The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham SE5 EP7

“Scuse me, but am I talking to a dude in a wheelchair right now?”

Since the beginning of this show, every single Locke episode, without fail, has made me a little misty. This one was no exception. Seeing Locke captive in that wheelchair again, waving to each of his old friends with that warm smile on his face and having them each dismiss him in turn as a lonely old loser—each one that is, except Walt—well, folks, it about broke my heart. An excellent, satisfying episode. And as a bonus, another fairly linear episode ala last week.

Locke is back Home
The opening shot is of the guy I knew would turn out to be somebody last week. His name is Cesar and he’s searching what looks like the Dharma/Other’s rec room. He finds some drawings, a flashlight and a gun. Then the chick who was escorting Sayid comes in. Her name is Alanna and she asks him what he found. Cesar lies and tosses her the flashlight. Alanna tells Cesar that they’ve found someone just standing in the water and wearing a suit and he wasn’t on the plane. They go back to the beach camp where they are introduced to Locke. He is alive and indeed, he is in his burial suit.

Locke asks Alanna if she has a passenger list. Since he was dead when he got on the plane, he has no way of knowing who actually made it back to the island. Wait till he sees there are 78 Hurley’s on the manifesto. “Nobody remembers you being on the plane,” Alanna says. They ask Locke what he remembers; does he remember getting on the plane. Locke doesn’t. But he does remember something. “You asked what I remembered,” Locke offers. “I remember dying.”

The life of Jeremy Bentham
Like Ben, Locke shows up in the Tunisian desert. He sees cameras and wires, but since his leg still broken, there is little he can do besides lay there. After dark, some locals in a pickup truck come and pick him up and take him to the hospital. It’s worth noting here that the locals picking up Locke are somewhat less hostile to Locke than they were to Ben. Locke arrives at the hospital, he’s delirious with pain and probably more than a little out of it what with teleporting off the island, laying in the desert for hours then swallowing those pills.

Locke sees Matthew Abbadan in the hospital just before he passes out from the Tunisian medical specialists delicately resting his leg. Just before he goes under, Locke focuses on the faces around him. Was the woman Nadia? It certainly looked like her.

Locke wakes up to find Charles Widmore sitting bedside, acting noticeably less vile than we are used to (could it simply be Desmond’s effect on him, or is he just acting to get information out of Locke?) Widmore is talking like he knows him, but Locke doesn’t recognize him. “Do I know you?” Locke asks. Widmore tells Locke that he met him when he was seventeen and that Locke hasn’t changed a bit since then. “How long ago was it that you walked into Richard’s camp?” Widmore wants to know. “Four days,” Locke replies. “I was their leader. I protected the island peacefully for years.” Widmore starts to compare notes with Locke, telling Locke that Ben banished him just as he banished Locke. “I wasn‘t banished, I chose to leave,” Locke explains, before realizing he’s said too much. “I understand you’re lying, John. I really do.” Widmore figures out that John is there to bring the Oceanic back and vows to help him in any way he can. “Why would you do that?” Locke wonders. “Because there’s a war coming,” Widmore explains. “If you’re not back on the island when that happens, the wrong side is going to win.”

Widmore then gives Locke money, Abbadan, an international phone, the whereabouts of the other Losties and a new ID. “You’re name is Jeremy Bentham. He was a British philosopher. Your parents had a sense of humor when they named you so why can’t I?” Locke accepts Widmore’s help, but he’s still leery. He remembers everything that Ben said, and everything that happened after the freighter arrived. “How do I know you’re not lying?” Locke wonders. “I didn’t try to kill you. Can you say the same of Ben?” “What about the mercs and the C4, Mr. Widmore?” An excellent question for which Widmore offers the following explanation: “I had to get Linus off of there so that you could take over. The island needs you, John. You’re special.”

Locke tells Widmore that Richard told him that he must die to bring them all back. Widmore doesn’t know why Alpert told him that and introduces him to Matthew Abbadon (again.) “Matthew will take you anywhere you need to go and protect you from anyone who intends to do you harm.” The Abbadan gets that wheel chair out and we’re cringing right along with Locke.

First Stop: Santo Domingo and Sayid
Sayid is working for some hippie dippy Habitat for Humanity outfit in the middle of the jungle. Locke shows up and makes his pitch: We have to go back. Sayid says no. “For 2 years I was manipulated by Ben into thinking that I was protecting everyone back on the island. So who is manipulating you?” Locke says no one and tells Sayid that he knows, deep in his heart that they were’nt supposed to leave. “If I hadn’t left the island, I would have missed the best 9 months of my life because I married the woman I loved.” “Where is she now?” Locke wonders. “She was murdered,” Sayid answers. “Why do you really need to go back?” Sayid asks. “Is it just because you have nowhere else to go?”

New York
Locke finally takes Abbadan up on his offer to look someone up for him. “Helen Norwood. She was living in Los Angeles.” And then, there’s Walt. “You don’t seem surprised to see me,” Locke says when Walt approaches. “I’ve been having dreams about you. You were on the island wearing a suit and you were surrounded by a lot of people. They wanted to hurt you.” “Well here I am,” Locke says. “Did my dad make it back to the island?” Walt wants to know. “Last I heard, he was on a freighter near the island.” Walt has to go and they part ways. Abbadan wants to know why Walt wasn’t invited. “The boy has been through enough,” Locke explains. “I thought everyone was supposed to go back,” Abbadan says. “And I thought you were supposed to be my driver,” Locke grumbles. “Besides, I only have to convince one and the others will come.”

