In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.
The camera zooms in on an eye -- Jack's -- just like the pilot. He wakes in the jungle and hears a cry for help. It's Hurley! Jack dives into the waterfall-fed lake below to save him, and the guitar he's got with him because… he does. Jack and Hurley swim to an unconscious Kate on the shore and wake her. They're back on the island, and I'm back on the phone, trying to book a room at Santa Rosa.
Forty-six hours earlier, Jack, Sun, Desmond and Ben are with Mrs. Hawking in the Church. She leads them down the spiral staircase to her island-locating lab, which she refers to as the Lamppost, because we're not done with C.S. Lewis yet, babies. The Lamppost is located on an electromagnetic energy pocket (there are many) which the Dharma Initiative used to find the island. Mrs. Hawking, who amusingly allows that Ben is a big-ass liar, explains that the island is on another such pocket, but it's always moving through time -- so this lab was designed by a mystery man (Daniel?) to predict where it would be at a certain place in time. They've discovered a window back that will only be open for a short bit, and they must use it. Desmond says, "Are y' daft, then?" or something like it. He can't believe these people would be trying to get back to the island, warns Sun and Jack that "these people" are using them, then promptly leaves. I love you, you unique, precious, special snowflake, and I'm really glad you didn't get hit by that swinging Foucault's pendulum. time, please skirt its radius, m'kay? Mrs. Hawking hands Jack a binder full of flights and times and explains that flight 316 from L.A. to Guam will be their access to the window that lets them back onto the island, and they must be on it. What's more, they must have as many of the same people aboard and recreate the circumstances of Oceanic 815, as closely as possible, or the results of their efforts will be "unpredictable." She takes Jack, alone, to a back room and hands him a suicide note from Locke, but Jack won't read it, at least not then. She explains that John Locke's corpse is a proxy for Christian Shepherd's, and that Jack must give John something of Christian's. When he scoffs, she explains to him that this is a leap of faith he must take.
When Jack returns to the sanctuary, Sun is gone and Ben is praying (!!!) or pretending to. Ben tells Jack about the Apostle Thomas, and how although he's best known for doubting Christ's resurrection until he could put his hands in Christ's wounds, one of his more touching acts of faith happens earlier, when Jesus is planning to return to Judea (to raise Lazarus) despite the fact that his life is at risk, and Thomas says, "Let us also go that we might die with him." Ben then takes his leave from Jack, because he has to tie up some loose ends. Hmmm.
Jack's at a bar when he gets a call that his grandpa Ray has escaped from his nursing home again. And no wonder! Ray does not look like he needs a home. I'm just saying. Jack goes to see him at the home -- where he's on his last chance, and helps Ray unpack from his latest escape. In Ray's bag, Jack finds a pair of Christian Shepherd's wingtips. Jack asks Ray for them, and later explains that he might be leaving town. When Jack gets home to his own place, he finds an upset Kate lying on his bed. If Jack's going back to Craphole, she's going with him. He asks her where Aaron is and she makes him promise to never ask her about Aaron again. Then they make-out. Hey, I didn't write it (but it was kind of hot). In the morning, he tells her about the wingtips and the old white tennies in which he buried Christian, then his phone rings, and Kate takes her leave. Ben's calling from the Marina. He's all beat up (and so help me if he harmed one hair on Penny, baby Charlie, or Desmond's special snowflake heads, I'll beat him again -- myself) and needs Jack to retrieve Locke's body from Simon's Butcher Shop. Once there, Jack and Jill go up the hill, or actually, just to cold storage to get Locke. While there, Jack puts the wingtips on Locke, and slips the alleged suicide note back in Locke's pocket -- still unread.
Our various escape-aways make their way to Ajira airlines flight 316. Hurley buys up all the vacant seats on the flight (78 of them). Mirroring Kate's original trip to Craphole, Sayid seems to be in the custody of a police officer, or his girlfriend just likes it rough (hey, she looks a little like Ana-Lucia). Sun's there, too. She can't not take the opportunity to bring home Jin if he's really alive. And who is flying their plane but Frank Lapidus -- the pilot who was supposed to be flying Oceanic 815 -- who flew our escape-aways off the island in the freighter crew's helicopter. When Frank realizes who all he's got onboard, he cracks, "We're not going to Guam, are we?" Meanwhile, Ben's got his head buried in Ulysses. Jack can't understand how he can read, and says so, to which Ben replies (and notice how that ends in "lies"): "My mother taught me." Ha. He convinces Jack that it wasn't his fault that Locke killed himself (which he claims not to have known, but I totally think he's lying) and encourages Jack to read Locke's note. Locke wrote: "Jack, I wish you had believed me." Oh yeah, that'll make him feel better. Soon thereafter, the plane hits some turbulence which you just know is caused by an electromagnetic Hot Pocket or whatever, because there's a FLASH! And the thing we know, we're back where we started -- both the series and this episode -- with Jack waking up in the jungle, hearing cries for help. After he and Hurley wake Kate, they wonder where Sayid, Sun and Ben are. Soon, a shiny, new looking Dharma Initiative VW Bug van comes rolling toward the lake. The armed driver hops out and trains his weapon on Hurley, Kate, and Jack look at this man all wide-eyed -- first in fear, then amazement. It's JIN! (Still alive.) Dun!
