Episode 322Through the Looking GlassI knew that Charlie was going to die. Let’s face it, ever since “
Flashes before your eyes” aired, we all somehow knew that it would happen. Two days after the episode aired in the US, I got a message giving me the devastating news. I cried.
And I cried again last night as Charlie breathed his last. Had I been alone at the time, I would have thrown myself on the floor and had right proper tantrum.
Sometimes I wished I hadn’t insisted, two seasons ago, that my friend tell me if my beloved hobbit died. It made it so much harder – knowing that there was no hope for him. Watching him say goodbye was heart wrenching and I felt like I was saying goodbye to him. And yet, I
had hoped that somehow his death would leave a window where maybe,
just maybe Charlie could possibly be alive.
But it’s not to be. My sweet rocker is dead.
And what a heroic death is turned out to be. Redemption for Charlie came at a heavy price, and he did not hesitate to pay it.
RIP CharlieI’ll miss you.*sobs*
Anyway.
I’m really glad that I watched the finale in one go, as opposed to the 2 episodes that M-net insisted on broadcasting. Thanks to those (namely Lingo) who convinced me to do it. He stated, in his “
5 Reasons NOT to watch Lost tonight” article that a question would be posed in the first half, and then be answered in the second half.
As I watched fake-bearded Jack blunder about, I really thought that this was just another Jack flashback. I believed that at some stage Jack had been an alcoholic, and this was maybe a flashback to that period of his life. I kept wondering what the question was, but I confess that this never entered my mind.
I never thought that the question in er… question was “Is Jack in the future or past?” It hit me when Kate stepped out of that car. (Although, in hindsight, the lack of the familiar flashback sound clip should have given it away.) But at that point I was so gob smacked, that I really couldn’t think straight.
Had Kate and Jack met before the crash?? And then it hit me. Oh.My.God. This is the future and they have gotten off the island!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the frakk. So, now we have a plethora of questions that need to be asked. Just how did they get off the island? When did they get off the island? Who made it home? And whose funeral was it that Jack attended? Where’s Locke? Where’s Benry? And why oh why does Jack insist that they made a mistake and why does he want to go back??
Wow, well that was unexpected. Of all the scenarios that I had considered… and believe me I had some doozies (I had visions of the island exploding, Locke blowing them all up, Benry murdering them all in their sleep, the polar bear feasting on them…) but them actually being rescued and having a life off the island was not one I had ever considered.
Wow. I have to applaud the sheer audacity of Lindelhof, Cuse and their writing team. They’ve turned this show upside down. It’s one of the boldest moves I’ve ever seen and it’s left us reeling. It’s a magnificent reinvention!
And now, the most important question of all – how is this going to affect future seasons? It’s an audacious move, it’s clever, it’s... It’s just brilliant. I am now hyped up for the next season.
On the island, things were just as tense and exciting as they were off the island. Jack and Juliet lead the losties towards the radio tower. Sayid, Jin and Bernard remain behind to ambush the Others. Charlie’s still bound and being held captive by two Others in the Looking Glass. Locke is lying in a ditch dying.
Benry is an evil, slimy toad, but I just couldn’t help but wonder how much truth was there is his statement that they were the good guys. Is he just deluded or is it really true? Judging from Jack’s flash-forward, Jack now believes that it was a mistake, just as Benry said it was.
Benry had a slight, if forced moment of redemption when he tells Alex that Danielle is her mother, and the sweet reunion between mother and daughter I’d been hoping for happened, even if it was short lived.
We saw a glimmer of the Jack we all came to know and ermm… tolerate in previous seasons. Gone was the smug Juliet-Jack (that’s what I call him when he’s with her - J-Jack); back was the stubborn, emotional leader that we knew. I am so pleased that Jack did not betray the losties (notice I’m not calling him Jackass today… yet). I am not the hugest Jack fan but I do understand his importance to the losties, and how devastating it would have been had he upped and joined Benry.
Him pounding Benry to an almost pulp was surprising, but not unwelcome. Benry’s been asking for it for a while. Interesting how the tables have turned from the Season 2 finale, when Jack, Kate and Sawyer were the ones bound and gagged.
In other news, the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle has now become a rectangle – with the inclusion of Juliet into the picture. She kisses Jack before she heads of with Sawyer back to the beach.
