The mythology fans are probably howling at the moon, but as character-focused episodes go, we liked it a lot. Probably more than we should. We actually didn’t learn too much new about Hurley, or the island, and the whole Dave plot was one big ruse (practically a direct poke in the eye for the “it’s all someone’s dream” conspiracy theorists). Obviously there are a lot of clues and revelations in store as the season wraps up, so despite the fact that this week’s episode wasn’t particularly enlightening, it was a fun ride. Even if you spoiled yourself silly.
So we learn what led Hurley to be institutionalized, and exactly why his food addiction and weight issues are so deeply ingrained. On one hand, it’s clear he’s not quite cured, but on the other… hey, he got the girl. So what if she’s also loony toons? And we liked the Dave bits, too— you might have suspected he wasn’t real as soon as you saw him snubbed on the basketball court, but the slipper and coconut still kept us guessing. And the conversation where Dave explains how everything since Santa Rosa is all in Hurley’s head? He made a pretty damn good case. I mean, those numbers? The lottery, and the button? Really.
I suspect more than a few viewers were on the verge of exploding.
So you had a dash of “The Sixth Sense” (but we were spared the melodramatic “gotcha” montage), “Identity” (Dave has got to be modeled after Malcom Rivers), and finally, “Vanilla Sky” (but with a cliff instead of a high rise). And it all adds up to squat, we know, but c’mon. Hurley kicked Sawyer’s ass.
Sayid nearly killed Henry (which would’ve prompted some fans to riot, after Ethan also took answers to his grave), but Ana Lucia deflected the shot. Echoes of the moment Sayid saved Locke from Shannon’s rage. And Mr. Eko is infuriatingly silent about what he’s building (though it’s not a Starbucks). Not sure what he was doing with the water, but Jen the Catholic insists it was not the Sign of the Cross.
For the clue-hunters, there were still a few good nuggets to chew on. First and foremost, Henry’s reference to a “he,” which Sayid caught, and the confirmation that Zeke is not the man in charge (something Zeke himself implied when scolding Ethan). Weirdly enough, I’m now actually open to the possibility that Henry wasn’t originally an Other… but that he’s definitely linked with them now, willingly or unwillingly.
Secondly, Henry asserts that God can’t see the island any better than anyone else. Why can’t anyone else see the island?
Finally, you have Henry’s assertion that the bunker is a “joke,” and that nothing happens when the timer runs down. Of course, lots of folks doubted the button did anything. But now that Henry’s saying that, we’ve got to doubt that doubt.
Notes and Notions:
- What does Libby’s presence in the institution mean? Evidence that she’s up to something, either stalking Hurley or even tracking Lenny for the Hanso Foundation? Or was it just another survivor flashback “crossover,” like the dozens that have come before, except for once someone had an inkling of recognition? The fact that this reveal closed the episode, rather than the truth about Dave, makes me suspect the former.
- Hurley went to Sawyer for medication. Jen noted that Sawyer should have surrendered all the drugs to Jack. Then again, it would be just like Sawyer to neglect to mention it, meanwhile prying for more information.
- In a moment of panic, fearing Sayid would shoot him, Henry blurts out that he can’t be killed because he’s not a bad person. Not only does this continue the “good person”/”bad person” distinction, but it shows that Henry deeply believes that no harm should or could actually come to a “good person” like him.
- Sometimes, the writers throw in dialogue to prove some semblance of common sense, like the sudden chat about the food drop, a possible plane flyover, and its connection to the blast doors. Maybe such “grounding” wouldn’t be so jarring if our survivors thought and talked about their circumstances more often.
- Hurley dragging Sawyer back into the tarp was funny. Jin laughing as he watched was hilarious.
