TAKE YOUR PLACES

By BILL ERVOLINO

By hour’s end, the first installment of our two-night, three-hour Season Four finale resembled the backstage area for a school Christmas pageant. Cast members rushing this way, cast members rushing that way, and everyone trying to take their places before the curtain goes up.

We’ve realized for months now that whatever went down in this season’s final two hours was going to be a logistical nightmare. Only six are leaving, as far as we know. But, they’re six people who have barely been within spitting distance of each other all season long.

Getting them together is obviously a key to how the Oceanic Six make it onto that Coast Guard plane. And watching the pieces fall into place was a bit distracting, particularly if you were trying to keep track of poor little Aaron, who got tossed around like the basketball at a Harlem Globetrotters game.

James handed him off to Kate; Kate handed him off to Sun; Sun took him to the freighter and then stared out into the ocean.

Now what?

Claire should have named the kid Alley Oop.

This wasn’t a great episode, but it didn’t have to be. It was certainly good enough. And as set-ups go, it was briskly-paced, had a decent amount of humor and emotional heft, and it was appropriately confounding.

As those who have seen the Orchid video know, there were some strange experiments going on there with rabbits, so we took special note of the rabbits foot that the Coast Guard co-pilot was rubbing between his fingers in the episode's opening moments and, later on, the other one dangling from Hurley’s keychain.

The White Rabbit himself -- Christian Shephard -- was seen only in the “Previously...” segment, but he was celebrated at a memorial service, an event that also cleared up how (and if) Jack would ever discover his relationship to Claire and her son.

The scene Jack shared with Claire’s mother was a potent one, and one which also underscored the incredible pressure that Jack is under to lie about the crash, the rescue, and everything else that happened from Season One to the present.

It is the same near-agony that the Coast Guard co-pilot appeared to be under, as he clutched his rabbits foot. He knew the circumstances

of the rescue, and was obviously rattled by his human cargo. But we’re still in the dark about why those six were flying to safety and why so many others were not. And who is covering it all up.

Sure, the intrigue has been one grand and occasionally annoying contrivance, but it also has us on the end of our seats. Season Four may not be the best of the series, but despite a few missteps, it has been the best structurally, unfolding gracefully like, yeah, the petals of an orchid.

According to the Oceanic chick -- if she is, indeed, an Oceanic employee -- the six “survivors” made their way home on Day 108, a nice reminder of the numbers we haven’t had to deal with much, lately. And, to rattle Hurley, they also turned up on the speedometer of his car.

There was a nice symmetry to this, though. Since we know our six are probably going to return to the island eventually, there was something almost comforting about the numbers returning into their lives from the moment they get home.

What we’re still scratching our heads about:

Sun saying that Jin “never made it off the plane.” While it seems obvious that she is going to head back to the island without him, we don’t have enough information to know what’s going to happen next. Or how there will eventually be a grave for him in Korea.

In the interests of the plot. Jack had to head off in search of the copter, even though he was in no shape to be hopping around. While we can buy Jack doing something like that, we couldn’t quite buy Juliet letting him go without her to stitch him back up again. Her staying behind wasn’t the evening’s most believable moment.

Sun’s confrontation with her father -- “I bought a controlling interest in your company!” -- was a little too “Dynasty” for my tastes. But considering the size of said company, we’re naturally intrigued by that “significant” settlement by Oceanic. Did the company really give her that much cash? Or, did she borrow it from a certain overweight multi-millionaire who didn’t want his unlucky fortune?

Sayid’s tearful reunion with Nadia was nicely emotional, as was Kate’s tearful reunion with no one. So, OK, Sayid and Nadia are now together again, and we know that she is eventually going to die. We’d like to mull that situation over, but so much else is going on, that we may need a few days to take it all in.

Kate’s quickie reunion on the island with James -- Here, take the baby -- was interesting, but a bit too quick. Since they both had a relationship with Alex, it seemed odd that James never mentioned her death.