Which Lost character has the best backstory? Find out here, then discuss this episode in our forums!
Want more? The full recap starts right below!I don't like to tattle, but someone just pushed a button and reset the whole series. Again. I'm looking at you Damon and Carlton. And I'm done (not with the show - just with looking at the fellas). I'll now return to pushing my buttons, or keys, as the case may be.
The title of this episode, "316" is layered with meaning. The most obvious is the connection with the Bible verse John 3:16 which reads "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (King James Version.) Then, as you'll soon learn, there's a flight that figures into this episode: Ajira Airlines 316. And Lost episode 316, "One Of Us" is the episode in which Juliet comes with Jack back to Camp Lost-Away and confesses to drugging Claire, yet saves Claire's life, but seems to be working as a plant for Ben, and yet all she wants to do is get away from Ben and the bloody island and oh! Don't make me go back there. Instead, let's break down this week's previouslies, because everything old is new again. Again.
Previously, on Lost: At the Hoffs/Drawler Funeral Parlor Ben tells a drugged-out Jack that the island won't let him return alone. "All of you have to come back." And Kate catches onto this scheme later at slip 23 of the Long Beach Marina. "Is that what all this is about? This is insane. You guys are crazy. JACK DON'T!" Then it's Sayid's turn, "I don't want any part of this." we see poor Jin (who IS ALIVE if I haven't mentioned that lately), running across the freighter deck, trying to get the helicopter to return and pick him up. The freighter goes BOOM! Sun screams. Then she's at the Long Beach Marina holding a gun to Ben's throat, which is generally a great idea, demanding to know how he knows Jin is alive. Ben repLIES that there's someone in Los Angeles who can prove it. When Sun wants to know who, he says, "The same person who's going to help us get back to the island..." and now we're all caught up.
Island; Day; Time Period Unknown: The camera zooms in on Jack's right eye -- mirroring the opening scene of the pilot. He wakes to the sounds of birds chirping, and the breeze blowing, and I can't decide if the whispers I hear are from the show or from the voices in my head. Whatever. Lost put about a third of them in there, anyhow. Jack breathes heavily, because lying flat on your back can leave you winded (if you do it right) and springs up once he lets himself realize he's back on Craphole. He takes a deep breath of crazy island air and reviews the scrap of a note that reads, "I wish," when he hears shouting: "Help. Anyone." It's Hurley! Dropping the scrap, Jack heads towards Hurley's voice, first walking, and then running. Hurley continues to cry for help. Wading across a stream, Jack comes to the edge of a cliff, and finds Hurley holding onto a guitar case, and struggling to stay afloat in waterfall-fed lake below. Jack dives in to save him. I've decided he's well acquainted with this lake, so that I don't have to freak out about a spinal surgeon diving off a cliff into unfamiliar waters. He makes his way over to the struggling Hurley who is freaking.
When my oldest son was tiny, we took him to the beach, and before our feet hit the sand, he pointed out to sea and said, "Mommy, whassat?" I told him it was the ocean, and he said, "The ocean. Whassat?" Not sure how else to explain an ocean to a one year old, I said, "That's a big water." Mesmerized and still pointing, he said, "Yeah. Das a biiigggg water." And every time we took him to the beach that summer, he'd point out to sea and say, "Das a biiigggg water, Mommy." Or "Daddy," or "Nana," or "Grampy," but I'm telling the story, so I'm featuring myself. Anyhow, Hurley is floundering and panicking, but is he in a biiigggg water? Not so much, no. I mean, I think I'm exaggerating by calling it a lake, but pond doesn't seem right somehow, and pool can be confusing. So... Jack drags him for about three seconds before they can stand. Oops, embarrassing. Not to mention, Hurley can swim y'all. Remember his cannonball into the ocean? While I'm nitpicking, the guys notice an unconscious Kate lying with her head on a rather large rock. Talk about your Jacob's pillow -- and yet, she's not bleeding. I mean -- not even a scratch. Jack flips her over -- listens to her... throat (what's up with that), and uses all his medical knowledge to revive her by saying stuff like, "Kate, can you hear me?" Good thing she has a doctor handy.
Kate comes to, and says, "Jack," which is promising, since that's who she's looking at. He asks if she's okay, but she has a question of her own. "Are we..." She looks around. Jack says, "Yeah, we're back." Kate wants to know what happened, but Jack can only shake his head, and we fade to black.
