Sunday, May 04, 2008

S4Ep10 - Something Nice Back Home

Hello my dear friends -

The bad news: "Something Nice Back Home" was clearly a "set-up" episode. Its main purpose was to get all of the Lost players in position for the final four hours of the season (three of which technically comprise the finale) while filling in a few gaps in the story line (even though we had already figured out most of them). Necessary, but slightly boring to watch.

The good news: The next episode looks like it will rock the house.

While this latest installment of our favorite show was Jack-centric, I actually found the parts that had nothing to do with Jack to be the most interesting, especially the Miles/Claire/Aaron/Sawyer scenes. But I'm getting ahead of myself... Island events first, followed by Jack's flash-forwards.


DOCTOR, DOCTOR
CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE BURNIN', BURNIN'?
OH, DOCTOR, DOCTOR
IS THIS MY CLAMP YOU'RE FEEEELING?

So I wasn't too far off last week when I speculated that The Mad Doctor might try to perform surgery on himself. And I thought *I* was a control freak! I covered my eyes during Jack's appendectomy and apparently missed some extreme grossness. I personally can't believe that Juliet and Bernard even started the procedure while Jack was still conscious -- helllooooooo??? Anyone could've called that he'd be twitching around. At least they didn't dream up some contraption like the Amputron 2000 to hack Jack apart, like he had rigged up for Boone (RIP). This topic is disgusting, so I'm going to move on.

In my mind, there was really only one important thing that came out of the whole appendicitis drama, and that was what Rose said to Bernard:

BERNARD: Honey, I am sure Jack is gonna be OK. An appendectomy is just about the most common kind of surgery there is.
ROSE: That's not what I was thinking about. I was thinking, "Why did he get sick?"
BERNARD: Why? It's just--it's just bad luck.
ROSE: The day before we're all supposed to be rescued, the person that we count on the most suddenly comes down with a life-threatening condition, and you're chalking it up to bad luck?
BERNARD: Well, what are you saying, that--that Jack did something to offend the gods? People get sick, Rose.
ROSE: Not here. Here, they get better.

Rose voiced a question that has been on many fans' minds for a while now: Why does the Island seem to "cure" some people, like Locke and Rose, while others still get sick, like Benry and Jack? Perhaps the Island and its special electromagnetic properties have the power to make some people better, but can't necessarily prevent other illnesses. Or maybe those who have gotten sick were not "in sync" with the Island (so the Island begins to sing "Bye Bye Bye" to them. Sorry, I couldn't resist).

Believe it or not, this is one mystery that the producers have directly addressed. You can read their take on why some are cured and others get sick on the Island near the beginning of this article. If you want to read the second part of the article (an interview with the Lost producers by Jimmy Kimmel), it's here. (I have read the linked pages and feel that they are safe, so no worries about having a major plot twist revealed.)

If Rose is on to something and the Island somehow willed Jack's near-fatal condition into existence, the next question is, why? Does the Island not want Jack to leave? What "work" does he have left to do ? Maybe the Island doesn't want any of the Lostaways to leave, and it figured that if it disabled their leader, the rest wouldn't be able to figure out the means for rescue. This would tie into my theory that the Island influenced the fates of the surviving 815ers so that they got on that specific flight... because the Island isn't too pleased with the thought of having Ben or Widmore in control.

But now that I really think about it, the most likely explanation for Jack falling ill is that the Island is a "Skater" and doesn't want Jack to end up with Kate in the future. Kill The Mad Doctor and then Kate will have no choice but to go back to Sawyer! How romantic.

One last thing... to all of you who laughed at me for wondering if there was a possibility that Jack could somehow die in this episode even though we know he's alive in the future... I point to the previews for next week's episode. And to the hundreds of other inexplicable things that have happened on this show. We should all know by now that there are very few scenarios that can be entirely ruled out in this crazy series...


VOICES CARRY


Elsewhere on the Island, Miles, Claire and Sawyer made their way back to the beach with baby Aaron in tow. Miles commands the group to stop, and we soon realize that he's hearing a replay of Karl and Rousseau's last moments. They are, in fact, dead and buried right under everyone's feet. Did anyone else think that those faces totally did NOT look like Karl and Rousseau? And why would Keamy and crew go to the trouble of actually burying the two? My take is that the faces were just bad props and that the Island "swallowed" the two bodies. But I do really think this means that they're both utterly and completely dead.

