Friday, April 16, 2010
Smokey (Mandy, Scott English / Richard Kerr)
"She said you have to stop the Man in Black. You have to stop him from leaving the island. 'Cause if you don't... todos nos vamos al infierno."
- Hurley, Ab Aeterno
Jacob's nemesis is known by a wide variety of names, but ever since I got confirmation that he and the Smoke Monster are one and the same, I reverted to "Smokey," my old standby nickname for our cranky Island menace. Most of the characters on the show, meanwhile, stick with "Locke". Whatever you call him, he's pretty bad news. Here is a loving tribute to this unfortunate soul, to the tune of Barry Manilow's Mandy. May he remain trapped for a long, long time...
Smokey
You can come across as nice
Though your soul’s as cold as ice.
You were once a man,
But now you’re a mimic.
Sweet civility
Is half your gimmick.
Gathering your new recruits,
Going gaseous when it suits,
Keen to claim the prize
You’ve sought for cent’ries,
The hunger’s in your eyes.
It hasn’t been easy.
Oh, Smokey. Well, your name has remained an enigma,
But they're calling you Locke.
Oh, Smokey. You’re a cloud and that carries some stigma.
People can’t help but gawk. Oh, Smokey.
You’ve lingered there since ancient times,
Observing many callous crimes.
Babysitting brats and swiftly judging,
You’ve wanted to resign
And stop Jacob’s nudging.
Oh, Smokey. Well, your name has remained an enigma,
But they're calling you Locke.
Oh, Smokey. You're a cloud and that carries some stigma.
People can't help but gawk. Oh, Smokey.
If you do succeed,
Everyone suffers.
Jacob’s helpers need
Some Smokey snuffers.
Oh, Smokey. Well, your name has remained an enigma,
But they're calling you Locke.
Oh, Smokey. You're a cloud and that carries some stigma.
People can't help but gawk.
Oh, Smokey. Your name has remained an enigma,
But they're calling you Locke.
Oh, Smokey, a cloud, and that carries some stigma.
They won't heed you...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
John Locke's Body (John Brown's Body, Traditional)
"I don't understand. If this is Locke... who's in there?"
- Sun, The Incident
John Locke has suffered a great many indignities on LOST, not the least of which involves his imitation by a nefarious entity. Here's a ditty to the tune of Pete Seeger's version of John Brown's Body in which various folks outside contemplate the mystery before them. In the last verse, "John Locke" confronts Jacob and offers an answer.
John Locke’s Body
Sun: John Locke’s body lies a-sprawlin’ in the sand.
John Locke’s body lies a-sprawlin’ in the sand.
John Locke’s body lies a-sprawlin’ in the sand.
So who’s in there with Ben?
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Frank: They knocked me out and brought me with the dead guy in the box.
They knocked me out and brought me with the dead guy in the box.
They knocked me out and brought me with the dead guy in the box.
So who’s in there with Ben?
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Richard: When John walked into camp, he seemed a little off to me,
But I had waited fifty years to follow his decree,
And so I overlooked the artificiality.
So who’s in there with Ben?
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Bram: Well, that crate was really heavy, and we carried it all day.
That crate was really heavy, and we carried it all day.
That crate was really heavy, and we carried it all day.
So who’s in there with Ben?
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Smokey: Remember when I told you that I’d find a loophole, friend?
Since the two of us showed up here, you must know what we intend.
Forget your talk of progress; now at last we’re at the end.
It’s me in here with Ben.
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
- Sun, The Incident
John Locke has suffered a great many indignities on LOST, not the least of which involves his imitation by a nefarious entity. Here's a ditty to the tune of Pete Seeger's version of John Brown's Body in which various folks outside contemplate the mystery before them. In the last verse, "John Locke" confronts Jacob and offers an answer.
John Locke’s Body
Sun: John Locke’s body lies a-sprawlin’ in the sand.
John Locke’s body lies a-sprawlin’ in the sand.
John Locke’s body lies a-sprawlin’ in the sand.
So who’s in there with Ben?
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Frank: They knocked me out and brought me with the dead guy in the box.
They knocked me out and brought me with the dead guy in the box.
They knocked me out and brought me with the dead guy in the box.
So who’s in there with Ben?
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Richard: When John walked into camp, he seemed a little off to me,
But I had waited fifty years to follow his decree,
And so I overlooked the artificiality.
So who’s in there with Ben?
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Bram: Well, that crate was really heavy, and we carried it all day.
That crate was really heavy, and we carried it all day.
That crate was really heavy, and we carried it all day.
So who’s in there with Ben?
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Smokey: Remember when I told you that I’d find a loophole, friend?
Since the two of us showed up here, you must know what we intend.
Forget your talk of progress; now at last we’re at the end.
It’s me in here with Ben.
Ilana: In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
In the shadow of the Statue,
Will evil rise again?
Hugo, Lead On (Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond)
"Hurley, you asked me to trust you. This is me trusting you."
- Jack, Everybody Loves Hugo
Jack's used to taking the lead, but it's nice to see him step back once in a while, and Hurley seems like a good guy for him to trust. Here's Jack to the tune of Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline.
Hugo, Lead On
It was a bluff.
That was apparent to me,
Though he instructed you before.
Look, I don’t care
Why Jacob cut the chatter;
Your intuition matters more.
Hey, you did say,
“Trust me, Jack.”
This is me trusting you.
Hugo, lead on. I’m with you,
‘Cause it’s time that I let go.
Richard is gone; I’m with you.
Let’s find Locke and say, “Hello.”
On my watch,
Juliet died.
Nothing I do can fix that.
Oh, how I’ve longed to nix that fall!
You’ve made mistakes,
But they have been far fewer.
Clearly you heed a truer call.
Hey, you did say,
“Trust me, Jack.”
This is me trusting you.
Hugo, lead on. I’m with you,
‘Cause it’s time that I let go.
Richard is gone; I’m with you.
Let’s find Locke and say, “Hello.”
Yes, let’s go.
Hugo, lead on. I’m with you,
‘Cause it’s time that I let go.
Hugo, lead on. I’m with you.
Let’s find Locke and say, “Hello.”
Hugo, lead on...
- Jack, Everybody Loves Hugo
Jack's used to taking the lead, but it's nice to see him step back once in a while, and Hurley seems like a good guy for him to trust. Here's Jack to the tune of Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline.
Hugo, Lead On
It was a bluff.
That was apparent to me,
Though he instructed you before.
Look, I don’t care
Why Jacob cut the chatter;
Your intuition matters more.
Hey, you did say,
“Trust me, Jack.”
This is me trusting you.
Hugo, lead on. I’m with you,
‘Cause it’s time that I let go.
Richard is gone; I’m with you.
Let’s find Locke and say, “Hello.”
On my watch,
Juliet died.
Nothing I do can fix that.
Oh, how I’ve longed to nix that fall!
You’ve made mistakes,
But they have been far fewer.
Clearly you heed a truer call.
Hey, you did say,
“Trust me, Jack.”
This is me trusting you.
Hugo, lead on. I’m with you,
‘Cause it’s time that I let go.
Richard is gone; I’m with you.
Let’s find Locke and say, “Hello.”
Yes, let’s go.
Hugo, lead on. I’m with you,
‘Cause it’s time that I let go.
Hugo, lead on. I’m with you.
Let’s find Locke and say, “Hello.”
Hugo, lead on...
When the Island's Done With Us (Hard to Say I'm Sorry, Peter Cetera / David Foster)
Ben: Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?
Jack: What's that?
Ben: Ilana. There she was - handpicked by Jacob, trained to come and protect you Candidates, no sooner does she tell you who you are than she blows up. The Island was done with her. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen when it's done with us.
- Everybody Loves Hugo
Back in Dr. Linus, Richard wallowed in despair and Ben found a new lease on life. In Everybody Loves Hugo, Ben, traumatized by the death of the woman who gave him a second chance and fearful of the future, seems to have hit a nadir. Here's Ben to the tune of Chicago's Hard to Say I'm Sorry.
When the Island’s Done With Us
Always said that getting chummy doesn’t pay,
And every day, that is clearer.
Everybody in this place is prey.
We obey; death comes nearer.
Makes you think.
The Island didn’t need Ilana,
So it tossed her away.
When our fates have been fulfilled,
Seems to me we’re getting killed,
And I’m not thrilled.
I guess you’ll say I’m a downer, Jack,
But when the Island’s done with us we’re doomed.
I admit that I feel dismay
About this play we’ve been cast in.
Do you think that we’ll be okay?
You may say there’s a chance, but it’s slim.
Makes you think.
The Island didn’t need Ilana.
An explosion was due.
Makes you think.
If that’s how it rewarded Ilana,
What’s in store for me and you?
When our fates have been fulfilled,
Seems to me we’re getting killed,
And I’m not thrilled.
I guess you’ll say I’m a downer, Jack,
But when the Island’s done with us we’re doomed.
When our fates have been fulfilled,
Seems to me we’re getting killed,
And I’m not thrilled.
Flashes of red, then fade to black.
Jack: What's that?
Ben: Ilana. There she was - handpicked by Jacob, trained to come and protect you Candidates, no sooner does she tell you who you are than she blows up. The Island was done with her. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen when it's done with us.
- Everybody Loves Hugo
Back in Dr. Linus, Richard wallowed in despair and Ben found a new lease on life. In Everybody Loves Hugo, Ben, traumatized by the death of the woman who gave him a second chance and fearful of the future, seems to have hit a nadir. Here's Ben to the tune of Chicago's Hard to Say I'm Sorry.
When the Island’s Done With Us
Always said that getting chummy doesn’t pay,
And every day, that is clearer.
Everybody in this place is prey.
We obey; death comes nearer.
Makes you think.
The Island didn’t need Ilana,
So it tossed her away.
When our fates have been fulfilled,
Seems to me we’re getting killed,
And I’m not thrilled.
I guess you’ll say I’m a downer, Jack,
But when the Island’s done with us we’re doomed.
I admit that I feel dismay
About this play we’ve been cast in.
Do you think that we’ll be okay?
You may say there’s a chance, but it’s slim.
Makes you think.
The Island didn’t need Ilana.
An explosion was due.
Makes you think.
If that’s how it rewarded Ilana,
What’s in store for me and you?
When our fates have been fulfilled,
Seems to me we’re getting killed,
And I’m not thrilled.
I guess you’ll say I’m a downer, Jack,
But when the Island’s done with us we’re doomed.
When our fates have been fulfilled,
Seems to me we’re getting killed,
And I’m not thrilled.
Flashes of red, then fade to black.
Soulmates (Eternal Flame, Susanna Hoffs / Tom Kelly / Billy Steinberg)
"Hugo, do you believe that two people can be connected? Like soulmates?"
- Libby, Everybody Loves Hugo
Everybody Loves Hugo marked the long-awaited return of Libby, allowing for yet another romantic storyline to find a continuation in Sideways World. Here's a reflection on their first meeting, to the tune of the Bangles' Eternal Flame.
Soulmates
Libby: Do you think soulmates are real, Hugo?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
Is our kinship only in my brain?
Recognized you on TV, Hugo,
And something stirred when I saw you, jogged my memory.
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
I hope our kinship isn’t in my brain.
Hugo: It’s a shame. When I hear your name
And I see you smiling,
I wish that I could back your claim.
If we’d met, I would remember you...
It’s a shame. When I hear your name
And I see you smiling,
I wish that I could back your claim.
If we’d met, I would remember you...
Libby: Do you think soulmates are real?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
I hope our kinship isn’t in my brain.
Do you think soulmates are real, Hugo?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
Is our kinship only in my brain?
Do you think soulmates are real, Hugo?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
Or... only in my brain?
Do you think soulmates are real, Hugo?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
Is our kinship only in my brain?
- Libby, Everybody Loves Hugo
Everybody Loves Hugo marked the long-awaited return of Libby, allowing for yet another romantic storyline to find a continuation in Sideways World. Here's a reflection on their first meeting, to the tune of the Bangles' Eternal Flame.
Soulmates
Libby: Do you think soulmates are real, Hugo?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
Is our kinship only in my brain?
Recognized you on TV, Hugo,
And something stirred when I saw you, jogged my memory.
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
I hope our kinship isn’t in my brain.
Hugo: It’s a shame. When I hear your name
And I see you smiling,
I wish that I could back your claim.
If we’d met, I would remember you...
It’s a shame. When I hear your name
And I see you smiling,
I wish that I could back your claim.
If we’d met, I would remember you...
Libby: Do you think soulmates are real?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
I hope our kinship isn’t in my brain.
Do you think soulmates are real, Hugo?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
Is our kinship only in my brain?
Do you think soulmates are real, Hugo?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
Or... only in my brain?
Do you think soulmates are real, Hugo?
Is there any good reason for the way I feel?
Do I sound insane or do you believe me?
Is our kinship only in my brain?
That Dynamite (Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, Elton John / Bernie Taupin)
"Um... I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean, for one thing, that stuff's really unstable..." - Hurley, Everybody Loves Hugo
Hurley has seen first-hand the danger of unstable dynamite. Here he issues a warning to Ilana, to the tune of Elton John's Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting.
That Dynamite
So Richard said that we’d all be dead
Unless he could destroy the plane.