- Dave says, “See you in another life.” That, of course, was also Demond’s parting line. The fact that he said it before jumping off the cliff is a pretty direct link to “Vanilla Sky,” in which David says the same thing before leaping off the skyscraper. “Vanilla Sky” was about life extention, one of the projects of the Hanso Foundation. (Someone at The Fuselage reminded everyone that Nadia’s letter to Sayid also ended with a similar sentiment.)
- Charlie joked that Mr. Eko was building a Starbucks. Someone actually tossed out that thought on a message board a couple of weeks ago.
- Hurley joins the growing list of survivors directly responsible for the death of others. Unless you already counted the “eight something” people who died at his Canadian sneaker company.
- Numbers: There were 23 people standing on a deck built to hold eight people when it collapsed.
- Hurley’s doctor had a huge picture of a tropical island on his wall, which could have been another exhibit in Dave’s list of reasons why the island isn’t real. But since it is, maybe sometimes a picture is just a picture.
- The real Henry Gale wrote a note to his wife Jennifer on a $20 bill. Yes, it was a “new” $20 bill, issued in mid-2003.
Links:
- “Dave” discussion threads at The Fuselage and Lost-Forum.com
Vanilla Sky anyone? Open your eyes, Hurley. Abre Los Ojos.
for 58 1/2 minutes..I was disappointed..for the last..3 minutes…stunned…I have no idea what to make out of this. Except for the last few minutes, I have no idea what this has to do with them on the island..someone PLEASE inform me!!
Seems like another interlude…obviously “Henry” plays some pivotal role. Was he sent by the Others as a pawn/distraction, and what does he know about the operation (alot it would seem).
I can’t wait to find out more about Libby as the Hibby relationship is explored, haha. (Or is it Hurleby?)
And what of Dave? Was he a possibly generated hallucination, like Jack’s father, etc. or is Hurley losing it. And if he is, why has he not been seeing things earlier?
Another EXCELLENT clue we got was Henry’s talk with Locke. God nor the rest of the world can see the island? Reminds me of the comic book…
For what this episode lacked to me in depth, it made up for in suspense.
What if everyone was in the psych ward and are all just imagining being stranded on the island, due to some kind of magic drug the doctors are giving them!
Well, after that episode, I’m quite frankly lost. I mean, it was a nice character building episode, but I not exactly sure about a few things. Obviously Hurley was seeing Dave, there’s not doubt about that, but what is up with that ending? Not the best episode of Lost, but I must say, I am really interested in seeing Libby’s past now.
I wish they would have focused some more attention on Henry and the hatch, but I understand that they only have 42-45 minutes per episode and there’s a lot of information to over in that short amount of time.
We learned that our early suspicions about the button being pushed every one hundred and eight minutes was really just a Skinner box. [The Others just keep on watchin’ those lab rats pushing them buttons].
Also confirmed how a decent looking woman (like Libby) would have to be crazy to fall for Hurley—this makes perfect sense now since we learned that Libby was actually another mental patient in Hurley’s ward.
It’s strange how Hurley’s imaginary friend, Dave, said “see you in another life.” I’m at a loss on how Hurley, through his imaginary friend, Dave, knew about that expression.
Finally, our captive Other (formerly known as Henry Gale) lets on that the Others have just as little information about the nature of the island as our Losties do. (Well maybe a little more at best).
