Season Three Roundup

Season Three was, for a lot of us, a make or break season. After a somewhat lackluster sophomore season, the pressure was on for LOST to really knock it out of the park this third season. And, in true LOST fashion, the writers didn’t do what a lot of people were expecting; they didn’t run through a list of the “Top Ten Mysteries of The Island” and answer point-by-point reader mail. Instead, they opened the season with one big revelation – led by Ben, The Others have a big civilization on the island – and used that to guide an entire season of new mysteries and to deepen character relationships (most unforgettably, the revelation that Locke’s father is the original Sawyer).

Like Season Two, Season Three suffered from issues with momentum. Season Three was no different from the first two seasons in that a middle stretch of about four episodes left me feeling cold, distanced, and unfocused from the main plotline. The most notable offender here is “Stranger in a Strange Land,” possibly the worst episode of LOST (it’s on the list with “Fire + Water”). What made this episode such a clunker? Setting aside the dreadful guest appearance of Bai Ling, the main plot grinds to a halt, characters like Isabel are introduced with terrific import but are never seen again, and we get an answer to a central mystery – Jack’s tattoos – before being told that the answer we have isn’t the real answer. It’s no wonder that after this episode and the “Hurley fixes a car” incident (which, despite the episode’s overall faults, was at least entertaining and fun to watch) the powers that be beseeched ABC to allow an end date to be set for LOST.

It’s evident when that conversation was had, since Season Three picks up steam like nobody’s business once Locke meets up with The Others. For two seasons now, we’ve learned that Locke is somehow special, but this season really let us know how special he was. The Others have been expecting him once they learned about his former paralysis, and we the audience are left wondering why the island would be so choosy about healing Locke and not Ben. Jacob, heretofore named and never seen, makes an appearance, and it’s evident that he is suffering some kind of grave mistreatment, so much so that he beseeches Locke for help. Locke’s destiny seems fully in check when an apparition of Walt – the smoke monster? the island? – appears and prevents him from killing himself, claiming, “You’ve got work to do.” Locke’s destiny appears to be to save the island from the freighter people, since his first act is to attack Naomi and seemingly kill her. (Perhaps, then, this is why Ben’s actions at the end of Season Four don’t really work. An analysis for another time.)

It seems almost difficult to believe that Season Three and Season One come from the same show, but the series has always been a little bit like Alice’s rabbit hole that leads her to Wonderland – as we fall deeper, the world looks less like the one we left, but it feels natural, as though all this belongs together. With the introduction of the flashforward technique, LOST takes a giant step back from the viewers who thought they had it all figured out; some of the survivors, we learn, will make it off the island. But all that glitters is not gold, and for once, Ben might be telling the truth when he says that the freighter will initiate “the beginning of the end.” Now that The Others have had their little war with the survivors, it seems they’ll have to band together against a new group of Hostiles – only this time, there’s something larger than just The Dharma Initiative at stake.

And now for our Questions roundup: Of our 123 lingering questions, 40 have now been answered, leaving 83 still remaining (these 83 will continue to carry over to subsequent roundups until they are answered). In Season Three, I asked 121 questions, 51 of which were answered within the season; this leaves 65 questions for future seasons to answer. That brings our running total of lingering questions to 148. As with last season, I decided to be a smartass and asked five questions that were completely useless.

Asked and Answered – Lingering Questions:

• Why hasn’t anyone come to rescue them? – It seems that someone has.
• How the heck did a polar bear get on this island? (Hint: it’s not “Bear Village,” as Sawyer says.) – The Dharma people brought them for science experiments at The Hyda.
• How did Locke become paralyzed? – His father pushed him out of an eighth-story window.
• What’s the deal with Jack and his tattoos? – Jack got them in Thailand in one of the most useless flashback sequences.
• Who was the original Sawyer? – Anthony Cooper, Locke’s father.
• What’s the cable for? – It connects The Looking Glass to the island.
• Where is Alex? – She’s living with The Others as Ben’s daughter.
• There’s a polar bear in Walt’s comic book. There’s more than one polar bear on the island. Coincidence? – It would seem so.
• What’s the story behind Kate’s short marriage? – She was married to a police officer, but it was too hard for her to keep lying to Mr. Nice Guy, so she bailed.
• If Frank Duckett wasn’t the real Sawyer, who was? – Anthony Cooper
• Where did Sam Toomey learn The Numbers? – According to Lostpedia (I guess I missed this), “Leonard Simms and Sam Toomey served together at a listening post monitoring long wave transmission in the Pacific. Sam heard a voice repeating the Numbers.”
• Why is it so important for Sawyer to be on the raft? He claims it’s because there’s nothing on the island, but there has to be something deeper, right? – He has a daughter.
• What does Sun have to be punished for? – She cheated on her husband.
• Why is “QUARANTINE” stamped on the hatch door? – The people in the hatch have been told that an illness is running rampant on the island.
• If Cooper has conned people before, is he the original Sawyer? – Yes.
• How many Others are there? – There’s a whole civilization of them.
• Whatever happened with Hurley and Starla? – Starla ran away with Johnny.
• How do The Others know the names of those on the plane? – The Flame, Mikhail’s station, has a satellite dish with intel-gathering capabilities.
• Who decides who a good person is to put their names on a list? – Jacob.
• Who was Sarah’s lover? – Some dude.
• Why is Locke so interested in Sawyer’s name? – I think we can infer that Locke knows “Tom Sawyer” was one of his father’s aliases.
• How do The Others know the names of all the 815ers? Was it simply Ethan reporting back? – Mikhail gathered the names from The Flame.
• Where did all the things in Claire’s nursery come from, and why couldn’t Ethan explain them? – Now that we know The Others were in possession of a submarine, it’s safe to say they came from off the island.
• Are The Others members of The Dharma Initiative? – No: they’re all dead.
• Why were The Others interested in Claire’s baby? – No one’s had a baby on the island in years.
• Did Sun and Jae Lee have an affair? – Yep.
• Who’s the father – Jin or Jae Lee? – Jin.
• Did the island cure Jin’s infertility like it cured Locke’s paralysis? – Sure did, Betty Sue.
• What was Jack doing in Thailand? – Collecting himself and getting tattoos.
• What’s the so-called Henry Gale’s real name? – Benjamin Linus.
• Who does “Henry Gale” answer to? – At times, he seems to answer to Jacob, though other times he acts totally independent.
• Why won’t The Others turn over Walt? – They believe Walt is special.
• Why did Christian choose the name “Sarah” for Ana Lucia? Is this a reference to Jack’s wife? – It could be. It’s never really stated whether Christian had an affair with Sarah, but it’s probably unlikely. It is, however, almost certainly a reference to Sarah Shephard.
• Was “Henry” really coming for Locke? – His chief interest seems to have been in Jack, but he became interested in Locke later.
• Who did Christian go to Australia to see? – Claire, his daughter.
• Who was in The Pearl recently? – The Others have been using The Pearl, especially Ben, Juliet, and Tom.
• What’s in “the room” where Walt was being held? – It’s likely that this was in Room 23, the brainwashing room where Karl stayed.
• Did the system failure crash Oceanic 815? – Yes, although there’s probably some destiny at play, too.
• What happened when the failsafe was triggered? – The skies turn purple, and an electromagnetic burst was issued.
• Did the two Portuguese men find the island? If so, how did they know to look for electromagnetic activity? – It would seem so, though Penny claims the freighter isn’t working for her.

