Chalk one up for the Jaters... oh wait, maybe not. Last night's episode "Something Nice Back Home" was definitely a bridge episode -- but , oh what a bridge. Granted there wasn't a giant smoke monster tearing up a small militia (or did he even take out Keamy's crew?). It also didn't have Ben's vendetta against the rule-changing Charles Widmore. What made this episode great was the fact that it just contained so much story. Jack's flash-forward made this one of his most interesting "centric" episodes. We all remember what may be the worst episode of Lost ever: the Bai Ling tainted "Stranger in a Strange Land." Not only was Jack's story interesting for a change, but the inclusion of the other characters such as Rose, Bernard, Sun, Jin, Sawyer, Claire, Juliet, Miles, Faraday, and Charlotte and giving them great story and character development. If this were season 2, the most we would have gotten was Jack needing his appendix taken out, but even that dramatic scene took a back seat to all of the other stories going on.
Jack and Kate: Happily Ever After?
Well, that loud squealing that you heard when Kate came out of the shower? Yeah, that was the large mass of Jater (Jack and Kate) shippers (fans of the relationships on the shows) screaming with giddy joy. By the end of the episode, the same "Who is she going to choose?" came up and the Jaters hung their heads low. Are Jack and Kate going to have a happily ever after? Or like a lot of things post-island, will there really be a happy ending for them or anyone?
All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
Thanks to the alert of a trusty smoke detector, Jack had a visit from deceased father Christian. When Jack visited Hurley in the mental institution, his fellow Oceanic Six-er passed along Charlie's warning from beyond-the-grave that he was going to have a visitor. Looks like Charlie was right. Now that we have seen two dead people off the island, is it just Jacob trying to get the Oceanic Six back? Sure seems like it. This episode also explained why Jack seemed to believe that his father was alive in last season's finale.
Christian Shepherd Strikes Again
As if the appearance of Christian Shephard in Jack's flash-forward wasn't chill inducing enough! How about his pied piper lure of Claire? Of course, we assume that Christian Shephard is actually Jacob, but why does he want Claire and not Aaron? Now that Claire is "gone," will we not see her again until the end of the season like her disappearance in Season 1?
What was Kate Doing for Sawyer?
- Juliet, who finally showed kindness to Kate, seems as though she saw the writing on the wall. Jack wants and loves Kate.
- Miles seemed to have a bit of a crush on Claire, and we got to see into his "Claire"voyant abilities (haha). Why did he let her go off with Zombie Christian?
- Jin using whatever means necessary to get his wife and future child to safety off the island was a great touch. Jin may have changed his ways, but you better not mess with him when it comes to his wife and child. You go Jin!
- Why didn't Smokey kill Keamy and his militia? If he can bring down the big bad Mr. Eko, then some guys with guns shouldn't have been too much trouble, right?
Once again we had another season 4 episode of Lost that definitely satisfied. The entire episode did a great job of moving the story forward while helping us solves some mysteries or ideas from the past. I think may be even more excited to see what the team of Hurley, Ben and Locke hopefully run into next week!
What did you think? What are your thoughts, questions, comments, and/or theories? Let's open up the discussion in the comment section below.
Be sure to also check out my podcast "The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack" or on iTunes by searching "Jay and Jack" or "Lost Podcast"