Across the street, Ben is stalking.

Santa Rosa
“Hello Hugo,” Locke says as he wheels up. Hurley is nonplussed. “So you didn’t make it, huh?” “Hugo, I’m not dead,” Locke insists. Hurley takes a poll of the other crazy people and they all agree that Locke is sitting there talking to him. Locke gives his pitch to go back and Hurley says that no one will go because they all have lives now. Then Hurley sees Abbadan standing by the car and begins a classic Hurley freak. Locke insists that Abbadan is OK and that he’s with him. “That dude is far from ok. He’s evil. He said he worked for Oceanic.” Hurley begins to back away with his “Lalalala I’m not listening” act and runs into the center.

“That’s 3 visits. You may want to step up your game, Mr. Locke, or we’re all in serious trouble.” Annoyed, Locke asks, “What exactly is it you do for Mr. Widmore, anyway.” “Oh, so you’re ready to talk about it now? You’re really not going to pretend you don’t remember that I was an orderly when you were hospitalized after your fall? That I was the one who told you to go on a walkabout which is how you ended up on the island in the first place?” Locke remembers. “I help people get to where they need to get to. That’s what I do for Mr. Widmore.”

Kate’s House
Locke is giving his pitch and Kate says no. “Don’t you care about them?” He asks her. Kate responds, “Have you ever been in love John? You know, I think about you sometimes. I think about how desperate you were to stay on that island. I think it was because you didn’t love anybody.” Which is awfully presumptuous and rude, but Locke answers anyway. “That’s not true—I loved someone. Once. Her name was Helen.” “What happened?” Kate asks. “I was angry. I was obsessed. It didn’t work out,” Locke admits. “And look how far you’ve come,” Kate retorts.

“Did you find Helen Norwood?” Locke asks Abbadan. He doesn’t buy it when Abbadan says he can’t find her.

At the Santa Monica grave of Helen Norwood
“What happened to her?” Locke wants to know. “A brain aneurism,” Abbadan tells him. “She loved me. We could have been together.” When Abbadan says that she still would be dead now, Locke wonders. “Helen is where she is supposed to be,” Abbadan tells him. “No matter what you do, your path leads back to the island. Widmore says you told him you had to die. Is that fate or a choice?”

Abbadan is loading the wheelchair in the trunk when shots ring out and blood spatters the back of the car. A few more shots and Abbadan is dead. Locke jumps up front and hits the gas. He blows a red light and gets into a nasty three-car crash.

At Jack’s Hospital
Locke awakens in hospital to see Jack sitting by his bed. “What are you doing here?” Jack accuses. When Locke starts giving the pitch to go back, points out to him that of all the gin joints in all the world, Locke walked into Jack’s, and tells Jack they were meant to go back to the island, Jack, obviously hopped up on pills and booze, starts shouting at him, “Destiny?!?!” He scoffs. “It’s not destiny, John. It’s probability.” “Somebody is trying to kill me,” Locke tells him. “They don’t want me to succeed because I’m important.” “Maybe you’re not important at all. Maybe you’re just a lonely old man that crashed on an island,” stoner jack retorts. Discouraged, Locke tries another tactic. “Your dad says hello.” Locke has figured out through process of elimination that Christian is Jack’s father. “My dad is dead!” Jack shouts. “We were never important! Leave me alone! And leave everyone else alone, too!”

End of the line
Despondent, Locke heads back to his fleabag hotel and prepares to hang himself with an electrical cord. He’s about to jump, when there is a knock on the door. It’s Ben. Ben admits to killing Abbadan, whom he insists would have eventually killed Locke due to the fact that he works for Widmore. “Whatever you said to Jack, it worked. He’s booked a flight,” Ben encourages. “Let me help you.” “There is no helping me,” Locke say. “I’m a failure.” Ben tells Locke how important he is, how special he is and how much work he has to do. Ben suggests that they go get Sun, but Locke says no, he made a promise to Jin not to bring her back. Ben talks Locke down, untying the cord. Sobbing, Locke tells Ben that there is a woman in Los Angeles that can help them. “Her name is Eloise Hawking.” A funny look comes over Ben’s face. “Do you know her?” Locke asks. “Yes I know her,” Ben answers as he walks up behind Locke with the electrical cord. “And viciously strangles him.

Ben sets it up so it looks like Locke killed himself. We see him busily wiping everything down. He takes Jin’s ring and says “I’ll miss you John. I really will.”

Locke back at Home
Locke tells Cesra about Dharma and explains that he spent 100 days on the island and knows a lot except when he left and how he got back. He is asking about the manifest, which Cesar is unable to locate. He tells Locke about the injured and Locke goes in to inspect. He sees Ben and Cesar sees the recogniztion in Locke’s face. “Do you know him?” Cesar asks. “Yes, Lock answers. “He’s the man who killed me.”

