After last week's "heavy" episode, this week's Charlie-centric outing seemed like mythology lite... but I still enjoyed it for many reasons not the least of which was that it set up this week's finale perfectly.
"Greatest Hits", a sentimental sendoff for Charlie (when hasn't LOST shipped off a character without a flashback episode), had me almost missing him already. I'll have to admit, I haven't really liked Charlie a lot these last two seasons. It seemed to me that he was always being whiny or obnoxious. But this episode hit all the right notes for me and was emotionally satisfying. If I had any doubt that Charlie would be the next character "lost", it was gone after this episode... how much more would there be to tell about Charlie's life?
I really liked the structure of the flashbacks... the producers/writers used a different approach with Charlie's scenes this week... instead of presenting one event in his life, the episode flashes back to Charlie's "five best moments in my sorry life", "my greatest hits".
Hit #5 - hearing "You All Everybody" on the radio for the first time... just when things looked really bleak for Charlie.
Hit #4 - learning how to swim from his father. When trying to convince Jack that he should be the one to swim out to the Looking Glass station, Charlie brags that he is a champion swimmer. At first I thought there was a continuity error here... way back in season 1, Charlie said that he could not swim. I think that perhaps he was lying in this episode just to make sure that he would be allowed to attempt the mission. After all, he desperately wants Claire and Aaron to be saved, so he would do anything to make sure Desmond's premonition came true (more about Desmond's premonition in a minute). Perhaps Charlie learned to swim just well enough that he thought he could accomplish the mission, when his personal stakes were higher than they were before. The line in the episode that I feel clues me in that Charlie was probably lying here... Desmond asks Charlie, "So, how long can you REALLY hold your breath for?" as if Desmond also has a suspicion that Charlie has lied. Charlie, tellingly, does not answer.
Hit #3 - receiving the DS ring from Liam at Christmas. I always thought that the DS on the ring stood for "Drive Shaft", but here we learn that the ring was a family heirloom, and stood for Dexter Stratton (a relative?). It's interesting that Liam tells Charlie that he should have the ring because he is the more responsible one... that he will probably be the one to have a wife and child, something which Liam accomplished before Charlie.
Hit # 2 - Charlie is called a hero, and the woman that he saves is Sayid's Nadia! (Boy, she really gets around. We've seen her in the United States is one of Locke's flashbacks.) I think that the beginning of this flashback, where Charlie is street performing, is actually just before Charlie intersects with the time traveling Desmond... he's singing the same song, it starts to rain at the same time... could be! Also, it looked to me like one of the women watching Charlie was Naomi, but I'm not certain. It could have been an extra that looked a lot like Naomi.
Hit #1 - the night on the beach that Charlie introduced himself to Claire.
Some other great Charlie moments from the show:
Charlie saying goodbye to Aaron, lovingly calling him "turnip head", while Aaron's hands reach out to touch Charlie's face; leaving his ring in Aaron's crib; Hurley, hurt because Charlie is leaving him behind, Charlie reaching out to give Hurley a hug in response... "I love you man..." (I love that Hurley becomes a surrogate "Charlie" when he goes to lead Claire and Aaron on the trek to the radio tower); Charlie NOT saying goodbye to Claire and their first kiss (as far as I can remember).
As promised, some notes about Desmond... whever Desmond has had a premonition in the past, we've been shown the "clips"... it was very strange this time that we did not get to see the "clips". It also seemed to take Desmond a long time before he was willing to share the events he saw with Charlie. Yes, it would make sense that he was just having a hard time deciding when to tell Charlie that this time he HAD to die... but I'm wondering if it took so long because he didn't like what he saw happen in the premonition and he wanted to change it... so it took him a while to decide on a story to tell Charlie, what he would have to say to get the result he wanted. I think his story of Claire and Aaron being wisked away on a helicopter didn't ring true... but it was just the thing that would motivate Charlie to give himself up.
I'm also wondering why Desmond so quickly volunteered to go along with Charlie... perhaps to make sure that Charlie did what needed to be done?
Even though Charlie didn't die in this episode, I still think that he's on his way there... I just keep thinking that one of the reasons the producers/writers came up with Desmond's premonitions concerning Charlie was to give the audience time to get used to the idea of Charlie dying. He's a popular character, and a popular actor... I think that his presence will be missed by more fans than any of the others that have died... so the staff came up with a way to put that in everyone's mind. Of course, they could totally surprise me and NOT do it now... maybe it will be Desmond that will die!
Of course, there were other events taking place... we got confirmation that Rousseau was getting the dynamite from the Black Rock (as we saw two weeks ago) to assist Jack with his plan. I'm curious why Rousseau is so eager to help our survivors now. She had a chance to help them back at the Flame Station, but walked away saying that it was not her fight. Perhaps she wants to get back at the Others for stealing her Alex...
...Rose and Bernard (so happy to see them back) had a few wonderful scenes together, and also with Jack when Rose sarcastically acuses Jack of finally becoming an optimist...
...Sun's heartbreak because she cannot tell Jin the whole truth about her pregnancy...
...Sayid, ever the wise man, makes Jack realize that the only reason he wanted to stay and lead the plan to blow up the others was for revenge... makes Jack face his future as their leader...
...Naomi, tries to ingratiate herself with the 815ers (her discussion with Charlie about Manchester) while trying to get more information about what is going on. I don't trust her... she's not telling the real story...
I don't understand this idea that Ben is jamming any signals off the island except the Others'. It seems to me that they are all convinced, Others included, that the electromagnetic event that occurred when Desmond turned the key is what is causing the loss of communication with the mainland. Is it just another big lie that Ben is perpetuating? If so, I don't know how... he sure is one powerful man.
Speaking of Ben, things sure seem to be falling apart for him. When he arrives back at the Other's camp, he's angry (because things didn't go so well with Locke) and he moves up the timetable for executing the plan to abduct the pregnant women. Richard disagrees with the change... Ben's leadership is being challenged again. During this scene, Alex is preparing a rabbit for eating (when she goes to meet Karl, he asks if she was bringing rabbit for him). Thought it was strange... is there a clue in the rabbits? And what was up with Alex's cryptic "IS he my father" question to Karl? She said it as if Karl would know for certain, and Karl's reaction seemed as if he was saying "you know I can't tell you"...
Speaking of rabbits... we got to see the cool Looking Glass Dharma station. The Dharma symbol for the station just happened to be a Rabbit (did you see the ant crawling over the plans)! Do we need any more "Alice In Wonderland" allusions? I loved the moon pool set and will be curious to see what happens to Charlie and the two gun toting women he finds there. Perhaps they are Dharma women that survived the Purge?
Well, I'm psyched for the finale, but don't know when I'll be able to post my thoughts. Just keep watching this space for an update when I can!
Later!
