Posted by Janie Logan Apr 14, 2010, 15:17 GMT
Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Libby (Cynthia Watros) reconnect in the Sideways world, after their new romance was tragically cut short in Season 2 by her death. Photo courtesy of Mario Perez/ABC.
There once was a woman named Ilana. She was talking about how she has been training her whole life to come to the Island to protect Jacob's candidates. She got so caught up in the moment that she emphatically dropped her bag to the ground, forgetting that it was full of dynamite. Then she exploded into pieces. She must've missed out on the story of Dr. Arzt…
Her death was the catalyst for a division in Team Jacob--one group led by Richard Alpert, and the other led by Hurley. "Everybody Loves Hugo" showed how, perhaps most surprisingly to himself, Hugo Reyes has gained the trust and respect of the other castaways. Once the comic relief, he has become someone worthy of being followed.
At the beginning of the episode, Hurley was laying a flower on Libby's grave when he was visited by a ghost. He's used to these conversations with dead people by now, but instead of Libby, the one he always hopes to see, he gets Michael, the man who murdered her. Michael says that Hurley needs to stop his friends from blowing up the Ajira plane on Hydra island or a lot of people will get killed.
Ilana comes back to the camp with the sticks of dynamite in her pack, and you would think that her sudden death would make people want to try a less unstable method of keeping Man in Black from leaving. Richard, however, sees no other options. He takes them all to the Black Rock for more dynamite, but Hurley goes ahead of him and sets it off, blasting the ship into flaming scrap wood.
So now Richard intends to find another way to destroy the plane, whereas Hurley thinks they should go talk to Flocke. Hurley was the one who delivered Isabella's message to Richard about preventing Man in Black from escaping, but he also knows what Michael said and thinks they need to find another way. It seems strange that Hurley would listen to Michael, but when Miles asks him why he does whatever the ghosts tell him, Hurley's reply is a thoughtful one: "Dead people are more reliable than alive people."
So Jacob's group splits up. Richard still plans to head for Hydra island, and Miles and Ben go with him. For Miles, the choice is easy, having seen Smokey tear through the Temple killing everyone in his path. Ben's decision, however, is an interesting one. Perhaps it's just because he has known Richard since he was a kid, but I think he's also trying to avoid temptation. Flocke is very persuasive, and Ben's redemption in "Dr. Linus" was hard-earned. Finally he wants to do the right thing rather than seek power.
Sun, Frank, and Jack decide to go with Hurley. Jack, usually the one taking charge of the group, has ceded control. He admits, "Ever since Juliet died--ever since I got her killed--all I've wanted is to fix it. But I can't. I can't ever fix it. You have no idea how hard it is for me to sit back and listen to other people tell me what I should do, but…I think maybe that's the point. Maybe I'm supposed to let go…Hurley, you asked me to trust you. This is me trusting you."
Hurley isn't sure where he's leading them, until they hear the whispers in the jungle. Usually a cause for fear, Hurley thinks he knows what they mean. He walks off and calls to Michael. The whispers are the sounds of the dead, "the ones who can't move on." Michael points the way to Flocke's camp.
Before Hurley left, he asked Michael if there was anything he could do to help. This is why Hurley deserves to be a leader. He may not be the smartest or strongest character, but he has the biggest heart. He cares about everyone, even Michael, who caused him so much sadness.
In the Sideways world, Hugo Reyes is happy. He considers himself the luckiest guy in the world. He's rich (he probably won the lottery in this timeline, too) and certainly not cursed by tragic accidents. The owner of Mr. Cluck's Chicken, he has expanded his business worldwide and uses the profits to benefit several charities. It seems that everyone loves him! Except his mother thinks he should find a woman to love him, too.
She sets him up on a blind date, but he gets stood up at the restaurant. Instead, Libby comes over to his table. Cynthia Watros looked great, and I'm so glad she agreed to come back for the end of the show. Her absence would have been a gaping hole in Lost's conclusion.
