikey-haired toad with a gimpy back.
Jack charges Ben and slams him to the ground. IT'S GO TIME, BENNY!
WHACK! Fist to the face. WHACK WHACK WHACK! Blood spurts from Ben's nose. WHUMP! A massive hook knocks the consciousness out of Ben's bug head.
Moments later, Jack hauls Ben's wrecked body back toward the castaways. Ben is alive, but his face looks like a horror movie. Jack instructs Rousseau to tie Ben up because they're bringing him along. You see, Jack has a revenge fantasy: he and his fellow castaways will be rescued and Ben's last moment will be filled with the knowledge that he failed to keep them on the island. Or something. Jack's off his chump at this point.
And this is when we witness the long-percolating Rousseau-Alex reunion. Rousseau looks at Alex, who's kneeling in a blood puddle forming under Ben's ruptured face. Rousseau's simian stare makes Alex twitchy, but Ben spits a wad of blood and tells Alex that this woman -- this freaky island witch -- is her mother.
Rousseau approaches and delicately moves a strand of Alex's hair from her face.
"Help me tie him up," Rousseau purrs.
Ahhhh. Such a poignant moment. Standing amidst a lush island field with Hurley birds floating through the sky and a megalomaniac bleeding out, mother and daughter are reunited at last.
So they tie Ben up and continue their journey. Moments later, Naomi looks at the satellite phone and sees a green blinking light. The line is clear! But there's just one wee problem: Rousseau's 16-year-old distress transmission is still blocking outgoing signals. Fortunately, the island's radio station -- WBEN -- is just around the bend.
The group reaches the radio tower and Jack, Kate, Naomi, and Rousseau go inside. Ben is strapped to a tree. He bleeds in response.
Rousseau turns off the distress signal. Naomi fires up her phone. The thick walls of the tower block the signal, so she goes outside and wanders around, searching for contact. The phone clicks into range. Naomi dials.
Kate giddily anticipates rescue. Obviously, Kate isn't a Red Sox fan. You
never anticipate.
Ever. Especially when a re-inspired island shaman is about to appear ...
SWISH SWISH SWISH ... thunk!
Blood suddenly sputters from Naomi's mouth! She drops the phone and collapses. What the? ...
Jack spins and sees ... Locke! Locke just knifed Naomi! And he's holding a revolver! Why use a knife when you've got a gun? It makes no sense!
Jack moves toward the satellite phone. The phone is still trying to connect.
BLAM!
Locke fires a warning shot near the phone. Jack stands.
"I don't want to shoot you," Locke says, aiming his revolver at Jack's chest.
Jack moves forward. Locke pulls the hammer back. Jack bends and picks up the phone.
Locke hesitates. He doesn't have it in him. He slumps and pulls the gun down.
The satellite phone is connecting.
"Hello?"
Jack swings the phone to his ear. Contact! They've made contact!
"My name is Jack Shephard. I'm one of the survivors of Oceanic 815. Can you get a fix on our location?"
"Hell yes we can," a man on the other end confirms. "Sit tight, we'll be right there."
The castaways rejoice. For now ...
Point 2
And now we come to the rattlesnake in the mailbox.
I don't usually worry about folks who haven't seen the episode, but in this case, I
highly suggest not reading the rest of this review if you haven't watched "Through the Looking Glass." This next segment is so monumental, even a hint of what's to come will spoil the viewing experience.
Be warned: The biggest twist in series history lies ahead.
Here goes ...
Remember how the Jack flashbacks felt tired and played out? The most recent one, "
Stranger in a Strange Land," chronicled the history of his tattoos. Excitement incarnate it was not.
But then the writers had an idea ...
This episode's Jack sequence changes everything.
Everything. Here's what we learn:
- As the off-island sequence picks up, Jack is in rough shape. He's sporting a bushy beard and deep circles are carved beneath his eyes. Early on, we see him sitting on an Oceanic flight (not 815), drinking an overpriced cocktail and harassing the stewardess for more booze. She cuts him off and offers a newspaper as entertainment. Something in the paper catches his eye. Concern washes over his face. He rips a small article from the paper, but we can't see the headline or text.
