Follow along! The episode guide for “Catch-22” is in Finding Lost — Season 3, pp. 135-140.First, I think it’s important to pause for a moment and take in the image of Desmond with his shirt unbuttoned. Mmmmmm…. OK, where was I? Oh right… taking in Desmond with his shirt unbuttoned…
Fun things I noticed:
• Just to jump shows for a second, it was interesting to me when Desmond says if he tells them one piece of the puzzle, they’ll change the picture on the box. It reminded me of Flashforward – they’ve all seen their puzzle piece from the future, and while some people are trying to change the picture on the box, others are doing their damnedest to keep that picture EXACTLY the same.
• I can never get enough of the guys whistling as they walk along the beach, and the ghost stories. Notice in both cases it’s boys being boys, and yet Desmond doesn’t participate in either one.
• Och! More bad accents!
• How did Charlie’s guitar not smash when he fell backward onto it?
• Have you ever noticed that Desmond says “Pen-neh” the same way Bill the Vampire says “Sook-eh”?
Things that have new meaning:
• The line “Someone’s coming” is now a harbinger for the entirety of season 4. It’s amazing how pivotal this episode was, and how much it drives the rest of the series.
• Again, as in season 1, it’s crazy to see Jack just ignoring Kate, knowing that later he’ll be willing to drop a freakin’ BOMB to get her back.
• Sawyer says to Jack and Juliet, “You two arguing over who’s your favourite Other?” It immediately reminded me of when he walks up to Locke and Juliet in “Jughead” and says, “I hate to bust up this ‘I’m an Other, you’re an Other reunion, but…’”
• We still haven’t gotten an answer as to why Brother Whatsit had a picture of Eloise on his desk. Or why Naomi was carrying Desmond’s pic, for that matter.
24 comments:
The narrative turned a big corner in this episode, and started heading straight towards the S3 finale with the introduction of both the freighter and The Looking Glass station. When I saw that it was co-written by Brian K. Vaughan, comic book author, I thought, who better to write the Superman vs. Flash dialogue that we heard between Hurley and Charlie?
I had forgotten that Desmond’s jilted fiancée was named Ruth. So I sort of sat up straight when I realized that here, in the same episode, we have a Ruth, and we have a Naomi. (See: The Old Testament Book of Ruth.) I looked for parallels and/or significance for the names being used in our story, and couldn’t find a thing. It might’ve been different if our Ruth and Naomi had ever interacted at any time. Anyway, speaking of Ruth, I loved how her brother punched Des in the face and then immediately crossed himself.
Some great lines:
Hurley to Desmond: “This is future crap, isn’t it?”
Sawyer, regarding ping-pong: “If we don’t play every 108 minutes, the Island’s gonna explode.”
Comedy gold: the ghost story scene. Jin’s “super-scary” delivery, enhanced by the flashlight in his face and Charlie’s guitar accompaniment, made Hurley’s jumpy reaction utterly perfect.
What a difference a rewatch makes. At the first sound of the helicopter, I pictured Frank Lapidus and all the Freighties that we’ll soon meet both on the Island and back at the ship. At first, I even thought Frank was the pilot of Naomi’s helicopter, but that can’t be, because her helicopter crashed into the ocean. We saw and heard it splash down, right? So Naomi must’ve been the pilot and the only person aboard her helicopter, AND the freighter must’ve come equipped with two helicopters, right? Right?
Brother Campbell: “You’ve just spent too much time running away to realize what you may be running toward.” That reminded me of what Desmond will later tell Penny, before setting sail on his race around the world: “I’ve got to get my honor back. And that’s what I’m running to.”
At the end, I liked how they intercut the flashback scene of Penny and Des with the on-Island scene of cutting Naomi down from her tangled parachute. The film editors deserve much credit for making this show so wonderful.
Wow, Desmond's comment about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac packs much more of a wallop, in light of Eloise's "sacrifice" of Daniel. Particularly considering her (suggested) connection to Brother Campbell.
I had forgotten that Naomi was carrying a pic of Desmond and that she actually was sent to help him. How was it that Daddy Widmore was able to infiltrate Penneh's rescue boat with the horrible Keamy and his cronies? And why didn't Penneh come herself this time? It's not as though she couldn't afford to hop a plane from wherever she was to wherever they were, and as we later see, they actually took a long time to recruit the crew for the ship.