I think he’s in shock, and I wanna talk,
‘Cause it’s hard to see what we would gain.
Those sticks you’re loading have a good chance of exploding
Long before we intend them to.
Our luck will decrease if you’re not in one piece -
And cease altogether for you.
Well, don’t wanna be like a broken record.
I gotta give a warning, though.
That dynamite is mighty flighty.
Any second it could blow.
Maybe if you’d got a little Arzt on you,
Then you would admit I’m right,
‘Cause that dynamite’s a fright’ning sight.
Bump it and it’s goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.
Trust me, it’s true.
I can see that you’re back, and in your pack
You’ve gathered what we need for this attack.
But you do it and our mode of transportation’s gone,
And we’re stuck here on this Island still with phony John.
Ilana, think it over before we leave.
Don’t you have something less destructive up your sleeve?
Are you looking for trouble? Well, you found it. Yes,
You use that stuff, it’ll only make a mess.
Well, don’t wanna be like a broken record.
I gotta give a warning, though.
That dynamite is mighty flighty.
Any second it could blow.
Maybe if you’d got a little Arzt on you,
Then you would admit I’m right,
‘Cause that dynamite’s a fright’ning sight.
Bump it and it’s goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.
Trust me, it’s true.
No, don’t wanna be like a broken record.
I gotta give a warning, though,
‘Cause that dynamite is mighty flighty.
Any second it could blow.
Maybe if you’d got a little Arzt on you,
Then you would admit I’m right,
‘Cause that dynamite’s a fright’ning sight.
Bump it and it’s goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.
Trust me, it’s true.
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Say goodnight!
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Say goodnight!
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Dynamite, dynamite, dynamite.
Say goodnight!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
“In a World of Conflict and Strife, There is But One Fact We All Can Agree Upon: Everybody Loves Hugo.”
Everybody Loves Hugo. Well, how could we not? And there was so much to love about this episode celebrating LOST‘s incredibly huggable fellow, starting with that epic slideshow narrated by Dr. Chang and featuring Jorge Garcia’s exuberant Chihuahua Nunu. Lillian Hurst was back full-force as Hurley’s doting but disapproving mom, and as usual she was a comedic tour de force. Though she was only in one scene, she made quite an impression. Poor Hurley; Carmen is gonna be nagging him to get a girlfriend no matter how successful he is. It’s a mom thing.
I made a few deductions from the early portion of the episode that may or may not be true. There was no mention of David Reyes in the episode, which suggests to me that he is not a part of their life, especially since Carmen is so cranky; she seemed to mellow out a bit after he came home. She did mention Tito, however, and I got the impression from the context that Hurley’s grandpa is still very much alive, and possibly partly responsible for this fix-up. So win some, lose some, I guess. He also apparently lacks his nickname.
Additionally, there was no mention of how Hurley acquired his money. I almost forgot that he mentioned winning the lottery back in LA X. But he’d never been in a mental hospital before, so he didn’t play the numbers that he heard from Leonard. He also wasn’t partly responsible for a deck accident that killed two people. Except for his father’s absence - which isn’t even a sure thing - his life has been much happier, and his money, far from cursing him, has simply allowed him to share happiness with others, which is what he always wanted.
It was good to see Libby again, even if it was in the Sideways world, which means we haven’t really learned anything about her Island incarnation. Hurley and Libby was a relationship that was never really allowed to develop; this episode made me appreciate the sweetness of their friendship more than ever before. It felt like they were just picking up where they left off, to the tune of some of the loveliest variations on Hurley’s theme music Michael Giacchino has ever given us. This time, Libby was the one whose sanity was in question, but in both cases, Hugo found it hard to believe that someone like her could actually like someone like him, and a kiss had to bring him to his senses. Lovely.
Before this episode, I had the sense that Hugo probably was attuned, which was the same sense I got from Desmond on the plane. But despite his general serenity and helpfulness, he was completely unaware of the Island world. All Libby had to do was see him on TV; the memories didn’t come back to Hugo until they kissed. Also, I watched the episode three times, and I didn’t see a mirror moment. Did I just miss it?
Hugo at the Chicken Shack was the surliest I can ever remember seeing him - and boy, can he go through the chicken! It was weird to see him barking at Desmond - and at the cheery cashier played by none other than Neil from Freaks and Geeks. Very brief appearance, but I got a kick out of it. Can’t you just imagine Hurley hanging out with Neil, Sam and Bill, talking Star Wars and Steve Martin? His age isn’t quite right, but on a show with so many temporal anomalies, I can overlook that...
I’ve always found the Santa Rosa doctor slightly creepy, but when your main sympathies are with the patient I guess that makes sense. There’s really no reason to think badly of him, especially since in this episode he did allow Hugo to see Libby. Because Hugo bought him off, but still... it isn’t as though he knew she wasn’t crazy and that’s why he was keeping her away from him. I don’t think. Though it was odd to see that massive island picture in his office...
Sideways Desmond continues to be incredibly smooth, gliding around town in his slick jacket and Bono-cool shades. I loved his conversation with Hurley, his jocular camaraderie, his subtle way of guiding the conversation in the direction he wanted. He had, of course, been waiting for him, though one wonders if he’s spent the past several days hanging around Mr. Cluck’s hoping the boss might show up. Or did he follow him there? Either way, Desmond seems to have a very odd knowledge of where people will be and when. Or he’s just really good at spying on people. I would think it would have been even harder to find John.
In any event, this incarnation of Desmond is charismatic and purpose-driven, rather like the Desmond who advised Jack back in Island world. He’s also a little unsettling. I got a smile out of him pushing his glasses up with a “job well done” expression as he observed Hurley’s consciousness breakthrough, but it also seemed a tad voyeuristic. No wonder Dr. Benjamin “Perv Police” Linus tapped on his window with that stern Professor McGonagall expression. He thought he was up to no good. But he had no idea just what sort of no-good he was up to. At least Ben was right there on hand to run to John’s rescue, even if they’re not quite on first-name terms yet. Speaking of names, did Desmond know his son's name before that moment, or did it just come to him, like "Aaron" did to Claire? Or did he just say the first name that popped into his mind - the name of the man responsible, in this world as in Island world, for setting him on the path that led to Penny?
One wonders how Desmond can continue with his mission now that he’s wanted for attempted vehicular homicide. Methinks his job just got a lot harder. Also: Hugo got off really easy. All he had to do was kiss the girl of his dreams. John had to go through yet another near-lethal accident. What made Desmond so sure he would even survive it? But survive it he did, it seems, and in his eyes is the glint of revelation. Might there be a mind-body connection that will allow Sideways John to begin to regain use of his legs?
It’s appropriate that Desmond did something horrible (albeit probably enlightening) to John in the same episode in which “John” did something horrible (albeit possibly enlightening) to Desmond. I’m certain that Sideways Desmond’s intention was to make John aware of his other self; I’m equally certain that Smokey merely meant to get Desmond out of the way. (I noticed that Desmond, unlike everybody else that we’ve seen, actually took the hand Smokey offered him. Did that give him license to physically harm him?) I don’t believe that falling in the well is going to kill Desmond, and I think he may just find an answer or two down there, even though those who dug it didn’t.
Desmond is such a happy little zombie on the Island, so different from grouchy zombie Sayid. He’s so eerily unflappable, always with a smile on his face, always with a calm, wise response to Smokey’s questions. He seemed very surprised when Desmond serenely said, “Of course. You’re John Locke.” Does he really think that? I don’t suppose anyone told him otherwise, and John and Desmond were friends. Desmond was being entirely cooperative, so was it really necessary for Smokey to dispose of him?
Well, yes, I suppose he was still a liability. But when he asked why he wasn’t afraid of being out alone in the jungle with him, did Desmond realize at that point that he wasn’t dealing with John Locke? Crumpled at the bottom of the well, is he just thinking Locke went nuts? That’s certainly happened before. Both Sayid and Desmond noted the pointlessness of a particular course of action. Sayid said he didn’t see the point in killing Widmore’s goons; Desmond queried, “What’s the point in being afraid?” Of course, the point in being afraid is that it puts you on your guard so that you are just as aware as everybody watching at home that “John Locke” is about to throw you down a well. But there’s a curious sort of detachment evident in both Sayid and Desmond now, it’s just manifested in different ways.
Hurley stepped up into a leadership position again this week. He’d been kinda laying low since Ab Aeterno. I thought that after their profound shared experience, Richard and Hurley would be very much on the same page. I certainly didn’t think they’d form separate factions. But Richard has a one-track mind: blow stuff up. Isabella didn’t give him specific instructions, but just as Taller Ghost Walt’s ambiguous advice inspired John to knife Naomi, Isabella’s “You have to stop the Man in Black” made Richard want to take drastic action. Jacob assured Ilana that Ricardus would know what to do, but he’s just making it up as he goes along. “Jacob isn’t telling us what to do because Jacob never tells us what to do,” Richard says pointedly, calling Hurley’s bluff. Jacob, now would be a good time for you to show up.
I really thought he and Hurley might have a chat tonight, though I could tell that Hurley was making it up when he played the Jacob card. His name has been invoked on many occasions by everyone from Richard and Ben, but genuine intervention is pretty rare. I also found it interesting that Hurley revealed he had never spoken to Ghost Libby. Initially that was what I figured, given AnaLucia’s “Libby says hi,” but since Hurley mentioned her to Jacob in the cab I wasn’t sure. We did get a conversation with a ghost, however, and that was Michael.
This visitation seemed slightly different from the others. For instance, there were the Whispers. Have Whispers ever accompanied another appearance of a ghost to Hurley? Not that I recall. Is it possible that Michael is in some way bound to Smokey? Also: After all this time, it appears that we’re being told that the Island is Purgatory after all... While I don’t think Michael intended to harm Hurley and the others and I definitely believe his remorse was genuine, it seems awfully convenient that after Michael’s nudge, Smokey wound up with everybody he needed walking right into camp. Well, everybody save Jin, and he’s not exactly a sure thing. Of course, just because they’re all together now doesn’t mean that the three remaining Candidates will go with him. I think Sun could possibly be swayed, but I can’t see him snagging Jack or Hurley. As for Frank, I think he will be flying that airplane in the finale. I don’t know who will be on board, but I feel fairly confident it won’t be Smokey. And it probably won’t be Richard, either. I share his sentiments that Jack shouldn’t have promised Sun she could leave on the plane, but then Jack does have a habit of making promises he’s ill-equipped to keep.
Jack, who has demonstrated such faith throughout the season and who once again let Hurley take the lead tonight, even though he could tell that he wasn’t speaking on Jacob’s behalf. Jack trusts Hurley, and indeed, if there’s one person on the show I would be most likely to trust, it would be Hurley. Jack trusts him more than Hurley trusts himself, but it turns out our burly buddy can be very authoritative when the occasion calls for it - say, when he’s cutting Richard down to size or setting negotiation terms with Smokey. It will be very interesting to see how both Hurley and Jack handle this confrontation with their smooth-talking nemesis. Also, Jack and Claire are about to reunite at last, and Jack can finally tell her about their familial connection. How might that shake things up?
The biggest shock of the episode when Ilana getting blown to smithereens. I suppose I should have seen it coming. She was being entirely too cavalier with those sticks of dynamite, and I recall saying something to that effect, worrying that somebody was going to get hurt. But I honestly thought that Ilana was too important to pull an Arzt. I thought we might even get a full-fledged flashback for her. I did not expect her to go up in flames with a sudden ferocity that made me do a triple-take to be sure of what I just witnessed. The Black Rock was less shocking; Hurley definitely had an up-to-something air about him when he changed course, and when he was absent as Richard was giving his instructions, I had a pretty good idea that he was off detonating massive quantities of dynamite. But Ilana?
It all happened so quickly, while Ben’s chilling reflection unfolded slowly, allowing us to turn each unsettling word over in our minds. “Kinda makes you think, doesn’t it? Ilana, there she was, hand-picked by Jacob, trained to come and protect you Candidates. No sooner does she tell you who you are than she blows up. The Island was done with her. Makes me wonder what’s gonna happen when it’s done with us.” Ben’s faith seems to have been shaken. By the end of the episode, he’s back together with Richard, along with Miles, embarking on a plan of attack that could conceivably lead away from redemption. But I’m counting on LOST not giving me that kind of whiplash.
Mysterious Jungle Boy reappeared tonight, looking more impish than before and much older. While he certainly looks like the same child, his appearance is markedly different, particularly his darker hair, and there was a strange Peter Pan-ish gleam in his eye tonight. Last time he seemed there to scold, this time to gloat, a habit of Jacob’s that Smokey despises. This child seems more and more likely to be Jacob himself, though it’s unclear why some can see him and some can’t and how his ghost fits into all of this. Hurley took his remains with him when they left the camp, but has Jacob already risen from the ashes, to be fully revealed next week in fulfillment of Doc Jensen’s Easter prediction?
The preview for next week’s episode was disorienting and terrifying. That scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory remains one of the scariest I’ve ever seen. I haven’t studied the preview too closely to try to figure out what might be coming; I don’t mind flying mostly blind. I do have a title: The Last Recruit. My thought was that this might refer to Jin, who is the only one missing from Smokey’s camp, and certainly he could be Desmond’s last recruit as well. But I’ve been informed that it will instead focus on Jack, which I find rather curious. Since Jack is already in Smokey’s camp, the implication I get from this is that Jack is the final holdout, the one person he has to wear down. Don’t know if I buy that, though; I really cannot imagine Hurley caving.
