Lost: Through The Looking Glass

First off - I've got some wicked head cold/fever ... so if go off rambling incoherently about like penguins or something ... that's the fever.

So in a word? Anti-climatic. It's not that I thought it was a bad episode. Actually in a lot of ways the episode was a lot of fun. There were lots of good twists to it (even if the trailer had managed to spoil about half of them). There were some truly great scenes as well - like Hurley saving the day with the DHARMA van. Or Desmond going all Rambo on Mikhail (who ... just ... won't ... die). Charlie's death was poignant and fair to his character.

I just wish some key parts weren't so confounding. Like how Jin, Bernard and Sayid survive. Let's face it - that was complete theater so that the writers didn't have to kill off three characters at once and off screen. Ben had already given the order to kill anyone who got in the raiding party's way. He already ordered the deaths of of his own people. So why fake the execution?

But for me the worst part is just what a letdown Jack's "flashforward" turned out to be. OK, sure, it was a huge shock to find out that at some point in the future at least he and Kate (and possibly several, several others) escape the island. And yeah, its interesting that this goal that he worked so hard for somehow, in some inexplicable way (which I assume they'll be explaining in the next two seasons), was a mistake.

Still - we kinda got robbed of that moment. And there's all this time we spend with Jack in future repeatedly laying down the fact that he's an unhappy drug-addled loser. Now instead of wondering if he'll make it off and wondering how and if he'll survive or anything - well we're just left with this explanation of why he shouldn't have.

And here's what so frustrating about that - I'm not sure there is any good reason why he shouldn't already know. I'm convinced that the Island's other secret power is make everyone a poor communicator. Don't say what you mean, lie and obfuscate.

Look - Ben makes one last ditch effort to keep Jack from phoning home. First he apparently lies through his teeth as Naomi's bunch clearly didn't kill them all off. Second he resorts to fear tactics. Wow, what a genius Ben is - maybe in this final moment of defeat it would be time to try to ... I dunno tell a little truth?

If you're about to lose your precious island forever ... isn't it about time to try a different tactic? Especially since the previous two is what brought Jack to slaughter most of your raiding party?

Or how about Locke? This must be one of the bigger letdowns in terms of surprise entrances. Sure, it was interesting to see adolescent Walt bring him from the pit ... but follows doesn't really add up. First Locke manages to run like hell to catch up to a location he wasn't previously aware of, kills a complete stranger by throwing a knife in her back just because she was holding a phone ... and then lets Jack dial out anyway with only the following phrase to try and stop him:

"You're not supposed to do this."

Or whatever it what was. Seriously? That's the best you can do? How about, oh I dunno:

"I've seen Walt. And he has something to tell you."

Gee, that would stop Jack for a moment or two. He knows Walt is supposed to be off the island and obviously wouldn't believe in this "manifestation" crap ... but maybe if he had a sitdown with "Walt" he would.

So the twist of Jack's future was a big disappointment to me - because I can't blame Jack. Jack is just us, after all, he's just like the viewer. He is stuck on a crazy island with people who, instead of defending it, spend their time frightening, killing and lying to others. Not to mention polar bears and what might be an invisible dinosaur. Ben held Jack captive for days and simply played with his head. Ben's had many chances to fix the situation and only let things get worse. Ben has had way more control over the situation than Jack.

Ben lets them off the island - not Jack.

Now granted, I'm assuming a lot here. I'm assuming the rescue takes place shortly after Jack's call. I'm assuming that Jack isn't provided new information and new chances or new choices. There's some evidence that is false - because he tells Kate in the future that he is tired of lying. Lying about what? Did he agree to a cover story if the "bad guys" let him off the island?

Maybe. However right now it seems like keeping all the secrets is the biggest factor to the Lostie's rescue. The conflict between them and the Others started with Ethan and only got worse from there.

Or from a more deconstructionist point of view - it's the writer's own need to keep the mysteries unfolding slowly that is working against the island itself.