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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Lost 6x12: Everybody Loves Hugo

Aw, Hurley and Libby finally got their picnic. And this time, he remembered the blanket.

Libby's return didn't exactly tie up the lingering loose threads from her island story, but thanks to Desmond's new course of action, triggered by the events of the last episode, her appearance in the flash sideways was more significant than previous sideways returns. Add Hurley to the list of sideways characters whose eyes have been opened to the existence of the other reality. Where that's ultimately leading, what Desmond's ultimate goal is, remains unknown.


The inscrutably calm Island Desmond's mission remains equally enigmatic, and it's unclear whether everything is going according to plan or Desmond is just confident in seeing how things play out. If FLocke took Desmond out to that well with any doubt as to whether or not he was going to pitch him into it, Desmond's unflappable "what's the point of being afraid?" sure seemed to befuddle and anger ol' Smokey enough to make up his mind. What are the odds he helped put Desmond exactly where Desmond wanted to be?

Meanwhile, plenty of other stuff happened on the island, starting with Ilana pulling an Artz, continuing to the Black Rock's big goodbye, an answer to one of the show's oldest mysteries and ending with the enticing first meeting between Jack (who, after six seasons, seems to have FINALLY learned he can't fix everything) and FLocke. Questions still swirl around the recently departed Ilana: how, exactly did she train to protect the candidates? Why was she bandaged when Jacob visited her in the hospital? How did her relationship with him develop into one of father/daughter? While she may be gone, it seems, like many dead characters on Lost, that her story isn't quite over yet. 

Stuff Worth Mentioning
Dr. Chang makes his Sideways debut, introducing the film footage of Hurley's humanitarian efforts. 

The dog Hurley is holding in one of the slides is his real life dog, who features prominently on Jorge Garcia's blog.


The internets tell me the Russian book Hurley found amongst Ilana's things was "Notes From The Underground" by Dostoevsky. The pouch was presumably the bag filled with Jacob's ashes. It's unclear if it will serve an additional purpose (other than giving Miles an opportunity to read Jacob's last thoughts), but it seems Hurley has them now.

Muppet Richard is back now that Hurley has wrecked his plan and shattered his calm sense of purpose by blowing up the Black Rock. With Richard ultimately off to Hydra Island and Ben along for the ride, Ben is unknowingly heading towards an encounter with Widmore, which should be interesting. 

We got another look at the kid presumably haunting FLocke. He looked older to me in this episode, and I wasn't even sure if it was the same kid as the one who appeared in "The Subsititute", but both spectral children were played by the same actor.


Desmond's order number at Mr. Cluck's was number 42.

Desmond: “All women are a little bit crazy, bruthah.”

Senator Kelly was the doctor at Santa Rosa when Hurley was there in the Island reality as well. He even has the same island-y picture in his office.


One of the patients in the rec room was playing Connect 4, just as Hurley played it with Leonard (who taught Hurley the numbers) in the Island reality.

Richard said that Jacob never tells anyone what to do, but he did tell Hurley to get Sayid and the others to the temple in "LA X", and he told him to bring Jack to the lighthouse in "Lighthouse". In death, it seems, Jacob is taking a slightly more hands on approach to things. 

Maybe it's the HD, but the well FLocke chucked Desmond down looked like something out of a high school play.


I liked how, when Sideways Ben asked Sideways Desmond about his kid, he responded effortlessly, as though Lil' Charlie is as much a son to him now as to Island Desmond.

Questions Answered
The Whispers are the voices of the people who have died but are still bound to the island as penance. So the island IS purgatory (for some, at least).

It's still unclear as to why the whispers whisper when they do/why we aren't ALWAYS hearing whispers whenever anyone is in the jungle, but I suppose we can chalk that up to dramatic effect.The whispers also seemed to usually precede an appearance by the Others (such as in "LA X", when the whispering started shortly before the Dogen group grabbed Jack and company). Someone suggested that perhaps in those cases, the whispers are trying to futilely warn the Losties of the Others' approach? 


I feel like somewhere in Sideways Libby's explanation of her stay in the mental hospital is an explanation for why Island Libby was there as well, but I can't quite connect the dots. Maybe I'm just desperately reaching...

We can probably assume the answer to why Ghost Libby never came to talk to Hurley is because she's not stuck on the island; she's moved on.  

Questions Asked
Hurley seemed to sense or know the significance of Jacob's ashes; did he? How? Are they significant?


