“Everybody Loves Hugo” brought some memorable moments, from touching to downright shocking. We got a good dose of pyrotechnics, and a surprisingly blunt explanation to the perennial mystery of “the whispers.” Once again we saw some of our characters part ways, but we also saw our candidates come together sooner than we’d anticipated. And perhaps in keeping with the inherent intensity of this final season, this Hurley-centric episode was fortunately not overloaded with comic relief. Yet, on the heels of an epic Richard Alpert tale and a brain-busting Desmond episode, this week’s entry felt more like the sharp intake of breath before a grand declaration, a mechanically necessary repositioning of game pieces for the few chapters remaining ahead.
On the island, Unlocke unpacks a little bit more of his game plan… or at least fleshes out his cover story. The candidates’ return to the island was possible only together, and so then must they be reunited to leave. I’ve been wondering if Widmore’s return was to exploit the island, rather than to do the right thing… but now that Unlocke says Widmore is only after power, I’m more inclined to think he might actually be trying to save the world, after all. It seemed telling when Unlocke agreed with Desmond that the island had it in for everyone. And UnLocke, of course, had it in for Desmond. The way Terry O’Quinn’s face twitched moments before pushing Desmond down the magnetic well sent shivers down Jen’s spine. But despite Desmond’s fall, I’m confident we’re not quite done with our favorite Scottsman.
I enjoyed Hurley’s double bluff, first pretending to back Richard’s plan (only to blow the Black Rock to bits), then pretending to get direction from Jacob. It was great to see Richard called him on the ruse (“Jacob never tells us what to do”), and to see Hurley still play it cool. And in terms of repeating themes and scenarios, we again see sides chosen, and a group dividing in the forest. Miles and Ben follow Alpert, while Jack, Sun, and Frank follow Hurley. It’s a nice coincidence that Hurley’s fellow candidates chose to go with him, and that doesn’t bode well for what may be our last splinter group.
Jen is definitely warming up to Jack, though I’m not sure how to read his turn in this episode. He also knew Hurley was bluffing, but still went along with him because he’s concluded it’s time to trust other people. There are some things he can’t fix. That’s a good lesson for control-freak Jack, I suppose, but the epiphany sounds very similar to the one he had in Season 5. During his DHARMA days, he decided not to act, but rather wait for his moment. That didn’t turn out so well, so… now he’s going to take even less initiative? That’s not going to work, since Jacob told Hurley that Jack indeed has something he needs to do.
Michael’s return was odd. It provided some catharsis in his apology to Hurley, but the big “reveal” seemed really underplayed. Tonight, Hurley suddenly concludes that “the whispers” are essentially the voices of the dead “who can’t move on,” and Michael says he’s right. Is that it? The island is purgatory, after all? Over the past five seasons, there seemed to be some significance to when and where the whispers were heard (by people who don’t otherwise have communion with the dead), and a fair amount of theorizing was based on meticulous transcripts of what they were saying. My favorite theories involved DHARMA experiments or some other group of “observers,” or maybe a side-effect of time travel (or even the flash-sideways). I’m hoping there’s more to them, but probably not.
Even odder was the abrupt departure of Ilana. Kudos to the writers for avoiding another Arzt joke, but her death certainly frustrates people like me, who had just begun to accept that this “new character” was key to the bigger picture through her off-island connection to Jacob. The writers even let Ben comment on this curious development. But, he concludes, the island was merely done with her, and it will likely soon be done with everyone. We’re definitely sensing a theme, here.
And what to make of Miles? He finally has another conversation with Hurley about talking to dead people, but his own expertise is not even mentioned. And while Hurley seems to conclude that “dead people are more reliable” than the living, I’m wondering why Hurley isn’t more skeptical. His first reaction to Michael seemed the natural one. But something changed Hurley’s mind, and led him to blow up the Black Rock. What was in the bag he found in the camp? And while trying to blow up the plane was a plan that was apparently going to get everyone killed, walking right into Locke’s camp was also a heck of a gamble.
Their arrival was, in fact, foretold by Unlocke when he told Sawyer, “There’s a difference between doing nothing and waiting.” He knew the other candidates would come to him. And I was glad to see both groups reunited tonight, though. I’d assumed we’d have to wait for the finale. Can Sun and Jin’s reunification be put off much longer?