Thoughts on this episode
I had just about started liking Ben again after he talked Locke down. I haven’t been sure that Ben has the best interests of the island at heart for some time, now I am convinced of it. I’m not sure that Widmore is a good guy either. The only one I’m relatively positive is good is Locke.

So how does Locke come back to life? He was very clearly dead before he got back to the island. Does this mean that Christian Sheppard is not dead either? Is Locke like him now? I would guess both Locke and Christian are unable to leave the island, due to their island-induced altered undead states. But that state also brings them closer to the needs of the island, so I think that was in the plan all along. Perhaps Richard is an undead, too.

Also, the time frame that Locke is in appears to be different than the one Jack, Kate, Hurley and Jin are in, since these plane survivors are perusing the abandoned Dharma site with abandon and there are clearly no Dharma-ites around to stop them.

Ok, it’s very late and I didn’t see any previews for next week. Great episode.

316 SE5 EP6

We’re not going to Guam, are we?

Opening scene is episode one all over again—close up on Jack’s eye, swaying bamboo, Jack running through the jungle to please of help. The only thing that’s different is that Jack has a little scrap of paper in his hand “I wish….” it says. And this time he comes across Hurley and Kate in the lagoon, not the beach and Shannon screaming. “We’re back,” Jack tells Kate. Kate, still groggy, asks, “What happened?” Funny you should ask, because the producers have treated us to a first ever, wholly linear episode.

46 Hours Earlier
We pick up where we left off last episode, at the church with Eloise lighting candles. Still pissed off that they aren’t all there, she leads them down the cellar to the freaky lab. “Let’s ge started.” “What is this place?” Jack asks. “The Dharma Initiative called it the Lamp Post,” Ellie explains. “This is how they found the island.” “Did you know about this place?” Jack asks Ben. Ben sasy no. “Is he telling the truth?” Jack asks Ellie. “Probably not,” She answers.

School’s in and Ellie is the teacher. There is a large pocket of electro magnetic energy underneath this church. This EM energy connects to pockets of EM energy all over the world. A very clever fellow built the pendulum. The Dharmam Initiative knew about the island, they collected all sorts of evidence, but they could never find it. Then they figured out they needed to stop looking for where it was supposed to be, and start looking for where it will be. The island is always moving, that’s why you were never rescued. These calculations find windows to provide a route back to the island, but the windows don’t stay open. Yours closes in 36 hours.”

Des, meanwhile, has been listening to this gibberish quite long enough, thank you. “Ummm, hello?” Des wonders. “Are you all daft? You’re all going back to the island willingly?” In answer they all stare at Des. “Well I’m only here to deliver a message from your son, Daniel Faraday,” he says looking at Ellie. “He said they need YOUR help, not Sun’s, not Jack’s.” “But I AM helping, Desmond. The Island is not done with you.” Des freaks. “This woman cost me 4 years of my life. These people are not helping us, they are using us. We are just pawns in their game, brutha.” Then to Ellie, “The Island may not be done with me, but I’m done with the island.”

After Des’s departure, Ellie tells Jack and Sun that they must take Airlines Agira Airways, flight 316 because it is flying right through their window. Hey, I remember Agira Airways! That’s where the water bottles came from on the long boats. Ellie continues, “You all need to be on it. It must be that flight.” School is back in session. “You must do your best to create the same circumstances. This means bringing as many of the same people as you can with you.” “So that’s it?” Jack wonders. “We just get on that flight and we’re done with it?” “No, that’s not all, Jack,” Ellie says, staring at Jack with her dead black eyes. “Not for you.”

Ellie leads jack away, explaining that Ben and Sun heard what they needed to hear and this does not concern them. She hands Jack John Locke’s suicide note in an envelope addressed to Jack. “He hung himself.” Ellie tells Jack by way of explanation. “He is going to help you get back. John is going to be a proxy. A substitute.” A substitute for who?” Jack wants to know. “Jack,” scolds the school marm. “Who do you think?” Locke will be a substitute for Jack’s father in the coffin. “Get something that belonged to your father and give it to John.” Ellie demands.
Now it’s Jack’s turn to freak out. “The is ridiculous!” He exclaims. “Stop telling yourself how ridiculous it is and start asking yourself if you believe it’s going to work,” Ellie responds. “That’s why it’s called a leap of faith.”

TWe then join Jack and Ben on a nice little journey of symbolism, as Ben ponders a painting of Jesus and Thomas the Apostle, aka Doubting Thomas. “Thomas needed to touch Jesus’ wounds to be convinced,” Ben explains. Jack, who has apparently never been to Sunday school, asks if that convinced him. “We’re all convinced sooner or later, Jack.” Then Ben leaves, making the excuse to Jack “I made a promise to an old friend. I have to tie up a loose end.”

Is he going to kill Penny?

Jack is in a bar. His phone rings and he leaves to go to an old folks home, where his granddad Ray, lives. Seems ray has tried to take off again and the home needs Jack to calm the old guy down. “Where were you going to go, Ray?” asks Jack. “Some where better than here.” I found myself wishing that Jack would take the sweet old guy with him back to the island. Jack begins to unpack his grandad’s bag and finds a pair of his dad’s dress shoes. Knowing he needs something of his father’s, he asks his granddad if he can take the shoes. Jack then explains that he won’t be around to visit because he’s going away for a while. “Where are you going?” Ray asks him. “Some place better than here.”

