snarkwifedotcom

Wow…what can one say about last night’s episode of Lost? I laughed…I cried…I yelled at the television screen for screwing with my emotions.

Damn you, JJ Abrams…damn you.

I’d already read yesterday that this would be a riveting episode but really, what episode isn’t? Last night’s episode picked up right where last week’s episode ended, with Hurley desperately trying to get Jack’s attention that Nahte Mor wasn’t on the passenger manifest.

Funny side note: some guy Google’d “Nahte Mor,” found last week’s Lost post and then posted it on ABC’s Lost message board so I had a big spike in traffic around 11 p.m. - LOL!

Anyway, Locke and Jack put one and two together and quickly determine that the last place anyone saw Ethan was near Claire and Charlie and…hey, they never came back, did they? Locke and Jack run frantically through the jungles of Oahu and locate Claire’s bag. Locke sees footprints and drag marks and quickly determines there must have been a struggle because, well, that’s what being the Regional Collections Supervisor for a box company will do for you - you can tell if people are struggling. I don’t know.

Locke and Jack get into a conversation of semantics with Locke saying, “Sayid said there were others” and Jack responding, “Sayid said we’re not alone.” Eh…potato, potahto. Jack says Sayid is injured and delirious…hey buddy, look where that kind of talk got you with Claire. She’s been kidnapped by Tom Cruise’s cousin and I don’t think that’s as sexy as it sounds. The ground has spoken and it told Jack to run off into the jungle by himself and into Jack’s Flashback Shack.

We cut to Jack in the OR, trying to save someone’s life. Daddy Dearest lurks in the background, ordering his son to call the time of death. “You do it,” he glares back.

Locke organizes a search party of himself, Jack, Kate and Boone. As they pack up though, Michael expresses interest in joining the search party after completely disregarding his son’s idea to utilize the best nose on the island…the dog’s. Duh. Michael’s more interested in proving what he can do. Gah. When Locke tells him that their party is already full and advises Michael to organize another party and head South…I chuckled because I expected Michael to go all jerky and blurt out something about The South and slavery and racism. But, he didn’t do it.

Back at Jack’s Flashback Shack, we learn the reason for Jack’s guilt over his father’s death. Basically, Jack’s responsible for the death of his dad’s career as well, which we kind of already knew. Dad went into the operating room that day “under the influence” and a conscientous nurse went and got Jack to step in. A terribly awkward, painful exchange takes place between Jack & Daddy Dearest. “How many drinks did you have at lunch, Dad?” Dad glares.

Jack’s been running in a circle like a 3-legged dog so it’s not tough for Kate and Locke to find him. However, Locke confesses that he’s been hunting and out walkabouting with Nahte Mor and nothing seemed “off.” When I heard this I thought…wait…what’s wrong with the Ominpotent One’s preydar? Locke couldn’t tell something was up? Locke then tells Jack to go back and be the doctor and let him be the hunter to which Jack replies, “Can we go now?”

Michael’s still pissy and complains to Hurley. He’s tired of being treated like a second-class citizen because “Mount Baldy can bag a bull boar.” Walt puts Michael in his place then Dad tells him not to listen to Locke…instead, stay with Hurley. There’s nothing like acting like an impudent child to get the respect of your child.

Locke and Boone find one of Charlie’s finger-gauze-thingies and Jack determines that he’s leaving a trail for them…but wait, there’s another trail! Kate pipes up that maybe a dummy trail is being set up…oops. Now everyone knows I know how to hide my movements. Boone & Locke head one way and Kate & Jack head the other.

Boone tells Locke a story of red shirts and Star Trek and the guy with the pointy ears and how the crew guys always wore red shirts…and they always got killed. “Sounds like a piss-poor captain,” Locke says to Boone’s amusement. Boone asks Locke what he does in the real world. “It’s John,” Locke says…so now I just have to call him Mr. Big. This is where Locke reveals that he used to kick the crap out of printers at Initech as a Regional Collections Supervisor. Boone doesn’t buy it, because this guy is way too savvy to have such a dorky job. “Yeah, right,” Boone mutters.

Jack is just in a mood today. He’s picking fights with Locke and now he’s harping on Kate for a little honesty. Hey kettle, meet pot. Someone should really prescribe Jack something for his anxiety. He wants to hear something “real” so Kate tells the story of her father who was stationed at Fort Lewis…Washington…they’d go hiking together…being in the woods was his religion. There. Your turn, Dr. Jack.

