Something Nice Back Home

If last week’s episode was a taste of action adventure, “Something Nice Back Home” brings us back to the character drama. There was a heap of ‘shipper fodder and a dabble of mystery, and in between a substantial serving of connecting the dots. Jack and Kate play house and bliss out, only to have it […]

If last week’s episode was a taste of action adventure, “Something Nice Back Home” brings us back to the character drama. There was a heap of ‘shipper fodder and a dabble of mystery, and in between a substantial serving of connecting the dots. Jack and Kate play house and bliss out, only to have it all go to hell (starting the descent into “we have to go back” Jack from the end of Season 3). And why? Ominous warnings from a Hurley who’s become accustomed to visits by Charlie but doubts reality, and hauntings by his dad. Claire’s dad, as well, and his comfy T-shirted appearance on the island is perhaps this week’s most confounding moment. Was he there or wasn’t he? Did Miles see him, or just “see” him? And why nab Claire and not Aaron?

I was reminded immediately of Claire’s last abduction in Season 1, and the fact that it never was fully addressed until Season 2. Meaning I’m not exactly holding my breath for all the answers to this mystery. Still, given that Christian Shephard has haunted us since the pilot, and has surfaced (in blurry profile) in Jacob’s cabin, his role in “LOST” is clearly pivotal.

Aaron’s fate, as well, finds us looking back this week, with Charlie’s message from beyond the grave. Jack’s not supposed to raise him, he says, the same message Claire got from the psychic in Australia before boarding the plane. Interesting that Jack’s fitness to be a father, and his insecurities, appear to be the tipping point for his downward spiral.

Of course, Kate’s mysterious mission for Sawyer couldn’t have helped. And what could that promise have been? The last selfless sacrifice we saw Sawyer make was for dear Clementine, his presumed daughter with Cassidy. Her phone conversation (“I can stay for an hour”) sounds more like a babysitting emergency than a playdate. But if she is meeting with Cassidy, surely she’d remember meeting her before?

For those holding out hope for Danielle and (maybe) Karl, Miles discovery of their bodies is about as definitive an end as you can get. It was nice, though, to see Miles’ abilities get a workout. In addition to giving us some hope that the stories of the dead could still be told, there were certainly hints that Miles was picking up something special from Claire and Aaron. His odd request to hold the baby suggests he’d probably get a brainload of information from physical contact. But Sawyer wasn’t having any of that… to hilarious effect.

“Back off, Donger.” Jen’s favorite line of the night. Mine? Daniel asks what’s powering the medical hatch. Charlotte replies, “Add that one to the list.”

As for the whole appendicitis detour, it certainly can’t have been introduced for dramatic effect. After all, we know Jack lives. Still, I thought it was well played for the characters’ sake. Jack the control freak had to surrender fully to Juliet. Juliet came to terms with Jack’s love of Kate, and gave it over to her. Bernard revealed even more hidden talents (Jen’s quickly promoting him up her list of most interesting characters). And finally, the ever wise Rose asks the most important question: “Why now?”

Yes indeed, people get sick, but not on the island. His falling ill is as mysterious, then, as Ben’s spinal tumor.

Notes and Notions:

Jack steps on a Millenium Falcon. The “Star Wars” shout-outs are almost getting to be too much.
Jack’s reading “Alice in Wonderland,” a book oft invoked in “LOST,” cited in “LOST” analyses, and the source of at least two episode titles: “White Rabbit” and “Through the Looking Glass.” But… not the most conventional choice for a toddler.
Am I the only one somewhat surprised to see Keamy and a fair number of soldiers still alive after the epic thrashing by the smoke monster last week? There better have been thirty of them.
Lines were drawn several times between “Keamy and Friends” and Miles, Daniel and Charlotte. Miles says he “didn’t sign up for this,” and is generally becoming a more likable character. And Daniel, standing up to Charlotte, says they’re scientists who don’t want to see anyone hurt.
The Daniel and Charlotte relationship also got a little more interesting. As was Charlotte’s grasp of Korean, which Jin picked up in a smile. Reminiscent of when Kate discovered Sun’s grasp of English. Was it just me, or did she also smile after Jin told her to save Sun?
Mysterious forces are delivering different messages. Charlie tells Hurley to tell Jack that he can’t raise Aaron. But Christian Shephard (or “Christian Shephard”) separates Aaron from the person we’re told should raise Aaron. Which is it?
By this point in the future, has Jack already figured out that Claire’s his sister (and that Aaron is his nephew)? When he snaps at Kate he says, “Your son? You’re not even related to him!” And he is? Deliciously ambiguous.
The timeline was tough to unscramble. We know the flash-forward sequences tonight take place after the trial, but presumably before the end of Season 3. And the newspaper he reads is a pretty explicit marker, too. Folks at The Fuselage have already pegged the story as an article from the New York Times published on August 31, 2007.