Summary: In flashbacks, Eko is sent by the church to investigate a miracle he doesn't believe. A girl, Charlotte has apparently come back to life, but her father, Richard Malkin, denies that it happened. Charlotte reaches out to Eko and tells him that Yemi left a message for him and that they will see each other soon. On the island, Eko dreams of Ana Lucia who tells him to get Locke to take him to the question mark. Eko arrives at the hatch and leaves with Locke to track Henry. Michael tells a story that Henry escaped and shot them all. However, Libby is still alive and Jack tries to treat her. Hurley learns what happened to Libby and comes to the hatch. Libby eventually dies. Meanwhile, Locke has a dream showing him where to go next. He and Eko find the question mark underneath the Beechcraft. They find a hatch and discover another Dharma station, The Pearl. They watch an orientation video explaining that the button is apparently a psychological experiment. This shatters Locke's faith and he angrily lashes out, but Eko decides that he is going to start pushing the button now.
The Good: This was a true return to form for "Lost". This season has had its moments and I've been entertained during most episodes, but it never seemed to threaten the consistently jawdropping storytelling of season 1 until now. Now we've had a stretch of strong episodes which have built up to this one, which develops the mythology and advances characters in a brilliant and organic way, making me feel the same sense of wonder that I felt while watching season 1. Dreams have been badly misused this season, becoming meaningless (like in "Everybody Hates Hugo" and "Fire + Water"). Thankfully, that changed in this episode and the mystique of dreams has returned as the island seemingly guides Eko and Locke throughout this episode by sending dreams, just like in "Deus Ex Machina", one of the best episodes of the show. This episode takes a lot of inspiration from "Deus Ex Machina" and I think that's one of the reasons that it is so fantastic. It's so refreshing to see an episode that feels so important, and the narrative is given a driving force through the use of dreams. The character arcs of Eko and Locke become intercut in this episode, and seeing the contrast between them makes for incredible television. Eko is now in the position Locke was in back in season 1. He's the optimistic believer while Locke is the disappointed skeptic. I greatly enjoyed their interactions, and I thought that the advancement of their journey was a joy to watch. I especially liked their wildly different reactions to the orientation video, showcasing how each character is on a different journey, taking different meanings from what the island shows them. Eko's arc is the main focus of the episode, and it's a joy to behold. In the flashbacks we learn that while Eko has taken over Yemi's line of work out of guilt, he isn't truly a believer. He doesn't have the faith nor the passion to be a priest. But Charlotte delivers him a message from Yemi which evidently sways Eko a little bit. And so when Eko lands on the island and actually finds Yemi in the plane (this plot also brilliantly explains why Eko seemed so unhinged when Claire showed him the Virgin Mary statue), he truly starts to believe. And so Eko takes instructions from the island without question, and his faith holds strong throughout the episode as he forces Locke to come with him in an attempt to get him to find his way again. Locke on the other hand, has a completely different story. Fresh off of yet another failure which resulted in the deaths of two people, Locke is bitter, upset and completely unwilling to go anywhere with Eko. He is more shaken and lost than he has ever been. But when the possibility of his faith being rewarded presents itself, Locke begins to believe again and it's wonderful to see. From Locke standing eagerly while Eko climbed to him wanting to open the hatch himself, it's easy to see that Locke is beginning to feel that he can believe again. But that all get snuffed out when he watches that orientation video which seems to confirm that everything he had been doing so far was pointless. It's sad to see Locke slowly realize that everything was for nothing, and his disappointment and anger following that is completely understandable. I've been critical about Locke's character arc earlier in the season and my complaints still stand strong, but I have to admit that the show has recovered his story in an outstanding way. Once again, Locke has become one of the show's most compelling characters. It was lovely to get some answers in this episode. The ? was brought up a few episodes ago, and now we get to see what it is. Like in "Maternity Leave", it was very fun to explore a brand new Dharma station just because of the possibilities of what could be found in there. The orientation video was a lovely surprise that deepened the mystery of the island. (see: The Unknown). The story in the hatch was pretty solid as well. Libby's death was suitably sad, as was Hurley's guilt over forgetting the blankets. I was pleased with Jack finding a way to determine the location of the guns by sending Kate with Sawyer to get the heroin. Sawyer hiding the guns in his own tent was a fittingly clever move from him and I liked the reveal. The Bad: Unfortunately, the storyline of Sawyer getting the guns led absolutely nowhere. There were a few filler B-plots showing Sawyer being an asshole, but that's all the pay-off we got from that exciting ending to "The Long Con". That's quite disappointing. Libby waking up and having some dramatic final words felt needlessly melodramatic. Showing some restraint and having her die quietly while unconscious would have been a much more powerful moment. It seems strange that Jack wouldn't question Eko's choice to take a man on crutches to go after Henry. The Unknown: So Richard Malkin is apparently a fraud. Should we believe him? If the show is simply confirming that Malkin was a fake all along, that is quite a disappointing answer especially seeing how desperate he was to get Claire to raise her baby. Could it be that he was a fraud that unexpectedly had a legitimate vision which promptly scared him? I do hope that we get to see more of Malkin so we can learn more about what happened. Where are the Dharma headquarters that the notebooks were being sent to? Is anybody still there to receive Locke's note? The Pearl is apparently a psychological station. What are all of the TVs for? Do they all show various parts of The Swan? Is the button actually real or is it all just a psychological experiment? Could it be that Dharma simply created a psychological experiment out of a job they actually needed to do? Does the button actually do anything? Why does Marvin Candle have a different name in this orientation video? Best Moment: Eko and Locke's differing reactions to the orientation video were amazing. Locke is angry and lets out his rage in an incredible way. Whereas Eko takes the video as reaffirmation of his faith and he tells Locke his entire story. Eko's speech is such a wonderful moment for the character, and his decision to push the button himself was great. Character of the Episode: Eko, though Locke is a very close second. Conclusion: What an episode. I've been very critical of this season so far despite it still offering very good television regularly because it feels like a big step down from season 1. But this episode makes it feel like going through the rough patches of the season was well worth it. There are still brilliant stories to be told, and this episode makes it clear that "Lost" hasn't forgotten what made it so good to begin with. Score: 82
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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