Sideways World makes more sense; this could be his chance to operate on John and perform his miracle surgery, and as the Man of Science and the Man of Faith meet, their roles now apparently reversed, he too will have a revelatory moment. At least, that’s one possibility. We may also find out who David’s mother is. And can we get a repeat performance from Daniel? Pretty please? Anyway, the next two episodes have companion titles if ever I heard them, and the one after that is downright alarming.
The second-to-last episode is the only one whose title I haven’t seen; I think I read somewhere that the name alone is mind-blowing, which is intriguing indeed. I have no idea what that title might be, but I hope the contents include Walt, Aaron, Rose, Bernard, Vincent, Jacob and, at long last, Smokey with his proper name. Just a few suggestions. And I hope it doesn’t get too oppressively depressing for me. All of the actors seem to be promising heartache. Troubling... Here’s hoping for more Picnics on the Beach and fewer Exploding Good Guys.
I made a few deductions from the early portion of the episode that may or may not be true. There was no mention of David Reyes in the episode, which suggests to me that he is not a part of their life, especially since Carmen is so cranky; she seemed to mellow out a bit after he came home. She did mention Tito, however, and I got the impression from the context that Hurley’s grandpa is still very much alive, and possibly partly responsible for this fix-up. So win some, lose some, I guess. He also apparently lacks his nickname.
Additionally, there was no mention of how Hurley acquired his money. I almost forgot that he mentioned winning the lottery back in LA X. But he’d never been in a mental hospital before, so he didn’t play the numbers that he heard from Leonard. He also wasn’t partly responsible for a deck accident that killed two people. Except for his father’s absence - which isn’t even a sure thing - his life has been much happier, and his money, far from cursing him, has simply allowed him to share happiness with others, which is what he always wanted.
It was good to see Libby again, even if it was in the Sideways world, which means we haven’t really learned anything about her Island incarnation. Hurley and Libby was a relationship that was never really allowed to develop; this episode made me appreciate the sweetness of their friendship more than ever before. It felt like they were just picking up where they left off, to the tune of some of the loveliest variations on Hurley’s theme music Michael Giacchino has ever given us. This time, Libby was the one whose sanity was in question, but in both cases, Hugo found it hard to believe that someone like her could actually like someone like him, and a kiss had to bring him to his senses. Lovely.
Before this episode, I had the sense that Hugo probably was attuned, which was the same sense I got from Desmond on the plane. But despite his general serenity and helpfulness, he was completely unaware of the Island world. All Libby had to do was see him on TV; the memories didn’t come back to Hugo until they kissed. Also, I watched the episode three times, and I didn’t see a mirror moment. Did I just miss it?
Hugo at the Chicken Shack was the surliest I can ever remember seeing him - and boy, can he go through the chicken! It was weird to see him barking at Desmond - and at the cheery cashier played by none other than Neil from Freaks and Geeks. Very brief appearance, but I got a kick out of it. Can’t you just imagine Hurley hanging out with Neil, Sam and Bill, talking Star Wars and Steve Martin? His age isn’t quite right, but on a show with so many temporal anomalies, I can overlook that...
I’ve always found the Santa Rosa doctor slightly creepy, but when your main sympathies are with the patient I guess that makes sense. There’s really no reason to think badly of him, especially since in this episode he did allow Hugo to see Libby. Because Hugo bought him off, but still... it isn’t as though he knew she wasn’t crazy and that’s why he was keeping her away from him. I don’t think. Though it was odd to see that massive island picture in his office...
Sideways Desmond continues to be incredibly smooth, gliding around town in his slick jacket and Bono-cool shades. I loved his conversation with Hurley, his jocular camaraderie, his subtle way of guiding the conversation in the direction he wanted. He had, of course, been waiting for him, though one wonders if he’s spent the past several days hanging around Mr. Cluck’s hoping the boss might show up. Or did he follow him there? Either way, Desmond seems to have a very odd knowledge of where people will be and when. Or he’s just really good at spying on people. I would think it would have been even harder to find John.
In any event, this incarnation of Desmond is charismatic and purpose-driven, rather like the Desmond who advised Jack back in Island world. He’s also a little unsettling. I got a smile out of him pushing his glasses up with a “job well done” expression as he observed Hurley’s consciousness breakthrough, but it also seemed a tad voyeuristic. No wonder Dr. Benjamin “Perv Police” Linus tapped on his window with that stern Professor McGonagall expression. He thought he was up to no good. But he had no idea just what sort of no-good he was up to. At least Ben was right there on hand to run to John’s rescue, even if they’re not quite on first-name terms yet. Speaking of names, did Desmond know his son's name before that moment, or did it just come to him, like "Aaron" did to Claire? Or did he just say the first name that popped into his mind - the name of the man responsible, in this world as in Island world, for setting him on the path that led to Penny?
One wonders how Desmond can continue with his mission now that he’s wanted for attempted vehicular homicide. Methinks his job just got a lot harder. Also: Hugo got off really easy. All he had to do was kiss the girl of his dreams. John had to go through yet another near-lethal accident. What made Desmond so sure he would even survive it? But survive it he did, it seems, and in his eyes is the glint of revelation. Might there be a mind-body connection that will allow Sideways John to begin to regain use of his legs?
It’s appropriate that Desmond did something horrible (albeit probably enlightening) to John in the same episode in which “John” did something horrible (albeit possibly enlightening) to Desmond. I’m certain that Sideways Desmond’s intention was to make John aware of his other self; I’m equally certain that Smokey merely meant to get Desmond out of the way. (I noticed that Desmond, unlike everybody else that we’ve seen, actually took the hand Smokey offered him. Did that give him license to physically harm him?) I don’t believe that falling in the well is going to kill Desmond, and I think he may just find an answer or two down there, even though those who dug it didn’t.
Desmond is such a happy little zombie on the Island, so different from grouchy zombie Sayid. He’s so eerily unflappable, always with a smile on his face, always with a calm, wise response to Smokey’s questions. He seemed very surprised when Desmond serenely said, “Of course. You’re John Locke.” Does he really think that? I don’t suppose anyone told him otherwise, and John and Desmond were friends. Desmond was being entirely cooperative, so was it really necessary for Smokey to dispose of him?
Well, yes, I suppose he was still a liability. But when he asked why he wasn’t afraid of being out alone in the jungle with him, did Desmond realize at that point that he wasn’t dealing with John Locke? Crumpled at the bottom of the well, is he just thinking Locke went nuts? That’s certainly happened before. Both Sayid and Desmond noted the pointlessness of a particular course of action. Sayid said he didn’t see the point in killing Widmore’s goons; Desmond queried, “What’s the point in being afraid?” Of course, the point in being afraid is that it puts you on your guard so that you are just as aware as everybody watching at home that “John Locke” is about to throw you down a well. But there’s a curious sort of detachment evident in both Sayid and Desmond now, it’s just manifested in different ways.
Hurley stepped up into a leadership position again this week. He’d been kinda laying low since Ab Aeterno. I thought that after their profound shared experience, Richard and Hurley would be very much on the same page. I certainly didn’t think they’d form separate factions. But Richard has a one-track mind: blow stuff up. Isabella didn’t give him specific instructions, but just as Taller Ghost Walt’s ambiguous advice inspired John to knife Naomi, Isabella’s “You have to stop the Man in Black” made Richard want to take drastic action. Jacob assured Ilana that Ricardus would know what to do, but he’s just making it up as he goes along. “Jacob isn’t telling us what to do because Jacob never tells us what to do,” Richard says pointedly, calling Hurley’s bluff. Jacob, now would be a good time for you to show up.
I really thought he and Hurley might have a chat tonight, though I could tell that Hurley was making it up when he played the Jacob card. His name has been invoked on many occasions by everyone from Richard and Ben, but genuine intervention is pretty rare. I also found it interesting that Hurley revealed he had never spoken to Ghost Libby. Initially that was what I figured, given AnaLucia’s “Libby says hi,” but since Hurley mentioned her to Jacob in the cab I wasn’t sure. We did get a conversation with a ghost, however, and that was Michael.
This visitation seemed slightly different from the others. For instance, there were the Whispers. Have Whispers ever accompanied another appearance of a ghost to Hurley? Not that I recall. Is it possible that Michael is in some way bound to Smokey? Also: After all this time, it appears that we’re being told that the Island is Purgatory after all... While I don’t think Michael intended to harm Hurley and the others and I definitely believe his remorse was genuine, it seems awfully convenient that after Michael’s nudge, Smokey wound up with everybody he needed walking right into camp. Well, everybody save Jin, and he’s not exactly a sure thing. Of course, just because they’re all together now doesn’t mean that the three remaining Candidates will go with him. I think Sun could possibly be swayed, but I can’t see him snagging Jack or Hurley. As for Frank, I think he will be flying that airplane in the finale. I don’t know who will be on board, but I feel fairly confident it won’t be Smokey. And it probably won’t be Richard, either. I share his sentiments that Jack shouldn’t have promised Sun she could leave on the plane, but then Jack does have a habit of making promises he’s ill-equipped to keep.
Jack, who has demonstrated such faith throughout the season and who once again let Hurley take the lead tonight, even though he could tell that he wasn’t speaking on Jacob’s behalf. Jack trusts Hurley, and indeed, if there’s one person on the show I would be most likely to trust, it would be Hurley. Jack trusts him more than Hurley trusts himself, but it turns out our burly buddy can be very authoritative when the occasion calls for it - say, when he’s cutting Richard down to size or setting negotiation terms with Smokey. It will be very interesting to see how both Hurley and Jack handle this confrontation with their smooth-talking nemesis. Also, Jack and Claire are about to reunite at last, and Jack can finally tell her about their familial connection. How might that shake things up?
The biggest shock of the episode when Ilana getting blown to smithereens. I suppose I should have seen it coming. She was being entirely too cavalier with those sticks of dynamite, and I recall saying something to that effect, worrying that somebody was going to get hurt. But I honestly thought that Ilana was too important to pull an Arzt. I thought we might even get a full-fledged flashback for her. I did not expect her to go up in flames with a sudden ferocity that made me do a triple-take to be sure of what I just witnessed. The Black Rock was less shocking; Hurley definitely had an up-to-something air about him when he changed course, and when he was absent as Richard was giving his instructions, I had a pretty good idea that he was off detonating massive quantities of dynamite. But Ilana?
It all happened so quickly, while Ben’s chilling reflection unfolded slowly, allowing us to turn each unsettling word over in our minds. “Kinda makes you think, doesn’t it? Ilana, there she was, hand-picked by Jacob, trained to come and protect you Candidates. No sooner does she tell you who you are than she blows up. The Island was done with her. Makes me wonder what’s gonna happen when it’s done with us.” Ben’s faith seems to have been shaken. By the end of the episode, he’s back together with Richard, along with Miles, embarking on a plan of attack that could conceivably lead away from redemption. But I’m counting on LOST not giving me that kind of whiplash.
Mysterious Jungle Boy reappeared tonight, looking more impish than before and much older. While he certainly looks like the same child, his appearance is markedly different, particularly his darker hair, and there was a strange Peter Pan-ish gleam in his eye tonight. Last time he seemed there to scold, this time to gloat, a habit of Jacob’s that Smokey despises. This child seems more and more likely to be Jacob himself, though it’s unclear why some can see him and some can’t and how his ghost fits into all of this. Hurley took his remains with him when they left the camp, but has Jacob already risen from the ashes, to be fully revealed next week in fulfillment of Doc Jensen’s Easter prediction?
The preview for next week’s episode was disorienting and terrifying. That scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory remains one of the scariest I’ve ever seen. I haven’t studied the preview too closely to try to figure out what might be coming; I don’t mind flying mostly blind. I do have a title: The Last Recruit. My thought was that this might refer to Jin, who is the only one missing from Smokey’s camp, and certainly he could be Desmond’s last recruit as well. But I’ve been informed that it will instead focus on Jack, which I find rather curious. Since Jack is already in Smokey’s camp, the implication I get from this is that Jack is the final holdout, the one person he has to wear down. Don’t know if I buy that, though; I really cannot imagine Hurley caving.
Sideways World makes more sense; this could be his chance to operate on John and perform his miracle surgery, and as the Man of Science and the Man of Faith meet, their roles now apparently reversed, he too will have a revelatory moment. At least, that’s one possibility. We may also find out who David’s mother is. And can we get a repeat performance from Daniel? Pretty please? Anyway, the next two episodes have companion titles if ever I heard them, and the one after that is downright alarming.
The second-to-last episode is the only one whose title I haven’t seen; I think I read somewhere that the name alone is mind-blowing, which is intriguing indeed. I have no idea what that title might be, but I hope the contents include Walt, Aaron, Rose, Bernard, Vincent, Jacob and, at long last, Smokey with his proper name. Just a few suggestions. And I hope it doesn’t get too oppressively depressing for me. All of the actors seem to be promising heartache. Troubling... Here’s hoping for more Picnics on the Beach and fewer Exploding Good Guys.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Getting Harder (Getting Better, John Lennon / Paul McCartney)
"Desmond. I know... it's getting harder."- George, The Constant
The Constant, one of my favorite episodes of LOST, focuses on Desmond's experience of being unanchored in time, but George Minkowski, the communications officer on the freighter, is going through the same thing as Desmond and is thus able to empathize and give him an idea of what to expect. Here, to the tune of the Beatles' Getting Better, George and Desmond compare notes.
