Summary: In flashbacks, a depressed Locke is approached by Peter Talbot who suspects that his mother is marrying a con man, the same man who Locke donated his kidney to. Locke doesn't tell anything to Peter but goes straight to his father and tells him to stop ruining people's lives, ordering him to leave or he'll tell Peter's mother the truth. Peter turns up dead and Locke confronts his father who pushes him out of an eight story building, ending in Locke's paralysis. On the island, Kate, Locke and Sayid try to free Jack. Kate and Sayid are quickly apprehended, though Locke sneaks into Ben's room and inquires on the whereabouts of the submarine. After talking with Ben, Alex takes Locke to the submarine, where he promptly blows it up. However, this works in Ben's favour as both Jack and Juliet were going to leave shortly on the submarine. Locke is captured and Ben shows him that the island somehow brought Locke's father to the island, and he has been imprisoned by the others.
The Good: This is a terrific episode of drama. This episode continues the trend of "Lost" departing from its slower paced, character-driven format in favour of more exciting and dramatic scenes with a sense of suspense always lingering behind every scene. Quite literally every moment in this episode is superb and adds to the story being told, providing us a masterclass of an episode that absolutely nails the storytelling, the twists and the character development. I'll start with the wonderful story we got in the flashbacks. For once, the flashbacks told a story worth telling as we discovered what put Locke in the wheelchair. We get to see once again that Anthony Cooper took everything from Locke. He took his kidney, he took his father figure, he took his relationship with Helen and now he's taken his ability to walk. It's so heartbreaking for Locke because this really feels like the last nail in the coffin. When we catch up with Locke, he's horribly depressed with very little going well in his life. All he had left was a final chance to go back to his father and get back at him for what he did. Locke had learned from before and wasn't about to let his desire for a father figure consume him. Instead, he just didn't want other people to suffer the way he has. But even then, he's still a complete sucker and totally falls for Anthony's manipulations yet again, leaving him a broken shell of a man by the end of the flashbacks. The final sequence with a dejected Locke being put into a wheelchair by the chipper physiotherapist is heartbreaking television, and is easily the most powerful moment we have seen in flashbacks since Desmond's meltdown in season 2. The flashbacks even tie into Locke's island story, which is something that hasn't been very common this season. Just like in the flashbacks, Locke tries to take control of his life on the island, and all of his efforts all end with the same result: yet another manipulation. But island Locke is a changed man, and the episode takes the time to explore him and his mysterious motives in depth. We learn that his plan is to destroy the submarine because he believes that it's cheating for the others to be able to leave the island and come back at will. At least that's what he tells Ben, but we learn by the end of the episode that this isn't the whole truth. Learning about the extent that Anthony has ruined Locke's life gives us a perfect reason why Locke doesn't want to leave the island outside of being put back in the wheelchair. He's afraid of his father. He doesn't have much left, and nothing scares him more than the idea that what little he has can be taken away. So he enjoys his time on the island precisely because of the isolation. He's happy to have broken free from the rest of the world because now he can actually do whatever he wants without the fear of being stepped on. The submarine represents a chance for Locke to return to the world, and not wanting to do that, Locke is more than happy to blow it up and ensure that there's no way off this island. It's a lovely bit of character writing that serves as the icing on the cake for what was a tense and exciting episode. The drama on the island built up so well. The highlights of the episode were certainly the scenes between Locke and Ben. The two had such a wonderful dynamic together and their scenes came together perfectly. The acting from Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn was simply stellar, and the dialogue written for the characters was somehow even better. The atmosphere was electric whenever they were talking, and the connection that their conversation had to the deeper themes and plot of the show made everything feel must-watch. The rest of the episode holds up well too. The entire episode is dedicated to the attempt to save Jack and blow up the submarine, allowing the episode to naturally build tension. As the episode progresses, there are plenty of tense moments, like Locke hiding in the closet or the others capturing both Kate and Sayid. It's very exciting television that's easy to enjoy, and the added layers of storytelling make it even better. There are a lot of other really strong moments. I enjoyed the Kate and Jack conversation, and I especially liked how they paralleled the conversation they had back in "I Do". Rousseau got a very nice little moment as she got to look at her daughter's face for the first time in years. Ben had an outstanding episode all around as he manipulated Locke before lying through his teeth to Jack and Juliet, knowing full well that they wouldn't be going anywhere. Lastly, the ending of the episode is spectacular. Anthony appearing on the island is a wonderful twist that completely caught me off guard (I thought the episode would go the generic route and end without showing us what Locke saw in the room - I'm very pleased the writers resisted the temptation to do this). Not only does this propel the magical forces of the island forwards in a significant way, but this also sets Locke up with a terrific conflict as he's not going to be able to escape the threat of his father anymore. He'll have no choice but to face his past and get over it if he wishes to continue living his new life. The Bad: Nothing I'll call bad. This was one of the show's most consistent episodes yet. The Unknown: How did Ben end up getting sick? Did he do something that angered the island? Is there some meaning to this? How do the others get electricity and plumbing? Ben's line about the hamsters was hilarious, but I'm curious if this will actually be answered. Where is this magic box? How did it bring Anthony to the island? When did he get there? What have the others done with him? Did they know who he was? I have so many questions about that ending. Who is Richard? He seems to be a higher ranking other, so does he have a particular role? Best Moment: So many of the Ben/Locke conversation snippets could have been the best moment of the episode. My favourite has to be when Locke accuses Ben of cheating and not listening to the island's demands. A frustrated Ben is evidently hit hard by this accusation, and wonders how Locke could possibly think that know the island better than him after such a short amount of time. Locke then replies with the best line of the episode: "because you're in the wheelchair, and I'm not". A spectacular moment. Character of the Episode: Locke. Conclusion: This is "Lost" back at its absolute best. The drama, storytelling, acting and writing all came together perfectly to make the best episode of the season so far, an episode that completely reshapes the story with some excellent twists and also does some very worthwhile exploration of Locke, the show's best character. This was an absolute win, and a sign that despite some inconsistency, there is still much that this show can do to wow us. Score: 84
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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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