Oh my word, y'all - it feels like a hundred years since my last show recap. Pluswhich, I'm all exhausted and my throat is killing me and I'm coughing non-stop and all this red wine I'm drinking is just not helping as much as I thought I would. Mr. Mouse wanted me to just go to bed since I'm sick but I said NO I must tell the people what happened on Lost tonight. And so, here it is - enjoy. (I liked the plentiful Sawyer but we need more Sayid already!)
Ajira flight, pre-crash: the Losties look nervous while everyone else looks tired. Up in the cockpit, the co-pilot bends Frank Lapidus’s ear about recognizing Hurley and how brave he is - as an O6er – to be back on a plane. Frank is laconic at best. Then they hit some turbulence, Frank turns on the “fasten seat belts” sign, Hurley pulls his mask over his eyes and then all hell breaks loose. “Uh-oh,” says Frank. In the cabin, flight attendants are being tossed around the cabin and a bright light – like the one accompanying the time-jumps on the Island - flashes. Suddenly, it all goes silent. Frank stares at the cockpit controls: we’ve lost power. And they are heading right for an island: “Is that a runway?” shrieks the co-pilot. It sure looks that way, and Frank is a total superhero as he puts the big old airplane down on it. They’re going too fast, though, and it cuts to black as the jungle crashes into them.
When we come back, Frank is alive but cut on his face and arm; the copilot is dead, impaled à la Wash in Serenity. [Sorry if that was a spoiler.] Frank goes back to check on the passengers and finds that the Losties are all gone, except for Sun. I think that’s weird - isn’t that weird? Frank and Sun look around and they think it’s that’s weird too. “They’re gone,” obviouses Ben. “Where?” pants Frank. “How would I know?” is Ben’s slippery reply as Sun stares at him, unconvinced.
Title card: Thirty Years Earlier. We’re back to 1970s Sawyer meeting Jack, Kate and Hurley out on the cliffs. “You’re alive!” cries Hurley and grabs Sawyer into an adorable, huge hug. Sawyer shakes hands with Jack, and gets a restrained, if fond, hug from Kate. “You’re really here,” marvels Sawyer, “… where is [Locke]?” Jack tells him that Locke is dead. While Sawyer ponders this, Hurley asks, “So, what’s up with you guys in the old Dharma jumpsuits?” Sawyer looks accusingly at Jin: “You didn’t tell ‘em?” Jin: “I was waiting for you.” Everyone stares at Sawyer. “We’re in the Dharma Initiative … it’s 1977.” Blank stares all around.
After the commercials, Jack’s mind is completely blown. Miles tries to reach Jin over the walkie and Jin looks to Sawyer, asking what they should do. Sawyer decides that they should go back to camp since it’s not safe in the jungle with the Hostiles (“Others,” he explains to Kate) wandering around. Hurley points out that the other folks on their flight are still out there somewhere. At Jin’s questioning look Jack admits that it isn’t just the three of them – also Sayid, Lapidus … and Sun. Jin (who needs a haircut) immediately takes off in the jeep, despite Sawyer’s protests. Frustrated, Sawyer tells the re-arrived three to stay put until he can figure out how to let people know how they got here. Kate wants to know who else is still here on the Island. Sawyer doesn’t quite know what to tell her.
Cut to one of the Stations where Miles is on duty. Juliet bursts in, wondering if he’s heard from Sawyer. She’s worried since he’s been gone a while without checking in. Miles hasn’t heard anything, despite his efforts to contact Sawyer, so they try some of the surveillance feeds. Something comes onto one of the t.v. screens and Juliet gets a very frowny look on her face.
At their home, Sawyer is throwing clothes into a bag when Juliet comes in. “What’s going on?” she asks. “They’re back,” he breathes. Juliet is incredulous, then stunned. Realizing that she’s in shock, Sawyer stops fluttering around and sits with her, telling her that he doesn’t get it either but he needs to figure it out before they (Jack et al.) screw up everything they (Sawyer et al.) have going on at the Initiative. Meanwhile Jin has driven out to the Station where the crazy Russian was (I so cannot keep track of the Station names). He tells the tech there that he needs to check the radar logs to see if a plane landed on the Island. The tech gets super-snooty, all “don’t you think I’d know if a plane landed on the Island?” so Jin has to shove him up against the wall a bit. The tech poutily radios to the other Stations to see if they picked anything up but it doesn’t seems as though they have.