- Shortly after the flight, Jack drives his dilapidated old Jeep through the streets of Los Angeles. He stops the Jeep on a bridge and weeps while re-reading the mysterious newspaper article. Given the small size of the ripped article, it appears to be an obituary.
Jack's at his wit's end. He exits the Jeep and moves to the side of the bridge. He hauls himself up onto the ledge and gazes down at a desolate stretch of concrete. "Forgive me," he says, tilting his head back.
SCREEEEEECH .... BOOM!
Jack turns. An accident just ignited behind him. Victims call for help from the wreckage. Something to fix! Jack has something to fix! He jumps down from the ledge and runs in to save the day.
- Hours after the accident, Jack is stitched up in a hospital emergency room (it's the same hospital where he works). His heroics led to minor injuries, but an unexpected visit from Sarah inflicts far more pain. The hospital called Sarah because she's still listed as Jack's emergency contact. Jack isn't particularly thrilled to see his ex-wife and Sarah isn't thrilled to see Jack, either. The two share an awkward moment that becomes even more awkward when Sarah turns to leave and her big, pregnant belly swings into view.
- For much of the episode, Jack tries to call an unknown person, but his attempts are always thwarted by voicemail (and it's voicemail with a generic pick-up message, so we have no idea who he's trying to call). Remember this. It's going to be hugely important.
- Jack's downward spiral continues through three events:
First, he visits a funeral home to attend the service of the anonymous person noted in the obituary. The funeral director says no one showed up -- just Jack -- and so Jack spends a quiet moment with a closed casket, then leaves the home. We have no idea who died.
Second, Jack's attempt at refilling a painkiller prescription is denied. He tries to pawn off a second prescription from his father -- Dead Dr. Daddy -- but the pharmacist isn't convinced. While in line, a fellow customer recognizes Jack as the hero from the car wreck (Jack's antics attracted media attention). Jack doesn't like the recognition, and he really doesn't like being cut off from his much-needed meds. Summoning the rage of Dr. House, he pounds the pharmacy counter and leaves in a huff.
Finally, Jack steals painkillers from his own hospital. He gets away with the theft, but on the way out he runs into the new chief of medicine, Dr. Hamel. Hamel says a victim from the bridge car wreck is recovering, but when she regained consciousness, she revealed the cause of the accident: she was distracted by a man standing on the ledge of the bridge. Hamel challenges Jack: How was he able to get to the accident so quickly? More importantly, how much has Jack been drinking?
"You do this," Jack snaps. "You get my father down here, and if I'm drunker than he is, you can fire me."
Dr. Hamel doesn't respond, presumably because Jack's dad is dead (or is he?).
- And now we come to the big moment ...
Jack hits rock bottom. In the final moments, we see him sitting in his dark apartment. World maps and Oceanic tickets are strewn about. He seems to be searching for something on the maps.
He makes another phone call. This time, the unknown person answers. Jack arranges for a rendezvous at the airport.
Jack is first to arrive at the airport. He's parked at the end of a runway. It's dark. In the distance, jets land and take off.
A sedan approaches. The car is bathed in darkness. The door opens.
Jack turns.
Footsteps draw closer. Jack approaches the unseen visitor.
Light slinks across the person ... we see an arm, a shoulder ...
Oh. My. God.
Kate steps into view. KATE?!
And that's when it becomes apparent. This is it. This is the rattlesnake in the mailbox.
This isn't a flashback. This is the future. THEY GOT OFF THE ISLAND.
Kate approaches. She and Jack seem drawn but wary. There's a history here, but we don't know what it is.
"Why did you call me Jack?" Kate asks.
Jack pulls the newspaper clipping out. He thought she might have seen it. He thought she would go to the funeral.
"Why would I go to the funeral?" Kate asks, anger flitting through her voice.
Jack changes the subject. He tells Kate he's been using the "golden pass" Oceanic gave them to fly every Friday night. "I fly from L.A. to Tokyo or Singapore, Sydney. Then I get off, then I have a drink, then I fly home."
