LOST: Episode 3-17

OK, I have a dilemma: Which picture of Desmond do I use? And how many? Oh, I should have such a problem every week!

Let's go with this one (for starters).



Catch-22

Please don't take my delay in posting as a sign of apathy toward this episode. I thought it was very good. In fact, I think this current batch of episodes is by far some of the best stuff this show has done. It was sort of getting to be something of an obligation to watch - now, I cannot WAIT to watch it!

Desmond

I think it's been pretty firmly established through flashbacks that Desmond has "cowardly" tendencies (I can't bring myself to call him a coward, I'm sorry). Here's a question for you: Which would have been more cowardly - letting Charlie die or saving his life? Like Abraham, Desmond was being asked to sacrifice someone. But who was he supposed to sacrifice, Charlie or Penny? I mean, either way he made a sacrifice: Charlie's life for Penny, or Penny for Charlie's life. I'm glad he chose Charlie's life, but was it a "wise" (or un-cowardly) choice?

Did anyone else see Mrs. Hawking in the photo with the Abbott?

You remember Mrs. Hawking right? From Desmond's time travel episode? Seeing her in the photo made me wonder if it was no accident that the Abbott was the one to find Desmond passed out in the gutter. Have they (whoever "they" may be) been steering him to the Island all along? Oh, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the Abbey is associated with the Widmores, who are connected to DHARMA.

Penny to the Rescue

It's nice to see that Penny hasn't given up Desmond for lost. As for who the girl who landed on the island is, I know only two things: her name is Naomi and she knows Desmond. Oh, and she probably speaks Portugese, since she was carrying a copy of Catch-22 in Portugese ("Ardil-22"). This fits in nicely with what we last saw of Penny, which was two Portugese men calling her to tell her that they found the EM signal.

Re: Naomi - It can be no coincidence that there are women named Naomi (parachutist) and Ruth (Desmond's first ex-fiance) in this episode. By all appearances, they are completely unrelated, but Naomi and Ruth share a special bond in the bible:

"Ruth is rightly remembered for her pledge of total devotion and loyalty to Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17). Ruth clung to Naomi even at the cost of renouncing her people and her gods in favor of Naomi’s people, the Israelites, and Naomi’s God, Yahweh: "Your people will be my people and your God my God" (verse 16). The totality of this commitment is emphasized by its terseness (merely four words long in the Hebrew: ‘amekh ‘ami we’lohaikh ’elohai, which literally means "your people my people; your God my God"). Yet Ruth extended her commitment still further, beyond death itself: "Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried" (verse 17)."

Of course, I have no idea if any of this means anything. Were they just tossing around biblical references because the story involved Desmond's stay at a monastery? I don't know. I'm just sayin'.

Camping

I thought Hurley's pretense of a camping trip to get Jin to come along with him and Desmond and Charlie was sort of silly. Aren't they all camping every day, living on a beach in tents, sitting around campfires? Now, if Hurley had suggested they were going to stay at the Others resort, with soft, cushy beds, running water, indoor plumbing and refrigeration, now that's an enticement.

I'll let the weak camping excuse pass, however, because it was all worth it just to see Jin telling his campfire ghost story.



Back at the Beach

Not much really happened. Kate is still mooning over Jack. I was really hoping that she was over him. I'm happy, though, that at least Sawyer is aware of what's going on. And he's being surprisingly mature about things. For him.

I'm really beginning to believe that Jack was somehow programmed or brainwashed during his time with the Others. He's way too complacent, don't you think?

So what do you think is going on with Desmond? Was Naomi sent by Penny? Or was she sent by Ruth? (Nah. I don't think so) Will Charlie die before the season ends?