At a beach near the Ajira crash site, the survivors are regrouping. Frank calls them all together: the radio is dead but he’s sure a rescue party will be coming soon. Caesar wants to know where they are. When Frank says the island isn’t on any of his charts, Caesar snots that there are buildings and animal cages nearby, and another island – the Island – just across the strait. He wants to search the buildings and starts rabble-rousing. Ben takes advantage of the distraction and heads off into the jungle. Sun follows him, catching up a ways in. “Where are you going?” demands Sun. “Back to our Island,” says Ben. “Wanna come?”
Back at the Dharma compound, Amy catches Juliet checking out the submarine manifest – there’s a sub arriving soon and two people dropped out of the trip, not wanting to undergo the sedative. Amy’s new baby coos at Juliet as she picks him up. Amy tells her that she and Horace have decided to name the baby “Ethan.” Juliet’s face is priceless. Amy asks Juliet when she and "Jim” are going to have a baby of their own but Juliet brushes the question aside with “when the time is right.” You know, I like Juliet and Sawyer together. Stupid Kate and stupid Jack are just going to ruin all of it.
Speaking of the stupids, while they wait for Sawyer to come back Kate asks Jack if Mrs. Hawkins mentioned that the return would be thirty years in the past. Jack deadpans that the lady left that part out. Sawyer drives up in the van and throws out instructions: they are going to pose as new recruits arriving on the incoming sub. He tosses new, er, current clothes at them. They protest that they don’t know what happened to the other people on their flight but Sawyer says that Jin will find the plane – don’t worry about it. “Trust me. Do what I say and everything will be fine.” Oof – famous last words, although he does seem to be doing okay so far.
Back at the radar station, there’s nothing about any plane anywhere. But wait! a motion detector has picked something up: possibly a Hostile/Other inside the perimeter. Jin grabs his gun and runs out, the tech following not too far behind. It’s Sayid! He’s still handcuffed; it looks like, and seems very happy to see Jin. When the Korean asks about Sun, however, Sayid doesn’t know what has happened to her. [Again, why did they all get separated? Why did she get stuck on the other island?] Then the tech rushes up, gun aimed at Sayid, and Jin has to pretend that his friend is a Hostile. I’m pretty sure that Sayid is sharp enough to figure out what’s going on – he’s a smart cookie, that one.
As the van trundles back to the compound, Hurley once again plays the part of Intelligent Audience Member and says that this thing about them being part of the Dharma Initiative … they all get wiped out, remember? He saw the pit with the bodies. Sawyer wants to know what Hurley’s point is. It’s: “Aren’t you going to stop it from happening?” Sawyer growls that he’s not here to play Nostradamus to these folks, plus Daniel’s got some interesting theories about what’s going to happen. Jack is surprised that Daniel is still here. Well, says Sawyer, not really here. He reminds them to act sort of groggy from the sedative, and tells them that Juliet will hook them up with names from the roster.
Miles comes up and is momentarily struck dumb when he sees the reintroduced Losties. Sawyer chides him to stop staring and Miles recovers enough to hand him a walkie, saying that Jin’s got a problem. Jin’s problem is the “Hostile” that the tech is currently locking in a storeroom. Sawyer starts to build up a head of steam about the Hostiles violating the truce when Jin cuts into his rant: it’s Sayid. “Sonofabitch!”
Ben and Sun pick their way through the smaller island’s jungle. Ben wants to get to the three outriggers ASAP and Sun is welcome to help him paddle if she wants … although as he takes his arm out of the sling, he seems to be healing quickly. Sun is reluctant to return to the Island until Ben insinuates that Jin might be over there. When Frank catches up to them, he tells Sun that she can’t trust Ben. “I have to trust him,” she mutters. Down at the beach, as Sun and Ben start to put an outrigger into the water, Frank continues his plea, reminding Sun that the freighter he came in on had been filled with commandos whose only job was to take Ben out. “How’d that work out for everyone?” snarks Ben. Frank begs Sun not to go. When she asks him to come with them, he demurs, saying that he needs to take care of the rest of the Ajira survivors. Ben starts to get a little attitude, saying that there’s a small town where he grew up just half a mile across the strait, and if anyone there can help Frank and his group, he’ll send them. Except he doesn’t quite get to finish his speech because Sun awesomely smacks him upside the head with a canoe paddle. Frank thought she trusted Ben. “I lied,” says Sun. Sun rules.