Asked and Answered – Season 3:

• Why did The Others draw blood from their captives? – They’re checking the women to see if they’re pregnant, but it’s not certain why they’re testing men, too.
• What’s going to happen in the next two weeks that Ben says will be unpleasant? – Ben is manipulating Jack by using Kate and Sawyer.
• What hatch is Jack imprisoned in, and what was its original function? – The Hydra, a zoological research facility on a whole ’nother island.
• Are the bears that Tom mentions the island’s polar bears? – Yep.
• How did Juliet get a dossier on Jack? – Mikhail at The Flame with the satellite dish (it sounds like a game of Clue, don’t it?).
• What happened to The Dharma Initiative if The Others are controlling their stations now? – Ben “purged” them.
• Who built the dock? – The Dharma Initiative.
• What’s Alex’s connection to Karl? – They’re sweet on each other.
• How did Ben get a recording of the Red Sox winning the World Series? – Mikhail. Flame. Satellite dish.
• What does Boone mean that Charlie and Claire will be all right “for a while”? – Charlie is fated to die on the island.
• According to Locke’s dream, who is in danger? – Eko.
• Can Desmond really see the future? – Yes, but only bits and pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle.
• Whose spinal X-rays are up in the Others’ medical station? – Ben.
• What station did Locke see? – The Flame.
• Who is the Eyepatch Man? – Mikhail Bakunin, an Other gathering information from off the island.
• Why does Juliet want Ben dead? – Ben won’t let her leave.
• Who’s Alex’s boyfriend? – Karl.
• What will Locke find up north? – The Flame.
• Why does Ben ask after Alex before surgery? – He seems to have adopted Alex; at any rate, she believes he’s her father.
• Will Jack let Ben die? – Nah, he wouldn’t. He’d cry too much.
• What did the injections meant to do for Rachel? – Make her pregnant.
• What’s Ben and Juliet’s “history”? – Ben won’t let Juliet leave the island.
• What’s going on in Room 23? – Brainwashing of some sort, as evident by Karl’s delusional mutterings.
• Why would the purple skies prevent The Others from taking Ben to an off-island facility? – The electromagnetic anomaly knocked out the homing beacon, so The Others could never find their way back to the island if they left.
• Can Desmond really see the future? – Still yes.
• Can Desmond change the future or not? – He can change specific details, but he only postpone the big picture.
• Where did the Dharma van come from? – The Dharma people left it when they all died.
• Who’s “Roger Work Man”? – Surprise! He’s Ben’s dad.
• Why didn’t the Dharma people get to finish their dirt road? – Ben killed them all.
• What killed the members of The Dharma Initiative? – Some sort of island-wide gas attack launched by Ben and The Hostiles.
• How does Mikhail know what he knows about the survivors of Flight 815? – That big old satellite dish isn’t as broken as he says it is.
• How did the sonic fence get on the island? – The Dharma Initiative built it.
• What does Locke have planned for the C-4 in his bag? – He’s going to blow up the submarine.
• Why did Locke blow up The Flame? – He’s eliminating anything that could reunite him with his father.
• What’s the nature of the box that Ben describes to Locke? – It’s a metaphor.
• Did Cooper kill Peter Talbot? – The fact that he pushes Locke out a window suggests that he did.
• What brought Cooper to the island – Ben, the magic box, or the island? – Ben had Cooper abducted.
• Was the monster involved in Nikki and Paulo’s death? – The writers say yes, but I don’t like that.
• Is this it? Is this the end for Nikki and Paulo? – Yep.
• Why is Locke’s hand all bandaged up? – Cooper bit him.
• Where did The Others go? – They’ve moved on to their old camp.
• Why did The Others leave Juliet behind? – She’s a spy! Gasp!
• Why is Ben spying on the survivors, and what’s going to happen in a week? – He’s planning to abduct all the pregnant women and figure this out.
• Who IS the parachutist? – Naomi Dorrit.
• How the heck did Mikhail survive the sonic fence incident? – “The pylons were not set to a lethal level.” (Kind of like the time that Tony Almeida “missed the artery.”)
• What does Rousseau need more dynamite for? – She and Jack are going to ambush The Others with it.
• What secret are Jack and Juliet keeping from Kate? – Juliet’s a double agent.
• What did Ben mean when he asked Richard if he remembered birthdays? – Richard doesn’t seem to age.
• Is it just me or is Richard not aging? – Um, yeah. He’s not.
• Is that it for Locke? – No, he still has work to do.
• Is Mikhail finally dead? – Damon says yes.