A title card reads: "46 Hours Earlier" and we fade in on Mrs. Hawking lighting candles at the church, beneath the Caravaggio painting (maybe Dharma jumped back in time and swiped an original), "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas." Didn't I recap this scene last week? It's not plagiarism if you copy yourself, right? Ben walks into the church, followed by Sun, Jack, and then Des. Eloise looks them over then says, "I thought I said all of them." Desmond's just shutting the door, and when he turns to see Eloise Hawking, his eyes fall out of his head and roll across the floor. Ben says, "This is all I could get on short notice." Hawking says, "I guess it will have to do for now." The scene differs slightly from last week's, much like Sun's scene in her car at the Marina differed from week to week. With an ordinary show, I'd just assume they were either being artful or less careful. With Lost I keep thinking about time travel and wondering if things are slightly different to show me that all of this has happened before. All this will happen again. Eloise's gaze meets Jack's, then she adds, "All right. Let's get started." She leads them through the sanctuary to a door. The sign on it reads: "CAUTION High Voltage. Do not enter this enclosure." So they enter. Desmond plays caboose as they descend the spiral staircase and travel through the basement to the top seekrit island-locating lab. Inside, Foucault's Pendulum swings back and forth, etching lines on the floor beneath, and computers stutter and hum. The gang looks around at the blackboard full of equations and all the crazy equipment until Jack asks, "What is this place?" Eloise, who seems to relish the role of tour guide/Expositrix General, says, "The Dharma Initiative called this the Lamp Post," because we're not done with C.S. Lewis, dears. As the pendulum swings, Eloise does her best Vanna White and says, "This is how they found the island," and the music carries us upward and outward (or for the Lewis geeks, further up and further in) and to a commercial.
Mainland; Evening; Church Of The Doubting Escape-Aways: Jack asks Ben if he knew about "this place" and Ben says he didn't, so he turns to Mrs. Hawking and asks if Ben is telling the truth. Love it. She looks up from her desk and shakes her head. "Probably not." Ha. Jack skirts the pendulum as he approaches Hawking, and notices a photo of the island on the wall. It reads "9/23/1954 - U.S. ARMY - OP 264 - TOP SECRET - EYES." If there's anything past that, it's cut off. Jack's rapt attention to the photo makes me wonder if Jack's father or grandfather (we'll meet him in a bit) were ever part of the military operations on Craphole. Blue Binder in hand, Hawking addresses the group, apologizing if what she's about to say is confusing. The audience laughs and laughs and laughs. Good thing she can't hear us, because she strikes me as pretty strict. I mean get a load of her when she realizes Jack is still looking at the photo on the wall. "Let's pay attention, yes?" Jack's so used to people treating him like shit he doesn't even wince. I don't think I would have been so obliging.
Once she's center stage, Hawking begins her back-story. The Lamp Post was constructed years ago over a unique pocket of electro-magnetic energy that connects to similar (hot) pockets all over the world, but the people who had it built were only interested in one -- you guessed it -- Craphole. How did they know about it? How did anyone ever get there and back before there were magical rooms and frozen donkey wheels and Locke's Dad-In-A-Box? Well, Hawking says they'd "gathered proof that it existed" and "knew it was out there." That's all fine and dandy, but HOW? How did people even know about the Hot Pockets to begin with?
Hawking says "a very clever fellow" (Daniel? Pierre Chang? Charles Widmore?) constructed the pendulum mapper on the theory that they should stop looking for where the island is and try to figure out where it was going to be. Desmond's looking on, thinking that he's just going to ignore his time travel dreams from now on, because this is whack, yo. Meanwhile, Jack's all what the flying frick are you talking about, lady, so Eloise explains that the clever fellow theorized that the island was always moving, and he turned out to be right, which is why the Lost-aways were never rescued. And on one hand, I get that. That's how the Black Rock ship ended up in the middle of an island, and probably how the island ended up with polar bears on it, and whatnot, but...but...but...I thought Ben moved the island, and that that was a last resort, but if it was already moving...then...so...HUH? It is not large with the sense making.
So yeah...while the island movements seem random, the clever fellow made up math (yes, I said "made up math" and I meant it; math and I have issues) to predict where the island will appear at a certain point of time. Then she says something about windows and I'm pretty sure that's a product placement for Bill Gates, but who can tell? At any rate, the Escape-aways have to find one of these Hot Pocket windows and un-re-defenestrate themselves in order to get back to where they once belonged. Hawking says the escape-aways' window closes in 36 hours as she hands Jack her binder.
