A Case of the.... Lost - Episode 6-9

In my Revisited column, other than making two errors, I noted that this was one episode that needed to deliver – that simply could not show any restraint. And in my view, it succeeded, even though I got a bit nervous at the end. Actually, this really reminded me of “Flashes Before Your Eyes” – quite possibly the best episode of the stellar third season – as it recognized that the flashback was so substantial and interesting that switching between timelines would actually hinder the story.

And I’m sure I’m not the only one who, at the end, was kinda sorta loving Richard. In this interesting Lost ensemble, you have a cast of characters that are all flawed or damaged or insecure or evil or petty or jealous or disturbed. Yet then you have Richard Alpert – a man who made a regrettable, fatal error purely out of his intense desire to save his wife’s life. Richard seems to be a victim of unfortunate circumstances – and unlike many of the other characters who may fall into that category, Richard seems especially free of guilt.

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Now, part of me expected this episode to chronicle Richard’s time on the island, all the way to the modern period (perhaps up until Widmore and his crew arrived). Only because with seven episodes left, I’m not sure we’ll have the time to devote another Richard-centric one (considering we still have to find out what happened to Claire, and we’re yet to have Hurley, Jin, and Sun sideways stories). But I have to say, it might have been smarter to focus their attentions on Richard’s immediate story. Namely, why he’s eternally young and how he came to earn his position. In the grand scheme of things, isn’t that more important than, say, being the best man at Charles and Eloise’s wedding.

Not surprisingly, there was a great deal that fascinated me. First off, I didn’t expect the Man in Black to play such a critical role in rescuing Richard. First he saved him from getting stabbed. Then he rescued him from his chains. Finally, he fed him and gave him water. A fair point could be made that Richard simply would not have survived had it not been for Smokey personified. But as the episode played out, I thought this made sense. The Man in Black tempted and tried to manipulate Richard, but ultimately he used his better judgment and intuition and did the right thing. And I think that worked better than if Richard felt like he owed Jacob something.

What I did love, though, was that the Man in Black gave Richard instructions that were identical to the ones Dogen gave Sayid. One has to wonder: If these actions are played out exactly how they’re supposed to, would it have any effect? I don’t believe the act of speaking has any impact, because Jacob spoke before Ben was able to successfully commit murder. So what was the intended result? I don’t think he was sending Richard out to get killed, otherwise why spare him to begin with? Something to ponder.

I’d also say that, at the conclusion of this episode, it’s pretty conclusive that Jacob is the good guy and Smokey is the bad guy. No question about that anymore. And I do think Jacob’s comment about how he doesn’t want to straight out tell people what’s right and what’s wrong, and who’s good and who’s bad, is a nice little wink, wink to the audience courtesy of the writers.

If I have one criticism of the ending, it’s that I wouldn’t have concluded it with the scene with Jacob and the Man in Black. For whatever reason, it just seemed choppy to jump back to the present day, only to return to the 1800’s.

And finally, I absolutely must mention the phenomenal acting all around this episode, particularly Nestor Carbonell. On top of capturing some genuine, raw emotion, his appearance and accent really made me buy his past character. It really was a wonderful performance. And for what it’s worth, Jorge Garcia really nailed it in his scene with Richard near the conclusion of the episode as well.

Oh, and I kinda love that Jack now accepts, without hesitation, that Hurley might be talking to an unseen Jacob. He just bursts into the scene saying, “I know you’re talking to Jacob.” My how you’ve grown, Dr. Shephard.

Anyway, I suspect – and hope – that this episode will encourage a lot of feedback (hopefully from nice people). So be sure to send me your thoughts! You know the procedure – you can comment below, visit my blog, or shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you!

Provided you’re not an ass.