Kate's confused. Why? Why would he waste his time?
And this is when we learn the depth of Jack's despair.
"Because I want it to crash, Kate," Jack says.
A tear drops from Kate's eye. "This is not going to change," she says.
Jack loses it. "I'm sick of lying," he shouts. "We made a mistake!"
Kate backs away. "He's going to be wondering where I am," she says, referring to someone we probably know.
Jack says they weren't supposed to leave.
Kate's heard enough. She opens the door of her car.
"We have to go back, Kate," Jack says.
Kate shuts the door and reverses the car.
A jet engine grows louder as a massive airliner prepares for takeoff.
"We have to go back!" Jack screams.
The plane arcs into the air. Kate drives off. And that's when it ends. Holy Moses on Dharma toast, that's when it ends!
Okay, let's process this.
First, I have to give the "Lost" crew credit for even attempting this massive shift. It's the ballsiest maneuver I've ever witnessed -- even ballsier than the one-year-jump "
Battlestar Galactica" pulled off last year.
In one fell swoop the "Lost" producers have flipped the entire series on its head by changing the show's essential question. Prior to this episode, the guiding question was "Will they get off the island?" All the mysteries and extra questions were secondary to this core query. But not anymore. Now the question is "
How did they get off the island?"
How.
It also brings up a slew of additional questions:
- When did they get off the island?
- Who else got off the island?
- Why is Jack so hell-bent on returning to the island? What happened?
- Who was in the casket?
- Who is Kate with in the future?
- Is the future set in stone? Can we trust what we see in this episode? Can current on-island actions change the future?
- Is Jack's dad alive?
Unbelievable. Just un-friggin'-believable.
Point 3
It's amazing to think that a main character's death warrants Key Point 3, but that's what happens when a series reinvents itself.
But yes, someone dies. Someone important. And we already know how it happens.
The Charlie-Desmond storyline picks up where it left off in "
Greatest Hits." Charlie has just been captured by two armed women who are monitoring the Looking Glass station. Their presence in the station is particularly unnerving because the station itself was thought to be flooded. It's not. Nor is it abandoned.
The women -- Bonnie (the blonde) and Greta (the brunette) -- tie Charlie to an office chair and beat the snot out of him. It's during this interrogation that we learn the following:
- The women are with the Others, but their presence in the Looking Glass is supposed to be a secret. In fact, the Looking Glass itself is a secret. Ben has been lying to his comrades all along, telling them the Looking Glass is flooded and inoperable. But it works just fine, and Ben has instructed Bonnie and Greta to keep the Looking Glass' jamming mechanism in place indefinitely.
- Charlie turns into a smart***/badass when he's got nothing to lose. He spends the majority of this episode torturing his interrogators with humming, singing and snide comments. He knows he's going to die, and his carefree attitude gives him enormous power.
Charlie's presence in the Looking Glass freaks Bonnie and Greta out, so they break Ben's mandate of radio silence and contact their buggy leader. Ben is shocked by the news of Charlie's arrival. He instructs Mikhail to go to the Looking Glass and clean up the mess.
So Mikhail loads up his scuba gear and goes to the shoreline. As he arrives, Desmond is regaining consciousness in the outrigger canoe bobbing above the underwater hatch (remember, Charlie knocked Des out with an oar). Des' adrenaline kicks in when he realizes that Mikhail is taking pot-shots at him from the shoreline. Des takes a deep breath and makes a desperate dive down to the Looking Glass. He struggles to reach the moon pool, then erupts from the surface gasping for air.
Fortunately for Des, he arrives while Bonnie and Greta are pow-wowing in the Looking Glass' sealed control room. Charlie warns Des to hide and he manages to scamper into an equipment closet before Bonnie and Greta reemerge.
Moments later, Mikhail pops up in the moon pool. He's surprised to see Bonnie and Greta because he was told they were on assignment in Canada. But the surprise quickly passes because Mikhail has specific instructions.