Still Unanswered:

• Why doesn’t technology work on the island?
• “Where are we?”
• Michael promises to find Vincent “as soon as it stops raining.” Immediately, it stops raining. Is this situational humor, or is there something special about Walt?
• Why did the thing in the jungle let Locke live, and why does he lie about it?
• Where’s Christian’s body?
• Is the Christian on-island a ghost, a resurrected Christian, or something else entirely?
• What does Locke mean when he says that he’s “looked into the eye of this island, and it’s beautiful”?
• What is the source of the mysterious whispers?
• What does Claire’s dream/nightmare mean?
• Why can’t anyone else raise Claire’s baby?
• Did the psychic know that Flight 815 was going to crash?
• Walt keeps rolling what he needs in backgammon and says he’s the luckiest person his step-dad knows – is there something supernatural at play?
• Why are the tides rising so quickly?
• Why has the monster been quiet the last few weeks?
• Why is Michael “holding on” – for Walt or for himself?
• Did Walt somehow cause the Bronze Kahuku to crash into the window?
• Is Claire’s black rock the same as Rousseau’s black rock?
• What was the Tampa Job that Sawyer and Hibbs worked?
• Did Sawyer ever get revenge on Hibbs for using him?
• What’s the significance of The Numbers?
• Why does “using” The Numbers lead to problems?
• Are The Numbers cursed?
• Who’s been broadcasting The Numbers from the island?
• Why did the island take away Locke’s ability to walk?
• I think this one is between the lines, especially in light of the fifth season’s events: Did Shannon miss, or did the island save Locke?
• How does Walt know about the hatch?
• Was it Walt’s thoughts on the hatch that spurred his change of heart vis-à-vis leaving the island?
• Why did Montand lose his arm?
• What infected Rousseau’s team?
• What makes Rousseau claim the monster is a security system?
• How did The Black Rock get all the way inland?
• Michael said it best: “How the hell does a place this big never get discovered?”
• Why isn’t Locke afraid of the smoke monster?
• Where did the smoke monster try to take Locke?
• What did Shannon see in the jungle – Walt or something else?
• What’s the significance of the mural in the hatch?
• Why would Desmond think that the world doesn’t exist anymore?
• What will the other five DHARMA orientation videos show? – One (The Pearl) shows that the stations are under surveillance.
• What happened in the “incident”?
• Why the numbers – why do those get entered into the computer?
• How did Rose know that Bernard is fine?
• Who is Jae Lee’s American woman?
• How does Locke know so much about babies?
• Why is Shannon seeing visions of Walt?
• What is the function of The Arrow station?
• Who claimed that the island was under quarantine, and why?
• Who does the glass eye belong to?
• Where did the U.S. Army knife come from?
• Where did the mysterious black horse come from?
• Are the ghosts that Kate is seeing connected to the “ghost” of Walt that Sayid saw?
• Are the odd things around Kate – Sawyer as Wayne, the black horse – ghosts, guilt, the smoke monster, or something else?
• How could communication with the outside world lead to another incident?
• Does Eko have a soul?
• Why didn’t the smoke monster attack Eko?
• What does Sawyer owe Gordy?
• Why are transmissions coming in from 1944?
• Why is Rousseau so convinced that Henry Gale is one of The Others?
• What’s the significance of the hieroglyphics?
• What was The Staff’s original function?
• Why do The Others pretend to be all grizzly?
• I think it’s also fair to ask whether Dave was Hurley’s imagination or “the island” just messing with him.
• Did “Henry” press the button?
• How does the island heal people?
• Was Goodwin going to kill Ana Lucia?
• Is Richard Malkin genuinely a psychic or not?
• Who salted the question mark?
• Why did the orientation film presenter use a different name – Mark Wickmund instead of Marvin Candle?
• Why did Locke have to come to the Pearl?
• Why did Pickett take Michael’s blood?
• Why did Ms. Klugh choose the four survivors that she did?
• Why was Desmond dishonorably discharged from the army?
• Why couldn’t Desmond leave the island?
• Why is Libby’s hair different in each flashback?
• Who was Libby married to? David, but David who?
• What’s the story behind the Hurley bird?
• What’s the deal with the four-toed statue?
• How did Inman get from Iraq to the island?
• Who is Radzinsky?
• Why would Radzinsky edit the video?
• Why did Radzinsky kill himself?
• Why did Kelvin leave the army?
• Why won’t Michael be able to return to the island?
• Are The Others really “the good guys”?
• Why isn’t Kate Tom Friendly’s “type”?
• Why does Ben treat Kate so differently?
• Were Sarah and Christian having an affair?
• Why is Karl being held captive? – Ben doesn’t want him getting Alex pregnant.
• What’s The Others’ endgame?
• What’s the point of having Sawyer and Kate break rocks?
• Why stay on this island if The Others can leave all along?
• Who are the Dharma skeletons in the bear cave?
• Why was the smoke monster following Eko?
• If that wasn’t Yemi, who was it?
• Why did the smoke monster kill Eko?
• Who is Jacob?
• Who’s on Jacob’s list, and how does it differ from Ms. Klugh’s list?
• Why isn’t Jack on Jacob’s list?
• Why is Ben claiming to be Alex’s father?
• Was there something supernatural at play when Juliet’s husband was hit by a bus?
• Does Widmore have an island connection as the paintings in his office suggest?
• How does Mrs. Hawking know everything?
• Is Mrs. Hawking real?
• Is Achara’s gift metaphorical or supernatural?
• Why has Cindy joined The Others?
• How does Karl not know about The Brady Bunch?
• What’s the significance of Juliet’s mark?
• What do Jack’s tattoos “mean”?
• Where’d the dart in the jungle come from?
• What is the nature of the truce that Mikhail mentions?
• What did Ms. Klugh know that she didn’t want the survivors to know?
• Will the homing pigeon plan work?
• Why was Locke’s paralysis cured immediately, but Ben has been allowed to suffer?
• What is Richard Alpert’s role with The Others?
• Why did the smoke monster shoot Juliet with white light?
• What happened the other three times Juliet’s shoulder was dislocated?
• Why can’t women give birth after conceiving on the island?
• Why doesn’t Ben want anyone leaving the island?
• How can Jacob cure cancer?
• Why is Ben so hooked on Juliet?
• What happened with Sayid in Basra?
• How did the parachutist get the photograph of Desmond and Penny?
• Who is the parachutist working for?
• How does the parachutist know Desmond’s name?
• Why is the room in The Staff hidden?
• What about the island increases sperm count?
• Is Sun going to be okay?
• What’s the deal with the Flight 815 discovered by those not on the island? How can that be?
• How did The Others know to be waiting for Locke?
• Why did The Black Rock come to the island?
• Why is Ben so afraid of Jacob?
• How did Ben see his mother in the jungle?
• What’s the significance of the white ash around Jacob’s cabin?
• Why is Richard so interested in Ben’s vision of a dead person?
• Was Jacob really in the cabin?
• How did a group of low-tech Hostiles purge the island?
• What happened to Annie?
• What was The Looking Glass’s original function?
• What is The Temple?
• Is Kate pregnant?
• What happened to Mikhail’s eye?
• What forces are attacking the island?
• What’s with the vision of Walt?
• Who’s in the coffin?
• If it’s not Penny’s boat, whose is it?
• Who else makes it off the island?
• In the flashforward, who’s going to wonder where Kate is?
• Why weren’t Jack and Kate supposed to leave? That is, why do they have to go back?
• What happened to the island after they left?