Back to the people who are still alive... I am betting that this dialogue from early on in the jungle-trekking scenes will turn out to be important:

SAWYER: You okay?
CLAIRE: Yeah, just a bit woozy.
SAWYER: How's your head?
CLAIRE: It's better. Bit of a headache, but at least I'm not seeing things anymore.
MILES: Yeah? What'd you see?

Between the exchange above, Miles' interest in Claire and Aaron, and Zombie Dad beckoning to Claire in the middle of the night, you can be sure that all is not as it appears to be with Claire.

From what little I read on the message boards this week, I gathered that a good percentage of viewers strongly believe that Claire is already dead. Here's how that would work:
1) Claire died when her apartment was bombed.
2) The Claire that Sawyer rescued was not Claire at all, but rather an apparition of the young Australian mother, similar to others on the Island, such as Eko's brother Yemi. "Claire" is really Smokey or Jacob or the Island possessing Claire's body.
3) Miles is either completely aware that Claire is undead, or suspects that something is up. That is why he keeps staring quizzically at her, and why he made the "I wouldn't be so sure" comment last week.
4) Since Claire is not really Claire, she had no qualms about walking off into the jungle with Zombie Dad and leaving poor Aaron behind.

A very intriguing theory, I must admit. I don't totally buy it, though, because I feel like Claire must remain alive since there's still the whole issue of "who raises Aaron" in the future. I feel that Hurley's ominous message for Jack would apply to Kate as well--neither of them are supposed to raise Aaron because he shouldn't be "raised by another." If Claire was dead, however, there wouldn't be too much they could do about the situation... obviously someone would have to raise Aaron who wasn't going to be his mother. The mystery around Aaron would be greatly diminished if Claire were no longer in the picture.

So if Claire isn't dead, what else could be going on? Here's another possibility:
1) Claire was behind her apartment hanging clothes (again) when the bomb went off, hence her survival (many people claim that Sawyer stepped outside of the house's foundation and was clearly in the backyard when he found Claire--I didn't re-watch it to check). So she really is alive.
2) When Sawyer woke Claire, she said "Charlie?" In this latest episode, she referenced "seeing things," and Miles wanted to know more about what she saw (before Sawyer cut him off). Many believe that Dead Charlie came to Claire before the bomb went off to get her out of the house (she was supposed to be napping, as Sawyer mentioned). (And there was apparently a scene filmed where Claire had her visions, but it was cut. I do not know for sure what her visions were of, though.)
3) Miles senses that something is special about Aaron, and/or is also getting a weird vibe about Claire, and that's why he's staring after them in the jungle.
4) Since Claire wanted nothing to do with her father (Christian Shephard, who's also Jack's dad), it does seem a little odd that she would leave willingly with him and put Aaron under a freakin' tree. While Claire is not aware that Christian died, she should still be sufficiently shocked to see him pop up on the Island. But Miles claimed that she simply "walked off" with him... not that Christian dragged her away. What is going on here? Why would Claire abandon Aaron? Who/what IS Zombie Dad? Does the actor who plays him get paid as much as the main Lostaways, because he appears just as often? We're just going to have to wait to find out.

No matter what you think is going on with Claire, you probably agree that after a few fake-outs, we now have finally seen (at least part of) how she came to be separated from Aaron. And those final moments with Sawyer screaming in the jungle? Chilling.

Geez, I almost forgot to mention the brief appearance of Enemy #1... Keamy. I was all, "Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no..." when it seemed like Aaron's gurgle had alerted Keamy and crew to the hidden group's presence. I could hardly stand to look at the screen and watch what was going to happen, and felt a flood of relief when the evil freighties (and Frank) went on their way.

Speaking of Frank, I think it's now safe to say that Frank, Miles, Charlotte and Daniel are not "bad" in the sense of ever intending to kill anyone. While they're not totally innocent, either, they at least seem to want to distance themselves from Keamy and his group now that things are getting ugly. I have decided that I really like all of them, except for Charlotte. She's still way too snooty (Snooty? Snotty. Snotty?) for my taste.


I'LL ALWAYS BE
KING OF PAIN

When Sun, Jin, Daniel and Charlotte went to the medical hatch to get the surgical tools necessary for Jack's procedure, nothing much happened, except for the fact that Daniel reminded us that no one knows where in the hell the Island gets its electrical power from. (I took this to mean that we'll soon find out.) We also learned that Daniel supposedly has a crush on Charlotte, though I totally don't see it (denial?), and sincerely hope we never have to witness those two getting romantic. There is no chemistry between them and I couldn't imagine a more awkward pairing. The nerd never gets the girl, come on!

