Last’s week episode of Lost, aptly (and rather cleverly, for that matter) titled “The Other Woman,” has been deemed the weak link of this season. That’s a fair criticism, which is probably more telling of the phenomenal standard this season has thus far set than the quality of the episode itself.
When the episode kicked off, you had to just sense that all the “celebrity” talk was a red herring, and that we were actually watching a flashback. From a story telling standpoint, I suppose this was smart, as it’ll keep people guessing about whether an upcoming episode will be a flashback or flash forward. Nevertheless, the episode didn’t seem to offer a whole lot of insight into Juliet’s character, and aside from revealing that Goodwin was married, we really didn’t learn anything new. I suppose we did get confirmation that Ben has some strong feelings for Juliet, and that he can be an extremely dangerous person (even betraying those on his side) if somebody takes what he perceives as his.
This leads to my one real issue with the episode, which was that I had a bit of trouble correlating Ben’s infatuation with Juliet with the Juliet-centric flashbacks we’ve already seen. For example, Ben was still seemingly obsessed with Juliet when she gave him the news that a spinal surgeon was one of the survivors of the flight 815 crash. Further, Juliet seemed perfectly friendly towards him. However, in an earlier flashback episode, things were extremely hostile between Ben and Juliet at the time that he first discovered he had a tumor. Ben’s utter devotion to Juliet is also a strong contrast to the third season premiere, when he completely abandons her when Jack threatens to open up the underwater hatch door. I may not be remembering things correctly, but the overall tone of their relationship just didn’t seem to add up right.
I will say, though, that the Juliet-centric episodes do a wonderful job of showing just how much she has hardened since coming to the island. While Juliet may still have a very angelic and delicate face, she can sometimes be callous in her actions, we’ve seen her throw down physically (notably with Jack and Kate), and she’s taken people’s lives. This is a far cry from the prim and proper fertility scientist who once lived in sunny Miami.
A lot of people had issues with the kiss between Jack and Juliet. Personally, I did not. While we all know that Kate is Jack’s true love (and vice versa), I can believe that he truly has strong feelings for Juliet. And despite all of her questionable actions through her affiliation with The Others, Juliet doesn’t put Jack through the kind of crap that Kate does. For all of the half-answers that make The Others famous, she’s pretty straightforward with Jack, especially about the way she feels. Jack’s been put through the wringer with Kate, and I’m sure in his eyes, Juliet is exactly what he needs. Besides which, the interaction between Juliet and Jack was great: Juliet deadpanning that it’s stressful being an Other and Jack noting that she already read all of his secrets in his file. Great stuff.
The Kate jealousy act continued, but I must also admit that I’m a bit confused about her explanation as to why she went to stay in the barracks. Considering that Kate was with Miles when he first arrived on the island, and was by his side when they traveled to the barracks, why exactly did she have to wait for him to get captured before asking him to spill the beans about what they know about her? Or was she lying to Jack, and just really wanted a last hurrah in the sack with Sawyer? And if that was the case, was it a character motivation, or just lazy writing?
The big questions for everybody regarding this episode were probably: How did Ben know where Daniel and Charlotte were going? How did Ben parlay that knowledge to Harper? How did Harper appear/disappear out of nowhere? And speaking of which, what are The Others doing right now anyway? Are they just camping out someplace going, “I wonder when Tom and the gang are returning from the beach”?
Unfortunately I don’t really have any answers for those questions, but this episode reinforces Daniel’s status as one of my favorite characters. His understated concern for Kate and Juliet were an excellent contrast to Charlotte’s “we gotta do what we gotta do” mentality. I think this episode also established Daniel and Charlotte as the “good guys” of the rescuers, akin to how Juliet was the “good guy” of The Others.
It was also good to see how the show hasn’t completely forgotten about some of its past mysteries, like the strange whispering followed by a inexplicable appearance/disappearance (Harper this week, Walt in the past). It’s interesting to note that Juliet didn’t seem especially surprised by this occurrence, while obviously Jack did. Obviously, this leads me to believe that some of The Others have the knowledge or ability to do this. Of course, this makes me wonder why they don’t just use this miraculous skill when storming the beach last season.
This week we got a glimpse of the barracks home life, and am I wrong, or did Locke bear a striking resemblance to Mr. Clean in his white t-shirt and apron? I mean it was uncanny. Speaking of Locke, his character is in some dangerous water right now. If the writers aren’t careful, he’s going to become exceptionally unpopular and unlikable, to the point of no return. Of course, that may very well be their intention, but I don’t believe that’s the case. As myself and many others have already noted, despite his many morally questionable actions, Locke’s warnings and premonitions are actually right. We don’t know the how, why, or when yet, but the future is very grim for those who do leave the island.
