Damn, that was the bomb! (Helloooo!)

I love Lost and I love how ambitious it is. I love that it has built such an expansive mythology, that the creators seem to have really thought out the science fiction they inject to the show and how they always get me with their big WTF twists. All that said however, what makes Lost a truly special and great show is the characters and the extraordinary moments they experience with the audience (or vice versa). From Rose and Bernard’s reunion in season two to Hurley playing chess with Mr. Eko to Sun’s joy when she realizes her baby is Jin’s to Sayid’s reunion with Nadia – all of these moments really make Lost worth all the time I invest in it.

Last night might have been one of the greatest character moments of all and it was delivered in such an absolutely perfect manner. When Desmond told Penny that she and their son, Charlie, were the most important things in his life, tears immediately formed in my eyes and I made some sort of whimper noise that to me sounded like when Oy begs for food. It was one of the many perfect moments of Lost that clearly illustrate to me that this show, no matter where they go from here, will always be one of my favorite series ever.

And I never really was a big fan of Charlie “I’m a druggie musician” Pace. He easily had the worst flashbacks this side of Kate “I like to run” Austen. And the writers really worked until the second half of the third season to make him into a vile, unsympathetic character. They certainly redeemed him and I remember Charlie fondly now even though I generally disliked him, so that is part of the reason I was so affected by Desmond’s son’s name. But the other part of it is Desmond himself.

I tend to really enjoy Desmond-centric episodes and last night was no exception. I think that Desmond the character can really be seen as a representation of the show as a whole. He is intertwined deeply with the mythology of the show, obviously is closely tied to the sci-fi elements with his flashes and has provided a handful of Lost-ian WTF moments. But he is also a character I root for, one who has been developed as a three-dimensional human being and who seems very real to me. His phone call with Penny in ‘The Constant’ is probably my favorite Lost scene of all time. (‘The Constant’ is also probably my favorite episode.)

So to say that I enjoyed last night’s ep is an understatement. As much as I loved last week’s doubleheader, I think they were trumped this week.

So, it started with Desmond and Penny having a baby! Which of course made me happy (see above). Funny thought that popped into my head: it’s like they are setting up Lost: The Next Generation with Aaron, Ji Yeon and now Charlie.

So I thought that the blonde Island native (Ellie) kinda looks like Charlotte. Probably just coincidence and maybe it was that they both have accents, I don’t know. But speaking of Ellie’s accent, could she be Mrs. Hawking? Now that we know that Jones is Widmore (I knew it! Finally! I am right about something!), perhaps it’s not such a stretch.

Let’s say that the seeds for the real battle for the Island were planted here: in 1954. Maybe the battle is not waged between Widmore and Ben (as leaders), but between Widmore and Hawking. They both referred to the Island as “ours” in the past two episodes. Something happens – this Incident maybe – and Widmore and Hawking are both forced to leave the Island. Richard is looking for a leader that will save the Island because maybe Widmore or Hawking could not. Ben falls into Hawking’s camp and shares the same beliefs that she does (perhaps more altruistic), while Widmore’s motivations are more selfish. Maybe they were the original Locke and Jack: two people that could only save the Island if they worked together, but for their separate reasons, they could not. They have not yet realized that the only way to save it is to work as one…something that Locke and Jack must learn in the episodes to come?

The show now clearly wants us to believe that Mrs. Hawking is Mother Faraday, so if my theory about Ellie being Mrs. Hawking is right, it just makes her and Daniel’s interactions all the more fascinating (especially if he knows who she is – referenced in his line about her being familiar to him). Also, wouldn’t it be cool if Hawking’s interest in time travel was sparked by her encounter with a time traveler back in the 50s?

Related questions: Could Widmore be Faraday’s father? (Maybe Ellie gets pregnant on the Island, but cannot have the baby or she will die, so she leaves.) Could Widmore be the cause of the Incident? If so, is the Incident the reason why the Others cannot bring babies to term? (This could further illuminate the perceived hostility between Widmore and Hawking.) Also: Latin is the language of the Others/natives…just how old is Richard?

Ok, how about this: the Island didn’t move at all until the Incident – maybe it was never really “hidden” until the Incident. (After all, Richard did not seem to know about the Island’s ability to move in time.) And if the U.S. Government can find the Island easily enough to use it to test H-Bombs, how hidden could it be? (Or maybe that was just a “happy” accident…)

Other random thoughts:
- I really enjoyed Desmond’s description of Great Britain to his son. A funny little fake-out.
- When Desmond found that picture of Faraday with the blonde chick, for a second I (Ang too) thought that it was Libby. I wonder if the similarity was purposeful. By the way, that scene in the lab was rather spooky.
- Could Faraday be “special” like he says Desmond is?
- Faraday’s declaration of love to Charlotte was ominously sweet. (Ominous because as soon as he said he’d never let anything happen to her, I know something terrible would) Just adds to my contention that the show does established love fantastically, but is much less successful when setting up new romances. Also, could his affection for Charlotte be tied to his guilt on behalf of his lab assistant/girlfriend Theresa Spencer?
- Why is Charlotte the only one affected by the time jumps? I wonder if it affects her more because she was born on the Island. I really, really hope she isn’t dead.
- Loved the scene between Widmore and Desmond. Very tense and I like Desmond standing up to him, almost as an equal.
- However, why would Widmore tell Desmond to go to LA knowing that Ben is there and Ben wants to kill Penny?
- Juliet about speaking Latin: “Others 101. Gotta know Latin. Language of the enlightened.” Much like snarky Ben, snarky Juliet is fantastic. Elizabeth Mitchell needs more to do!
- Favorite interchange of the night: when Sawyer and Juliet are holding Ellie at gunpoint, she asks Faraday: “Are they from the future, too?” and Sawyer responds: “You told her?” Oh, Sawyer…
- That structure holding the bomb and our first shot of it was incredible and breathtaking. If I remember correctly, the Sawn hatch was built on concrete and steel…

Self-assured John Locke is fantastic. It’s when Locke loses his faith that I grow tired of him. But similar to Desmond sticking it to Widmore, Locke telling Richard that Jacob sent him and being the leader that he should be was awesome. Locke also provided my two favorite lines of the night: (To Jones/Widmore) “Nice to meet you.” and (To Richard) “I suggest you come and visit me.”

However, his line to Richard sets up an interesting quandary for me. First, (depending how you consider time, I suppose) it means that the flashes in ‘Cabin Fever’ haven’t happened yet. (Not a quandary, just an observation). Next, it puts Locke’s leadership qualification into some question. If Richard thinks that Locke is the Island savior because Locke told him so, maybe he really isn’t (and why he may need Man of Science Jack to help him save the Island). This also helps to illuminate Richard’s frustration with young Locke: Richard gets very angry when Locke chooses the knife as one of the items that is already his. My conclusion from this is that the true Island leader would have chosen the Book of Laws over the knife and that Locke may not be all that he thinks he is. In fact, that may be why Abaddon pushes him to go on a walkabout; not because he thinks he can save the Island, but because he knows he can’t. (It kinda makes my head spin trying to explain, but I know what I mean.)

To sum up: More Faraday + More Desmond = Smiles, tears and a great episode of Lost.