LOST: “People trying to kill us again”

Hurley to Claire: "You look ... great." Hurley knows how to talk to crazy people. Photo Credit: ABC/ Mario Perez.

Read on for my recap and review of Lost 6×13, “The Last Recruit,”  aired April 20th, 2010:

This week, I will eschew my usual recap style for something a bit more contemplative and interactive.  I’ll be jumping around, but you Lost fans should be used to that.  Last week, in the Island timeline, Smocke threw Desmond down a well.  In the Sideways timeline, this act was mirrored by Desmond running Locke over with his car.  I still don’t really understand why either of those things happened.  So let’s move on to what I did get out of this week’s episode—jumble of musings and confusion though it is.

Now that Jack and company have joined Smocke’s camp, Jack finally sat down with his old friend’s doppelgänger.  I loooooved that scene.  Jack asked why Smokey was in the guise of John Locke, and Smocke replied: “Because he was stupid enough to think he came here for a reason.”  This idea that the Losties are on the Island for a reason has been a constant theme throughout the series, and I am not sure where I stand.  Jack certainly proved that he believes it to be true, with the stunt he pulled in “Ab Aeterno”—lighting the dynamite, and sitting calmly while it didn’t blow him up.  And the original Locke, of course, was always playing that tune.  The Man in Black/ Smoke Monster/ Smocke argues that this is nonsense, however.  Jack argues: “John Locke was the only one who believed in this place.  He did everything he could to keep us from leaving this island.”  Smocke: “John Locke was not a believer, Jack.  He was a sucker.”  Hmmm.  I can’t decide what to believe.  Tell me what you think in the poll.  

Of course there was also a nice little tidbit in this same conversation, which actually gave us an answer.  An answer!  Jack realizes that Smocke has taken on different forms, and that the people have to be dead in order for Smocke to do so.  Point one for Jack!  Jack then asks whether one of those forms was his dead father (as seen in episodes such as “White Rabbit”).  Smocke says yes, it was him.  Jack asks why.  Ooh, more questions!  And answers!  Oh my!  Smocke answers: “You needed to find water.  This may be hard for you to believe, Jack, but all I’ve ever been interested in is helping you.”  Jack: “Help me do what?”  Smocke: “Leave.”  Then Smocke goes on to blame Jacob, per usual.  He also points out that in order to leave, “it has to be all of us.”  All of the Candidates, presumably.  While I believe that Smokey has been working to help the Losties leave, I’m not so sure that this help was actually for their own good.

Meanwhile, in the Sideways timeline, a number of our characters make their way to the hospital.  It seems that one by one they are all being thrown together.  First, Locke is accompanied by Ben in an ambulance, and as he arrives, Sun is also being wheeled in.  And Sun recognizes him!  And she is not happy to see him: “No!  No!  It’s him!  It’s him!”  This seems to be evidence that she remembers her time on the Island, probably triggered by her near death experience.  But what does that mean for her?  And for everyone else?  Will she have to die in this Sideways timeline to make things right?  Will the timelines be reconciled?  Or will one cease to be?

Back on the Island, Claire and Jack have a brother-sister reunion.  It would be more touching if she wasn’t such a nut job.  This little reunion is also paralleled later, in the sideways timeline.  Jack doesn’t exactly welcome her with open arms then, either.  And in that timeline she actually smelled nice!  I mean, she brushed her hair and everything, Jack.  The least you could do was smile.

Also this week, Lost made yet another Star Wars reference.  Loved it!  As Sawyer goes about putting his plan into action, making sure that all the cool kids make it to the boat (No crazies or zombies allowed!), Hurley questions him.  He wonders why Sayid isn’t included in Sawyer’s super-secret plan.  Sawyer tells him that Sayid has gone over to the Dark Side.  Hurley: “Yeah, but you can always bring people back from the Dark Side.  I mean, Anakin.”  Sawyer: “Who the hell’s Anakin?”  Haha!  While this little exchange was played for a laugh, I’m with Hurley.  I mean, don’t give up on Sayid yet, people!  I was really sad that Sayid decided to murder all those men at the restaurant, back in “Sundown.”  Then, it seemed so unfair that Ben (Ben!!!) would go on to get redemption in his sideways timeline, but not Sayid.

But there is hope for Sayid yet, as this episode proved.  Smocke tells Sayid to go out to where he has Desmond, and to kill him.  Sayid expresses some hesitancy, but Smocke asks, “You do still want what you asked me for, don’t you?”  Sayid: “Yes I do.”  Smocke: “Then go do what I said.”  When Sayid arrives at the well, we learn that the dramatic push from last week was over-dramatized.  I mean, that well is not very deep at all!  I feel tricked!  Sayid aims his gun at him, but Desmond decides to make conversation so Sayid decides to delay the killing.  Riiiight.  I guess Sayid isn’t such a zombie after all.  Desmond asks what Smocke offered him, and Sayid says that he would get something that he lost–the woman he loved.  Desmond: “What makes you think Locke can bring her back?”  Sayid: “I died, and he brought me back.”  Aha!  Another answer!  Unless Smocke lied to him, which could totally be the case.  Desmond then asks the tough question: “So what will you tell her?”  Sayid: “What do you mean?”  Desmond: “This woman when she asks what you did to be with her again?”  Good point.  We don’t actually see whether or not Sayid pulled the trigger after this, but I’m guessing that he did NOT.   And if Sayid did NOT kill Desmond, then there is hope for him yet.  Yay, Sayid!

