Thursday, April 05, 2007

LOST: Season 3 Episode 15 - Left Behind

Well, they just keep pulling these fantastic episodes out of their arsenal don't they? I'm going go ahead and give "Left Behind" my official "WOW" seal of approval! Started off a little bizarre and I was getting concerned that we'd have another snoozer on our hands. Of course then I saw "Written by Damon Lindeloff" in the credits and was immediately put at ease. This episode packed in a lot of suspense and a lot of girl power between the Kate flashbacks and the Kate/Juliet story. And back on the beach we also got a little light comedy between Sawyer and Hurley with a rewarding ending. This is when the show works best, combining the mystery, suspense and feel-good elements into one episode. That IS what LOST is all about. Hence, why tonight has me itching for MORE!

Before we get started, lots of theories going around that Nikki and Paulo are still alive. I kinda gave a hard stance on this that I couldn't figure out why in the world the producers would WANT to keep them alive and what purpose it would serve. In listening to the podcast and also reading ew.com discussions with the producers it appears that bringing 2 characters out from the background was always an idea they had since season 1. They had ideas of having the Nikki/Paulo storyline extend over several episodes instead of just 1, but due to the fan response....it seems they figured to wrap it all up in one intense episode. One idea they had was for ALL of the flashbacks in Expose' to actually be the TV show Expose' with the reveal at the end of the episode being that it WAS in fact, all a TV show. Personally, I'm glad they didn't go that way. Anyway, producers confirmed in an interview with EW's Jeff Jensen that Nikki and Paulo are definitively, certifiably DEAD. Also they confirmed that Rose and Bernard are alive and well and that a story-arc for the 2 of them is coming up. They also revealed an easter-egg that I missed. In Locke's latest flashback, when he's eating his TV Dinner and watching TV, he is actually watching Expose'! Fascinating stuff, isn't it?

In the comments last week there was some intense discussion about the brief flashback to Ben and Juliet in the Pearl station and the fact that they were wearing ragged clothing and barefoot and the fact that this happened on Day 48. If you recall, last season when Eko and Jin went looking for Michael (who ran after Walt)...they came in contact with several of the OTHERS. All we saw was their Feet...and they were all barefoot and some had ragged clothing on. Might be safe to say that 2 of these people were Ben and Juliet and maybe they were on their way to the other side of the island. This is also the date range that WALT appeared to Shannon and Sayid, when Cindi disappeared, when there was whispering in the Jungle. It seems The Others had some elaborate scheme planned for this day and we should be getting a taste of what that was soon.

Whew....almost forgot we have a NEW episode to discuss! Let's get to it!

Kate Flashback

Pretty much the premise of Kate's flashback was to follow her pursuit of learning WHY her mother turned her in. In the end, it doesn't seem like much was accomplished except that a few past story points were tied together, which is always exciting to me! Here's a couple things worth noting:


  • Kate runs into Cassidy, a past love of Sawyer's. He had performed the LONG-Con on her but fell in love with her in the process. Cassidy is still seen performing the Jewlery scam that Sawyer taught her. I guess since Sawyer ransacked all of her money, she had to resort to this method of earning income. Kate helps Cassidy out with the scam and in turn, Cassidy helps Kate get ahold of her mother.
  • Patsy Cline's "Walkin After Midnight" is playing in the beginning of her flashback when her car breaks down. It is worth noting that Kate put this record on in the HATCH when she was feeding Sawyer, who was asleep recovering from his bullet wound (Season 2).
  • Kate's wearing a hat that says "COWBOY UP." If you recall, Sawyer told Karl to "Cowboy Up" when they were walking back from the jungle. I'm sure this was just a tongue and cheek reference to that!
  • Kate gets her answer to why her mother turned her in. Even though Kate thought she was doing her mother a favor, her mother thought it was an act of selfishness. Wow...some deep stuff there! Glad we spent a whole flashback on that big reveal! Anyway, the fun part of the exchange was that Kate's mother said the next time Kate tried to come back, the first thing she would do is yell for help. And, if you recall in season 1, Kate does track down her mother, dying in a hospital. Mom keeps her word by screaming for help...which leads to Kate causing the death of her childhood sweetheart. She lives a rough life doesn't she?
  • Another confirmation was one left open-ended last year with the introduction of Sawyer's possible Daughter. We thought that Cassidy informing Sawyer that they had a child together could've been a CON. Yet Cassidy came clean to Kate that she was, in fact, pregnant.
  • And one other thing to note. Kate and Sawyer have now both interacted in each other's past through other characters. Sawyer is connected to Cassidy and also Kate's Mother, who was his waitress in the diner at one time. Kate is obviously connected now to the same 2 people. She even had a conversation about Sawyer without even realizing it WAS him. I guess there may be a way for this conversation eventually to happen on the island. If, for any purpose, it may drive Kate AWAY from Sawyer and in full pursuit of Jack. But this is all speculation!