Jack goes home after his visit to Grandad Ray, enters the apartment and starts looking through the cabinets. Pills? Booze? Pills? Booze? Booze! He begins to pour himself a drink, but hears someone enter his apartment. Instead of calling out, “Who’s there?” Jack begins to walk through the dark apartment and upon arriving in the bedroom, finds an utterly distraught Kate laying on his bed. “Are you still going to the island?” She asks. “Yes,” Jack answers. “Then I’m going with you.” Jack is confused. “Kate, what happened? Where’s Aaron?” “If you want me to go with you, you will never ask me that question again,” Kate says. “You will never ask me about Aaron again.” Kate is so messed up for the rest of this episode that she actually has me creeped out.

Jack and Kate have hot sex, but a very awkward morning after. Kate notices the shoes and comments on them. Jack tells her, “When I went to get my dad in Australia my mom wanted to have his funeral right away. He didn’t have any nice shoes, so I had these old white tennis shoes and I said, ‘Put these on him,’ because he wasn’t worth a new pair of shoes to me.” “Why hold on to them if they make you sad?” Kate asks. But she doesn’t stick around to hear the answer; she beats a hasty retreat and tells Jack she’ll meet him at the airport.

Ben calls Jack and tells him he’s been sidetracked. He’s covered in blood and calling from a pay phone at the marina, obviously upset. Has he killed Penny? Des? Little Charlie? “Pick up Locke’s body at Simon’s butcher shop. Ask for Jill.”

Jack shows up at the butcher shop where Jill gives him a moment alone with Locke’s body. Jack opens the coffin. For some strange reason, I found the whole sequence of Jack removing Locke’s shoes and replacing them with his father’s to be oddly touching. “Wherever you are John, you must be laughing your ass off that I’m even doing this. Because this is even crazier than you were.” Jack puts the suicide note back in the coffin. “I don’t need this. I’ve already heard everything you had to say. Rest in peace.”

Jack is at the airport, arranging for transport of Locke’s body. He is told it will have to be screened and that he will be the contact in Guam. As he is leaving the check in desk, a small guy offers, “My condolences, I’m sorry you lost your friend.” This guy IS somebody. We will see him again.

Kate and Sun show up at the airport, Jack is happy to see them, if a little surprised. Sun says if there is even a chance that Jin is alive, she’s going back.

We see Sayid being escorted by a female marshall—just like Kate in the original flight. BTW, that marshall IS somebody, too. We’ll see her again as well.

We see Hurley carrying Charlie’s guitar.

Hurley is at the gate and begins to freak out when the stewardess starts calling for standbys. Hurley says there are no standbys, all 78 seats are his, he bought them.. When Jack gets to the gate, he wonders to Hurley, “How did you get here?” “Dude, it only matters that I’m here.”

Ben shows up a little worse for wear just as the plane is about to take off. His face is beaten and his arm is in a sling. Hurley freaks when he sees Ben but Jack calms him down. The stewardess gives Jack the suicide note, which was recovered after their scan of the coffin. Jack just can’t get rid of this note. He settles on a seat in the back, across the aisle from Ben. “The other people on this plane, what’s going to happen to them?” Jack asks. “Who cares?” Ben replies.

N as the captain turns of the seatbelt sign, Jack moves up next to kate. “Sooo…pretty crazy, huh? How did they all get here?” Jack asks. “They bought a ticket.” Kate replies dryly. “You don’t think it means something, that we’re all together again?” jack asks. Kate rolls her eyes. “We’re on the same plane, Jack. We’re not together.”

And where is Des?

An announcement comes over the PA: “This is your pilot, Frank J. Lapidus.” Jack immediately tells the flight attendant he needs to speak to the pilot. Frank, all cleaned up, emerges from the cockpit, happy to see Jack. This is just a little gig he lined up. “Wait a second, is that Sayid? Hurley?” Frank realizes what’s happening. He’s not going to Guam

Jack, uncomfortable around Kate, goes and sits next to Ben (there’s a good measure of how uncomfortable it is to be around Kate; when you prefer Ben’s company to hers.) “How can you read?” Jack asks Ben. “My mother taught me,” Ben quips, but we know it’s a lie since Ben’s mom died in childbirth. “It beats what you’re doing,” Ben remarks “Waiting for something to happen.” Jack tells be that the suicide note is following him. “I feel like John needs me to read it.” “Why don’t you then?” Ben asks. “Are you afraid? Afraid that he blames you, that it’s your fault he killed himself?” Jack says it’s not his fault and Ben agrees and reiterates it, but neither one of them seems convinced. Ben leaves to give Jack privacy and Jack opens the note:

Jack, I wish you had believed. JL

The plane hits turbulence and then we hear the humming that indicates a flash is coming. The flash of light comes and we’re back at the beginning with Jack waking up in the jungle. Disoriented, Kate, Jack and Hurley try to get their bearings. Where are Sun and Sayid? Where is Ben? Island Jack is back and in charge. “We’ll spread out, search the jungle….” he cuts off hearing an unfamiliar sound. It’s the hippie bus—it arrives, but it’s brand new. And the guy in the brand new Dharma jumpsuit who’s driving it gets out with a rifle. Is it Roger Workman?