Desmond can't believe his ears -- that any of these people would willingly return to Craphole. He's only there to explain Daniel's message -- that they people on the island need Hawking's help. Desmond calls bull shenanigans on the whole thing. He walks right in the pendulum's path and I'm worried for a moment that it's going to whack him as he makes his way over to Hawking, pointing the finger right at her. "He didn't say Jack; he didn't say Sun; he didn't say Ben; he said you." Great point, Des. When Hawking says, "But I am helping, dear," Desmond sneers. "Consider the message delivered." He walks off, nearly getting knocked over by the pendulum, again. Please be more careful, my pretty, precious snowflake. There's not another like you, brotha. As he leaves, Hawking tells him that the island isn't done with him yet. Desmond lets the group know that she cost him four years of his life that he'll never get back, because she told him it was his purpose to go there. He again courts death by pendulum to speak with Jack. "You listen to me, brotha, and you listen carefully, these people -- they're just using us. They're playing some kind of game and we are just the pieces." Jack looks off to Hawking and then back at Desmond, who is makes COMPLETELY CRAZY EYES at Jack. "Whatever she tells you to do, ignore it." Jack looks at Des as if to say, "Your words make sense, but you keep dancing around that pendulum and dude -- that thing you did with your eyes was frigging nuts, so I'm going to listen to the pretty older lady in the smart blue suit, because she puts me in mind of a British Alice Horton, you know, if Alice Horton were EVIL. Besides, my judgment sucks almost as much as Locke's and I've got a legacy to build." Desmond then addresses Hawking. "You say the island's not done with me. Well, I'm done with the island." Hawking's expression is the one your grandmother wears when one of your uncles has too much to drink at a family gathering. She purses her lips and turns from Des, who stomps out and slams the door behind him. Like your uncle might, when he's had too much to drink at a family gathering. I'm just saying.
Jack looks off at the door, and he and Sun exchange a look. Before they can think too much, Hawking explains the binder she gave to Jack. It contains a list of air routes that fly over where the island will be in "little more than a day from now." Jack nods and tries to bring his focus back to the task at hand. There's a flight from L.A. to Guam -- Ajira 316 -- that will take them through their window. It must be that flight and they all need to be on it. She then explains to them that if they want to return, they need to recreate as best they can, the circumstances that brought them there the first time. Jack wants to know what happens if no one else will go with them. Hawking says the result will be unpredictable. He can't quite believe that's all there is to it. She wants to talk to him alone, in order to explain that bit.
In a back room Hawking gives Jack information that concerns neither Ben nor Sun. First -- she gives him John Locke's suicide note. Jack says he didn't know, and Hawking asks, "Why would you? Obituaries don't see fit to mention when people hang themselves, Jack." I could swear we know Locke's death was a suicide before now, but I can't find the full text of that newspaper clipping Jack had on him, so maybe I just imagined (prophesied) it. At any rate, Jack's surprised now, surprised and distressed. He asks Hawking why Locke killed himself, and she blathers about there being any number of reasons, but what's important now is that he's going to help them get back to Craphole. He'll be a proxy for Christian Shepherd's body -- helping them recreate the conditions of the original flight. She tells Jack to get something that belonged to his father, and "give" it to John. Jack yells about how ridiculous this is, but Hawking puts him in his place. "Oh stop thinking how ridiculous it is." Shout out? "And start asking yourself whether or not you believe it's going to work. That's why it's called a leap of faith, Jack." Oh writers, you're breaking the fourth wall.
Jack returns to the sanctuary where Benjamin Linus is praying -- and hey, I thought vampires couldn't enter churches. Sanctuary, indeed. Ben says Sun left and Locke's body is being looked after by a friend -- he'll pick it up on the way to the airport. Now that's a friend, man. I have friends who might help me hide a body, but I don't think any of them would mind one. Ben seems both miffed and concerned that Jack got extra attention from Mrs. Hawking and wants to know what she told him. Jack says, "Nothing that matters," and asks Ben who Hawking is, and how she came to know everything and help them. Ben can't give him a straight answer so he changes the subject completely. Standing under the Caravaggio, lighting candles, he tells Jack about the Apostle Thomas, and how one of his most touching acts of faith happens when Jesus is planning to return to Judea (to Bethany, to raise Lazarus) despite the fact that his life is at risk. Thomas says, "Let us also go that we might die with him." Ah, a man of faith. Ben then relays the more well-known story: Upon hearing of Christ's resurrection, Thomas was unable to believe until he could put his hands in Christ's wounds. Ah, a man of science. Jack asks if Thomas was finally convinced. Ben says, "Of course he was. We're all convinced sooner or later, Jack." And with that, Ben walks down the aisle, telling Jack he has to leave. "I made a promise to an old friend of mine -- just a loose end that needs tying up. See you at the airport, Jack." As Ben walks out, Jack looks up and then over to the Caravaggio, and then, with tears in his eyes, looks away. Meanwhile, I worry that the "old friend" is Widmore, and the promise is killing Penny, and maybe my eyes aren't the driest, either.