Sawyer "making amends"

Speaking of cons, Hurley pulled a big one on James "Sawyer" Ford tonight. I guess we all may have had a feeling the whole time that no one would be interested enough in OUSTING (is that a word?) Sawyer from the castaway camp. But it was hysterical to watch Sawyer try to get on everyone's good side based on one conversation he had with the ROTUND survivor. Some highlights:

  • Hunting Boar with Desmond. His angle? Have to give the people something they like. "people like meat" Loved it!
  • Trying to fish. "I can rule out the Korean vote" Fantastic! Also, notice how Sun has been giving Sawyer the stare-down all episode after the reveal last week that her abduction last season was all his fault.
  • Sawyer's conversation with Claire and Hurley telling him to KISS the baby was a good time!
  • The book Sawyer was reading was "Watership Down" which happens to be the first book he ever read on the show. Is he running out of things to read? Or is there some connection we're supposed to make with that episode? I don't remember the exact episode but if it was the "WHITE RABBIT" episode, that is where Jack officially became the LEADER and gave is "Live Together, Die Alone" speech.
  • And as we realized tonight, since the major "LEADERS" on the show are all MIA from the camp, Sawyer has been the "Go To" guy. The whole thing was actually very touching and Sawyer reluctantly embraced his role, as Hurley noted, similar to the way Jack was thrust into the role.
Leaving Othersville and Girls-Night Out
Well, Ben seems to have gathered the troops (which we learn that that the Others' Community is about 50 people) and moved out of Othersville leaving a select few behind, in accordance with the Episode Title. Those left behind? Jack, Kate, Sayid, Juliet. Not left behind? Mr. John Locke. The majority of the story is following Kate and Juliet around in the jungle with some great dialogue and action. But the whole strategic move on Ben's part is worth discussing. Let's note some things below!
  • In Tom's Rec-Room, where Kate is being held hostage we see a glimpse of the board-game Mouse-Trap. If you recall, in a season 1 Locke flashback, he is explaining the game to a kid while working in a Toy Store. Could be an allusion that the whole plan set forth in this past episode is, in fact, luring prey into a trap. Really depends on how you view Juliet and her intentions.
  • Supposedly the 4 left behind were all gassed but only Kate and Juliet were placed randomly in the jungle hand-cuffed together. I'm getting ahead of myself, but how did Juliet know where Sayid and Jack were when they got back? Seems a little fishy if she was just as much in the dark as Kate. Feel free to get a closer look at the canister of gas. Apparently, it is a real-world brand, so I don't see much to look into!
  • Juliet makes a note that Ben has a love for playing Mind Games. I think we all are aware of this by now. Of course, we still don't know when he's playing games and when he isn't! But if you take Juliet on her word, then she could be IN on this game. But at the same time, it's so easy to want to believe her! In an interview with Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) on the podcast, she says that we will soon be learning how she went from a paranoid and unsure individual (pre-island) to the confident Juliet we've come to learn on the island.
  • Maybe they'll reveal to us how she learned how to FIGHT as well. How about that crazy cat-fight Kate and Juliet had? They were all over the place. It kinda reminded me of how strong Ethan was when we saw him in season 1, and even when Ben beat the crap out of Sawyer when he was in the cage. What are these OTHERS eating??? Also, the fact that Juliet's arm has been dislocated 4 times before is probably something worth noting.
  • Of course the fight all got started because of Juliet's interrogation of Kate's intentions to go back for Jack. The "You broke his heart" reveal was quality stuff. Will be interesting to see how the LOVE Rectangle develops from here!
