Another week, another pointless flash-sideways. And until we make some headway on the connection between the two worlds, I have a sinking feeling that the Earth-2 stories are going to remain strictly what-if affairs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I’m just not sure what else to make of them for the time being. Thankfully, Locke is a much more interesting character than Kate, so I didn’t really mind learning more about his Earth-2 counterpart. It was nice to see Katey Sagal return as Helen Norwood (now engaged to marry Locke), but despite some sweet moments between the two, the real fun came in his chance meetings with a few other familiar faces.
After getting fired for using the company’s expense account to fund his walkabout in Sydney, Locke leaves the office to discover the wheelchair access ramp in his van blocked by a big yellow Hummer. And who should that Hummer belong to but Hurley, who just so happens to own the company. Better yet, when he hears about Locke’s situation, he gladly offers him another job through a local temp agency that he also owns. (There was no mention of Locke blowing thousands of dollars on his trip, but Hurley’s a pretty laidback dude, so I guess he didn’t mind much.) The office supervisor at said temp agency is also none other than Rose, and as an annoying Disney-owned theme park ride would remind us over and over again, “It’s a small world after all.”
Still, for as great as those cameos may have been, they were nothing when compared to the last reveal, which found Locke taking a job as a substitute teacher, only to stroll into the teacher’s lounge during lunch to find Ben Linus going on a rant about someone failing to replace the filter in the coffee machine. Something tells me this is just the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Of course, if the Earth-2 characters ever learn anything about their mirror lives, chances are it won’t last long once Locke finds out about all the times his new buddy tried to kill him – and finally succeeded.
At least Ben is finally apologizing for it on Earth-1. I’m sure no one was expecting him to just come out and say it (Most. Uncomfortable. Funeral. Ever.), but it’s definitely a big step for someone like him. It’ll be interesting to see what role he plays in the rest of the season, because now that Smokey is done using him, what more is there for Ben to do? At least Sun still has to be reconnected with Jin, and though Ilana suggests they head to the temple to search for him there, we already know Jin’s long gone. Talk about shitty luck. First he was nearly killed on the freighter and now he’s Savage Claire’s prisoner.
But enough about that for now, because we have plenty to discuss in regards to Smokey’s ongoing mission to get off the island. I thought it was pretty brave of Richard to decline Smokey’s offer to join him, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less scared. Sawyer, on the other hand, doesn’t seem fazed by any of it. In fact, he knows that Smokey isn’t Locke (“I don’t care if you’re dead, or time traveling, or the Ghost of Christmas Past”), but all he wants to do is drink. That quickly changes once Smokey offers proof of why he’s on the island, prompting Sawyer to follow him to a cave where hundreds of names have been written on the inside. Most are crossed out, except for a few, including Sawyer, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Locke, and either Sun or Jin. All people that Jacob came in contact with earlier in their lives, and each with a number before it that correlates with the mysterious numbers from the hatch.