Me Being a Smartass – Season 3:

• How much of what Ben Linus says can we believe?
• Was that the same bunny? – Ben likes bunnies.
• Where does one even get “shocking amounts of pornography” like Charlie finds in Sawyer’s stash?
• Has Jack flipped his lid?
• Is there a forensics hatch Sawyer doesn’t know about?

3.22 - Through the Looking Glass

For some reason, Hulu broke this episode in half, but since it originally aired as one unit, I’m putting it together here.

Title’s significance: It’s not the first reference we get to “Alice in Wonderland” – this one reminds us of the portal that brought Alice into a new and uncharted world – but on a literal level it points to The Looking Glass as being the thing through which the survivors’ rescue must pass.

Recap: The Others are coming, so the survivors are in full speed mode. At The Looking Glass, Bonnie & Greta are torturing Charlie, so Ben sends Mikhail to figure out what’s going on. The Others walk right into the beach trap, but after losing seven people they capture Sayid, Bernard, and Jin – the shooters. Ben deduces that Juliet betrayed The Others, so he tells Tom to find the 815ers; under duress, Bernard confesses that the survivors are going to the radio tower and that Karl tipped them off. Ben goes after the survivors and brings Alex, while directing Richard to “The Temple.” Kate derides Sawyer for not caring about anything while Desmond wakes up in his paddleboat and dives after Charlie. Sawyer turns back to help the shooters at the beach but refuses to bring Kate; Juliet volunteers, knowing where there’s a stash of guns. Mikhail comes to The Looking Glass, looking for Charlie and Desmond; Ben tells Mikhail that the island is under assault and orders him to “clean up the mess I’ve made.” Hurley follows Sawyer and volunteers to help, but Sawyer turns him down. In the mass grave, Locke is about to kill himself but is stopped by a vision of Walt, who tells him he has “work to do.” Jack tells Kate he loves her, and Rousseau tells Jack that she won’t leave the island – just as Ben catches up with the survivors.

On Ben’s orders, Mikhail kills Greta and is about to kill Bonnie before Desmond shoots him with a spear gun. Jack agrees to give Ben five minutes of his time, and Ben tells Jack that Naomi is “one of the bad guys” and is with a team that wants to kill everyone on the island; Jack, however, refuses to play ball, and Ben tells Tom to kill Sayid, Jin, and Bernard. So Jack roughs up Ben something fierce and vows to kill Tom. Bonnie surrenders the code to The Looking Glass – “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys – as Ben introduces Alex to her mother, Rousseau. It’s revealed that Tom and Pryce didn’t kill the shooters, just as Hurley drives up to camp in the Dharma van and runs over Pryce. Charlie deactivates the beacon, and a message from Penny comes in – she’s ecstatic to hear that Desmond is alive, but Charlie learns that it’s not her boat; outside the porthole, Mikhail (STILL not dead) detonates a grenade, flooding the equipment room. Before drowning, Charlie communicates to Desmond that it’s “Not Penny’s Boat.” At the radio tower, Rousseau deactivates her signal, but Ben warns that “making that call will be the beginning of the end.” As Naomi makes contact, Locke appears and throws a knife into her back, but despite his warnings Jack makes the call to the freighter, which signals that it’ll be inbound shortly.

This episode is brilliant for its inversion of the conventional flashback technique, so stay tuned for why this is so awesome. Jack is about to jump off a bridge after reading an obituary, but he stops himself to save someone from a car crash. A pregnant Sarah comes to the hospital to see Jack, but it’s evident that he’s involved in substance abuse. Jack travels to a funeral home in a bad neighborhood, but he says the person in the coffin is neither a friend nor family. After the pharmacy turns him away, Jack steals from the hospital supply room, and Dr. Hamill tells Jack that the car crash was caused by a woman distracted by his attempt to kill himself but that the woman is going to be okay; they argue about whether Jack is fit to continue practicing medicine. At the end of the episode, Jack meets someone outside an airport – it’s Kate. They talk about the funeral and how Jack’s been flying a lot to try to crash on the island again. He tells Kate that they need to return to the island, and she runs away in tears. The whole thing, we learn, is a flashforward, not a flashback.

Thoughts: Home run through and through, Team Darlton. The 80 minutes on Hulu flew by for me, and I’m continuing to feel fulfilled and enriched by this rewatch project as the clock ticks down closer and closer to the Feb. 2 premiere. What’s fantastic about this episode is that the on-island bits are gripping; the Jack flashbacks are dull as always, but the last-second reveal that it’s all a flashFORWARD makes the whole thing worthwhile, and anyone who can redeem a Jack-centric episode gets an A+ in my book. So kudos, Damon & Carlton; keep up the good work.

Favorite moment: For the first half, “I am a dentist; I am not Rambo.” The second half gets points for Sawyer finally getting to kill Tom.

Characters introduced (in order):

• ROB HAMILL, new chief of surgery
• MINKOWSKI, one of the freighter people

What we learned:

• Mikhail’s eye patch is legit.
• Juliet doesn’t know why Sawyer and Kate had to break up rocks.
• Ben hates Karl because he didn’t want Alex to get pregnant.
• Ben claims that Naomi is “one of the bad guys.”
• Mikhail kills Greta and Bonnie.
• Sawyer kills Tom after Pryce gets run over by the Dharma van.
• The island doesn’t want the freighter showing up, either.
• Locke apparently killed Naomi.
• Jack and Kate will make it off the island.

