Into the Woods

By BILL ERVOLINO

A few oohs, a couple of ahs, and some nice dramatic moments helped to make “Something Nice Back Home” a welcome departure from a season filled with non-stop bloodletting and machine guns.

We’re still stumped, though. Generally, episode titles refer to what’s happening in both island time and in the flashes. This week, we saw a few versions of “home” -- the beachfront, where most of the 815’ers have resided since the crash; the house Jack will someday share with Kate and Aaron; and the mental hospital where Hurley is still haunted by visions.

But, was “something nice” waiting for us in any of those locales?

In fact, all of the Losties seem on the verge of having the courses of their lives altered suddenly and, perhaps, irrevocably by inexplicable ghostly visions. Interesting, then, to study the entire passage -- from, once again, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” -- which Jack was reading at Aaron’s bedside:

"Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I have been changed in the night"

The quote comes at a pivotal point in the story when Alice shrinks back to normal size and must swim through the pool of tears she created after she had grown to 9 feet in height. She washes up onto the banks of a strange place, and is confronted with an entirely new set of characters and challenges.

THE PLOT: In the future, Jack has grown close to Kate and Aaron (after her trial), but is shaken by a visit to the hospitalized Hurley. Jack asks Kate to marry him and she says yes, but what seems to be a the picture-perfect resolution to their on-again off-again romance quickly unravels as he experiences new visions of Christian Shephard. Old fears resurface, he turns to drugs and alcohol, and the paranoia we saw in the S-3 finale begins to bubble up.

Meanwhile, on the island, Jack’s appendicitis worsens and he requires surgery at the beachfront, which is performed successfully by Juliet and Bernard. Heading for that same beach, James, Claire, Aaron and Miles discover the buried bodies of Danielle and Karl and narrowly avoid a confrontation with Keamey and the Freighter mercenaries.

That night, Claire awakes to find Aaron being cradled by Christian, and calls out to him. When dawn comes, James wakes to find that Aaron is gone. (Lured into the darkness by the White Rabbit?) James and Miles then discover Aaron placed by a tree, in a scene that suggests Jesus (or some other messianic figure) and/or the sort of special child described in popular legends and myths, who will grow into an adult of great power and significance.

OF NOTE: This was the first episode in a long time that did not begin with a “PREVIOUSLY” recap.

Hurley’s doctor at Santa Rosa is Dr. Stillman -- a named shared by a famous diet doctor. (Ha-ha-ha.)

At the medical bunker, when Dan asks Charlotte, “Where do you suppose all of this power comes from?” she replies, “Add that one to the list.”

When relaying Charlie’s message to Jack -- “You’re not supposed to raise him, Jack...” -- Hurley seems (oddly) unsure what the warning means. So, is

Charlie referring to Jack raising Aaron or -- somehow -- raising his father from the dead?

The malfunctioning fire alarm sounded eerily like the computer in the Swan, a wonderfully creepy way to lure Jack into the lobby where yet another specter of Christian is waiting for him.

Jin -- and we -- realize relatively quickly that Charlotte understands Korean. He tells her it is necessary for Sun to leave the island, and she seems to pick up the urgency of his request. Of course, we know Sun will leave the island, although Jin’s fate -- Does anyone really think he’s dead? -- is still a mystery.

Veronica, the name of Aaron’s nanny, could be a reference to St. Veronica who tended to Jesus (she gave him her veil to wipe his forehead) prior to his crucifixion. Is this the latest in a series of religious references surrounding Aaron?

Juliet, who obviously has deep feelings for Jack, communicates this -- and a host of other things -- to Kate, when she recalls the time when Jack kissed her, and why Juliet thought he did. It was another powerful moment in an episode that was fairly full of them.

We can assume Kate’s admission that she was doing something “for Sawyer,” involved James’ daughter Clementine. We don’t know for sure, of course, but considering Jack’s state of mind, we don’t think it would have been out of line for Kate to offer some sort of measured explanation.

Rose’s admonition to Bernard that people on the island ”get better” (rather than sicker) brought up a nagging question that has never been answered -- although we’re guessing destiny (rather than science) has something to do with it.

