Culture Fiend

Lost Redux

Spoiler: We take a look what’s new and confusing in Episode 12 of the final season.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Apr 14, 2010 at 10:45AM1 Comments

Man of the Year Jorge Garcia plays lovable Hugo “Hurley” Reyes on Lost.

I love Hurley. Everybody loves Hurley. In fact, I’ve been claiming that Jacob loves Hurley too, and made him candidate numero uno after Ben unceremoniously ended Locke’s chances. After all, Hurley has a direct line to dead(?) Jacob, and that kind of helps his chances.

But after last night’s pleasantly surprising “Everybody Loves Hugo” episode, I’m not so sure anymore. I mean, did you see the look the Locke-ness Monster gave Jack at the very end, with that sinister “ Hello , Jack.” (It sounded more sinister than that, I swear.) Does LNM consider Jack his greatest nemesis? His new Jacob? The one who could make or break his entire mission? Will Jack finally understand his role on the island once LNM comes at him with his favorite new weapon, a stick? Wait, wasn’t I talking about Hurley?

Mystery #1: Is Hurley’s “talking to dead people” trick a blessing or a curse? I’m going with curse. Sure, he can commune with Jacob—but what about Libby? Sadly, he’s stuck taking a flower to her grave, mourning the date that never was, and chatting instead with her murderer, Michael. (Michael’s back!) Michael arrives behind that creepy whispering, which he explains to Hurley is the equivalent of a deadman’s doorbell. He claims he’s stuck on the island “because of what he did” (reminder: killed Ana Lucia and Libby), and that whispering precedes him wherever he goes. Mystery solved! Or is it? I don’t buy it. I don’t think that’s actually Michael, just like I don’t think Christian, Claire, or Sayid are quite themselves either. Doesn’t old Smokey make a similar noise when he arrives? Couldn’t this just be Smokey manipulating Hurley through Michael’s body? Plus, why didn’t Hurley hear the whispers when Richard’s wife made an appearance? Or whenever Jacob arrives? Is there such a distinct line between the good dead and the bad on Limbo Island? Don’t the “good dead” stay dead? Cough cough Libby? It’s a theory I’m testing.

Anyway, Michael tells Hurley he has to stop Richard and gang from blowing up the plane, and Hurley actually believes him. Why? “Because dead people are more reliable than live ones.” What a brilliant line that is. Says so much about how twisted things get out here—where the distinction between right and wrong, conman and saint, is so blurred, it’s hard to trust anyone. Even Hurley crosses the line. He uses his ghost whisperer abilities to manipulate his Oceanic 815 buddies…first, to get them to the Black Rock, where he blows the entire thing up before they can get their hands on the dynamite (um, dangerous), then to the Locke-ness Monster himself (suspiciously convenient for old LNM). Hurley’s a leader! He’s taking a stand! Everybody loves Hurley! And he might get everyone killed! Speaking of killed…

Did anyone else screech like a little girl when Ilana blew herself up? Did anyone else think, Serves her right for throwing her bag around? And who just chucks water bottles in with dynamite? What, is there trail mix in there too? Stupid. … And leave it to Michael Emerson to deliver another classic line as Ben: “The island was done with her.” Ho hum. Deadpan: “Makes me wonder what the island will do when it’s done with us.”

You and me both, Bennie boy. Let it be said that a depressed Ben is a hilarious Ben.

Mystery #2: What happened to Desmond after Sayid took him? This episode was great because we have a continuation of last week’s storyline and “Ab Aeterno’s” storyline. Sayid brings “the package” to LNM, who looks mighty perturbed to see Desmond. He can’t get juicy Widmore gossip out of Des (other than mention of Widdy’s electromagnetic test), so he takes him for a walk to the well—the same well with the island’s axis at the bottom? LNM lulls Des into a chat about how old this well is, how people dug it with their bare hands “a very long time ago” to find out why their compass needles spun, or something like that. (Aside: But was it really that long ago? Homesteaders dug their own wells in the late 1800s, around Richard’s time. What am I not getting out of this hint? Someone with a history degree tell me.) Desmond listens and smiles politely, and it drives LNM mad. “Why aren’t you afraid?” he asks. Then he shoves poor Des down the well!! But Desmond gets his revenge in the Sideways world…

Mystery #3: Why is Desmond creeping on Libby and Hurley’s date? I loved this Sideways bit, from Hurley’s dinosaur “Man of the Year” award to his mother scolding him for not having “a woman.” BTW, it’s yet another example of an Oceanic 815er living without love in this reality—that is, until he meets Libby. But Libby seems to know Hurley…she’s had flashes of their alternate island life, and those flashes have her thinking she’s crazy. What I find curious, though, is that only the people who are dead on the island (Charlie, Daniel, Libby) can see flashes in Sideways land on their own. But Desmond can see them now too! And it seems his role—as my colleague Matt has suggested—is to help other people cross between the island reality and Sideways. Which might be why he’s creeping on Libby and Hurley’s all-too-adorable beach date. Then again, it seems love helps people cross over, too. And if there was ever a touching moment on this show, it was the kiss Hurley and Libby shared.

Not touching? When Desmond ran over wheelchair-bound Locke with his car. What did I tell you? Revenge exacted! He thinks the guy who shoved him down a well is Locke…which means he might be having real-time flashes between the two realities. Which is pretty damn cool.

Final thoughts:
What was in the bag that Hurley found on the beach? Will Kate ever matter again on this show? Will Jin and Sun reconnect at the beginning of next week’s episode? And can someone please give a dinosaur award to the guy who picked the Willy Wonka track to accompany next week’s preview? Because it was awesome.

Tags: Television, Lost