I believe Desmond said “See you in another life” to Jack. Plus, it’s a line in Vanilla Sky. 😉
Windsurfer_NYC,
Neither Hurley nor his imaginary friend, Dave, were with Jack and Desmond when Desmond made his remark to Jack for the second time, “See you in another Life.” The first time was when when both Jack and Desmond were running together in Los Angeles. I’m doubltful if Hurley actually saw “Vanilla Sky,” since the Film didn’t do all that well at the box office (plus Hurley wasn’t much of a go out of the house kinda guy–he prefeered to stay home, watch TV, and stuff his face.:)
Interesting ending, so-so episode. I was hoping for better given last week’s show was so good. Does Dharma recruit the people who they bring to the island? Do they have people in the outside world who select and manipulate people to arrive at the island? I’m wondering if perhaps Libby is a Dharma plant at Santa Rosa, working to steer Hugo to the island. Likewise, perhaps the ‘psychic’ got Claire onto the plane etc. etc. Cryptic interchange about God and the island…don’t some people say that hell is where God is not, and if God can’t see the island, maybe it’s hell, or maybe it is not somewhere that exists in the natural world…stumped on that one a little. Who is “He”. Again, a good ending because more questions are raised than answered. What preview did everyone see, I heard that the ones we see in Canada are sometimes different than elsewhere…Here they showed some creepy shots of Henry smiling as Jack was captured in a net after ‘crossing the line’…looked like another good one. (Oooh! Maybe they’ll kill Jack! That would be nice.)
It’s obvious that Libby was aware of who Hurley was prior to arriving on the island. She was practically staring at him when Hurley was having his picture taken. She was on medication and looked rather crazy too!! I think the writers are trying to distract us with the whole Vanilla Sky theme. Just another theory to add to the rest!!
Good point Mike….. Do you think that Libby really likes Hurley, or is she using him for some reason? Remember the laundry room. She was pretty obvious then: she wanted to get Hurley’s attention. At least we know now that she really isn’t a psychologist.
By the way…. was this more Vanilla Sky, or The Sixth Sense? Or maybe is was A Beautiful Mind?
Id say is was almost Identity laiden themes.
That is what I would call a filler episode. They continue their pattern of one great episode and then one mediocre episode at best. We didn’t learn anything we didn’t already know other than that Libby was a patient at the mental hospital and even that was highly suspected by alot of people, especially after that photo was circulated around the internet.
They almost completely ignored the “Henry Gale” story and they failed again to interogate him to great length. What are they waiting for before they get him to tell them something?
I really hope they pick it up again next week.
L8R
I liked it alot… I can’t wait to read what Ryan has to say about it.
I never saw Vanilla Sky. What was it about (that compares to Lost)?
Does anyone think something is up with the doctor in the psych ward? There was a major focus on his keys in two different scenes. I went back and looked at them and they are the same type of key ring that Ethan had in the pregnancy examination scene. Remember that Ethan’s keys had the Dharma logo on them.
Also there was something written on the top of his camera but I had a hard time making it out.
Erika and CandianMike,
I don’t know that we can assume anything about Libby. Who’s to say she’s not a psychologist or an other. Who better to pose as a psych patient than a psych professional. It’s a great way to be able to get inside and observe Hurley if they were trying to manipulate or study him before directing him to the island. Maybe Libby is D.I. Field agent assigned to Hurley. Hey LostHSV, are you able to get screen caps of that camera or the keys? Did you notice a logo on his keys?
I’m not able to get screen caps but I’m sure there is some smart individual who could. However both the doctor’s and Ethan’s key had the same key tag which was a round black and white thingy. We know that Ethan’s was a Dharma tag. It seemed that the producers wanted us to notice the doctor’s keys in the Dave episode….so I did.
Did anyone notice the markings on Daves hand when he was with Hurley in the Jungle? It looked like either a tatoo or reminents of black smoke.
I have a theory about Henreys comment about God not being able to see the Island any more than anyone else can is a reference to the powerful magnetic properties on the island. Remember the piolot siad that his instuments show they were hundreds of miles of course. And the compass Locke gave Sayid was always off by several degree’s and would not point north. So maybe that means the island is not so much invisible as it is very difficult to locate scince all navigational instuments will malfuntion when brought into close proximity to the island. Something under the hatch is covered in layers of concreate, but is still strong enough to lift the key off off of Jack’s neck. And what is marked by the ? on last weeks map? I wonder if there is a meteorite buried down there? Well, its’ just a theory.
I don’t think Hurley “got the girl” – as they are walking away hand-in-hand she had a decidedly uncomfortable, not-in-love look on her face. Quite suspicious since the next scene is of her in the institution.