He hauls himself from the pool and checks in on the control room. Bonnie and Greta inform him that the jamming mechanism will stay in place indefinitely -- even if the Looking Glass is flooded -- so long as the deactivation code isn't entered. And since Bonnie, Greta and Ben are the only ones with the code, there's no real threat.
Satisfied, Mikhail follows through on his mission. He whips out a pistol and shoots Greta in the gut. She falls backwards into the moon pool, dead. Bonnie tries to run, but Mikhail shoots her square in the back. She sprawls on the deck and turns. Mikhail approaches for the kill shot.
"Hey!"
Desmond pops out of the equipment closet.
SWOOSH!
Des pulls the trigger on a spear gun. The metal tip pierces Mikhail's chest. He slumps to the deck and drops his pistol. Des grabs the weapon and takes aim at Bonnie, but Charlie stops him from pulling the trigger. Bonnie is the only one who knows the deactivation code.
As Bonnie's life fades away, Charlie convinces her to cough up the code. He says it's the one way she can make Ben very, very angry. She blurts out the multi-digit code, but Charlie can't write it down fast enough. Greta's strength is waning. Charlie pleads for her to repeat the code.
"Good Vibrations," Bonnie sputters. "Beach Boys. On the keypad. Numbers. They're notes. It was programmed by a musician."
Bonnie dies. Des and Charlie spring to action. Charlie rushes into the control room to enter the code (thank God for all those piano lessons). Desmond gathers up equipment for their escape.
Charlie finds the keypad. A yellow light blinks above the control panel, just as Desmond predicted in his future flash. But at this point, Charlie believes he can still make it -- after all, Desmond is in the Looking Glass, too, and that wasn't part of his prognostication ... right?
Charlie punches in the code and turns to leave, but as he does, a red button flashes. "Incoming Transmission."
Charlie hits the button. A monitor sparks to life. Through the static, Charlie can make out the form of ...
Penelope Widmore!
Ms. I Only Appear in Finales shows up on-screen. She and Charlie establish contact. Charlie tells her he's a survivor of Oceanic 815. He also mentions Desmond and Naomi's rescue boat.
But there's a problem.
Penny doesn't know Naomi. She doesn't know about a boat.
WHAT?!
Charlie spins to call to Desmond, but he's located at the other end of the Looking Glass. He doesn't hear Charlie.
Knock ... Knock ...
Charlie turns. His eyes grow wide.
Uh. Oh.
Mikhail is bobbing in the water outside the Looking Glass, treading near the control room's window. He's holding a grenade. He pulls the pin.
Desmond hears Penny's voice. He rushes toward the control room.
Charlie sees what's happening. The future flash is coming true.
Charlie slams the control room door in Desmond's face and seals it shut. Mikhail presses the grenade against the window and releases the trigger.
Charlie steps back. Desmond pounds on the door.
BOOOM!
The window ruptures. Sea water pours in. Charlie stands by the door. His face is placid. He's ready to accept his fate.
But then he remembers ... Naomi ... the boat ... it's a ruse! Water rushes around Charlie as he struggles to write a message on his hand.
Charlie dives and slaps his hand against the door's window. Desmond sees him. He reads the message.
"Not Penny's Boat. "
Charlie looks at Des for confirmation. Des puts his hand on the window.
Charlie smiles a little, then struggles against the watery onslaught. He floats back. Water rushes through his lungs. Air bubbles pop from Charlie's mouth. He slumps.
Godspeed, Charlie Pace.
Point 4
Vengeance is one of this episode's themes, and it certainly makes sense. For 90 days, the castaways have been at the mercy of the Others, Dharma, a smoke monster, random hatches and island hoo-ha. But in this episode, the castaways go on the offensive. They get their vengeance.
The seeds of vengeance were planted last week when Jack, Sayid, Juliet and Rousseau concocted an Other sneak attack. The attack occurs in the early moments of "Through the Looking Glass," but it doesn't play out as we expected.
As noted, Sayid, Jin and Bernard stay at the beach camp while Jack leads the castaways to the radio tower. As night falls, the three snipers take position in the woods. They watch as a platoon of Others creeps into their dark and quiet camp.
