[Editor's Note: For more on ABC's Lost, check out the CL Lost Podcast.]
Shortly after Lost last night, my brother (whom I must credit with bringing me into the Lost world) summed up his thoughts on the hour in a text: "boring, filler episode." And while I disagree with the boring part, "The Package" did fall into one of two categories forming this season: filler episodes that don't forward the plot too much, but instead move around the show's pieces in an attempt to set up upcoming plotlines. The other category, of course, being action-packed episodes like "Ab Aeterno" and "Dr. Linus." But despite the fact that "The Package" was a bit slow-moving, we got to see every major character in some sort of action, and we did get a few big reveals.
For example:
Other than that, I wasn't enthralled by the Sideways story. I've long been a Sun and Jin fan or at least a Jin fan and I generally like the interaction between them. The most interesting part of their story was the fact that they aren't married, and their relationship seems a whole lot better because of it. All the more tragic then when Sun gets shot in the stomach, where she's keeping what we can presume is Jin's baby. And was anyone else surprised by Sayid's jerky reaction to Jin in the freezer? Was he just upset at everyone in that restaurant? He certainly did not seem like the sweet, Nadia-loving character we saw before. I'm even more surprised though by how Jin managed to cut himself free in time to shoot Mikhail in the eye. (Some fans on the message boards have wondered if this is somehow the cause of his eye patch when we see him on the island. I don't think the two are related by any kind of timeline; just another inevitable occurrence in both realities.)
On the island, I have to credit Matthew Fox with the best performance. Jack's scene with Sun on the beach was marvelous. It reminded us of a connection Jack and Sun once had, and showed Jack finally at peace with what's happening. The rawness of Jack is one of the things that is making him increasingly easier to like as this season progresses.
Jin's best on-island scene was undoubtedly when Widmore showed him the pictures of his daughter, Ji Yeon. It was a beautiful scene played great enough by Daniel Dae Kim to elicit some watery eyes from me. The whole idea also felt very early-Lost: a sometimes dubious character (Widmore) does a nice thing for one of the Losties that is dripping with ulterior motives. And we know what Widmore's is: He needs Jin to read a map of the island's electromagnetic spots, created by Jin and the Dharma crew in the '70s. We learn this from glasses-wearing Zoe, whose snarky, tough chick, geophysicist persona I am liking less and less as time goes on. Though I do give props to the writers for finally creating a character with glasses! How unlikely that none of the people on the original plane crash had to deal with pesky contact lens cases? Sayid was another great addition to the on-island action. Naveen Andrews is playing his soul-less, I-don't-feel-anything character pretty darn well. Plus his scene in the water was almost laughably creepy.
Which brings me to ... Desmond! Though his face was barely discernible, I enjoyed that shot of a drugged up, very confused Desmond. And I'm quite curious about what he is going to be able to do for Team Widmore. Another interesting idea from last night: The fact that the pylons and perhaps the pockets of electromagnetism can somehow keep Smokey contained, or control him. Could part of the mythology behind this man-turned-to-pillar-of-smoke be explained with physical/scientific ideas?
One last note: It's interesting that Sun wasn't as quick to trust Smokey/Locke as the others have been, even though he is offering her what she wants most. Maybe it's because she thinks she can find Jin herself, since he's on the island? Unlike Sayid, who longs for Nadia but knows she is dead, or Claire, who wants Aaron back but believes he is off the island and out of her reach without the help of Smokey. It seems Sun hasn't given up all hope yet of finding what is most important to her. I just hope the lovers aren't destined to be remain apart. Oh, and I absolutely loved when Sun told Richard that she was there to find her husband, not "save the damn world." Too bad he couldn't understand her.
More next week, on "Happily Ever After," written by executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.
Mythology/Allusions/Fun Facts:
Favorite line: I guess no one told it it was supposed to die." -Jack, referring to a lone tomato that survived in Sun's garden. The phrase seems to be alluding to the numerous times we've heard characters, especially Jack, been told what they are/aren't supposed to do.
Questions: (Add yours to the Comments section!)