"Recon"

Written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Jim Galasso
Directed by Jack Bender


In which Sawyer is sent to Hydra Island to report on who might be waiting there, while Claire expresses herself to Kate regarding Aaron...

Status Report - Final Analysis




Status Report
About halfway through this episode, as Sawyer stood in the cage where he had been held by the Others on Hydra Island, back at the beginning of the third season, it was abundantly clear that the writers were succeeding with their mission for this final leg of the “Lost” journey. It’s not just about solving the mysteries or wrapping up plot threads. It’s about the characters.

While the “flash sideways” are likely to have a plot-driven purpose to their existence, they are also the perfect vehicle for demonstrating just how far the characters have come over the years. As all the new connections in “Lost X” are presented and explored, one cannot help but think about where the characters of “Lost Prime” began and where circumstances have taken them.

More than that, it debunks one of the earliest criticisms of the series. Early in the second season, many critics claimed that the producers and writers were struggling to keep the series alive. It was claimed that JJ Abrams and the first season writing staff were the ones who gave the series its signature voice and created the original characters, and Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, and the rest of the writing staff were just going through the motions.

These criticisms ignored the essential truth that Lindelof and Cuse were there from the beginning, but also overlooked the challenges of shepherding a high-concept series on a major network. Success is often its own worst enemy. Looking back on the second and third seasons, it’s obvious how the network desire to keep the show viable for as long as possible was interfering with the natural progression of the story.

Whatever the case, the “flash sideways” are showing that the depth of characterization that struck gold in the first season was not a product of departed hands. Instead, that same level of care is reflected in each of the new versions of the characters’ “introductions” as was given to the first set of flashbacks. This episode is a perfect example. While it relies on the context of the past five seasons, it also tells a compelling enough story to make one wish the “flash sideways” were the beginning of a new spinoff.

Yet at least some of that feeling is the subconscious realization that the character arcs are all coming to a close in an organic and fitting fashion. Nothing has been forced. Sawyer’s decision to play Jacob’s rival and Widmore against each other to escape the island is completely in keeping with his personality. And because the character’s through-line over the past six years has been so well-conceived, the story of Jimmy Ford in “Lost X” feels equally earned. One can see how Sawyer’s life could have taken that path.

And as usual, it is in complete keeping with the established difference between “Lost Prime” and “Lost X”. In “Lost X”, the same tragic events seen in “Outlaws” left James Ford an orphan, but despite the lingering bitterness and drive for revenge, he has found a better path. His life isn’t perfect, but it’s a far cry from Sawyer’s world in “Lost Prime”.

With James working with Miles as a cop in Los Angeles, dating Charlotte (who looked lovely and far from haunted) and running into Liam Pace and fugitive Kate, the whole concept of “course correction” continues to feel relevant. Perhaps Jacob wasn’t around to touch the familiar characters and make them Candidates, and so lives worked out for the better. But the same people are coming together, just in different combinations. As said before, there must be a purpose to everything being shown in “Lost X”, in terms of the overall plot.

Still, character is at the heart of it all, and this episode brings some unusual insight into Jacob’s rival. Setting aside the potential revelations of his origins for a moment, Jacob’s rival was downright creepy in his constant honesty. He came across as all too concerned for his charges, even as he openly admitted to his ongoing manipulations.

This continues to paint Jacob’s rival as something of a classical Lucifer figure. After all, Lucifer is supposed to use selective truth to tell the most convincing lies. Too often, his explanations made perfect sense. It’s reasonable to say that Claire was distraught after losing Aaron and needed something to hate to keep her hopes alive, at least until one remembers that Jacob’s rival was likely the one who drew Claire away from Aaron in the first place. Or, beyond that, what that lie meant in terms of casualties among the Others.

And yet, there is also the feeling that Jacob’s rival sincerely believes that he is righting some injustice done to him, and that all his manipulations are just an unfortunate side effect of needing to outdo Jacob’s own machinations. And within that context, he may be sincere in his regret over the cost to his pawns in the struggle. At the same time, that may just be the spin he needs to place on his actions to convince his new flock that he is “the good guy”. Much of what happened in this episode could be seen as his way of convincing Kate to join his cause.