Getting Harder
George: It’s getting harder all the time.
No fun on a ship when it’s moored.
(Desmond: Hey, what happened, mate?)
George: Easy for us to get bored.
(Desmond: So what happened, mate?)
George: My buddy and me set out to sea,
Thought it was time we explored.
Hey, Desmond, I know. It’s getting harder,
(Desmond: Harder)
George: A little harder all the time.
(Desmond: When will I jump next?)
George: Hey, Desmond, I know. It’s getting harder.
(Desmond: Harder)
George: It’s getting hard not to lose your mind.
My friend had a panic attack,
So we turned around and came back.
Went out of his head, then Brandon was dead,
And now I’m the one out of whack.
Hey, Desmond, I know. It’s getting harder,
(Desmond: Harder)
George: A little harder all the time.
(Desmond: When will I jump next?)
George: Hey, Desmond, I know. It’s getting harder.
(Desmond: Harder)
George: It’s getting hard not to lose your mind.
Getting so much harder all the time!
George: It’s getting harder all the time.
Desmond: Harder, harder, harder.
George: It’s getting harder all the time.
Desmond: Harder, harder, harder.
George: One minute I’m strapped to a table.
Then I’m on a Ferris wheel, feeling as free as a bird.
This is bizarre, but I’ve made it so far.
Can you get it to stop? Say the word.
Yes, I know it’s getting harder.
(Desmond: Harder)
George: A little harder all the time.
(Desmond: When will I jump next?)
George: Desmond, I know it’s getting harder.
(Desmond: Harder)
George: It’s getting hard not to lose your mind.
Getting so much harder all the time.
It’s getting harder all the time.
Desmond: Harder, harder, harder.
George: It’s getting harder all the time.
Desmond: Harder, harder, harder.
George: Getting so much harder all the time.
Sawyer's Threat (Good Luck Charm, Aaron Schroeder / Wally Gold)
"You harm so much as one hair on his curly head... I'll kill you."
- Sawyer, The Shape of Things to Come
The Shape of Things to Come is one of my all-time least favorite episodes of LOST, but I love the scene in which Sawyer demonstrates such concern for Hurley's well-being. Here he addresses John to the tune of Elvis Presley's Good Luck Charm.
Sawyer’s Threat
Beware, and John, prepare to die!
Don’t want him on your mission.
Why did he say he’d go?
I can’t force him to change his course,
But I think you ought to know
You’d better not intend to do him harm
Because I won’t be shy.
Yeah, if you harm one hair
Upon his head, beware,
And John (and John), prepare (prepare) to die!
I never heard of Jacob.
How can he help us now?
But what the heck? Go and take your trek.
Just don’t forget my vow.
You’d better not intend to do him harm
Because I won’t be shy.
Yeah, if you harm one hair
Upon his head, beware,
And John (and John), prepare (prepare) to die!
Beware (beware), and John (and John), prepare to die!
And John (and John), prepare (prepare) to die!
See, Hugo’s a better buddy
Than either of us has earned.
They broke the mold with his heart of gold,
So don’t let him get burned.
You’d better not intend to do him harm
Because I won’t be shy.
Yeah, if you harm one hair
Upon his head, beware,
And John (and John), prepare (prepare) to die!
Beware (beware), and John (and John), prepare (prepare) to die.
And John (and John), prepare (prepare) to die!
I'll Search for Sun (Here Comes the Sun, George Harrison)
"I can't leave. Sun could be here somewhere."
- Jin, Recon
Sawyer is anxious to leave the Island, but Jin's first priority is finding his wife, as he explains to the tune of the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun.
I’ll Search for Sun
I’ll search for Sun till I find her.
I’ll search for Sun. Without her,
I won’t leave.
Listen, Sawyer, you want to get off of this Island.
Listen, Sawyer, I hope I’m making myself clear.
I’ll search for Sun till I find her.
I’ll search for Sun. Without her,
I won’t leave.
Listen, Sawyer, both of us know how big this place is.
Listen, Sawyer, I don't care if it takes all year.
I’ll search for Sun till I find her.
I’ll search for Sun. Without her,
I won’t leave.
Sun, Sun, Sun, here I come.
Sun, Sun, Sun, here I come.
Sun, Sun, Sun, here I come.
Sun, Sun, Sun, here I come.
Sun, Sun, Sun, here I come.
Listen, Sawyer, that isn’t Locke and I don’t trust him.
Listen, Sawyer, it’s getting scary around here.
I’ll search for Sun till I find her.
I’ll search for Sun. Without her,
I won’t leave.
I’ll search for Sun till I find her.
I’ll search for Sun.
I won’t leave.
I won’t leave.
God Help Us All (God Only Knows, Brian Wilson / Tony Asher)
Ben: What happens if I can't get them all to come back? Eloise Then God help us all.
- The Lie
Eloise and Ben don't seem to like each other very much. Here, to the tune of the Beach Boys' God Only Knows, she tries to impress upon him the urgency of his mission.
God Help Us All
I saw you light that candle.
So, is this job too much to handle?
Are six recruits too many?
Good gracious, have you got any?
God help us all if you don’t collect them.
In seventy more hours,
We’ll have to trust in higher powers
If your talent still proves lacking.
Come on, Benjamin, get cracking!
God help us all if you don’t collect them.
God help us all if you don’t collect them.
In seventy more hours,
We’ll have to trust in higher powers
If your talent still proves lacking.
Come on, Benjamin, get cracking!
God help us all if you don’t collect them.
God help us all if you don’t collect them.
(God help us all if you don’t collect them.)
God help us all if you don’t collect them.
(God help us all if you don’t collect them.)
(fadeout)
You Need Love (Give Me Love, George Harrison)
"I feel sorry for you, mate. You think you're happy. You think you've got it all - this, your life. But, you don't."
- Charlie, Happily Ever After
In Happily Ever After, Sideways Charlie advises Desmond that his life is meaningless without "spectacular, consciousness-altering love". Here he imparts his wisdom to the tune of George Harrison's Give Me Love.
You Need Love
You need love.
You need love,
Not a one-night stand.
You may think
That the world
Is at your command,
But I know
And I’ll show you
Just where you’re wrong.
Thanks to me,
You will see
Where we both belong.
Mr. Hume…
You’ll forget about cash
The moment this car crashes.
Won’t you heed your flashes?
You need love.
You need love,
Not a one-night stand.
You may think
That the world
Is at your command,
But I know
And I’ll show you
Just where you’re wrong.
Thanks to me,
You will see
Where we both belong.
Mr. Hume…
Won’t you heed your flashes?
You need love.
You need love,
Not a one-night stand.
You may think
That the world
Is at your command,
But I know
And I’ll show you
Just where you’re wrong.
Thanks to me,
You will see
Where we both belong.
You need love.
You need love,
Not a one-night stand.
You may think
That the world
Is at, is at your command,
But I know
And I will show
Just where you’ve gone wrong.
Thanks to me,
You will see where
We both belong.
Widmore's Whiskey (Nancy Whiskey, Traditional)
Desmond: What kind of whiskey is that?
Charlie: It's, uh - it just says MacCutcheon.
Desmond: Alright then, let's have it!
- Flashes Before Your Eyes
In Flashes Before Your Eyes, Desmond wants to lay off the booze, but he'll make an exception for MacCutcheon whiskey. Here's a reflection by him to the tune of the Irish Rovers' Nancy Whiskey.
Widmore’s Whiskey
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
I was a sailor, a restless sailor.
I was a soldier, a silent monk…
Even tried to be a doctor.
I always wound up a raving drunk.
Is that whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey?
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
In an ancient monastery,
Hiding from my intended wife,
I imbibed the wine we bottled,
So I got sacked from monastic life.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
As I was leaving, I met a woman.
Before that woman, I had no base.
She became my guiding vision.
Penny Widmore, my saving grace.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
I went in to see her father,
A man of aristocracy.
He poured a bit of his prized MacCutcheon
Just to say it was too good for me.
Is that whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey?
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
I was a sailor, a restless sailor.
I drank so much that I thought I would drown.
I’m going sober, clean and sober,
But that’s MacCutcheon, so pass it down.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
Whiskey, whiskey, Widmore’s whiskey.
Whiskey, whiskey, pass it down.
Nancy Whiskey
Friday, April 9, 2010
Penny Milton (Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison)
Desmond: I don't know...I don't know what I felt.
Daniel: Yes, you do. You felt love.
Desmond: That's impossible, because I don’t know anything about this woman, I don't know...I don't know where she is. I don't even know if she exists. She's...she's an idea.
- Happily Ever After
Desmond and Penny are fated to find each other, but there always seem to be complications. Here, Sideways Desmond battles Eloise before getting some help from Daniel about Penny's whereabouts, to the tune of Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman.
Penny Milton
Desmond: Penny Milton. That’s the name they said.
Penny Milton. But is it in my head?
Penny Milton.
I have to struggle to understand
The words I saw on Charlie’s hand.
Penny...
Penny Milton. Could it really be?
Penny Milton. Is she the one for me?
Penny Milton.
I need some answers, Eloise.
Let me see that guest list, please.
Now!
Eloise: Penny Milton? Just forget.
Desmond, you’re not ready yet.
Your arrival is a threat to me.
Desmond: Penny Milton. So surreal,
And I can’t conceal my zeal.
Penny Milton, now revealed to me.
But this Penny, does she exist?
Would it be crazy if I persist?
Penny Milton. I’m losing steam.
Penny Milton. Is she a dream?
Penny Milton. I know what I feel. It’s real.
But am I chasing a mere ideal?
Daniel: Now there’s no reason for such gloom.
She’s my half-sister, Mr. Hume.
Take it from me.
I can tell you where she’ll be.
Yes, I know just where she’ll be.
You’ll find Penny Milton.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
“I Don’t Want to Set Off a Nuclear Bomb, Mr. Hume; I Think I Already Did.”
Desmond episodes are always epic and game-changing. Happily Ever After was no exception. I knew that whatever we were about to see was bound to be pretty special. I figured it would be a Sideways, though I wondered if they might throw us for a loop with another flashback instead. I had a feeling that we would have a bit of both, as Desmond has always straddled multiple times. What we got was in many ways a repeat of Flashes Before Your Eyes, but instead of going back in time eight years during the “catastrophic electromagnetic event,” Desmond shifted into another life entirely, a life where he met no fewer than nine people who crossed paths with him in the original timeline.
Hurley helps Desmond, who in turn helps Claire. A very sweet series of interactions. The brief meeting with Jack was nice too; the doctor seemed rather tickled to see Desmond, intrigued by the synchronicity, especially once he brought up Charlie. The major surprise for me in terms of the Sideways cast came in the form of George Minkowski. As soon as I saw him I let up a cheer. George is to Desmond what Abaddon was to Locke in The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham, without the ominous aura. I had this horrible feeling that Desmond was going to return to the car at the end to find George dead, but no such disaster occurred. So far, this life is kinder to George.
Then, of course, we have Charles, who in this timeline is a beloved father figure to Desmond, who greets him with a hug and who toasts him with his 60-year-old MacCutcheon scotch in an exact reversal of the iconic scene in Flashes Before Your Eyes. “Nothing is too good for you,” he tells Desmond warmly, to which his happy-go-lucky employee responds with a cheerful, “Slainte!”. Of course, in this scenario, Desmond isn’t courting Penny, but I get the sense that if he was, that would be fine and dandy with Charles. Since Daniel knows about Penny, one would presume that Charles at least had a hand in raising her, though the last name “Milton” suggests that she was raised mostly by her mother, and the name is either hers or that of her husband. If, in fact, that Penny was actually her. Also, why was Desmond wearing a wedding ring on the plane when he makes it quite plain here that he's not married?
I knew we’d be seeing Daniel, Eloise and Charlie because it was leaked online, and by ABC itself, no less. While the first two weren’t a huge surprise, I was a bit taken aback by Charlie’s appearance. I was giddy with excitement over the idea of having Desmond, Charlie and Daniel all together in one place, and I’m sorry that didn’t happen, and that we weren’t treated to the musical mastery of Charlie and Daniel doing a duet. At the least, I think it would’ve been really cool for Daniel and Charlie to meet, considering that they never had the chance in the original timeline. It was wonderful to see Charlie again, and especially to hear him describe his “consciousness-altering” love for Claire, though he was awfully testy in this episode, and on the whole he reminded me of Simon running from the Feds in the spring opener of FlashForward.
My first thought about Eloise before we ever saw her: Charles is subservient to her. In this relationship, Eloise has the upper hand, and that seems consistent with what we’ve seen on the Island. My second thought was that seeing Desmond really freaked her out. From there, she proceeded to replicate the dynamics of her first conversation with Desmond, first appearing kind and conciliatory, then flipping out when Desmond tries to deviate from the script that has been written for him. She again comes across as very creepy, and it’s more unclear than ever how she knows so much. Her huffy insistence that Charlie’s, and perhaps Charles’, interference was a “violation” sounds very much like those Rules again. What’s especially interesting here is that Eloise and Daniel are directly opposing each other in how they are choosing to influence Desmond’s life.
