I was sad after the second to last episode before the fall season. Speaking of fall seasons, what the fetch? The next new episode of Lost isn't until February '07. Seriously? I mean, if you're gonna take away Lost, it's a good thing Taye Diggs will be gracing the small screen for that time. I haven't watched Day Break yet, although it's sitting on my desk. I just can't bring myself to betray my Wednesday love yet.
Regardless, Mr. Eko. Let's start by talking about dear, sweet Mr. Eko. He's dead. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have broken it to you like that, figured it should be like ripping a band aid off. I mean, sometimes they're not really dead. Actually, on this show they're really dead. Except maybe for Jack's father. Oh, and Yemi, Eko's brother. We get to see a little background, more about their life in Africa. Eko of course is the protector, wanted to protect his brother, but got stolen by that gang if you remember. After Yemi was killed, Eko tried to come in and run the church. Unfortunately, some mean dudes came in, looking for the shipment of medicine. When Eko didn't want to give it up they killed a lady. Well, when they came back later for it, Eko killed them. Personally, I would have thanked him, but the people in the village were pissed, so Eko went off to take Yemi's place studying in London.
Back on the island, Eko has visions of Yemi that lead him out of the camp. Luckily, Locke and a few others, including the new people, go after him. They're also going to the observation station Eko and Locke found last season to see if they can use the computer there to contact the Others to get their friends back. Oh right, Sayid, Sun and Jin came back and told them their story too. Sayid goes with them to the station. Locke says that Eko's going the same place they are, the plane, that is right at the "?" where the other hatch is.
They eventually run into Eko who's not doing too well, you know since he was attacked by a polar bear and all. He gets to the plane and the body of his brother isn't there. Don't really think he walked away anywhere, but on this island, who knows. Eko wants some time with the plane that doesn't have his brother in it and the rest of the team goes downstairs to the station.
While they're in there Eko has another encounter with Yemi who he follows into a field. Eko figures out that Yemi wants to know if he's sorry for what he's done, you know, chopping people up and what not. Eko says no, that he did what he had to do to survive, and he's doesn't need to repent for it. Then Yemi says that he's not Yemi. Uh oh. At this point, I still hadn't remembered the rumors I heard about them killing off a character. I remembered about the time the black smoke came back and started throwing poor Eko around.
Locke and the others heard the commotion but didn't get up there in time to see what happened. They just found Eko's body. It still didn't sink into me. Not until Locke did the obligatory closing of Eko's eyes. Damnit. I cried. They decided to bury him there, near his brother. Sounded nice, but it was more for the people in the camp. Locke didn't want them to go through another funeral. Personally I'd rather know someone was dead instead of wondering if I'm going to be the next one to disappear. They all wonder what killed Eko and Locke pretends it was an animal. Maybe the polar bear wanted to finish him off. Sayid doesn't buy it and takes Locke aside, who tells him a bit about the smoke monster, but that Sayid doesn't believe that, so whateva. Locke goes back and gets Eko his Jesus stick he was always carving on. Uh oh, tearing up again. He glances at it and realized there's a Bible quote on it. The short of it is "John: North" which I assume Locke will take to mean he has to go North. Clever. RIP Eko, acted amazingly by the man they call Triple A. A side note, the actor wanted only a few episodes and they got him for a bunch of episodes, over two seasons.
Oh, and while they were down in the hatch before Eko died, they didn't get the computer to work, but one of the newbies figured out how to turn the TVs on. Personally I was thinking it the whole time and wondering how Sayid hadn't figured it out, but I guess they needed something for this boring chick to do. They were looking at the TVs, apparently other stations, seeing this is the observation station. Suddenly, they see a man's face at one of them. He sorta looks like Dennis Hopper in Waterworld. I bet that's too obscure for most of you. How about Tigh on Battlestar Galactica (Friday's @ 9 on Sci Fi)? Yeah, still not getting it huh? He basically looks older with a patch covering one of his eyes. Ha, that would suck if it was covering both. Anyway, it's sorta creepy and he must realize the light on the camera just came on and someone is watching because he walks up to the camera and does something to it to make it turn off.
Over with Jack, Saywer, Kate and the others, Jack's been invited to Trixie's funeral. It's very Medieval. They put her on some logs, push her out into the ocean and light her on fire. Jack confronts Ben about that being his x-ray from the episode before. He has spine cancer or a tumor or something like that and Jack's a spine surgeon, how convenient. Back in his cell Ben admits to Jack that they had a plan to break him, and make him trust them and blah blah, so that he'd do the surgery, but since he saw the x-ray, it's kinda moot now. He tells Jack he wants him to want to do the surgery and if he does it, he'll let him go home. His for real home not the island one. Jack refuses, and says that from the x-rays he saw, the person had about another week to live.
Later, Juliet comes in with the television and says she has It's a Wonderful Life or some movie like that for him to watch. Jack says he doesn't want to watch, but she insists on just turning it on anyway. She does and starts talking about why he should do the surgery. Interestingly enough, there's not a movie playing. At least, it's not the one she said. It's her, with some big cue cards, telling Jack some stuff. He reads it as he pretends to listen to her. It says that she and some of the others want Ben dead, and feel this is their only way, that Jack should do the surgery and then fake like there was a problem and let him die. She says that no one will know the difference and that if he does this she'll protect and help him. I don't know if I trust her, and I'm sure Jack's feeling the same way.