Questions:

• What is The Temple?
• Is Kate pregnant?
• What happened to Mikhail’s eye?
• What forces are attacking the island?
• What’s with the vision of Walt?
• Who’s in the coffin?
• Is Mikhail finally dead?
• If it’s not Penny’s boat, whose is it?
• Who else makes it off the island?
• In the flashforward, who’s going to wonder where Kate is?
• Why weren’t Jack and Kate supposed to leave? That is, why do they have to go back?
• What happened to the island after they left?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• Locke again emerges as a chosen one for the island, and I’m certain that he’s going to save everyone in the final season.
• The ability of the island – or the powers that govern it (i.e., Jacob and perhaps his nemesis) to consciously guide its own path makes me wonder why at times the island seems powerless and at the behest of those serving its needs (i.e., Locke). Who’s ultimately the man behind the curtain?
• I’m holding out hope for a Mikhail return, but it’s probably not top of the list of priorities.

3.21 - Greatest Hits

Title’s significance: Charlie’s flashbacks tick off his five favorite moments, his “greatest hits” (itself a music industry term).

Recap: Charlie’s flashbacks tick off his five favorite moments, his “greatest hits” – hearing “You All Everybody” on the radio, learning to swim with his father, getting his great-grandfather’s ring, saving Nadia (Sayid’s girl) from a mugger, and meeting Claire. On the island, Jack reveals his plan to the survivors: he’s going to hide the survivors and booby-trap the camp. Sayid discovers that a radio tower on the island is blocking the sat phone signal, but Juliet admits that an underwater Dharma station – The Looking Glass – is blocking signals off the island. Desmond reveals that his flashes promise a rescue helicopter if Charlie dies; following Desmond’s flash, Charlie volunteers to swim to The Looking Glass. Karl rafts back to the island with news that The Others have moved up their timetable and are coming tonight, so the 815ers adjust their plan and get ready. Above The Looking Glass, Desmond volunteers to take Charlie’s place, but Charlie knocks him out and dives in; when he makes it to the underwater station, he finds it’s not flooded at all but rather is peopled by two women – with guns.

Thoughts: This is probably one of LOST’s better “getting characters into place” episodes; though the flashbacks aren’t exactly intriguing, the rest of the episode keeps moving at lightning speed with breakneck urgency at every scene cut. Charlie’s goodbye to Hurley is poignant and one of LOST’s more touching moments, but what’s great is that it doesn’t feel cheap or cheesy. One thing’s for sure – no one can watch this episode and not want to at least follow through to the next episode – the big finale.

Favorite moment: I’m so glad they brought Rose and Bernard back in this episode, since Rose is probably my favorite background character. She’s snarkier than a Diablo Cody screenplay, but she’s smart as a whip, too.

Characters introduced (in order):

• BONNIE & GRETA, two women in The Looking Glass

What we learned:

• Rousseau has been bringing dynamite to Jack from The Black Rock.
• Charlie’s “death” on Flight 815 got worldwide media attention.
• The cable on the beach leads to The Looking Glass.
• Ben lied about The Looking Glass (yeah, that’s a surprise).
• Bernard knows how to shoot.

Questions:

• What was The Looking Glass’s original function?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• This episode is more concerned with the Season Three finale than with any long-reaching mythology.

3.20 - The Man Behind the Curtain

Title’s significance: In a reference to “The Wizard of Oz,” Locke refers to Ben as “the man behind the curtain,” though one could wonder if Jacob is the true man behind the curtain. It’s all very mysterious at this point.

Recap: Ben finally gets his own flashbacks, in which we learn that he wasn’t born on the island but rather 32 miles out of Portland. Enlisted into The Dharma Initiative, Ben and his father came to the island just as encounters with the hostiles were at their boiling point; young Ben sees visions of his mother on the island, which lead him to a meeting with Richard Alpert, who asks him to be patient before he can leave The Dharma Initiative. Years later, Ben led The Hostiles in a Purge of The Dharma Initiative, even personally killing his father. In the present, Locke returns to The Others’ camp with his father’s body and demands the truth about the island, but Ben tells Locke it’s not that easy and that Jacob is the true leader of The Others. Mikhail runs to camp looking for Ben; Locke roughs him up and repeats his request to see Jacob. Ben finally consents, though he warns Locke that Jacob will be upset; he brings Locke to a derelict cabin in the woods, where Ben addresses an empty chair and tells Locke he’s “too limited” to see Jacob. Suddenly a voice calls out to Locke, “Help me.” The cabin shakes and sputters violently, and Ben emerges, shaken. Locke accuses Ben of being a fraud, but Ben continues to promise answers, eventually leading Locke to a mass grave of Dharma workers, where he tells Locke about his past with The Dharma Initiative. Jealous of Jacob’s communication with Locke, Ben shoots Locke and tosses him into the mass grave.

Thoughts: This is one of my favorite episodes of the series, and Damon & Carlton didn’t even write it. That should tell you something about the quality of this episode, which continues to propel forward; it’s not focused so much at getting us to the season finale as it is toward larger questions about Dharma, the island, and the figure looming largest over it all – the man, if I may, behind the curtain – Jacob. All this the writers accomplish in a way that doesn’t seem forced but rather is gratifying and fulfilling.

Favorite moment: The scene in Jacob’s cabin – no question.

Characters introduced (in order):

• ROGER LINUS, Ben’s father
• ]EMILY LINUS, Ben’s mother
• HORACE GOODSPEED, Dharma mathematician
• OLIVIA GOODSPEED, Horace’s wife? (open to interpretation after Horace has a child with someone else who claims to be his wife in Season Five)
• ANNIE, the only person who was ever nice to Ben
• JACOB? I think it’s open to interpretation whether they actually saw Jacob in the cabin.