To add to michael8’s comment, my friend Sarah and I think that this magnet thing was put there by Dharma, and that the purpose of entering the numbers every 108 minutes is to charge up the magnet to keep it really strong. That’s all the Swan hatch is there for. So pushing the button is helping to keep people from finding the island.
I have to disagree with you catapult. I don’t think the look of worry on Libby’s face was a “not-in-love” look. What happened was Hurley asked her, “Do you really think people can change?” and she said, “Yeah, I do.” I think she made the face because she just said it to make Hurley feel better. She does really like him and she just wants him to calm down and she probably would have said anything to get him to walk back to the beach with her. We’ve been seeing a lot of those “final looks” lately – for example, with Sun, after telling Jin that the baby was his…a lot of little white lies have been told lately to protect people from the truth, methinks.
I agree with Paul’s comment that we can’t assume Libby is not a psychiatrist, just because she is a patient in the psych ward herself. Even psychiatrists can lose it now and then.
Just wondering, but Libby said she found Hurley on the cliff b/c Jin saw him there while he was fishing. How did Libby get up the mountain so fast? She must have been following him.
Not sure what all the negative feedback about the Dave episode. I thought it was pretty deep and opened up several areas. We find out a bit about Libby’s background (mental hospital). Is Libby a psychologist who went nuts, or did she learn psychology from being in the hospital?
We have the reason for Hurley to be in there (deck collapse; 23 and 8 – the numbers).
The fake Henry reveals some info about the Others and that he “may not be one of them”, but knows about them. Q-is he one of Dharma, like the girl who let Claire free? (maybe the French woman’s daughter? He reveals about the other (man) voice, who is head dude of the Others (scene with Claire in the island med clinic; man without beard talking to him). He tells Locke that “he never pushed the button”. You could see that this shock Locke’s faith in the hatch and the button.
All in all, a LOT of good information and twists to the story line.
Did anybody think that the Psychiatrist resembled “Henry” a little bit? It’s hard to tell since “Henry” is so banged up now. Just wondering if anyone else noticed it.
Nah, the psychiatrist was played by Bruce Davison (the senator from X-Men) and Henry’s played by Michael Emerson (who was in Saw, among other things).
LostHSV: I went back and freeze framed both scenes with the keys in and I don’t think they’re the same keyring. In the shot where Ethan unlocks the medicine cabinet the keyring spins around and has the same logo on both sides. The keyring on the psychiatrist’s table was definitely plain black on one side and looks like the other might have been polished metal – maybe a car logo or a compass.
Now I think I should stop being so obsessive about Lost and get some fresh air :/
Actually, I think the keyring on the psychiatrist’s keys was one of those spring-loaded belt clip things.
The sticker on the camera says “Santa Rosa”, by the way.
Now I’m definitely going out!
I’m not sure I understand all the grumbling above. I thought this was a solid B/B+ episode. Then again, I’m a Hurley guy.
I like that the show’s writers seem to be paying attention to the theorists out there and systematically picking apart their speculation. Last week’s episode (e.g. Henry Gale isn’t lying… no, wait, he is) was a great example. This one a little less so as the “it’s all in Hurely’s mind” (my prevailing theory after season 1) gets blow away.
My deep thoughts:
1) How do we know that it’s not still all in Hurley’s mind? If we believe that him seeing Dave (not me) was imagined, how do we know that the whole series wasn’t? (Yes, it’s a reach. But perhaps Hurley has just traded one delusion for another. He did have the comic book — referenced above — with an island under a geodesic dome with a polar bear. Maybe all the Losites are comic book characters.)
2) I am disappointed with the explanation of Hurley’s mental illness. He is apparently psychotic, but was committed to the hospital for catatonia. I was thinking that he would be bullemic (food binging, possibly with the purging, hence the name “Hurl-ey” that is referenced as a nickname with a “long story” behind it in season 1). Oh well.
