5.08 - LaFleur

Title’s significance: The episode takes its title from Sawyer’s new pseudonym for himself, “LaFleur.”

Recap: The last time flash before Locke fixes the island takes Sawyer’s crew to a time when the four-toed statue was still standing. A final flash stops the island in time – in 1974. They find Daniel an emotional wreck, promising not to tell Charlotte what she said he told her. At the sound of gunfire, Sawyer’s group finds Others attacking a Dharma picnic, and they rescue a woman named Amy, who tells them that they’ve just violated “the truce.” Using earplugs, Amy tricks them into crossing through the sonic fence; Horace interrogates Sawyer, who weaves a story about a shipwrecked salvage vessel looking for The Black Rock. Daniel deduces that the island is no longer skipping in time but sees young Charlotte at the barracks; an alarm sounds, signaling a Hostile incursion, and it’s Richard Alpert strutting into the barracks. Sawyer tells Richard the truth about the dead Hostiles, revealing that he’s waiting for Locke to return. Having successfully avoided a situation with Richard, Sawyer buys two weeks on the island; Juliet wants to leave, but Sawyer convinces her to stay – with him.

In 1977, Phil and Jerry find that Horace is drunk out at the sonic fence with dynamite, so they go to wake up their security guy LaFleur – who’s actually Sawyer. Sawyer retrieves Horace and brings him back to his wife Amy, who’s pregnant. Though Juliet’s working in the motor pool, Sawyer asks her to help deliver Amy’s baby; Juliet’s reticent after her failures with pregnant women before, but Sawyer suggests that maybe the baby will still be safe. Juliet successfully delivers a son, and she and Sawyer retire to their home for dinner, professing their love for each other. Sawyer visits Horace, who’s hung-over but who’s also a father; thinking of Paul, Horace asks if three years is long enough to get over someone, and Sawyer instantly thinks of Kate. The next morning, Sawyer gets the call from Jin that the 815ers – Jack, Kate, and Hurley – are back.

Thoughts: Not as electrifying as the last two episodes, “LaFleur” was good in a setting-up kind of way with a lot of character-driven moments, but on rewatch it wasn’t as gripping as other episodes have been this season. This I blame primarily on the fact that, once you know that Sawyer and his crew join The Dharma Initiative, there’s really nothing rewarding or suspenseful in rewatching the episode.

Favorite moment: Sawyer-centric episodes always make it difficult to pick a favorite moment, but the character-driven confrontation between Sawyer and Richard takes at least one piece of cake.

Characters introduced (in order):

• JERRY, Dharma Initiative member
• ROSIE, sultry Dharma girl
• PHIL, snappy Dharma worker
• AMY, Horace’s pregnant wife
• PAUL, Amy’s first husband

What we learned:

• The four-toed statue was part of a much larger full statue, possibly of Egyptian origin.
• Locke did stop the island in time.
• Sawyer joins The Dharma Initiative as head of security.
• Charlotte’s body disappears with the last flash.
• Amy was married to Horace.
• The Dharma Initiative could have children on the island.
• The sonic fence doesn’t keep The Hostiles out.
• The Hostiles had a truce with The Dharma Initiative.
• Jack, Kate, and Hurley “crashed” in 1977, while the other 316ers seem to have “crashed” in the present.

Questions:

• What was the nature of the truce between The Hostiles and The Dharma Initiative?
• This will probably not get answered, but where does Amy fit in since we know that Horace and Olivia were married?
• When did the island stop letting women have children?
• Why doesn’t the sonic fence stop The Hostiles?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• I hope we get more details on the truce, but I’m sure that most of the Dharma plotline is over and done with by this point.