What we learned:

• Ben was not born on the island as he initially claimed.
• Ben’s mother died the day he was born, something Roger always blamed him for.
• Jacob is the leader of The Others.
• Ben and his father worked for The Dharma Initiative.
• The mission of The Dharma Initiative was to study the island.
• “The pylons were not set to a lethal level,” so Mikhail is still alive.
• The island experienced a volcanic eruption many years ago.
• Ben still carries the doll that Annie gave him.
• Sun says that Juliet is a good person.
• Juliet is actually a double agent working against The Others.
• Roger Work Man is actually Ben’s father.
• The supplies in the Dharma van were bound for The Pearl.
• Ben killed his father, Roger “Work Man” Linus.
• The Purge occurred when Ben led The Hostiles in gassing Dharmaville.

Questions:

• What did Ben mean when he asked Richard if he remembered birthdays?
• Why is Ben so afraid of Jacob?
• How did Ben see his mother in the jungle?
• What’s the significance of the white ash around Jacob’s cabin?
• Is it just me or is Richard not aging?
• Why is Richard so interested in Ben’s vision of a dead person?
• Was Jacob really in the cabin?
• How did a group of low-tech Hostiles purge the island?
• What happened to Annie?
• Is that it for Locke?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• In the recap, we get a reminder of something I’d overlooked initially – Ben says that Locke has “some kind of communion with this island.” If I’m right, and Locke is the next chosen one, this is going to be very, very important.

3.19 - The Brig

Title’s significance: The episode’s climactic moment takes place in the brig of The Black Rock.

Recap: On the heels of the revelation that Locke’s father is on the island, flashbacks reveal what Locke’s been up to the past eight days. Ben credits Locke with setting him on the right path toward healing but says that Locke is crippled by the hold his father has on him: though he believes himself to be too weak, Locke is asked to kill Cooper. Richard Alpert tells Locke that Ben wanted to embarrass him before the entire camp, pointing out that Locke is “extremely special.” Richard tips off Locke that Sawyer might want to kill Cooper. In the present, Locke finds Sawyer and tells him that he’s infiltrated The Others; he tells Sawyer that Ben is tied up and that he can kill him if he wishes. Though Sawyer initially dissents, he tags along. Desmond’s team smuggles Naomi onto the beach but conceals her existence from Jack; Naomi reveals that she comes from a freighter 80 miles off the island and that Oceanic 815 was allegedly discovered at the bottom of an ocean trench. Locke brings Sawyer to The Black Rock – where the prisoner is Cooper; Cooper taunts Sawyer about Flight 815, suggesting that they’re all in hell, before he tips his hand that he’s the real Sawyer, which leads our Sawyer to take his revenge and kill Cooper. Meanwhile, Kate comes clean to Jack about Naomi, but it’s obvious that Juliet and Jack are keeping some kind of secret, as Locke tells Sawyer that Juliet’s a mole preparing for a raid in three days (and he’s got the tape recording to prove it). Locke tells Sawyer that he’s not infiltrating The Others but rather is on his own journey; with his father’s body in tow, Locke goes to track down The Others.

Thoughts: When Damon & Carlton are good, man are they good, and they’ve got a stellar cast to work with in this episode. Three of my favorite characters – Locke, Ben, and Sawyer – take center stage here, and even guest star Kevin Tighe is as disgusting as ever, giving us no room to feel sympathy for his wretched character – and making it even easier to believe that he’d end up in hell. The episode continues to raise the same questions this season has been asking all along – what makes The Others tick and what’s the story with the freighter – but it does so in unfamiliar and attention-grabbing ways that make the episode fresh, exciting, and overall spectacular.

Favorite moment: The slow-dawning realization that Cooper is the original Sawyer, and the foreboding that quickly sets in when we know what Cooper’s in for.

Characters introduced (in order):

• No new characters introduced in this episode

What we learned:

• Cooper bit Locke.
• The magic box is a metaphor.
• Naomi is at the camp.
• The parachutist’s name is Naomi Dorrit.
• Locke theorizes that The Black Rock came to mine the island.
• Cooper came to the island after a car crash, abducted by The Others.
• Cooper theorizes that the island is hell.
• Cooper is the original Sawyer.
• Sawyer kills Cooper.

Questions:

• How did The Others know to be waiting for Locke?
• Why did The Black Rock come to the island?
• What does Rousseau need more dynamite for?
• What secret are Jack and Juliet keeping from Kate?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• This isn’t the first time that the island has been referred to as a place of punishment. Is it really hell, like Cooper suggests? (The producers have conspicuously said it’s not purgatory.)

3.18 - D.O.C.

Title’s significance: “D.O.C.” stands for “date of conception,” the issue under interrogation in this episode.

Recap: In Sun’s flashbacks, we learn that she was being blackmailed by a woman who knows the truth about Jin’s past – he’s the son of a fisherman and a prostitute. Sun meets Jin’s father, who confirms the old woman’s story; Sun deduces that the blackmailer is Jin’s mother. On the island, Desmond’s team cuts down the parachutist, noting that she’s injured. Sun begins to worry that Jack may be working with The Others in pursuit of her pregnancy; she learns from Juliet that pregnant woman all die on the island. While Desmond’s team tends to the parachutist, Mikhail dashes out of the jungle, and Jin gives pursuit; Mikhail volunteers to help Naomi if he’s released, while Juliet takes Sun to The Staff to see about her baby. As Mikhail patches up the parachutist (and tries to steal the satellite phone), Sun confesses her affair with Jae Lee to Juliet, worrying that Jin isn’t the father. Juliet’s test, though, proves that Jin is the father, boding ill for Sun; before leaving, Juliet leaves a message for Ben about the pregnancy, but she turns the tape recorder off before saying, “I hate you.” The parachutist tells Hurley that Flight 815 *was* found, and that there were no survivors.

Thoughts: Like last episode, “D.O.C.” was good but not great, though the concluding revelation was enough to make the whole episode worthwhile. We got closure on the question of the father of Sun’s baby, but in true LOST fashion we opened up a whole Pandora’s box of questions about what happens during conception on-island.

Favorite moment: I’d have to say it’s Jin beating the crap out of Mikhail.

Characters introduced (in order):

• BLACKMAILER, Korean woman who knows Jin’s parentage – she’s his mother

What we learned:

• Mikhail’s not dead.
• Jin’s mother was a prostitute.
• Jin worked for Mr. Paik to pay off the blackmail money Sun acquired from her father.
• Mothers who conceive off-island can give birth on the island, but on-island conceptions cannot.
• There is a hidden chamber in The Staff where the pregnancy supplies are.
• The island definitely has a healing factor, since Mikhail promises Naomi will be okay.
• Sperm count on the island is five times higher than on the mainland.
• Jin is the father of Sun’s baby.

