'Lost': Live Together, Die Alone

This is the end...beautiful friend. We don't really break on through to the other side, and some of the character decisions don't really light my fire, but hey, people are strange. It's the last episode of the controversial second season of Lost: Jack leads an ill-advised trip towards Othersville, Locke leads an ill-advised trip into the Swan, and a certain Scotsman takes his place at the center of the show's mythological universe.

Earlier in the season, we saw an episode called "What Kate Did." This one very well could have been called "What Michael Did," or more accurately, "What Michael Did Dead Wrong." We also get the equivalent of the "Multiple Angle" feature on many DVDs, as we revisit several scenes from the season through Michael's perspective. In addition to that, frayed relationships are slightly mended, goodbyes are said, and final plans are laid as Lost draws to its season's close.

In this cornah: from Nigeria, a former drug-lord, current priest, and vision quester Eko! In this cornah: from the United States, currently crutched, and suffering a severe crisis of faith: Locke! Let's get ready to ruuummmbbblllleee! The two lynchpins of faith during the second season of Lost go in search of answers in the aftermath of Michael's bloodbath, and at least one of them finds what he is looking for.

Oh, Ana Lucia. We hardly knew ye. And most of us liked it that way. This is your Lost swan song, kiddo, and a lesson learned for all Lostaways: as soon as you achieve closure, be prepared to hit the road, Jack. Just don't hit the road after you've gone on a Christian Shephard-like bender: ABC tends to not like that very much.

Well, this ep really divides people. As many people love it (me) as hate it (ignorant, unwashed heathens). It's the calm before Hurricane Michael sweeps up everything in its path throughout the remainder of the season. So strap in, Lost fans, as we focus on two of the more beloved secondary characters on the show, Rose and Bernard.

The whole "is Lost real or just the figment of someone's imagination" question gets answered definitely in this episode. I personally never held that theory, thinking at the time everything hinged on a frozen elk wheel. (So damn close!) Hurley goes insane in the membrane, Sayid goes gun crazy, and Eko proves that he'd be a horrible designer on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Action-packed ep, y'all.

The blast door map in this episode got me thinking about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, specifically their hit song "Maps." After all, it's easy to think of Locke screaming, "Wait, they don't love you like I love you!" to Helen, isn't it? Or pleading, "Wait, why don't you love me like I love you?" to Anthony Cooper. This assumes, Lost fans, that you can imagine a musical episode of Lost. Which, while amusing in theory, is something I hope never occurs. I'm fine with frozen donkey wheels in my Lost cereal; I just don't want Rose and Bernard to go all Captain & Tennille on us.

Ah yes, the episode in which we learned Sun is a pathological liar, Jin is a romantic schmuck, and Henry Gale is one scary, scary dude. In fact, so many things are set in motion that it's hard to rectify episodes such as this with the general "nothing ever happened in Season 2" complaints that people (such as me) often lob at the show. I still say that momentum of Lost was at its slowest during this season, but I certainly was not bored watching this one again, I can assure you.

Strap in, kids: this is Lost at its best. It's Claire-centric, but it's so good I don't make one joke about the way that she says "baaaaybeeee" in my recap. It's a deft blend of character-based drama and delicious mythology. Oh, Lost mythology, if I could I'd drizzle you on my oatmeal on a daily basis. Now THAT'S a balanced breakfast, people. But enough about my morning routine: on with the recap!

This is Episode 1 B.L. (Before Linus). It's an episode long on character, short on mythology, and featuring a back story that really doesn't gain resonance for another season or so. But it's a crucial Lost episode, in that it exists to create the proper atmosphere of distrust and anger in which a future visitor can work his psychological mastery to perfection.  So all I can say it don't look back in anger at this episode: admire the darkness creeping on the edge of town.