Combinations are the greatest invention ever. Cookies dunked in milk, jam added to peanut butter, pizza and beer. It's amazing how two great elements can be mixed together to give you a new sensation that is even better than the two together have any right to be.
This week we were treated to perhaps my favourite combination. Comic books meet Lost. Which also explains why I love "Heroes" so much, but I digress.
My inner geek really missed the Green Lantern and The Flash "Fast Friends" comic book references that dried up after Michael tossed the comic into the fire in a fit of pique. To have Hurley and Charlie debating the outcome of a fantasy race between the Man of Steel and the Fastest Man Alive was better than Lost and comics put together have any right to be.
Of course, that's probably because their whole conversation could easily have been created from the transcripts of a similar debate I often had with my outer geeky friends when I was a kid.
Let's face it, I get giddy whenever one of my favourite shows shows any interest at all in comics. To have a whole episode of Lost that turns on an age old comic book debate was maple syrup on my pancakes.
Not everyone will have as much fun watching Hurely and Charlie debate the finer points of the DC Comics universe as I do. I guess it depends on your perspective.
More perspectives to be depended upon as we go...
This week opens with Desmond, Hurley, Charlie and Jin cutting their way through the dense jungle in the rain. After all this time on the island, don't they know better than to do ANYTHING while it's raining? I mean, bad things happen in the rain on Mystery Island. Regularly.
As they fight their way through the undergrowth, Hurley and Charlie are debating about the relative speed of superheroes.
Charlie figures that Superman has the advantage, but Hurley's contention is that in a pure foot race, The Flash will win.
(*Geek side note. This scenario has been played out in the comics a few times, once in the animated Superman series from the 90's and even briefly on Smallville a few seasons ago. Smallville conceded that Superman might lose to The Flash in a foot race. Most the other races were usually interrupted by various villains, leaving the matter unresolved, or worse yet a draw. In the few instances where a clear victor emerges, it is always The Flash, but barely. In one iconic race, the result was both of the heroes winning, depending on which relativistic perspective was used to view the results.*)
As Charlie asks Hurley if his rules would include fitting Superman with a pair of kryptonite...
His train of thought is interrupted by an involuntary tracheotomy, courtesy of a booby trap, presumably set by Rousseau.
Despite Desmond's best effort, the Hobbit is off to that great Shire in the sky.
Only, he isn't.
You never know how you're gonna die.
Lesson to be learned:
"Do all the heroin you can while you can."
In a bizarre reversing flashback, events rewind until Desmond's eyes snap open on the beach. A quick scan of the beach reveals an unperforated Charlie wandering around, hale and hearty. Desmond drops his fishing and chases down Hurley to ask him about the "wire".
(*Continuity sidenote. In this "Flashback-back" we see Charlie holding the parachute, arrow free. Seems odd that this "flashback-back" goes forward first, then backwards. Seems doubly odd that when it goes forward the dead guy is there lending a hand.*)
One man asking another where to find the "wire" could have taken this show in a whole different direction.
Fortunately, Hurley misses the Brokeback Innuendo and suggests that perhaps Desmond ate the mushrooms that Jack warned them about.
"Listen to me. There's a wire, a cable, buried in the sand. Do you know what I'm talkin' about?"
"This is future crap isn't it."
"The cable. Do you know where it is? This is important."
"Why?"
"Because someone's coming."
Sometime in Desmond's past, a monk brings him the robes of a novice and silently hands them over. It seems that our man Hume has passed the test of a vow of silence and entered a monastery. The monks set the test of silence to varying lengths, depending upon how sure they are of the conviction of the one wanting to become one of their number. We aren't told how long Desmond's test lasted, but the impression is that it was a longer than usual test.
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Comments (20)
Good episode, but nothing too important or interesting.
I love how Desmond has been and continues to be haunted by questions of fate and destiny.
I wonder if Naomi will die soon, or become a regular? Speaking of dying, surely Charlie sometime this season? I mean, he had one flashback in season two, and it was one of the first "nothing important" flashbacks, and none in season three so far. He's had nothing to do since he beat heroin.
1 of 20 | Posted by Merick
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Posted on April 19, 2007 7:05 PM
I'd also like to add that I soooooo don't care about Jack/Sawyer/Kate/Juliet's romantic feelings for each other.
2 of 20 | Posted by Merick
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Posted on April 19, 2007 7:20 PM
Merick -
Ditto and double ditto on that.
Love rectangles should be relagated to daytime television.
3 of 20 | Posted by Greybishop
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Posted on April 19, 2007 7:27 PM
Beatriz -
I've already come across a couple of fixes I missed in the editting process today, but I'd be happy to hear from you on corrections.
4 of 20 | Posted by Greybishop
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Posted on April 19, 2007 7:32 PM
Hey Grey,
The woman in the picture that you felt was "photoshopped" was the woman in Desmond's flashback that helped him pick out a ring for Penny. So, I wonder what her involvement is with the monk?? Is that how Desmond knows her?
5 of 20 | Posted by AvaMarie
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Posted on April 19, 2007 7:47 PM
AvaMarie -
I called the picture "interesting" because of her presence in it. Her knowing Brother Campbell puts an interesting spin on the "You have to do these things or we all die" statement from Desmond's previous Flash-whatever when he may or may not have travelled in time.
Is the Brother Campbell "Jacob" or someone else in the Others or maybe one of the other Others?
6 of 20 | Posted by Greybishop
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Posted on April 19, 2007 8:21 PM
Another great recap, Greybishop!
Since I have neither an inner nor an outer geek, I guess I didn't enjoy this episode quite as much as you did....
Now we know where Brotha' came from.
Who knew you could get fired from a Monastery?
And, who knew Koreans like to tell scary stories around a campfire too?
