Category: Lost (Page 21 of 29)

It’s been three months since we last sat down to discuss “Lost,” and while the show’s triumphant return will no doubt reignite interest among the wavering fan base, the episode also didn’t deliver on Entertainment Weekly’s promise that it would have fans on the edge of their seats. Then again, the guys over at EW are absolutely gaga for the island drama, so I recommend that you take anything they say with a grain of salt. With that said, this week’s show did answer quite a few questions – the most notable being how Juliet arrived on the island – and looks to have finally ended that horrible string of episodes revolving exclusively around the Mod Squad (Jack, Kate and Sawyer). Oh yeah, and Mr. Friendly was finally given a name during the most absurd moment of the episode. While Jack works intently on Ben’s spinal tumor, Mr. Friendly leans in and says, “I’m Tom, by the way.” What? You’re friend and leader might be on the verge of death and you’re more concerned with introductions? Who cares what your name is?

Picking up where we last left off, Jack has just made his play for the safe return of Kate and Sawyer by threatening to let Ben die on the operating table. Upon discovering that – yes – Sawyer was actually telling the truth about them being on a completely different island, the dynamic duo gain an ally in Rousseau’s daughter and are promised a boat in return for their help. The task at hand is actually fairly easy, and after tricking the guard with the old “Wookie prisoner gag,” they discover that Little Rousseau’s boyfriend is being subjected to some sort of “Clockwork Orange”-like experiment, complete with restraints and subliminal messages. But when they make it back to the coast safely, they’re encountered by a couple Others who have decided to ignore the direct orders to let them go. This course of action doesn’t bode well for the incredibly hotheaded Danny, who gets a couple bullets to the chest courtesy of Juliet.

It looks like the writers are preparing to make a big move regarding Juliet. In the next few weeks, don’t be surprised if she’s either killed or joins up with Jack and the rest of the survivors. Showcasing her past in this week’s flashback segment certainly helped in earning some sympathy votes from the fans. As a research assistant for some unnamed lab in Miami, Florida, Dr. Juliet Burke (yes, you heard correctly) was working on a means of artificial impregnation when she’s suddenly approached by a mysterious (and privately funded) corporation looking to entice her over to the Dark Side. As you could expect, the corporation in question has an obvious connection to the Hando Foundation, but whether or not they are the same people is still unclear. What we do know is that they’re very interested in Juliet’s research, which will no doubt play a big part in why Claire’s baby was of such importance during the first two seasons.

Next week: The survivors raid the Others’ camp in an attempt to rescue their fearless leader. Plus, Desmond goes apeshit… again.

I don’t really know if there’s some hidden meaning behind the abovementioned phrase that was sketched into Eko’s prayer stick, but by the look in Locke’s eyes, it seems that he’s found some kind of significance in it. Whatever the case, Mr. Eko is now dead. Let’s move on, shall we?

This week’s flashback was dedicated to Kate, which wasn’t a very big surprise seeing as how the show begins its three-month hiatus following this week’s episode. It seems that Jack isn’t the only survivor with some marital skeletons in his closet. Kate, too, was once married, oddly enough to a Miami cop named Kevin (Nathan Fillion). Unfortunately, she hasn’t exactly been honest with the guy from the start (he thinks her name is Monica), and though Kate really does love him (she even begs the FBI agent over the phone to stop chasing her so she can start a new life), she still decides to leave the poor guy. That is, of course, after informing him of her fugitive status and then drugging him. Um, okay.

Back on the island, Kate is asked to persuade Jack to operate on Ben. If she can convince him to perform surgery, Sawyer won’t be killed. Pretty simple, no? Jack, however, doesn’t buy her modest plea, and doesn’t agree to do the surgery until he’s given Ben’s word that he’ll have a ticket off the island once the operation is complete. What I’d like to know is if Ben means the island as a whole, or just the smaller one that everyone seems to believe they’re now on? Sawyer believes he’s on a different island, enough so that he’s told Kate of their situation.

So, are they really on another island, or has Sawyer truly been conned into believing so? I know this bleeds a lot into our discussion a few weeks back, but I’m still not completely sold on whether or not Ben was telling the truth. Whatever the case, Sawyer and Kate are going to have a hell of a time escaping, no matter what kind of leverage Jack has earned with his kidney-slicing diversion. There’s no way the Others are gonna let them get away that easy, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can pull it off.

Did anyone else have a feeling that Eko was going to die during tonight’s episode? Well, I sure as hell did (especially after getting half-eaten by a polar bear the week before), and my suspicions only grew as we learned the final chapter of his story before arriving on the island. Anyways, of all the “main characters” to bite the dust thus far, Eko’s certainly had to be the coolest. After being stalked by the Smoke Monster (the same one that caused so much controversy last season) for most of the episode, Eko finally confronted it face to face. Unfortunately, the Smoke Monster is wicked cool and disposed of Eko like a rag doll, bashing him from tree to tree and slamming him into the ground. Eko may not feel like he sinned, but someone sure as hell does. I think the question now is if the Smoke Monster is real or just a part of his imagination, because if that thing’s for real, well, the survivors have a lot more to worry about than a bunch of ragtag thespians.