But Charlotte must at least care a teensy bit about Daniel, because she caved to Original Gangsta Jin's demands when he threatened to hurt her fellow freightie. While many people didn't seem to like Jin's return to treachery, I was cheering at the screen. All that mob training had to be good for something on the Island, right? You nasty, nasty boy, Jin!

Besides giving Charlotte a much needed smack-down, Jin's warning to "Red" served two other purposes:
1) It set up Sun's escape from the Island, and showed that Jin had expected that he may not be able to leave with his wife and unborn child.
2) It revealed that Charlotte knows Korean. "So what?" you say? Why would she know Korean, of all languages? Sure, perhaps it's because she's a highly educated anthropologist who's had to learn a lot of languages because she travels all over the place studying cultures and digging up polar bear skeletons. But maybe, just maybe, it's because she works for someone who is Korean. Like Sun's father, Mr. Paik. Through great feats of translation, as well as participation in The Lost Experience game, fans have pieced together a connection between Paik Heavy Industries (Sun's father's company), Widmore Corporation and the Hanso Foundation. Could Charlotte be working for Paik? I think it's a strong possibility.

That's it for the Island.


THERE ARE WORSE THINGS I COULD DO
THAN GO WITH A BOY... OR TWO

For fans who were rooting for Jack and Kate to get together, this episode was probably quite the roller coaster:
"Kate's in his shower!?!"
"Holy crap, he proposed!?!"
"Is she cheating on him already?!?"
"This isn't going to end well..."

I would also imagine that the brief lovey-dovey scenes were ultimately unsatisfying to the Jaters (Jack + Kate fans) of the world, as we already knew that these two were no longer together after Jack had to go and grow his damn hillbilly beard. (Kate likes her doctor clean-shaven--hence the new razor!)

As I've stated before, the love triangles/quadrangles on the show are extremely uninteresting to me, so I'm not going to spend much time dissecting whether or not Kate ACTUALLY, TRULY, ONCE AND FOR ALL, FOREVER, OMG OMG OMG ends up with Jack versus Sawyer. Because I don't really care.

What I do care about is why Jack had kept away from Aaron for a good chunk of time after the Oceanic Six left the Island. Or what exactly Kate is doing for Sawyer back in the real world. Or why they're letting a very young child play with the Millennium Falcon. I mean, it did make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, so I'm not denying its awesomeness, but the toy's packaging clearly states that it's for older children. Bad parenting!

Of the early Kate/Jack scenes, there are only a few things I deem worth mentioning:

- The timeline: Between the August 31, 2007 Yankees/Red Sox article that Jack read, Kate's comment that she was glad Jack "changed his mind" about seeing Aaron, and Jack's entrée into the world of drug abuse, we can place these flashes after Kate's trial ("Eggtown") but before the season three finale scenes ("Through the Looking Glass"). (By the way, if you are confused about the April 2007 date on the clipping Jack read in last season's finale (about the funeral), it is being considered a prop error by most people. It's happened before... the producers have copped to screwing up the date on the newspaper that Nikki and Paulo read in their flashback). Lostpedia has updated its post-Island timeline here, and I agree with how they've pieced things together so far.

- Intentional shout-out: Most people believe the Millennium Falcon toy was not only yet another shout-out to Star Wars, but also a shout-out of sorts to Sawyer. Jack muttered, "Son of a bitch!" when he stepped on the toy, and as we all know, that's totally Sawyer's line. And we saw later in the episode that Jack is indeed still jealous of our favorite bad boy. I would also like to point out, however, that perhaps it was a small hint that they chose the Millennium Falcon as Aaron's toy rather than, say, a Hoth Wampa. Because what is the MF known for? Traveling through hyperspace... a form of time-warping. (Sawyer has also been compared to Han Solo, captain of the MF, numerous times on the boards.)

- Another intentional allusion: If there's one story that's been referenced in Lost more than Star Wars, it's "Alice in Wonderland." That's what Jack was reading to Aaron.

- Jack's appendectomy scar: It IS there in his flash-forwards, but just very, very faint. Many on the boards found this to be suspicious. People also wondered why The Mad Doctor has apparently taken to shaving his chest in the future (I'm telling you, that's Kate's doing!)