OVERALL: I’m sure there were all sorts of things hidden away in this episode, but I’d say they take a back seat to an hour that was really well written and wonderfully acted.

This was Jack’s best episode in a long time. And, for a change, Matthew Fox didn’t go overboard. He gave a nicely modulated performance, playing well off his co-stars. Jack’s scenes with Kate and Hurley were particularly moving.

NAGGING QUESTIONS: The return of Christian and the “Wonderland” allusions force us to wonder, yet again, on what plane Christian Shephard exists. Although he seems to traumatize Jack every time he appears, we’ve seen no evidence that he wants to harm his son. Now, he has also lured Claire into the jungle. And, once again, we have no idea why -- although we can’t imagine Claire leaving Aaron like that, unless she was totally bewitched.

I thought this was a terrific fat-free episode, brimming with gotcha moments, effective performances and a taut, fast-moving script.

Clearly, the flash-forward was designed to begin explaining Jack’s breakdown, and set the stage for what we suppose will be some spooky revelations over the next couple of weeks.

With Locke, Ben and Hurley off in search of Jacob; Claire lost somewhere with her dead father; and a cynical psychic prowling around, we’re guessing the next few episodes will really play up the supernatural angle.

And I, for one, can’t wait.

Comments

[Jeff]

Great episode. Loved that we began to see how Jack's drug addiction takes hold. Hurley was totally creepy in this, too.
Little bit of answers, little bit of questions, and holy crap, Kate just walked out of the shower into Jack's arms!
Crazy

[Jeff]

Also, I am SO PISSED that Danielle is dead.

[mary]

Good recap. Honestly I thought it was a poor episode compared to last weeks (Ben is just an incredible actor) After reading your summary maybe it wasn't so bad. My friend swears they are all dead.

[LisaY]

Great recap. I'm wondering what happened to Jack's appendectomy scar? In the flash forward at Kate's house, we saw him shirtless for awhile, and there was no scar anywhere. Plenty of tattoos, but no scar. Judging by the size of Juliet's stitches in that icky close-up, there should have been something visible. Hmm....

[Chris]

And the scar on his back, where Kate stiched him up.

[Ed]

Nice recap. I liked what you said about Charlie's comment on "raising him"; never occurred to me it could reference raising Christian from the dead!

Lindsay - I thought the same about the scar (or lack of it). Also, did the newspaper say that the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the World Series? I think that's what I read but can't be sure. If so, this is an alternate reality as the opposite happened.

What could have happened to Claire? There is no way that in her right mind she would have left her baby to follow her estranged, dead father into the jungle; although I suppose she wouldn't have known he was dead.

I think that Jack's comment to Kate "you're not even related to him" (Aaron) hints that at this point in time Jack knows that he IS related to him.

I thought it was a very good episode. I can't say I'm too disappointed that Rousseau is dead; we can still find out about her back story through another character and I think that any explanation for her survival (it was only a flesh wound) would have seemed too contrived.

I am really looking forward to Ben, Locke & Hurley getting to Jacob’s cabin.

[Rob]

I believe the Yankees reference of sweeping the Sox was meant to fool you into believing it referenced the playoffs pre-crash. But once you see that it was after the crash it probably references the 5 game sweep of the Red Sox by the Yankees in August 2006. This timing also seems to work with the apparent age of Aaron. Another nice touch to keep the viewers guessing.

[Ed]

Thanks Rob - That makes sense.

Something that just occurred to me: The psychic told Claire that there was a couple in Los Angeles that wanted to adopt her baby ("good people") as a ruse to get her on the doomed flight 815.

It looks like Jack and Kate are that couple.

[Jeff]

Here's a crazy theory...
Doc Cutthroat washed ashore on the beach in last weeks episode. When asked, the freighter said he was fine.
What are the chances that, next week's episode, we witness the OTHER side of this conversation from the freighter point of view, with the Doc being actually fine and hearing this take place...and then someone cuts his throat.
Considering the island is a day AHEAD of the outside world, its very possible that this could happen.