The Others approach the tents. Closer ... closer ...
Now.
Sayid fires. His shot nails a pile of dynamite and a massive fireball erupts. Barbecued Others shoot into the sky.
Unfortunately, the rest of the plan doesn't work out. Jin showcases some piss-poor aim and instead of taking out the remaining others with a dynamite shot, he's forced to shoot directly. The surviving Others return fire and Jin is forced to take cover.
The Others quickly gain the upper hand. Sayid, Jin and Bernard are captured. Sayid and Jin resist the Others' interrogation, but Bernard caves like a sinkhole. He tells Tom and his cronies that the castaways are headed for the radio tower -- and this explains how Ben was able to intercept them.
Later, Tom receives orders from Ben to execute the hostages and, based on Key Point 1, we're initially led to believe that all three are dead.
But that's not the case. Tom and Ryan Pryce (the chief Other henchman and platoon leader), didn't kill the men. The gunshots heard over Ben's radio were shots fired into the sand.
Sidenote: This scene confused me. Was the faux-shooting part of Ben's plan? Or, did Tom and/or Pryce turn on Ben?
Moving on ...
Late in the episode, Juliet and Sawyer arrive at the edge of the beach camp. Earlier, the pair had separated from the castaway exodus because Sawyer felt compelled to double-back. Juliet claimed to know of a weapons stash, so Jack let Juliet accompany Sawyer.
But there are no weapons. Juliet lied to get Jack off their backs, and this little revelation boosts Sawyer's respect for Jules.
So, the two sneak back to camp and see that Sayid, Jin and Bernard are being guarded by three men (Tom, Pryce and some random guy). Sawyer is ready to rush in, but Juliet notes that each of the guards is armed and, unfortunately, the dynamic Sawyer-Jules duo is a little weapon-deficient at the moment. As the pair discuss their options, a low hum sounds from the deep woods.
"You hear that?" Sawyer asks.
VROOOOOOM!
The blue Dharma van bursts from the treeline! It's Hurley!
Hurley stomps on the pedal and slings the van onto the beach. Pryce takes aim and pops shots at the hood, but the trusty van deflects the bullets. Hurley bears down.
WHAM! Hurley launches Pryce into the hereafter!
The two remaining Others take cover. Sawyer uses the van diversion to his advantage. He darts behind the van and spots a pistol in the sand. As he reaches for it, he sees an Other standing over Sayid. The Other hears something and is distracted.
And that's when Sayid pulls off the greatest move ever.
Sayid is bound and gagged, but as the Other turns away, he swipes his legs under the Other and drops him to the ground. Sayid wraps his legs around the Other's neck.
SNAP!
The Other's spine crunches. He goes limp.
Sawyer looks at Sayid. Sayid nods back. "I am a bad ... ***," Sayid says with his eyes.
Sawyer turns his attention down the beach. Juliet has a gun aimed at Tom.
Tom sees Sawyer approach. He puts up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I give up," Tom says.
BLAM!
Sawyer shoots him in the gut! Tom's face drops.
"That's for
taking the kid off the raft," Sawyer sneers.
Tom croaks.
"Dude it was over," Hurley says. "He surrendered."
"I didn't believe him," Sawyer growls.
Sidenote: Sawyer is a cold-blooded killer, but he's also a man of his word. Way back in "
The Hunting Party" he warned Tom about an impending showdown."You and me ain't done Zeke," he threatened.
I guess they're done now.
Sometime later, after Sawyer has lowered his weapon and finished shooting Others, Hurley grabs a discarded Other walkie-talkie and issues a warning/notice. "Attention, Others," he barks.
On the other side of the island, Jack hears the announcement through the walkie-talkie he took from Ben. He responds to Hurley and Hurley give him the good word: everyone is alive, including Sayid, Jin and Bernard. Jack's albatross of guilt untethers itself from his neck and flies away ("Hurley! Hurley!" it squawks). Nearby, Rose and Sun hear the news and embrace. And that's that.
Point 5
And now we come to Locke.