- Jack's back tattoo: Some people think it's new, some claim in was in the pilot episode. Some people think it looks like a Transformers symbol and that Jack is really a Decepticon. I'm going with that theory. Does that mean my boy Shia LaBeouf is going to guest-star soon?




AND I'M HERE
TO REMIND YOU
OF THE MESS YOU LEFT WHEN YOU WENT AWAY

This is the second flash-forward in which Jack has gone to visit Hurley in the medical institution. This time, Hurley's not doing well at all. He's convinced that the Oceanic Six are all dead, and now I'm convinced that the producers are laughing their asses off, having just revived the "are they all in Purgatory?" theory that we long-time fans despise.

Anyway, Hurley tells Jack about the visits from Dead Charlie, and also goes on to read a note from the one and only Darth Hoodie: "You're not supposed to raise him, Jack." Hurley then forewarns Jack that he's about to get a special visitor of his own. This sufficiently freaks The Mad Doctor out, to the point where he ends up sitting in his car outside of the mental institution, waiting to see if Dead Charlie moseys on over. Alas, he doesn't.

So here's what I don't understand. Does the Island want Aaron to be raised by Claire, or "by another?" When the psychic warned Claire that horrible things would happen if she wasn't the one to rear lil' Turniphead, and then went so far as to put her on Flight 815 (which he may have known was going to go down), was he working on behalf of the Island? Contradictory things seem to be happening, so I can't figure out what's going on. Consider all the evidence to date (well, I'm sure I forgot something, but here's what I remember off of the top of my head):

- Claire is pregnant pre-flight and considers giving her baby up for adoption.
- She visits a psychic, who warns her that Aaron must NOT be "raised by another."
- She goes to sign adoption papers anyway, but her pen keeps running out of ink (the Island's doing?). She has a change of heart and decides to keep the baby.
- Then the psychic calls her at home, repeatedly, and begs her to see him again. He tells her he's found a wonderful couple in L.A. and that she should give her baby to them. Claire questions his about-face:
CLAIRE: You spent the last 4 months telling me I have to raise the baby myself. Now you're giving me money and saying I don't have to?
PSYCHIC: I found a couple in Los Angeles who are very eager to adopt. The baby will be safe in their care. Now, I've foreseen. . .
CLAIRE: Heh, Foreseen? I don't even know why I'm here. I'm sorry.
PSYCHIC: I know this sounds ridiculous, Claire. All this psychic business, and I appreciate that you must think I'm a raving madman. But this is what must happen.
CLAIRE: So you're giving me 6,000 dollars to give my baby to a couple of strangers in Los Angeles?
PSYCHIC: 12,000. The other 6 when you arrive in Los Angeles. And they're not strangers, Claire. They're good people.

... but she takes the ticket he's bought for her for Flight 815, and then realizes once she's on the Island that the psychic KNEW she would end up stranded with her baby, thus forcing her to raise him and thereby preventing the doom that had been foreseen.

- The Others try to steal Aaron, unsuccessfully. As does Rousseau.
- Zombie Dad takes Claire away from Aaron in the jungle.
- Jack gets a life-threatening illness right before he leaves the Island.
- Aaron is taken from the Island with the rest of the Oceanic Six, for reasons as-of-yet unknown. He goes to live with Kate (and Jack for a bit).
- Off-Island, Dead Charlie claims that Jack should not be raising Aaron. One could assume this goes for Kate as well.
- Off-Island, both Hurley and Jack end up wanting to go back to the Island.
- Off-Island, Jack's suicide attempt is interrupted when a car wreck occurs right behind him (the Island's doing?)

WHAT IS GOING ON??? If the Island wants Aaron to be raised by Claire, then why did Zombie Dad (who I can only assume is one with the Island) take her away in the first place? What would the Island need Aaron for anyway? This is one huge mystery that I really hope they have a good explanation for. Does anyone have any non-spoilery ideas?


I WANNA BE SEDATED

Just like Hurley predicted, Zombie Dad starts popping up in Jack's hospital. I LOVED the fact that the smoke alarm started beeping before Christian appeared in the lounge area (Smokey, anyone?). But I loved even more that the doctor who wrote Jack the prescription that represented the beginning of his descent into madness was named Erika. Erika Stevenson. Not too far off from... Erika Olson. Erika is behind The Mad Doctor's downfall! Hee, hee. Oops, I probably just invited the rage of thousands of Jack fans. You know I love me some Mad Doctor and would never wish him harm!