Later we find Jack seated at a bar. His posture indicates he may have been there a while, but he seems to be nursing his Scotch on the rocks when his phone rings. We jump to what looks like a retirement home, but seems to be run like a nursing home. A suit tells Jack, "This is the fourth time he's left. He has to follow the rules or he'll have to move to our fully-assisted facility." I think this plot point is terribly sloppy. The "he" is Jack's grandfather -- Ray. He seems of sound mind and body (he uses a cane), and not old enough to be Christian's father and Jack's grandfather, while I'm picking nits. Jack meets up with Ray in the facility's common room. He's watching magician who has just revealed a white rabbit. On the way back to Ray's room, Jack tries find out where Ray was headed, but he won't come clean. They enter his studio apartment, which is why this makes it all so confusing. Typically, people in a retirement home can leave. They live there. They're not imprisoned there. But apparently Ray is, but he's imprisoned such that Jack tells him, "If you take off again, they're going to throw you out of here." Um. I think Ray's good with that. While Jack unpacks Ray's suitcase, Ray asks if he's still with Kate, but Jack confirms they're no longer together. Jack explains to Ray that he might be going away, but is no more forthcoming about the "where" than Ray was. It's then that Jack spots a pair of black wingtips in his grandfather's suitcase. They're not Ray's -- they were Christian's. Jack stares down at them, then with (more) tears in his eyes, asks if he can take the shoes.
Jack returns home and man, Ben must have had a cleaning service come in, because remember his place used to look like a flophouse? He opens all the kitchen cabinets, then rounds the corner and he finds what he's looking for in his desk drawer -- a bottle of booze. Does he not remember where he keeps his booze? Yikes. He hears a noise and realizes he's not alone. He makes his way through the dark apartment which is just crazy. I'd be turning on lights left and right. It's a creepy scene, but it ends well, with Jack finding Kate lying on his bed. Okay, and I know that's still creepy to you Sawyer and Kate fans, but you know what I mean. She looks despondent. Jack asks what she's doing there. She wants to know if he's still going back to the island -- because if so, she's going with him. Jack wants to know what happened, and where Aaron is. Kate sits up. "Don't ask questions. If you want me to go with you, you'll never ask me that question again. You will never ask me about Aaron. Do you understand, Jack?" Jack nods and says he does. Kate thanks him, and they...make out, er...because that's what you do when your son -- the nephew of your boyfriend -- has suddenly become such a sore subject that his uncle can't ask about him. Okay, then. I don't mean to trivialize it because it's pretty hot; it's just a weird little scene. Kate's obviously devastated, and Jack's too afraid of scaring her off yet again, so they kiss and fall to the bed, as one of them starts to remove Jack's jacket. And? We go to commercial, which is far less hot. It's that one with the woman with the streaming, long armpit hair. Shudder. The ad-buyer must be a S/Kater.
The morning, Jack makes coffee and puts out some orange juice, and he looks pretty chipper, so I'm going to pretend the sex must have cheered Kate up, some, at least during. Fresh from the shower, she bids him a good morning and he smiles, all smitten kitten that he is. She makes small talk with him about the wingtips -- joking that hiking boots would be a better choice for the island. Jack explains: "Those were my father's. When I went to pick up his body in Sydney, my dad didn't have any nice shoes. My mother wanted to have the funeral as soon as I landed back in L.A., but I thought, 'Who the Hell's gonna see his feet?' And so I-I had these old white tennis shoes, and I just said, 'Use these. Put these on him,' 'cause he wasn't worth a nice pair of shoes to me, or the time it would take to go out and get 'em." Jack looks down at his coffee with more than a little regret.
Kate says, "So why don't you get rid of 'em? Why hold on to something that makes you feel sad?" Kate's looking pretty sad herself, as is Jack. Do they make one another sad, or do they want each other when they feel sad? Yes. Before Jack can answer, although I'm not sure he would have, the phone rings. Jack looks at her, like he's not sure what do with this strange new ringing sound. Kate seems perplexed, too. The hell? Finally, she stands. "Go ahead. I'll see you at the airport, okay?" Jack nods and Kate high-tails it out of Jack's place like it was Craphole, itself. Jack FINALLY answers the phone. It's Ben, who almost sounds like he's crying. Jack asks if he's okay. We cut to a scene of Ben at a payphone (do they still have payphones?) at the Marina. "Listen, we don't have much time. I've been, uh... sidetracked, and I need you to pick up Locke's body and take it to the airport." The camera pans around to give us a full profile shot. Ben's hair is wet and his face is covered in blood, which seems disproportionate to the few small scrapes I can see. "The coffin is at Simon's Butcher Shop. Corner of Grande and Hayes." Jack wants to know what's happened to Ben that he can't retrieve Locke's corpse. Ben says, "Just do it, please." Jack hangs up and we jump to the Butcher Shop. Jill knows him when she lets him in, so Jack and Jill go up the...ah...I already did that in the recaplet, and it was weak, then. I won't punish you twice. They go back into the meat locker, where there are sides of beef hanging and full Lockes (okay, just the one) already boxed up and ready to travel. Jill wants to know what's in the bag, but Jack shoots her a dirty look when she asks, so she apologizes, and excuses herself to pull the van around back.
