Thursday, January 16, 2014

LOST Rewatch: Homecoming

Credit:tle1lost.wordpress.com
In which Claire returns and everything is great.
Wait, no! . . . It's not! She's completely lost her memory. (But she hasn't lost the baby.) And also, Ethan is creepily appearing in the jungle in the rain and threatening Charlie and telling him that he wants Claire back. And that he will kill someone every day until Charlie does what he says!

(Look . . . William Mapother.

I know that I've made some accusations of your cousin on this blog before. (All in good fun, legal community . . . really!) And I know that you are just an actor. But your ability to really sell the creepiness of Ethan and his menace and his complete craziness . . . Well. Let's just say that it might run in the family.)

But, back to the story . . . and to what is going to happen to Claire. Not to mention what is going to happen to the rest of the Lostaways who probably don't have any idea what is really happening, since the main characters tend to compartmentalize information and don't let the socks in on what is happening. (This is reinforced in this episode by 1.) a brief aside scene where Jin and Sun have a Korean conversation about what might be going on over there on the other side of the caves and how the rest of them are getting punished for what those dudes have done. Jin is the one saying this, and Sun could probably try to disagree with him, but that might lead to the reveal that she understands much more of what is being said than she wants Jin to know.) Also 2.) later during the funeral scene, you get more reinforcement that if your name isn't Sayid, Jack, Locke, Kate, and sometimes Charlie . . . and Sawyer if he feels like being assertive, then forget anyone knowing who you are.

Only a few of us get to talk about what is going on.
Credit: ncjl.wordpress.com

ANYWAY . . . Sayid and Jack and Locke . . . . and, Boone, I guess all discuss what to do about Ethan's threat. And Sayid and Locke eventually get Jack to step back from his desire to track Ethan down and go after him. (Jack is most likely still angry for the severe beatdown that Ethan gave him during the first time they tried to track him down in the jungle.) Instead, the Lostaways burn fires and set sentries and get ready. But night falls and eventually, Ethan creeps in (via the water Locke later guesses) and fulfills his threat by killing Steve. No, wait . . . it was Scott. (That joke never gets old.)

And so Steve is buried in the previously mentioned funeral scene. Hurley gives a nice quick eulogy based on the census notes he took in the episode when Ethan's true identity was revealed. And Hurley apologizes for always getting Steve . . . no wait SCOTT's name wrong. (Sorry dude.) It's nice. It provides a necessary moment of comedy during an episode that is really fraught with peril and uncertainty.

But wait . . . you ask. Who's the Flashback Focus this episode? Surely its Hurley, right? We haven't learned much at all about the lovable Dudemiester. Tonight's the night, right? (At least that is what my kids say every night we fire up a new episode.)

Sadly . . . no. We get MORE of the Charlie Pace back story--post Driveshaft breakup. Mr. Pace is still using heroin and going nowhere in this life. Thought he does look a bit healthier in most of the Flashback scenes. But that might only be for show because what Charlie is really doing is planning a con job on a rich girl he picked up at the pub. He plans to steal some high-quality merchandise from her house and fence it to buy more drugs.

Unfortunately, Charlie can't even be a criminal correctly because he is too decent. He falls for the girl and wants to start reforming his life. Her rich dad who was once in a band himself has heard of Driveshaft and sees that his daughter cares for Charlie. This best dad that LOST has ever created decides to put on hold his efforts to buy a paper company in Slough. (GET IT?!) And he gets Charlie a job as a copier machine salesmen.

But Charlie's drug pusher is unimpressed with Charlie's reforms and puts him into withdrawal before Mr. Pace's first day as a salesman. Charlie looks terrible, isn't an effective salesman, and throws up in the copier.*

In other bad decisions, on his way out the door the first day, Charlie does, in fact, steal a silver cigarette holder owned by Winston Churchill. After Charlie screws up his sales presentation and the silver case is found by ambulance drivers, the girl is furious. She kicks Charlie out of her house for good--saying he'll "never be able to take care of anyone!"

Charlie is motivated by these past memories to prove to Claire that he can be a better person. But after the death of Scott/Steve, the new plan is to use Claire as bait to draw Ethan out, then unleash the guns the Lostaways have kept hidden in the Haliburton case. Everyone arms themselves with guns (Sayid, Jack, Sawyer, Locke, and Kate . . . naturally) and then they wait . . . in the rain. While they let the 9 month's pregnant girl who's been recently traumatized also stand in the rain. (How is this good medical practice, Jack?)

Ethan attacks and he and Jack get into another fight. But this time Jack bests him and all looks well . . . until SHOTS FIRED! We all assume that Sawyer did it because . . . well, Sawyer. But it was Charlie Pace, out of nowhere, picking up Jack's dropped gun.

Goodbye Ethan. Now Charlie has proven himself to be a trustworthy caretaker.

Wait .  . . what? If this works and if Claire thinks that Charlie is a good dude, then that imaginary peanut butter must have been really tasty.

*NOTE: We've got the same sort of copier at MY office. But I've never thrown up in it before.

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