I finally got that much-desired Daniel and Desmond scene, and it was worth the wait, just as beautiful in its own way as the interaction in The Constant, and even more overtly romantic. Desmond and Daniel are destined to be brothers-in-law. Each has one of the most epic love stories on LOST. Each has spent much of his life manipulated by Eloise and Charles. Daniel is responsible for the detonation of Jughead in 1977, while Desmond is responsible for the implosion of the hatch in 2004. These men are deeply linked, and Charlie, another fate-led martyr with an epic love story, appears to be deeply entwined as well. Sideways Daniel is no quantum physicist, but Island Daniel seems to be seeping in. Eerie. I love that Sideways Charlotte was eating chocolate when he saw her. Oh, and I was itching for Daniel to respond to Desmond’s ramblings about probably-imaginary Penny with, “No. She’s my sister.” So his answer earned a fist-pump from me, even though “half-sister” sounded a bit less poetic. Again, I wonder: Who is Penny’s mother?
And then of course, we got Desmond and Penny, with an iconic meeting that seemed to reference Man of Science, Man of Faith, Live Together, Die Alone, Catch-22 and The Constant all at once. I definitely did get the sense of Desmond falling in love at first sight, and given Penny’s goofy laughter following Desmond’s fainting spell, the feeling seems to have been mutual. And of course, Giacchino again hit it out of the park with his romantic score.
Along with the host of familiar characters in the sideways timeline, we had several snippets of dialogue that we’ve heard before. For instance, Charles tells Desmond, "The Island isn't done with you yet," the same thing Eloise told him. Desmond tells Charlie, “There’s always a choice, brother,” something we’ve heard both Jacob and Smokey say before. When Charlie offers him the choice in the car, Desmond responds with, “Why in God’s name would I wanna get out of the car,” reminiscent of his reaction when Penny asked him in Jughead to promise not to return to the Island. Eloise, of course, says “What happened, happened,” which has been said many times, mostly by Daniel, who here told Desmond, “We need to talk,” just as Jacob did to Richard just two episodes ago. Massive mythology download followed in both cases. And George questioning Desmond about whether he found what he was looking for reminded me of Sayid asking Desmond if the phone call that he facilitated had worked.
Yes, parallels flew fast and furious throughout this episode, and it sure was fun to point them out. And of course, I took notice of Desmond gazing at himself in the glass at the airport, seemingly quite lost in thought before Hurley snaps him out of it. Eloise clearly knows more than she should, and I’m starting to wonder whether she might be in league with Smokey. I wonder if Sideways Charles is similarly aware of other realities. Might he have brought Desmond to Los Angeles on that plane in hopes of triggering something? At every turn, he seems to be tossing Desmond into the path of someone else from his Island life. What if that’s really what this is all about - waking Desmond up to the reality of what he has to do to preserve the space-time continuum?
If we believe Daniel’s conclusion, it would appear that he made a big mistake when he put his bomb-exploding plan into action. It would seem that these timelines are running parallel to each other and that Sideways isn’t supposed to exist - that if it continues to exist, the universe will implode. Or maybe it’s less drastic than that. Maybe the two timelines just need to converge somehow. Will some from the Island timeline go to the Sideways timeline and some from Sideways go to the Island? Several of the Sideways characters seem to have some awareness that something is off, and Desmond, Daniel and Charlie are fully aware. They all “felt it”. But what is Desmond going to do, knock on the door of everyone on that flight manifest? And how is he going to “show” them what he needs to? Surely he won’t be resorting to something like Charlie did time and again? Maybe he hopes that just seeing each other’s names will trigger something. But what happens if he tracks everybody down and they all learn the truth? Then what?
I don’t think there will be a major catastrophic event in Sideways World. But maybe Charles intends to release all of the electromagnetic energy on the Island to somehow counteract what Daniel did, and that will somehow negate the other timeline, but he has to have the approval of the Sideways counterparts in order to proceed? There seemed to be a lot of emphasis on choice in this episode, and certainly that‘s what Jacob is all about. If Penny’s last name is actually Milton, are we supposed to be thinking Paradise Lost? And what would the implications of that be? Desmond and Penny have found each other in another life. Daniel knows where to find Charlotte and Charlie might just blunder upon Claire in his mad dash through the hospital. Each of them does seem on the verge of a “happily ever after”. But in the original timeline, Charlie and Daniel are dead, and perhaps Desmond soon will be too. Charles did speak of a sacrifice. What does he have in mind?
We didn’t spend much time back on the Island. As expected, when Desmond figured out what was going on, he was very angry. When Charles said, “I brought you back to the Island,” Desmond’s face was a quivering mass of fury. It looked like his head was about to explode. His rage was enough to overcome his weakened state; knocking something into Charles was a good substitute for actually beating him up. Incidentally, it seems like a lot of people have been sustaining injuries to the head this season. Any significance?
Jin was troubled to see Desmond and didn’t want anything to do with an experiment that would hurt his friend. I wonder just how much he really knows about these electromagnetic pockets? As mapper of the Island, he probably has the lay of the land better than just about anybody. Maybe he knows about spots on the Island that we’ve never seen yet.
I confess that Zoe still hasn’t really won me over, though I think she’s probably a good guy ultimately. Something about her just kinda grates on me. And her henchman seems rather useless, a big lug like Bram who is probably going to bite the dust soon because he doesn’t seem too bright. Or was he the one Sayid attacked at the end? I couldn’t tell. Sayid was creepy. I assume he let Zoe go so that she could go tell Widmore that Smokey had Desmond? He didn’t just let her leave, he told her to leave, and I’m thinking it wasn’t really an act of mercy. But what does he intend to do with Desmond, and why did Desmond agree to go with him so willingly? After his experience in the electromagnetic chamber, he was downright docile, ready to do whatever Charles asked of him. Does he have a plan for what he will do when he gets to where Sayid is taking him? Is he going to tell everyone about the other timeline?
Going into the electromagnetic chamber sent Desmond into Sideways World. Charlie crashing the car into the water brought memories of the original timeline flooding back, as did the MRI. Charlie wanted to make Desmond’s life flash before his eyes so he would experience what Charlie experienced. The MRI felt eerily like the hatch, where Desmond was trapped with only a button for company. Oh, and the assurance that somewhere out there in the world was a woman who loved him very much. The theme of this episode seems to be, “All you need is love.” It was all very romantic, and it seemed to be a lot less of a downer than I suspected it might be. Desmond was happy the last time we saw him in both timelines. At the moment, “happily ever after” seems less ironic than simply fitting. But can it last?
Next week we have Hurley. I loved his line from the preview: “People come back and yell at me after they die.” Aw, poor Hurley. People like Michael, apparently. I suppose one question we should be asking is if these people are actually dead or if Hurley, like Desmond, is able to tap into other timelines. But that would assume that all of these people he’s spoken to are self-aware in this other timeline. Which, I suppose, they could be, if Desmond clued them in. But I still don’t think that really works, especially for Jacob and Isabella. For now, then, I’m still going with the idea that these are actual ghosts. And I do think that Hurley is just as important as Desmond. Love seems to be key to the resolution of these timelines, and Hurley is love personified. Next week, we will see him in leader mode again. We will probably see him talk to Jacob, though with Michael in the mix, it’s possible we won’t. I really want more Hurley and Jacob, though.
The title is Everybody Loves Hugo, which is much more accurate than Everybody Hates Hugo. In the Sideways storyline, I imagine we’ll see many interactions, maybe even more than in Desmond’s, and it will all be Hurley doing little things to improve the lives of others. What we’ve already seen certainly seems to indicate that Sideways Hurley is happy, successful and helpful. Hurley episodes usually have a lot of warmth and a lot of humor, but there’s often an element of fear or sadness. Desmond’s episode wound up happier than I expected; here’s hoping Hurley’s luck will hold out. With the finale so close, I can’t help thinking we’re going to start losing major characters. My inclination has been to think that Hurley will survive the series. Indeed, if there is to be a new Jacob, I think he’s just as likely a Candidate as Jack. But they could pull a fast one on me. If they harm one hair on his curly head... I will not be pleased. So instead I will think happy thoughts. This was a beautiful episode, and next week’s should be just as exceptional.
Hurley helps Desmond, who in turn helps Claire. A very sweet series of interactions. The brief meeting with Jack was nice too; the doctor seemed rather tickled to see Desmond, intrigued by the synchronicity, especially once he brought up Charlie. The major surprise for me in terms of the Sideways cast came in the form of George Minkowski. As soon as I saw him I let up a cheer. George is to Desmond what Abaddon was to Locke in The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham, without the ominous aura. I had this horrible feeling that Desmond was going to return to the car at the end to find George dead, but no such disaster occurred. So far, this life is kinder to George.
Then, of course, we have Charles, who in this timeline is a beloved father figure to Desmond, who greets him with a hug and who toasts him with his 60-year-old MacCutcheon scotch in an exact reversal of the iconic scene in Flashes Before Your Eyes. “Nothing is too good for you,” he tells Desmond warmly, to which his happy-go-lucky employee responds with a cheerful, “Slainte!”. Of course, in this scenario, Desmond isn’t courting Penny, but I get the sense that if he was, that would be fine and dandy with Charles. Since Daniel knows about Penny, one would presume that Charles at least had a hand in raising her, though the last name “Milton” suggests that she was raised mostly by her mother, and the name is either hers or that of her husband. If, in fact, that Penny was actually her. Also, why was Desmond wearing a wedding ring on the plane when he makes it quite plain here that he's not married?
I knew we’d be seeing Daniel, Eloise and Charlie because it was leaked online, and by ABC itself, no less. While the first two weren’t a huge surprise, I was a bit taken aback by Charlie’s appearance. I was giddy with excitement over the idea of having Desmond, Charlie and Daniel all together in one place, and I’m sorry that didn’t happen, and that we weren’t treated to the musical mastery of Charlie and Daniel doing a duet. At the least, I think it would’ve been really cool for Daniel and Charlie to meet, considering that they never had the chance in the original timeline. It was wonderful to see Charlie again, and especially to hear him describe his “consciousness-altering” love for Claire, though he was awfully testy in this episode, and on the whole he reminded me of Simon running from the Feds in the spring opener of FlashForward.
My first thought about Eloise before we ever saw her: Charles is subservient to her. In this relationship, Eloise has the upper hand, and that seems consistent with what we’ve seen on the Island. My second thought was that seeing Desmond really freaked her out. From there, she proceeded to replicate the dynamics of her first conversation with Desmond, first appearing kind and conciliatory, then flipping out when Desmond tries to deviate from the script that has been written for him. She again comes across as very creepy, and it’s more unclear than ever how she knows so much. Her huffy insistence that Charlie’s, and perhaps Charles’, interference was a “violation” sounds very much like those Rules again. What’s especially interesting here is that Eloise and Daniel are directly opposing each other in how they are choosing to influence Desmond’s life.
I finally got that much-desired Daniel and Desmond scene, and it was worth the wait, just as beautiful in its own way as the interaction in The Constant, and even more overtly romantic. Desmond and Daniel are destined to be brothers-in-law. Each has one of the most epic love stories on LOST. Each has spent much of his life manipulated by Eloise and Charles. Daniel is responsible for the detonation of Jughead in 1977, while Desmond is responsible for the implosion of the hatch in 2004. These men are deeply linked, and Charlie, another fate-led martyr with an epic love story, appears to be deeply entwined as well. Sideways Daniel is no quantum physicist, but Island Daniel seems to be seeping in. Eerie. I love that Sideways Charlotte was eating chocolate when he saw her. Oh, and I was itching for Daniel to respond to Desmond’s ramblings about probably-imaginary Penny with, “No. She’s my sister.” So his answer earned a fist-pump from me, even though “half-sister” sounded a bit less poetic. Again, I wonder: Who is Penny’s mother?
And then of course, we got Desmond and Penny, with an iconic meeting that seemed to reference Man of Science, Man of Faith, Live Together, Die Alone, Catch-22 and The Constant all at once. I definitely did get the sense of Desmond falling in love at first sight, and given Penny’s goofy laughter following Desmond’s fainting spell, the feeling seems to have been mutual. And of course, Giacchino again hit it out of the park with his romantic score.
Along with the host of familiar characters in the sideways timeline, we had several snippets of dialogue that we’ve heard before. For instance, Charles tells Desmond, "The Island isn't done with you yet," the same thing Eloise told him. Desmond tells Charlie, “There’s always a choice, brother,” something we’ve heard both Jacob and Smokey say before. When Charlie offers him the choice in the car, Desmond responds with, “Why in God’s name would I wanna get out of the car,” reminiscent of his reaction when Penny asked him in Jughead to promise not to return to the Island. Eloise, of course, says “What happened, happened,” which has been said many times, mostly by Daniel, who here told Desmond, “We need to talk,” just as Jacob did to Richard just two episodes ago. Massive mythology download followed in both cases. And George questioning Desmond about whether he found what he was looking for reminded me of Sayid asking Desmond if the phone call that he facilitated had worked.
