As a long-time Lost watcher, I've grown accustomed to the show's snail-like pace, throwing in filler episodes to drag out the time between major revelations. But now that the final season is looming nearer and nearer, this show is moving at a serious clip. I wasn't expecting to see Locke make it back to the mainland until the end of the season at least, and same goes for Jack and the rest of the Oceanic Six catching up with Eloise Hawking. But all of that, and a heck of a lot more, happened in this episode, and I can't even imagine where the rest of the season will go from here. Can't remember the last time I was so consistently surprised by this show-- and so consistently thrilled with it.
"That's what happens when you bring women. She's probably off chasing a butterfly."
Jin is still good and confused in the company of Rousseau and her French compatriots, even as we see all kinds of clues-- Rousseau and her boy toy Robert talking about whether the baby will be named Alexander or Alexandra (we miss you, Alex!), and one of the dudes listening to the numbers on a transistor radio. The group treks off into the jungle to find the radio tower that broadcasts the numbers, and they promise to help Jin find his camp afterwards. Unfortunately, before they get there, the smoke monster inteferes-- first he grabs Nadine and throws her up in a tree, then he comes after the lot of them. Smokey! We missed you even more!
"You're not Robert. That thing changed you!
It's the unlucky Montand who gets dragged through the jungle by Smokey, and pulled into a hole that looks like the one that Locke almost went into-- but it's buried underneath a Temple. Temple! Maybe the one where Richad Alpert was taking his people? The whole group, Jin included, tries to keep Montand out of the hole, but he goes in anyway-- all of him except his arm, that is. The rest of the crew goes in after him, but Jin talks Danielle into staying behind because of her unborn baby. But as soon as the two of them are alone, the island flashes again-- and Jin is alone at the temple. Once he finds his way back to the beach one way or another, he discovers an abandoned camp, two dead dudes shot in the chest-- and Rousseau, pointing a gun at the father of her baby, Robert. She's convinced the smoke monster has changed him as well, and as soon as he convinces her that he's still the same person he was before, he goes and tries to shoot her! So much for that theory. Jin tries to stop her, but he's too late, and before too long Rousseau is chasing him with a gun too. But just in time, he's saved by the time flashes-- and meets up with an elated Sawyer, Locke, etc. at last.
"You said we'd be there in 30 minutes." "i didn't account for traffic."
Back in Los Angeles, Sun briefly calls Ji-Yeon back in Korea, and tells her she's found a new friend for her-- obviously Aaron, in the backseat. Seriously, Sun is up to something really creepy. She then jumps out the car and points a gun at Ben, and Ben, with his usual gift for revealing information only at the last minute, tells Sun Jin isn't dead after all, so she really doesn't need to kill him. Kate finally figures out what Ben is up to with the whole "bring everyone back to the island" thing and hightails it out of there, followed by Sayid, who threatens Ben and Jack for good measure. Sun and Jack stick around, though, ready to go visit Mrs. Hawking and find out both that Jin is alive, and how to get back to the island. Ben promises it'll only take them 30 minutes, but hey, it's L.A.-- lots of traffic. After Sun and Jack squabble a little too much in the car, Ben pulls off to the side and yells at them both, telling them if they knew how much he had done for them and their friends, they'd be thanking him every day. Remember when you went on road trips with your family and your dad pulled over when you got too unruly? Yeah, think how much scarier it would have been if Ben was in the driver's seat.
"Never bring her back. Don't let them bring her back. This place is death."
Joining the not-so-merry crew on the island, the flashes are coming closer and closer together, and Charlotte is suffering even worse than she was before. She reveals her previously unexplained fluency in Korean to get Jin up to speed on what's been going on, then after a particularly nasty flash she wakes up and shouts at Jin in Korean the title you see above. Anyone else feel like we're getting some seriously conflicted messages about who should come back to the island? Locke is still dead-set on making it back to the Orchid to try and stop this mess, and when Charlotte becomes too weak to come with, they decide to leave her behind, with Daniel sticking around, of course. It's been a few episodes since I was inspired to compare him to a puppy dog, but yeah, the metaphor is still apt.
"Ah, turn it up. I love Geronimo Jackson."
Lying on her back in the jungle, looking way worse for the wear, Charlotte starts talking all sorts of crazy talk-- "I know all about ancient Carthage and Hannibal himself." But she also starts revealing some serious stuff about her chldhood, like growing up as part of the Dharma initiative and encountering a crazy man as a kid who warned her to never return to the island-- a man who may or may not have been Daniel Faraday himself. Unfortunately, once Charlotte reveals her history on the island, she's a goner, thus ending the brief, not-entirely-nauseating romance between her and Faraday. We'll miss you, Charlotte. Juliette will be awfully lonely as the only badass lady left on the island.
"I suppose that's why they call it a sacrifice."
Arriving at the Orchid station, the crew is stuck in a time before the station was built, but a hint from Charlotte sends them to an old well to find that darned Frozen Donkey Wheel. Locke promises Jin that he won't make Sun return to the island, but we all have a feeling he's lying. Locke is only halfway down the well when the island flashes again, and Sawyer is left holding on to a worthless rope while Locke falls to the bottom of a deep, deep well. Luckily someone, a ghostly someone, is there to help him-- Christian Shepard! Christian reminds Locke that he has to die to accomplish what he needs to do, and gives him the directions to the Frozen Donkey Wheel, which looks a lot less frozen than it did when Ben turned it. Right before Locke jets off to the mainland, Christian tells him to say hello to his son. And, incredibly, Locke doesn't know who Christian's son is! Seriously, I cannot keep track of who knows who in this crazy island.
"This is all I could do on short notice."
Ben, Jack and Sun arrive at Mrs. Hawking's place, and Ben finally gets Sun to commit, for real, to going back to the island. Just as they're about to walk in, Desmond shows up! Seriously, who guessed this storyline would be moving so quickly? Desmond asks them if they're here to see Faraday's mother too, and Ben seems genuinely surprised to hear about the connection. But before anyone gets any answers, they walk inside, and Mrs. Hawking isn't happy that the whole bunch isn't there, but she figures they'll do for now.
And just like that, they're starting to head back to the island! And we're going to see what happened to Locke after he left! Shit is happening, y'all, and we're getting answers at a crazy rapid pace. Next thing we know we'll figure out what the damn numbers are! Ok, maybe I should be setting my goals lower. So long as we get those answers eventually, Damon and Carlton, you'll have me right in your geeky, geeky palm.