Dude. It’s Jin. They all went back in time.

New Questions
This episode sets up some new questions for us:
Who is the “very clever man” who built the pendulum room? Jacob? Christian Sheppard? Daniel Faraday? Charles Widmore?
Where oh WHERE is Desmond? (and Penny and Little Charlie)
What’s up with Ben? Does he have the best interests of the island at heart? Or is he the dark side of Locke’s light?
How did Hurley and Sayid get to the airport? Why is Sayid getting an escort, and did he plan it?
What are the circumstances surrounding Locke’s death (we find some of this out next week)

This Place is Death SE5 EP5

“He’s Korean. I’m from Encino”

I missed a big chunk of the scene with the smoke monster, so this episode will definitely get a rewatch, probably tomorrow night. More questions than answers in this episode. But I’m ok with that.

Sun Gun
Just as Sun is about to get out of the car to shoot Ben, her phone rings. Hmmmm….it always happens at the most inconvenient time. Pick up the phone, or kill Ben? She sees that it’s Ji Yeon and answers, “Hi honey, I miss you, I met a new friend for you, I love you. Mommy has to go kill someone now. Hugs to grandmom! Bye!”

With the gun in his face, Ben begins to negotiate with Sun. He has proof that Jin is alive. He talks Sun down from killing him, but loses Sayid and Kate—they don’t trust him there is no way they are going back to the island. Sayid tells them if he sees Jack or Ben again it will be….unpleasant. Sun agrees to go with Ben and Jack.

It’s a little hard to get used to the Season 5 Jack, isn’t it? He used to be so in control and sure of himself to the point of cockiness. Now he’s all “I do whatever Ben tells me to.” As much as the know-it-all Jack got on my nerves, I like this one less.

In the van, Jack and Sun are arguing about their destination, Ben’s trustworthiness, Jack’s deception etc. etc. Suddenly Ben slams on the brakes. “Stop this bickering or I’m stopping this car right now!” Ben’s had enough “If you knew everything I did to keep you safe, you’d be thanking me! Now either shoot me or shut up!” Sun opts to shut up.

BTW, a big hat tip to Sig for running the name on the side of the van, “Canton Rainier” in the anagram server. Mix up those letters and you get “reincarnation”. More on that below.

They arrive at the church and Ben gives Jin’s ring to Sun. It seems Ben had it on him the whole time, yet since time was of the essence, he took them to the church first. Sun, convinced now that her husband is alive and on the island, agrees to go back with Ben.

“What are you doin’ here?” we hear from the dark. Here comes our Des. I’d forgotten all about him and his identical mission. “You’re looking for Faraday’s mother too?” Ben looks puzzled but instead of questioning Des, goes into the church. The others follow.

Eloise Hawking is Faraday’s mom. Des remembers her right off as the woman who wouldn’t sell him Penny’s engagement ring. She’s not happy that Ben didn’t bring everyone. “I said all of them.” “It’s the best I could do on such short notice,” Ben explains. “It will have to do, then. Let’s get started, shall we?”

Stuck in 1988 with the Frenchies
Jin asks what year it is and is freaked out when Danielle tells him it’s 1988. Jin wants to find his camp (even though it hasn’t been built yet) but Danielle (she is not the crazy Rousseau yet) and her group want Jin to take them to the radio tower. As they are walking through the jungle, Danielle, seven months pregnant with Alex, gets a strong kick from the baby. They stop for a breather and playful banter ensues between Danielle and Robert, until they realize Nadine is missing. They hear the loud cicada sound and look to Jin to identify it. “Monster,” Jin says.

The smoke monster grabs one of the Frenchies, and the others run after him. They grab him and prevent it from dragging him down the hole, then the phone rings and Lisa misses about 5 minutes of critical plot development regarding the smoke monster.

After a flash, Jin finds himself alone at an ancient wall covered in hieroglyphics: The Temple. Hooray! He's not stuck with the Frenchies! He looks around in confusion since all the people who were there a few minutes ago are now gone…oh wait, there’s the arm, so they were here after all—but by the condition of the arm, it looks like it might have been a few weeks ago.

Jin heads back to the beach where Danielle is systematically killing all of the people she crashed on the island with. She has a bead drawn on Robert, who sweet talks her into lowering her weapon. She complies, he raises his gun and fires—dry. Danielle doesn’t give him a second chance and shoots him in the head. She looks up to see Jin. “You disappeared!” she accuses him, answering a question that had just occurred to me—which is, when these guys flash to a different time, what does it look like to those who stay behind? Answer: they disappear.

Several flashes later, Jin finds himself in a ditch with a gun in his back. It’s Sawyer. A joyous reunion ensues then Jin asks “Where Sun?” They tell him that Sun got off the island. Jin, speaking in Korean, asks Charlotte to translate his question: how do they know she is alive? “She just is and I just know,” explains Locke, helpfully. There is another flash and Charlotte collapses. When she wakes up, she is babbling something very disturbing to Jin. Then she says in English, “Don’t let them bring her back, no matter what. This place is DEATH!”

The flashes coming closer together and it looks like they are becoming more intense and more painful. Charlotte is now babbling, moving into different times. Locke wants to keep moving to the Orchid and leave Charlotte behind. “How will we find it if we’re not in the right time?” they wonder. “Look for the well,” Charlotte advises. “You’ll find it at the well.”