You'll recall that Locke has been
bleeding in a Dharma ditch for the last day or so. During a brief scene in the middle of this episode, we see Locke in his darkest moment. He's got a massive hole in his chest. His legs don't work.
Nearby, he sees an ancient revolver tucked into a holster wrapped around a Dharma corpse. He grabs the gun, checks the chamber and slowly points it toward his head.
"Don't, John," a voice says from above.
Holy crap! It's Walt! (And he's 22 years old and has the voice of Barry White!)
"Put the gun down," Magic Walt booms.
Locke complies because, damn, that's Walt and he's a big man now.
"Now get up John," Walt says.
Locke whines about his legs. They don't work.
Walt has none of it. "Get out of the ditch, John."
"Why?" Locke sputters.
"Because, you have work to do," Man-Walt says.
Locke smiles.
Now, we don't see how he gets out of the ditch or how he miraculously recovers, but since Locke shows up at the end of the episode and has the strength to sling a knife into Naomi's back and point a gun at Jack, it would appear he's on the mend.
This Walt appearance opens the door to all sorts of questions:
- Is it really Walt? Or, is Jacob/Smokey taking Walt's form?
- Does Walt have a connection to Jacob?
- If this is an apparition, where is Walt dialing in from? Did he and Michael successfully escape? Does he need to be within certain range of the island to "show" himself?
- When did he stop talking backwards?
- Why is a 15-year-old boy dressed like a pre-teen?
- As for Locke, at the very end of the episode -- after Jack has made contact with Naomi's ship -- Locke tells Jack it "wasn't supposed to happen this way." How was it supposed to happen? What is "it" exactly? And where does Locke go now?
Point 6
A few closing questions and observations:
- Best Line: "If you say live together, die alone Jack, I'm going to punch you in the face." -- Rose to Jack.
- Second Best Line: "What did you do for a living before you became Moses?" -- Naomi to Jack as he leads the castaways to the radio tower.
- Third Best Line: "If I told you I would help you with your S.O.S sign, would you change your mind?" -- Rose to Bernard, discussing his enlistment in Sayid's Sniper Corps.
- Fourth Best Line: "I came in my invisible submarine, don't you see it?" -- Charlie, explaining his sudden appearance in the Looking Glass.
- So, who is (was) Naomi? What does she want with Desmond? Who does she work for? Is it some sort of anti-Dharma consortium? Or, is it a newer, sleeker, angrier Dharma?
- Penny confirmed that Desmond is alive and on the island. So what does she do now? And, how do those arctic researchers factor into all this?
- When Mikhail first pops up in the Looking Glass moon pool, he says Bonnie and Greta are supposed to be in Canada. How many outposts do the Others have? How do the Others recruit outsiders? Is there a standardized test? An essay? A feat of strength?
- Speaking of Mikhail ... Ben describes him as a true believer in the island (whatever that means). Could Mikhail's unwavering belief be tied to his miraculous recovery from the Sonic Death Fence incident?
- Ben mentions a "temple." Do the Others practice their own religion, or do they use this temple for boar sacrifices and holiday gatherings?
- Nitpick 1: Kate = technophobe. She can't even set up the voice mail on her cell phone. Granted, this proves to be a useful storytelling device in Jack's future flash, but c'mon now.
- Nitpick 2: I can accept one miraculous van start-up, but two? Did Hurley pray to the patron saint of ignition?
- Finally, I'm interested to know if folks who read the spoilers beforehand were still surprised/impressed with the episode. Personally, I wish I hadn't known about the big reveal. I thought the episode was great and I enjoyed the ride, but I missed out on the *** experience. How did others react?
That's all I've got! Thanks to all the folks who have continued to make the Lost Blog a haven for fun, intelligent and respectful discussion. It's been an absolute pleasure sharing this season with you guys. Myself and a few volunteers will continue to post news and rumors over the long months ahead, and everyone is always welcome to suggest discussion topics. Have a wonderful summer and I'll "see" you all soon! Be sure to drop by the
"Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.
Next Episode:
"???" -- "Lost" returns for its fourth season in early 2008.
Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.
