A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 5-15

“I remember them clearly. Because I watched them all die.”

Awesome character you may be, Richard, but your bedside manner could use some work. That being said, Richard also receives runner up quote recognition with his brilliant “Want the bullet?” line.

Click the "Read More" link for full column.

Speaking of bedside manner – an expression commonly used for doctors – Jack kicked this episode off with some harsh truths as well, didn’t he? I find it interesting that Jack’s new methodology has been compared to Locke’s – in fact, that very connection was explicitly stated this very episode – yet his philosophy on whether to rewrite history was very un-Locke-like. Earlier this season Locke stated that the past events in his life, even the negative and painful ones, helped him become the man he needed to be. Yet in his discussion with Kate, Jack confessed that there were enough bad memories existed that he was willing to let go of the past three plus years altogether.

And based on how hurt she was by those comments, and how mopey she was around him for the remainder of the episode, I refuse to believe that she doesn’t still have feelings for him. I mean, when Jack proposed a history in which their plane landed safely, the first thing she asked was, “What about us?” I’m sure, to an extent, she was trying to prey on his emotions in order to talk him out of what he was planning, but nevertheless, her immediate thought was THEIR relationship. And she was legitimately hurt when it seemed that he was willing to give up on them.

But man, that girl really knows how to ruin a good time, huh? How much did your heart sink when she entered the sub and completely destroyed any chance Sawyer and Juliet had for happiness? For the first time, Sawyer was willing to just let go of everything else in his life if it meant that he could live the rest of his life with the woman he loves. And in just a few seconds, all of that crumbled. You could read it on both of their faces, especially Juliet’s. And for that matter, I don’t know how anybody could argue that Sawyer doesn’t genuinely love Juliet. He was willing to sacrifice everybody else so that he could run away and live a real life with her.

I’m not sure how I feel about this whole Jack & Sayid vs. Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate thing, though. It’s strange, because I feel like they’re trying to make the latter team seem like the “good guys,” but are they? If Jack successfully changes the future – conceivably – he prevents the Purge, meaning that all of the Dharma folk live. And without the plane crashing on the island, Boone, Shannon, Libby, Ana Lucia, Michael, Eko, Charlie, and all the rest live. And Desmond doesn’t have to live in a hatch for all those years. And what exactly is Kate’s justification to prevent it? Because she met some cute boys on the flight?

I must note that I absolutely loved the framing of the episode, with present day Richard on a journey with Locke and Ben, and Richard from 30 years ago on a journey with Eloise, Jack, Kate, and Sayid (by the way, pretty brilliant pairing Sayid with Jack, the one person who didn’t disagree with the decision to shoot young Ben. This effectively avoided Sayid being viewed as a villain to the viewers). In both cases the described advisor was clueless as to what was happening – or what was going to happen – a rarity for this character. And in both instances, he seemed reluctant to cooperate with the orders being given. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this episode, though, is the fact that it did rattle the theory that the future can’t be changed (a theory I argued in favor of in my Revisited column). Richard revealed that he watched the Oceanic survivors die, which I don’t believe will end up happening. Oh, and Richard building a ship in the bottle (where did he order that, exactly?) – could that be a Black Rock reference?

So we finally found out how Richard knew that Locke had been shot, and I’m glad Ben asked the question we were all wondering: How did Locke know that this was the right time? Turns out, the island told him. I presume that the island also told him to tell Richard to tell him (three years in the past) that he has to die. Otherwise we’ll get into another one of those paradox debates.

Speaking of Richard and Locke, how unsettling was his comment to Ben (of all people) that he’s starting to think that their new leader is going to be trouble? About as uneasy as Locke’s confession to Ben that he’s going to kill Jacob. The infrastructure of the Others is really starting to shake up, huh? I do have to say, though, that it was devilish fun watching Locke string Ben along on his little mission just to rub in his face how much more special he is.

I also find it interesting how many of the central characters are turning into their greatest rival. Locke has exercised his manipulative side, as we’ve seen with Sun, much like Ben. Jack has found his spiritual side, screaming about destiny, similar to Locke. Even Sawyer has transformed into an altruistic savior, a la Jack. Thoughts on what all of this might mean?

By the way, I usually don’t read other reviews until after I finish mine, because I only intend to use other people’s thoughts in my Revisited column. But since I got a late start to this one, I did have a chance to read around a bit and I couldn’t help but laugh at this comment from Scott Keith’s blog:

And poor Richard. Dude’s like 400 years old and even he’s getting confused by the shit that’s going on around him.

And since this past episode was framed by the past and present Richard, this seems like the perfect way to end this week’s column.

Be sure to send in your thoughts for my Revisited column….it’s the last one before the finale! So make it good and don’t hesitate to participate!