So yeah, the flashes sideways in this episode dealt with Jack coming to grips with the challenges of...fatherhood? Okay, he wasn't a dad before in the original timeline, and with this coupled with all that has changed in previous episodes, we have to assume that some serious BUTTERFLY EFFECT SHIT went down after the nuke exploded. Also, Jack's appendix has been removed. I find it a little perplexing that he doesn't remember his own appendix bursting, but whatever. Who am I to judge? For all I know, I could look down tonight when I get in the shower and notice that I too have a scar on my abdomen. Lord knows I haven't looked at it in the mirror for like a decade.
Anyways, Jack's son goes missing, and I know I'm not the only one secretly praying that when he's combing his ex-wife's house for him, Christian will be sitting around the corner in the shadows somewhere. "Jack, you...have to go back," he might say. Oh how easy that would have been, Lost writers. But I'm not here to write your damn show for you either, so we'll just go with what you've got. His son is auditioning to get into a prestigious musical school. Pretty cool! He tracks down the kid and nods with his Jack-smile in approval. "How long has he been playing?" asks the dude from the Temple in Timeline 1 (at this point, it doesn't surprise me anymore). "I don't know," says Jack, "I'm a good-for-nothing father." Okay, he didn't say that second part, but he might as well have. He talks to his son, who I guess was afraid of failing in front of his father, and that's why he didn't tell him where he was? I don't know, if I missed "a couple of notes" on what was practically the effin' Flight of the Bumblebee, I'd be afraid my dad was going to call me a fairy, or a nerd, or something. If anything, Jack probably would've called him the bees knees.
So Jack tells the boy he loves him no matter what, even if he does suck at playing sports, which was what Jack always secretly wished he would do with his life and collegiate career when he was born. Then, they share some extremely cold pizza back at home.
MEANWHILE.....back in the jungle...
We're in Psychoville and Claire's the mayor. She gets Jin out of the bear trap and apparently uses her famed Shepherd Family Surgeon Blood to stitch the wounds on his leg closed. Good job, baby crazy! Then she proceeds to interrogate the guy who she shot in the arm a couple weeks ago. This guy (Hugh Jalips, let's call him) is all like, "Untie me so I can break her neck...in the time it takes for her to boil water and come back." Yeah right Hugh. Way to strategize an escape. Claire's about to go baby crazy with an axe on Hugh, when Jin's all like "Kate has your baby, you crazy little(ton) shit!" Then Claire sighs in relief and axes Hugh anyway. Poor Hugh Jalips, we knew yee not nearly long enough. Then Jin's all like, "I was lying, I think." That's good, Jin. Because apparently that kind of sensible, human behavioral response from Kate warrants her the same fate as dead Hugh over there. Then, just as things are about to heat up between the two of them, in walks El with his trademark, "Howdy" smile and swagger. "That's not John. This is my friend," Claire says. Clearly, we see that this is who has been keeping Claire hidden all this time, and not contract negotiations with ABC.
On the other side of the island, but still conveniently close by...
Jack is having a pow wow with Sayid about the poison pill they tried to give him. Hurley is playing Tic Tac Toe with Miles, who is so insignificant at this point, it still takes me awhile to remember his name so I can type it here. Hurley makes for the Temple mess hall and runs in to...HUH! Jacob. Stirring the waters in the muddy river water bath tub (who says living in a commune can't be fun?). He gives Hugo some instructions. He follows them to the letter, but...he needs Jack! Hugo tells him that he "has what it takes" and Jack's all like, "Shit just got real, let's go talk to Jacob."
So they traverse through the Jungle and run into...KATE! Who's like, fifty feet away from the temple, but has been gone for days? Jack's all wanting her to come too, but Hugo goes all Lundegaard on him and is like, "Jacob said just us to. He was real clear on that." So they keep walking and find yet another gaudy thing on the island that they've never seen before. Well surprise, surprise. It's a lighthouse that sees whatever Jacob wants it to see. Jack turns the nob to where his name is etched on a table, and sees in a mirror the image of his childhood house. This makes him pretty upset (Jacob the Peeping Tom!), so he smashes the mirror into likeabagillion pieces (Hugo: "Thanks for the seven years bad luck, dude.") Jacob meets back up with Hugo and is like, "Everything's cool. This was all just a wake up call for Jack. Oh and by the way, your friends back at the temple are screwed."
I loved this episode for several reasons. One was that Hugo was brought back into hero mode by Jacob, and that he does it with that same, easy going, Hurley-esque charm and wit. Another was that Jacob came into action and showed us how he goes about influencing people; sometimes with little nudges, other times with blatent instructions. The show's premise has always been about destiny vs. free will, and I think what Jacob is trying to show is that it really is both, Forrest Gump. Jacob knows our characters so well that he knows exactly what it will take for them to decide, on their own, to go the ways that he wants them to. Yeah, it could be construed as manipulation, but I think it's still comforting to know that he's not using this power to push them places they shouldn't be. And it's not like it's happening all the time, either. This, and several other things to happen in the past two weeks is what is keeping me hooked on this show. "The suspense is killing me. I hope it will last."
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