Suffice it so say, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and first off, would like to draw attention to Evangeline Lilly's acting performance. Wow. Kate's character truly came to life (as much as I've hated her since like, somewhere down the line in Season 3) as we saw her cope with what seemed to be Sawyer's true motive for jumping off the helicopter but especially in the scene where she says goodbye to Aaron. More on that later...
Oh and btw, seriously, this week I am seriously incredibly surprised that I'm managing to get this review. School is hectic as crap right now, but after this week, I should be in the clear for pretty much the rest of the semester, excluding finals, which generally always end up being pretty stressful in and of themselves.
Oh and by way of some LOST news (but not really...well, part of it is, actually), let me remind you some of the stuff which we were promised to see more on at the beginning of the season and something in specific which the co-producers, aka team "Darlton," have confirmed we will see more of before the end of the season (I think via podcast? but I'm not for sure.):
First of all, the thing which team Darlton confirmed we will see "enough of to know exactly what it is," or something along those lines, before the season finale is the statue. You know, the four-toed one? which is presumably the same one which we saw the backside of in "LaFleur." I am freaking psyched to finally find this out and am sure that the answer will undoubtedly shed some light on all sorts of things LOST. ;) If you're interested in reading up on theories, a lot of people are thinking Egyptian god/goddess, due to the other Egyptian influences in the show (namely hieroglyphics, as well as Hurley recently painting a picture with a sphinx in it while outside at the mental institution which he was staying at). Some of the gods/goddesses which people are particularly fond of in speculation are Anubis, Horus, and Sekhmet, but I'll let you do the research rather than embarking on several huge theories and supporting evidence for each possibility... Let's face, all three are probably going to be wrong anyway. :P lol
Now for some things which were promised to be answered at the beginning of the season, which I can only hope Team Darlton will still live up to their word about:
- What really happened between Ben and hot-air-balloon-crash-survivor Henry Gale.
- The reason why Libby was in the mental institution (the same one Hurley was in).
- Why Ms. Hawking was pictured in a photo with Brother Campbell, Desmond's superior at the monastery. (<-- I still don't feel like this specifically has been answered, and I'm pretty sure the co-producers said it would be. I mean, granted, we've learned a ton more about Ms. Hawking but not this, I don't think...)
- How/Why Ben was caught in Rousseau's trap (Season 2), where he was subsequently handed over to the plane crash survivors.
- First, let's catch up on Kate's backstory: Why did she decide to get on that Ajira plane and go back to the Island? Well, the real explanation goes a little further back (not like, childhood-further-back like Sayid, but still...). The first scene in the past that we see of Kate depicts Kate with still-baby Aaron making a visit to see Cassidy, Kate's past friend and also Sawyer's past girlfriend-long-con, and her and Sawyer's daugher Clementine. The two develop a real friendship of some measure of substance it would seem, and Kate eventually tells Cassidy the entire lie, including the fact that Aaron isn't her son. Eventually, Cassidy leads Kate to understand that the real reason she took Aaron and kept him was to help herself get over Sawyer. Realizing that she is all too right, Kate decides she must go back to the Island. She leaves Aaron in the care of Carole Littleton, the child's true grandmother and Claire's mom, who was still in town on the business of collecting a settlement with Oceanic. Kate tells her that she's going back to find her daughter and bring her home.
- Now that that's wrapped up, let's see where we are in the "present," 1977. Jin wakes up in the middle of the jungle at night after being knocked out by Sayid and notices young Ben lying on the ground. He regains his senses and loads him up in the van and brings him back to the Barracks to be worked on. Back at the Barracks, things are pretty crazy. The fire has been put out, but Horace is pissed. Definitely coming off as a little understandably snobbish after Jack's remark, who is nothing but a janitor in Horace's eyes, Horace explains that since no alarms were triggered on the defense perimeter whatsoever, that it must have been a traitor, someone in the Dharma Initiative, who caused the disturbance and freed Ben.
- Juliet is tasked with fixing Ben but can't pull it off and she knows it. She sends Sawyer to go get Jack, who is with the rest of the Losties group under what is essentially house arrest, but Jack refuses to help. This upsets Sawyer, Kate, and Juliet but springs Kate particularly into action.
