L O S T WITH AS I LAY DYING’S NICK HIPA: THOUGHTS ON “EVERYBODY LOVES HUGO” AND “THE LAST RECRUIT”
Good afternoon dudes! Today I’m taking the “day after” approach instead of the “day of” approach for two specific reasons: yesterday was the Levi/Werstler takeover (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and also – as mentioned by some of you before – it makes more sense to talk about the latest episode sooner (one day) than later (seven days). For me, L O S T has been intensifying its degree of sickness tremendously the past two weeks, so hopefully all of you were pleasured by “Everybody Loves Hugo” and “The Last Recruit” as much as I was!
The past two L O S T’s have been a lot of killer and miniscule amounts of filler, the result is that much of what we’ve been wondering and waiting for has been fulfilled: we now have an explanation for the Whispers, We have an answer for the Christian Shephard apparitions, its was confirmed that John Locke was chosen because he was easiest to manipulate, the Kwon’s finally reunited, and last but not least… a human explosion!
I know i’ts not something meant to be funny, and typically I don’t find any sort of humor in people dying, but Ilana’s untimely death a la Arzt got a few chuckles out of me. What’s funnier than the actual explosion, is the shot we saw of the sweaty/sloppy dynamite sticks in her bag and the look Richard gives her upon seeing this; its definitely a “Uhhhhh, that’s looking pretty sketchy” kinda look. A few moments and carelessly thrown water bottles later, a character that has been training her whole life to protect our candidates is dead. After appearing in fifteen episodes, having a history we are clueless on, and possessing (assumedly) useful information about what the Island actually is – just like that, she is gone. The excuse we are given by Ben is “that she had lived out her usefulness and that the Island was done with her.” This, very much like the Black Rock and Four-Toed Statue, is a fairly lackluster answer, but I will forgive our writers under the assumption that they are hurrying along the resolution of minor mysteries to devote more time to thoroughly explaining the big ones!
Speaking of hurrying along mysteries, what are your thoughts on the whispers being explained as the voices of those who died on the Island that cannot pass on? Vozzek69 at DarkUFO has a theory that the Whisperers actually represent a third contingent of the Island: those who are watching the back and forthing between Jacob and his Nemesis. He assigns this third party (the Watchers) the color red, and references many instances of the red color being used throughout the show, its only association with a character being Michael, and how Michael has now in some form become their representative (in his discussion with Hurley). Being trapped on the Island and unable to move on, Vozzek suggests that they have a vested interested in the outcome of this “eternal backgammon” game, and as things come to a climax they’ve started and will continue to become actively involved. I’m holding out hope that there is more to the explanation of a purgatory like existence for the whispers, much like the way I’m holding out hope that the entire premise of the black vs. white isn’t as clear cut as good vs. evil.
“You’re with ME now,” False Locke says to Jack. To me that was one of the gnarliest ways they’ve ended an episode in a while. It’s interesting how Sawyer has assumed the role of the old Jack by devising a plan and executing an unwavering leadership approach to realizing it (very much like Old Jack), and also how New Jack has almost completely transformed himself into O.G. Locke. His newfound faith in the Island and his purpose for being there led him right back into the grips of the smoke monster, which when under the visage of a man who embodied everything he now seems to be, made those last lines quite Shakespearean! I also thought Jack’s common sense observation of False Locke wanting them to leave because he might be afraid of what happens if they don’t to be one of the best thoughts to come out of our castaways for sometime. Before we saw what became of Sawyer and Co. on the Hydra shores, I thought Jack made the right move returning to the Island, and although he appears to be with False Locke to False Locke, I suspect his role as THE candidate will manifest itself very soon.
In addition to Jack’s appearing to change sides, how did everyone feel about last nights episode? I’m going to put it at a number two behind “Ab Aeterno” for me! The way the lives of the 815er’s are starting to intersect in the Flash-Sideways timeline is starting to put me at ease in that soon and very soon, we will finally understand how the timelines are reconciled. I don’t know if any of you have checked out the timeline theories at LOSTPEDIA recently, but that stuff is getting absolutely out of control. There is so much discussion in the realm of obscure physics and scientific theories that aside from having to desperately want to figure the answer out, you will also need hours upon hours of free time. I’ve made it through most of them, and find that the “Looping the Loop” Theory is the most sensical and the one I’m backing the most. So if you do feel like checking it out but don’t want to sift through oodles of pseudo-intellectual punishment, just read that one and “Not Parallel, but a line and a loop” to get your creative juices flowing.
That’s all I’ve got for today, as always, thanks for taking the time to read this! I know I left a lot out (Widmore, Desmond, Planes with Missiles flying over the Island!!!, etc.) but I figure if you guys cared enough about ‘em we could discuss in the comments section. Be easy!
-NH
As I Lay Dying’s new album, The Powerless Rise, will be out May 11 on Metal Blade. While you’re awaiting its release, why not get L O S T on AILD’s MySpace page?
