It was great to finally get a little back story on the Man in Black, even if it was vague. The not so subtle comparison of his relationship with his crazy mother and Claire's situation with Aaron will give fans plenty to speculate about over the course of the next week. I've never bought into the "Aaron is this or that person all-grown-up on the island" theories, but this comparison does remind us that Claire's son is important. Something that we've been led to believe ever since Claire's visit with a psychic way back in Season 1. It will be interesting to see if these similarities between Aaron and Smokie evolve into anything more.
As discussed in previous reviews, I've become quite fascinated with how both Jacob and the Man in Black have treated their respective followers. While Jacob has kept many secrets from those around him, the Man in Black has been quite open with his followers. His reveal to Sawyer about being the Smoke Monster and admitting to the murder of those who remained in the temple didn't come as that much of a shock. He's been completely honest so far and it has worked for him; why change now? For something so vicious and evil, MiB is polite to those who have decided to stay with him and his quest is noble – freedom. If it wasn't for the mass murder I'd be hard pressed to find a reason not to follow this man.
One moment that I found quite interesting was MiB's conversation with Kate before showing her Hydra Island. He reached down and offered her a hand to help her up and the most awkward smile came across his face. There was something about O'Quinn's performance here that seemed like he was trying to portray an unnatural action. It was as if the smile was forced. I know its a strange moment to focus on but his smile in this scene really caught my eye as something unusual.
Sayid says little this week but his actions (or lack thereof) frightened me. He wasn't the most jubilant character prior to dying, but now he's devolved into nothing more than a zombie. His face is completely void of any character or emotion and his inaction while Kate was being attacked by Claire spoke volumes. I don't want to believe that Sayid will remain this way for the rest of the series and I'm still hoping that he will redeem himself at some point, but this is truly a frightening turn for the character.
Emilie de Ravin is doing some great work with Claire this season. Her emotional roller coaster ride this week took her from raving lunatic to slightly subdued lunatic and ultimately to apologetic lunatic. Early in the episode, when everyone is gathering around to hear Smokie's speech, Claire throws the most hateful glare towards Kate from the the corner of her eyes. I can only imagine what the character was thinking at that point. Going from that to Claire's heartfelt apology was quite a change over the course of a single episode, but coming from someone who is completely insane, that isn't unexpected. I do hope that Claire's acceptance of Aaron's fate doesn't mean she'll abandon her creepy surrogate for the child anytime soon. It needs to be packaged in with the series box set!
Sawyer's reconnaissance mission on Hydra Island (I love that name) wasn't as gripping as I'd hoped but we do get a glimpse at Charles Widmore's team and we learn what they have planned for Ol'Smokie. The fact that Widmore's group is working against the Smoke Monster is a huge deal in itself. He's a man we know can't be trusted yet he appears to be working for the "good guys." We will just have to wait and see but at this point I'm with Sawyer; trust no one.
It's good to see that Sawyer's years spent as head of security for DHARMA haven't softened his senses one bit. Alternate universe Tina Fey's "Zoe" (Sheila Kelley) persona was no match for Sawyer's bulls**t meter and his game plan for getting off the island brings back memories of the exceptional con artist we knew from the first couple of seasons. Of course, Sawyer was never playing for any team other than his own from the beginning and part of me wonders if he still has one last long con left in him that we're not being made aware of yet.
We once again take a little stroll down memory lane with Sawyer rediscovering the cages that he and Kate were held in during the start of Season 3. It seems that each week the showrunners are giving a little shout out to memorable moments from previous seasons. Considering how much they already have to pack into this final season, these extra moments are simply icing on the cake.
This week's flash-sideways was full of surprises. Having the opening play out as if Sawyer was pulling his classic con stunt only to reveal that he is really a cop was a great trick. The rest of alternate Sawyer's story revealed a man with a very similar attitude to his con artist counterpart. He's still a womanizer and still plans on hunting down Anthony Cooper, the man responsible for the death of his parents.
Sawyer reveals that at one point he had a decision to make between becoming a crook or criminal, I would have really liked it if the story expanded on this pivotal moment on Sawyer's life. A follow up scene explaining what exactly that turning point was would have been incredibly important to developing both versions of Sawyer. Both of these versions of Sawyer suffered the same tragedy, so what makes them different? That to me is one of the keys to this season. Maybe it's something we aren't meant to know yet?
Charlotte's appearance was a bit of a throwaway but it was good to see Rebecca Mader who was looking quite stunning. Neither Charlotte nor Miles mention the island this week and Miles makes no mention of his father's fate. With time running out, I'm curious to see how much time will be dedicated to revisiting these alternate universe characters to find out more of their story. I'd love to know if Miles can still hear the thoughts of the dearly departed in the alternate universe or if Kate and Sawyer hit it off just like the did on the island.