[Bill]

FROM BILL: I had to read that three times to understand it, Jeff, but definitely I like it. (HOWEVER, it has to have been the intent to cut his throat before the phone call. I do take my time travel seriously!!!)

[MIchelle]

Nice recap. I like this ep also.

The only extra I caught was the Star Wars reference, when Jack tripped over the Millenium Falcon. In Star Wars you have a brother and sister(Luke and Leia) who don't know they're related and you have a boy (Luke) who was raised by his uncle and aunt. Luke also has special "powers".

I also think, as Ed wrote, Jack's "you're not even related to him" comment hints that Jack knows he's related to Aaron.

Jeff - I'm curious to see who cuts Dr. Cutthroat's throat and when. When Sayid and Desmond left the island they traveled into the future to the freighter. But when Regina sent Daniel the "package" from the freighter it went into the future to the island. I don't think the island is ahead or behind the rest of the world. I think the time travel happens going to and from the island, if you take the wrong heading.

[Juliet]

Wow, many good comments here, and as usual, a great recap by Bill. I watched the episode twice, which I am fond of doing- and usually notice SO MUCH the second time.
At first viewing, I think I see the main characters, the foreground plot, and depending upon the level of activity, sometimes don't grasp every detail in the background. A second pass usually fills the gaps for me.
I've read quite a few comments [elsewhere] that ppl didn't like this episode... but I don't agree.

My views, to add to everyone else's:

- I though the Star Wars reference by Michelle was very observant

- Agree with Rob about the Yankees/Red Sox reference- I think they were defining when in time the scene took place, in 2006, which of course does also help us define Aaron's age.

- The Alice in Wonderland references are good too, in fact, I don't know how the producers/writers incorporate SO MANY literaty references into LOST at the same time! I guess a team of writers, with varied literary knowledge have a huge mural, with name references used and interwoven references to keep all of it straight? wow...

- I am less interested in Dr Cutthroat than some of the rest of the story, but Michelle gave me a laugh with the nickname!

- Interesting, that on other posts, I read that ppl thought Smokey set off the smoke detector that led Jack to Christian at the hospital.
1. Unless Smokey= Christian Shepard [which I can't really accept], then it's more likely that Christian [if a spirit in reality] is a manifestation of JACOB.
2. Would a hospital in 2006 have a BATTERY smoke detector?? Doubtful- they would be hard-wired...but it was a nice touch making it sound like the button from the hatch.

- I do think the reference of not raising him was referring to Aaron. I believe that Aaron is meant to be on the island...Regardless of whether Kate can leave the state, I think she needs to bring Aaron back to the island for some [Jacob] reason of fate...

- Jack's comment to Kate about not being related to Aaron is true, and does hint that Jack knows he is Aaron's uncle. It doesn't, however, explain why Jack previously, at the time of the trial- have concerns about seeing Aaron, unless he felt guilty about leaving Claire on the island? Is the assumption that Claire is dead? Added to the Jacob's cabin entities? Alive on the island? I don't know that anyone would have accepted Kate taking Aaron off the island, unless they believed that Claire is dead.

- I beleive that Claire was half-asleep when she saw Aaron with Christian. I found it interesting that she called him Dad, when she really only met him once [?] as an adult, and only briefly...but since we saw in the past that she was easily mesmerized by Ethan and disoriented, I think we can guess that Christian was there to lure Claire away from Sawyer and Miles. [funny that Miles used the "restraining order" comment Sawyer made not to wake Sawyer, or follow Claire] That Aaron was left behind was weird and does contradict my comment that Aaron is supposed to be on the island, maybe suggests that the psychic wanted CLAIRE on the island. With Christian there, does he want both Claire and Jack there? [I thought Jack wasn't on the LIST]

- Miles heard spirit voices of Karl and Danielle, and uncovered their shallow graves, with both exposed faces [would someone bury them identically like that?] and when he had the chance to tell Sawyer/Claire that he's a medium, he just looks shook up, and to add to our frustration, Sawyer doesn't ask for any explanation! OH COME ON!

- Speaking of Danielle, she is dead. I was hoping she was alive, but I guess they will reveal her backstory at some point...

