'Lost' Has a Repeat Tonight, but May 4's 'The Candidate' Focuses on Jack & Locke

While tonight’s episode of Lost is a repeat of the Richard episode -- "Ab Aeterno" -- the fresh episode next week on May 4, is called, “The Candidate” and, according to TV.com, it’s about, “Jack's suspicions about Locke make his decision more difficult after he is asked to complete a difficult task.”

The TV Fanatic added that, “Jack's questions about Locke grow this week, as he's asked to complete a difficult task.” (Among the interesting photos TV Fanatic has posted for "The Candidate" is the one on the left where Kate’s reaching through the bars.)

What to make of this episode description? Will the “difficult task” be killing someone? Jailing Kate in those cages again?

Could it really be that Jack -- the one whose last name is Shephard -- is THE candidate to replace Jacob, finally achieve redemption and prove that he has what it takes, or, because he seems like such an obvious choice, is he just a red herring? (When discussing who could possibly be Jacob's final replacement with my spouse, I floated Desmond's name but he said, "Desmond is kind of like Switzerland. Desmond's just neutral.")

In the meantime, ABC’s latest promo is supposed to suggest what, that the Man in Black/Smoky Locke’s soul is what, on fire, all messed up? Now there’s a news flash for ya. . .



Image credit: ABC via TV Fanatic.

'Lost:' 'Everybody Loves Hugo' (Even When He Tells a Fib . . . Unless You're Richard Alpert)

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the latest episode of Lost.*

I’m really getting into the glimpses of the post-crash Lostie lives bleeding into the consciousness of the uncrashed Losties in their sideways flashes. It's very encouraging.

Last week, the sideways-flashing Desmond Hume got glimpses of his life on the island and his experiences with Penny Widmore only after he was submerged in the water during his car accident (caused by Charlie Pace, he of the "Not Pennys Boat" message on his hand), as well as when he shook hands with Penny.

Charlie Pace had flashes of the woman he believes he's meant to be with (the assumption is that he saw Claire) when he was choking on the bag of heroin when his Oceanic 815 flight experienced turbulence, only to be brought back to consciousness by Jack Shephard who saved him.

Daniel Faraday Widmore got them when he saw someone we can only assume was Charlotte, but we don’t know a lot of the details.

Libby had one when she saw Hurley on a TV ad for his restaurant chain, Mr. Cluck. Hurley had his when Libby -- whom he encountered by “accident” in a restaurant after he was stood up by a blind date -- kissed him during a beach picnic, which was ironic because the post-crashed Hurley and Libby never got to enjoy their picnic on the island because Michael shot Libby.

Meanwhile, I’m also in love with the idea of Desmond, in his suave duds and shades, tracking down the Oceanic 815 passengers in the sideways-flashing alternate universe and prodding them – Jacob-like – into uncovering their hidden memories (if that’s what they are, memories) of their island/post-crash experiences. This is, to me, a very promising development.

As for Hurley – who was the main focus of this episode – I found it curious that in both of his realities, he’s behaving differently than the Hurley we’ve come to know and love. The Hurley in the sideways flash is a successful businessman and a respected philanthropist. The Hurley in the post-crash/post-Jughead life is asserting himself like a leader, blowing up the Black Rock wreck (after which I think the unhinged Richard needed a sedative, or 10), even lying about seeing Jacob and saying that Jacob told them to find Locke and walk right into the arms of the Man in Black. Surprisingly, Jack trusted Hurley, even when he too suspected that Hurley was lying. (Is this a step Jack needs to take -- submission -- in order to become the new Jacob, as I’m guessing he’ll wind up being?)

Three major unexpected turns which I didn’t see coming in “Everybody Loves Hugo:” 1) Ilana blowing up. 2) The Man in Black/Smoke Monster/Locke chucking Desmond down a well (kinda wish it was a rabbit hole, to go along with the Alice in Wonderland analogy the show’s been milking) and lastly 3) The shocking episode capper with the sideways-flashing Desmond intentionally running down wheelchair-bound John Locke with a car at high speed as Locke was in the school parking lot heading to his own car. My mind melted at that point as teacher Ben Linus (who killed Locke in the post-crash world) hovered over sideways-flashing Locke who was bleeding on the pavement.

