Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A | 537 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Double Your Fun
By Cindy McLennan | Season 6 | Episode 2 | Aired on 2010.02.02
L.A. Reality: Jack's on the phone explaining to his mother that his father's corpse has gone missing. Sheesh. Talk about family drama. You know, the anniversary of my dad's death was this week. A few weeks after he passed, my mother and I went to visit the grave and see if the headstone was on, yet. It was, but it was someone else's stone. Now, dad's lot was very easy to find, so we knew we didn't mess up the location. The fricking cemetery or stone carver or some combination of the two screwed it up. It was so disturbing. It was disturbing to the point where I felt like a fool for being as disturbed as I was, and yet...I still was, and remained that way until the other person's stone was moved to the right lot and dad's stone was delivered and installed. I...I just can't even imagine being in Jack's shoes, here. "Hi, we lost your father's body." What do you say to that? "Oh, okay. Where's my other luggage?" I mean, how do you not take a nutty right there and then? Granted, taking a nutty isn't going to help anything, and the poor clerk on this end didn't do the losing, but I still don't know how you avoid taking one. I'm not a very good grown-up, I fear. ANYhow, Jack tells his mom he scheduled the service so soon because he wanted to get it over with. He doesn't know what else to tell her, except that they can't have the service without his father. You can, Jack. It's called a memorial. Jack ends his call and puts away his phone with a sigh. From behind him, we hear Locke's voice. "What did you lose?" After the expected, "You wouldn't believe it if I told you," shenanigans, Jack explains the tale of the lost Christian father.
Locke offers his condolences and Jack says that although the coffin was supposed to be loaded onto the plane in Sydney, it wasn't. "Apparently he's somewhere 'in transit' which is their way of saying they have no idea where the hell he is." Locke, as socially awkward as ever, says, "Well, how could they know?" Jack boggles at this, so Locke explains himself. "No, I'm not talking about the coffin. I mean -- how could they know where he is? They didn't lose your father, they just lost his body." Jack jumps across the room and chokes Locke dead. Oh wait, that was just my imagination. Jack actually takes this inappropriate conversation in the spirit in which it was intended. The touching music starts up again as Jack nods and Locke flashes him a warm grin. Is he crying yet? His cheeks look shiny, but I can't see actual tears. Jack, how will we know for sure it's you if you don't cry? Locke says, "Either way, your story beats the hell out of mine. All that was in my suitcase was a bunch of knives." Jack asks if Locke's some kind of salesman. Locke says, "Yeah, something like that." Willy Loman rolls his eyes. The men wish each other luck, but as Locke starts to wheel his way out of the claims office, Jack asks him what happened to put him in the chair. "I'm sorry. I'm only asking because I'm a spinal surgeon -- I didn't mean to..." Suck? Locke doesn't mind sharing. "Uh, surgery isn't going to do anything to help me. You know, my condition is irreversible." Jack shakes his head. "Nothing is irreversible." He rises to his feet and gives his business card to Locke and tells him to call him for a consultation, on the house. The two men -- men of science; men of faith -- introduce themselves, shake hands and part with a fond smile.