While many people guessed that Jack, like Hurley, would start seeing visions which would lead to his drinking and drugging, it was nice to see that hunch confirmed. What was curious was that in the mental institution, other people saw Dead Charlie, whereas in Jack's office building, Dr. Stevenson didn't see Zombie Dad. I'm not sure if there's any significance to this discrepancy. But now we know why Jack kept referring to his father in "Through the Looking Glass." HE was seeing Dr. Christian Shephard, even if no one else was!

Back home, Jack grows suspicious of Kate. I was as well. I was like, "Damn, girl! Are you already cheating on him? That was quick!" It turns out that Kate was off running an errand for still-on-the-Island Sawyer... something secret that she had promised him she'd do. Most people think that Kate was checking in on Clementine, Sawyer's daughter. Perhaps Kate transferred some of her Oceanic Six settlement over to the young girl or something? I'm sure we'll eventually find out, so I'm not going to obsess over it.

But whatever Kate did, just the mere mention of Sawyer's name was enough to push Jack over the edge. He was all, "That's it! I AM going to grow a hillbilly beard! You're not the boss of me!"

OK, so that's just what I wish he'd said. What really went down was this exchange:

KATE: Jack. You can't--you can't do this. If you have problems, you need to figure them out. Alright? 'Cause I can't have you like this around my son.
JACK: Your son? You're not even related to him!

Normally I wouldn't think much of Jack's line... when people are all drunk and mad and in fights, they tend to say what they know will hurt the other person most. However, considering the fact that Zombie Dad just walked off with Claire into the jungle, and the fact that WE know that Jack and Claire are related (making Jack Aaron's uncle by blood), AND the fact that we still aren't sure why Jack refused to see Aaron after leaving the Island, I'd say that Jack's words to Kate mean that there's a chance Jack has found out about his connection to Aaron. Would his anger about his father having an affair that resulted in another child (Claire) be enough to make Jack refuse to see Aaron? It seems like a weak excuse... I mean, it's not Aaron's fault. I don't think we're going to have to wonder about this one too long, though. There are only four more hours left in the season, and I think a lot of loose ends like this one are going to get tied up before the credits roll on May 29th.


BEST LINES OF THE EPISODE


CHARLOTTE: How are we supposed to know why they're not answering?
ROSE: Oh, who's talking to you?
CHARLOTTE: And in case you haven't noticed, we're not on the bloody boat, are we?
ROSE: Just watch your tone, Red.


JACK: Listen to me.
ROSE: Jack, are you all right?
JACK: No, I'm fine. We just have to be patient, OK? I've gotten us this far. I said I was gonna get us off the Island--all of us. I promised that I would.
(Jack proceeds to keel over in the sand)



SAWYER: How's your head?
CLAIRE: It's better. Bit of a headache, but at least I'm not seeing things anymore.
MILES: Yeah? What'd you see?
SAWYER: Back off, Donger.



JACK: When was the last time you did this?
JULIET: An appendectomy or shaving a man's stomach?


That's it, folks. I think we're in for a wild ride this week, and I can't wait. The best thing is the next episode's title: "Cabin Fever."

Bring on Jacob!
- e

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think we are going to see more of Mr. Paik (Sun's Father) in terms of being a major player in the island sweepstakes. If nothing else it falls under the category of threes.

The Other E

Anonymous said...

Hey E-Love your posts!!!

Here's my question. First the psychic tells Claire that she has to raise Aaron, then he tells her to give the baby to an LA couple. When she questions, "...now you want me to give my baby to a couple of strangers?" his answer baffles me. He states that the people aren't strangers, but nice people. Could this possibly mean that he has not only forseen the crash, but that Claire doesn't survive and that the LA couple is Kate and someone else (obviously not Jack)?

Burgertime said...

The Rose, Charlotte exchange was classic. Rose dropping the ghetto on her, I almost fell off of my couch laughing. I had thought that Charlotte and Daniel had a thaaaang going on when she quizzically looked at him and remarked, "you can't even control yourself" in an earlier episode. He looked very hurt.

