Lost: Short-Lived Reunions

We’re getting down to the final handful of “Lost” episodes. (Insert tear.)

After last week’s joyfully chaotic “Everybody Loves Hugo”, I expected a similarly action-packed, anything-can-happen vibe from “The Last Recruit.”

We definitely got the “action-packed” part (explosions! Characters yelling at each other to drop their guns – which happens A LOT on this show!), but I just didn’t get the “anything-can-happen” vibe. I realize episodes like “The Last Recruit” are absolutely necessary to get characters where they need to be for the ultimate endgame, but it really felt like too much of the hour simply had our Losties grumpily trekking through the jungle. For the most part, this workmanlike episode simply didn’t engage my imagination.

Or maybe I’m just grouchy because the long-awaited Jin/Sun reunion was a MAJOR letdown. Yes, we waited nearly two seasons to see these two reunite after being separated by time (about 30 years) and space. For some reason, whenever I pictured their reunion in my head, I always imagined there’d be a lot less Zoe. I also didn’t hear a groan-worthy line like, “Looks like somebody got their voice back.” Oh well, at least Sawyer’s emotional reaction to Jin and Sun getting back together (ever so briefly) salvaged the scene. Kinda.

Then again, maybe I’m cranky because the long-awaited reunion of our original Losties (that was SO season 1) lasted about 10 minutes.

In the previous episode, we were left with Hurley, Jack, Sun and Lapidus eventually surrendering themselves to Anti-Locke and his camp. More specifically, we were left with Anti-Locke and Jack exchanging a chilling and meaningful look. I continued to have high hopes for this reunion after a terrific scene between Jack and Locke at the top of the episode.

Anti-Locke could sense that Jack (unlike Desmond) was uncomfortable in his presence. For his part, Jack held his ground and started asking Anti-Locke questions. Anti-Locke cut through the crap and implored Jack to ask what he really wanted to know – whether the Smoke Monster was responsible for the apparition of Christian Shephard that Jack had been literally and figuratively chasing all these years. Anti-Locke answered that he was indeed responsible for that apparition and pretty much every other impersonation of a dead person who’d been brought dead to the Island. (Locke, Mr. Eko’s brother Yemi.)

Do we believe him? If you think about it long enough, you can poke holes in this explanation. (The Smoke Monster can’t leave the Island, so how could he have appeared to Michael in the freighter just before his death?) Personally, I’m inclined to believe Anti-Locke, and any storytelling holes that may come out of this can be attributed to the writers’ not necessarily planning out every last detail of this show (they probably didn’t know that they were going to make Christian the Smoke Monster when they had him pop up in the freighter) combined with a desire to resolve some “mysteries” before the show wraps up. Or maybe it’ll be revealed that Anti-Locke was lying after all.

Either way, things sort of went downhill after that electrifying opening scene (and after a significant reunion in the Sideways world – more on that later).

Saywer enacted his great sub escape plan, which was to include Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sun and Lapidus. Claire - who lost her ticket when she tried to kill Kate - and Sayid - who had gone to the dark side and was a zombie - were not invited. Hurley ended up trying to make a case for his dark side-leaning friends by evoking a certain “Star Wars” anti-hero, but Sawyer responded with “Who the hell is Anakin?” (Really, Sawyer!?)

Sayid was sent on his separate way. The killer-for-hire was dispatched by Anti-Locke to dispose of Desmond after Zoe came into Anti-Locke’s camp looking for Des (curious that neither mentioned him by name) and failed to intimidate him by shooting rockets near his camp (what if one of those missiles had killed Desmond – she didn’t know where he was stashed!)

That lead to another one of the episode’s best scenes, in which Desmond all but certainly talked Sayid out of killing him by asking him what Anti-Locke had promised him and making Sayid think about how he’d explain what he’d done to be reunited with the woman he loves. Just like Sayid was told to kill Anti-Locke before he had a chance to speak, it seems that letting Desmond speak allowed Sayid to be swayed, this time to the side of good. I was actually pretty giddy to learn that Sayid is NOT completely dead inside.

Jack was briefly reunited with his half-sister Claire, but he mostly seemed generally creeped out by her (which is understandable because she’s insane). She didn’t take too kindly to being ditched when Jack tried to bring Hurley, Sun and Lapidus along for Sawyer’s escape plan. That resulted in a face off between her and Kate. For a second I allowed myself to think she was actually going to shoot Kate (people are going to start dying off soon, right?), but instead she begrudgingly joined her fellow friends. I still don’t trust Claire as far as I can throw her. Also, why doesn’t anybody ever snap back with, “Hey, you walked away and left your kid in the jungle!” whenever Claire starts babbling about being abandoned.

As they boarded the Elizabeth – the boat that Libby had gifted Desmond – to make way for Hydra Island, Sawyer tried to make peace with Jack. This was another of one of the episode’s stronger scenes. Jack eventually announced that leaving the Island didn’t feel right, which infuriated Sawyer.

I can actually sympathize with both men on this issue. Jack has left the Island before, so he knows first-hand what it’s like to feel incomplete when the Island isn’t done with you (it drives you to grow a crazy beard). Sawyer, on the other hand, has NEVER left the Island since crashing there, so he can be forgiven for thinking Jack is full of it. Either way, when Jack jumped off the ship (in a similar pose as Sawyer jumping off the helicopter to save fuel back in the day), he probably should’ve jumped a little further out to avoid being killed by a propeller.

Sawyer and friends were greeted by Jin (yay!) and Zoe (BOO!) who seemed to double cross them by taking them as prisoners and ordering the bombing of the other Island. Jack washed up on shore, only to be semi-blown to bits and rescued by Anti-Locke. (“You’re with me now.” Shudder.)

Sorry that I haven’t mentioned the Sideways world at all, but I don’t really think there’s THAT much to report yet.

Well, not that much other than the fascinating moment when Sideways Sun and Sideways Locke were being rolled into the ER together and SideSun freaked out and started shouting “It’s him!” seemingly recognizing SideLocke as the Smoke Monster.

Besides that (as was the case on the Island), characters were mostly placed where they needed to be. Desmond (semi-creepily) reunited Claire with her half-brother Jack at the reading of Christian’s will (conducted by Ilana). Sawyer exchanged “witty” banter with Kate before arresting Sayid. And, finally, Jack came face-to-face with John Locke, whose life hung in the balance.

We still don’t know what exactly triggers Island memories in the Sideways characters’ lives. Is it a kiss? It was for Hurley and Libby, but not for Sun and Jin, who we know slept together. Is it a life-threatening event? It was for Desmond and Charlie, but not for Locke, who presumably hasn’t flashed on his previous Island life.

After last week’s chilling cliffhanger, I hoped to get some of those answers in “The Last Recruit”, but it turns out that all the episode did was put us IN POSITION to get those answers. That’s better than nothing.

So what’d you think of this episode? Is Island Jack a paraplegic now — or even really still alive? (I can’t help but think of his half-sister maybe/probably getting blown up in that Dharma barracks explosion and never being the same again.) How is David supposed to keep himself busy while his dad presumably operates on Locke for hours? Finally, there’s no way Sayid killed Island Desmond, right?