Charlotte’s story
Clearly Widmore is behind the Dharma Initiative and that is where he culled his “team” from. Charlotte tells Daniel that she grew up here. “I was part of the Dharma Initiative. I left with my mum when I was a little girl. I never saw my dad again. Later when we were home, I would ask her about the island and Mum would say that it wasn’t real. That’s why I became an anthropologist. I’ve been searching for this island my entire life. I remember when I was little living here. There was a crazy man who told me that I had to leave the island and never ever come back. He told me if I came back I would die. Daniel, I think that man was you!” This little revelation could be what Charlotte was originally babbling about when she said, “This place is death!” Or not. It could really be death, too.

Charlotte is in really bad shape now, coughing and bleeding. Daniel is with her and tells her to hold on. “I told Desmond to find my mother. She can help us.” Daniel tells her. “Heh,” Charlotte smiles. “What is it?” Daniel wants to know. “I’m not allowed to have chocolate before dinner.” Then she dies. I guess it is death.

Gone in a flash
Upon arrival at the Orchid, Juliet rejoices, “Thank God! What are the chances that we’d have a time flash that landed us at the same time as this thing?” Flash. Sawyer, who now is suffering from nosebleeds as well, “You just had to say something.” They search through the jungle and find the well. “How did Charlotte know this was here?” Miles wonders.

“You don’t bring Sun back.” Jin makes Locke promise. Locke promises, but then says, “I won’t go to Sun, but what if she finds me? What do I tell her?” “Tell her I’m dead. Here’s proof.” Jin hands Locke his wedding ring.

Locke determines that what he needs at the Orchid is down in the well. We can see that a short time later, since the flashes appear to be emulating from the well below. Locke says he will climb down the rope. “You sure you don’t want us to lower you down?” Sawyer asks. “What would be the fun in that?” Juliet stops Locke and tells him, “John, if this works, thank you.” Locke begins his descent.

He’s about halfway down when we hear the telltale buzzing. Flash. Even through the pain, Sawyer is determined not to let Lock drop. He’s holding on to the rope for dear life with his eyes squeezed shut. “I think you can let go of that now,” Miles tells him. Sawyer looks down, horrified. The rope is now just coming out of the ground and he well is gone. Frantically, Sawyer begins digging, but Juliet stops him. “James. You can’t help him.”

Locke falls down the well and we hear a lovely wet snap that sounds like a compound fracture. When Locke examines his wound, the producers treat us to a nice close up of Locke’s exposed bone. But wait, there’s someone in the well with him. It’s Christian Sheppard. “What are you doing here?” Locke asks. Excellent question. “I’m here to help you the rest of the way.” Sheppard acknowledges that he told Locke he had to move the island but, “I said that YOU had to move it.” “Ben said he had to do it.” Locke explains. “Since when did listening to him get you anywhere worth a damn?” And another excellent point by Christian Sheppard. Finally he tells Locke what he needs to do: “There is a woman living in Los Angeles who will tell you how to get them back. Her name is Faraday’s Mom err…Eloise Hawking.” Locke begins to doubt himself. “What if I can’t get them all to come back?” “I believe in you John. You can do this.” Christian reassures him. Worried, Locke says, “Richard said I was going to die.” Christian purses his lips. “I suppose that’s why they call it sacrifice.” Now down to business. “There’s a wheel that slipped off its axis. All you have to do is give it a little push.” “Can you help me up?” Locke asks, remembering his compound fracture that we just had a lovely close up of. “No.”

Locke gives the wheel a little push and Christian asks him to “Say hello to my son.” “Who’s you son?” Locke asks as we fade to white.

More questions from this episode than answers
Reincarnation: Clearly reincarnation refers to Locke, who’s being carted around inside this van, but who is he reincarnated to? Or from?

Jack and Locke are going to end up being connected somehow. So far I believe they are the only character who didn‘t cross in the back stories.

What is the significance of Aaron and his being “raised by another”?

What’s up with the hieroglyphics on the Temple? Is there a connection with the countdown clock in the Swan hatch? Is it possible that Richard Eyeliner is actually an ancient Egyptian and the island is the fountain of youth(I raised this theory a couple years ago. Too tired to find it and link it.

Who is Charlotte’s father? For that matter, who is Charlotte? Have we seen her, or was she mentioned before?

Eloise Hawking’s name is probably an homage to Stephen Hawking. Who is she? And who is her son? How was Daniel a crazy man on the island when Charlotte was a little girl?

Finally, is Ben good or bad? I was just about convinced last year that Ben was good, but now I’m not so sure.

Next Week
Looks like a reunion of the Oceanic Six and a space time lesson from Ellie Hawking.

The Little Prince SE5 EP4

“Hooray. Everything’s back to normal.”

A good solid episode with a nice big payoff at the end. I think that the whole device of having the island “skipping” through time is a great storytelling device that allows us to learn the history of the island and it’s previous inhabitants in a way other than the tried and true flash backs.

