Musing about LOST: "Everybody Loves Hugo" and "The Last Recruit"

My favorite parts of last week’s “Everybody Loves Hugo” surprised and bothered me. I was surprised (and pleased) to find out the the Whispers are the spirits who can’t move on—Michael included. Because redemption is such a big theme on LOST, seeing what happens to those who didn’t find redemption in the last life (and who apparently can’t be helped by the living, although they can try to make amends to those left behind) is another interesting tidbit to file away. Is the island really hell in an increasingly thin disguise? Is it the spiritual tipping point of the universe—offering redemption (and often death) to those who want to change their life paths but offering temptation and torment to those who succumb to their desire for power and greed?

I also liked the fact that Hurley is better off “crazy”—because then he can see the truth of the afterlife (and does so much better spiritually and mentally when he accepts that he can talk with the dead). He also finds love with another crazy person who sees the truth—Libby. Although the Libby-Hurley reunion wasn’t as crazy good as I’d hoped, I’m still glad they got to go on a beach picnic.

Once again in this episode, as Des discovered in the previous one, love leads the way to truth (and potentially sacrifice). Add Hurley to the growing list (Charlie, Daniel, Desmond) who finally realize that unconditional love, even if it remains unrequited, is the Meaning of Life. (How interesting that Desmond is #42 in line at Mr. Cluck’s.)

Speaking of Desmond, why is he suddenly channeling his inner Jacob and visiting his fellow passengers from Oceanic 815? I really hope he wasn’t the car behind Nadia’s demise in the original timeline. Being “touched by a Jacob” seems ominous enough, but being “touched by a Des”—or his front bumper—falls into a whole other category. The irony (karma?) of the parallel between fLocke dumping Des down a well and AltDes thumping Locke intrigues me.

Des' trend of mysteriously touching the lives of Oceanic 815 passengers continues in "The Last Recruit." He brings together Claire, Jack, and David; links patient Locke with surgeon Jack (because their first attempt at bonding over surgery didn't work); and further connects the dots between Sawyer and Kate, Miles and Nadia, and Sayid and Sawyer. One of LOST's running themes involves the interconnectedness of the castaways' lives, a mysterious Six Degrees of Separation, island-style. In this week's episode, that theme firmly knots the lifelines of almost everyone in the episode. For example, on the way to surgery, David and Jack walk past the room where Sun, accompanied by Jin, is recovering, and, a few steps away, Locke awaits surgery. Oh, what a tangled web they weave.

But back to last week's episode. My big disappointment with the final Hurley-centric story isn’t even Hurley’s cynicism as an always-wealthy entrepreneur. It makes sense that he would do good works with his wealth, even if he also realizes that money can buy him pretty much anything but love. (I even liked the Jurassic Park award he receives from Marvin Candle—Regis Philbin was finally right—there IS a dinosaur in the story!) My problem deals with what I fear may be another irony—the kindest, gentlest Everyman, Hurley, may inadvertently lead to the original castaways’ final destruction. By walking into fLocke’s camp, he brings together the missing pieces of MIB’s puzzle—and provides a possible way to get off the island. No matter that Hurley destroys the Black Rock’s dynamite (and someone should’ve told Ilana the Legend of the Lost Arzt). In my game plan, Hurley is the hero. I hope Darlton is following the same playbook.

But that commentary is so last week. The highlights of “The Last Recruit” continue the buildup leading to all the pieces falling into place, a series of small events beginning with the destruction of the Temple and exodus of fLocke’s people. Everything is leading to the final confrontation, and with only a few weeks to go, the final battle is about to begin.

In the “interesting phraseology” category this week, Jack tells fLocke, “I don’t know what the hell you are.” Prophetic or merely colloquial? Their discussion reveals another answer to a big question. MIB can only “become” someone once that person is dead--hence, the ironic choice of true believer John Locke and the pragmatic embodiment of Christian Shephard as two of MIB's most fortuitous guises.

By the end of the episode, the epic battle between (f)Locke and Jack seems to be ready to continue, only Jack has become the Man of Faith believing in the need to stay on the island. He wonders what will happen if everyone leaves—perhaps fLocke knows that there really is a purpose for the Candidates to remain on the island. fLocke’s chilling words—“You’re with me now”—portend at least one more battle before the Jack-Locke relationship, in all its many permutations across six seasons, is finally ended.

This episode and the previous one set up the players into different camps and allow characters to make amends for their past actions. Jack apologizes to Sawyer for Juliet’s death. Kate refuses to leave Claire behind and vows to reunite mother and child. Sun and Jin are reunited, proclaim their love, and vow to stay together always, even if the "'til death" part seems likely sooner rather than later.

Predictably, and in line with recent love-ins, Sun regains her voice when she’s back with Jin. Their reunion provides yet another mirror scene, this time of their previous reunion after Jin's short-lived raft adventure and run-in with the Tailies. In a way, tonight's reunion is almost a funny scene for its predictable romance. Jin and Sun are so wrapped up in each other--as the camera pans from smiling Frank to smiling Hurley to smiling Kate to scowling Sawyer (can't win them all)--that they fail to notice Zoe and Company pointing rifles at everyone. The lovebirds are the last to realize that, once again, their lives are in jeopardy. When Jin and Sun thought about getting down on the beach, they probably hadn't expected to be at gunpoint.

In LOST terms, the black and white chess pieces have been moved into place, and the strategy behind the ultimate game is slowly being revealed. Although Widmore seems to be a player, I can’t help but feel he’s yet another pawn. And for all that fLocke’s people wear grays and blacks (appropriate for followers of the Man in Black), I wonder if they are going to be the good guys in a little over a month.