I find Charlie a little more tolerable when he's hanging out with Hurley. They get a good interaction going with each other.
I'm looking forward to next week.
7 of 20 | Posted by Lady-in-Gray
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Posted on April 19, 2007 8:51 PM
I liked this episode, but (naturally), I'm confused about something...
In his jigsaw puzzle vision, Desmond never actually saw Penny as the parachutist, right? He had flashes of the time when the picture was taken, but nothing like him taking the helmet off and seeing her face. (Obviously, please correct me if I'm wrong.) So why was he so convinced it would be her? I know, he hoped it was her and the picture was in the book in the backpack... but I don't get why he's so pissed that he saved Charlie's life when he had no guarantee that it was Penny who fell from the sky. Maybe it's just me not wanting Charlie to die though.
8 of 20 | Posted by Lisa
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Posted on April 19, 2007 9:25 PM
ok
so I sat down to watch the episode, say to my friend "man, I wonder if Charlie's going to die this episode..." and BAM he gets shot in the neck with an arrow and F-ING DIES.
I nearly had a heart attack. No show kills someone in the first 5 minutes. It took me like 10 minutes into the next scene to fully recover. Thanks, Lost.
LOVE this recap, you totally like tied together the theories that we are all piecing together, and your "nerd" knowledge is super intriguing... the perspective thing with superman and the flash is super interesting, as well as the reference to isaac and abraham which I totally didn't get because I was too focused on the catch-22 aspect. So is this chick portugese, or brazilian? The guys in the plane at the end of season 2 were portugese so I suppose that makes sense.
things that were great:
- camp talk! the talk in the kitchen was weird we never see like normal, non-disaster related camp interaction. It was nice, shows the closeness that's developed, despite the weird friend-zone tension
- Sawyer: "What are you guys doing, playing who's your favorite other" or something to that extent, was hilarious.
- so into sawyer and sayid hanging out.
- Jin's storytelling was so funny I think I died.
- "if we don't play every 108 minutes the island will explode" ... awesome. sawyer is ON lately.
Other:
- I hate hate hate juliet, and my opinion of jack is really suffering.
LISA: I totally agree! From what I remember, the flashes of him and penny were them posing for the photograph... that he already has a copy of? Some serious time bending stuff... but essentially, he saw a parachuter and penny, but I don't think there was any real reason to think they were the same person. Could someone find a video of his flash-forward?
I am glad they indicated rose and bernard's existence by getting the phil collins tape from bernard. I really think sawyer is trying... and he obviously really cares about kate, he's just sort of inept.
9 of 20 | Posted by MalloryS
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Posted on April 20, 2007 9:45 AM
Call me crazy, but doesn't the monk in the photograph with the white haired woman look an awful lot like the dude with the eyepatch that they saw on the one screen in the Pearl Station? Anyone?
10 of 20 | Posted by JohnGalt
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Posted on April 20, 2007 9:49 AM
Merick: maybe I'm being really dumb, but who's Naomi?
11 of 20 | Posted by MalloryS
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Posted on April 20, 2007 9:50 AM
Naomi is the girl that parachuted onto the island.
12 of 20 | Posted by JerseyGirl
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Posted on April 20, 2007 10:15 AM
JohnGalt, I actually did notice the monk's resemblance to Mikhail (sp?). Weird.
Great recap, GB. Just wanted to say that, I've got more to comment on later.
13 of 20 | Posted by Cody M.
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Posted on April 20, 2007 11:00 AM
"You'd have sacrificed me."
"The flashes don't happen exactly how I saw them. The picture changes. I was supposed to let you die, Charlie."
i didnt get that... How does this convince charlie that desmond wasn't going to sacrifice him? Desmond was "supposed to let charlie die" 3 times before, what does it mean to tell him that he was supposed to die this time?
didnt the picture happen exactly how desmond saw it? charlie stepped on the wire--and desmond already saw the arrow in place. Or was desmond trying to say that he didnt know for sure that the death trap event would happen altogether, but only until he saw the arrow?
NOTE: I easily skipped this entire recap because of the comic book picture placed on the front in place of a LOST screencap... good thing i saw the word 'LOST' near the bottom of the intro.
14 of 20 | Posted by CapoSTAT
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Posted on April 20, 2007 11:38 AM
Great recap Greybishop!!
Just wanted to note the reference to Catch 22 - Abraham and Isaac (from book of Genesis, Chapter 22) and Phil Collins (of Genesis). Dang, these guys are clever! I don't care what anyone else says!
15 of 20 | Posted by d
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Posted on April 20, 2007 12:24 PM
Greybishop, ignore my dumb ass. You're recaps are great, mistakes and all. Like another commenter said, "Oh, for pete's sake!"
That being said, I DO have a few edits...:) It's not my fault, I'm an editor, it's the way I see the world.
16 of 20 | Posted by Beatriz
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Posted on April 20, 2007 3:43 PM
And just to confirm that I really am a dumbass, I went ahead and made a first grade error in my previous post. "You're" and "your"....geeeeez!
17 of 20 | Posted by Beatriz
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Posted on April 20, 2007 3:46 PM
Beatriz-I was wondering if you did that on purpose :)
18 of 20 | Posted by LuvzSunshine
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Posted on April 20, 2007 4:23 PM
Thanks Beatriz.
Anything you noted you can send to gettheaddy@yahoo.ca and I'll make any required fixes.
19 of 20 | Posted by Greybishop
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Posted on April 20, 2007 7:50 PM
"Tell 'em Large Marge sentcha!" You gotta love a "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" reference! Great recap, Grey! D (#15 out of 19), good call on Catch 22, Genesis 22, & Genesis. Awesome!
20 of 20 | Posted by Darth Wader
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Posted on April 23, 2007 7:41 AM