Everybody Loves Hugo (S6, Ep. 12)

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed – not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” – Philippians 2:12

“For what is man without desires, without free will, and without the power of choice but a stop in an organ pipe?” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

Hurley: “Whoa. Dude.”

Everybody Loves Hugo – including me. Hurley has been my favorite character on Lost from the beginning, and watching him reunite with the woman who was clearly more than an Island crush from the start was a moving experience for me as a viewer. The figurative cherry on top of that sundae? That’d be the Answers we receive here, both explicit and implicit, and the impressive ways in which the plot directly connects to some of the philosophical ideas that the show has been batting around in its background.

As you’ve probably noticed, this column has begun appearing more frequently on Fridays than on Thursdays. If I’m honest, I think I prefer that schedule at this point in the season. I’m capable of getting things slapped up for you folks by late Thursday afternoon, but it isn’t as enjoyable for me to write, feeling rushed to cram whatever I can into a column before my self-imposed deadline, and that enjoyment is ultimately the reason why I’m doing this at all. So, rather than give myself a mini-aneurysm each week as the density of the show continues to grow, I’m going to start making the column available on Fridays. It gives me more time with each piece, allowing me to futz with it until I’m (relatively) satisfied. I can appreciate that this might annoy some people, but I hope that you’ll appreciate what a few extra hours can do for a collection of half-sane ramblings.

Thoughts:

Chang: “In a world of conflict and strife, there is but one fact we all can agree upon… everybody loves Hugo.”

• I love the grandiosity of this statement. NOTHING is universal, according to Dr. Chang, except for a love of Hugo Reyes. The irony here being that “everyone” loves Hugo, and yet Hugo can’t seem to get a date at the same time.

• Chang appears to be decidedly dual-limbed in this episode. If that’s the case, then this means that, in the off-Island universe, The Incident either never happened or happened differently – leaving Dr. Pierre Chang/Marvin Candle/Edgar Halliwax with the use of all his appendages.

• Locke’s box company pops up in the slideshow that we’re shown, just as Chang mentions “hospitals” as one of Hurley’s philanthropic causes.

• This is adorable. How much fun must it have been for Jorge Garcia to pose for all of these?

• So, how does Hurley ascend to the level of Universally Beloved, Beneficent Philanthropist? Has he won the Lottery in this “universe”? It’s left ambiguous. We know that Hurley’s “life-long love affair with chicken” led him to “acquire and then expand” the Mr. Cluck’s chain. The easiest explanation for this is that he used his winnings to start himself off – but in the “universe” that we’re familiar with, those winnings were accompanied by a meteor-summoning, heart-attack-bestowing curse.

Hurley: “Oh, you know we got the Human Fund next Saturday night… can you make it?”

• Hilarious. The Human Fund, for all of you young whippersnappers out there, was the fictitious, non-existent charity that George Costanza created on Seinfeld.

• Yes, she’s utterly over the top, but I love Lillian Hurst’s work as Carmen Reyes. When you rewatch this episode, check out her facial expressions at the awards dinner. They are the definition of priceless.

Hurley: “Why should I trust you? You murdered Libby and Ana Lucia.”
Michael: “That doesn’t matter right now. What matters is you going across that island to blow up that plane. People are gonna die – a lot of people – and it’s gonna be your fault.”
Hurley: “What?”
Michael: “Because people are listening to you now, Hurley.”

• Michael returns to the show, and it’s good to see him again – especially since he doesn’t talk about Walt once. Which, given how much he has talked about his son, is actually a little weird.

Is Michael really Michael? Or is he the MiB? Despite the uncertainty regarding many of the Island’s ghosts (it feels weird not to put that word in quotations anymore), I’d like to believe that he’s genuine. However, his advice to Hurley arguably leads Jack, Sun and he directly to Anti-Locke, which is apparently what Anti-Locke wants (remember him telling Claire that they needed Kate to bring the others to them). Locke tells Sawyer that they’re waiting during this episode. Were they waiting for “Michael” to convince Hurley not to blow up the plane?

• If Michael IS telling the truth, and what we learn in this episode is also true, then can we assume that Hurley hasn’t seen Libby because she was able to “move on”? Much more on this below.

• Apparently, the Hurley/Rosalita meet-up in a Spanish restaurant is a direct Bruce Springsteen reference. I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of The Boss, but I’m also a pretty open guy, and I’ve just had two of his earlier albums recommended to me. So, Springsteen fans, I’ll try “The Wild, the Innocent and the E-Street Shuffle” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town” if you’ll give Roger Clyne a shot. I recommend “Americano” and/or “Sonoran Hope and Madness.”

Libby: “Hugo, do you believe that two people can be connected; like soulmates?”

• I believe it, but then, I’m a sap. Above and beyond that, Lost has believed that for several seasons now. Libby is Hurley’s Constant. She’s his “anchor,” and he is hers. Which, if you’re me, is much more sweet than it is saccharine – especially given how deftly both actors play off of one another in this episode.

• Learning that Libby’s still under the care of the Santa Rosa mental health institute is the sort of pleasant, should-have-seen-that-coming shock that the show remains good at pulling off. Even more interesting to me here is the fact that Hurley never checked himself into this facility in this “universe.” If he had, the Doctor would recognize him – by reputation if not by face.

• With all the Terry O’Quinns and Michael Emersons running around on the Island, acting their asses off, it’s easy to ignore the way that Jorge Garcia takes such a light, admirable touch to his work here. It’s natural, grounded stuff.

Ilana: “With that plane gone that thing won’t be able to leave the Island.”
Great Hurley Line: “Yeah, well, neither will we, and we’ll be stuck here with it and it’ll be angry at us.”

• I remain convinced/hopeful that the plane isn’t Anti-Locke’s actual end-game.

Ilana: “That thing is evil – and God help us if it ever gets off this Island, because if it di-“”

Ba-BOOM!

• Tell me that you didn’t jump when Ilana lit up like a Roman candle. I distinctly remember shouting. I won’t mourn Ilana’s passing. She served her purpose, and now we’re off to better, less linear-seeming things. The castaways are stripped of the driving mind behind their fragile circle, and that circle breaks.

Anti-Locke: “I’m not sure what it’s going to be yet, James. But when the time is right, it’ll tell me.”

• I remember the real John Locke slowly fashioning a cradle for Claire’s unborn baby, but in such a way as to make the final form of it mysterious throughout. There’s a parallel to be drawn there, in the way that Anti-Locke is assembling some form of escape for himself that, when snapped into place, will become obvious to us.

Anti-Locke: “You were only able to come back to this Island because you all did it together. If we’re going to get on that plane and leave, it has to happen the same way.”

• Again I ask: Was “Michael” genuine? I ask, because previously we’ve heard Anti-Locke tell Claire that he wants to use Kate to get Sun, Jack and Hurley to come to them. Only, Anti-Locke doesn’t bother doing anything about that. Kate’s hanging around just like the rest of them. So, when Anti-Locke tells them that they’re “waiting,” I’m left wondering how and why the Man in Black can be so sure that the last three Candidates will be heading his way?

• Sayid is still operating in apparent Zombie-mode throughout this episode. He ignores Sawyer to his face and treats Anti-Locke like his General. If you’re interested in delving a little deeper into Lost’s pool of potential philosophical references, check out my correspondence with an intelligent German reader who disagreed with me over the similarities I’d previously drawn between Jarrah’s “infected” condition and the concept of philosophical zombies.

MORE LOVING FOR HUGO AFTER THE PAGE BREAK!