For those clamoring for a resolution to the Libby storyline, the flash-sideways in “Everybody Loves Hugo” brings direct relief. It doesn’t explain how she came to be in the institution with Hurley in the original timeline, but who cares? It was worth it to see Hurley struck by lightning in the Mexican restaurant, and to see him finally see “the truth” on their long-delayed picnic on the beach. In some respects, the flash-sideways felt like one giant checkmark on the long list of “LOST” mysteries. But Jorge Garcia and especially Cynthia Watros sold it. The date was nice, but I was actually a bit misty-eyed during the rec room scene when Libby again heard that Hurley had no memory of her. It’s hard to imagine what depth her character might have brought to the show had Libby survived beyond Season Two.
The final scene, though, was a hell of a twist. The tension was built masterfully, with Ben rightfully suspicious of a man staking out a school parking lot, and Desmond’s fixation on Locke as he wheeled his way past. Then, bam! Locke is flat on his back, in shock. I was half expecting the scene to close with a close up of his toes.
It is curious, though, that Desmond was content to subtly suggest that Hurley go with his instincts in his curiosity about Libby, but then decides to take a much more direct role in Locke’s introduction to “the truth.” Whereas Hurley’s connection with Libby echoes the “love” invoked for Charlie and Claire (and Desmond and Penny, and Daniel and Charlotte), poor Locke had to get the “near death experience” treatment instead. Presumably, “love” would be less effective for Locke, given his good relationship with Helen in the flash-sideways, but… how would Desmond know? And how is he, so far, picking out our island survivors from among the hundreds of presumably innocent or uninvolved people aboard Oceanic 815?
Notes and Notions:
- The opening slideshow, narrated by Dr. Pierre Chang, was fun. It seemed to include a few real-world photos of Jorge Garcia. He got his dog, Nunu, onto “LOST” via the shot of him in front of the Hawaiian Humane Society (its logo clearly visible). And I’d bet those were real baby pictures, too.
- I liked how even “lucky” Hurley was intimidated by talking to women, a trait that goes back to Starla at the record store in Season Two. I don’t know what happened to his blind date, Rosalita, but it was also nice to hear that Grandpa Tito is apparently still around in the flash-sideways.
- Jen loved how subtly Henry Ian Cusick played the faint moment of confusion after Desmond immediately came up with the name “Charlie” for his son when confronted by Ben.
- It’s a small thing, but I love how one of the extras (a long-haired Asian woman) looked perplexed in the scene where Hurley meets Desmond in the Mr. Cluck’s restaurant. Hurley yells, “What?” And we see her clearly reacting as if Hurley might be yelling at her, rather than Desmond. A lot of times, background extras in scenes are a little too oblivious to the action we’re watching. It was a nice touch.
- The creepy boy, who Desmond saw, is back to haunting Unlocke. His smile was disconcerting, taunting, in the same vein of his earlier admonition, “You know the rules. You can’t kill him.” The more we see of him, the more he seems like a young Jacob. Gloating Jacob.
- After Locke’s “Blow Up Everything That Can Get Us Off The Island Tour,” tonight we had the “Blow Up Everything (and Everyone) That Can Blow Up Everything That Can Get Us Off The Island Tour.”
- What is Unlocke the Wood Whisperer carving? Claire already has a crib for her scary squirrel baby. Part of me would like to see him recreate Mr. Eko’s carved “Jesus Stick.”
- Looks like Richard’s back to declaring, “We’re dead, we’re all dead!”
- Books: The Russian book Hurley found among Ilana’s belongings was “Notes from the Underground” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Wikipedia says it is considered by many to be the world’s first existentialist novel.
- Locations: The awards ceremony was filmed at the Koolau Golf Club/First Presbyterian Church in Kaneohe. The “fajita fieldtrip” to Spanish Johnny’s was filmed at Bandito’s Cantina at Pearlridge. The Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute was again the YWCA on Richards Street downtown, and Mr. Cluck’s Chicken Shack was again the Popeye’s Chicken on Dillingham Boulevard. The beach where Hurley and Libby had their date was the west end of Ala Moana Park. And the parking lot where Desmond met Ben and hit Locke was August Elementary School in Waipahu. And, of course, the slideshow included shots of the Hawaiian Humane Society, the Honolulu Zoo, and the box company exterior at Gentry Pacific Design Center.
What did you think? We’d love your thoughts for our podcast. Please comment below, and share your reaction, thoughts, theories and theories with fellow fans. Or, you can email us at lost@hawaiiup.com, or call the LOSTline at (815) 310-0808.
Leftover thought from HEA. Thie iconic “tour de stad” is yet again far from an arbitrary choice of exercises. Desmond and his counterpart Pen could have been running quarter mile laps on the oval. Instead we see them go up the stairs and down the stairs. Just like Sun staring up her fathers’ glass staircase; like all the trips up and down hatches, wells, submarine shafts; Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stairs; Jacob’s Ladder; etc.