Yes, parallels flew fast and furious throughout this episode, and it sure was fun to point them out. And of course, I took notice of Desmond gazing at himself in the glass at the airport, seemingly quite lost in thought before Hurley snaps him out of it. Eloise clearly knows more than she should, and I’m starting to wonder whether she might be in league with Smokey. I wonder if Sideways Charles is similarly aware of other realities. Might he have brought Desmond to Los Angeles on that plane in hopes of triggering something? At every turn, he seems to be tossing Desmond into the path of someone else from his Island life. What if that’s really what this is all about - waking Desmond up to the reality of what he has to do to preserve the space-time continuum?
If we believe Daniel’s conclusion, it would appear that he made a big mistake when he put his bomb-exploding plan into action. It would seem that these timelines are running parallel to each other and that Sideways isn’t supposed to exist - that if it continues to exist, the universe will implode. Or maybe it’s less drastic than that. Maybe the two timelines just need to converge somehow. Will some from the Island timeline go to the Sideways timeline and some from Sideways go to the Island? Several of the Sideways characters seem to have some awareness that something is off, and Desmond, Daniel and Charlie are fully aware. They all “felt it”. But what is Desmond going to do, knock on the door of everyone on that flight manifest? And how is he going to “show” them what he needs to? Surely he won’t be resorting to something like Charlie did time and again? Maybe he hopes that just seeing each other’s names will trigger something. But what happens if he tracks everybody down and they all learn the truth? Then what?
I don’t think there will be a major catastrophic event in Sideways World. But maybe Charles intends to release all of the electromagnetic energy on the Island to somehow counteract what Daniel did, and that will somehow negate the other timeline, but he has to have the approval of the Sideways counterparts in order to proceed? There seemed to be a lot of emphasis on choice in this episode, and certainly that‘s what Jacob is all about. If Penny’s last name is actually Milton, are we supposed to be thinking Paradise Lost? And what would the implications of that be? Desmond and Penny have found each other in another life. Daniel knows where to find Charlotte and Charlie might just blunder upon Claire in his mad dash through the hospital. Each of them does seem on the verge of a “happily ever after”. But in the original timeline, Charlie and Daniel are dead, and perhaps Desmond soon will be too. Charles did speak of a sacrifice. What does he have in mind?
We didn’t spend much time back on the Island. As expected, when Desmond figured out what was going on, he was very angry. When Charles said, “I brought you back to the Island,” Desmond’s face was a quivering mass of fury. It looked like his head was about to explode. His rage was enough to overcome his weakened state; knocking something into Charles was a good substitute for actually beating him up. Incidentally, it seems like a lot of people have been sustaining injuries to the head this season. Any significance?
Jin was troubled to see Desmond and didn’t want anything to do with an experiment that would hurt his friend. I wonder just how much he really knows about these electromagnetic pockets? As mapper of the Island, he probably has the lay of the land better than just about anybody. Maybe he knows about spots on the Island that we’ve never seen yet.
I confess that Zoe still hasn’t really won me over, though I think she’s probably a good guy ultimately. Something about her just kinda grates on me. And her henchman seems rather useless, a big lug like Bram who is probably going to bite the dust soon because he doesn’t seem too bright. Or was he the one Sayid attacked at the end? I couldn’t tell. Sayid was creepy. I assume he let Zoe go so that she could go tell Widmore that Smokey had Desmond? He didn’t just let her leave, he told her to leave, and I’m thinking it wasn’t really an act of mercy. But what does he intend to do with Desmond, and why did Desmond agree to go with him so willingly? After his experience in the electromagnetic chamber, he was downright docile, ready to do whatever Charles asked of him. Does he have a plan for what he will do when he gets to where Sayid is taking him? Is he going to tell everyone about the other timeline?
Going into the electromagnetic chamber sent Desmond into Sideways World. Charlie crashing the car into the water brought memories of the original timeline flooding back, as did the MRI. Charlie wanted to make Desmond’s life flash before his eyes so he would experience what Charlie experienced. The MRI felt eerily like the hatch, where Desmond was trapped with only a button for company. Oh, and the assurance that somewhere out there in the world was a woman who loved him very much. The theme of this episode seems to be, “All you need is love.” It was all very romantic, and it seemed to be a lot less of a downer than I suspected it might be. Desmond was happy the last time we saw him in both timelines. At the moment, “happily ever after” seems less ironic than simply fitting. But can it last?
Next week we have Hurley. I loved his line from the preview: “People come back and yell at me after they die.” Aw, poor Hurley. People like Michael, apparently. I suppose one question we should be asking is if these people are actually dead or if Hurley, like Desmond, is able to tap into other timelines. But that would assume that all of these people he’s spoken to are self-aware in this other timeline. Which, I suppose, they could be, if Desmond clued them in. But I still don’t think that really works, especially for Jacob and Isabella. For now, then, I’m still going with the idea that these are actual ghosts. And I do think that Hurley is just as important as Desmond. Love seems to be key to the resolution of these timelines, and Hurley is love personified. Next week, we will see him in leader mode again. We will probably see him talk to Jacob, though with Michael in the mix, it’s possible we won’t. I really want more Hurley and Jacob, though.
The title is Everybody Loves Hugo, which is much more accurate than Everybody Hates Hugo. In the Sideways storyline, I imagine we’ll see many interactions, maybe even more than in Desmond’s, and it will all be Hurley doing little things to improve the lives of others. What we’ve already seen certainly seems to indicate that Sideways Hurley is happy, successful and helpful. Hurley episodes usually have a lot of warmth and a lot of humor, but there’s often an element of fear or sadness. Desmond’s episode wound up happier than I expected; here’s hoping Hurley’s luck will hold out. With the finale so close, I can’t help thinking we’re going to start losing major characters. My inclination has been to think that Hurley will survive the series. Indeed, if there is to be a new Jacob, I think he’s just as likely a Candidate as Jack. But they could pull a fast one on me. If they harm one hair on his curly head... I will not be pleased. So instead I will think happy thoughts. This was a beautiful episode, and next week’s should be just as exceptional.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
It's Me Callin' (Free Fallin', Tom Petty)
I seem to be a bit hung up on Jack lately. Here's one about his being cutoff from Aaron and Kate circa 2007, to the tune of Tom Petty's Free Fallin'.
It’s Me Callin’
He’s a good boy, loves his orca.
Loves Alice in Wonderland too.
He’s a good boy, looks like his mother
With blond hair and those eyes of blue.
If I’d stayed, I could’ve helped to raise him,
But I strayed and now I’m all alone.
I made a bad move. Kate’ll never forgive me.
Now she hangs up when I’m on the phone
Since it’s me, me callin’,
Since it’s me, me callin’.
Can I blame her? I broke our engagement,
And Aaron, he wonders where I went.
I made a bad move. I know that Kate condemns me,
And I’m sure she’d belittle my lament
Since it’s me, me callin’,
Since it’s me, me callin’.
Me callin’, since it’s me callin’,
Since it’s
Me callin’, since it’s me callin’,
Since...
I wanna fix things. Owe it to Aaron,
And to myself, to Claire and to Kate.
But she will say the Island means nothing.
She’ll ignore the tugging of fate
Since it’s me (me callin’, since it‘s me callin’),
Me callin’ (me callin’ , since it‘s me callin’),
Since it’s me (me callin’, since it‘s me callin’),
Me callin’ (me callin’, since it’s me callin’)...
(fadeout)
It’s Me Callin’
He’s a good boy, loves his orca.
Loves Alice in Wonderland too.
He’s a good boy, looks like his mother
With blond hair and those eyes of blue.
If I’d stayed, I could’ve helped to raise him,
But I strayed and now I’m all alone.
I made a bad move. Kate’ll never forgive me.
Now she hangs up when I’m on the phone
Since it’s me, me callin’,
Since it’s me, me callin’.
Can I blame her? I broke our engagement,
And Aaron, he wonders where I went.
I made a bad move. I know that Kate condemns me,
And I’m sure she’d belittle my lament
Since it’s me, me callin’,
Since it’s me, me callin’.
Me callin’, since it’s me callin’,
Since it’s
Me callin’, since it’s me callin’,
Since...
I wanna fix things. Owe it to Aaron,
And to myself, to Claire and to Kate.
But she will say the Island means nothing.
She’ll ignore the tugging of fate
Since it’s me (me callin’, since it‘s me callin’),
Me callin’ (me callin’ , since it‘s me callin’),
Since it’s me (me callin’, since it‘s me callin’),
Me callin’ (me callin’, since it’s me callin’)...
(fadeout)
Monday, April 5, 2010
Stubborn Tomato (Homegrown Tomatoes, Guy Clark)
"That's one stubborn tomato. Guess no one told it it was supposed to die."
- Jack, The Package
I enjoyed Jack's little heart to heart with Sun in The Package. Here's a recreation of his pep talk, to the tune of Guy Clark's Homegrown Tomatoes.
Stubborn Tomato
I know you’ve gotta find it so frustrating
Just sitting around here and silently waiting.
Easy to see how your heart would harden.
Still, I saw promise out in your garden.
Went to look for Locke, but I didn’t find him.
Why couldn’t he leave a better trail behind him?
All things considered, it was not a waste, though,
‘Cause I walked away with a stubborn tomato.
Stubborn tomato. Stubborn tomato.
See what I found? It’s a stubborn tomato.
Never was told that it oughtta die.
I call that a stubborn tomato!
You can no longer speak in English. Sure,
It’s a pain, but until I can find you a cure,
I recall a patient banged on the head.
Since he couldn't talk, we just had him write instead.
Can you pick up this pen, write down an answer?
It’s a little bit slow; still, it’s a chance for
Getting to express all the things you’re thinking.
That ought to help you keep your soul from sinking.
Stubborn tomato. Stubborn tomato.
See what I found? It’s a stubborn tomato.
Never was told that it oughtta die.
I call that a stubborn tomato!
It’s live together, die alone,
So you’re never gonna be on your own.
Right now it might seem hard to cope,
But you’ve got a friend, and here’s a symbol of hope.
Listen, Sun, do you trust me?
If you stay, then you have my firm guarantee:
You’ll find your husband and leave this place. So
Have a little faith. Be like the stubborn tomato.
Stubborn tomato. Stubborn tomato.
See what I found? It’s a stubborn tomato.
Never was told that it oughtta die.
I call that a stubborn tomato!
Stubborn tomato.
See what I found? It’s a stubborn tomato.
Never was told that it oughtta die.
I call that a stubborn tomato!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Let's Start Over (Teach Your Children, Graham Nash)
"I will always love you, no matter what you do. In my eyes you can never fail. I just wanna be a part of your life."
- Jack, Lighthouse
Jack's always had major issues with his father, so it's little surprise that he and his son would have a similar dynamic. But it looks like Sideways Jack and David are headed for a healthier relationship. Here's a song to the tune of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's Teach Your Children.
Let’s Start Over
Jack: Hey, you were great tonight.
You got it right with no correction.
You claim some notes were wrong;
To me, that song was pure perfection.
You can play so well. If you can’t tell,
I am impressed, son,
And don’t you ever think my love could shrink.
You did your best, son.
I was scared of failure too,
But no matter what you do,
David, I will still love you.
So let’s start over.
David: I‘m shocked but glad you’re here.
(Jack: I have made big mistakes,)
David: Are you sincere when you give applause, Dad?
(Jack: Put you under too much pressure.)
David: You say I play like I’m a pro.
(Jack: Don’t you see the love in my face?)
David: Thanks for not noticing the flaws, Dad.
(Jack: Have some pizza back at my place.)
David: Whether I excel or don’t do well,
Will you clap loudly?
And when I share my dreams,
Will you support me and smile proudly?
I have kept my distance too,
And I thought that we were through,
But I love you, Dad. I do.
So let’s start over.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tell Desmond I'm Sorry (She Loves You, Paul McCartney / John Lennon)
"I need to ask a favor of you, Sun. If you can ever get off this Island, find Desmond Hume for me. Tell him I said I was sorry."
- Ben, Dead Is Dead
Ben's done quite a bit of apologizing in the past couple of seasons. Here's a rehash of his apology to Desmond via Sun, with an apology to Sun herself thrown in for good measure, to the tune of the Beatles' She Loves You.
Tell Desmond I’m Sorry
Tell Desmond I’m sorry.
Tell Desmond I’m sorry.
Tell Desmond that I was wrong.
Before I face this doom,
There is something I must say:
If you see Desmond Hume
When you get back to L. A.,
Tell him I’m sorry.
He will know the reason why.
Yes, I’m sorry, and for once, that’s not a lie.
I earned his enmity
By giving in to hate.
I almost didn’t see
The truth until too late.
Tell him I’m sorry.
He will know the reason why.
Yes, I’m sorry, and for once, that’s not a lie. No!
Tell Desmond I’m sorry.
Tell Desmond I’m sorry.
Please believe me, Sun, for once it’s not a lie.
Well, you detest me too,
And I am not surprised.
With what I’ve put you through,
I ought to be despised.
So, Sun, I’m sorry,
And you know the reason why.
I’m sorry, and for once that’s not a lie. No!
Tell Desmond I’m sorry.