The rest of Eko’s storyline is pretty much pointless – especially after disclosing the above information – but it is important to note that Locke discovered his body not more than a few seconds after it happened. I know, I know: how convenient. He was just around the corner, however, investigating further into the “Kernel” hatch with Sayid, Desmond and two of the show’s newest characters, Paulo and Nikki. It’s a good thing they brought along the new blood too, since it was Nikki who uncovered a new hint in the orientation video. It mentions several ongoing projects (not one, but several) that the “Kernel” scientists are responsible for surveying, and as soon as Sayid manages to cut in to one of the other feeds, they see some creepy guy with an eye patch staring right back at them. Hmm. More on this later, I presume.

Finally, while Kate and Sawyer took the bench this week, Jack’s ongoing storyline continues. When Ben invites him to Colleen’s funeral (wearing what seems to be either a pair of Jesus PJs or an island-themed cult uniform), Jack brings up his spinal tumor. This appears to have struck a chord with Ben (mostly because he doesn’t want to appear weak in front of Jack, but also because this apparently ruins his “plans”), and he’s more than a little pissed off at the fact that his life is in this stranger’s hands. Fast-forward to the end, however, and we see Juliette secretly relaying a message to Jack informing him that many of the Others are ready for a change, and that they need Jack to “lose him” during spinal surgery. Now, is this for real, or has Ben simply hatched another plan to regain the upper hand? Whatever the case, I don’t think Jack would ever knowingly kill a patient. In the end, this will either earn Ben’s trust or only piss him off even more, and with only one more episode to go before the massive break (three months, to be exact), I have a feeling we’re all gonna find out sooner rather than later.

Sawyer has continually proven himself as one of the more interesting characters on the island (along with Sayid and Hurley), and though tonight’s episode didn’t reveal anything particularly special or groundbreaking, it still delivered some of the best material of the new season. That’s saying a lot considering this wasn’t even that great of a Sawyer episode, but we did learn quite a few things about our favorite Cajun conman. Like how that woman he last conned (Cassidy, played by “Deadwood”’s Kim Dickens) had him sent to prison, and how that very same woman gave birth to the couple’s love child.

I’m still not entirely sure what to believe on the while kid front. While giving Sawyer a daughter would certainly make his back story that much more intriguing, I have a sinking feeling that Cassidy was just conning Sawyer out of his newly acquired bank account. You know, the one that he got (along with his freedom) for helping the prison warden track down the whereabouts of $10 million stolen by another inmate. When asked what they should do with the money, Sawyer tells them to put it in an account under the name Clementine Philips. I don’t remember Cassidy ever telling him what the baby’s name was, but who else could it be?

Back on the island, Sawyer is hatching a plan to get him and Kate out of the zoo cages – especially now that the Others seem more concerned with their dying friend, Colleen – but he must have forgotten all about the surveillance cameras, because his plan is quickly thwarted. In return, Sawyer gets a little torture (mad scientist style) and is implanted with a pacemaker that will kill him if he gets too excited. Strapped with a heart monitor to keep track of his beat, Sawyer is sent back to his cage and warned not to mention anything about it to Kate, for she would be forced to suffer the same fate.

Meanwhile, Jack is brought in to operate on Colleen, but when she goes in to cardiac arrest and there is no crash cart to revive her, she dies. This sends her dumbass boyfriend (who Sawyer wittily referred to as Chinatown for his bandaged nose early on) into a frenzy, beating the shit out of Saywer until Kate confesses her love for him. Later on, when Sawyer brings it up again, Kate says it was just to protect him, but we know how she really feels. It doesn’t really matter, since Sawyer seems to have proven his love for her to the Others. And honestly, I think that’s all that matters right now. Oh right, and apparently Jack now knows why he’s really on the new island. He’s been brought to the Others’ camp to perform spinal surgery on none other than Benjamin himself.

In any event, Sawyer soon discovers that the pacemaker isn’t even real, and Ben informs him (while showing just how far away from the old island they really are) that the “only way to gain a conman’s respect is to con him.” Very smart, Ben. Very smart indeed. Unfortunately, he goes on to explain that while Sawyer is pretty good at what he does, the Others are much, much better. There goes that well-earned respect right out the window!

And in other news, it seems that Desmond’s newly gained powers are pretty worthless. Just kidding, but seriously, is predicting a rain storm the best he can do? Charlie doesn’t seem to think so, and that look in his eye makes me think that he Desmond might be gaining a couple new allies over the coming weeks. Charlie, Hurley and the newly introduced Paulo (played by Brazilian sensation Rodrigo Santoro) will no doubt join ranks with the super powered Scot and form a cool little group of their own. Say goodbye to the Terrific Trio, and hello to the… Fantastic Four? Oh wait, that’s already been taken.