When I was researching the proper name for this circuit (I think “tour de stad” is right, correct me if I’m wrong), I looked up “man of Science, Man of Faith” from S2 when this first happened. Desmond asks Jack why he’s running like “the Devil’s chasing him.” There has always been a plan behind this saga.
stade
Quick thoughts on theory :
Since listening to the podcast I’ve been thinking that perhaps we are dealing w/ multiple universes. Duh…I know…but what I’m saying is this : As I understand the multiverse theory it says that there are an INFINITE number of universes and there are places / worlds where we exist and where we don’t. There are worlds where you are a movie star and worlds where I was never born, etc, etc….much like in “Quantam Leap”. There are worlds in which dinosaurs still roam the earth and where Great Brittain defeated the US in the Revolutionary War.
I think that the Flash Sideways is just 1 of these other uiniverses. It’s as real as ours ; but I don’t think it is meant to be found…or at least altered. That would break the rules.
So now what….perhaps the ‘mangetic anomoly’ is the island or on the island and it’s other properties allowed DHARMA to see or prove this theory? Desmond’s ability allows his mind to travel between these two realms of existence and survive… and thus __________.
If someone wants to help run w/ this idea I would love to figure more out….thanks – Brian in Altanta ( NuckinFuts )
@NuckinFuts – that is what Desmond’s zapping reminded me of “Quantum Leap” (my favorite show back then). thx for the memory.
less than 5 hours until I’m LOST again!
@NuckinFuts – interesting bit of trivia – E from the band Eels is the son of one of the first proponents of the ‘Many Worlds’ interpretation of physics, which in turn is a fundamental building block of the multiverse view of things:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Everett
Enjoy the show! I’m 3 days behind you here in the UK!!!
So it just finished airing in Canada, and from what I’ve heard it’s the biggest “holy freaking crap” episode so far. Can’t wait to see it.
Holy shyte! Just finished watching here in Canada. I won’t give anything away, but it’s definitely a holy-freaking-crap episode. There are answers – and in classic LOST style, there are new questions. I won’t post anything else for a couple more hours, don’t want to ruin anything for anybody.
Dude.
Umm let’s soliloquy –
To see it coming, or not to see it coming; that is the bare bodkin of Desmond
That makes calamity of so long an Oceanic flight;
For who would Faraday bear, till Charlotte do come to the real reality,
But that the fear of something after death
Murders the innocent sleep,
Great nature’s second course,
And makes the Others rather sling the flaming arrows on outraged Frogurt
Than fly to Temple that we know not of.
There’s the respect must give us pause:
Wake Jack with thy knocking! Sawyer would if he couldst;
For Alpert would bear the whips and chains of time,
The Man in Black’s wrong, and Ben Linus contumely,
The rules belayed, and the quietus which their pangs might take,
In the dead waste and middle of the night, when seaside graveyards yawn
In customary shades of white and black,
But that the undiscovered Island from whose bourne no traveler returns,
Breathes forth contagion on the world,
And thus the native hue of resolution, like the poor cat i’ the adage,
Is sicklied o’er with care,
And all the clouds that lowered o’er our housetops,
With this regard our Lostie’s currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.
‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. But soft you, the fair Claire:
Ope not thy ponderous and marble jaws,
But get thee to a nunnery–go!
(My humble apologies to Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens.)
Okay, not to ruin anything, but it’s only the opening 2 minutes and…Holy Freaking Crap! This is going to be another outstanding episode.
So where do these apparitions of guidance come from? they can’t be MIB.
That was a shock. Bye-Bye Alana!
OMG WOW!!! LOL BOOOOM !!!!!! Holy Crap now that was unexpected lol. Really. This show is so unreal
OMG!
and….their coming to take me away haha their coming to take me away hoho hehe haha to the funny farm..
Desmond, you cold-blooded SOB!
HFC!!!…for an episode that at least i didn’t think had the build up..this was an incredible episode..
Yep, Mind blown! Wow!
I missed the first two minutes unfortunately. But the rest.. it just kept comin’….
Not sure if this is a spoiler, but I have a strong suspicion that the little boy in the jungle is young Desmond. I think there’s a reason why the writers never told us anything about his past.
Unbelievably powerful! What do you suppose Locke is experiencing there at the end? You can see it in his eyes – is it all coming together for him? And I have to say, that was the most intense promo to date! Willy Wonka on the boat was creepy when I was a kid but that was scarier than hell!