Tell Desmond I’m sorry.
Please believe me, Sun, for once it’s not a lie.
Please believe me, Sun, for once it’s not a lie.
Please believe me, Sun, for once it’s not a lie.
I’m sorry, and I was wrong.
“Your Wife, Your Daughter, My Daughter, Everyone We Know and Love Would Simply Cease to Be. I Came Here to Make Sure That Doesn‘t Happen.”
After Ab Aeterno, my hopes for The Package weren’t particularly high. I figured LOST couldn’t top itself so soon, especially with a Sun and Jin episode. It isn’t that I don’t like them, but unless Mr. Kwon is involved, their episodes tend not to be favorites of mine. The subtitles are a minor annoyance, but it’s more that we’re getting two characters at once usually, and in different places for the most part, so neither of them is getting as much screen time as I’d like. Plus, their episodes have a tendency to be misleading. This one, for instance, overturned several of our assumptions about what we saw in LA X and Sundown: that Sun could still speak English, that she and Jin still had a rocky relationship, that Sun’s father had given his approval of the Sun and Jin courtship, that the business transaction was between Paik and Widmore. Now, I suppose Widmore could still be involved; maybe the watch was for him and the money was for Keamy. But the money had a very sinister purpose indeed.
When Keamy demanded the money in the hotel room, and then Jin begged him not to reveal to Mr. Paik that he and Sun were involved, we all thought it was pretty odd that Paik wouldn’t have known that the money couldn’t go through customs. So I said maybe he didn’t want it to go through customs; maybe he wanted to hold them up because he suspected the relationship and wanted to stop them from taking off on him. This seemed confirmed to some extent by what Keamy said and by the fact that Paik cleared out Sun’s bank account, but what did he expect to happen next? Did he figure Keamy would just do his dirty work for him anyway and he could get away with not paying him? Or maybe he didn’t mean for them to get stopped at customs after all.
I knew from the airline employee in LA X that Sun and Jin weren’t married, so I was a little surprised that they were traveling together, but Paik seems to have planned this all out pretty well, using two pretenses: Jin is Sun’s bodyguard while she goes on a shopping trip, and Jin has a package to deliver in L. A. Given the differences in their relationship, I wonder if in this reality, Sun and Jin met after he began working for her father. This Sun is fairly crafty, but I don’t think that English is something she has up her sleeve; surely she would’ve spilled that secret after Keamy came striding in demanding money. And since she was hoping to run away with Jin, not from him, I’m not sure why she would keep her language skills under wraps. I do think it’s possible that her baby isn’t Jin’s, though. I noticed that there was a mirror moment with both Sun and Jin; Sun studied herself in the hotel room mirror, while Jin had a wavery reflection on the surface in the back of the restaurant.
I wasn’t thrilled to see that we were starting the episode from the airport. It made sense, since we’ve been seeing everybody from pretty much that point, except Ben, who wasn’t on the plane. But since we saw Jin all tied up at the end of Sundown, we knew where this was heading, and it wasn’t somewhere good, so I figured the episode promised to be both repetitive and unpleasant. And do I need to tell you how much I didn’t need to see Keamy again? Him and his grotesque smile and his racist remarks and his money-grubbing murderousness. Blech. Though I suppose maybe I ought to give him a teensy bit of credit; he seems, in his own obnoxious way, to have been concerned for Mikhail’s safety at the end there, and as he was as good as dead himself, perhaps I can give him a little credit for sort of having his back, though fat lot of good that did him.
I was tickled to see Mikhail again. He cleans up pretty nicely; he looked almost dashing in that suit, with his genteel manners to match, and I again found myself hoping he wouldn’t turn out so bad. Yes, he’s hanging around with lowlifes like Keamy, and yes, back on the Island he killed Charlie Pace, but somehow I still really wanted to like him. I wanted to think of him as off-kilter and violently committed to a particular cause but not entirely malevolent. And he really didn’t seem too bad until he attacked Jin. But then he was back to his old tricks, with the reward that he lost an eye again, and probably his life as well. I don’t know if either Keamy or Mikhail is anywhere near as resilient in Sideways World; my guess is they’re both done for. I’m wondering whether the Danny that Keamy referred to might be Danny Pickett, but I have no need to find out. Can we just be done with the thugs now, please? Even if we are, though, things look even worse for Sun than they did for Sayid, who did at least give Jin the means to free himself before he high-tailed it outta there. Suddenly Sideways World isn’t looking quite so sunny.
Back on the Island, we got more Sun and Jin than usual, though they were spread a bit thin. Both were angry and frustrated; neither trusted Smokey when he offered to facilitate their reunion, though in this case it was clear that he could deliver, at least until Jin got kidnapped. Why didn’t he take Jin along with him to court Sun? I’m a little surprised that neither of them seems to be under his spell at this point; that’s an encouraging thought.
Sun’s sudden inability to speak English struck me as a strange device. I guess I can buy it happening, odd as it is, but what’s the point? It isn’t like she had any really critical information that she was unable to relay, and anyway her inability to communicate was quickly cut short by Jack’s ingenuity. It was kinda funny to see her chew out a confused Richard in Korean, and it was nice to see her in her garden again. And I liked Jack’s Little Tomato That Could.
But Jin’s was the more interesting of the two stories because he got to meet face to face with Charles Widmore, and I have a feeling we’re headed for another mythologically loaded episode. What did we learn this week? Zoe is a geophysicist, and she’s interested in the electromagnetic pockets, or Charles is. She knows about Room 23, which may suggest that she is either a former Other or a former member of the Dharma Initiative. We learned fairly conclusively that Widmore and Smokey are, indeed, enemies, though their prior familiarity with each other is limited. It would appear that Widmore is not just against Smokey but for Jacob; certainly he is similarly concerned about keeping Smokey contained, or at least he claims to be.
Charles has been almost as big a mystery as Christian throughout the series, and his motivations and plans are murky at best. But after this episode, I’m less inclined to think that Charles killed the people on the beach, and I’m more prepared to think that he could still have a big role to play on the side of the good. I’ve thought for a long time that his animosity toward Desmond was mostly for show, just a way of pushing him into making certain decisions. Desmond is a very significant player, and it would seem that his significance didn’t end with turning that failsafe key. After Lighthouse, my brother said he thought Widmore was coming, and I said Desmond. We were both right. And the fact that Desmond was apparently kidnapped and drugged, brought totally against his will, means that he didn’t break his promise to Penny. Of course, it also means that once again we’re about to have a very confused, angry Scotsman on our hands.
While I still got a whiff of condescending aristocracy from Charles this week, I thought the moment with the camera was really sweet. Maybe he’s using Ji Yeon as motivation for Jin, but I hardly think lack of motivation is a problem for Jin. I thought it was a really nice moment and that Charles seemed touched by Jin’s reaction. They are bound together by the commonality of having a daughter from whom they are separated. Incidentally, I found it a little odd that Ji Yeon had an English “Happy Birthday” banner; didn’t Sun live in Korea all that time? Maybe it was there for the benefit of English-speaking guests like Hurley. I was so hoping for a photo of Mr. Kwon with his granddaughter, but I suppose they weren't about to have John Shin fly to Hawaii so they could take a snapshot of him...
Aside from Sun and Jin, we got a little bit from just about every character, but not much. Claire’s abandonment issues are flaring up again, and she’s starting to fear that she will be discarded once Smokey’s plan is complete. Sawyer is just laying low, waiting to see how things play out, and his methods aren’t thrilling Kate or Jin. When Sayid told Smokey about his lack of emotion, it reminded me of Frodo on his way up Mount Doom, telling Sam about how he couldn’t remember the taste of strawberries or the sound of water or anything else. It seemed to me that when Sayid saw Desmond, it sparked something; a tiny light seemed to flicker in his eyes. But if Sayid was unwilling to intervene to save Kate, I don’t suppose Desmond could snap him out of his stupor. Or could he?
Back at the beach, we got the funniest, oh-so-wrong line of the episode from Miles: “Unless he’s covered in bacon grease, I’m not sure Hugo can track anything.” Man! I thought you two were supposed to be friends! I’m not sure what Frank’s response was about; was Miles making him hungry? I liked Ilana’s wide smile when Richard showed up and Hurley’s not-really-necessary “I don’t think she wants to come.”
And Ben was so sweet and concerned for Sun when he found her in the jungle. He’s become quite the little lamb. But he still seems a little bitter toward Richard. This week and last, we saw him try to convince Ilana that Richard wasn’t coming back and that he didn’t know anything. But Richard was the one giving him orders all those years; how can Ben honestly claim that Richard is completely clueless? I think this is similar to his hissy reaction in The Man Behind the Curtain when John said he’d just ask Richard to take him to Jacob. I kinda get the sense he just doesn’t want Richard around. But when he came back, he did readily tell him where Smokey said he would be. Except that’s actually where Charles is. If they go there, Sun and Jin may be able to reunite finally. But what will Charles do when he sees Ben with them?
It was a good episode, but it wasn’t really a great one. A little too fragmented for me to feel too much engagement with anybody. But next week is going to be amazing yet again. I saw the episode title a couple of weeks ago: Happily Ever After. And immediately, I thought: Desmond. Because his romance with Penny has seemed so fairy tale-like, with them finally overcoming all the obstacles keeping them apart in order to achieve their happy ending. And that troubled me, because I figured this episode would pose an enormous threat to that happiness. Well, after Desmond was revealed to be “the package” - about to be shown to Jin, which I find curious - and after we got that preview with the magnificent bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace, it seems pretty evident that it will be Desmond after all. And Desmond episodes are always exceptional. So I’m excited, but I’m nervous, especially after the phrase “happily ever after” was uttered in this episode, by Keamy, as he made a promise to Jin that he fully intended to break. I see trouble brewing…
And will it be a Sideways or a flashback? I assume the former, but there’s still a fair amount about Desmond that we don’t know. For instance, his childhood is almost a complete mystery; we know only that he has several brothers that he cares for after his father took off. So another character with a bad dad and a mom who apparently departed early. He’s one of the very few major characters we haven’t seen as a child. We don’t know anything about his stint as a doctor and still can only guess at why he was kicked out of the army. And, of course, we don’t know just how he wound up on the sub to the Island, though I think I can imagine how that went. On the other hand, we don’t know where he went when he seemed to vanish from the plane. Now, I suppose that could’ve been our Desmond, after he was happily married, blinking through time for just a moment. But if that was the case he was must more at ease about things this time around. Also, if we see Sideways Desmond, I feel like there’s a pretty decent chance of seeing his brother-in-law, and another Desmond and Daniel scene would make me supremely happy.
But whatever the episode holds, I expect something impressive, and probably emotionally wringing. Somebody will be asked to make a sacrifice, unless Charles is referring to a time when he himself was asked to make a sacrifice. I presume he’s talking to Desmond, after sitting him down for a long talk in which he explains his reasons for acting like such a jerk for so many years. But hasn’t poor Desmond sacrificed enough already? This episode could also have something to do with this idea that Smokey is able to offer each of the castaways whatever he or she wants most. We may see him dangle a particular “happily ever after” in front of another castaway and give some explanation as to how he might deliver on that promise. Whatever its context, I’m pretty sure that Happily Ever After is a deeply deceptive title. But here’s hoping I’m wrong.
When Keamy demanded the money in the hotel room, and then Jin begged him not to reveal to Mr. Paik that he and Sun were involved, we all thought it was pretty odd that Paik wouldn’t have known that the money couldn’t go through customs. So I said maybe he didn’t want it to go through customs; maybe he wanted to hold them up because he suspected the relationship and wanted to stop them from taking off on him. This seemed confirmed to some extent by what Keamy said and by the fact that Paik cleared out Sun’s bank account, but what did he expect to happen next? Did he figure Keamy would just do his dirty work for him anyway and he could get away with not paying him? Or maybe he didn’t mean for them to get stopped at customs after all.
I knew from the airline employee in LA X that Sun and Jin weren’t married, so I was a little surprised that they were traveling together, but Paik seems to have planned this all out pretty well, using two pretenses: Jin is Sun’s bodyguard while she goes on a shopping trip, and Jin has a package to deliver in L. A. Given the differences in their relationship, I wonder if in this reality, Sun and Jin met after he began working for her father. This Sun is fairly crafty, but I don’t think that English is something she has up her sleeve; surely she would’ve spilled that secret after Keamy came striding in demanding money. And since she was hoping to run away with Jin, not from him, I’m not sure why she would keep her language skills under wraps. I do think it’s possible that her baby isn’t Jin’s, though. I noticed that there was a mirror moment with both Sun and Jin; Sun studied herself in the hotel room mirror, while Jin had a wavery reflection on the surface in the back of the restaurant.
I wasn’t thrilled to see that we were starting the episode from the airport. It made sense, since we’ve been seeing everybody from pretty much that point, except Ben, who wasn’t on the plane. But since we saw Jin all tied up at the end of Sundown, we knew where this was heading, and it wasn’t somewhere good, so I figured the episode promised to be both repetitive and unpleasant. And do I need to tell you how much I didn’t need to see Keamy again? Him and his grotesque smile and his racist remarks and his money-grubbing murderousness. Blech. Though I suppose maybe I ought to give him a teensy bit of credit; he seems, in his own obnoxious way, to have been concerned for Mikhail’s safety at the end there, and as he was as good as dead himself, perhaps I can give him a little credit for sort of having his back, though fat lot of good that did him.