  • So, again we see what many have started referring to as "SMOKEY THE MONSTER." I think it's a bit cheesy to call him Smokey, but damn it's catchy! Of course, this time we see some different elements of the monster. I'm not sure I saw what this photo shows, but it would seem that the monster took the form of a 3 headed monster. And if you recall your Greek Mythology, there is the 3-Headed Guard Dog of the underworld, CERBERUS. And if you recall even further on the Glow-in-the dark Hatch Map, there was a reference to CERBERUS. This could be confirmation that the smoke monster was what this Map reference was referring to. Examine the pictures for yourself!
  • I thought it was interesting at first when Juliet was claiming that this was the first time she saw the monster. But then it seems it was confirmed that the Sonic-Force field surrounding OTHERSVILLE was for Protection AGAINST the monster. I guess what the big reveal is, is that the OTHERS and the Smoke Monster are completely unrelated. This kinda goes into play with Ben looking for information from Locke about the island's powers. The Others just seem to be another faction of people living on the island but do not hold the answers that we all seek. Well, we had to know this is the way things were going, right? We have 2 or 3 more seasons to go! BUT then again, if we are to believe that the Smoke Monster and the Manifestations on the island are one of the same, and that Ben somehow has Locke's father in captivity and that THIS is somehow related to manifestations....well then something just isn't adding up! But apparently, by the first week in May, we'll have a little more understanding of all of this!
  • Speaking of Locke, how about him just giving up on everyone else and following the Others? He "put in a good word" for Kate about being a "Good Person." But once he learned what she did, then he seemed to be on board with the Others that she deserved to be "Left Behind." Maybe Lock is following them for the greater good and will end up pulling some heroic stunt. But it seems this man just wants some answers. And of course, I'm sure there is some motivation with seeing his father. (who am I kidding? It might be his ENTIRE motivation) No doubt there is much more to learn in this story!
  • So eventually Juliet and Kate get back to Othersville and get Jack and Sayid. Kate apologizes to Jack and Jack reluctantly says it's time to go BACK. Wow...past the midpoint of the season and Jack is finally returning to the camp! But they're not going alone....Juliet is going with them immediately causing some problems for Sayid. It is possible that Juliet is part of a Ben master-plan...there is plenty of evidence in this and prior episodes to support that. Yet there is also evidence that she is just as helpless as the rest of them which is what Jack wants to believe. There is also the possibility that Juliet is looking out for herself and has her own motivation for going to the other camp. In any case, it looks like we're going to get some of these answers pretty quickly.

Because next week it looks like Jack and crew will return to the Camp! Let me ask you this....every other time we have survivors trekking across the island, it takes 2 or 3 episodes to get there. Why now is this going to just happen instantaneously? Couple things I can think of....Juliet is aware of a short-cut or the producers are aware of the frustrations of the viewers with taking too much time to advance plot...so they're taking some liberties with travel-time. Or maybe some combination of the 2? In any case, it looks like next week will be a more revealing look at the OTHERS. Could it be the episode we have been waiting for? Maybe partially. Seems like it will have to be another Juliet flashback. I am starting to think that the season 3 finale episode will be a 2 hour BEN Flashback, kinda like Desmond got the nod in Season 2. So between these 2 episodes, maybe we'll learn all there is to know about the mysterious OTHERS and move onward to the next big cliffhanger. Here's a question for you...with all of this "CHARLIE DYING" stuff going on, when are we going to get a Charlie flashback? He is the only original castmember to still have no flashback under his belt this season. And hopefully it's a better story than the dreadful "Fire + Water" Baptism episode last season! I'm going to guess his flashback will happen sooner than later.