- Kate heads over to the sick bay to give blood to Ben, who is dying; she is a universal donor. During this time, she gets a chance to talk with Ben's father Roger for a second time. He reveals that he knows that Ben swiped his keys and let Sayid out, and he also knows that Sawyer knows this because the bastard never asks a question he doesn't already know the answer to (or something along those lines...).
- It quickly becomes clear that simply giving more blood to Ben isn't going to be enough, and that without some form of further treatment, he will surely die. Juliet suggests that he be brought to her people, The Others. She lets Kate leave with Ben, but Kate doesn't seem to get very far. At the sonic fence, a van pulls up, and it turns out to be Sawyer, who hasn't come to bring her back but to help her. Sawyer and Kate take Ben into the jungle and pretty soon they run into The Hostiles. Richard tells them that he can heal Ben but that Ben won't remember what happened and will never be the same. Kate insists anyway.
- In the next to last scene we see Richard carrying Ben through the jungle, alone, to what we know to be The Temple. As he backs into the door and into the darkness, however, we are the ones who are left in the dark. What a shame...
- The final scene, somewhat unrelated to the rest of the episode I felt, showed Locke there to greet Ben when he woke up. Welcome back to "the land of the living," he said. As I watched this scene, I was initially very confused, I will admit, but then after seeing the preview for next week's episode, "Dead Is Dead," it became all too clear: This ending scene was clearly meant to set up next week's apparently Ben-centric episode (which I am freaking psyched for, might I add!!!). Ben episodes are always winners, and usually there's only one a season. Remember the one in Season 4? It was called "The Shape of Things to Come" and was all about Ben's daughter being executed, him summoning Smokey, and Widmore "changing the rules." That being said, I can't wait for next week. :) LOST
Story/Narrative - First off, let me begin by saying that I love this situation that LOST has presented us with: Now, we would all agree that killing a kid is bogus...generally. But this is Ben we're talking about!! right??! This dilemma, highlighted time and time again throught this and last week's episode truly seems to split LOST's viewers down the middle, and I love it. Can you blame Jack for not operating on Ben? After all, it's the same man who will go on to chain him up in a cell and manipulate him into doing all sorts of things he doesn't want to. Hmm...you be the judge. Talk it out amongst your LOST buddies.
Moving on, let me again say that I loved Kate's role in this episode, mainly due to Evangeline Lilly's amazing acting job. The scene where she left Aaron was truly touching and made me realize again why I love LOST so much, beyond all the crazy mythology. Also, what an intriguing and all-too-believable reason for her to be going back to the Island: To find and bring back Claire! I can't believe I didn't think of that! It makes so much sense, and I love how all of the backstory involving Sawyer and Kate's replacement of him with Aaron played out. Great stuff.
Back on the topic of Jack's refusal, again, let's revel in this new Jack. I, personally, love it...still. That's right. I said it. (<-- He Is Legend reference) I love how Jack isn't reacting emotionally to these situations but is sticking to his guns and following his heart, for once, instead of his head. Consider all the crap that Ben has made him go through (...in the future...yeah, I know; it's a mind-f***): He basically intentionally made him see the woman he loved have sex with another guy and then brought her in to see him so she could beg for him to do the surgery so that Sawyer wouldn't be killed. So Jack does the surgery on Ben, which was Ben's plan all along, with the promise that he'll be able to take the sub off the Island, but then, also probably part of Ben's plan, Locke comes along and destroys the submarine. Suffice it to say: Jack hates Ben. But then again, is that reason enough not to save him? Remember all the crap that Ben pulled on Juliet? Making her stay on the Island even though the women kept dying on her. He wouldn't even let her go home to see her dying sister! And then there was the whole obsession complex that he had with her (do you recall the "You're mine!" incident?), which was just creepy as all get out. And yet, all that considered, Juliet knowing exactly what he was going to grow up into, she still recognzied that it was wrong to let a child die... Man. You've got to take a side on this!
Anyway, back to the topic of sticking to one's guns, way to go Sawyer! I loved how Sawyer told her that he wasn't doing it for Kate but for "her," Juliet. Yes. Even more, I loved how he said, "You and me would've never worked out, Kate. I wasn't any more fit to be your boyfriend than I am to be that little girl's father." And then, "I've done a lot of growing up in the past three years." Yes you have, Sawyer, and it's freakin' awesome. I have to be honest, I was a bit skeptical as to whether Sawyer would manage to stay faithful to Juliet and not fall head over heels for Kate as soon as she set foot again on Smokey Island, but so far he has. I applaud thee, Sawyer. But, in all honesty, let's face it: Sawyer'll probably get with Kate again before it's all over. Not that I want it to happen, but come on! some people actually watch LOST for the love triangle, or I guess square now, between Jack, Juliet, Sawyer, and Kate.