Further supporting the idea that dead people from the Island timeline are aware of the two worlds in their Sideways selves, she spoke of feeling connected to Hugo, like they were soulmates from another life. Hugo thought she was beautiful and nice, but maybe a bit crazy. Then a doctor came over to put her on the van back to the mental institute. So she was actually crazy.
Depressed, Hugo went to a nearby Mr. Cluck's and started eating his way through a family size bucket of fried chicken. Our now enlightened Sideways Desmond (still looking very sharp in a suit and sunglasses) just happened to be there at the same time. He struck up a conversation (We were on the same flight, brutha, what a coincidence!) and asked why Hugo was upset. He told him about Libby and what she had said. Desmond leaned forward: "Tell me something, did you believe her when she said she knew you?"
This got Hugo thinking, so he went to visit Libby at the mental institute. He still didn't know what she was talking about, but he liked her. Besides, everyone's a little crazy. So he asked her on a date, and I'm sure most viewers knew where they were going before they got there. They had a picnic on the beach--the one they were supposed to have on the Island before Libby got shot.
She leaned over to kiss him, and that act sparked the flashes of the alternate timeline. He saw the memories of their friendship on the Island and their kiss: "Whoa…dude." The camera panned back to show Desmond watching. He smiled and drove off, and you could see what he was thinking: "One down."
Meanwhile, Island Desmond had followed Sayid away from Widmore's people, only to find himself tied to a tree until Sayid fetched Flocke to show him what "the package" was. Flocke cut Desmond loose and said they should take a walk. He took him to a well, where they had a cryptic conversation about compass needles.
Flocke asked him why he wasn't afraid to be out there alone with him. "What is the point in being afraid?" Desmond replied. Flocke's expression changed from one of confusion, to amusement, to aggression, before he pushed Desmond down the well (As someone who loves Desmond, this was a big moment of outrage for me, and I almost took it out on my television screen before I realized I need it if I'm ever going to get some answers from this show).
He must've known there was something special about Desmond when he told him about his experiences with electromagnetic energy. Flocke suspects Widmore's intention to use Desmond against him. Surely, though, Man in Black has been trapped in that place long enough to know that Desmond won't die so easily if the Island isn't done with him yet.
Flocke rejoined his people, told Zombie Sayid that they didn't have to worry about Desmond anymore, and tried to pacify an anxious Sawyer who was tired of sitting around while Jin was being held against his will. Flocke explained that they were waiting to execute their plan until they had all the people they needed. Without Jack, Sun, and Hurley, they couldn't leave. To his good fortune, it wouldn't be long before each candidate emerged from the jungle to have a little chat with him.
Back in Sideways world, the next person on Desmond's list was Locke. He watched as this sweet, crippled man--just an ordinary substitute teacher--wheeled himself away from the school. What I expected to happen was that Desmond would see Locke meet up with Helen and realize that he didn't have to do anything with this guy--he had already found his love. But that is not what Desmond did! He sped up his car and knocked Locke out of his wheelchair. He flew up into the air and landed bleeding and almost unconscious as Desmond drove away.
There were so many shocking moments in the episode that I was at a loss for words when it ended after this. I have only one idea as to why Desmond hit Locke. Island Desmond must've known that the Locke he was talking with was fake. I doubt he's heard the whole backstory of Jacob and Man in Black, but he knew that the real John Locke had died off the Island because he encountered Jack and the rest of the Oceanic 6 just before they returned on the Ajira flight.
So I believe that Sideways Desmond ran down Locke to send his consciousness into the Island timeline, into his buried corpse. I could be wrong, but I expect we will see a true resurrected Locke soon and that he will be instrumental in stopping Man in Black from leaving. If people who died on the Island have a special knowledge in the Sideways world, maybe it works the other way, too.
ABC created the creepiest promo video ever for next week's episode, "The Last Recruit." Clips of Desmond bloody, Jack scared, Claire hollow, Sayid violent, all while Gene Wilder sang, "There's no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going," from that trippy boat ride through the tunnel in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The end is coming, people….What do you think is going to happen?
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