If there is one aspect of this episode that doesn’t quite ring true, it’s Claire and her quick conversion from obsessed killer to repentant old friend. Considering how much they played up her promise to kill Kate for taking Aaron, the payoff was a little too quick and easy. On the other hand, Jacob’s rival does have a great deal of influence over Claire, and Claire is unstable (to say the least). Her sudden understanding may be a sign of her continued psychological issues.

****

And now, as usual, a bit of speculation on the wider implications of Sawyer’s trip to Hydra Island and his encounter with Charles Widmore.

As mentioned in reviews for episodes earlier this season, it was clear that the writers were going to have to explain how Charles Widmore and his pogrom against the inhabitants of the island factored into the conflict between Jacob and his rival. Elements from the fourth season point directly to current events, but Widmore’s plot seems oddly out of place. From one perspective, he is naturally on Jacob’s side against Ben, in something of a proxy war, but his determination to wipe out the population of the island seems contradictory to the current Candidate situation.

So it was good to see the writers have Sawyer bring up this very point with Widmore. It serves as something of a promise to the audience: the apparent discrepancies and contradictions will be addressed. (And this is one reason why it makes no sense for some longtime fans to complain out the pacing of the answers given this season. Are they even paying attention?)

As an analogue to Ben Linus, Charles Widmore stands as a means to an end. If he is indeed in opposition to Jacob’s rival, that doesn’t necessitate direct collusion with Jacob. It is possible that Widmore was able to communicate with Jacob in a way that Ben never could (and one would imagine that Richard assumed that Widmore, as leader of their people, did speak with Jacob). But Jacob also could have been manipulating Widmore like everyone else, by influencing choices without leaving much of a trace of his actions.

Which means there could be two levels to the Widmore purge. On one level, there is whatever motivation Widmore had to attempt the genocide on the island. Doubtless, this will be addressed before the end of the series. But beyond that, Jacob may have manipulated Widmore into making that decision in order to push his Candidates into the right position: namely, to bring about the Oceanic Six. (After all, most of them were Candidates, or at least potential Candidates.)

Similarly, Widmore has clearly brought something or someone to the island, and it’s probably that it serves Jacob’s purpose. Widmore himself isn’t necessarily the person Jacob was talking about with Hurley. There are two likely possibilities that come to mind (well, more than that, but these are the main two).

The first possibility is Aaron. There are a couple of reasons for this. Very early in the series, Lindelof and Cuse said that Aaron was vital to the overall story of “Lost”. He is certainly important in terms of Claire and Kate and their current motivations, but having been a point of contention, there is almost a demand for payoff. It would be ironic, given some of the initial theories offered in the reviews for the early first season episodes, if Aaron himself was a potential Candidate for Jacob! Even so, this doesn’t quite track.

The second possibility is Desmond. Granted, the last time Desmond and Widmore had a chance to talk, Widmore basically told him to run away with Penny and never look back. But in the wake of Ben’s attack on Desmond, Penny, and little Charlie, things might have changed. Eloise Hawking made it very clear that the island was not finished with Desmond. And perhaps most telling of all, Henry Ian Cusick has been in the credits all season, despite one very brief appearance. Surely that means he will come back in some substantial fashion!

A little more was revealed about Jacob’s rival, though as it came from the “man” himself, there is some question as to the veracity of his story about his mother. However, since he was being relatively honest throughout the episode, there may be more truth to his story than fiction. And, of course, he was being awfully vague, glossing over his own issues while emphasizing his mother’s insanity.

Just going by what Jacob's rival had to say, there's no analogue in Egyptian mythology, which would be the logical direction to take. The Egyptian connection has been all over the face of the series, yet there's still no solid explanation for it. It's easy enough to toss out the possibility that Jacob and his rival are Horus and Set, but this reference to a “crazy mother” doesn't fit. Clearly, there is still much left to be revealed.

Final Analysis
Overall, this was another solid episode for the final season. Once again, the right character with the right treatment delivers a near-perfect episode. There has yet to be any episode less than above average, and that is impressive, given that the season is just about reaching its mid-point. So far, the writers are bringing the tale to an exceptional close.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10




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