Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B+ | 900 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT John 3:16
By Cindy McLennan | Season 5 | Episode 6 | Aired on 2009.02.18
Jack checks himself and Locke's corpse in, at the Ajira Airlines counter, and answers the clerk's questions about transporting the corpse. He then informs Jack that due to increased security measures, the airline is required to open the casket and perform a screening. Jack's distracted, because he sees Kate walk in, but finally gives his consent and signs away Locke's... death. The man waiting in line behind Jack inclines his head slightly and says, "My condolences. I'm sorry you lost your friend." The actor playing him is Saïd Taghmaoui and although it wasn't revealed in this episode, IMDB tells me he'll be playing a character named Caesar, but I'm too busy wondering if you pronounce Saïd the same as Sayid and if this Saïd is a stand-in for our Sayid. While Jack is waiting in the security area, Sun approaches him. If there's any chance Jin is alive, she has to be on that plane. As they speak, they notice Sayid being escorted through the security area (and past an Oceanic Air sign, ha), so I guess Saïd/Caesar isn't his stand-in, which is good, because I like original recipe Sayid. And original recipe Sayid has laid his coat over his wrists, like one might if one were wearing handcuffs, because he is. The woman with Sayid shows a badge to airport security, and they nod her and her prisoner through. Jack and Sun look on with great interest, while I look on with great hope.
You see, like most of you, I'm terribly afraid that Ben has killed or hurt Penny or Charlie Hume (not Des, because the island isn't finished with him, yet). But when I saw Sayid, I made up this big fanwank, whereby Sayid tailed Ben, saw him picking up Hurley from Lawyer Dan Norton, and beat the stuffing out of him, and nobody bothered the adorable Hume family, not one little bit. And shut up. Until they show me her corpse, I'm not going to accept that anything could have happened to Mrs. Unique Special Snowflake, m'kay?
Next, we see Hurley, reading a Spanish Language version of the comic book Y: The Last Man, written by Lost producer Brian K. Vaughan (hat tip to Doc Jensen). And I read there or elsewhere on the net (I disremember where) that the Spanish Language comic Hurley was reading on Oceanic 815 was also by Vaughan, but I don't even remember Hurley reading a comic book, just Walt -- which is neither here nor there. The woman at the Ajira counter starts making announcements about stand-by seats, and Hurley rushes up to correct her. He bought up all 78 remaining vacant seats on the flight. The woman verifies this, and then tries to talk Hurley into letting the other customers get to their destination, too. Hurley looks around the waiting area at the people waiting -- a man alone, a woman with her children, and he remains the moral center of our show, because he's doing whatever he can to protect all the innocent by-standers who don't need to be captured in the Craphole Continuum, and he stands firm. "They can take the next flight." Jack sees him, and asks what he's doing there -- and how he knew about it. Hurley says all that matters is that he's there. They both seem uncomfortable, but Jack tells him he's glad he's there. Hurley then says, "Okay. Let's do this." Jack nods, and Hurley says, "After you," so Jack approaches the gate.