Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Lost episode recap – “Follow the Leader” (S5E15) airdate 5/6/09

In the aftermath of Daniel’s shooting, Kate insists that they get the frak out of there but they are immediately accosted by Others on horseback, one of whom is Charles Widmore. Widmore viciously hits Jack across the face with the butt of his rifle; once Jack is writhing on the ground, blood everywhere, Widmore snarls, “Who the hell are you?”

Down in the Others’ camp, Eloise pages through Daniel’s journal. She is shaken to recognize her handwriting in the inside cover. Widmore marches his two prisoners into camp and Eloise and Richard bring him up to speed. Widmore is upset, wanting to know why the Dharma Initiative has suddenly declared war on them, but Eloise sniffs that clearly these folks aren’t Dharmites. Richard watches this exchange, beautiful eyes wide.

Flash to “Thirty Years Later.” Richard is assembling a ship-in-a-bottle when Locke arrives at the Others’ beach camp, toting a dead pig, as he does. Richard: “John?” Locke: “Richard! It’s been a while!” Locke immediately tells him that the two of them have an errand to run and they’d best get to it. Richard looks at him consideringly, noting that something’s different about him. Locke doesn’t go the obvious “I was dead and now I’m not” route, instead saying that he’s found his purpose. But the sight of Sun and Ben making their way up the beach then distracts Richard. He wants to know WTF Ben is doing here. Locke’s all, oh, he’s with me.

Ben is looking awfully bruised. Sun asks him why Locke said that the Others were his people now, when she thought they were Ben’s. Ben admits that when he left the Island, Locke stepped in. When she inquires as to Richard’s identity, Ben pauses, and then says that Richard is an “advisor. He’s done his job for a very, very long time.” Heh. Sun pulls her 1977 photo out and shows it to Richard, asking if he was on the Island in 1977 when Jin, Jack et al. were there. Richard tells her that yes, he was here then and he clearly remembers meeting all of the Losties – because he remembers watching them all die. Locke looks like he wasn’t quite expecting that response.

A short time later, still on the beach, Locke tells Sun that he doesn’t think that they have gone through all they did just for the Losties to be dead. Richard is ready to for their errand – he still has the compass Locke gave him three years and multiple flash-arounds ago – so then Locke asks Ben to join them as well. Ben snits that Locke is afraid that he might stage a coup if left here on the beach with his former people. Locke says that he’s not afraid of anything Ben might do anymore. Ouch. Ben: “In that case, I’d love to come.” Locke promises Sun that if there’s a way to get the 1977 Losties back, he’ll find it.

1977, Others’ camp. Jack gets some more beatings as he and Kate wait in Eloise’s tent. When the Other leaves, Jack starts raving about finishing Daniel Faraday’s work and putting things back the way they were supposed to be. Kate, because she’s decided to like Jack this week, notes that would mean she and he never met. Jack is more focused on the fact that the whole eight-tons-of-misery they’ve experienced over the last few years would be wiped out. She pouts that it wasn’t ALL misery; hilariously he replies that most of it was.

Eloise interrupts and immediately asks what Daniel wanted the bomb for. Jack deduces a way to get what he wants, playing on Eloise being shaken by having just killed her own son from the future: he tells her that if they do what Daniel has outlined in the journal, they may be able to change events enough that what she’s just done won’t matter. (Or something like that – frakking around with time confuses me.) Eloise stands and says okay, she’ll take them to the bomb. One problem: the Dharma Initiative has built a village over top of where the bomb is buried. She says that shouldn’t be an issue since the two of them have been playing Dharmites for a while now but Jack leans back and sighs, saying that it may be more difficult than she thinks.

Meanwhile, back at the Dharma compound, Sawyer and Juliet’s interrogation has begun. Unfortunately, Radzinsky is involved and likes to use his fists two times for every one question he asks. Horace tries to step in, horrified by the violence, but Radzinsky runs right over him. He grabs Sawyer by the hair and shoves his face up to one of the video screens where a shot of Kate by the pylon fence has been paused. Radzinsky wants to know where “this woman” is now, or he’ll kill Sawyer.