I still think that our flash forwards and flashbacks are happening on the island. This episode sealed it for me when it kind of zoomed in on Jack's face and his eyes were twitching a bit. Remind you of Dan or Dezzi when they started time shifting? Perhaps the island is telling the losties what their life will be like if they do leave. Some (Jack) are suffering more then others from the time warp dance in their head. Jack's Dad could be his constant and Charlie is Hurley's constant.

As for Claire I think she could be dead, but I find it hard to believe a baby wouldn't know it's mother. My prediction is that Claire has a Eko like experience right before she dies. Now the question is what is the sin that she has to come to grips with? Also it's obvious that the baby was born on the island, so it belongs to the island. The island like the lord giveth and taketh away.

I think Jack does know about the connection between Claire and his father. Perhaps in a future episode zombie Christian (resurrected Christian, nice little play on faith) reveals to Claire that Jack is his son. She dies because of something Jack does, perhaps she is in someway blocking his escape and he shoots her much like our favorite model was shot. Jack then has a guilt complex about this and refuses to see his Nephew.

This episode was a definite snooze fest. Even my friend who watches Lost off and on mentioned how boring and stupid this episode was. His question was, "why do we care if they love each other"....I just had to roll my eyes and agree. The fillers are the worst though because by the end of the series those will be the most important ones. Grrrrrrr......

Anonymous said...

I don't think Myles was staring at Claire or was obsessed with her. He was staring at the baby. I think he knows this baby is special. I have a feeling that the only reason why the O6 get to leave is because of Aaron. He'll play a biger role later. I also find it odd how Kate is obsessed with Aaron. She seems very overprotective of the little turnip.

Also don't you find it strange that both times Jack saw his dad that he was interupted by the same Dr. Erika? She seems spooky and I believe has some connection to the Island.

What's the deal with Liesure suit daddy? I love his white shoes and suit combo.

I seem to be growing old of the Jack/Kate story line and I find the Benry stories to be a lot more interesting.

Also not sure why Rousseay and Karl were both burried face up with their faces sticking out of the ground. Couldn't the Keamy team find one more shovel of dirt to finish it off, instead they just put dried grass over their faces. Weird.

I was very happy to see the islanders finally getting mad at Daniel and Shar-lotte. It still annoys me how Jack doesn't care.

The island didn't want to make Ben Sick. That is why an airplane that happened to have a back surgeon on it crash landed. The Island brought Jack to Ben to help him.

The finally should be a great show. Too bad they're taking that week off before the finale.

Anonymous said...

The darlton interview also pointed out that the (series) finale may change due to unavailability in actors... and that it may ALREADY have changed due to a certain DUI received by one (or more?) or the cast... since i can't believe that ana lucia was all that important (although there is the baby connection) does that mean that ana lucia or libby was supposed to be integral in the final ending of the show, and they had to readjust when they left? imagine the possibilities...

Erika (aka "e") said...

Anon1 - I agree

Anon2 - VERY interesting... never though about that. I likey!

Burgertime - Yes, perhaps guilt over something with Claire is behind Jack's avoidance of Aaron. I agree with you that it was a snooze fest!

Anon3 - I LOVE the leisure suit! And would also love if "Erika" was connected to the Island. : ) Miles probably was sensing something weird with Aaron. I hope we find out what it is!

Anon4 - If you're only going from the Kimmel interview, I just reread it and definitely didn't get the sense that the finale had already changed because of someone getting a DUI. I got the sense that they were saying that if someone were to leave the show, they'd obviously have to change things. They threw the DUI thing in there as a joke because like 6 people in the cast have gotten DUIs and it's getting kind of ridiculous!

- e

AllisonR said...

Hey, great blog on this episode! Not one of my favorite episodes, but a lot of important stuff in it for later, I'm sure.

I wondered about that tattoo on Jack's back, too. I don't remember seeing it before.

Hmmm...Claire being "undead"? I'm going to have to think about that one! I honestly didn't consider that, but it makes sense in a weird sorta way. :-)

PenguinJosh said...

Can't really say much besides another great review! :D

Anonymous said...

I keep getting the *sibling* vibe from Dan and Charlotte. The nice guy vs. snotty girl is reminiscent of Boone and Shannon...

Wanders said...

"Less than 12 parsecs." ::snort::

Ernie said...

Great recap again E. Here's my thoughts on Something Nice Back Home: http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/2008/05/something-nice-back-home.html

Anonymous said...

Hey E.

This is my first comment on your blog, but I found it interesting to read, so I'll comment on the whole Aaron being raised by another.

