Summary: In flashbacks, Michael tries to kill himself after Walt hates him for what he did. Michael can't seem to kill himself and encounters Tom. Tom recruits him to go on Widmore's freighter as a spy to kill everyone on board. Michael eventually tries to blow up a bomb he was given but it's a dud. Ben calls, disguising himself as Walt and tells Michael he won't kill innocents. He tells Michael to give him information on the people on the boat. On the island, Sayid confronts Michael for more information. Once he learns Michael works for Ben, he turns him in to Captain Gault. Rousseau, Karl and Alex are sent to the temple but they are ambushed on the way and Karl and Rousseau are killed.
The Good: Michael's flashbacks are excellent, and example of "Lost" at its best. Seeing his suicidal state early in the episode is pretty sad, and it's rough to see how his guilt is still consuming him (visions of Libby) and how his relationship with Walt has entirely deteriorated. Michael sacrificed everything for Walt and it was all for nothing. I don't think anyone can defend what Michael did, but the show still makes it very easy to sympathize with him and relate to him. His personal story throughout the episode is superb watch and it does well to highlight the intricacies within Michael. Michael is a man looking to die, but he still cares for the wellbeing who were left on the island. Not because he's a good and caring person, but because he doesn't want more deaths on his already guilty conscience. This is proof that Michael is by no means a good person, and not shying away from this makes this episode a much richer experience. Everything he does is for selfish motives, and it leads up to an outstanding moment as Michael decides to blow up the freighter in spite of the innocent lives on it, proving that he has not changed. The bombing sequence is spectacular. Michael's guilt manifests through another vision of Libby, but he decides to go through with it anyways. Michael has learned nothing from murdering Ana Lucia and Libby, and even now he is willing to sacrifice lives to get what he wants, regardless of how bad he feels. And once the bomb doesn't go off, Michael is once again left with the weight of his actions on his shoulders and he has to live with it. I have to applaud "Lost" for portraying Michael in such a negative way to explore morality in a way that the show hasn't attempted with any other character. Then following this, Michael received a call from Ben who naturally was playing mind games with Michael all along and had no intent of blowing up the freighter. Ben says that he didn't expect Michael to actually try to blow up the freighter, but knowing him that's probably another lie. This whole thing was likely orchestrated by Ben to manipulate Michael into being a loyal spy for him. And Michael's never-ending guilt makes him extremely susceptible to Ben. Ben plays on Michael's weaknesses throughout this conversation, through ways like tricking him into thinking he's Walt and forcing Michael to own up to what he did to Ana Lucia and Libby. Ben even goes as far as to suggest that he never sacrifices innocents (a stone-cold lie) just to make Michael feel worse about himself, and then follows it up by claiming that Michael is now one of the good guys. It's Michael's inherent selfishness that makes Ben's claim feel really hollow. After all he has done and what he was about to do to the freighter, how can Michael ever be one of the good guys? It's fitting that he breaks down right after because deep down he knows that no matter what he does, he will not be one of the good guys. It's why he doesn't object to Sayid's claims to Captain Gault and it's why he went on this suicide mission on the freighter to begin with. Michael's story allows for a lot of fun cameos. Seeing Tom again is wonderful, and it's a lot of fun to watch Michael interact with him. It makes perfect sense for Michael to try to kill him without hesitation at first. I really like that Tom gives us a contrasting explanation for the Flight 815 wreckage. Who actually put that wreckage in the trench? (see: The Unknown) Michael's time on the freighter had some good scenes too. It's nice to see Naomi and Minkowski again, and we got an ominous moment as Keamy and his mercenaries practiced shooting while on the boat. I really liked Sayid's decision to turn Michael in. We know that he wants nothing to do with Ben, so the moment he hears that Michael is working for Ben, he turns him in without hesitation. Sayid, the man of action, is always so compelling to watch. The Bad: Unfortunately this episode loses a lot of points for that awful final scene. Rousseau and Alex reunited last season and since then they have done absolutely nothing. There's been no character work done here, and we don't even get to understand the relationship they have with each other. These characters got lost in the shuffle. And now Rousseau and Karl die in the most unsatisfying ways possible. It happens so suddenly and feels incredibly anticlimactic. Rousseau dying is especially criminal since she's been a key character for so long. I can't believe that she was given such a sloppy death. Furthermore, the scene was poorly directed, making me feel confused by what I was watching the entire time. The Alex/Rousseau/Karl storyline ended up being a spectacular failure. As much as I loved Tom's role in this episode, his presence makes no sense. After Michael left, we know that the others had communications disruptions and were unable to contact the mainland. Furthermore, they were also unable to return to the island if they left. And yet, Tom was somehow able to go off island and return in this time period at some point. This is a definite plot hole. The Unknown: Was Michael's vision of Libby just a manifestation of his guilt, or is there magical island stuff involved here? Furthermore, why isn't the island letting him die? How does this even happen? Why? What role is Michael supposed to play that the island needs him to live? What is this temple that Ben speaks of? I believe it was mentioned once before. What is over there? Was Widmore the one who actually planted the fake Flight 815 plane? Ben produced more evidence than Widmore did, but I wouldn't put it past Ben to fake this. Who is the real villain here? Knowing how "Lost" operates, I wouldn't be surprised if it was both of them. How did Widmore suddenly find the coordinates of the island? Could this have something to do with Penny locating the high levels of electromagnetism at the end of season 2? Who killed Karl and Rousseau? Was this a trap set up by Ben? Or was it something else? Could it be Keamy and his men? Best Moment: Ben's phone call to Michael. Harold Perrineau does a tremendous job of showing Michael's inner turmoil in response to everything that Ben says. Character of the Episode: Michael. Conclusion: Michael has to be one of the most unique characters on the show right now, so it isn't any surprise that an episode centered on him will be excellent. There are flaws here, but for the most part this is another classic "Lost" episode. Score: 78
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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