The Little Prince
I was a bit surprised at first that this episode did not focus more on Aaron as a character, but rather as an object of love. I’ve never read the book “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, however, I can certainly link the Sparks Notes here and say that while we are meant to believe that this episode was titled for Aaron, Aaron is not the little prince. But the love Kate feels dor him is one of the main themes of the book. The Little Prince may in fact be Jacob. Kate is the rose. Jack could be the King. And there are elements of the Lamplighter in pressing the button 180 days. Look, it’s way past my bedtime. You guys look it up.

On Penny’s Boat
After the rescue, Kate and Jack are sitting on Penny’s boat. Kate, who a few short days earlier was uncomfortable even holding Aaron, now seems to know everything about him, including his sleeping habits. “What are we going to do about him?” She asks Jack. Kate pitches the idea of passing Aaron off as her son. Jack’s all, “You don’t have to do that.” And Kate says, “After everyone we lost, Jin, Michael Sawyer, I can’t lose him too.” Jack, uncomfortable with all of this Sawyer talk changes the subject to the lie. “Are you with me?” He asks Kate. He feels that the others won’t go along with just him. “I have always been with you,” Kate tells him.

Three years later in LA
Sun asks Kate, “Are you sure you want to do this?” We’re not quite certain what the “it” is that Sun’s referring to, but we can assume that it has something to do with “taking care of the lawyers” as Sun suggested last episode. Kate is wearing one of Sun’s suits, thanks her for the loan. Kate says she’s sure she wants to do “it” and leaves Aaron with Sun to complete her mission. Just as Kate leave, a delivery arrives for Sun. In the package is a dossier on Ben and a box of Godiva chocolates. Sun, who is apparently inhuman, IGNORES THE CHOCOLATE, lifts the tray to reveal a gun underneath.

Kate is at the lawyer’s office. She agrees to the blood tests on the condition that Norton reveals his client and let Kate talk to him. Norton tells her she is in no position to negotiate. The exchange of custody is inevitable. “You are going to lose the boy,” Norton tells her.

We see Sayid and Jack at the hospital where Sayid is recovering from his being shot with three doses of horse tranquilizers. Jack tells Sayid he’s working with Ben. “Ben is on our side,” Jack tells him. “The only side he’s on is his own,” Sayid replies. A hospital administrator peeks her head in Sayid’s room and asks for a word. She promptly rips into Jack for using the hospital after he’s been suspended for substance abuse. In mid rant, his phone rings, and Jack just rudely walks away from the administrator and answers the phone. It’s Hurley delivering his only line in the entire show and it’s easily the best one of the episode due to the Hurleysque nature of the lines and Jorge Garcia’s delivery: “Dude I’m totally cool. I’m in the LA county lockup. Tell Sayid I did what he said Ben’s never gonna get me now.”

While Jacks’s chatting with Hurley, Ben meets up with Jack and a bald black assassin with more tranq darts shows up to get Sayid. Sayid, as usual, disables him with his freaky ninja moves and goes through his pockets. He pulls a slip of paper from his wallet. “Do we know anyone that lives at 42 Panorama Crest?” Sayid asks, reading the paper. “That’s Kate’s address.” Jack replies.

Jack immediately calls Kate and tells her he needs to see her. Kate clearly is torn by wanting to see Jack, not wanting to see Jack and being very busy following the lawyer Mr. Norton. She finally relents and Jack’s on his way. “Meet me at Long beach Marina—slip 23. Hurry, we’re running out of time!” Ben calls after him to the creepiest Lost music evah.

Jack finds Kate and notices how distracted she is. “Tell me what’s going on.” He demands. “Somebody wants Aaron,” Kate explains. “They know we’re lying.” The lawyer comes out of the building Kate was staking out and intending to follow him, tells Jack to either get in or get out of the way. Jack, of course, gets in.

Kate follows the lawyer to a motel to see if he’s meeting client. Jack keeps pressuring her to leave because he’s only there to get her back to the island. He’s Ben’s man, now. The lawyer climbs the steps to the motel room and the client answers the door.

OMG! It’s Claire’s mom!

I smell setup.

Kate, though doesn’t smell the setup, so starts freaking out. Jack wants to talk to Claire’s mom, to explain. “I can fix this Kate. Aaron is my family too.” He goes up to meet Mrs.Littleton, tells her that he and Kate only had Aaron’s best interests at heart and Claire’s mom says, “Who’s Aaron?”

Jack returns to Kate’s car and tells her to leave. “She doesn’t know anything,” Jack tells her. “She sued Oceanic and she’s just here to pick up her settlement. She doesn’t even know Aaron exists.” Oh yeah. It’s a set up.

This is verified a couple scenes later when next we see Mr. Norton tying up some loose ends for Ben. He tells Ben that there is no case against Hurley and he can get him out the next day. “Who is that?” Sayid asks. “That’s my lawyer.” Only Michael Emerson can deliver these three innocuous words so delightfully creepily.

When Kate delivers Jack back to the marina, Kate asks, “Why did you call me?” Jack begins to explain how they all have to go back to the island. Kate is confused for a second when she sees Ben then she starts freaking. She puts it all together. “It’s him. It’s Ben who wants to take Aaron.” Jack starts to make apologies, talking about how Ben is on their side, when Ben interrupts and says, “No, Kate’s right. I did try to take Aaron.” Meanwhile, a couple cars over Sun and her new gun are sitting in a car with Aaron observing this little reunion. Sun grabs the gun and gets out of the car.