Now, it is just a theory that the Psychic knew that the plane was going to crash and that he sent her to the Island, so that she can raise Aaron herself.

However, what if we missed something here. We know that he mentioned "Good people" in L.A who should raise Aaron. "Good people" also comes handy to Ben, who said it to Michael more than once

Michael: "Who are you people?"
Ben: "We're the good guys Michael :)"

So my theory is that maybe, just maybe, Aaron is NOT supposed to be raised by Claire, nor by Jack/Kate, nor any of the adopters. Maybe Aaron is supposed to be raised by "The Island/Jacob/Ben".

That would work with the idea that Claire gets separated from Aaron before being rescued, that the Island was the reason behind this separation (Zombie dad), Charlie warning Jack that he's not supposed to raise him.

Now, it only leaves the question as to why Aaron was left behind. Of course something bad happened, perhaps Claire refused to give Aaron away, perhaps she had a fight with the Island, I don't know at this point. However, there is something much bigger planned for Aaron.

So in conclusion, my theory is that the psychic sent Claire to the Island not because he wanted her to raise the kid alone, but because he knew the kid will be raised by, like he said, "good people".

Anonymous said...

hey Ericka,

I've been reading you for a while, and I just want to say, I love your recaps! they are well-researched, a lot of fun, with enough theory to keep it interesting without turning into dry Lost-Ph.D. mode, and mostly above the shipper nonsense (enough of that already!).

keep up the good work! :-)

I believe that Claire is dead already - that would be an awesome explanation to the fact that she barely messed up her hair in the house explosion.

I'm sure that we'll eventually see her at Jacob's cabin (the island zombie resort) with Christian.

Anonymous said...

At this point, can we assume that Jack/Claire's dad had some interaction with the Island (given he seems to have traveled between the US and Australia to make babies)?

It'd be interesting if the dad were somehow connected to either Darhma as a consulting doctor or knows the major players. There's gotta be some tie between him and the Island that we're not aware of yet, and I hope it's not a totally mystical explanation. It'd be great if he were deeply involved somehow.

Anonymous said...

What's the connection with having a bad dad?

Jack's dad was a deadbeat alki
Kate killed her abusive dad
Sawyer's dad was a bad dude
Locke's dad was a con man
Claire's dad is a deadbeat alkie as well
Walt's dad is Michael
Hurley's dad left him when young
Not sure about Sayid's dad
Penny's dad is Widmore.
Sun's dad is a gansta
Jinn's dad pregnated hookers

It seems having a bad father is a common trait among these guys.

That's why Jack was surprised to hear Kate call him a natural.

Anonymous said...

Do you think "raised by another" could be a play on words...instead it could be read as "raised by an Other"? This may be far fetched, but perhaps it's a clue that Jack had some prior connection to the island (whether he knows it or not).

AllisonR said...

Forgot to mention -- I love how you stuck that "snooty/snotty" link in here -- I clicked on it thinking, "could she possibly be referencing what I think she's referencing? She is!" You're awesome. :-)

SKID said...

I want to start a "counter clock" for how many days Farraday wears that tie.

I mean, seriously. I don't know how long he has actually been on that island, but come on . . . he's still wearing that tie!

Yes, I know this is a show where smoke eats people . . . but I have a harder time believing that a person would STILL be wearing a tie on a deserted island.. I mean, when they started throwing stuff out of the copter to reduce weight, I would have STARTED with my TIE.

(not sure I even board a copter headed for an ISLAND wearing my tie to begin with but since he is a nerd I will give him the benefit of the doubt.)

My e-mail list for my weekly LOST thoughts includes a weekly shout out to "THE TIE".

My ONLY hope is that it will be used in some heroic life saving fashion . . . like a tourniquet or to choke a bad guy or something.

With his every appearance, I find myself thinking: "Surely it will be gone. Surely. Here he comes. Doh!"

My LOST group is already planning a "THE TIE IS OFF" Party. Maybe just maybe it is in the final scene of the season finale???

Anyone want to sign my unofficial "TAKE IT OFF!" Petition?

Oh, and if he DOES take it off . . . think they would mail it to me? (kind of like a snake in my mailbox)

I have decided it is the one LOST prop I must have.

What would YOU want as an island keepsake?

Erika (aka "e") said...

Hey guys -

I'm very much under the weather right now with "the sickness"... so I just wanted to address a few things real quick...