The capture of Kate and Sayid by Alpert and the Others, may have been the most significant development of the evening, if only because it seemed to come totally out of left field. Will Alpert broker the deal that sends the Oceanic Six home? Is it somehow in the interests of the Others for these six to leave?

In addition to not knowing the actual details of the rescue, we really don’t know who else makes it off the island and where they wound up. It is still possible that Ben, Juliet, Desmond and certain other characters will also leave, but will not be flown to Hawaii with the Six. We can speculate all we want about this, but we simply don’t know yet.

If Widmore feels the island is his, and this particular piece of real estate has obvious value, why is the mission of Keamey & Co. to take Ben and “torch” the island? We still don’t know who Ben is, who he works for, and what the hell is going on between them, Hanso, and all of the other shadowy behind-the-scenes players in this drama. But, judging from the explosives on the freighter, there seems to be some sort of plan in place to do some serious damage.

What is “broadcasting” on the freighter that is making it impossible for the boat to head for shore?

I’m going to go back over the episode to come up with some additional theories, but I didn’t want to take all night with my recap. My favorite moments here were:

The reunion with the relatives.

The powerful scene between Jack and Claire’s mom. (He will look for her eventually, won’t he? Didn’t it seem odd, though, that he didn’t even take down some contact information?)

Hurley entering the house for his party and finding the coconut while we heard Otherly whispering filling the house.

Mrs. Reyes noting that “Jesus Christ is not a weapon.”

And, without question, the suspense over what is waiting for Locke in the Orchid station. (Oh, and how about the Old Navy commercial for the "Orchid Night Dress?")

Beyond that, I’m guessing we will get a nice revelation about Alpert when this three-hour epic concludes. The way it looks now, the Six will not be on the freighter, which means their rescue will happen -- somehow -- from the island itself.

And, perhaps, we'll get the lowdown, once and for all, on Christian Shephard, who was reintroduced last week in a way that leads me to believe he will also play some pivotal role in whatever happens next.

Comments

[Barry Smith]

I like the way there are people moving in so many different directions toward the end of the hour, resulting in a mini-cliffhanger. I agree it was a pretty good episode, "briskly-paced".

I hadn't thought about Sun using Hurley's unlucky millions. That makes sense, because I couldn't imagine the Oceanic settlement being enough to buy a controlling interest in Paik Industries. And it's nice to see Sun getting out from under her father's oppression. Question: She said 2 people were responsible for Jin's death...she named her father, but who was the other person?

I noticed the rabbit's foot the co-pilot was handling and the one on Hurley's keychain, but I wasn't thinking of the rabbits from the Orchid video. Good observation. Hurley's door ajar, the cocoanut, and the Island whispers were all freaky, as were the numbers on the speedometer. As for the numbers, maybe Hurley's dad is trying to drive him crazy? Or maybe the Island is responsible for them. If Hurley would just drive the car, the numbers would change, right? So, what's the problem?

I'm surprised Desmond didn't notice Sun was carrying a baby, although Aaron was wrapped up pretty well as she boarded the freighter. But that he didn't notice, and ask where was Claire, that surprised me. Likewise, Sun asked Kate about Claire, Kate gave no answer, and Sun just accepted it.

I agree there's a good chance we'll learn more about Richard in the final 2 hours, at least I hope so. And I can't wait to see how the 6 get in a position to leave the island. I assume that will be covered, and also why those 6 got to leave. It seems that this whole season was about the O6, about some people getting off the island. It started with the O6 in Hurley's flash forward in episode 1, so it makes sense that all the O6 questions will be answered in 2 weeks. But many more stay behind, and no doubt the final 2 seasons will take us back to the island, wherever it's been moved to.