Once she's gone, Jack braces himself, opens the casket, then removes Locke's shoes and replaces them with Christian's. Feeling like an asshat, he starts talking to the body. "Wherever you are John, you must be laughing your ass off that I'm actually doing this, because this is even crazier than you are." Long time -- no see, I guess. Once he's done, he takes out the still unopened suicide note, and sticks it inside Locke's jacket. "And here. You can have that back. I've already heard everything you had to say, John. You wanted me to go back. I'm going back. Rest in peace."
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?
, 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 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.
Once inside the plane, he finds Sayid and his Marshall sitting in first class. Sayid looks like he wants to speak to Jack (and in a more kindly manner than when last they met), but looks at his Marshall and thinks twice. Jack then passes Sun, who is contemplating Jin's wedding ring. He approaches Kate and says, "You made it." She echoes him. "Yeah, I made it," but what she doesn't make is room for him in her row. He waits, because he wants to sit with her, but she doesn't budge. He takes his seat at the back of first class, just as Hurley enters with a guitar case. He sits a couple of rows behind Sayid's Marshall. Just as the flight attendant declares that's everyone, a whiny little voice carries down the hall. "Hold up. Waaaaaait, please." It's Ben. Of course. Now, that's not duplicating the flight, is it? His face is pretty scratched up, so I'm now pretending all the blood on it earlier was his own. His left arm is in a sling, so I'm also pretending that if he got anywhere near the Special Snowflake Family, he was sent packing before he could do too much damage. Sayid sees him board, but manages not to say anything. Not our Hurley, though. "Wait! What's he doing here?!" Jack tries to calm him down, but Hurley yells, "No, no, he can't come!" Jack puts his hands on Hurley's shoulders and tells him that if they want to get back, this is the way it's got to be. Define "want" Jack. Meanwhile, Ben says, "Who told you to be here, Hugo?" They're interrupted by the flight attendant who asks if everything is okay. Hurley begrudgingly lies that it is and returns to his seat. The flight attendant then asks Jack if he's Jack, and since he is Jack he says he's Jack. She then hands him Locke's suicide note, commenting that security found it for him, while screening his "cargo." And why the hell didn't they leave it in there? Really, that would have pissed me off. She then directs Jack and Ben to their seats because the plane is readying for take-off.
They're seated across from one another, so Jack asks Ben what's going to happen to the other people on the plane. Ben looks at Jack like he's got three heads. "Who cares?" Jack clamps his mouth shut and faces forward again. Dude, look into an iPod. The plane takes off and I've got to say, the Oceanic 815 survivors are pretty cool customers. I mean, they're a little nervous, sure, but nobody's screaming like a baby, so I say they win. Once they can remove their seatbelts, Jack goes up to join Kate. He says he wonders how Hurley and Sayid ended up there. Kate's not indulging him with speculation. "They bought a ticket." I wonder about episode 16 from season 3, and how people were leery of Jack for associating with Juliet and if Sun, Kate, Sayid, and Hurley got together and decided to return to save the Strand-aways from Ben (and from Jack, if they think Jack's in Ben's thrall).
Jack says, "You don't think that it means something, that somehow...we're all back together?"
Kate says, "We're on the same plane, Jack. That doesn't make us together." Oh, burn. Or...freeze, I guess.
The captain's announcement saves Jack from anymore of Kate's friendship. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Ajira Air. This is your captain, Frank J. Lapidus." FRANK! If I had to fly to Craphole, I'd want you in the cockpit (okay, you or Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, and okay, him first and you second). Awesome. He continues: "And on behalf of the entire flight crew, welcome aboard. Currently we're right on schedule, flying at a very comfortable 30,000 feet. So sit back, relax and enjoy the in-flight movie." Kate, Hurley and Jack all recognize Frank's name, so Jack asks the flight attendant to tell the pilot he's on board. Coming out of the story for a moment, I can't decide whether or not it's believable that the flight crew didn't recognize the Oceanic 6 (or 5, I guess). I don't think I would, three years after the fact, but since I can still picture Louise Woodward's face a dozen years after the fact, maybe I'm piping. Anyhow...Jack sits and waits while the flight attendant gets Frank. He exits the cockpit, clean-shaven and looking fine. They chit chat about Frank's job with Ajira, until he gets a good look at his other passengers. "Is that Sayid? And Hurley?" He then spots Kate and Sun, and shakes his head. "Wait a second. We're not going to Guam, are we?" We fade out for a commercial. Heh. Poor Frank.