Along with that, the show at its core has always been about faith vs. science, which is why Locke and Jack, respectively, are always at odds with each other. The balance has always been effective because the viewers could relate to both sides. Some fans preferred Jack and his heroism. Others enjoyed Locke and his appreciation for mythology. I fear that the past season and a half or so has made Locke deplorable in the eyes of many viewers, which could hurt the balance of Lost.
Something else that can really end up hurting Locke’s character is how he is so easily manipulated by Ben. I mean, just ONCE I’d like Ben to be like, “are you sure you want to do that John?” only for Locke to slam the door in his face and walk away, all while maintaining his composure. Instead, either he shuts the door and makes a riotous scene when Ben can clearly hear him, or he stops in his tracks, turns around, and falls right into Ben’s trap. I’m starting to understand how his father so easily scammed him of his kidney. I mean, how many times does Locke have to be shafted by somebody before he stops letting them control him?
Nonetheless, Ben is now a free man with his own house (I have to question that decision), after revealing to Locke that Charles Widmore is the man with the master plan, hoping to exploit the mysterious abilities of the island for a huge profit. I’m going to choose to believe Ben here, only because it drives me crazy when people yell “I want answers!” only for them to say “yeah, but is he telling the truth?” every time any answers are provided. Besides which, Widmore being the mastermind isn’t necessarily the big story. We still don’t know why this island has special healing abilities, we still don’t know anything about the time warp, we still don’t what the smoke monster is, and we still don’t know why everybody regrets leaving. I don’t mean to underplay this particular discovery, I’m just showing that this revelation is us being served an appetizer and not the main course (which is not a bad thing). Anyway, this disclosure sets up a potential fun villain vs. villain story arc and also explains how Naomi got the photo of Desmond and Penny.
Incidentally, if Widmore knows about the island (which he obviously does), and that Desmond is on it (which he probably does), and that it possesses some sort of time travel capability, how interesting would it be if he actively knows that Desmond can travel back in time? It’s noteworthy that, if I remember correctly, Widmore appears in both of Desmond’s time travel flashbacks. What if Widmore is using the actions of “past Desmond” to ensure that he finds the island? For example, what if he purposely treats Desmond poorly in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” to make certain that Desmond goes on his run around the world, which ultimately leads him to the island? And what if he gave Desmond Penny’s number in “The Constant” so that he can later contact her while he’s on the island? What if Widmore is manipulating Desmond’s ability to guarantee that he eventually finds the island so that he can exploit its strange abilities? I find this to be a very, very intriguing possibility.
Ben also revealed to Locke (but not us) who his mole is, and it’s looking more and more like Michael, especially after that (perhaps intentionally) revealing preview for next week. I already noted my dissent last week. Why would Michael help Ben? After all, this is the man who had kidnapped his son and then forced him to murder and betray his compatriots. And while this may explain how Taller Ghost Walt was able to warn Locke that Naomi and company were baddies, why wouldn’t he divulge the helpful little nugget that his pops was now working with the enemy?
I’m putting my faith in the writers to offer up a good explanation to this potential twist, but it’ll be an uphill battle.
Next week is also going to reveal the final two members of the Oceanic Six. Since it’s happening in one episode, the smart money is on Sun and Jin (I am still adamant that the “Oceanic Six” only refers to those on the original flight manifest). I’m hoping, however, that it’ll be Sun, but not Jin, forcing her to raise their baby on her own. This leaves Locke, now completely lost and again paralyzed, as number six. However, I have a hard time figuring out how these two very difficult characters could be tied into one episode.
I’ve also been putting a lot of thought into it, and this is my current prediction for how the series will end. It’s now on record, but of course can change at any time: Sometime in the middle of next season, the series will alter significantly, with the “present” story arc occurring in the “future” (with Jack, Kate, Hurley, and the rest of the Oceanic Six now off of the island). The present story will follow the Oceanic Six as they attempt to return to the island, while the “flashbacks” show what events took place on the island that ultimately led to the six of them leaving (and revealing what happened to those that were left behind). Essentially, the formula that the show has always employed will be reversed.
Sometime during the final season, the Oceanic Six will return to the island, at which point the show will maintain a regular, linear storyline (as in, no flashbacks or flash forwards at all). Before the final episode, something hugely catastrophic and tragic will occur, leading to the finale, where one character (likely Jack) will have to go back in time (his consciousness, anyway) to prevent the flight from ever occurring so that they never end up on the island in the first place.
However, despite the flight being cancelled, these characters still end up crashing onto the island through some other means. In the end we come to learn that these people were destined to be on the island, and that they’ve in fact gone back in time countless times to attempt to prevent it from happening. But no matter what they do, these specific individuals still end up on the island.
While I’m sure this sounds very Matrix-y, it would provide a rather eloquent background for all the seemingly random things that occurred that resulted in each person ending up on the flight. It would also maintain the destiny theme and the “you can’t change the past/future” message that many characters repeatedly argue.