Whew...well somehow I still found a way to get to the blog today, but I'll continue posting my warning that it may be getting later as the weeks go by. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and as always, I look forward to hearing yours! See You Next week!

23 comments:

Mike V. said...

I totally forgot to comment on the White Light Juliet saw from the monster. Wow...it was like the biggest thing I wanted to cover! Anyway...remember when Locke told Eko when he came in contact with the "monster" what he saw was a bright white light. And Eko responded "that is NOT what I saw".....Juliet, it would seem, saw whatever John saw. What does this signify? That they're both good people? That the monster is not interested in them? Absolutely nothing? I have no idea...but I think we are meant to draw the comparison.

Sorry for the miss!

Unknown said...

geez...get your stuff together! ;-)

i would like to point out my favorite part of the episode....i loved how ridiculous kate and juliet looked after hitting the mud! lolololol

Mike V. said...

Doing my LOST re-watch before season 6 and just put the fact together that Kate was the cause of Sawyer going to prison for conning Cassidy! She gave Cassidy the advice to call the police and make him do his time. Crazy! lol

Anonymous said...

ven though Kate thought she was doing her mother a favor, her mother thought it was an act of selfishness.


Kate's mother was RIGHT. Kate had murdered Wayne out of sheer selfishness. When are you going to stop believing that crap that Kate had murdered her father for her mother's sake? She was lying when she told Diane that. And Diane knew it.

Mike V. said...

Hmmm..considering the show is over, I really haven't spent a lot of time thinking about this or really caring about what Diane thought. I'm guessing that the writers didn't spend much time thinking about what DIANE's feelings were either since she wasn't a main character or anything!

Although one day I do hope there is a LOST spinoff so we can take a deeper dive into the life of one DIANE AUSTIN lol

But based on what you quoted of me...it doesn't sound like I took a stance either way....I said what KATE thought and what DIANE thought...not what I thought. So I must ask....what are you trying to accuse me of?? lol

Breanna said...

Hi Mike! I'm not sure if you even read these comments anymore since it is so long since the end of the show.... but I just wanted to say that I am just as addicted to your blog as I am the actual show! I sometimes find myself following along on your blog as I am watching the show :) anyways, I just wanted to say that this has made the "ride" through Lost so much more exciting so THANKS!

Mike V. said...

Thanks Breanna! Yeah I still check in. I get emailed everytime a comment posts. Glad you're enjoying the commentary along the way! Feel free to comment as you watch! I'll be happy to respond!

Miles Balzard said...

Well well well, Lost has definitely not jumped the shark. This was a fine episode and it almost made me feel better about the last one, since at least I know I won't have to see N&P muck up the show again!

It was sad to see Cassidy after Sawyer fleeced her. I mean, she had $600,000 (!) and now she's pulling old cons for $60. When I say I hate con men, I do limit that type of venom to the people who do what Sawyer did, or people who trick old ladies out of every penny they have. People who hustle someone for $60 are still bad, but anyone who willingly plays three card monte or buys jewelry from a stranger on the street are not the type of victims I lose sleep over.

I agree that the Kate flashback about her mother didn't reveal much, since mom already displayed her anger the moment she learned what Kate had done. But there were still a lot of good scenes throughout the flashback and it helped clarify certain relationships.

I loved the B story of Hurley conning Sawyer into being Mr. Nice Guy for a while. It was such a pleasure to see Sawyer revel in his newfound popularity. Josh Holloway was terrific in those scenes! It warmed my heart and made me wish he could've gone on for weeks that way, but the look on his face when he caught wind of the scam was comedy gold.

