ALMOST EVERYBODY LOVES "EVERYBODY LOVES HUGO"

Here we are, entering the home stretch of LOST as it readies to air its last handful of episodes. It’s amazing how scattered, confused and disoriented we are, considering that you’d think the audience would pretty much know what’s really going on by this point. But LOST continues to confound us with questions, probably demonstrating that the mystery of this show will never fully die. And that’s a good thing, at least in my book.

“Everybody Loves Hugo” was of course a shout out to season two’s “Everybody Hates Hugo,” as well as containing a handful of references to the classic episode “Dave”. This continues the sixth season tradition of episode titles mirroring those of past installments: “What Kate Does” recalled “What Kate Did,” “Sundown” referenced “House of the Rising Sun,” “Recon” was an answer to “Confidence Man” and “The Long Con,” and now we have this parallel as well. There’s a lot to say about this episode, so let’s cut the jibber jabber and get down to brass tacks:

- Great to see our esteemed Dr. Pierre Chang / Marvin Candle / Mark Wickmund / Edgar Halliwax again. We knew from “Recon” that Miles’ dad worked at the museum, but it was nice to actually see him in person. Notice that he still has both arms, indicating that he did not lose his arm in the Incident and further hinting that the split timeline may not be a result of Jughead’s detonation.

- Chang gave Hurley an award shaped like a T. Rex. Given my obsession with dinosaurs, paleontology and anything prehistorical, I was filled with glee. I know they’ll never have an actual dinosaur on the show but . . . but . . . maybe they could???

- Absolutely wonderful to see Libby again, given Cynthia Watros’ reluctance to return in previous seasons. (She originally she did try to come back for an extended stay in season four, but it was cut short due to the writers’ strike). It was such a relief to see Hurley and Libby finally have their date from four seasons ago, which had been interrupted by her horrific demise. Their beachside picnic was strange, almost surreal . . . it was like picking up where we left off way back in season two, as if Libby’s death had never happened. I really felt that these two characters had earned this moment and it was awesome to have such a lovely and simple emotional pay off for them.

- One thing that is pretty interesting is that we still never really got Libby’s story. Given all the begging and pleading from fans to have some closure for her character, well, we got the closure but her story remains an enigma. The impression I got was that she committed herself because she was suffering from strange delusional feelings, which turned out to be the déjà vu caused by the alternate timeline. But it’s still possible there is more to her story. However, her story from the original timeline has never really been depicted, so I don’t know if there’s much point in detailing her alt backstory either. The impression most of us got from the brief glimpses of her past in the second season is that she had some sort of emotional breakdown following the death of her husband, so to be honest, I pretty much buy that as the reason she was hospitalized the first time around. But anyway, this really did feel like her character finally achieved the closure she deserved. I’m glad Cynthia Watros was able to put aside her differences with the producers and return.

- Nice to see Bruce Davison again as Dr. Brooks, who hasn’t appeared since “Dave”. And they even brought back his picture of the tropical island. Go Dr. Brooks!

- So, this timeline definitely indicates that Hurley did not experience the deck accident, and he certainly wasn’t institutionalized at Santa Rosa. This is in keeping with his supposed good luck. But like Desmond (who I also have much to say about), Hurley has everything in the sideways reality but still isn’t really happy. At least, not until he finds Libby, which is a revelation for him just as Penny was Desmond’s revelation in “Happily Ever After”. I still think the “make your own luck” idea is at play for Hurley in both timelines . . . like Walt, Hurley has a special touch where he is able to make things happen, it’s just that his ability is being applied in two different ways. Not completely divergent ways, though, as one could really argue that in the island timeline he’s still a lucky fellow, just as one could say his luck is only so-so in the alternate timeline (after all, he has everything but is still unfulfilled in some way). It’s just a matter of perspective, really, which is something I think Hurley is slowly learning.

- So, um . . . Ilana. WTF?! I can’t believe they did that. Definitely one of the most shocking moments on the series. I really liked her character and have been a fan of Zuleikha Robinson ever since she played Yves Adele Harlow back on “The Lone Gunmen”, so it was really awful to see her killed off so suddenly. But, as with any death on LOST, I think that’s the effect they were going for. Anyone who remembers Dr. Arzt was I’m sure sitting there thinking, “Be careful with that dynamite Be careful with that dynamite Be careful with that dynamite BE CAREFUL WITH THAT DYNAMITE!!!!” Her death felt as cruel and violent as his. But the good news is that this is the last season, where dead characters thrive, so I’m sure she’ll be making at least one more appearance, especially since she is a main cast member. Also, although Ilana’s death felt unfair (I think Ben’s little statement about the island being done with her summed up his cynical and beaten worldview), I really do think she served her purpose. Her job never was to lead a mission to save the island. Her job was to facilitate the candidates so that they could discover for themselves what they need to do in order to protect the island. Still, I would like to know more about her father-daughter relationship with Jacob, how she even came to know him, and just why she was allowed to get Arzted, so hopefully we’ll learn a little bit more about her. R.I.P. Ilana. :(

