“The Last Recruit” began with yet another mystery solved. Last episode it was the whispers, this time it was the elusive ghost of Christian Shephard that’s been wandering the island since the first season. Now we know it was indeed the Smoke Monster taking Christian’s form. That means in season 4 when Locke went to see Jacob at his cabin and spoke with Christian (who claimed to speak on Jacob’s behalf — liar!), he was actually speaking to Smokey. This in turn means that when Locke was told to move the island, it was really Smokey’s plan, not Jacob’s. Curiouser and curiouser.
It actually makes sense if you go back and look at the episodes leading up to Season 4, aka The Time Travel Season. Christian appearing to Claire and taking her away from the group. Probably so she could break the ash circle around Jacob’s cabin. Christian manipulating Locke to turn the Frozen Donkey Wheel and leave the island. Why? So the Man in Black could find his loophole, of course, in the form of Locke’s dead body. Christian is the one who told Locke he would have to die to bring back the others (“That’s why it’s called a sacrifice,” he says), and although he accomplishes this, it has nothing to do with what the island or Jacob wants. It was the Man in Black’s plan all along. In the MiB’s own words, Locke was a “sucker.”
In the flash-sideways world, things are definitely building toward some sort of conclusion. What started as a bunch of people on a plane with no connection to one another has become, through a series of circumstances and coincidences (and some timely interventions by Mr. Desmond Hume), a kind of sped-up version of the character crossovers we’ve seen over the course of the entire show. Sort of like watching the first five seasons in fast forward.
Things are moving faster in the main timeline as well. Jack has officially come full circle. He has admitted that the island is indeed special and that it isn’t done with him. Ironically it’s this revelation, along with a quick jump off Sawyer’s boat, that puts him in the smoky hands of the Man in Black. Congrats, Jack, you just became the last recruit. At least he got a nice, albeit brief, brother-sister moment with Claire.
Sawyer and the rest of the Losties take Desmond’s boat to Hydra Island where they are promptly taken into custody by Charles Widmore. Sun and Jin are reunited, finally, although I was almost expecting them to get zapped by the sonic fence as they both ran toward it. I don’t think I was the only viewer who thought that. Strange way to frame a shot.
My favourite scene was the one in which Sayid goes to the well to kill Desmond. I really enjoyed the exchange between these two characters. Desmond asking Sayid what he will tell Nadia he had to do to get her back. It was simple but extremely moving. And I think we can all agree that, despite what Sayid told Locke, Desmond is definitely still alive. I don’t know if Des will make it to the end of the series alive, but they sure as hell aren’t going to kill him off-screen.
Favourite line goes to Locke/Smokey for his simple “Here we go” after Zoe starts dropping bombs. Only three episodes before the two-hour finale, folks, and I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be explosive.