But the best of the best was Kate and Juliet having so much "quality time" together. I wasn't sure who to root for, but the edge went to Juliet. I know I may be rooting for the bad guy, but I was quite delighted to see her kick Kate's ass.

Yes, there has been a growing realization that while the Others know a whole lot more than the survivors about the island, they don't control everything and they have to worry about the monsters too. Who knows, maybe the monsters are really there to kill the Others rather than just anybody. The whole Good Ones and Bad Ones thing may just be a giant charade to convince themselves they deserve to survive.

Manifestations? I don't see why the Others couldn't have just kidnapped Locke's dad from the U.S. and brought him to the island. But then Ben did tell Locke, "You were the one who brought him here." Is there something about the island that can read minds? That can delve into a person's subconscious? So that if Locke had this driving fury in his heart about his father, the island would command that the father be brought to face the consequences of his son's justified anger?

Man, everyone on this show has daddy problems. Did you already say that Mike? But if normal people like Jack and Locke and Jin have problems with their dads, what the hell was Ben's dad like? As you alluded to Mike, I can't wait to see that backstory!

Yay, Juliet is in the camp! This means more Juliet! She'll win them over eventually (well, maybe not Kate, but most of the others...er...survivors).

Mike V. said...

Ahh yes....the "Sawyer is a leader" scenes. That was a nice story. Another example of the "lighter times" that pretty much go away in the near future. (still, there's always time for some comedy even in the dark times.)

Yes, the Kate/Juliet stuff was top notch in this episode. Monsters eh? You think there's more than one Smoke Monster? I will say that I never considered that! But interesting theory that they're/it's there to kill the Others. Very interesting.

I may have ruined your theorizing on the Locke's Dad thing from my comments in a previous post. But yeah, I'm pretty sure the Others kidnapped him. It was just the "how" they brought him to the Island so quickly thing that puzzled me. And, in the end, not worth puzzling about! But, I do like your speculation on Locke's anger bringing his father to the Island.

Yeah, I'm sure I wrote about the father issues previously. But, it's all inspired from the season 1 episode "All the Best Cowboys have Daddy Issues". lol But yes, Ben's backstory is a humdinger!

Anonymous said...

I know that this show has been over for many years and I feel fortunate enough to have all these amazing episodes and blog posts to look forward to.

so my thoughts... the sonic fence was it on or off ? patchy & Juliett both said it was off for a long time... I don't understand how Patchy died and juliett and Kate walked right through it? Was Patchy killed by something else? maybe I'm reading too much into it.

I think Juliett being left behind was a complete set-up. She knew both Jack and Sayid were still at the camp. I speculate that She was left behind by Ben to do research on how the group is living? Maybe so he can learn how to connect with the island like Locke?

Also, did she see the white light or was the smoke monster collecting information from her mind just it did with Locke & Ecko?

I wish the monster would be face to face with Ben. Then his worst fears would come to life.


I don't know... just throwing it all out there.

Mike V. said...

Wow, can't believe this post is over 10 years old! :) Which makes me even happier that people still find the blog and find the content worthwhile! Thanks for checking in. I'm sure you're probably surprised that I'm even responding to you, but I tend to do that when comments roll in. Still my favorite show and show experience of all time! (also, I saw some spam comments on this post so I'm glad you did comment so I could clean all that up!)

Obviously, I can't really comment on too much in fear of spoiling future eps but I'll try!

Sonic Fence - wow...I'm actually starting to forget. But I thought Juliet changed the setting before they walked through didn't she? Or didn't they climb over? Wow...I can't remember. Though, I don't recall further plot developments around sonic fence immunity so yeah I wouldn't think too much about it! lol

Interesting speculation on Juliet being left behind. My lips are sealed!

I would think the latter with Smokey coming into contact with Juliet. It was probably scanning her.