And speaking of Sayid, the sideways connections keep on coming, as our favorite detectives, Sawyer and Miles, end up hunting him down and arresting him.  Sawyer tripping Sayid with a garden hose?  Good times.  But first there was a little scene between James and Kate at the police station.  But I don’t want to make the Juliet fans mad by recapping it, so I’ll move on.

Oh, and in case you didn’t have your fill of explosions last week, there were two more in this episode.  The first was just a demonstration, as Zoe wanted Smocke to see that she and Widmore mean serious business.  Smocke didn’t have the desired reaction, however, and in a pretty bad-ass move, he smashed her little walkie talkie to pieces.  The Widmore people were definitely serious though, and when Smocke failed to return Desmond to them, they triggered another explosion.  One that almost killed Jack.  But don’t worry, Jack fans, because Smocke was there to pick the Doc up and carry him off to safety.  So, does that mean Smocke is good?  Or that he just needs Jack alive to fulfill his nefarious plans?  What say you?

Of course, before that final explosion, there were a couple other interesting developments.  First is that Sawyer pulled off his plan to head off to the Hydra Island without Locke, with the help of Jack.  They left zombie Sayid behind, and planned to do the same to crazy Claire, but Claire caught up with the group.  She was sad to be left out, and held a gun of them.  Kate talked Claire out of shooting them though, and even convinced Claire to join them on their escape boat (which was Desmond’s boat, the Elizabeth, by the way).  In the process of doing so, however, Kate speaks to Claire like she’s a scared animal.  It was uncomfortable to watch.  For the moment, however, Claire seems to be over her desire to kill Kate.  We shall see if it lasts.

Then we get the surprise of Jack jumping off the boat.  He starts to have second thoughts about leaving the Island, which pisses Sawyer off.  Jack even says that the Island isn’t done with them yet.  Oh, that again.  Sigh.  Sawyer tells Jack to get the hell off his boat, and Jack obliges, after telling him that he’s sorry for getting Juliet killed.  Jack swims back to shore, arriving back to the beach just in time for the explosions (referenced earlier).

Unfortunately for Sawyer and company, their arrival on the Hydra Island does not go as smoothly as they would like.  Going from Smocke to Widmore seems to be a situation of “out of the frying pan and into the fire” … or at least into another frying pan.  But there is something good about the gang’s arrival on the other island.

Yep, it finally happened! Now, who's taking bets on how long it will take before one of them is dead? Photo Credit: ABC/ Mario Perez.

Sun and Jin were reunited!  Finally!  I sobbed when Sun went to visit Jin’s grave in the flash forward in the season 4 episode “Ji Yeon.”  I sobbed when I thought that Jin died during the season 4 finale.  I jumped up and down with joy when Jin was revealed to be alive, in season 5.  I got teary-eyed when Jin looked at picture of his little girl, at the end of “The Package.”   But this week’s reunion didn’t really affect me as I expected.  My mom called me on the phone afterwards, and told me about how when Sun and Jin reunited, she jumped up off the couch, and threw her hands up in the air, overcome with happiness.  But I was not similarly affected.  And I looooove Sun and Jin.  What is wrong with this picture?  Has my heart been infected with the darkness?  Or did the show just prolong this meeting too long for it to have a real impact?  I have been waiting for Sun and Jin to be reunited for over a year, and I think it was a case of missed opportunity.  The show waited too long, and put the reunion at the end of an episode that had very little to do with them.  It just didn’t feel how I thought it would feel, and I’m a little disappointed.  I expect TV to manipulate my emotions, gorramit.  Ah, well.  I’m still thrilled that it happened, and I will focus on that.  Also of note: Sun got her English speaking skills back, because true love conquers all.  Jin tells Sun that they’ll never be apart again.  Uh oh.  Now I’m worried.

Some further observations about the episode:

• Desmond would not stop with the creepy smiles in the sideways world.  I mean, it is not normal to smile so much.  If he wasn’t so dreamy, Claire would have gone running.  I am really starting to be terrified by him.  A lot.
• Ilana is Desmond’s attorney friend AND the Shepherd family’s attorney!  Holy coincidences, Batman!
• Jack is going to operate on Locke!  Ever since it was revealed that Jack was a spinal surgeon, and that Locke was in a wheel chair due to a spinal injury, the fandom has speculated about these two characters meeting up in the operating room, and it has finally happened!
• Sun is still blaming Smocke for her head injury, even though she totally ran into that tree on her own.  Totally unfair.  And I really don’t think it’s fair to blame anyone for losing your ability to speak English, because that doesn’t even make sense.  Apparently aphasia actually exists, but I say aphasia smasia.
• Swimming in jeans!  Swimming in jeans!  It was classic Lost.
• Did anyone else notice that Sawyer looked like he was about to cry, during Sun and Jin’s reunion.  Adorable.  And also hilarious.
• So Team Widmore launched missiles at the beach, aimed for Smocke?  Explosions intended to kill Smocke?  How dumb are those people?  The guy is like immortal or something.  Remember what happened when Sayid pulled a knife on him?  Zoe wears glasses and Widmore runs a business empire—I expect better from them.

My favorite quotes of the episode:

• Hurley’s explanation to Claire for what’s going on: “People trying to kill us again.”
• Sawyer: “Sayid’s a zombie and Claire’s nuts.”
• Sayid: “I just shot an unarmed man.  I needed a moment.”

Related posts:

• LOST: Yeah, it’s really “The End” (Part II)
• LOST: Yeah, it’s really “The End” (Part I)
• LOST meets WILLY WONKA: Trailer for 6×13
• LOST: “That’s One Stubborn Tomato”
• LOST: “Ab Aeterno”