[Brian is LOST]

I liked the episode ... you could feel the suspense building throughout. Some classic stuff in this episode: Ben to Hurley, "Those crackers are 15 years old" (and Hurley didn't seem to care). Don't you get a feeling that those two could have their own spin-off, "The Ben + Hugo Hour!". Also, the question from the reporter about how the O6 sustained themselves for 3+ months and Hurley saying, "You talking to me dude?".

Observations: Sun + Aaron are already on the boat and Hurley, Jack, Kate + Sayid are all frolicking about somewhere near the chopter so you can assume they all meet up and Frank flies them back. Ben is telling everyone that they MUST get off the island although Locke doesn't want to and neither does Sawyer (however, wasn't Sawyer in the chopter in the previews for the season finale?). With all of the "bit characters" on the freighter now I assumed that they would be taken out (but Sun is there).

Sun does not seem devastated on the plane when it's about to land so I have to assume that Jin is not dead. Also, Jack mentions that only 8 survived the crash (and Sun says that Jin did not) so who are the other 2?

Does Jack tell Kate about Claire being his sister? For some reason I think he doesn't.

If Locke moves the island it would make sense that nobody else can get off it (as it will now be hidden again). And what happens to Faraday who is now heading back? Does he get lost in some space/time continuum?

Can't wait for the reveal on how the 6 are picked and why they need to keep their traps shut.

[Alex]

I think you may have missed the significance of Suns purchase of (part of) her father's business. She has grown so much stronger and independent on the island it is a true shock for her father and a departure from their traditional ways. She's loathed her father because of his treatment of Jin...now instead of running away she's fighting him on his own grounds - his business.

That part was actually my favorite of the episode. She's the only character we've seen actually develop after the crash into something "meaningful" - besides going crazy, becoming an addict or assassin, or being a fake mom. I don't the think the writers were going for a Dynasty feel...

[Ed]

A decent episode; like you observed more of a set-up to the finale than anything else.

I too thought the "controlling interest" was too much. I was expecting Sun to say "I got my settlement and am financially independent; see you later Pop".

Hugo seemed pretty friendly with Sayid, Jack and Kate. What could have happened to bring him to the point where he's glad they didn't come to visit Sun and baby in Korea? That would only be a few months after his party.

As to the transmission from the Kahana, I believe that it is between a detonator in the explosives and the device on Keamy's arm, most likely a heart monitor. If he dies, the ship explodes.

I think that Jack, Kate, James and Sayid will be on the copter and pick up Hurley from the Orchid location. James will opt to stay or somehow be forced to get off. They will swing by the Kahana where Jin will put Sun and Aaron on board the copter because of the explosives on board ship. Desmond sees Sun (or possibly Kate) board the helicopter with Aaron which fulfills his flash that he told Charlie (probably seeing them from behind or from a distance and in his vision assumed that the woman carrying Aaron into the helicopter would be Claire). As the copter takes off to get away from the explosives, Locke is successful and the island “moves”, disappearing like Brigadoon. Simultaneously the Freighter is obliterated in an explosion. At this point, they are forced to head toward the nearest land or ship before their fuel runs out. The other two of the eight survivors may even be on the helicopter but die when it is ditched in the ocean.

[Mike]

I was indifferent to the episode, but gave it a pass because they needed to move the chess pieces to set up the finale.

Agree w/ Ed on Keamy's monitor and the explosives (I put out that theory last week, so happy the guess might be right), but maybe in addition, if the ship gets too close, Keamy is also alerted and can blow up the ship. If Keamy killed Gault and the doc, the implication seems to be that Keamy's orders are to stay on the island and/or he and his crew will be picked up by someone else. (not Frank, I think keamy would also kill Lopidas to cover their tracks).

I like Alex's take on Sun and her father. Adding to the silliness of it, are we really to believe in this day and age that anyone could buy a controlling interest in an automotive company and have the owner/CEO be completely unaware? C'mon, writers, watch CNBC once in a while!!! :-) And agree that the "settlement" couldn't be that much... the funding could come from Hurley, but I don't think so because he feels the money is cursed and doesn't want anything to do with it -- but he probably wouldn't want to pass that curse along to Sun. Let's not discount some other party as the financier: Ben, Abaddon, maybe even Widmore (the Mr., or could it even be Penny)?

