Spoilers.
Lost Official Site
The Time: Wednesdays, 9:00 PM, ABC
The Show:
When
Oceanic Flight 815 from Sydney to London went down somewhere over the
Pacific, the survivors of the crash found themselves marooned on a
tropical island. But this is no ordinary island; it has
unusual magnetic, temporal, healing and seemingly supernatural
properties, and is fraught with constant danger. There are
mysterious black smoke-like creatures, polar bears, and even
apparitions of the dead roaming the forest. The island is
also the former secret haven of a group called the Dharma Initiative,
who were running experiments utilizing the unique properties of the
island via research stations that dot the landscape. Now the
Oceanic survivors, led by Dr. Jack Sheppard, Kate Austen, James
“Sawyer” Ford, John Locke, Hugo “Hurley” Reyes, Sayid Jarrah and
others, seek a way to escape the island and its many dangers.
But there are people, both living on the island and seeking the island
from outside, who are at war for control of it, and the Oceanic
survivors find themselves caught in the middle. Told via
nonlinear fashion that incorporates flashbacks and flash forwards, Lost is one of the most unique and densely mythological shows on television.
The Stars:
• Matthew Fox – Dr. Jack Sheppard
• Evangeline Lilly – Kate Austen
• Josh Holloway – James “Sawyer” Ford
• Naveen Andrews – Sayid Jarrah
• Terry O’Quinn – John Locke
• Jorge Garcia – Hugo “Hurley” Reyes
• Daniel Dae Kim – Jin Kwon
• Yunjin Kim – Sun Kwon
• Michael Emerson – Benjamin Linus
• Henry Ian Cusick – Desmond Hume
• Elizabeth Mitchell – Juliet Burke
• Jeremy Davies – Daniel Faraday
• Nestor Carbonell – Richard Alpert
• Alan Dale – Charles Widmore
• Reiko Aylesworth – Amy
The Episode: “LaFleur”
This episode picks right up with what happens to Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Daniel and Miles after Locke disappears down the Orchid well, and for the three years since. Locke was successful in stopping the times jumps and eliminating the threat to the Losties. However, they soon discover that they’re stuck in 1974. They also befriend the Dharma Initiative people and become part of their settlement thanks to some quick tongue wagging from Sawyer.
The Lowdown:
I really liked this episode and it’s come to make me realize just how indispensable Sawyer is to the show and that it’s always better when he’s in it. There were one or two key reveals this episode, not the least of which was the revelation of the Colossus-like statue on the island for a brief moment. But mostly it was refreshing to just get away from the whole off-island storyline and the time jumping to see how the Island Losties ended up.
The story picked up with Sawyer and the gang still at the Orchid Well, where Locke disappeared. He was successful in stopping the island jumps when he turned the wheel and disappeared. But before he did, Sawyer and the others did one or two more jumps, including sometime way in the past when the Colossus was still standing. And it apparently looked very…Egyptian. This wouldn’t be the first reference to Egypt on the show and not the only one of the episode. But when the Losties stop jumping they end up in what they discover to be approximately 1974. And they’re there for the foreseeable future. According to Daniel, the record has “stopped skipping,” but they’re “not on the song they want to be on.”
On their way back to the beach camp, they come across Amy, who is a Dharma member, and who is being attacked by two Hostiles. After they save her and kill the Hostiles, Sawyer manages to lie his way into her confidence, explaining away that they’re a shipwrecked crew looking for their compatriots. They take the body of Amy’s murdered husband and go with her back to the Dharma settlement, but get tripped up by the sonic fence along the way. Sawyer manages to convince the leader, our old pal Horace (Doug Hutchinson, about as far from Adrian Toombs as he could get) that they’re the survivors of a salvage freighter that was looking for the Black Rock. Horace agrees to let them stay until the submarine can take them to Tahiti.
However, it isn’t long before Richard comes looking for his missing men…or justice for them. Surprisingly, Sawyer levels with him when he mentions Jughead and tells him they were with Locke. By doing this and giving Richard Amy’s husband’s body as “payback” for the loss of his two men, Sawyer and the others manage to smooth things over, both with him and Horace, who was determined to see them (albeit safely) off the island. Cut to three years later, and Sawyer, or “LaFleur” as he’s now known, is head of security for Dharma and Juliet is apparently the resident grease monkey. They’re making the best of their situation while continuing to look for any sign of Locke or the other Losties, which they finally get at the and of the episode.
Things that I liked this episode include the time jumping without the “time jumping,” as we see how Sawyer’s group made out both immediately after Locke disappeared and three years later. I thought it might have been interesting if it had worked out that the O6 had been gone for three years, but it had only been about a week for the Island Losties, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. This was really an episode for Sawyer to shine, especially in manipulation of both the Dharma people and Richard. Calling him “Eyeliner” was one of the many highlights. Not a big surprise that he and Juliet hooked up. There’s also not many things more attractive than a hot chick who can deliver a baby and fix your undercarriage as well.
Getting back to the Egyptian symbolism, it was prevalent though not overt this episode. In addition to the hieroglyphics we’ve seen, both in the Hatch and at the temple, the Colossus also looked very Egyptian, and there was also Phillip’s ankh (the Egyptian symbol for life), which Amy kept after his death. Is it also a coincidence that one of the character’s names is Horace (i.e. Horus?) I’ve also seen some idle speculation that since Richard Alpert is seemingly immortal and that his initials are R.A., could it be a nudge nudge, wink wink to “Ra?” That’s probably just fan wank, but it’s not uninteresting fan wank.
Glad to see Reiko Aylesworth come aboard as Amy. Never liked how she got dispatched from 24, although I found it a little odd that of all the people she ended up with, it’d be Horace. She also successfully delivered her baby on the island, which means that Sawyer was correct that the baby / mother killing properties of the island may not have happened yet. I wonder if that scenario is a by-product of the coming Dharma purge. Also, considering that the Losties are back in the ’70s at the Dharma camp, surprised not to have seen more people we know, including a younger Ben, or his dad. Also interesting for Daniel;, who’s turning into a basket case, to see the young Charlotte on the island. And since Amy’s baby hasn’t been revealed yet, it remains to be seen if he’ll turn out to be someone we all know.
Those things, coupled with the little things and character moments, like Sawyer talking to Horace about Kate, and the fact that he finally has a proper pair of glasses and that Juliet looks good in hippie wear, made for a very entertaining episode.