So interestingly, my Revisited columns have received even more feedback and interaction than my regular column. I’ve had a lot of fun discussions on my blog, be sure to drop by and lend your thoughts.
Speaking of my Revisited column, earlier this week I reiterated an idea proposed by the reviewer at EW.com, that “Shephard” actually refers to Christian, and not Jack. I think this is a distinct possibility, which I daresay solidified a bit with this past episode. When Jack turned the dial to the “Shephard” dash, in the mirror he saw a vision of his childhood home, which he admitted he hadn’t lived in since he was a youngster. While it’s entirely possible the Shephard family moved, I think it’s more likely that this was Christian Shephard’s house up until the day he died. So it wasn’t so much Jack’s childhood house as it was Christian’s home.
Another idea that has been tossed around is if Christian and the Smoke Monster are one in the same. This has been the assumption for quite some time. However, as I noted in my Revisited column, Christian seems significantly less adversarial than the Locke Ness Monster. Could we have received a hint this week? Claire noted that she’s been with her father AND with a friend. We learned that the Locke Ness Monster is that friend. And it’s also apparent that Claire recognizes that this person ISN’T John Locke (so she would likely understand that Smokey as Christian = Smokey as Locke, if that were the case).
Honestly, so much time and attention has been devoted to Christian Shephard that I’d be surprised if it turned out he was merely a manifestation of the Smoke Monster. After all, if that were the case, would they really call an 11th hour audible and say, “Okay, let’s just have him appear as Locke now”? There’s just something deeper about his character to have him written off so nonchalantly.
My current line of thinking? I’m intrigued by this idea that Christian is a candidate. In fact, I’m starting to tempt the idea that Christian is the next incarnation of Christian, and that his various appearances in other people’s flashbacks (Claire, Sawyer, Ana Lucia, in addition to Jack, of course) is the equivalent of Jacob appearing in people’s lives and touching them.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the stuff with Hurley and Jack. Hurley acted quite humorously as the voice of the audience, bringing up the fact the island’s Adam and Eve were pretty much all but forgotten, and how the concept of a couple of characters voyaging out into the jungle for Lord knows what reason is really “old school.” He also made all the right theories (the skeletons could be one of them, through time travel), made the right observations (the inhaler belonging to Shannon), and asked the right questions (like why Jacob essentially arranged for Jack to react to the situation in this way). And I thought their conversation about Kate was, well, just really authentic. These two have grown to be close friends, and it makes perfect sense that they’d open up to each other about this sort of thing. If the show lacks anything, it’s this sort of typical humanity. Just all around great stuff here.
Oh, and Kate saying, “Jack, I almost shot you!” so casually was strangely adorable.
So what do we have going in the Sideways World? Well, one difference is that Jack’s mother is apparently so inept that she can’t find her late husband’s will as it sits on a bookshelf in an envelope labeled “Last Will and Testament.” And the existence of the island is ultimately irrelevant when it comes to determining whether or not Christian Shephard bags an Australian chick. But other than that, Jack apparently has a son. And while in the reality we’re all familiar with, self-reflection is not exactly Jack’s strong suit, in this universe he seems to make a conscious effort to not make the same mistakes his father made. He wants to have a close, healthy relationship with his son, and he reaches out to him in order to make that happen. And when he realizes that his behavior might be the issue, he attempts to change accordingly.
One of my favorite scenes of the episode was when he left a message for his son when he was trying to find him. I was so worried we were going to see that Jack with a short fuse, yelling about how he’s worried sick. Instead, we saw Jack acting calmly and compassionately, apologizing for what he may or may not have done. What made the scene even more powerful was that it was such a stark contrast to the way he would react in the lighthouse.
And for those of you keeping score: Yes, there was another “look at your reflection” Flash Sideways scene. It’s interesting, though, that Jack has had two instances where he’s noticed a physical imperfection that has thrown him off guard.
And then there’s that little whackabee Claire. So on the one hand, she remembers Jin and Aaron (and Kate), but on the other, she doesn’t seem to recall abandoning Aaron to live in Jacob’s cabin. I do find it interesting that she was held at the Temple, though. This could explain how she survived all that time traveling fun (if you recall, the Temple was apparently immune from time traveling). So is the obvious thought the right one? That Claire is the “terrible thing” coming to the Temple? Intriguingly, all of the central characters have left the Temple for one reason or another, except for Miles and Sayid. Ya’ know, the guy who’s ALSO infected with the darkness? Hmmmm….
Nothing really jumped out at me as “assignment” worthy, but if you have any thoughts, feel free to send them my way for our next Revisited column. The last couple of weeks have brought me some great feedback, so keep up the good work!
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