3) I like the ambiguity surrounding “Henry Gale.” We don’t know if he and the Others are Dharma (running the show), or part of a big Skinner-type experiment (just subjects). His behavior in this episode could suggest either. It’s also completely ambiguous in my opinion as to whether Henry pushed the button (and told Locke he didn’t — he likes screwing with Locke) or not. Could be further fuel for the argument that this is all some Skinner box experiment. Look at what happened when they were rewarded with food and the social heirarchy that developed.
4) The whole Libby in the psych ward thing. I don’t buy it. Libby says she went to med school and dropped out, then became a clinical psychologist. Maybe she had a schizophrenic break in med school, was committed, and then decided she wanted to help people and became a psychologist. Maybe. But I have to assume the training for that is at least 2-3 years. Not that much time went by… maybe Libby is lying about being a psychologist?
Overall I liked the episode and am psyched for next week. I’m also curious what Eko is building…
I think Eko is building a curch. cause of his whole religion thing.
Eko & Charlie are building a church. It says so in the “Lost Diary” on the ABC website.
Loved the episode.
One funny little thing. On the box of non-Oreos that Sawyer was destroying before he was so beautifully pulverized by Hurley were the words “fully hydrogenated.” No significance, no mythology, i htink, just funny. That is the sort of thing I love about this show, the amazing attention to detail. This series has advanced the art of TV writing, driven by and taking advantage of current video recording technology and fans who scrutinize it frame by frame and then talk about it with each other all over the world via the internet. I am old enough to still find that amazing. Of course, sometimes the level of criticism on these boards seems ridiiculous to me (“you know, minute 23 to minute 25.6 was a little slow…”), but it just goes to show how engaged by all of this we are.
What’s up with the previews for next week? Jack is going to try to trade Henry for Walt without torturing him for info first? Somebody get Sayid some bamboo for God’s sake!
It was not “Vanilla Sky” or “Identity.” It was “Fight Club.”
OK. It was entertaining. Jorge Garcia and Cynthia Watros were wonderful in the scene at the cliff. But this kind of deliberate “tangent episode” has got to stop. The creators of this show must know (there are all those websites and podcasts as evidence!) that the fans want, if not obvious answers, at least some kind of forward progress. The hide-and-seek that the writers are playing with the viewing audience mirrors the action on the island, but there has got to be a limit to how many games we’re willing to let them play. If it doesn’t change pronto, I believe the ratings are going to go down. The writers/producers are crying wolf, and it’s just a few millimeters away from getting tiresome. TIE UP SOME LOOSE ENDS ALREADY!!!!!
Jim would you prefer they just reveal all the answers in one episode? This is a character driven series, its not an action movie. They are peeling away this story layer by layer. This was NOT a tangient episode as you call it. It was another character driven episode that revealed more about one of the characters. A lot more I thought.
Chew your food and taste it. Don’t gulp it down.
Overall I thought the show was good. I think its foolish to think that we as viewers are going to get all of the answers that we’re wanting one after the other. I thought there was enough in this episode to hold us through another week of guessing and analyzing.
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Did anybody notice the position that we saw “henry” in when we first saw him in this episode? His head was down and his legs were together and to the left….his hands up…..it reminded me of jesus on the cross….was wondering if anyone noticed.
and what is up with libby now…hmmmm…..
max is right. it is fight club.
jim–
Two words–Twin Peaks. They told us everything we needed to know in the finale of season one. Wanna know what happened in season two? Absolutely nothing. There was no season three because nobody watched season two.
Anybody who is really into this show knows that they’re going to tell us eventually. So we go along for the ride. Isn’t if more fun to imagine the answers to all the mysteries, anyway?
This episode is telling us one of two things:
Either that it’s definitely NOT a dream, or that it is completely Hurley’s dream. I can honestly live with either one, but damn it’s interesting that they opened this can of worms. It’s completely conceivable that by the end of the series we’ll be saying “Damn, they explained everything in Season 2, Episode 18. Where was I?”.