 Any significance to the stick FLocke's whittling?


Again, what's the deal with the kid?

Does Desmond know the truth about FLocke? Desmond tells him he's John Locke: is there more Locke to FLocke than just his appearance, or is Desmond just playing dumb (or truly doesn't know better)?

So why isn't Desmond afraid?

Why did Sideways Desmond run over Locke? To get him to see the other reality (most "crossover" events have been triggered by love or near death experiences)? Or does it have something to do with Smokey having taken his form in the other reality? Is Desmond trying to take Locke out of the picture?


Next Week: The Last Recruit
You know when Gene Wilder's creepy tunnel/boat ride song from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is being used in the promo that something batshit insane is gonna happen.

9 comments:

  1. I think that sideways Desmond and Lost Desmond have switched bodies. Hence why sideways Desmond is trying to make evrything right with everyone in sideways verse (maybe Locke being 'right' is Locke being dead).

    Also, that would explain why there was no hesitation when he answered Charlie when asked about his son.

    And why Lost Desmond was so amenable to helping Widmore, and has no fear (he hasn't learned to be afraid yet).

    That's my theory and i'm sticking to it.

    @ psych ward doctor- "Aren't you supposed to be a puddle?"

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  2. I dunno, I feel like, if Sideways Desmond is on the island now, while he may not be scared of individual people, per se, he'd still be pretty freaked out about being on a weird island and seeing people getting Sayided and getting tied to a tree, etc.

    Unless the two Desmonds not only switched but gained the others' knowledge, such that the island wouldn't be a strange, foreign place even to Sideways Desmond.

    @ psych ward doctor- "Aren't you supposed to be a puddle?"

    Ha! Yeah, it took Lady Teebore a moment to recognize him, and then she said "I didn't recognize him when he wasn't melting."

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  3. I am totally intrigued by this idea of Sideways Desmond and Island Desmond having somehow switched spots!

    I never, NEVER watched it this way, but from what I'm reading over on Nikki's blog, and here, it seems more and more plausible.

    However, I'm done theorizing! LOL! As you said, it's going to be batshit crazy for the rest of the episodes, and who knows what Darlton have in store for us!

    :P

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  4. I hear ya Jenn! Aside from a few random thoughts that pop up, I can't quite bring myself to construct full blown theories anymore. Anything goes, at this point, and whatever happens, happens. ;)

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  5. i think it's weird that in the sideways verse, the people who are dead in the real vers (charlie, libby etc) seem to have no problem linking up to their "original" lives.
    But Locke, who is supposedly dead in the real verse, has not had any sort of cosmic epiphany.
    Is it because he's not truly dead in the real verse? Or because smokey is walking around in his body (sort of)?

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  6. If the whispers precede the dead, then why were there whispers before Walt would show up to garble at Shannon?? He's not dead.

    It seems that Flocke is becoming more like the real Locke and if that's true, maybe by Desmond running him over and possible killing him, that Locke will jump back into Flocke and have more influence, maybe?

    I don't think the Desmonds switched places, I think it's just a shared knowledge Desmond now. He just has both sets of memories and when brought together will be one really hot-ter Desmond!! Ha! I can't wait!!

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  7. OH and that Gene Wilder rendition gave me chills and creeped me right out...so I watched it 2 more times.

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  8. @Falen: i think it's weird that in the sideways verse, the people who are dead in the real vers (charlie, libby etc) seem to have no problem linking up to their "original" lives.

    I was going to point that out in the post and forgot, so I'm glad you mentioned it.

    It is interesting that all the people who came to know of the other 'verse without help are dead. It's also worth noting that none of them seem to be aware that they are dead in that other 'verse.

    @Palindrome If the whispers precede the dead, then why were there whispers before Walt would show up to garble at Shannon?? He's not dead.

    I dunno...Coast Guard?

    That's one of the lingering answers about the whispers; the show may think that question is all wrapped up, but it seems to me there's some loose ends still (though I suppose we could lump this particular one in with the other Walt mysteries that will likely go unanswered).

    maybe by Desmond running him over and possible killing him, that Locke will jump back into Flocke and have more influence, maybe?

    Could be...it would certainly be one way to get currently dead Island Locke back on the show in some capacity, which is something we all want to see, methinks.

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  9. Ok - check this out for some Willy Wonka hilarity (you'll have to choose the Willy Wonka video, though twilight is worth watching too)

    www.howitshouldhaveended.com/videos

    awesome

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