Tuesday, April 20, 2010

LOST Review: The Last Recruit












"John, did you fart?"

"Uhhh..... no??"


The 13th episode of Season 6 kinda felt like a mini-finale to me, or at least part one of the big finale. Like other great LOST episodes, the Last Recruit had big answers, jungle treks, explosions, and a tear-jerker reunion. It certainly wasn't a blow-your-fucking-mind tour de force like some episodes this season, but for just being a "setup" episode, it definitely served its purpose.


CHRISTIAN WAS SMOKEY!!!
This is one of the big enduring mysteries that we all kinda thought, but now we have confirmation on the matter. Even though he never found the corpse, Jack was told by both Smokey Locke and Claire that his dad was really just the Smoke Monster. But why would he do that? According to Locke, he just wanted to help Jack find some water back in the 5th episode of season 1 (lame). It makes more sense when Claire abandoned her child to hide in the shack with Christian since we later find out from Ilana that Smokey corrupted Jacob's shack. There were 2 big things I loved about this scene. Number one: Jack finally talking with Locke. In season 1, they feuded often on the castaway war council. In season 2, they argued like an old married couple living in the hatch. In season 3, I think they had two conversations. In season 4, they had one conversation. In season 5, they had ZERO. And finally, in episode 13 of season 6, the two heavyweight actors do battle once more. It was a treat to watch. Secondly, I instantly believed Smokey when he confirmed that he was Christian Shephard. I actually paused the show to shout at the Mrs, "OOOoOOooo Smokey is Christian!!!" Her response: "Um... he's lying." I wanted to laugh at her, but she makes a great point. We are so desperate for answers on this show that we cling to anything that Jacob and Smokey say because they appear to be the keymaster/gatekeeper of all the Island's secrets.... and yet, they never really tell us the whole truth!!! So I won't be convinced of Christian's true identity until Jack has a conversation with him in the finale (you know it's coming).

Newly reformed Doc is a Man of Thinking



DESMOND IS JACOB!!!
Lending further proof to last week's theory that Desmond is the reincarnated vessel of Jacob (like Locke is Smokey), Sayid probably did not kill him while he lingered in that well. As soon as Sayid answered Desmond's question, I thought, "If you let him speak, it's already too late." Much like how Jacob not only talked down Richard, but also recruited him, Desmond was able to convince Sayid not to kill him in order to get back to Nadia. Is Sayid finally on a path of redemption? We'll see...





FLASHSIDEWAYS STUFF!!!
Dave correctly predicted that Det. James Ford would collar the fugitive Sayid, and he also predicted that Sun and Locke would be meeting up at Jack's hospital, but no one else showed signs of cross-universal mind-melding this week. Sun recognized Locke, but it could've been from Oceanic 815 and not the real world. I like how Sawyer and Jack control their two separate worlds in the alternate universe just like the regular one. Sawyer is running the show at the precinct with Miles, Kate, and Sayid while Jack is handling Claire, Ilana, Desmond, Locke, Ben, and the Kwons. Oh, and Ilana as a lawyer?!?! Gimme a break. Of all the stretches this universe is trying to make (and there have been many), there's nothing more laughable than Ilana going from a bounty hunter/protector to a freakin lawyer. STUPID!



LOCKE vs. HOT SCIENTIST LADY!!!
Okay, my faith in Smokey's competence is dropping with each week. Last week, he made the point to Sawyer that he's not carving a spear, he's waiting for the Island to tell him what the tool would be (turns out it was meant to smash walkie-talkies). In this week's edition of stupidity, Zoe confronts him and says "You stole someone from us. Give him back," to which Locke replies "Uhhhh...."

Any time...

Why not throw it back her in face since Widmore attacked their camp and kidnapped Jin first? I guess Locke forgot about that. Or maybe he wants to be provoked into a fight. I can never really tell when he's being duped or when he's allowing himself to be duped. Example: He must've known that Sawyer was going to double-cross him with that boat, right?

Big Discussion: Widmore reigns missile drops down on Smokey's people, resulting in a sweet stunt where Jack is launched through the air like he was trying to storm Omaha beach. Locke pulls him to safety and says "You're with me now." Is there any chance that Jack will side with Locke?!?!? Is there any chance that Locke really wants Jack to side with him?!?! I just wish these characters were more trustworthy...


Does Widmore have any reason to think that explosions work on Smokey?



CUE THE REUNION MUSIC!!!
Before we get to the lovey dovey stuff, did any one of you suspect that Jin was going to run through the sonic fence and collapse with busted eardrums? Cause I sure did. But once they safely embraced and exchanged romantic Engrish cliches, I must admit that it got to me. In the history of LOST, we only got 3 happy endings. Bernard and Rose lived happily ever after, and had the greatest reunion scene back in season 2. Desmond and Penny had a satisfying reunion at the end of season 4, but now she's in LA and he's at the bottom of a well. The Jin/Sun reunion is the third and final happy ending... for now.




MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

  • Jack jumping off the boat should've reminded you of Sawyer jumping off the chopper, but Sawyer selfishly did it because he wasn't ready to face the real world. Jack did it because he's ready to face the Island. Point goes to the Doc.
  • Where is the B team?!? I was almost positive that Ben, Miles, and Richard would ambush Zoe and co. on the beach, but maybe they have other plans for getting past the sonic fence.
  • Sawyer joking about Frank Lapidus' chest hair was hilarious, and I even liked the Burt Reynolds dig.
  • If Desmond was spared by Sayid, then presumably he was released, too. So where did he go? I'm betting that he travels to next big place that Widmore is using Jin to find.
  • These last few episodes have had a classic Season 1 feeling to them since almost the entire cast is involved. That's always a good thing, even if it means more lines for Sun.
I'd give this episode a B-. It was a solid transitional story, but the payoff will most likely come next week when the war begins.

UPDATED SEASON 6 RANKINGS
1. Ab Aeterno
2. the Substitute
3. Lighthouse
4. Everybody Loves Hugo
5. Happily Ever After
6. The Last Recruit
7. LAX
8. Dr. Linus
9. Sundown
10. the Package
11. Recon
12. What Kate Does

1 comment:

Jason said...

My god i can't stand sun, anything she does, or the whole angle that she "l o s t her speech"....did crossing the sonar fence have anything to do with getting it back? Why do I even care about this? I forget Lapidus' cheezy line about her voice, but I threw up when I heard it. Worst fricken character ever, and that's saying something because there have been some doooozies.