But Jack, being the jackass that he is, still manages to tell Kate that he loves her. Kate must have been secretly rejoicing… all her men lined up. Only, Sawyer is giving her the cold shoulder.
Sawyer, still fresh from his Cooper-killings, probably hasn’t recovered from it as well. Or maybe he’s finally seen the light and realized that Kate was just using him. When Kate brings up the topic that she may be pregnant, Sawyer actually snaps at her that she’d better not be. Like it’s all her doing! Men. Honestly!
As Juliet and Sawyer trek back to the beach, Hurley catches up to them wanting to join in the expedition. Sawyer insults him and Hurley leaves them rather forlornly. I really don’t believe that Sawyer meant any of the nasty things he said to Hurley. He had been protecting him (in the same way Charlie did, and in the same way Sawyer tries to protect Kate).
Back at the beach, after the ambush goes awry and Sayid, Jin and Bernard are captured, Benry gives the go-ahead to kill them when Jack refuses to cooperate with him. My heart stood still for a moment there. Not Super Sayid!!! No!!! Not Kung-fu Jin!! Noooooooo!!!!!!! Bernard… Well… ok... not Rambo-Bernard…. Noooo!
Thankfully, Tom didn’t obey Benry’s orders. Ooh. Was this intentional on Benry’s part or did Tom turn against Benry? In any case, Sayid, Jin and Bernard are still alive!!! Woooo! But there’s a problem, Juliet and Sawyer are unarmed.
But have no fear – It’s Hurley to the rescue! Hurley, in his blue Dharma minibus, comes baring out the jungle… I actually whooped and applauded when I saw Hurley. I am so pleased that Hurley got to be a hero.
He deserves it! What I find so interesting about Hurley, is that in past seasons, he’s always wanted to run away from danger, but here he is… facing it head on. .. He’s been the most likeable character on this show from the very beginning and he’s just starting to prove that he really is a force to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile, Super Sayid pulled off the greatest moves ever. Super Sayid’s bound and gagged, but still managed to kick out at the other Other, dropping him to the ground. Super Sayid wraps his legs around the Other's neck, and snaps it! He’s not our Super Sayid for nothing eh!
Juliet proves that she really has turned against the Others when she keeps a gun pointed at Tom, who Sawyer promptly kills. All ends well at the beach.
Meanwhile, Locke’s struggling with his legs. He can’t move them and decides to kill himself, until a very grown-up looking Walt appears and tells him to get up as he has work to do. Whoa!!!!! Walt! Waaaalllt! (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist that)
Locke gets himself up, gets himself to the radio station and kills Naomi. He threatens Jack with a gun but finally relents and lets Jack establish radio contact with the freighter. How Locke manages to get out the ditch, or get himself to the transmitter is another story though. How did he know where to go? And Walt? Was that really Walt? Or was it Smokey the monster???
Yet more questions.
And finally, things at the Looking Glass reach a peak when Mikhail (on Benry’s orders) kills the two women manning the hatch. Desmond shoots Mikhail with a spear gun (Remember this for later). When Charlie finally manages to stop the signal, he almost immediately receives an incoming call… from Penelope Widmore who exclaims that she has no idea who Naomi is.
Hmmmm. Is it possible that Naomi works for Mr Widmore instead? How would she know about Desmond, and how else could she have his picture??
In yet another miracle, Mikhail appears at the port window with a grenade in his hand. Ermmm. Hands up if you saw Mikhail being speared through the chest. Is this dude invincible or what?!?!
Anyway, Charlie, sensing danger, quickly closes and locks the door, keeping Desmond safe and sealing his doom. I’ll never forget that smile on Charlie’s face as he accepts his fate and let’s go. *sobs again*
Charlie needn’t have died. He could have run out and shut the door from outside, but I think he did it for two reasons – the first was that he was willing to die for the possibility of a chance that Claire and Aaron could be saved, and I think that he realized that Des could die, and he just acted instinctively.
So many questions!!!
And with that, I’ve decided to stop there.
I’ll post the second part of the article tomorrow – which will outline what we know, new questions, trivia etc.
Till tomorrow then…….. hope you all have enjoyed this season as much as I have!