So, the midseason finale has come and gone, and what do I think? Well, clearly, the reaction from fans have hit both ends of the spectrum: Some are satisfied and can’t wait til February, while others were let down. I always tend to watch the show with rose colored glasses, so you can probably guess which side I stand on.
Before anything else, I want to note a new trend I’ve started to notice this season: For the most part, the stuff actually happening on the island is a lot more interesting than the backstory we’re getting in the flashbacks. Maybe it’s because, to an extent, these flashbacks have become redundant (yes, we GET that Jack is proud….we GET that Locke is constantly betrayed….we GET that Kate can’t live a normal life….we GET that Sawyer is an ass with a soft spot) with little new information provided, or maybe it’s because the stuff with The Others is just very intriguing. Based on my mini-rant in the parenthesis a sentence ago, you probably think that I’m anti-flashback, but that’s not really the case (in fact, I found the Jin/Sun flashback episode pretty interesting, as well as the revelation that Sawyer has a daughter). And as a matter of fact, I find the whole Others story arc to be one of the most interesting yet.
This episode was focused highly on Kate finally making her choice between Sawyer and Jack. To me, it didn’t seem so much a choice, though: It seemed more like a matter of circumstance. Basically, I feel like if Sawyer was isolated from Kate, and Jack was stuck in a cage across from her, she would have chosen Jack. Oh, and I’m admittedly biased: She SHOULD have chosen Jack.
Speaking of Jack, I almost felt like it should have been HIS flashback (even though we’ve seen countless Jack flashbacks), because the episode seemed more about his struggle than Kate’s choice. I thought his scene with Kate, where he saw her for the first time face-to-face, was very well acted. The look on his face when he first saw her spoke volumes, as did his, for lack of a better word, feeling of betrayal when he realized that she was only there for Sawyer’s sake.
I also thought his reaction to seeing Kate and Sawyer together was very well played. I find it very interesting that The Others know that Kate’s his weakness: At first they thought her telling him would be enough. When they realized that it wouldn’t (and why it wouldn’t), they recognized that her hurting him would do the trick.
A friend of mine didn’t like this scene, because she felt that it was unrealistic that somebody would be so petty and jealous when their life is in danger. I disagree. First of all, you don’t choose who you love and when you fall in love. Additionally, Jack has always had a special connection with Kate. In a way, they humanize each other. In another way, I’ve always felt that Kate has taken Jack out of the moment, so to speak. When he’s with her, he’s not in this dire “I-must-survive” situation. For him to lose that, especially in such a dangerous situation, is very painful and traumatic.
The final scene, with Jack attacking The Others and using Ben’s life as ransom to get Kate (and Sawyer?) to safety was, in a word, AWESOME. Honestly, that may have been one of the coolest Jack moments ever, and this is coming from a guy who really likes Jack.
It was also a very touching moment in its own way, because Jack essentially screwed himself over royally in order to save Kate’s life. Basically, I honestly do believe that The Others would have let Jack free if he performed the surgery. Despite all their mysterious motives and actions, they do seem strangely true to their word. Instead, he put himself in a situation that couldn’t possibly end well for him, just to make sure she gets away. It was an incredibly cool way to end the midseason, and definitely makes me look very forward to Februray.
If nothing else, this episode shed some real light on why The Others wanted Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. They wanted Jack because he’s a surgeon, and (I assume) they wanted Kate and Sawyer as bait to get Jack to do what they want.
Some other notes I found particularly interesting: The fact that Jack was NOT on the list. Does this mean he’s “bad”? And if so, why? This has me thinking that the criteria for judging “good” and “bad” is much different than most people assumed.
Also, a fellow Lost fan noted that perhaps Eko was not on the “good” list because he justified killing people. This intrigued me, because don’t The Others do essentially the exact same thing? They constantly say that they’re not killers, yet they have murdered people. To them, the ends justify the means.
I’m also wondering what the message on Eko’s stick will mean.
February really can’t come soon enough.