But I doubt it.
Guys, I am not saying the whole truth (to quote an old episode title) and nothing but the truth is acceptable. But I sometimes feel the “food” we’re being asked to chew consists of table scraps. How abvout some logical continuity? The ladies found the “medical hatch”, and NOBODY talks about it afterwards! By the time we see Walt again, he’s going to have a baritone voice and a full beard! And what happened to the dog? (Just kidding.)
“anybody who is really into this show knows that they’re going to tell us eventually” I’ve got two words, too, Jen: X-Files. Need I say more? I am as dedicated as any Lost fan. I will watch it till the lights go out. But I feel like I’m being strung along by some slightly wise-ass writers and producers sometimes. Just sometimes.
Jen and Jim take heart! I think the writers are too smart for formulaic explanations and whatever seems “obvious” really isn’t.
I know what you mean, but how exactly would a conversation about the medical hatch go, though? It’s kind of irrelevant at this point. They’re dealing with not-Henry now. If they explore the hatch in any depth, they’re not going to be able to tie up the not-Henry thread in a timely manner. Sure, it might be nice if they acknowledged it on-camera, but to me, that would feel awkward.
Kate: So, Jack, Claire led us to this empty medical hatch.
Jack: Wow. Seriously?
Kate: Yeah, and now she remembers what happened to her.
Jack: Really? (pause) We’ll go find it when we figure out what to do with the scary bald man in the armory, I guess.
It would just be another thing they talk about in passing while they try to wrap up that story and figure out if he has anything to do with Walt’s kidnappers. Nobody is talking about Sun ‘s pregnancy, either, but we know it’s going to come up again.
I know what you mean about the X-Files, though, and sometimes I fear the same thing happening, but I think this show is way better in a lot of ways.
Sayid and Ana Lucia
were Playing
Good Cop
Bad Cop ..Even the Gun Shot was staged….If they keep it up he will spill whatever guts he has. I for one hope it is painful and Epic…..
it’s All About TIME TRAVEL Baby….that and the Military…
Mr Big is the Shrink at the Institute he was in X-Men 2 as a Baddie Senator….
Too much Cred to be a Spot player.
The Nut Institute is a Staging area for Drugging these People Up and “truman Style’
throwing them on an Island Faking a Crash, Head Games and Shaping an Alternative Reality.
T I M E Freakin’ Travel Man……Telling You Guys ….. Dr. Who Stuff
I’ve always thought Bruce Davison (Hurley’s shrink) was kind of creepy. If he’s not Mr. Dharma Bigwig, I will be shocked. You’re right, Jimbo; he’s not just a side character. He’ll be back in a big way.
I have to agree with Jim about our being strung along. As important as characters are to the show, I don’t think nearly as many people would be watching Lost if ‘mythic’ questions were not raised periodically. Moreover, the Twin Peaks problem is avoided if further questions are raised as old ones are answered. It takes a lot of creativity to come up with new questions which are as compelling as those we currently face, but I fear that perhaps the writers are tapped out. That might explain why their cards are being held so close to their chests, and why they are making reference to online conjecturing by fans…
Of course we don’t want the story to be given up in an instant, but every other week (when we do actually get a new episode) seems to offer only a quagmire from which the story cannot progress. The ‘punctilious character study’ defense seems weak, and I’d feel like a credulous apologist for the writers if I accepted the circumlocutions in their narrative along with the meat of the story. The writers are doing so much right; if we can tell them when they’re doing something wrong, maybe they’ll stick to the goods more often?
Jim, I have to agree with your one point about the medical hatch. I thought finding the hatch was a big deal enough, but for Kate to have found fake beards and Otherwear hanging in lockers I thought was a huge development in the plotline, and yet it is never mentioned again.