- Jack's scar wasn't visible? It may have been just below the towel/sheet line that was around him? The scar on his back [if it's 2006] probably faded quite a bit in two years...Did anyone notice that Jack has some new tattooes?

- And now the secret phone call and meeting that Kate went to- Ok, I buy it that she went to see Cassidy and Clementine...but WHY could she not tell Jack something [ Kate said "He wouldn't want me to?"] I know they did it to show Jack's jealousy but really! [was Jack jealous of Sawyer at that point, or the mystery person that Kate met?] A small reference to Sawyer's ex-girlfriend wouldn't have hurt, certainly would have made it more believable...Jack still might have doubted Kate, especially considering Kate's mode of dress [which was kind of dressy for just seeing Cassidy]. I wonder if they will ever flash to the meeting, which would be interesting, since Kate and Cassidy actually know each other from the past...But another question is how Cassidy came to be in California? Can't recall what state she was in when she saw Kate, or visited Sawyer in jail to show him Clementine's pic?

- The episode title: Something Nice Back Home referred to Bernard's comment to Jack [suggesting he dream, rather than be awake through the surgery] but the double implication was that some of them had nice homes to return to...

- Rose's comment to Bernard that ppl get better on the island is true for her, and for Locke...but of course we know that Ben got a tumor and Jack got appendicitis... I've said it before- I think that Ben got a tumor, because he went against Jacob's [or the island's?] wishes, and imposed his own goals/wishes on ppl, passing them off as Jacob's; and allowing Jack to remove the tumor...which may have resulted in further going against Jacob's wishes... So does this mean now that the island won't like Juliet for saving Jack? [implying that something will happen to Juliet?] Of course, I question why then that Jack in the future has to return to the island...?
Perhaps, using Michael as comparison, if some characters were not meant to survive on the island, they must DIE on the island and not in the outside world?

[Juliet]

PS.
How sad that Hurley was distraught about seeing Charlie, and telling Jack about his impending visitation...

I was thinking it was too bad that Jack didn't get to talk to Christian, but was interrupted by Erika the other doctor...It might help Jack to have a bit of explanation or closure to his past father issues. Perhaps he will have another visitation?

How interesting for them to show us that Charlotte understands Korean! Cool that once Sun leaves the island, that Jin will have an interpreter, or someone to talk to... And of course, implying that Jin is planning for Sun to leave the island without him is equally interesting, but totally understandable...since Sun previously told him she wants to live in Korea [and why would Jin want to return there, to risk having to work for Paik?] Jin has already told Sun that he's changed...he's accepted his own past of being a fisherman, and seems more relaxed and content to be on the island. [Maybe he's thinking that Sun will return later, when she has the baby?]

What was up with Juliet's surgical light? Was it battery operated? Did they bring it from the medical station, along with a generator???
That wasn't exactly believable...

[Mike]

Thought it was a good ep as well. If they had pushed the spirit issue a bit more (Christian, Hurley's description of Charlie's visits), at times it almost had a spooky thriller/Twilight Zone kind of feel.

When Hurley was talking to Jack, I was thinking less of Alice in Wonderland and more towards Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" -- the idea that a character will be visited by spirits who confront the person regarding their actions (and the repercussions).

Liked Michelle's Star Wars reference. If Aaron is "Luke," then maybe he's the one who's destined to take down Widmore? Although by the time Aaron's old enough to do that, time may take care of Widmore. Unless that's why Widmore wants to find the island (could the island also provide eternal life?).

Different take on the illness subject (tumors, appendix, etc.): I can believe that the island (or Jacob) can influence illness, but maybe its not tied to reward/punishment. Maybe illnesses happen (or don't) because the island/Jacob is trying to guide the path of characters/actions to set up future events. So Ben's tumor might not have been "punishment," but the island needed to use the tumor to set up interactions with Ben-Jack-Juliet which then affect future characters and events. This leads me to think that someone like Rose, who's mostly in the background, may serve a greater purpose later in the show. Under this theory, not sure what Jack's appendix surgery was supposed to directly provide: maybe setting up a Kate-Juliet bond that's needed for the island?