Lost Watch: Enough With The Foreplay

NOTE: Sorry to my one or two readers for not posting this entry. I put it up on the Broadcaster Beat last week the day after it aired, but never got around to throwing it up on my personal blog. Also, I promise one day soon to get back to bloggin' about things other than "Lost," even if it is about other tv shows, movies, and the like...I mean, let's talk about "24" this year, am I right??


Episode Title: "Catch 22" Air Date: 4/18/2007

“Lost” was another transitional episode last night, all setup for what is coming in the last few episodes before the season finale. It was spiced up with Desmond’s vision of Charlie dying a violent death, but we knew that wasn’t gonna happen from the beginning, didn’t we?

Desmond has one of his jigsaw puzzle-like visions in which someone arrives on the island after ditching a helicopter- and he thinks it is Penny, the woman he abandoned. Unfortunately, Charlie dies in his vision and Desmond wants everything to go as he sees it in his head- because changing it will mean it might not turn out how he saw it, and he might not see Penny. Thus Desmond decides he is willing to sacrifice Charlie in order to reunite with his girlfriend.

Des puts together a team to enter the jungle that includes Hurley, Charlie, and Jin- telling Hurley they are coming on the trip because they are the ones who are supposed to go on the trip, according to his vision.

As they trek deeper into the jungle, Desmond becomes more conflicted about the fate he may be dooming poor Charlie to. His flashbacks underscore the theme of sacrifice, as we see that Desmond once tried to become a monk, living on a monetary and taking a month long vow of silence. But it turns out that he had a “religious awakening” right before he was to marry another woman, before he met Penny. Fans will remember that Desmond ended up on the island because he set off on a sailing trip around the world instead of marrying Desmond’s much longed for Penny.

This guy’s commitment issues have taken him to some strange places.

Meanwhile, back at the survivor’s camp, a soap opera is developing as Kate becomes jealous of Jack’s growing closeness with Other spy Juliet, who he is beginning to foolishly trust more and more. Kate sleeps with Sawyer again, but this time because she is jealous of Dr. Jack and the shifty Juliet’s new relationship. Poor Sawyer only gets laid when Kate thinks he is going to die or if she’s jealous. But considering Juliet’s mixed intentions, Jack’s affections will probably return to Kate soon.

Demond and co.’s journey ends the way he thought it would, leading up to Charlie stepping on a trip wire that launches an arrow. At the last second, Desmond pulls Charlie out of harm’s way, saving his life but altering the time line he saw in his head.

But the team has come far enough without Charlie’s sacrifice. They find a woman hanging in the trees who has parachuted out of a helicopter. She’s alive, but when they take off her helmet, it’s not Penny. Did Desmond's choice to save Charlie actually change the person hanging out in the jungle?

Whoever she is, she knows Desmond.

The episode had some pretty cool elements, and I always love time travel/ seeing the future stuff. There were a couple nice little Easter Eggs as well, including the photo on the head monk’s desk when he talked to Desmond in his office- the woman with the monk was the batty old lady who told Desmond in his alterna-flashback earlier this season that he was supposed to leave Penny and end up on the island, that the fate of the world depended on it. And the new stranger amongst the islanders is evidence that finally something has come of the crazy last scene in season 2 in which it was revealed that Penny is searching for Desmond, using paranoid dudes in a bunker in Antarctica.

So it was a cool episode that dealt with themes of fate vs. freewill, and set Desmond up with a very tough and compelling choice. But ultimately, it was another episode that was more setup for things to come. Hopefully, the payoff will be worth it. Personally though, I'm getting a bit tired of all the foreplay. Let's get to the action already.