It's nighttime, now. The plane is still flying. Back in his own seat, far from cold-comfort-Kate, Jack is restless. He must be, because he looks at Ben AND starts a conversation with him. Ben's reading James Joyce's Ulysses, and I read Ulysses in college but I can't remember a thing about it, except I know they now celebrate Bloomsday in Dublin, every year. I also know that either Carlton or Damon (or that mystery wrapped in an enigma which is the four-toed statue of Darlton) has said that we should re-read Ulysses, but that's all I've got. Do I have to watch the show for you? Okay, yes. I do. That's my job. But it would be good for you (or me, I guess) if you did some research on your own. CLICK ME! Anyhow, Jack asks Ben, "How can you read." Without looking up from his book, Ben deadpans, "My mother taught me." HA! And no, because she's dead, but still, HA! Poor Jack starts hearing old Rodney Dangerfield shtick in his head, 'til Ben finally takes pity on him and says he can read because it beats doing what Jack's doing -- waiting for something to happen. Jack asks what is going to happen, so Ben snits, "You tell me, Jack. You're the one who got to stay after school with Ms. Hawking." Jealous, much? Jack wants to know if Ben knows that Locke killed himself. Ben says he didn't, so you realize this means he probably helped him tie the noose. Jack shows him Locke's letter and says he keeps trying to get rid of it, but if follows him -- like Locke wants him to read it. What was your first clue, Jack -- your name on the envelope? Ben encourages him to read it (which makes me wonder if Ben wrote the letter). "Is it because you're afraid.... Afraid that he blames you -- that it's your fault he killed himself." And is it just me, because if I were returning to Craphole, I'd want to read that letter and know everything I could, even though I'd take it all with a heaping helping of salt. I'd just want as much intel as I could gather.
Raw emotion is written all over Jack's face. "Was it my fault?" Ben takes his glasses off and assures Jack it wasn't his fault. He then leaves his seat to give Jack some privacy. He walks toward the front of first class, but we don't see him take a seat. Jack stares at the envelope for a moment, then taking a deep breath, he rips it open. He unfolds the white-lined paper inside and although none fall, his eyes fill with tears. Again. Oh, poor Woobie. The camera cuts to Locke's text: "Jack, I wish you had believed me. JL" Whosoever believeth in him... Jack leans his head back, and the lights flicker off and on. There's some serious LET-ME-OUT-OF-THIS-DEATHTRAP turbulence. Kate, Sayid, Hurley and Sun all look around. It continues. We cut back to Jack. We see Saïd/Caesar, then Hurley, again. Original recipe Sayid and his Marshall. There's creaking and the sign comes on telling people to fasten their seatbelts, and use their seat bottom as a flotation device. Hurley turns to Saïd/Caesar and says, "Dude, you might want to fasten your seatbelt," then he slides his sleep mask over his eyes, God bless him. The flight attendant struggles down the aisle instructing people to put on their seatbelts. We get a good look at everyone, but I don't see Ben, which seems...curious. The turbulence worsens. Luggage falls from the overheads. The cabin goes dark. The emergency lights come on. There's an alarm, because loud, urgent noises will surely help people stay calm in a crisis situation. The plane is now shaking so violently that the flight attendant is thrown across the aisle. Suddenly everything starts to get brighter, and brighter and brighter and brighter, and we FLASH!
Island; Day; Time Period Unknown For Now: The camera zooms in on Jack's right eye -- mirroring the opening scene of the pilot. He wakes to the sounds of birds chirping, and the breeze blowing, and I can't decide if the whispers I hear are from the show or from the voices in my head. Whatever. Lost put about a third of them in there, anyhow. Jack breathes heavily, because lying flat on your back can leave you winded (if you do it right) and springs up once he lets himself realize he's back on Craphole. He takes a deep breath of crazy island air and reviews a scrap of what we now know to be Locke's (alleged) suicide note which reads, "I wish." I think I hear the island whisper, "Wish granted, John Locke," but I can't be sure, because Hurley is shouting. "Help. Anyone." Dropping the scrap, Jack heads towards Hurley's voice, comes to the edge of a cliff, and finds Hurley holding onto a guitar case, and struggling to stay afloat in waterfall-fed lake below. Jack dives in to save him. I've decided he's well acquainted with this lake, so that I don't have to freak out about a spinal surgeon diving off a cliff into unfamiliar waters. He makes his way over to the struggling Hurley who is freaking. He spots an unconscious Kate lying with her head on a rather large rock. Talk about your Jacob's pillow -- and yet, she's not bleeding. I mean -- not even a scratch. Jack flips her over -- listens to her...throat (what's up with that), and uses all his medical knowledge to revive her by saying, "Kate?" Good thing she has a doctor handy.
Kate comes to, and says, "What happened?" And while most of the above has been the same (albeit shorter) than the original opening, this is different. Jack shakes his head because he doesn't know. Kate covers her face with her hand and grimaces, because people do that a lot on Craphole. They learn Korean from Jin and grimacing from Daniel. This time, Jack asks Kate if she can get up, and she can, so she does -- well, she sits, and asks, "The plane -- where's the plane?" If only Hervé Villechaize were still alive, Kate. Jack says he doesn't know. After the light, he woke in the jungle. Kate wonders if it's just them there. Jack's not sure. He says, "Do either of you remember crashing?"