- Poor Ilana wasn’t the only thing that blowed up real good in this episode, though. The Black Rock, everyone’s fave creepy ship in the jungle, also met its demise. I’m of the opinion that this is probably a good thing, as no dynamite means less ways that these people can get all dead and stuff. I totally love seeing Hurley take charge and becoming a leader. He’s really coming into his own and no longer being a passive character . . .

- . . . as opposed to Jack, who did a little psychoanalysis on himself and decided that, for once, he’s choosing to be the passive one. Good for Jack, I say, as this is another step for him in taking some control over his life. I think one of the hardest lessons to learn in life is that sometimes we have to surrender in order to win, and Jack is learning that lesson. Go Jack! And still go Dr. Brooks!

- Hurley took with him the bag of Jacob's ashes. Does he know something about it we don't? One thing seems for sure: it will make a great containment system for Locke. Maybe Hurley has something up his sleeve that isn't a DHARMA nutribar.

- Terrific seeing Michael again, as well. I’ve missed Harold Perrineau, as he’s a great actor and added a lot to this show. One of the coolest and most tragic things about Michael is that he’s one of the only characters who really hadn’t committed some grievous sin before coming to the island. It wasn’t until after crashing on the island that he did something awful. The fourth season was the beginning of his redeeming himself, and I think he mostly succeeded, but until last night he hadn’t really had the chance to make things right with Hurley. I’d say he went a long way towards that goal, and that Hurley forgave him. It was a touching moment and made me very happy, as Michael’s rambling and pathetic excuse for shooting Ana Lucia and Libby did not register well at all with Hurley (or anyone else, for that matter) way back in “Live Together, Die Alone.” I hope that, like Libby and Ilana, Michael will appear again before all is said and done.

- Speaking of Michael, we got a couple of major answers in this episode. First, we learned that, yes, Hurley does indeed commune with the souls of the dead (unless LOST is pulling a long con on this topic, which is possible but increasingly unlikely). Secondly, the Whispers were finally explained. And, much to my surprise, my theory from last week turned out to be correct! So I can say I got at least one thing right in my five years of lame theorizing. I could sense that this explanation would probably not go over well with all of the show’s viewership (and I imagine the writers themselves were probably a little nervous about the revelation as well), and indeed, some audience members did find the explanation to be lame or a cop-put. Seriously, though, it really does make the most sense. What is the source of the ghostly whispers in the jungle that cannot be attributed to anything or anyone physically present? Whispering ghosts, of course! Go back and read transcripts of the Whispers from previous seasons and you’ll see they function as a sort of disembodied Greek chorus, so the idea that they are indeed the souls of the dead pretty much fits (and is the only way to explain people like Frank Duckett and Boone being present amongst the Whispers, as well).

I don’t think that this is meant to imply that all of the deceased characters are trapped on the island or that all of the spirits who have communicated with Hurley are stuck in the island’s electromagnetic purgatory (interesting too that the purgatory theory is true in a sense, just not in the way that people originally predicted). Isabella didn't die on the island and certainly didn't seem trapped there, for instance (despite what the black smoke tried to show Richard). To me, it sounds like all of the Whispers are ghosts but not all of the ghosts are the Whispers, if that makes any sense. Michael and the rest of the Whispers are spirits who have not moved on, but the island’s electromagnetic properties allow even those souls who have moved on to come back and attempt to speak with the living. The island blurs the line between our world and others.

- I know some people had a problem with Hurley’s “By George, I think I’ve got it!” moment regarding the Whispers, but I think it made sense. As someone who is a candidate to lead the island, the various pieces of the island’s mysteries would slowly start to fit together for Hurley, and that moment was an example of him beginning to figure things out. It’s further evidence of him becoming a leader.

- Hurley’s ability to speak with the dead adds to this season’s theme of death and rebirth. Much has been made this season about what happens when we die. From what we’ve seen on LOST, we can live on in other universes, time is nonlinear meaning that even when we’re dead at some other point in time we’re still alive, the dead can physically be resurrected, and our souls/essences continue to exist in some fashion after physical death. All somewhat different concepts but all also at play in the world of the show. (These exact ideas about death and the afterlife become some of the main themes in Stephen King’s DARK TOWER series, which I’m fond of mentioning is one of this show’s major inspirations). LOST is in many ways a show about hope, and these are all various forms of hope, counterbalancing the rather grim themes of death, destruction and determinism that have run rampant through these final few seasons. Hurley’s gift is also a little trick pulled on us by the writers, as originally most people assumed that Miles could commune with the dead and that Hurley’s visions were either his mental problems or the island messing with him. But Miles was revealed to be more of an empath, not a medium, whereas Hurley at this point is anything but crazy. Nice way to switch it up.

