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Lost 4.10: "Something Nice Back Home" |
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
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By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
| After the dense and surprising “The Shape of Things to Come”, the writers seemed to be stepping back into neutral territory with this Jack-centric episode. They also seemed to be following up on the elements introduced in “Through the Looking Glass”, “Eggtown”, and “The Other Woman”. In other words, particularly in the beginning, it was shaping up to be another episode about the Love Polygon of Epic Boredom.
On first glance, the “present-day” elements and the flash-forward appear distinct from one another. Of course, it doesn’t take long to recognize that the connective tissue is Jack’s most glaring flaw: his need for control. When Jack can apply his self-interested brand of pragmatism to a situation, he’s confident and the world is a happy place. (His calm and measured treatment of patients in this episode is a convenient example.)
Throw something at him that upsets or threatens that balance, however, and Jack begins to fall apart. Juliet admits that her behavior with him at the end of “The Other Woman” was as much for his benefit as her own. It granted him a sense of control over his own emotional confusion (and the new aspect of the threat Ben might represent). This effectively undermines one of the interpretations of “The Other Woman” that would have strengthened Juliet’s character, but it is consistent with the idea that she cares enough for Jack to do what’s best for him.
While Juliet continues to have a substandard arc for the fourth season, these events continue to add context to Jack’s downfall in the future. Shortly after “Eggtown”, Jack decides to pursue a relationship with Kate, despite his issues regarding Aaron and the lies they’ve told. This arrangement seems to be working out quite well. Of course, the future is already written; events push them back apart and it is not going to be pretty.
This is where Jack’s need for control comes into play. Jack visits Hurley and discovers that the ghosts of the past are more potent than he imagined. It’s revealed that Hurley’s visitation by Charlie was not the only one, and that Hurley has been getting information. It has driven Hurley down a dark path where he believes all the Oceanic 6 are dead. Jack wants to dismiss it, but once the crack forms in his facade of control, it’s just a matter of time.
One of the truly confusing moments in “Through the Looking Glass” involved Jack’s occasional comment about his father, who has been dead for years. This episode begins to supply an answer to the riddle, and it’s surprisingly consistent. Jack’s reaction to seeing his father is application of anti-psychotics and alcohol, which is always a great idea. Already off kilter, he becomes suspicious of Kate’s behavior (which, honestly, he probably should have expected sooner or later).
Kate’s behavior is in some way related to Sawyer (because, of course, it must be), and this just gets under Jack’s skin more. Jack has never been particularly secure in his relationships, thanks to the need for control, and inevitably, this distrust and self-medication destroys Jack’s relationship with Kate and Aaron.
The theory, then, that Christian Shepherd is Jacob is gaining ground. Jacob can clearly take on the appearance of other people, and Jacob has been watching the survivors of Oceanic 815 (especially Jack and Locke) for some time, all the way back in “White Rabbit”. This is actually quite important, because it serves to provide another connection between “present” and “future”. The Christian Shepherd that appears to Claire is probably also Jacob. As previously speculated, the version of Charlie that appears to Hurley could be Jacob as well.
This makes sense because Jacob’s nature lies at the heart of the island’s mysteries, and his active role in Hurley’s madness and Jack’s descent would appear to drive Jack’s insistence that they return. Jacob, in essence, is the one telling Jack that they all need to go back, perhaps to finish what they started.
If all this is true, then logically speaking, it follows that the man in the casket in “Through the Looking Glass” represents some final confirmation of the fact in Jack’s mind. Not only that, but Jack’s decision to attempt suicide could be directly linked to the manner of the dead man’s demise. It would need to be someone who had strongly influenced Jack’s slide, and based on Kate’s reaction, it had to be one of the Oceanic 6. Based on the area where the funeral took place and the lack of surviving relatives, the prime candidate must be Hurley.
Claire’s decision to leave Aaron behind and leave with “Christian Shepherd” connects all too well with the warnings given by Richard Malkin in “Raised by Another”. While Malkin’s honesty has been placed in doubt, Kate’s “adoption” of Aaron and the events of this episode seem to suggest that vision of the future was true. It also raises the possibility that Locke and Ben will find Claire at Jacob’s cabin. (Frankly, it’s about time that Claire’s character became important to the “Lost” tapestry again.)
Sawyer has shown leadership ability in the past, particularly when it works to his own best interests, so it’s not entirely surprising that he stands up to protect Claire in this situation. While his roguish nature will likely remain until the end of his days, he has changed since gaining vengeance against the “real” Sawyer. This is the kind of man Hurley thought Sawyer could be back in the third season. The nice touch, of course, is that the writers simply let it happen without fanfare.
Miles’ reaction to the “whispers” is quite interesting. If he is some kind of psychic, able to communicate with the dead, then it reveals some important information about the nature of death on the island. Does the electromagnetic anomaly on the island “trap” the non-corporeal “souls” of those who die on the island? Does this phenomenon manifest, perhaps, in three distinct ways (the whispers, Jacob, the “smoke monster”)? If any of that is true, how does it tie into the purpose that Jack and the rest of the survivors were meant to fulfill?
That mystical side to the island is further reinforced by the conversation between Rose and Bernard. If something about the island is scientifically able to promote healing, then it should be constant. Instead, it’s very selective. If leaving the island is a bad idea, is Jack being punished for leading the charge back into the world? The suggestion is that Hurley and Jack are both targeted after the fact. Perhaps Hurley is targeted more directly because of his current connection to Jacob.
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