Hurley says, "Crashing? No. One second I'm being tossed around; the thing I know, I'm in the lagoon." Lagoon! Pool. Pond. (Pond would be good for you.) Lagoon!
Kate looks around. "Where's Sun and Sayid?" She takes a beat, then looks at Jack with alarm. "Where's Ben?"
Jack suggests they spread out and search the jungle. "We come across anybody from the plane, we'll..." He's interrupted by the sound of a motor, and cheesy 70s pop. Hurley looks up to see the blue VW Bus, apparently all shiny and new, tooling down the road toward them. He simply says, "Dude." A man (and his rifle) exits the bus. He's wearing a Dharma Initiative jumpsuit and wastes no time in taking aim at Jack, Kate, and Hurley. They stand in the water, looking at him, with their mouths hanging open. Finally, Hurley speaks. "Jin?!"
Jin lowers his weapon and lets the sight before him register. He lets out the smallest, silent, frightened laugh and we fade to black. DUN! Bad robot!
Just a little bit of score-keeping before I put this bad boy to bed. Let's see how well the Oceanic Six did, trying to recreate the circumstances of Oceanic flight 815.
1. Jack has Locke as his Christian Shepherd-show-wearing Christian Shepherd proxy.
2. Sun is trying to get back together with her husband, which sort of mirrors the state of their marriage when they first landed on Craphole. And she has a personal possession of his -- a ring.
3. Hurley has a Spanish language comic, as he did the first time (although I can't recall it). And he has a guitar, which must represent Charlie and since Hurley is loaded, it may well be Charlie's guitar.
4. Sayid's there, but he's in custody, of course the Marshall can stand in for Kate's Marshall.
5. Kate's there alone this time, but see above.
6. Aaron's not there, but...he was in Claire's belly the first time the Lost-aways landed on Craphole. Kate and Jack had sex the night before their flight on Ajira 316- with Jack. Was it unprotected? Maybe there was an Aaron proxy on this new plane.
Additionally, Frank was supposed to be flying Oceanic 815. Now maybe the monster ate Greg Grunberg because he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. Maybe Frank was supposed to be there all along. Of course, if there was no crash, maybe Frank kept flying. If Frank did flash to the island, there soon will be a crash, I reckon. Meanwhile, Sayid's Marshall puts me in mind of Ana-Lucia, a little. The biggest wild cards are Saïd/Caesar and Benjamin Linus. I'm not so sure the island even wants Ben anymore, but even if it does, Linus wasn't on Oceanic flight 815. I suppose he could be an Aaron stand-in, too -- a child of the island. But I think it's interesting that we didn't see him during any of the turbulence, or right before the flash. I wonder if the plane did crash and/or if the flash just sucked out the people the island wanted to return. We'll see Wednesday. Some Wednesday. Eventually. I hope.
All in all, this was a good episode, and an important episode, but regardless of how well it set up all our little pawns, it lacked emotional resonance. And I found it frustrating that we don't know why or how anyone but Jack and Sun came to the decision to return. I assume Mrs. Hawking was behind it, but how did she convince them. I mean -- Kate? Was so not going back there. What did she do with Aaron? Did Sun send him off to Halmoni Paik? Did Kate give him to Carole Littleton, his biological grandmother? Did she secret him away to Sawyer's Baby-Mama? Why wouldn't she tell Jack where he was? Was she instructed to have sex with Jack? How and why was Hurley convinced? How did he know to bring the guitar? The comics? Did Charlie visit him again? Why did Sayid get arrested? And how did one Marshall manage to keep him subdued, unless he wanted to be subdued? Most importantly -- how did Benjamin Linus get all bloody? Was some of it Penny's blood -- or was it all just his own? I can't fault Lost for not tipping its entire hand, but an awful lot of the reunion at the airport and on the plane lacked emotion, in part, because the characters were kept separate -- at least in part -- to keep them from spilling their stories. It's fine with me that they're on the flight (or now the island) but not really together, and the emotions aren't joyous, but I felt like I could see too many strings being pulled this time. We had a lot of shrugs, odd looks and things unsaid, that all spelled out to me, "We can't tell you yet, because we're going back to flashback format." I like the time jumps, and I always did like the flashbacks, but I don't want to be taken out of the story again like I was tonight. Too much technique -- not enough art.
In this week's "The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham," ABC tells us "Locke's fateful mission off the island as Jeremy Bentham is revealed." I wish I could just FLASH! to it, now.
Which Lost character has the best backstory? Find out here, then discuss this episode in our forums!
Cindy McLennan recaps Lost and How I Met Your Mother and will soon be covering Cupid, assuming it actually makes it to the airwaves. Her P.C. is old, and tired and slowing her down. She's thinking of buying a Mac. Should she? Let her know at CynthiaMcLennan[at]gmail.com, and send in your Lost theories, too. Did Ben kill Penny? Did the plane crash? Is Frank on the island? What's up with Caesar and the Marshall?