I definitely love the idea that the "nice couple in L.A." who are "not strangers" could be Kate and either Jack or some other dude. That would be genius of the writers to have planted that line way back then.

And then there's also the possibility of the others being who the psychic was referring to, with Sergio's point about "the good guys."

I'm not sure what to think anymore, I just hope they give us an answer on this one before the series is over!


Regarding "bad fathers" - in that interview I linked to in this write-up, they joke about that. It's definitely a running theme.


I also think Christian Shephard has a deeper role than we may have originally thought.


And finally, if Daniel takes off his tie, I will be sad. : (

- e

Anonymous said...

This is Sarah M. from MI -

Another great summary! :)

I had a thought that "You're not supposed to raise him" wasn't about Aaron, but had something to do with "raising the dead."

Not sure how that ties in, but things aren't always obvious, are they?

I also loved the comment in the conversation between Miles and Sawyer where it was said that Sawyer was "not her big brother."
No, but Jack is.

Are we seeing, as other people have slightly suggested, a role reversal between Sawyer and Jack.

"He chose to stay. I'm the one that SAVED you." In which way did Jack save Kate?

Looking forward to next week's show and more reviews!

Unknown said...

Hi e,

I liked this episode, not as much as some of the others this season, but I thought it was good nonetheless. Some have called it "filler," but I would have to disagree with that. There were definitely some filler episodes early-to-mid Season 3, but I don't think anything we've seen in Season 4 could be put into that category. You can definitely feel the sense of urgency to push the story forward since they announced the end date of the show.

They gave us some key timeline stuff in this episode, as well as some erie foreshadowings of things to come (Hurley's warnings; Claire's & Christian's weird interaction; Jack & the whole "Alice In Wonderland" thing; Kate helping Sawyer off-Island; Miles' strange interest in Aaron; Rose's statements about sickness on the island, etc. I could go on forever--The episode was packed with info, just not a lot of action.

LOST kicks butt on everything else on television, so much so that every single episode keeps my interest, no matter what. Nothing else compares, even on a night where my favorite characters are not central.

Keep up the great work, e!!

another e

mckennah said...

i just want to know if you saw the previews for the next episode at the end of the show? do you guys not watch those bc of "spoilers" just wondering bc the claire thing may shock you :)

Anonymous said...

Aha! I'm so glad you mentioned the smoke alarm going off and the appearance of Christian (Smokey)...I said that on another board and people thought I was crazy. I keep telling them, you gotta look for the clues, nothing is ever coincidence with this show! I also think Christian in the jungle who led Claire away was Smokey, and she'll probably be at Jacob's cabin when Locke,Ben and Hurley get there.

Lula! said...

While SNBH did not make my top 10 list of favorite episodes (heck, even my top 20!), I have to say your recap is definitely in the running for favorite post. Like Dan's skinny tie (yes, I'm jumping on the "take of off" bandwagon--how Chippendales of me!), I was feeling the 80's vibe all over. Referencing Ferris Bueller, the Thompson Twins, 'Til Tuesday, the Police and Stockard Channing/Grease...girl, you know that just plain out rocks. More, more, more please.

Thanks for getting the recap up...I know you're puny with illness. Get some rest...and get ready for Thursday night!

Lula! said...

Oh the power of not proofreading. I'm not a Chippendales expert, but I meant to say "Take IT off," when referencing Daniel's tie. And yes--I know Grease is a 70's reference (50's if you wanna get literal!), but I watched it about a million times in the 80's. So that's where it remains, firmly entrenched in my head full of useless knowledge.

Just clarifing. In case of haters. I know they are rare here, but not on other well-loved Lost sites. Sigh...

Anonymous said...

Great review.

I was wondering why when the smoke alarm was beepeing, as soon as Jack pulled it out, and the beeping stopped, he saw his father. Like a monitor in a hospital, when you die, it stops beeping...

Also, a very important question - why was Keamy and crew still alive? Didnt smokey get them? Can anyone explain this to me?

Anonymous said...

yo thanks for adding me, matthew on facebook, love da blogz

Cheryl Wray said...

Wonderful recap of the episode. Man, I LOVE this show!!! (Hence the fact that I get online late at night and surf for more blogs, news, updates, etc. on the show!) :-)

Anonymous said...

Hi e, don't know if you have already been asked this but what is the connection between the X-files and Lost? I know you love them both! Its nothing to do with storyline.