I was tickled to see Mikhail again. He cleans up pretty nicely; he looked almost dashing in that suit, with his genteel manners to match, and I again found myself hoping he wouldn’t turn out so bad. Yes, he’s hanging around with lowlifes like Keamy, and yes, back on the Island he killed Charlie Pace, but somehow I still really wanted to like him. I wanted to think of him as off-kilter and violently committed to a particular cause but not entirely malevolent. And he really didn’t seem too bad until he attacked Jin. But then he was back to his old tricks, with the reward that he lost an eye again, and probably his life as well. I don’t know if either Keamy or Mikhail is anywhere near as resilient in Sideways World; my guess is they’re both done for. I’m wondering whether the Danny that Keamy referred to might be Danny Pickett, but I have no need to find out. Can we just be done with the thugs now, please? Even if we are, though, things look even worse for Sun than they did for Sayid, who did at least give Jin the means to free himself before he high-tailed it outta there. Suddenly Sideways World isn’t looking quite so sunny.
Back on the Island, we got more Sun and Jin than usual, though they were spread a bit thin. Both were angry and frustrated; neither trusted Smokey when he offered to facilitate their reunion, though in this case it was clear that he could deliver, at least until Jin got kidnapped. Why didn’t he take Jin along with him to court Sun? I’m a little surprised that neither of them seems to be under his spell at this point; that’s an encouraging thought.
Sun’s sudden inability to speak English struck me as a strange device. I guess I can buy it happening, odd as it is, but what’s the point? It isn’t like she had any really critical information that she was unable to relay, and anyway her inability to communicate was quickly cut short by Jack’s ingenuity. It was kinda funny to see her chew out a confused Richard in Korean, and it was nice to see her in her garden again. And I liked Jack’s Little Tomato That Could.
But Jin’s was the more interesting of the two stories because he got to meet face to face with Charles Widmore, and I have a feeling we’re headed for another mythologically loaded episode. What did we learn this week? Zoe is a geophysicist, and she’s interested in the electromagnetic pockets, or Charles is. She knows about Room 23, which may suggest that she is either a former Other or a former member of the Dharma Initiative. We learned fairly conclusively that Widmore and Smokey are, indeed, enemies, though their prior familiarity with each other is limited. It would appear that Widmore is not just against Smokey but for Jacob; certainly he is similarly concerned about keeping Smokey contained, or at least he claims to be.
Charles has been almost as big a mystery as Christian throughout the series, and his motivations and plans are murky at best. But after this episode, I’m less inclined to think that Charles killed the people on the beach, and I’m more prepared to think that he could still have a big role to play on the side of the good. I’ve thought for a long time that his animosity toward Desmond was mostly for show, just a way of pushing him into making certain decisions. Desmond is a very significant player, and it would seem that his significance didn’t end with turning that failsafe key. After Lighthouse, my brother said he thought Widmore was coming, and I said Desmond. We were both right. And the fact that Desmond was apparently kidnapped and drugged, brought totally against his will, means that he didn’t break his promise to Penny. Of course, it also means that once again we’re about to have a very confused, angry Scotsman on our hands.
While I still got a whiff of condescending aristocracy from Charles this week, I thought the moment with the camera was really sweet. Maybe he’s using Ji Yeon as motivation for Jin, but I hardly think lack of motivation is a problem for Jin. I thought it was a really nice moment and that Charles seemed touched by Jin’s reaction. They are bound together by the commonality of having a daughter from whom they are separated. Incidentally, I found it a little odd that Ji Yeon had an English “Happy Birthday” banner; didn’t Sun live in Korea all that time? Maybe it was there for the benefit of English-speaking guests like Hurley. I was so hoping for a photo of Mr. Kwon with his granddaughter, but I suppose they weren't about to have John Shin fly to Hawaii so they could take a snapshot of him...
Aside from Sun and Jin, we got a little bit from just about every character, but not much. Claire’s abandonment issues are flaring up again, and she’s starting to fear that she will be discarded once Smokey’s plan is complete. Sawyer is just laying low, waiting to see how things play out, and his methods aren’t thrilling Kate or Jin. When Sayid told Smokey about his lack of emotion, it reminded me of Frodo on his way up Mount Doom, telling Sam about how he couldn’t remember the taste of strawberries or the sound of water or anything else. It seemed to me that when Sayid saw Desmond, it sparked something; a tiny light seemed to flicker in his eyes. But if Sayid was unwilling to intervene to save Kate, I don’t suppose Desmond could snap him out of his stupor. Or could he?
Back at the beach, we got the funniest, oh-so-wrong line of the episode from Miles: “Unless he’s covered in bacon grease, I’m not sure Hugo can track anything.” Man! I thought you two were supposed to be friends! I’m not sure what Frank’s response was about; was Miles making him hungry? I liked Ilana’s wide smile when Richard showed up and Hurley’s not-really-necessary “I don’t think she wants to come.”
And Ben was so sweet and concerned for Sun when he found her in the jungle. He’s become quite the little lamb. But he still seems a little bitter toward Richard. This week and last, we saw him try to convince Ilana that Richard wasn’t coming back and that he didn’t know anything. But Richard was the one giving him orders all those years; how can Ben honestly claim that Richard is completely clueless? I think this is similar to his hissy reaction in The Man Behind the Curtain when John said he’d just ask Richard to take him to Jacob. I kinda get the sense he just doesn’t want Richard around. But when he came back, he did readily tell him where Smokey said he would be. Except that’s actually where Charles is. If they go there, Sun and Jin may be able to reunite finally. But what will Charles do when he sees Ben with them?
It was a good episode, but it wasn’t really a great one. A little too fragmented for me to feel too much engagement with anybody. But next week is going to be amazing yet again. I saw the episode title a couple of weeks ago: Happily Ever After. And immediately, I thought: Desmond. Because his romance with Penny has seemed so fairy tale-like, with them finally overcoming all the obstacles keeping them apart in order to achieve their happy ending. And that troubled me, because I figured this episode would pose an enormous threat to that happiness. Well, after Desmond was revealed to be “the package” - about to be shown to Jin, which I find curious - and after we got that preview with the magnificent bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace, it seems pretty evident that it will be Desmond after all. And Desmond episodes are always exceptional. So I’m excited, but I’m nervous, especially after the phrase “happily ever after” was uttered in this episode, by Keamy, as he made a promise to Jin that he fully intended to break. I see trouble brewing…
And will it be a Sideways or a flashback? I assume the former, but there’s still a fair amount about Desmond that we don’t know. For instance, his childhood is almost a complete mystery; we know only that he has several brothers that he cares for after his father took off. So another character with a bad dad and a mom who apparently departed early. He’s one of the very few major characters we haven’t seen as a child. We don’t know anything about his stint as a doctor and still can only guess at why he was kicked out of the army. And, of course, we don’t know just how he wound up on the sub to the Island, though I think I can imagine how that went. On the other hand, we don’t know where he went when he seemed to vanish from the plane. Now, I suppose that could’ve been our Desmond, after he was happily married, blinking through time for just a moment. But if that was the case he was must more at ease about things this time around. Also, if we see Sideways Desmond, I feel like there’s a pretty decent chance of seeing his brother-in-law, and another Desmond and Daniel scene would make me supremely happy.
But whatever the episode holds, I expect something impressive, and probably emotionally wringing. Somebody will be asked to make a sacrifice, unless Charles is referring to a time when he himself was asked to make a sacrifice. I presume he’s talking to Desmond, after sitting him down for a long talk in which he explains his reasons for acting like such a jerk for so many years. But hasn’t poor Desmond sacrificed enough already? This episode could also have something to do with this idea that Smokey is able to offer each of the castaways whatever he or she wants most. We may see him dangle a particular “happily ever after” in front of another castaway and give some explanation as to how he might deliver on that promise. Whatever its context, I’m pretty sure that Happily Ever After is a deeply deceptive title. But here’s hoping I’m wrong.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Blow Up the Island (Blow Up Your TV, John Prine)
Daniel: I think I can negate that energy under the Swan. I think I can destroy it. If I can, then that hatch will never be built, and your plane... your plane will land, just like it's supposed to, in Los Angeles. Kate: And just how exactly do you plan on destroying this energy?
Daniel: I'm gonna detonate a hydrogen bomb.
- The Variable
Daniel had a crazy plan for fixing the castaways' predicament. Here's a song about that, to the tune of John Denver's version of John Prine's Blow Up Your TV.
Blow Up the Island
Daniel: I caught a sub here from Ann Arbor, and you know why I came back?
That photo in the paper of your DHARMA welcome, Jack.
Well, it seems my mother fed you her old talk of destiny.
You gave her a say and you tried things her way,
But now lend your ears to me.
Blow up the Island!
(Jack: Blow up the Island?)
Daniel: It’s the variation
(Jack: Crazy variation!)
Daniel: In the equation that is the key.
We can change what happened.
(Jack: Can we change what happened?)
Daniel: We can strike your stranding. Yes, Jack.
(Jack: Can we strike our stranding?)
Daniel: Make it a landing. We’ll be free.
My mother is an Other. She’s the one who brought you here.
But I bet she didn’t say you’d wind up in another year.
She left that little detail out, and she clearly led you wrong.
She can show how to go back where we all belong.
Blow up the Island!
(Jack: Blow up the Island?)
Daniel: It’s the variation
(Jack: Crazy variation!)
Daniel: In the equation that is the key.
We can change what happened.
(Jack: Can we change what happened?)
Daniel: We can strike your stranding. Yes, Jack.
(Jack: Can we strike our stranding?)
Daniel: Make it a landing. We’ll be free.
In just a few more hours, at the site you call the Hatch,
The DHARMA folks will blunder into a hidden patch.
Since that energy is fatal, they will seal it and keep it at bay.
If the Swan and the button are gone, you’ll never crash that day.
Jack: Let’s blow up the Island!
(Kate: Blow up the Island?)
Jack: It’s the variation
(Kate: Crazy variation!)
Jack: In the equation that is the key.
We can change what happened.
(Kate: It won’t change what happened.)
Jack: We’ll strike our stranding. Yes, Kate,
(Kate: It won’t strike our stranding.)
Jack: We will make it a landing. We’ll be free.
Blow Up Your TV
Still Think You're Dead? (A Hard Day's Night, John Lennon / Paul McCartney)
"Still think you're dead?"
- Jacob, Ab Aeterno
When Jacob first met Richard, poor Ricardo was in an awful state. It took a dramatic demonstration to convince the future Ageless Other that he was, in fact, still alive. Here's Jacob, to the tune of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night.
Still Think You’re Dead?
You really think you’re dead
And you are in the afterlife?
You really think you’re dead
And you were talking to your wife?
What you’ve been told is a lie.
I know you don’t wanna die,
So do you still think you’re dead?
I’m gonna drag you down
And make you flounder under a wave.
Well, it looks like you’re afraid to drown;
That’s how the living would behave.
If you don't answer me, then
I’m gonna dunk you again,
So do you still think you’re dead?
Talk some sense. Never give in to despair.
Talk some sense. Look at you gasping for air, air!
So you really think you’re dead
And you are in the afterlife?
You really think you’re dead
And you were talking to your wife?
What you’ve been told is a lie.
I know you don’t wanna die,
So do you still think you’re dead?
If you don't answer me, then
I’m gonna dunk you again,
So do you still think you’re dead?
Talk some sense. Never give in to despair.
Talk some sense. Look at you gasping for air, air!
So you really think you’re dead
And you are in the afterlife?
You really think you’re dead
And you were talking to your wife?
What you’ve been told is a lie.
I know you don’t wanna die,
So do you still think you’re dead?
So do you still think you’re dead?
So do you think you’re dead?
- Jacob, Ab Aeterno
When Jacob first met Richard, poor Ricardo was in an awful state. It took a dramatic demonstration to convince the future Ageless Other that he was, in fact, still alive. Here's Jacob, to the tune of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night.
Still Think You’re Dead?
You really think you’re dead
And you are in the afterlife?
You really think you’re dead
And you were talking to your wife?
What you’ve been told is a lie.
I know you don’t wanna die,
So do you still think you’re dead?
I’m gonna drag you down
And make you flounder under a wave.
Well, it looks like you’re afraid to drown;
That’s how the living would behave.
If you don't answer me, then
I’m gonna dunk you again,
So do you still think you’re dead?
Talk some sense. Never give in to despair.
Talk some sense. Look at you gasping for air, air!
So you really think you’re dead
And you are in the afterlife?
You really think you’re dead
And you were talking to your wife?
What you’ve been told is a lie.
I know you don’t wanna die,
So do you still think you’re dead?
If you don't answer me, then
I’m gonna dunk you again,
So do you still think you’re dead?
Talk some sense. Never give in to despair.
Talk some sense. Look at you gasping for air, air!
So you really think you’re dead
And you are in the afterlife?
You really think you’re dead
And you were talking to your wife?
What you’ve been told is a lie.
I know you don’t wanna die,
So do you still think you’re dead?
So do you still think you’re dead?
So do you think you’re dead?
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