‘Lost’: Rescue me
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I’m sure most viewers saw the twist behind Jack’s bloated flash-forward coming half an hour into the episode, but it did shed light on one key bit of information: Life off the island ain’t grand. At least not for Jack.
And that’s only important because it makes me that much more interested in Ben (who I still mistakenly call Henry every now and then because I preferred the mystique back when that was his name.) Sure, he’s a murderous, lying tyrant. But maybe the guy has a point. Maybe leaving the island isn’t the way to go.
Other than that, Tuesday’s finale kept deflating the suspense as soon as it had built some up. And, of course, we’re left with more questions than we got answers. This time, however, that was OK.
In his review of the finale, Times TV Critic Robert Lloyd said that on a good night, ‘Lost’ still has the ability to be one helluva a joy ride, calling it ‘foolish’ at this point to expect answers no matter how much the producers want you to believe otherwise (evidenced in the creation of multiple one-hour specials aimed at doing just that a la last night’s ‘The Answers.’)
Last night wasn’t an entirely ‘good night’ -- again, a disproportionately high number of new questions than answers -- but several cast members who had become tiresome are finally getting some meaty things to do.
Sawyer, for example, has changed since strangling Locke’s father. He’s pushed Kate away. He called people by their first names now. Most important, he killed Tom, the Other who surrendered, without hesitation.
The Locke-vs-Jack showdown put Locke on seemingly permanent break with the survivors. Is he ever going to explain himself? Did Walt tell him what Ben knows? (There I go with the questions again.)
The Others also have been dilapidated, a move that sent some of the semi-recognizable faces we’d come to know since the first season packing. (Tom may be dead, for instance, but the man who coaxed Juliet to the island is still alive.)
A less promising theory: The island really is magical. Locke somehow survived a bullet wound to the gullet for and lived to tell about it a day later after he climbed out of a ditch at the behest of an older, taller Walt. (Yes, the same Walt who appeared to Shannon soaking wet before she died). One-eyed Mikhail also seemed to have regenerative powers a la ‘Heroes’ cheerleader Claire. The man just won’t die.
He succeeded in taking out Charlie in a moment that turned out rather poignant even if it was three seasons in the making.
But I’m hoping rescue, in whatever form it takes, is still far away and that Jack’s SOS call was a bad move. It probably is. We know the survivors have a while longer on the island; ABC has already confirmed the show will keep rolling through three more seasons. All I can hope for now is that season four starts out with Jack smacking his forehead and saying ‘Arrested Development’-style: ‘I’ve made a huge mistake.’
(Photo courtesy ABC)