Season
2, Episodes 21 and 22- “?” and “Three Minutes”
Summary:
Eko
is working as a priest in Australia and investigates a miracle of a girl,
Charlotte, coming back to life after drowning. Her father is Richard Malkin,
the psychic, who tells Eko this was not a miracle and that his wife is spiting
him because he is a fraud. Charlotte later tells Eko she saw Yemi while she was
dead. Libby is barely alive, but Jack is not able to save her, and she dies
without informing on Michael. Eko has a dream that Ana and Yemi urge him to
help Locke, and he takes him to find the Question Mark. At the site of the
Beechcraft, Locke has a dream this time, and the question mark is found in the
dirt, covering the hatch to the Pearl station. It is used for surveillance and
has a printout log of the Swan’s computer entries. Locke has lost faith in the
button but Eko is more convinced than ever in its importance.
Through
flashbacks, we see Michael’s journey to the Others. Walt gives him directions
on the computer, and he is soon captured by the Others. They take him to a Yurt
village and he is questioned about Walt. Walt is brought in to see him, and
Michael is told he must free Henry and bring Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley to
them. In the present, Michael is experiencing deep regret over the killings,
and demands that only he and the four people go to find Walt. Sayid demands to
be brought in, and believes Michael is leading them into a trap. Charlie finds
the heroin stash in Sawyer’s tent and tosses them into the ocean. At Ana and
Libby’s funeral, Sun spots a boat offshore.
Review:
Libby’s death throes make “?” a little
uncomfortable to watch at times. But it’s a necessity. Michael’s
double-shooting is shocking but it’ not gut-wrenching, and we need
“gut-wrenching” for the season finale’s endgame to have the weight that it
does. So they make Libby spaz out for a little bit longer, with her eyes
bugging out and her throat gurgling, and poor Hurley having to witness it.
Ana’s death might not have elicited a whole lot of sympathy, but Libby’s will –
and it’ll piss us off. In fact, that’s the reason given by Darlton for killing
her off; because Ana was not going to be enough. Michael cutting off her
attempt to pin the blame on him is especially salty.
Eko’s flashback does not seem especially
relevant other than to provide a reason for him to be in Australia. It does
serve to tie up the Richard Malkin thread, which I think the writers viewed as
a problem that needed to be addressed before theories about Aaron got out of
hand. The Pearl is maybe the most enigmatic DHARMA station and, like the Staff,
the super-quick entry is refreshing. Locke and Eko’s brilliant chemistry is
once again on display and their polarized reactions to the discoveries in the
Pearl make for a good story in the last few episodes.
“Three Minutes” gives us the most overt
look at the Others and their operation until season 3. To be honest, I prefer
the scruffy clothes and seaside yurts as the environment for the Others instead
of the clean-cut looks and semi-modern amenities of the Barracks. I suppose
that’s the POINT, as the Barracks only became their home base after the Purge
and Ben led them down a different path. They’re still somewhat scary at this
point, but their requests suggest a deeper motive, so the mystery no longer
becomes “who are they?” but rather “what do they want?” Michael’s acting is pretty transparent, and
I’m glad Sayid picks up on it.
Charlie’s drug plotline now comes to its
official end, as he tosses the Mary statues into the ocean. Dragging that whole
thing out was a contributing factor to Charlie’s weakened storyline in season 2,
so it comes as too little too late, but they do allow for Locke to witness it.
And yet, there’s nothing else to it. Locke was crucial in the early-going to
kick Charlie’s habit and I really would have loved for another little chat to
tie that all up. You could chalk it up to Locke’s shaken faith as the reason
for his solace, but…I mean the guy did deck Charlie in the face not all that
long ago. The final beat with Sun spotting the boat is another great episode
ending, and one of the more cliffhanger-y that they ever put forth.
Connecting the Dots:
Charlotte coming back to life is not out
of the realm of possibility on this show. More interesting is her comment that
she saw Yemi on the other side. Did she get a glimpse into the
sideways-universe? If so, it’s odd that she saw Yemi.
Malkin himself confirms that he is a
fraud. That basically puts an end to the speculation about him, and about
Aaron.
The Pearl’s true purpose is still a
little muddied. The journal dump-site suggests the research was not needed, so
maybe it was the Pearl crew who were really the guinea pigs?
The four people on Michael’s list (Jack,
Kate, Sawyer, Hurley) are coincidentally (or not?) the last four remaining
candidates that Jacob talks to in “What They Died For”.
Pickett takes Michael’s blood sample,
and our imprisoned trio on Hydra Island also probably had it done as well. No
follow-up on this, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to have that info around?
Walt tells Michael that they made him
take tests, which is partially shown in “Missing Pieces”.
Ranking:
1.
The 23rd
Psalm (10/10)
2.
One of Them
(8.5/10)
3.
? (8.5/10) (Very
interesting developments and another standout performance from Adewale.)
4.
The Other 48 Days
(8.5/10)
5.
The Whole Truth
(7.5/10)
6.
The Long Con
(7.5/10)
7.
Three Minutes
(7.5/10) (We learn more about the Others than in almost all of the previous
episodes, and it’s a perfect setup for the finale.)
8.
Two for the Road
(7.5/10)
9.
Maternity Leave
(7.5/10)
10. Orientation (7.5/10)
11. Dave (7.5/10)
12. S.O.S. (7.5/10)
13. Man of Science, Man of Faith (7.5/10)
14. Lockdown (7/10)
15. The Hunting Party (7/10)
16. …And Found (6.5/10)
17. Abandoned (6.5/10)
18. What Kate Did (6.5/10)
19. Collision (6.5/10)
20. Everybody Hates Hugo (6.5/10)
21. Adrift (5/10)
22. Fire + Water (4/10)
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