SPOILER ALERT!!!! Uhh… mmmm… uh… yeah… ok… alrighty… you don’t say… you got to be kidding?… right?… well, i guess so!… and there you have it, in a nutshell!
Ahhhhh! Wow!! Ugh!!!
Holy crap … holy ??? This changes everything … again 😉
I believe the young boy in this episode is definitely young MIB (check that smirk!) and the earlier lad we saw is Jacob. They’re setting us up for the episode that flashes us back to that time in their lives.
Can’t wait.
Almost too many favorite quotes to pick one but for the moment I keep hearing Hurley saying, “Dead people are more reliable than Live People”
Man In Locke was definitely not happy about Desmond not having fear. He also seemed to be hoping that Desmond knew who he really was. When Des said he was John Locke, MIL seemed disappointed.
Oh, @ James – you might be right, hadn’t thought of that. LOST can give so much and then just as easily leave us finding other possibilities.
@ Thom: Please, no mention of promos for those of us who don’t like to watch them.
If an episode ever deserved a “holy freakin’ crap” it’s this one! What I loved about this episode is that so much was going on, both on Island and Flash Sideways. I judge an episode by the time that I look at the clock to see how much time is left, and compare it to what time I guessed it was. Didn’t look at the clock until 45ish minutes into the episode, and I thought it was about 15 or 20 minutes into it. So I say this is an awesome episode!
@ Brendan, can you blame MIL for not wanting to be mistaken for Locke (who was always afraid, etc) I’m sure Desmond was told to say this to him, probably by Widmore
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I thought this episode was pretty lackluster. Aside from the whispers and the sweet Libby/Hurley interaction, there was precious little to respond to.
I’m ALL for answers, but the dialogue in this episode (particularly the whispers reveal) was borderline painful. Since when does everything need to be spelled out and stated? And who didn’t see Locke pushing Desmond down the well the second that scene started?
I’m holding out for an awesome explanation of why Desmond crashed into Locke (THAT was a HFC moment) and a stronger episode next week.
My expectations were not so high tonight and much like Illana and the BR, I was blown away.
I’m guessing Desmond hit Locke with the car so he could be taken to the hospital to meet Jack. But I’m not sure how he would know about the Jack/Locke thing.
This has got toe the biggest OMG episode yet. The biggest question will be the ramifications of what happens to Locke and Desmond. Hurley was fantastic. Your going to luv it.
This episode lends more support to those that believe Jack is the most likely Jacob replacement. He seems the one who is evolving in a more Jacob like way (letting others make their own choices and such).
@Athens, my guess, too. The big Hospital rendezvous is approaching, it would seem.
By the way, if anyone wants the song to tonight’s promo, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ9JT1WOGjk (Pendulum: Through The Loop )
Holy freakin’ crap!
So many awesome moments…that last one seemed to come out of nowhere…
…and I thought the promo for next week was really creepy, too. (I know, never rely on the ABC ad execs to give a relevant promo, but still….it left an impression.)
Desmond looked pissed when he ran over Locke, like he hated his guts, I dont think it was just to make Locke meet Jack again, I think there was something else we dont know about yet
Amazing episode. We clearly now know that only those who have died on the island can force the connection to those in the alt…other than Desmond and death in one world is what makes that connection. We now know what the whisperers are and it makes sense. I was sad to see Ilana die without much of her story told. But Desmond falling into the well where the wheel resides cannot be a good thing for the MIB. I was surprised not to see the scene with Hurley and the new numbers as was so leaked on many sites. I wonder if we’ll still see that. It was great to see Libby and Hurley in love. I really liked this episode.
I am wondering why did Jack look so worried when he looked at “Locke”?
@gene e…i’ll second that motion
excuse me..coming through..
@Stacey: Agreed on the ABC promo. Was it me or did that gunfire from Sayid’s gun look horribly edited/photoshopped?
OK, you MUST listen to this:
#1 the song that Ben is heard “singing” during the preview of next week is from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that not only talks about “the fires of Hell are growing”, but the movie reference is a great hit, because the entire movie is about following the rules that have been laid out…very simple rules, but they must be obeyed. For the kids in the movie that follow the rules, Charlie(interestingly enough) they are given a paradise, where everything is at their disposal. Compare that to The Garden of Eden, where God gave Adam and Eve everything, but laid out one simple rule to follow and when they gave into temptation, they brought sin into the world. The connections here are endless.