After the commercial, Sawyer is even more bloodied but still refuses to answer Radzinsky’s questions. Finally, Juliet screams for him to stop, begging for mercy. Sawyer, choking on his own blood, tells her not to say anything – because the Dharmites will never believe them and will only hurt more people. Then Phil steps up, saying that he can make Sawyer talk … and then punches Juliet in the face. Sawyer rages against his restraints, snarling that he will kill Phil for that. This charming scene is interrupted by a nameless Dharmite who reports that although he has been unable to locate Miles or Jin and he’s learned from the sub manifest that Jack, Kate, etc., were last minute add-ons. Oh, and they haven’t found Hurley yet either.

Because Hurley is busy stuffing a backpack full of Dharma foodstuffs and slinking off into the jungle. Chang sees him go. Hurley meets up with Miles and Jin and they all argue – do we go to the beach or stay and help Sawyer and Juliet – until Chang catches up to them. He wants to know if what Daniel said was true: are they from the future? Hurley tries to bluff but gets tripped up with “when were you born?” and “who’s the president?” questions. So Chang steps close to Miles and asks if he is really his son. Miles says yes. Chang then asks if Faraday was right about the impending catastrophic accident at the Swan. Miles says that Daniel has been right about everything else thus far, so if he said to get people off the Island, they’d better do it.

Speaking of Daniel, Widmore is crouched over his body back at the Others’ camp. He asks Richard why the body looks familiar to him but before Richard can answer, Eloise bustles out, saying that Richard is coming with her, and could he please untie Jack and Kate. Widmore is not all that keen on Eloise taking the Losties to the bomb but she prevails and the little group heads out.

Flash to 2007, Locke leading Ben and Richard on his “errand.” Richard would like to know where Locke has been for the last three years and Locke is surprised that Richard doesn’t know. Locke says that where they’re going should explain where he’s been and then, after that, he would like Richard to take him to Jacob. Richard looks uncomfortable and Ben interrupts to say that sort of thing just isn’t done. Locke turns and steps up to Richard, asking, really? Richard: “You just got back, John, there’s no reason to rush into …” But Locke pulls rank and Richard backs down, saying sure, of course we can go see Jacob. Great, says Locke, let’s get to the plane. Ben: “What plane?” Heh.

It’s Mr. Eko’s brother’s drug-running plane, of course. I can’t believe Ben didn’t know about it. But wait, this is going to be awesome, I know what’s coming. Locke tells Richard to get ready, because in about three minutes a man is going to walk out of the jungle. He’ll have a bullet wound in his leg. Locke hands Richard a firs aid kit, saying he’ll need it to get the bullet out. Richard is totally WTF is going on here? Locke: “You’re going to need to tell him that he’s going to need to bring everyone who left back to the Island and to do that, he’s going to have to die.” They fall quiet, hearing “the man” approach, and Ben begins to figure it out. “Who is that man, John?” he asks. Locke grins: “It’s me.”

Which, okay, this is cool and I like that 2007 Locke told Richard how to save Wounded Locke, but isn’t this sort of circular? Because our 2007 Locke doesn’t really know that much more about the end game. I don’t know. Anyway.

Wounded Locke staggers out of the jungle; Richard comes out and takes care of his leg; Ben and 2007 Locke watch. Ben marvels that Locke’s timing was impeccable – how did he know when to be here? Locke says that the Island told him; didn’t the Island tell Ben things before? Ben gets his panties in a twist and snots that no, the Island didn’t tell him squat, and it’s not telling Locke that much anyway if he needs Richard to get to Jacob. Locke smiles again as he realizes that Ben has never actually seen Jacob.

There’s a swooshing noise and Richard looks startled. And he’s alone. Ben yelps, “Where did you go, John?” Locke asks Richard how it went and Richard reports that the now-disappeared Locke seemed pretty convinced, particularly when Richard told him that he would have to die. Richard: “I’m glad that didn’t have to happen.” Locke gives Ben a sidelong look and tells Richard that it did, actually. Ben guiltily stares at the ground. Pretty Richard watches them both.

1977, Dharma compound. Chang storms into the surveillance station, shouting that they need to evacuate the Island immediately, but is stopped cold by the scene (Radzinsky, Horace, Sawyer, Juliet, etc.) in front of him. Radzinsky says no way, the drilling goes on as scheduled and no evacuations. Sawyer mumbles from bloodied, swollen lips that Chang is right: women and children need to get on the submarine, as it’s not safe on the Island right now. Juliet looks at him sadly and sweetly. Plus, he says that if the Dharmites will put him and Juliet on the sub, he’ll tell Radzinsky everything he wants to know. Okay, says Radzinsky: draw me a map of exactly where the Hostiles are. Ooh: I sense a wholesale slaughter of Dharmites coming on!

