Lost Recap: "The Last Recruit"

I love this show. Yes, I know I've been less than ecstatic about some things they've done in this season (or rather, not done) but as it rolls toward it's end game, Lost has no peer in epic TV story telling. How great was this episode? (Answer: Super great!!!) This whole season so far has been set up, set up, set up. They have entire new lives in the Sideways world they have to introduce us to and all. They have to answer questions while still slowly getting the characters to the places they need to be for the final show down. This, to me is the first episode of the season that hasn't felt like set up, but instead felt like the beginning of the execution of the rest of the plot. You can really feel the story moving now. Characters are making moves, big moves, that take them to big, new, and scary places. Sawyer made a big move with his coup of the boat which led him and his companions into the not-so-open arms of Charles Widmore. The characters are starting to feel vunerable to me. That was probably the point with the whole Ilana explosion and it secretly did its work in my head. All of our people aren't going to make it to the end. There will be deaths, painful ones, and they are coming. No one is safe anymore and that just ups the suspense so much. But I'm jumping around too much. Lets start from the beginning.





Jack and FLocke's conversation in the dark jungle was quite provocative don't you think? FLocke finally admitting that he was the one posing as Christian, Jack's father. FLocke claims it's because the survivors needed water. I don't buy it. Honestly I don't know if buy the whole thing. See, Jack followed his dead father to the empty coffin of his father. Empty. Christian's body wasn't there. John Locke's was. So is the Man in Black lying to us here? My bet is yes. Though I don't know which part. This does shine some light onto why Claire left everyone including Aaron in the first place. If MiB was appearing to her as her father telling her it was all part of the plan, well then perhaps she'd be prone to believe him. Then when they left, he just had to poison her mind against them. It kinda adds up. Kinda. Although what was with the funny looks Miles was giving Claire after the house she was in blew up right before she disappeared in Season 4? Those were not a coincidence. Our ghost whisperer saw something in her. What was it? So we got partial answers to these questions today, but not full ones. I hope more reasoning is to come.

While we're on the subject, I have to give mad props to Emilie de Ravin. Wow, is she freaking great at playing psycho or what? This girl has versatility I never would have given her credit for. If I met new Island Claire with her squirrel skull baby in the basket and all I would probably wet myself and run away. It's not easy to play crazy and not go over the top and de Ravin does it flawlessly here. That should, at least, make up for Remember Me.

The next morning, Zoe came huffing into camp talking about the 'thing' they had 'taken' from them. Am I being nit picky or does the all seeing Des deserve a little more respect? I know why FLocke wouldn't want his people to know what the 'thing' is and where it was 'taken' to, but why is Widmore playing miss mysterious? Wouldn't he want FLocke's forces to know exactly what the man was capable of? Well apparently based on the end of the episode, Widmore wants nothing to do with any of FLocke's guys. Even the good ones. But we're not there yet. Anyway Zoe gave FLocke and ultimatum and FLocke responded by getting the troops ready to head to the other island and take off (literally, like, in a plane). This is where Sawyer came in. Being the con he is he hashed together a plan for him and his friends to play Chicken Run and get the frak over to Widmore's island to commandeer the sub. This went successful enough except Crazy Claire saw them leaving and followed. When she confronted them waving gun and all, Kate talked her down and she joined the escape party. I was not entirely convinced however. I think this was a bad move on Kate's part and it's going to cost these guys something big, maybe even a life. We shall see.

FLocke sent Sayid to kill Des and I'm guessing Des talked him down. We didn't see the shot, which is a pretty good indicator it didn't happen. Desmond cracked the zombie shell of Sayid by reminding him of his late lover. What happened after this remains to be seen. I'm sure Des has escaped and will come back just in the nick of time to make the great sacrifice Widmore taunted us about. Either that or Sayid is keeping him down in the well for his own dastardly reasons (it puts the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose again).

During The Great Sawyer Escape Jack was having second thoughts. He didn't want to leave the Island. Something inside him won't let him. Then he spouted off the sweetest theory I've heard so far that gets me all giddy for eps to come, "We were brought here because we were supposed to do something, James. And if Locke, if that thing, wants us to leave, maybe it's afraid of what happens if we stay." Hit. Nail. Head. (Euphoric giggle) Of course this is it and I don't know how I didn't see it before. There's a war coming. A battle between good and evil. A Stand if you will. I will because I've read The Stand by Stephen King and I know how much this show was inspired by that great book. By the climax of that 1100 page book, you have spent a lot of time with this great ensemble of characters. You know them. You love them. And the way they all fit together for the final Stand is something incredible. Thats how this episode felt to me. I could literally feel the legacy and the history of these characters and how they, all their lives, much of which we've got to witness, have been hurtling to this very point to do something great. I can't wait to see what it is.

Jack jumped overboard and swam back to the Island. The others made it to Widmore, but he ordered them to be held at gun point. Not quite the warm embrace they were hoping for. There was one warm embrace we've all been hoping for for a while though. Jin and Sun are back together!!!! Yeah!!! If you didn't warm in your heart when you saw them kissing, you're a robot. Of course Jin had to ruin the moment and say something ominous like, "We will never be apart again!" Well, damn it Jin you will now! Ugh! Shut that Asian mouth of yours for once! The second he uttered those words, Widmores two faceness showed and the episode ended with our heroes at gunpoint and Zoe ordering the strike she promised on FLocke. Unluckily, Jack just happened to show up at that very time to be blown (almost) to smithereens. Good stuff. Where will it go next? I can't wait to see, but I could never guess. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

But wait!! Some pretty interesing things happened in the sideways world. From least important to most important:

- Sawyer and Kate flirted (it looks like Kate is indeed innocent in this world. At least she better be or she sounded like a broken record for nothing)
- Jin and Sun's Sideways baby is OK.
-Sun is OK
-Ilana can do a decent American accent and looks hottt in a suit. (Yes that's a hot with 3 t's)
-I still think Jacks conspicuously missing ex-wife/David's mother is Juliet.
-Jack and David were bonding as father and son (shut up, I actually really liked this storyline.

But all of these pale in comparison to the revelation of what Desmond is doing in the Sideways world. Or at least what it looks like he's doing to me. It looks like he, now somehow omniscient or something, is guiding the other cast aways to their detinies. He persistantly insisted that Claire happen to meet with this mysterious (flammible) lawyer who just happened to be looking for her in reference to Christian's will. This led to Jack and Claire meeting. This was not a coincidence. Des did it on purpose. But why? That remains to be seen. But it's exciting and interesting isn't it? Also, and perhaps even more substantial, he, as we saw last week, hit Locke with his car which just happened to drive him right under the knife of LA's best surgeon. Remember, Jack was going to try and fix him before, but Locke accepted his fate and threw away Jacks card. Now that Des (fate) intervened, he has no choice but to go under the knife of someone we know has cured paralysis before. Remember Sarah, Jacks wife and miracle? I got a very Sarah vibe from this scene. Is a similar out come looming? Also, there was a quick mention of John's dural sac which, if you're remember is what Jack stitched up in his famous "Count to 5" speech in the pilot episode. I'm getting hit with foreshadowing all over the place here.

Well that's all I got. Let me know what you thought of this episode. Did you love it as much as me?

Until next time,

Soupy Twist.