Questions:

• How the heck did Mikhail survive the sonic fence incident?
• Why is the room in The Staff hidden?
• What about the island increases sperm count?
• Is Sun going to be okay?
• What’s the deal with the Flight 815 discovered by those not on the island? How can that be?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• Pregnancy.

3.17 - Catch-22

Title’s significance: A reference to Joseph Heller’s novel of the same name, a “catch-22” is a no-win case of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” In this episode, Desmond can find the parachutist (which will reunite him with Penny) or he can save Charlie’s life – but he can’t do both. (It’s also in the parachutist’s pack.)

Recap: Desmond gets flashbacks that flesh out his time in a monastery and how he met Penny. On the island, Desmond is still having grisly flashes about Charlie’s impending death, but his latest flash tells him that someone is coming to the island, so he tries to cause this scenario to occur by collecting the survivors from his flashes. Sawyer tries to hook up with Kate, but it’s obvious that she still has feelings for Jack; she gets jealous when she sees him with Juliet and ends up taking Sawyer up on that hook-up offer. In the jungle, Desmond’s team hears a helicopter approaching and crashing into the ocean, but they see a parachutist land; in search, they find the parachutist’s pack – in which Desmond finds the photo of him and Penny. Though Desmond’s flashes require Charlie to die, at the last minute Desmond saves him; they find the parachutist and cut her down. She’s not Penny, but she knows Desmond’s name.

Thoughts: Really good episode, but the flashbacks weren’t very interesting. I like this continuing “can we change fate” examination with Desmond’s character this season, and the parachutist (with very interesting echoes of “Lord of the Flies”) is one of the coolest mysteries the show’s introduced in a very long while.

Favorite moment: The opening scene is pulse-pounding and spectacular, and I loved the “Superman vs. The Flash” debate between Charlie and Hurley. That or Sawyer’s encounter with an unclothed Kate, who points to her eyes and tells him, “I’m up here.” But Jin’s Korean ghost story is classic, too.

Characters introduced (in order):

• BROTHER CAMPBELL, head of Desmond’s monastery
• DEREK, a man who punched Desmond
• RUTH, Derek’s sister and a pre-Penny love interest for Desmond
• THE PARACHUTIST

What we learned:

• Desmond took a vow of silence in a monastery, which he was kicked out of.
• All Desmond’s “brother” talk comes from his time in the monastery.
• Desmond’s flashes only present pieces of a puzzle.

Questions:

• How did the parachutist get the photograph of Desmond and Penny?
• Who is the parachutist working for?
• How does the parachutist know Desmond’s name?
• Who IS the parachutist?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• We’ve gotten mixed messages this year about Desmond – does he have a great part to play in the world, or will he never do anything great?
• This episode kicks off the Freighter storyline, which we know eventually culminates in the reveal that Widmore and Ben are battling. But battling for what, and who’s going to win?

3.16 - One of Us

Title’s significance: Though Jack declares emphatically that Juliet is “one of us” because The Others abandoned her, we learn that Juliet is still very much “one of them.”

Recap: Juliet’s flashbacks reveal how she came to the island – via the submarine, with Richard Alpert – under secretive conditions. Juliet learns that women who conceive on the island never carry the pregnancy to term but can’t figure out why; when she asks to return home, Ben won’t allow it, revealing that Rachel’s cancer is back but that Jacob can cure her. Three years later, Juliet discovers Ben’s tumor and visits Mikhail, whose station was operational when Flight 815 crashed. Back on the beach camp, Claire’s feeling under the weather, and Jack returns with the rest of the group in tow. Though the beach camp aren’t happy about Juliet being in town, Hurley reaches out to her, and Jack sticks up for her. Juliet takes responsibility for Claire’s illness, blaming a medication she developed to keep Claire alive during her pregnancy; she procures Ethan’s stash and saves Claire. We then learn that Juliet is a spy for Ben and that Claire’s illness was faked.

Thoughts: It’s another Carlton episode, so you know it’s good – mythology-laden with enough answers that it feels fulfilling and worthwhile on rewatch. Michael Emerson is at his oily best in this episode, and though the episode stalls a bit with getting Juliet into the camp’s good graces, the end of the episode (and the flashbacks, too) drives the season forward to what’s going to be a bang-up conclusion.

Favorite moment: It’s either Juliet shotgunning the OJ/tranquilizer cocktail or Sawyer referring to Charlie, Hurley, and Aaron as “Three men and a baby – I counted Hugo twice.”

Characters introduced (in order):

• SABINE, dead pregnant Other

What we learned:

• Juliet has a “gift.”
• Women can’t have babies on the island, but it seems to have something to do with on-island conception since Claire’s baby was born a-okay.
• Ben claims that Jacob has cured Rachel’s cancer.
• Ethan was taking blood samples from Claire to test the pregnancy problem.
• Ethan’s abduction of Claire was “never the plan.”
• Juliet was having an affair with Goodwin.
• Mikhail has been gathering information about the 815ers for The Others.
• Ben claims he’s not a liar.
• Juliet is now spying for Ben.

Questions:

• Why can’t women give birth after conceiving on the island?
• Why doesn’t Ben want anyone leaving the island?
• How can Jacob cure cancer?
• Why is Ben so hooked on Juliet?
• What happened with Sayid in Basra?
• Why is Ben spying on the survivors, and what’s going to happen in a week?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• This episode vocalizes one of the underlying mysteries the show’s touched on previously – the mystery of on-island pregnancy. We still haven’t gotten a final word on it, but I’m betting it’ll come up in Season Six – and perhaps have something to do with the divide between “real” Others and Ben’s “Pharisee” Others, as highlighted by Locke.

3.15 - Left Behind

Title’s significance: Kate is left behind by The Others on the island and by her mother in her flashbacks; Juliet, too, is left behind, as are Jack and Sayid.