Out in the jungle, Eloise et al. pause at a pond: she says they can get to some tunnels by swimming to the bottom of the pond. Kate has had enough, however, and says she’s not going to help Jack do this. (Of course she doesn’t want everything reset: she was headed to prison when she got on that Oceanic flight.) Eloise and a nameless Other aren’t inclined to let her leave and the Other guy raises his rifle. It’s all very tense – like the show runners are going to kill off effing Kate – and a couple of shots ring out. The Other falls down dead and Eloise and Richard raise their hands. It’s Sayid to the rescue, you see. Hi, Sayid! How’s the jungle life been treating you?

After the commercial, Richard wants to know WTF Eloise is doing. Up on the riverbank, Sayid is getting brought up to speed too: he didn’t actually kill young Ben; Kate actually took him to the Others to be saved; they’re off to see the wizard now and reset events. Jack is convinced that this is their destiny. Kate accuses him of sounding like Locke – all crazy too. She says she’s going back to find the rest of their people “because if I can’t stop you, maybe they can.” Jack watches her go sadly.

At the submarine dock, a hidden Miles, Jin and Hurley watch as Chang orders the evacuation. Little Charlotte and her mom get on the sub. Miles watches as his father yells at his mother – because that was the only way he could get his wife and baby son off the Island. Then they see Juliet and Sawyer, handcuffed, being led to the sub as well. The three amigos are confused, but Hurley is sure that Sawyer has a plan.

Sawyer, to Juliet: “Buy Microsoft.” Hey, it’s as good a plan as any. He apologizes for not listening when she wanted to get on the sub three years ago. “I’m glad you talked me out of it,” she says. Aw. Juliet climbs down into the sub. Sawyer turns back for one last look – “good riddance” – then climbs in himself.

At the jungle pond, Richard, Jack, Sayid and Eloise swim through the secret underwater tunnel, emerging in a chamber carved with those hieroglyphic-y symbols. Jack wants to know how they’re going to get the bomb out, surely not through the pool. Richard scoffs gently: it’s a 12-foot long/40,000 pound hydrogen bomb, so no, not through the pool. Jack says that he is surprised that Sayid has come with him, to which Sayid says that what Jack’s planning will either work or it will put them all out of their misery, so it’s a win/win situation. Torches are handed and around and Richard leads them off.

Back on the beach, 2007. The Others gather around as Locke, Richard and Ben return. Locke introduces himself and says that he’s going to meet Jacob and he’d like everyone to come with them. Sun, one-track mind that she is, asks if Jacob can help get Jin (and the others) back; Locke says yes, absolutely. The gang of Others murmurs and then follows after Locke. Richard looks at Ben and says that he’s starting to think that Locke is going to be trouble. Ben: “Why do you think I tried to kill him?”

1977, submarine dock. Two minutes to departure. Juliet and Sawyer are handcuffed to a table. She asks him what will happen to them once they get to Ann Arbor. He tells her that the Dharmites aren’t cops and once they get to land, they are free and can go anywhere they want. Juliet smiles, saying that she can’t remember what being free was like, and tells him that she loves him. He says he loves her back. Aw. And then effing Kate gets brought onto the sub since she got caught sneaking back into the compound. Kate ruins everything. And the expression on Juliet’s face says she is in complete agreement with me. The sub’s engines fire up and they’re off.

1977. Down in the tunnels Sayid points out that Eloise’s motivation in detonating the bomb is to rid the Island of the Dharma Initiative. Jack’s like yeah, but in thirty years she’ll tell us how to get back to the Island and that makes me trust her. They find the bomb. Now what? Eloise wants to know. Jack just stands there, muttering to himself.

2007, Island. Locke leads his people down the beach. Ben tells him that Richard is uncomfortable about this pilgrimage to see Jacob. Locke says he appreciates Ben’s input. Ben goes on to say that he’s on Locke’s side here and will do anything he can to help Locke reunite with the 1977 Losties. Locke replies that’s not why he’s going to see Jacob, despite what he told Sun: “I’m going to kill Jacob.” Ben: OMFGWTF???!!

Previously on Lost / next time on Lost

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