Oh, and we learned, via “Ghost” Michael, that the other “ghosts” who whisper in the jungle are “stuck” on the island a direct result of something they'd done . . . like in purgatory. “We’re the ones who can’t move on,” Michael said.

So what does that mean for the likes of Walt, who wasn’t dead when Locke saw him while he was lying in the pit of Dharma employee remains after being shot by Ben? Or when Walt appeared to Shannon? Certainly Walt didn't do anything which would warrant him being stuck on the island. And why would people saw “ghosts” off the island, like Hurley seeing Charlie at the mental hospital and Jack seeing his dad in the hospital lobby? Can the ghosts travel off the island AND still be stuck there?

Quotes of note:

“Do you believe that two people can be connected, like soul mates?” Libby to Hurley.

“That happen a lot? Dead people yelling at you?” Miles to Hurley. Hurley replied, “Dead people are more reliable than the live people.”

“If that thing leaves the island, that’s it, it’s over,” Richard said of Man in Black/Smoke Monster/Locke. When asked what “it” was he replied, “Everything.”

What did you think of “Everybody Loves Hugo”? About the revelation that the ghosts are “stuck” on the island because of what they did? The new development that the post-crashed/post-Jughead experiences are bleeding into the consciousness of the uncrashed Losties? Desmond running down Locke?

Image credit: Mario Perez/ABC.

'Lost's' 'Happily Ever After' is Just What I've Been Waiting For

*Warning: Spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Lost.*

This

is why

I love Lost.

We went back to the stadium where Jack and Desmond initially met eons ago, in the “Man of Science, Man of Faith” episode.

We saw Daniel Faraday Widmore, wearing the same kind of skinny black tie, that stringy hair and carrying a notebook.

There was Penny with her radiant smile.

Oh, and Eloise was there too and she was married to Charles Widmore.

There was a flash of Charlie’s hand, as he was drowning in the Looking Glass station, with, “Not Pennys Boat” written in pen. His band Drive Shaft's hit song.

Charles Widmore shared that super-expensive 60-year-old scotch with Desmond, the one he wouldn’t pour for Desmond back in the “Flashes Before Your Eyes” episode when Desmond asked Widmore for permission to marry his daughter Penny and Widmore told Desmond he wasn't worth it. But, in the life of a sideways-flashing Desmond, Widmore said, as he gave Desmond the liquor, “Nothing’s too good for you.”

And there was a white rabbit.

This is what I’ve been hoping this final season would be like. Just like this. Things tying back around to earlier Lost threads. Gave me the warm and fuzzies.

Loved hearing sideways-flashing Charlie talking about life's choices and truth and what's real, and Desmond responding, “There’s always a choice, brutha.”

Eloise, seemingly clued-in to all this alternate universe/sideways-flashing stuff, telling sideways-flashing Desmond, who was drawn to Penny and didn't fully understand why, to stop looking for her. “It is, in fact, a violation," she said. ". . . You have the perfect life. On top of it, you’ve managed to attain the thing you wanted more than anything, my husband’s approval.”

Her musician son Daniel, who was suffering from the same sense of déjà vu as Desmond, didn’t understand why he’d written a complex equation into a black notebook, given that he’s "just" a musician. “What if this wasn’t supposed to be our life?” he asked Desmond, a twinkle in his eyes. “What if we had some other life and for some reason, we changed things? . . . I don’t want to set off a nuclear bomb, Mr. Hume, but I think I already did.”

I was loving all of this was so much that I was really disappointed to have Desmond wake up from the electromagnetic sideways-flashing experience and be back on the island with crooked-glassed Zoe, with more gun-toting people and watching “claimed” Sayid ask Desmond to come with him.

I felt thoroughly satisfied after watching “Happily Ever After,” particularly in the notion it advanced: No matter what, people who are meant to be together are going to find one another one way or another.

What did you think of "Happily Ever After?"

Image credit: Mario Perez/ABC.