Speaking of Widmore, even though it was an Oceanic Six *press* conference, I would have expected Widmore, Abbaddon, Alpert or someone along those lines to make an appearance in the background. Penny might have even showed to find out about Des. Very strange that none of the power players were present (or at least weren't shown to us).

All in all, agreed with Bill that its been a solid season, and I'm looking forward to the finale.

[Kat]

I also thought Sun's announcement about the takeover of Paik Industries was a nice show of her independence, wherever the money came from. That was one of my favorite parts of last night's episode. She obviously developed a stronger backbone while on the island. More importantly, her position with the company may come in handy for getting the O6 back to the island. Sort of how Penny seems to be using Widmore resources ...

[Catherine]

Nice observation on keamy and the explosives. I suppose then the robo-arm could be the frequency blocking the boat's sonar. I thought this episode was a great lead in for what will be an exciting finale. I do hope there is a bit about their stay post-island/pre-coast guard plane, but I think that will be next season.

Thank you Bill for your insight all season.

[Michelle]

I agree it was a good set-up for the 2 hour finale. The only thing that really caught my attention was Kate claiming that she gave birth to Aaron. I know quite a few people speculated that she was claiming him as her own, but I'm not sure why she would do this. I'm wondering why it needs to be part of their survival story.

[Jenny]

Sun's takeover seems unlikely in terms of the financial requirement, and her father not knowing (but this is possible through brokers, shadow companies, etc). However, it could happen if she just took over the holding company, which would be relatively small and might have had lower share values at that time. I *really* like that idea that she could be in cahoots with Penny.

It's a little further fetched to think Ben might be behind it, unless we think that Paik is involved in this whole thing. Dramatically noticeable to me were the blank video screens in Paik's office - the last time we saw them, they had pictures of the island on them. So maybe, this is about Sun and whoever she's working with taking over a company to somehow gain control of or protect the island. Or, maybe she finds out later that Paik was involved somehow, and that becomes part of the end story.

re Jin's grave - that one has never bothered me. It's not unusual to have a grave without a body - it could have been put up like a few hundred others when the plane disappeared, or when the fake plane was found, or after Sun told everyone he died in the crash.

re Kate saying it's her baby (at her peril, because already a reporter has questioned the timing) - is this just a sloppy plot device to ensure that Claire's mother doesn't try and claim Aaron? Or something planned as part of the lie to ensure that no one comes forward with claims to Aaron?

Overall, I thought it was elegantly done. Having rescue/press conference at the beginning made sense, because we all know who ends up on that plane, and it would have been anticlimactic at the end. Instead, we had the suspense of tracking the Oceanic Six, and now are left puzzling as to how they will all finally come together when they are spread about as far apart as they can be right now.

But no one's mentioned the HUGE thing that caught my attention - they are going with the fake crash as part of their lie! In itself it makes sense because it's convenient and keeps anyone from searching for the real crash/island. However, if the real crash was somewhere in the Pacific, how did they catch a small fishing boat to an island in Indonesia? My take is that the photo - so prominently shown at the press conference - is a fake, and that if we look closely, the "villagers" are Others. And the "fisherman" is Desmond.

[Juliet]

Well, If the helicopter reunites the O6, and the freighter blows up after Sun/Aaron get on...then either the chopper gets to a boat or island soon, or there is a raft on board the chopper that they can get into...they still know the bearing, to get away from the island.
So, what if the pic [sposedly] Indonesia, really is partly truthful, in that they drift there, and then board the coast guard plane?

If O6 settlement was really that much, good for Sun to buy controlling interest in Paik's company...
If it wasn't enough, Hurley would probably have given Sun the money, as someone said...