- So what the eff is going on with the sideways universe, and why did Locke throw Desmond down a well? As revealed in “Happily Ever After,” Desmond is one of the keys to the show’s endgame. I think Locke/Man in Black is well aware of this and was not even remotely happy when he laid eyes on Desmond. He can tell immediately that Des does not fear him. Desmond in both timelines seems to know the score, which makes him a huge threat to whatever game is really being played here. He knows what Locke really is, he knows what the island is, he knows what Widmore is doing, and he knows the reason behind the sideways universe, and he is totally Zen with following through on his destiny. Desmond calmly running over wheelchair-bound Locke was one of the hardest moments to watch on the series (rivaling Locke being pushed out of the window by Cooper), a moment of absolute horror which seemed completely without reason. But of course there must be a real purpose for Desmond to have done this, anywhere from trying to kill Locke (possibly due to Locke's existence in the other universe as the monster) to trying to wake Locke up from the narcotic dream of contentment that seems to be the side-verse, to even trying to heal him (could this accident be the catalyst to Jack fixing Locke's paralysis?).

- It’s also interesting that Des could see the mysterious blonde kid (who will probably turn out to be Danny Torrance), as could Sawyer way back in “The Substitute”. My guess is that the kid is Jacob, though that’s really just a feeling. I like that Hurley, Jack, Desmond and Sawyer have all exhibited strong signs of having a profound connection to the island. They all have unique abilities and individually highlight different properties of the island, meaning there isn’t necessarily just one quality which is required to replace Jacob.

- And on the subject of Jacob, there continues to be much debate over whether he or the Man in Black is truly the story’s antagonist. There’s actually been a fair deal of resistance to the idea of LOST being a Good vs. Evil story. (Check this out to read the always dependable Jay’s insightful comment on the issue). For what it's worth, I do think the Man in Black is the villain of the piece, but I also suspect he will become somewhat more sympathetic before the end of the series. Likewise, I think Jacob is more of a healer than a hurter, but that we’ll see his game of rivalry with the black smoke to be rather questionable. Where do either of these guys get off using human lives to prove their own viewpoints?

That being said, I really doubt that Jacob will be revealed as the story’s villain. I think there is something tragic in both characters: Jacob just wants people to be good and learn their lessons without having to manipulate them, but he is constantly let down by human nature; likewise, the Man in Black is sick of human beings and sick of the island, and he just wants to end it all and be at peace, but Jacob won’t let him. I don’t believe either is an embodiment of absolute Good or absolute Evil. However, Good vs. Evil is still a theme, but it’s centered in the main characters and the choices they make. For instance, I think Sayid’s choices are proof to the Man in Black that people are worthless and corrupt, and because of this I suspect he will be disposing of everyone he can very soon. Whether they know it or not, all of these characters are still being tested by Jacob and the Man in Black.

So yeah, Good and Evil is a theme. It’s been there since the beginning. Is someone like Sawyer or Eko or Sayid a good person at heart, or are they inherently corrupt and unredeemable? Are Ben and Widmore good people? Does committing horrible acts in the name of a greater good excuse those acts? These are the types of questions we’ve been asking since the pilot.

But Good vs. Evil isn’t the only theme. There are a handful of other equally valid ideas at work:

Fate vs. Free Will - How much is a choice and how much is predetermined, and is fate determined by God or by randomness?

Reason vs. Faith - Is rationality the only way to see the world or do we need to be able to take that leap of faith even in the face of hopelessness?

Science vs. Magic - Does electromagnetism explain everything about the island or is there something truly mystical at work?

Love vs. Fear - Love is proving to be a tremendously powerful force on the series, but will the fear of the unknown be humanity's constant downfall?

Life vs. Death - Jacob heals and the monster kills. Can creation and destruction ever be separated?

Us vs. Them - Two groups being pitted against each other occurs every season, begging the question at the core of Jacob's and MIB's rivalry: will conflict always define human nature, and is it inevitable?

These are all prevalent themes as well, again since the very beginning. There was a reason Locke held up the black and white backgammon pieces: it said everything you needed to know about the series.

Well, “Everybody Loves Hugo” stands as another landmark episode, and we’re beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Here’s hoping the smoke monster isn’t waiting for us when we get there.