And Sawyer wasn't the only one who got a stab at Kate and let his maturation show in conversation with her: Jack straight up owned her. Bad.
Jack: "When we were here before, I spent all of my time trying to fix things... But, did you ever think that maybe the Island just wants to fix things itself? That maybe I was just, getting in the way?"
Kate: "You know, I don't like the new you. I liked the old you, who wouldn't just sit around and wait for things to happen."
Jack: "You didn't like the old me, Kate."
DAMN!!! Man, I just can't say it enough: I love the new Jack!
This episode was great narrative-wise. To summarize it, not only did it portray Kate in truly touching, emotional way, it also showed her receiving some honest words from both Sawyer and Kate that I've wanted her to hear for quite some time now. Is it just me or does it seem like all of the characters so far, especially those who returned to the Island, are maturing a lot, or are on the road to a higher level of maturity, as the show nears its end? 5
LOST Theory/Mythology - Holy cow. I have to talk about The Temple!! Could this loss of innocence due to Ben's being taken into The Temple, and I'm guessing to be healed by Jacob, be why he's such a psychopathic freak? Richard said that he "would never be the same again" and that after taking him to heal him he "will always be one of us." Is this why he's so crazy? This could explain a lot, depending on how it plays out...
Beyond that, let's recall some things. We were led to believe earlier this season that Rousseau's team got "infected" and basically went crazy trying to kill her because of, she thought, the monster. But I'm guessing that they went crazy because they went into The Temple, perhaps because they weren't suppoesd to be there or maybe because they were simply too old? I'm not sure yet, but I can't wait to see more on The Temple and Ben's whole "loss of innocence" and what all that means.
We also learned a little more about the leadership of The Hostiles, kind of in passing, however... As Richard was walking off with Ben towards The Temple, a certain Hostile whispered in Richard's ear, saying, "You shouldn't do this without asking Ellie. And if Charles finds out--" but Richard cut him off, saying, "Let him find out. I don't answer to either of them," and then he turned and walked away with Ben into the jungle to The Temple. Huh.
So is Charles the leader of The Hostiles at this point? And what role did Ellie play exactly? It would seem that she at some point becomes more than just a member, sort of like Charles, who we also saw back in the 50's, when Richard was undoubtedly the leader of The Hostiles. So at what point did Richard secede full leadership of the indigenous people of the Island and for what reason?... I do know that little lines like those that are sort of hard to catch the first time around generally always touch on a subject which will be brought up in fuller illumination later, but I enjoyed the reference, and it prompted me to wonder about who is exactly in charge here... Jacob?
Finally, Hurley and Miles shed some more light on LOST viewers' questions regarding time travel on the LOST universe. Sayid always shot Linus. That is what always happened. It's just that Jack, Sawyer, and all them never experienced how it all turns out. All of the events we've seen in LOST in the past already happened but not for the Losties. For them, it's happening right now. The reason why Hurley doesn't remember any of what happened in the past is because when Ben turned the wheel, time isn't a straight line for them anymore. The Losties' experiences in the past and the future occurred before their experiences right now in 1977. Any of them can die, including Miles, for example, because he has already come to the Island on the freighter. This, in 1977, is their present. Ben must live, however, because it is his past. Hurley objects asking why Ben won't remember in the future that Sayid, who will later torture him, is the same man who shot him in 1977. Miles is stumped by this, but I have a theory for you: because of whatever happens to Ben at The Temple, obviously! He won't remember any of this; that's what Richard said!
I dunno... We'll see how all this plays out... 5
BAMF moments - Not much bamf-ness, but such a great episode... Perhaps I should take this category out, but I feel like just rating episodes based upon two categories would be lame... Maybe I'll think of a better, more refined system for next season...
Oh, I will say that the scene with Ben shaking and crap in the sick bay before Kate decided to take him to The Hostiles was pretty intense... 2
Overall Score - (5 + 5 + 2)/(3) = 4
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