The “new recruits” are in the orientation room, wondering just how they’re going to pull this off. Jack gets called up and his orientation guide is none other than Dr. Chang himself. Jack’s job assignment is “Workman” – a janitor. Jack thinks this is funny (as do I). Kate is still standing around, however, waiting for her name to be called. Phil tries to help her and things get a little tense when “Kate Austin” is not on his list. But Juliet comes to the rescue, saying Amy had some late additions to the submarine manifest. As Phil goes about his business, Juliet sticks out her hand, introducing herself to Kate and welcoming her to the Island. There might be some glaring going on between these two ladies.
Jin is pacing outside the radar/tracking Station as Sawyer pulls up in the VW van. After Jin brings him up to speed, Sawyer says he’ll handle it. Inside, the tech is all nerved up, saying that Sayid is a spy and they should just shoot him. Sawyer appreciates “Quick Draw’s” input but wants to talk to the “spy” first. They drag Sayid out and sit him down. Sawyer explains that he is “LaFleur, Head of Security,” and, according to the terms of the truce, Sayid needs to “identify [himself] as a Hostile or be shot.” Because he is just that awesome, Sayid totally catches on and says yes, he is a Hostile … although they don’t refer to themselves as such. Great, says Sawyer, I’m taking you back to the compound. The tech wants to go too but Sawyer shuts him down as he hustles Sayid out to the van.
Frank and Sun had a lovely full moon by which to paddle across the strait, having apparently left Ben back on the little island. They land by the submarine pier and strangely it looks abandoned. They hear a big rustling in the bushes – sounds/looks kind of like the Black Smoke Monster – but nothing comes out at them, so they walk up to the compound. When they get there, it definitely looks abandoned [perhaps the folks who landed on the little island landed in 2007 – or whenever “present” is for this show – while those who got sucked out of the plane onto the Island landed in 1977. Which, fine, okay, but why didn’t Sun get sucked back to 1977? She was on the original Oceanic flight.]. It’s creepy. Suddenly a light comes on in one of the cottages and a man steps out onto the stoop. It’s Christian Shepherd. Also creepy. Sun says she’s looking for her husband – does Christian know where he is? Christian tells her, “Follow me.” Frank looks like he thinks this is a wicked bad idea.
Christian takes Sun and Frank into one of the abandoned buildings and pulls a photograph off the wall. It’s dated 1977. He says Jin is with Sun’s friends and shows her the picture. “I’m sorry, but you have a bit of a journey ahead of you.” Sun stares at the picture of the other Losties in their jumpsuits and you can see her mind reeling.
1977. The new recruits are socializing at the Dharma BBQ when “LaFleur” brings his “Hostile” in. Jack, Kate and Hurley just stare. Sawyer brings Sayid to an underground cell and locks him in, “until we can figure out what to do with you.” He tells Phil to bring the prisoner some food and, as he turns to go, tries to explain everything to Sayid with a Meaningful Stare. Sayid is silent, observing. I think he’s understanding everything.
Later that evening, aboveground, Jack asks Phil if he knows where LaFleur lives. Phil points out the correct cottage but stares after Jack suspiciously. This guy is going to cause big trouble, I just know it. Jack knocks on the door and Juliet answers, looking very pretty. He gives her a big hug after which she reminds him that they’re not supposed to know each other. Jack thinks he must be in the wrong house since he was looking for Sawyer. Nope, says Juliet, and lets him in, then leaves the two men to talk. Sawyer offers a beer but Jack just dives right in. What about Sayid? He’s safe, for now, since he can’t explain how he really got here. Where do we go from here? Sawyer is working on it but Jack snaps that it just looks like Sawyer is reading a book. Sawyer says yeah, it helps him think. Because thinking is how he saved Jack’s ass today, and how he’ll save Sayid’s ass tomorrow. He also reminds Jack that this is a totally different approach from when Jack was in charge: Jack just reacted, and it cost a lot of people their lives. He sends a disbelieving and disgruntled Jack off to bed, stepping out onto the stoop to watch him go. Then, glancing across the way, he sees Kate on her own stoop. More meaningful glances – whatever. Go inside and have snugglebunnies with Juliet already.
Down in the cells, a bespectacled young boy delivers the prisoner a sandwich. I bet this kid is Ben. Sayid thanks the boy for the food. The boy asks if he is a Hostile and asks for his name. They introduce themselves to each other. Yup, I was right. Sayid, schooling his expression precisely: “It’s … nice to meet you, Ben.”
Previously on Lost / next time on Lost
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