Island-go-round
We find our Lostaways right where we left them last episode, and apparently 10 island minutes have passed because that’s how long Charlotte has been passed out. Juliet wants to know what’s wrong with Charlotte and she wants Daniel to tell her. Sawyer basically spells out the entire situation and Jules, not liking Sawyer’s tone, tells him to give some space.

Daniel describes Minkowski syndrome as really bad jetlag. “Jet lag doesn’t give you nosebleeds. And why isn’t it happening to the rest of us?” If Daniel answers Juliet, we never know. We do have an idea of why it’s not happening to the others by the end of the show.

Locke decides that they have to go back to the Orchid. “Since that’s where it all started, maybe that’s how we can stop it,” He reasons. He tells Sawyer that he has to make everyone come back, but Sawyer thinks they are all dead. “They’re not dead. But I have to make them come back, even if it kills me.” Locke looks at Saywer and asks a questing we all know the answer to: “Don’t you want them to come back James? Don’t you want her to come back?”

Charlotte finally wakes up doesn’t know who Daniel is. Then she gets her bearings, she’s a little shaky, then she’s ok and they start off for the Orchid. While walking through the jungle, they pass the Swan hatch, all lit up. Locke sees the telltale beam of light and says, “We need to keep moving.” Locke knows when they are and it’s during their time on the island. He knows he will see himself sobbing on the hatch and thinking that would be creepy beyond words (not to mention a bit embarrassing) he insists on moving the group along.

Then the group hears screaming and Sawyer breaks off to investigate. He comes upon Kate delivering Claire’s baybay.

Pause while I go all mushy over how much Sawyer loves Kate. **sigh**.

Ok, I’m back.

We hear the humming and the island flashes again. Locke approaches Sawyer. “Did you see something?” “Yeah. But it doesn’t matter. It’s gone now.” But Locke won’t let it go. “Who was it you saw?” “What was that light in the sky?” Sawyer counters, uncomfortable revealing his tender feeling for Kate to Locke. Locke tells the sad story of the night that Boone died. He tells Sawyer how desperate and disheartened he was until he saw the light come on and he took it as a sign. “Was it a sign?” “No,” Locke answers. “It was just a light.” Sawyer wants to know why Locke didn’t want to go over and give his old self some new advice and save himself all that pain. Locke looks at Sawyer with that knowing smirk on his face. “I needed that pain to get to where I am now.”

The Island flashes. Miles tells Daniel on the Q.T., “Hey I just got a nose bleed. Just tell me why are only me and Charlotte getting them?” Daniel thinks it may have something to do with prolonged exposure to the island, which doesn’t make any sense to Miles since everyone else has been here for a couple of months and he’s only been here a couple of weeks. “I’ve never been here before two weeks ago.” “You sure about that?” Daniel asks. And indeed our Sig floated the theory a couple weeks ago about Miles being Dr. Candle’s/Halliwax’s son.

The Lostaways arrive back at camp is destroyed, but looks pretty much like they left it. Zodiac is gone and so are the rest of the survivors, whom we assume took the zodiac to get away from whoever came in the longboats. “Who came in these?” Sawyer asks. “Other Others?” Juliet finds an Agira water bottle in one of the boats. “Agira is an Indian Airline.” Juliet says.

So now that the zodiac is gone, they decide to take the longboats to cut across the horn or the island to get to the Orchid. The rowing doesn’t agree with Miles. “This plan sounded a lot better when we were doing it in a motor boat.” Suddenly they hear shots being fired; it’s the second longboat in pursuit. Then there’s some paddling—shooting—another flash—“Thank you God!”---and a Horrible storm---“I take it back!”

The Lostaways make it back to the beach where Juliet resumes her rudely interrupted by gunfire conversation with Sawyer. “Tell me about how you felt to see Kate.” Now is Juliet developing feeling fro Sawyer and just torturing herself watching him pine for her, or does Juliet still love Jack and want to encourage Sawyer’s love for Kate in the hopes that when (and if) Jack and Kate return to the island, Sawyer will win Kate from Jack?

So more tender feelings from Sawyer, “I was close enough to touch her. I wanted to, I could have stood right up and talked to her. What’s done is done.”

Pause while I, once again go all mushy over how much Sawyer loves Kate. **sigh**.

Ok, I’m back.

Sawyer breaks his Kate daydream and looks concerned. “Juliet. Your nose is bleeding.”

Look what washed up on shore in 1988
The Lostaways come across the wreckage of a French ship that looks like it is recent. The survivors of the shipwreck are in a life raft and they are in heavy storms. They are heading to shore when they find another survivor and pull him aboard. When they turn him over---

OMG! It’s Jin! I KNEW he was alive!

The next day, the Frenchies are questioning Jin as he regains consciousness. There is a woman who is pregnant. She speaks English and communicates with Jin. The rest of her crewmates are suspicious of him, but she is not. She offers him water and introduces herself: “I am Danielle. Danielle Rousseau.” Oh, and Jin is stuck in her time frame.

Scenes for next week
GUNS! GUNS! GUNS! Sun is going to KILL Ben. Well, probably not. But there it is.