Interesting though on Smokey vs. Ben. I'm jealous you get to keep watching for the first time! :)

The best part about the show was just speculating where it was all going. But, being on the other side I always like to caution...don't forget to just enjoy the ride too. I thought the end was fabulous but not everyone did. They were so consumed with the mysteries that they forgot to just enjoy and appreciate how great the show was and how great the ride to get to the end is/was. Enjoy! And feel free to comment along the way. I'll be here! :) (note: you'll see in a few episodes that the comments begin to grow as people discovered the blog. We got into some really good discussions!)

Anonymous said...

Mike- I had no doubt I would hear from you. I've read every episode and replies to each of your posts.

I'm glad I'm binge watching LOST or else I feel I may be "lost" lol

Thank you for creating this blog, your time and dedication is truly amazing and appreciated!

Mike V. said...

Nice! I've heard that the binge watch does improve your overall opinion of the show. I've had both experiences. I rewatched the show so many times I've done both the over analysis and the appreciation of the great drama it is.

Thanks for reading the recaps and the kind words!

Anonymous said...

Everyone seems to have daddy issues except for Sayid because we don't know about his parents
Jack/Claire
Kate
Sawyer
Locke
Jin
Sun
Hurley
Charlie - he was disappointed in the whole band thing
Boone/Shannon

So I guess that all of our survivors are the best cowboys!

Mike V. said...

Hi Anonymous - sorry for delay...just realized I'm not getting notified for comments lately. But very true on the show having strong dies to bad parenting! (or at least bad parenting from the child's perspective! My perspective has changed a bit with time now that I'm a parent myself lol)

Mike V. said...

whoops...that would be strong TIES :)

Onigirli said...

I don't care how selfishly Kate's murder was motivated, her mother just really pissed me off something fierce with her stance. Someone with as poor taste in abusive men as her has some nerve casting judgment on Kate. God-double-damn do I hate weak-willed women like her. Kate killed the wrong parent (and I haven't forgotten that it seems like her mother actively blocked her decent ex-husband from seeing his daughter, he should've kidnapped her for her own good). Proof of stellar character-writing though, Kate's mother's archetype was annoyingly realistic. I know women (shockingly all mothers) who rationalize their inconsistencies like she does and I'm just left praying their children don't turn out emotional cripples.

Sorry for sperging out here lol, but also thank you for providing an outlet for me to fixate on even completely irrelevant-to-the-main-arc aspects of the show. It's been a little lonely rewatching the show now that everyone's moved on so your blog entries are rather like a friend-simulator. Always grateful.

Mike V. said...

Hi Edriss! Don’t worry I’m seeing all of your comments and done apologize! It’s great whenever someone can watch the show and find an outlet where you can follow along unspoiled! I’ve been busy this weekend but intend to check all of your comments and respond when I can. Enjoy the ride! And thanks for reading!

Mike V. said...

Ugh autocorrect. “Don’t “ apologize. :)

Mike V. said...

Yeah Kate's mother was a treat wasn't she? I actually think I'm starting to forget some of the backstory there. I haven't rewatched lost since 2012 (I rewatched it many times during its run though!). Might be time. I've been feeling the itch lately.

As mentioned earlier, I'm glad the blog is helping keep you company! :)

Onigirli said...

Thank you, thanks man. I appreciate your acceptance. I'll stick around

Bill H said...

Didn't see any comment or mention of the others preparing to depart and Kate seeing them from inside the pool hall seemingly getting into underwater gear. What is that all about? Could they be preparing to swim out to the submarine which is all of a sudden "not blown up"?

As others have also mentioned, thanks very much for your blog. It is very well done and I run to it immediately upon watching each episode every night.

Mike V. said...

Hi Bill! Glad you’re still checking in. Hmmm not sure about underwater gear. Don’t remember that. Are you sure it wasn’t gas masks or something? I’m usually good at remembering what happens when I’m episodes but I’m a little foggy on this one. lol

Anyway, I appreciate the kind words and feel free to keep commenting. Maybe my memory will be better on the next one! :)