Summary: Flashsideways reveal that Jack has a kid, David, with his estranged wife. Jack's relationship with David isn't very good, but after talking with his mom, Jack reaches out to David and discovers that he has secretly been playing piano. They share a sweet moment together. On the island, Hurley is contacted by Jacob to take Jack on a mission to a lighthouse where he has to help somebody get to the island. Hurley and Jack go together and run into Kate along the way. Once at the lighthouse, Jack sees that Jacob has been watching him since his childhood. Frustrated, Jack destroys the mirrors in the lighthouse. Jacob reveals to Hurley that this is what he intended and that they need to stay away from the temple. Meanwhile, Claire has captured Jin and Justin and has become crazy like Rousseau. She demands Justin tell her where the others are keeping Aaron, and when he doesn't, Claire kills him. Jin tries to tell Claire that Kate took him, but when Claire reveals she would kill Kate, Jin says he was lying and insists that Aaron is in the temple.
The Good: This episode makes it pretty clear what this season is trying to accomplish with the flashsideways. In this alternate reality, our main characters are being given closure, overcoming flaws and insecurities that they were unable to overcome in the other universe. This does give me some ideas on what the flashsideways really are (see: The Unknown), but more importantly, it allows me to appreciate the stories being told. Despite this version of Jack not being the Jack that we know, it is still powerful to see some version of Jack overcoming his parental insecurities and connecting with his son, successfully overcoming a lot of the baggage that his relationship with Christian left him with. The scenes between Jack and David were surprisingly engrossing, and their sweet moment together near the end of the episode was emotional and beautiful. The main island story is pretty well done. Jack and Hurley's trip is a lot of fun, and it does echo more traditional "Lost" episodes with characters going on an unknown mission of self-discovery following some vague purpose that may or may not even exist. Season 6 as a whole does seem to be echoing this idea a lot. "The Substitute" was also structured similarly with Sawyer going on a journey with MIB with the promise of answers at the end, compared to Jack going with Hurley, serving as a stand-in for Jacob, with the same promise of answers at the end. I really like this parallel, as it not only serves as a neat celebration for the storytelling style of "Lost", but it also has a lot of subtle details that enrich the storytelling (contrasting characters like Jacob/MIB and Jack/Sawyer). This episode in particular feels like a direct follow-up to "White Rabbit" and it shares a lot of similarities. For one, Jack's story arc is a very similar adventure of self-discovery. In season 1, it was a story about Jack resolving his inner turmoil so that he can find himself and become a real leader. Here, it's a story about Jack pushing away the doubts that have crept into his mind since his failures at the end of season 5, fully accepting that he is on this island for a reason. It's a similar story of leaving the past behind and accepting a new role, and there's even a similar character moment of Jack frustratedly destroying something (coffin/mirrors) at the climax of the episode. Another neat parallel comes from the return to the caves, and the sighting of the coffin, two key images from "White Rabbit". Season 6 has been relying heavily on parallels and callbacks to the past, but not in a bad way. Instead of throwing around references just for the sake of throwing them around, these parallels are being used to enhance the story, and I really like that. Claire's story is pretty good as well. Emilie De Ravin does a surprisingly good job being unhinged, and her brutal murder of Justin is a very memorable moment. It's very easy to buy into Jin's growing fear of Claire that results with him lying to her about Aaron. This story also has a really good ending as MIB arrives, clearly having manipulated Claire into serving him in the same way he manipulated Ben last season, and Sawyer in the previous episode. Dogen's appearance in the flashsideways was a fun appearance. The Bad: While I do like the parallels in this episode, sometimes they are hammered in far too hard and the moments don't feel earned. The biggest example of this is Jack destroying the mirrors in the lighthouse. The destruction of the coffin in "White Rabbit" is a really powerful moment that stems from Jack's frustrations at once again being robbed of the closure he needed. This moment with the mirrors doesn't have that same weight to it, and I didn't feel as connected with Jack's emotional state as I should have been. I get his frustrations throughout the episode, but I don't entirely understand why Jack would be so furious at finally confirming that he is here for a reason. Again, the flashsideways haven't hooked me as a standalone story. I appreciate them for the character work they are doing but I'm still not sure about how I feel about seeing so much of this world. I would rather spend my remaining time on the island or exploring the versions of the characters I have come to know over the last 5 seasons. There's no way that this lighthouse wasn't found earlier, especially since it is right on the coast, seemingly close to the caves. The excuse that "we just weren't looking for it" is very weak and doesn't satisfactorily fill in this blatant plot hole. Jacob's motivation for hiding all of these details to give Jack this experience feels a little bit cheap and too convoluted. Wouldn't it just be easier for Jacob to tell Jack? "Lost" has never been good with characters being honest with each other, but this is pretty frustrating because you get the sense that Jacob is only being this vague for the sake of the plot. The Unknown: Why didn't Jack remember his appendix being taken out? Is this a hint that the worlds are somehow connected? We know that Jack lost his appendix on the island in season 4. This, combined with how the characters are overcoming their flaws, suggests that the flashsideways could be some sort of perfect world designed for the Flight 815 survivors, possibly by Jacob or MIB. Who is Jack's ex-wife in the flashsideways? Is it Sarah? Juliet? Somebody else? Is somebody actually coming to the island? Or was that made up by Jacob as a cover for Jack's personal journey? If there really is someone, who is it? What is going to happen to the temple? Is the person coming to the temple MIB? Why did Jacob get Hurley and Jack away from there but leave Sayid behind? Sayid has had a noticeable British accent since he came back to life. At first I thought it was unintentional, or maybe it had to do with Sayid being exhausted after dying. But his accent is still there. Is there a reason for this? Is this a hint about how Sayid has been "infected"? Best Moment: Jack and David's moment together. Character of the Episode: Jack. Conclusion: This was another really strong episode. It's not quite as effective as the previous one and there are some issues, but I still enjoyed a lot of the storytelling here. Score: 69
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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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