In the fall finale episode, it's Kate's flashback. It's actually a pretty good one. We find her the night before she's about to get married, to cutie Firefly guy Nathan Fillion no less. He thinks her name is Monica. She settles into married life with him. Oh, and he's a cop. Not really a good judge of character though I guess. Anyway, she calls the F.B.I. guy that was after her and times the conversation, saying she wants him to stop chasing her. He figures out she's found a guy and says that if she stays put, he'll stop chasing, but that they both know that won't happen, that she can't stay all caged up for too long. He's right. She eventually gets too comfortable and admits to her hubby that she blew her step father up and is a wanted woman. She apologized to him and is torn up about it. Not enough to not drug him, but enough. I think she needs to work out her commitment issues.
On the island, Sawyer's basically given up. He knows there's no way off the island, since they're not on their own island, and Kate's curious about his attitude. The two go to the work site, after Kate begs for them to let Sawyer come. When they're working, Alex shows up, remember her? Anyway, she comes up and starts shooting people with rocks from her sling shot. Very Bart Simpson. Pickett, Trixie's husband and the guy who hates Sawyer, pulls a gun on her. Yeah, because bullet trumps rock. They take her away, but not before she warns Kate that they're going to kill her boyfriend. And by boyfriend I assume they mean Sawyer. Juliet then comes up to Kate and wants her to put a bag over her head. Her own, not Juliet's. Kate doesn't want to do it until Juliet tells her that Pickett is going to kill Sawyer, and she can stop it if she helps her, first by putting the bag over her head. Her own, not Juliet's.
Kate's led into Jack's cell. They act like it's been months, but it's been a little over a week I think. And she did see him a few days before when he went to help Trixie. Anyway, I guess Juliet briefed her on the way over because she begs Jack to do whatever it is they want him to do, that they'll kill Sawyer if he doesn't. He's pissed, thinking she's now on Juliet's side. She eventually leaves and Jack's left to debate what to do.
Back with Sawyer and Kate, she tells him about seeing Jack, and how Pickett's going to kill him, and he's happy Jack doesn't want to do the surgery, even if it means he'll die. Kate's pissed and crawls out of her cage. She says if Jack can't save his life, then he'll save his own life. She busts open his cell and he tells her to stop, that there's nowhere to go since they're on an island the size of Alcatraz. He admits that he didn't tell her because he wanted her to have hope. Seriously, any hotter? No. She must think so too because they start doing it. HOT HOT HOT!
After there (I'm sure) hot love making, Sawyer asks Kate about when she told Pickett she loved him, and if it really was just to get him to stop hitting him. She admits that no, it wasn't, and that she does. Then he tells her he loves her too. I love these two!
In Jack's cell he hears something coming from the supposedly non working intercom. I think it's Alex, but who knows. Whoever it is tells him to try the door. He does and walks around. He finds a gun and then wanders into the observation room. He sees Kate and Sawyer in post coital bliss. Ben shows up and says how surprised he was too when he saw them. Ew, I hope he didn't really "see" them. Gross. Jack then says that he'll do the surgery. I guess knowing Kate's no longer his and that she really cares about Sawyer changes his mind.
So they're in the operating room. Juliet and a few Others are assisting Jack. They put Ben under as Pickett and Zeek watch from the observation room. Once Ben is under, Pickett decides to go kill Sawyer anyway. Oh he's such a douche! He goes out and finds him and Kate together. Sawyer fights back a bit, until the other Other holds a gun to Kate's head. Pickett says he'll kill her too if he doesn't cooperate. Kate's yelling for him to fight and not do it. But they just declared their love to each other, so he can't do it. The other Other holds Kate at gunpoint as Pickett makes Sawyer get on his knees. Sawyer's yelling at Kate to close her eyes and Kate's yelling that she'll do anything he wants. Honestly, I think it's the best scene of the season, shot beautifully, acted beautifully, everything. I'm getting teary eyed and goose bumps just thinking about it now.
At the same time in the operation room, while no one is looking, Jack does something suspicious. The bells start sounding and Juliet and Zeek want to know what's going on. Jack tells them that he's nicked the Liver (or some other vital organ) and that Ben has about an hour before he bleeds out. He wants them to release Kate and Sawyer or Ben dies. I guess we can count Zeek as not on Juliet's team of wanting Ben to die. If there even is a team. Jack demands Zeek radio Pickett. A moment before Pickett pulls the trigger, Zeek radios him and tells him to give the radio to Kate, and gives a quick explanation. Okay, so Pickett's not on Juliet's team either. Kate and Jack talk. He tells her to start running, take the radio and when they're safe, to radio him. He wants her to tell him the story he told her the first day of the crash, when she was stitching him up (*see below). Kate insists that they can't leave without him. He tells her to just go, to run and she just yells that she can't without him. He finally screams "RUN!" and the show ends its fall finale.
Those last 5 minutes totally saved this first half of the season for me. I like it that it didn't end on a huge note, one that I don't want to wait 13 or however many weeks to find out, but enough that my interest will still be there. I have a feeling things will move along bit more, and hopefully they'll give us a few more answers.
*"Well, fear's sort of an odd thing. When I was in residency my first solo procedure was a spinal surgery on a 16 year old kid, a girl. And at the end, after 13 hours, I was closing her up and I, I accidentally ripped her dural sac, shredded the base of the spine where all the nerves come together, membrane as thin as tissue. And so it ripped open and the nerves just spilled out of her like angel hair pasta, spinal fluid flowing out of her and I: and the terror was just so crazy. So real. And I knew I had to deal with it. So I just made a choice. I'd let the fear in, let it take over, let it do its thing, but only for 5 seconds, that's all I was going to give it. So I started to count, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Then it was gone. I went back to work, sewed her up and she was fine."