#2 UnLocke (the Devil) feels threatened by Desmond, because he(the Devil) derives his power from the fear that he senses in people and Desmond feels no fear. When someone is fearful or unconfident they can be manipulated and convinced to follow paths that they would normally not follow. Because Desmond doesn’t WANT anything, UnLocke has no leverage with him…think Psalm 23 “I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righeousness for His name’s sake. EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME, YOU PREPARE A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Also, hearing Michael mention that “they”( the ones that have done wrong) are stuck on the island sounds alot like the Catholic idea of purgatory. Way back when we first met Ben and he held up the ID with the name of Henry Gale, if you Google the address that was on the ID you will find that about a block away is a real park named…..wait for it…..Purgatory Park.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
EricInOhio
Don’t read this if you have not seen tonight’s episode. It is seems likely that Desmond knows what is going on now in both realities as they happen. The island Desmond did not seem to know who the island Locke really was and thus why the sideways Desmond would try to hurt the sideways Locke (knowing the island Locked wanted to hurt/kill Desmond). Lapidus going with Sun, Hurley and Sun gives hope that Lapidus will fly the good guys off Hydra island eventually. Does not seem likely though that Richard, Ben and Miles are headed for any good outcomes though. It seems for sure with Libby aware of her alternate realty that now all people who died on the island alive in the sideways world are able to re-connect with their island memories somewhat easily (Libby, Charlie, Faraday) and before those still alive and on the island are able to.
@ John Fischer – why then do you think Sayid was not affected by Nadia or Keamy? Could it be because Sayid is also “dead” (at least to ‘feeling'”?
Holy cow. Not just another HFC episode, it was intensely beyond HFC. I get the feeling that the upcoming war is going to be more than just Widmore vs. whomever, Jacob vs. Flocke, et al, it’s going to be one alternate universe vs. the other alternate universe.
Agree with Bonita in Atlanta on the quote.
On previous podcasts it was mentioned that no one ever took Flocke’s hand when he offered it, except Desmond did tonight. It seems clear to me that Desmond is acting with a purpose and I think he is the only one who knows what the final outcome is to be, not what it should be or what some one wants it to be. That’s why he has no fear and why he takes Flocke’s hand.
Regardless, there’s just way too much with tonight, it’s going to take some time to digest. I certainly look forward to Sunday and reading what everyone else has to say.
(((( SPOILER ALERT)))))
Doesn’t it seem like Jacob is “losing” here? Illana dies. Flocke gets his wishes as more of the Losties run into him. Flock gets rid of Desmond (for now). I believe this is a setup for some sort of twist later.
Desmond’s attempt to kill Locke was a left hook out of nowhere. Wow.
OMG! Why did Desmond run over Locke? This episode was GREAT! You’re right, unLocke was NOT HAPPY that Desmond did not know who he was. And what about the look that unLocke gave Jack when Jack appeared out of the jungle. I bet Jack is Jacob’s replacement and unLocke knows it. HE IS NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT!!!!
The best part of the show was when Hurley remembered being with Libby. I loved it!
@James – Sayid’s gunfire did look photoshopped, but not nearly as much as the explosion in the background behind Locke.
@John Fischer – I don’t think that’s the same well as the one with the donkey wheel. Wasn’t there more shrubbery around the donkey wheel well, and wasn’t it built with a different kind of stone?
The ebb and flows of these shows are so outstanding. While not as intense as last weeks, “Everybody Loves Hugo” was in my view a solid episode and does show, as with Sideways Hugo and Libby, the bleeding of the one timeline with the island timeline.
The fact that Unlocke threw Des down a well in the island time line and Des hit Locke with his car in the Sideways time line has to be somehow significant. Des, in the island world is practically Christlike in his calmness. I noticed that the previews show Sayid having a gun on Des while he is in the well, but I have a feeling that in the sideways timeline Des will do something with Sayid that prevents Sayid from pulling the trigger on the island.
I also imagine that when Locke gets to the hospital, at that point gunshot wound victim Sun and Jin will be there, along with Jack, and possibly Juliet (for Sun’s baby). Hey, maybe Sawyer comes by to investigate.
Finally, props to Dr. Linus, concerned Sideways citizen. I loved that Linus was there to protect the children from what he assumed was creepy predator behavior from Des. Emerson is so good in that one little scene.
One more point: Thank goodness we didn’t have to hear “Where’s my husband?” from Sun when she arrived at UnLocke’s camp. I guess if we did hear it, it would have been in Korean.
My co-worker Bonnie on About.com’s LOST site said this and I think she may be right on target as to why Desmond ran over Locke in the car at the end of this episode – “Here’s my theory: Desmond needs to give Locke a near death experience so that he can remember the island and Man in Locke will start to lose his hold on Locke’s body. Locke will slowly start to come back until Man in Locke no longer exists and the island (the cork) will be saved!”