Recap: In Kate’s flashbacks, she meets up with a post-con Cassidy (Sawyer’s girl); Cassidy poses as Kate in order to help Kate see her mother one more time, learning that Kate’s mother has the marshals ready to go; Kate is miffed that her mother chose her dead husband over Kate. After spilling soup on Diane, Cassidy enables Kate to see her mother, who says that Kate’s murder was a selfish act and promises to call for help the next time she sees Kate; in return, Kate tells Cassidy to call the police on the man who conned her (Sawyer). In the Barracks, Locke says goodbye to Kate, saying cryptically that he doesn’t want to go home. The beach camp debates about whether to banish Sawyer as The Others gas Kate and abandon their barracks; Kate wakes up in the jungle, handcuffed to Juliet. Kate and Juliet try to make their way back to the Barracks but engage in some fan-gratifying wet mud wrestling before the smoke monster shows up. Hurley puts Sawyer on a publicity tour of sorts to win votes against banishing him, with hilarious results. When the monster returns, Juliet reveals that she has the handcuff key and activates the sonic fence, which repels the monster. When Kate and Juliet make it back to the Barracks, they find that The Others have gone – leaving Jack and Sayid. Sawyer learns that Hurley conned him into being nice – there was never going to be a vote – but Sawyer has been “elected” the de facto leader. “Wasn’t it nice,” Hurley asks, “being… nice?” Against Sayid’s better judgment, Jack brings Juliet back to camp.

Thoughts: While this episode isn’t the most exciting, at least the season keeps moving forward. Rejoining the survivors after last week’s Nikki-and-Paulo-sized detour, “Left Behind” blurs that line between survivor and Other by moving Juliet into the middle of the Venn diagram this season’s been drawing. The stuff with The Monster is obviously the most fulfilling, but this season really demonstrates that – if on nothing else – the writers know what they’re doing when they write Sawyer, since his snarky cowboy loner character is pitch-perfect here.

Favorite moment: “Your baby’s not as wrinkly as he was a couple weeks ago” might be the greatest compliment Sawyer has ever given.

Characters introduced (in order):

• No new characters introduced in this episode.

What we learned:

• Though Locke initially disagrees, The Others say that Kate is a bad person.
• Cassidy says that Sawyer is a bad guy.
• The Monster can emit white light.
• Juliet’s shoulder has been dislocated four times.
• Diane promised to call for help the next time she sees Kate.
• The sonic fence repels the monster.
• The Others don’t know what the monster is.
• Cassidy really was pregnant.
• Kate told Cassidy to call the police on Sawyer.

Questions:

• Why is Locke’s hand all bandaged up?
• Why did the smoke monster shoot Juliet with white light?
• What happened the other three times Juliet’s shoulder was dislocated?
• Where did The Others go?
• Why did The Others leave Juliet behind?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• The monster’s white light here reminded me of the judgment that Ben endures in Season Five in The Temple with The Monster. Was Juliet being judged at this moment, and if so what was the judgment?

3.14 - Exposé

Title’s significance: “Exposé” is the name of Nikki’s TV show, but the episode’s title puns on the fact that this episode is the big reveal of Nikki & Paulo’s backstory.

Recap: The sordid truth about Nikki and Paulo is revealed – though at first it looks like Nikki was a stripper, then a superspy, the truth is that she was an actress on an “Alias”-style show stealing the producer’s diamonds with the help of her lover Paulo. Though they got away with the crime, their flight – 815 – crashes, and they lose track of their diamonds, instead getting enmeshed in the island’s big mysteries – the monster, Ethan on camp, and The Pearl. In search of their diamonds, Paulo realizes that Nikki is only still with him because of the diamonds, so he hides the diamonds in The Pearl bathroom to stay with her; while hiding, he overhears Ben and Juliet discuss their plan to abduct Jack using Michael. When Nikki staggers out of the jungle and mutters something before collapsing, a mystery develops around her final words. Meanwhile, Charlie comes clean to Sun about her staged abduction but she keeps quiet about it because she knows how Jin would react. Sawyer reveals that he and Nikki were fighting about her request for a gun, and he tosses the diamonds in with Nikki and Paulo since they’re worthless on the island. A quick flashback lets us know that the two were bitten by Medusa spiders, paralyzing them and simulating death. The survivors never decipher Nikki’s final words – “paralyzed” – before burying her and Paulo... alive.

Thoughts: This episode actually makes me feel bad that Nikki and Paulo got killed, because they’d just gotten interesting. This episode is also as funny – if not more so – as “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead,” with everything from “Animal Farm” references to metafictional critiques of LOST’s uber-theorists. This episode might also be the best of LOST’s “standalone episodes,” which usually suck, but “Exposé” marks a solid example of a special standalone; it does a great job of weaving the characters into key events in the island’s history, giving closer to the staged abduction of Sun (which I’d honestly forgotten about) and even explaining away the now-infamous “Paulo uses the toilet” scene. And as much as we didn’t like Nikki and Paulo, that’s still a pretty awful way to go.

Favorite moment: Aside from the fact that Kiele Sanchez wears almost nothing in this episode? (Kidding.) Nikki’s prescient “I’m just a guest star, and we all know what happens to guest stars.” That, or Sawyer’s “Who the hell’s Nikki?” and Hurley’s persistent theory – “Dude, monster” – about what killed Nikki and Paulo.

Characters introduced (in order):

• BILLY DEE WILLIAMS, actor playing LaShade (The Cobra) on “Exposé”
• HOWIE ZUCKERMAN, Nikki’s producer and conned lover

What we learned:

• Nikki was a TV actress in Sydney who helped kill her producer.
• Nikki and Paulo discovered the Nigerian plane and The Pearl before the other survivors.
• Tom has been in The Pearl, and Ben and Juliet came in after him.
• Paulo got a walkie from The Pearl.
• The survivors missed Thanksgiving.

Questions:

• Most of the questions this episode raises are answered within the episode.
• Is there a forensics hatch Sawyer doesn’t know about?
• Was the monster involved in Nikki and Paulo’s death?
• Is this it? Is this the end for Nikki and Paulo?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• A mostly self-contained episode with little of far-reaching consequence.
• Locke tells Paulo, “Things don’t stay buried on this island.” Interesting words for a man who comes back from the dead – or does he?