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Lost Recap: "Something Nice Back Home" Review

Okay, Lost fans, sorry for the late recap, but I needed a few days to take in all of "Something Nice Back Home." I don’t know about you, but there was something I found extremely unsettling about this episode. Sure, I loved every minute of it, but this and last week’s "The Shape of Things to Come" have been some of the darkest hours the series has yet produced. I guess things have to be dark before the dawn, but still... damn.

It all began with a storyline that seemed to be tailor-made to be a B-plot or, even worse, a filler episode. Jack has come down with appendicitis, and unless Juliet is able to operate in time, the Good Shepard will die. Its obvious the island does not want him to leave, and it is trying to stop him anyway it can. Becoming the temporary leader of the beach camp, Juliet sends Jin, Sun, Faraday and Charlotte over to the medical hatch to grab some supplies.

Truth be told, we knew from the start that Jack was going to be okay (we have seen him in flashforwards plenty of times). However, the episode was not interested in Jack’s health. Instead, the episode was concerned with Jack’s mental stability after his time on the island. It was best seen as a character study about a man whose basic nature sends him down a very lonely road; his eventual redemption will not come from within but from a little help from his friends.

The flashbacks take place between Kate’s trial in "Eggtown" and Jack’s complete breakdown in "Through The Looking Glass." Apparently, Jack’s overcomes his hesitation about visiting Aaron, and he begins to play the role of surrogate father. Together with Kate, the three form what could have been a happy family under different circumstances, but we know that this is not to be. Though he proposes and she gladly accepts (at the moment, I thought I could hear a million shippers scream in delight), Jack’s jealousy gets the best of him. It is here we see the genesis of Jack’s future drug dependency and his eventual nose-dive.

Again, some other things I noticed (in no particular order):

*Jin finds out that Charlotte speaks Korean. I really enjoyed how he threatened to harm Faraday. Don’t get me wrong, though. Its not that I dislike Faraday (he’s my favorite Freightie besides Frank), but anytime that Jin gets to act on his inner-badass, I’m all for it.

*Apparently, Faraday has a little crush on Charlotte. Tell you the truth, with all the beautiful women pairing off with all the handsome men, its kind of nice to see a relationship where the woman is not even close to the same league. With all the romance on this show, the simple crush has not yet been explored.

*What was Kate doing for Sawyer at the end of the episode? Whatever it was, there had to be a reason she didn’t tell Jack.

*Jack’s character is becoming increasingly complex. What was once his greatest asset (his drive to help others) has now become his greatest demon.

*I enjoyed how Sawyer played big brother to Claire. This is a good dynamic, and I hope it continues.

*Well, apparently I was wrong and Rousseau is indeed dead. Miles heard some whispers (from what I assume to be Rousseau herself) and found the French Lady’s body buried in the dirt. Here is what I found so odd about that scene: why would the Freighter people take the time to bury her and Karl? I read one theory I found extremely unsettling: that the island was absorbing them. Whoa...

*Though uncredited, Jack’s father has a surprising amount of screen time. Besides a couple of off-island appearances, Christian "You Don’t Have What It Takes" Shepard also visits his daughter, Claire. Her disappearance at the end of the episode will hopefully be addressed before the end of the season (though it explains how Kate ends up with Aaron).

Okay, I may have missed some parts of these episodes (these jam-packed, post-strike episodes are getting harder and harder to recap), so if there is anything left, please mention them below. Let’s get some Lost discussion going! Oh, and I’ll be back next week to discuss the Locke-centered "Cabin Fever."

Until then... Namasate, friends!

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