Summary: In flashbacks, Rose and Bernard meet and immediately take a liking to each other. Bernard proposes to Rose and they marry, but Rose reveals she is dying of cancer and only has a year left. Bernard takes Rose to see Isaac, a healer. Isaac can't heal Rose, but Rose decides to tell Bernard he healed her. On the island, Bernard tries to get the survivors to help him make an SOS sign out of rocks to get rescued. Rose is opposed to the idea and in the end, the plan falls through. Rose reveals to Bernard that Isaac didn't heal her but the island did, and the two of them decide that they are staying on the island. Meanwhile, Locke leaves the hatch in frustration but has his faith restored in a conversation with Rose. Jack takes Kate to make a trade with the others. They make it to the line and Michael suddenly appears.
The Good: Bernard and Rose's relationship is explored in a beautiful way. Their romance is sweet and they have fantastic chemistry with each other throughout the episode. I can easily buy into the fact that these two love each other. What's more impressive is that the writers manage to weave a serious conflict into this episode without ever damaging the credibility of their relationship. Both of them are understandable in how they differ. Rose is frustrated by how Bernard seems more interested in doing things instead of spending time with her. Whereas Bernard is earnest and noble in what he's trying to do, and you can sympathize with the motivations behind his actions. I love how their conflict ends up being the same in past and present just with a slightly different spin to it. What made this episode work so well was how it felt like a standalone episode. The episode started with Bernard and Rose first meeting and ends with them deciding to spend the rest of their day son the island. This episode doesn't feel like part of a story because the writers told a complete character story with an emotional conclusion at the end. The episode is not quite a formula break like "The Other 48 Days" was, but it's similar in the reasons that it was successful. The themes of this episode are another highlight. The way this show explored its characters suggested that everyone was ultimately meant to find fulfillment on the island. This is the first time that we have seen some characters address that the island is where they are meant to be. This is a very important moment for the show, and it is nice to get confirmation that most, if not all, characters are likely to find closure on the island. Furthermore, we also get to see the island's magical properties in action for the first time since "Walkabout". Now we learn that the island has also cured Rose's cancer, which is a surprising reveal that makes perfect sense. I love seeing the mythology of the island developed more, and that makes this episode much more significant than a small scale love story for minor side characters. Everything else in the episode was very good. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Isaac, a healer who uses some kind of energy to cure people. This is such a fascinating inclusion that raises important questions about the island (see: The Unknown). Isaac's mysterious nature reminds me of Richard Malkin, and I'm always pleased to learn more lore. Locke's character arc continues in wonderful fashion. We get to see Locke's frustrations early in the episode, and for the first time in a long while, we see Locke completely lose faith. He leaves the hatch and sits on the beach, looking aimless and confused. But then a stellar conversation with Rose (see: Best Moment) restores his faith, and by the end of the episode he is back to working on solving the blast door map. Kate and Jack's story was also very good. The scene of them getting caught in Rousseau's trap was surprisingly fun. Kate and Jack have always had pretty unspectacular chemistry, so I didn't expect much from the scene. But this time something clicked, and the scene held the same kind of flirtatious fun that we typically only get from Kate and Sawyer's scenes. Then of course there's that great cliffhanger as Michael suddenly returns (see: The Unknown). I'm hoping that this is the catalyst that can kick the story into motion for the final few episodes of the season. The Bad: Unfortunately, this episode feels out of place. I didn't get to say it in my last review, but I feel similarly about "Dave" as I do with this episode. With about 5 episodes left in the season, it feels like we should be kicking the plot into action for an exciting conclusion. Instead, we have gotten two slow-paced character-driven episodes that haven't advanced the plot at all. Now I'm all for character episodes, but it certainly feels like these episodes should have happened earlier in the season, not right at the end. In season 1, we had two outstanding episodes in "Numbers" and "Deus Ex Machina" as episodes 18 and 19, and it should be pretty easy to see why the latest two episodes aren't as satisfying for me near the end of the season. I could see other people being very unsatisfied with this episode. Focusing on two very minor characters makes this episode feel unimportant, and I wouldn't blame anybody who was unsatisfied with this episode because they just didn't get invested in the story being told. It was odd that nobody seemed willing to help Bernard. Surely most people still want to get off this island! I understand that the writers want us to believe that Bernard's "management problems" forced everyone away, but instead everyone comes off as selfish and stupid for not wanting to bring rocks to the beach to help get off of the island. Of course Kate wouldn't have told anybody about the medical facility she found back in "Maternity Leave". It isn't "Lost" if characters don't frustratingly keep secrets all the time. The Unknown: What is the energy that Isaac was talking about? Does this energy fuel the island's powers? How does it work? Does this energy have something to do with why the Dharma Initiative went to the island? Could it have something to do with the hatch? Where has Michael been this entire time? Did the others get him? Did he escape from them? Or was he sent to Jack and Kate as a response to the trade? Why is Eko building a church? Why is Henry trying to manipulate Locke? Does he have a goal in mind? Best Moment: I really loved Locke and Rose's conversation. Their light-hearted banter was a lot of fun, and I appreciate that Rose did to Locke what he has tried to do for so many of the other survivors: help him resolve his inner conflict. Locke was broken as he sat on the beach, and Rose gave him the clarity he needed to get back to his feet and return to the hatch. Plus, there was also that fantastic line from Rose where she said that they both know that things heal faster on the island. It was a fascinating moment, and I loved seeing the two people with the most faith having a brief talk about the powers of the island. Character of the Episode: Rose. Conclusion: This was terrific stuff. The character work was great, and the exploration into the nature of the island's powers was fascinating. The only issues come from the episode's placement in the season, and that prevents the episode from scoring higher than it otherwise would have. Score: 71
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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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