Meanwhile, over at Jack’s Flashback Shack, Dad has drafted the “offical report” on what happened in the operating room, which Daddy Dearest proclaims “the truth.” Jack has a serious internal struggle between doing what is right and protecting his father. What aggravated me about this scene was that once Dad realized Jack was right, Dad started backpedaling and trying to become a Model Father. He played up his Father of the Year qualities and that his son was one of the most gifted surgeons in the city because of everything Dad did, philosophizing about the “greater good” and his son’s extraordinary skills. Suck-up. Man, what a low point for Dad. You know the only reason Dad is saying all of these nice things is to save his own ass. Jack takes the bait because he’s waited his whole life to have Dad do something nice…and signs the statement. “This isn’t just my career, Jack. This is my life.” What a horrible position for a parent to put his child in. Grrr.

Sawyer finds out from Michael that Sayid’s back at camp and ignorantly calls him a Islam. Sweet. Sayid’s his own religion! Sayid expresses his regret at what, um, “transpired” and announces that he was taken prisoner by the French woman. Sayid tells his tale and Sawyer confesses to having kept the signal fire burning. Hmm.

Boone…snicker, snicker…runs a division of his mom’s bridal company and mom is, “The Martha Stewart of matrimony.” Odd, but I always thought Martha Stewart was the Martha Stewart of matrimony. Ha. Locke announces it’s going to rain in one minute. Damn if he’s not right. Boone & Locke continue on their merry way through the torrential downpour (“And that’s exactly what it looks like when it rains on the North Shore,” -UberHusband).

Back in the Totally Opposite Direction, Jack hears echoing Claire screams. He starts climbing up the mountain, Kate in tow then careens back down the mountain Romancing the Stone-style. Once at the bottom, Nahte Mor towers over him and tells him to quit following him or he’ll kill one of them. Then he kicks the crap out of Jack…in the gut, in the gut again…then in the head. Ouch. Kate doesn’t believe Jack that Nahte Rom was there and thinks he’s just taken a nasty fall.

During our final trip to Jack’s Flashback Shack, Daddy Dearest explains to the Review Board or something to that affect that the woman’s death was unavoidable…that when he arrived, the damage had been done. Turns out the woman also was pregnant…which Dr. Jack didn’t know and nailed the proverbial nail in the coffin (sorry, bad pun) for Jack. Not only had his father screwed him over, but he had continued to lie to him. The buck. Stops. Here. “I’d like to…revise my statement.”

“I didn’t come into the OR until well into the procedure. I was…warned, by one of the nurses, that my father was operating…under the influence. By the time I got there it was clear that my father was not only incapacitated, but that he had also severed the patient’s hepatic artery which in my professional opinion, caused the crisis which led to her death.”

The next scene was so hard for me. Kate and Jack come upon Charlie, hanging from a tree. He’s blindfolded and not moving. My jaw dropped open and I can’t begin to describe how I felt, what with the ominous music and the fact that Charlie wasn’t breathing. Jack gives him mouth-to-mouth and performs CPR and yells at Charlie to breathe. Nothing. Kate starts to cry. Ominous music shifts to sad music. Jack starts pounding on Charlie’s chest yelling, “COME ON! COME ON CHARLIE, COME ON!” I’m not kidding…I was thisclose to crying but thought if I did, that would mean he was really gone and I could not believe they’d off Charlie. Seriously. I don’t care if he’s come to grips with whatever was unfinished in his past and for all you purgatory theory fans out there, that would mean it was time for him to move on. I’m. Not. Ready.

Kate tells Jack to stop…that Charlie’s not coming back. Sad music shifts to…acceptance music? Jack’s not satisfied though, and starts pounding on Charlie’s chest again and sonofabitch, Charlie comes back to life! HOLY CRAP! Hopeful music! Everyone’s crying and darnit, so am I.

Charlie & Kate return to Camp Fuselage with Charlie, but Charlie’s not talking. Michael comes back from what I suspect was an uneventful trip South and asks if they found Claire. Hurley nods his head no. Jack pleads with Charlie to tell him what he remembers…where they were going…what he heard or saw. Charlie didn’t see or hear anything, though. “I don’t remember…anything. Claire. That’s all they wanted. All they wanted was Claire.” Of course, because she’s carrying Rosemary’s ClaireBaby.

Shannon is worried about Boone and Kate reassures her that Boone is safe with Locke, but I’m suspicious. I don’t know why…but I am.

Boone’s tired so he says he’s gonna head back to camp. Mr. Big tosses Boone the flashlight but completely misses Boone’s hand and instead, the flashlight lands with a steel thud on…something made of steel. What is it? Too bad, so sad…we have to wait until January to find out! Mwa ha ha!