Primetime: Lost Review - S6E7 'Recon'

Always able to live up to the standard set by its name, Lost is one of, if not the preeminent science fiction shows ever on television. It would almost be criminal not to review it here... and so... it is reviewed here... right here, right now!


"We ain't takin' the plane, Freckles... We're taking the sub." -James Ford aka Sawyer

For my money, there hasn't been a lackluster episode of Lost in about 3 seasons. Ever since they started down the path toward the endpoint, their storytelling has been concise, consistent, and always compelling. This week was no different, picking back up with Sawyer.

When last we saw our grifter friend, he was deep inside Jacob's cave of candidates, agreeing to partner with UnLocke (i.e. the Smoke Monster, Man in Black, whatever you want to call him... I'll call him UnLocke.) to get off the island. He hadn't gone with UnLocke to the Temple, and we find out he's just been camped out in the woods waiting. We're also treated to seeing his flashes in the betaverse, which are among some of the most interesting yet.

First, since the moment they landed at LAX in the opening of this season, it has been my belief that the events we're seeing in the betaverse are the result of what is currently about to happen on the island in the alphaverse. Juliet detonated the bomb. The bomb was the incident. The Swan was constructed and everything else that happened, happened. The timeloop was completed and they returned to the "present" of 2007 on the island. What we're about to see happen on the island will result in the destruction of the alpha timeline and its replacement by the beta. Thus, the flashes we're seeing this season are actually the extended coda of the series. And each passing week only reinforces my thinking that this theory is right.

In our flashes this week we see a James Ford that never encountered Jacob after the death of his parents... one that never was given that pen to write that letter and cling to that hatred. Sure, he still hates the man who caused him such pain, but the path to the present wasn't one of crime and hurting people in the same manner his family had been hurt. He says he'd kill the man, and I don't begrudge him that, but I also don't necessarily believe it. I don't know that James Ford is a murderer. The most tragic aspect of his character was what happened to his parents and then what he had turned into. And just like every other character we've seen from the betaverse, he's far better off.

And that leads us back to the alphaverse and the island. When UnLocke returns with his group, he sends James to Hydra Island on a recon mission. The whole setup seemed a little odd, what with UnLocke telling Ben to meet him there, and him already knowing that Ilana and her group are on the main island... When he arrives and finds Widmore's people he pulls his con and tries to pit Charles Widmore against UnLocke. It seems like this goes off without a hitch. Both UnLocke and Widmore seem to trust and believe him. Unfortunately for him, I think they're both playing him.

Consider the following: Charles Widmore was exiled from the island by Jacob. Charles Widmore and Ben aren't allowed to kill each other, just like Jacob and UnLocke. Ben was able to kill Jacob, just like Dogen suggested Sayid could kill UnLocke. Is that because Ben was Jacob's chosen leader and Charles Widmore is UnLocke's? It would explain a lot... it would also mean that Sawyer just betrayed one side to itself... not good. If the recon mission was a test of faith, then Sawyer failed.

The bigger question for me remains simple, who are the good guys? If taken at face value, UnLocke is the man to bet on. He says he just wants to leave. He says that the island doesn't need protection, and that it was Jacob's interference that caused such troubles in the lives of everyone he touched. If the betaverse is the result of what is about to happen, it seems like UnLocke will win, and was telling the truth. After all, we saw a sunken island with the Dharma ruins in place. That suggests the island isn't being protected. Every person we've seen is better off as a result. So, is UnLocke being completely truthful? Hard to say... But this week he specifically invoked the notion of changing everything... and that's what the betaverse is.

As for the other players, the standouts this week for me were Emilie de Raven's turn as crazy Claire and Naveen Andrews' creepy zombie Sayid... really chilling as he sat there while Claire nearly killed Kate. Eeek. And was UnLocke trying to get Kate to kill Claire?

Next week we get some answers about Richard!

4/5 wizards