Jin's ghost story was hilarious! And especially Hurley's subsequent comment that he liked the part about the bird. ("There was a bird, wasn't there?")
The lightning bolt moment of this episode for me was Desmond describing how he decided to become a monk... Hands up, people - who wonders if the man who touched him was Jacob! Because if he hadn't gone to the monastery then he wouldn't have met Penny, or entered the sailboat race and, therefore, ended up on the Island.
Also love the ghost story scene. and the ping pong ♥
This episode makes me realise how much of a comic book geek I really am. Every time I see the Flash vs Superman dialogue, my long suffering, very-good-to-put-up-with-my-nerdishness girlfriend Batkitty gets my thoughts on the matter. (My thoughts: Flash would win. Read Crisis on Infinite Earths, and the other Crisis stories - Flash can run through time, baby! TIME!!! Oh god, I'm a nerd.) I love Jin's ghost story, which is just as poop-yourself scary as the other ones - you can tell! He looks scary as all hell when he tells it!
This is also the first time I can read-along-with-Nik as I have just received my Finding Lost books! Joy!
And, because I love him - BKV!!!! WOOT!!!!!
@Sonshine: I had never before wondered if it was Jacob who touched Desmond, but I'm going to start NOW! Excellent suggestion.
@Marebabe: I thought about the helicopter too. First, I didn't think the frieghter was big enough to hold two helicopters.Second, had Naomi leapt from the helicopter that far out, she'd have never landed on the island (it would have been a wet landing). So, with a leap of faith (based on seeing the freighter doctor wash up on the shore before he was killed by Keamy, I began to wonder if the crashing helicopter wasn't our end of Seaosn 4 helicopter crashing when the island disappeared? Let's consider, we know time can be non-linear (in fact folded) so that an effect can precede a cause: doc washing up on shore before he is killed, at least by a day. Also, if there really was only one helicopter, then Naomi could have bailed in one time line (?) while Daniel and Charlotte and Miles did in another, and Lapidus put the helicopter down. From the perspective in the helicopter, time would have appeared as Naomi bailing and quickly followed by the other crew. But from the ground watching through distorted time, the events would look widely separated from one another.(Have to check later episodes to see how this works out).
@Marebabe & Studiorose: it's cool that Jin's story is a ghost story, because with the end of D.O.C., Naomi tells a ghost story (in short order form)--Flight 815 were all dead. At the time I thought, okay does this mean the islanders are all ghosts? And I did love Jin's story of the man with the hook and the couple in the car--that's at least what I thought the story was (I heard that when I was a little kid, and it scared the crap out of me).
@Sonshine Music: No, I thought it was Brother Campbell who helped Desmond up. But at least we know where Desmond got his phrase "brutha" from. Does this mean he sees everyone as the 'brotherhood of man,' in some sort of religious way (all God's children), or has it been watered down to the Scot's version of "dude?"
Three words characterize this episode: "sacrifice," "charity," and "brother." All three of these are religious, and we've heard them before. Sacrifice with Locke, but here again we hear it. If Abraham tested Issac's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son on Moriah, Locke's faith was tested by the island (or at least he thought so) as he sacrificed Boone (whom he called occassionally "son"). (If there is no God on the island, who would there be to stop Locke from sacrificing his "son")? Now I have some questions whether the island really wanted Locke to sacrifice Boone, or even if an accident can be counted as sacrifice. But you get the parallelism. But the other word associated with sacrifice is "test." And we get a lot of that, with Locke saying he's being tested, and even Desmond.
We also see another doll (hula dancer for the car), which suggests it came out of the helicopter. Did the pilot have it glued somewhere--but if the helicopter went down in the ocean, it wouldn't have landed on the island (barring hanging on like a ragweed to Naomi's pack). But it works like Rousseau's homemade dolls, indicating something (a trap?). We also saw dolls when Jack found the water in the cave. And there is the doll made by Annie for Ben. I kept thinking voodoo (another religion to add to LOST's pantheon of religions). Perhaps the most famous doll is the golem--is that how we should see Richard, made by Jacob?
Sonshine: Hands up, people - who wonders if the man who touched him was Jacob! Because if he hadn't gone to the monastery then he wouldn't have met Penny, or entered the sailboat race and, therefore, ended up on the Island.
o_O
Whoa. That was like... a Jedi moment. I totally never thought of that, but now it's EXACTLY what I think! Awesome catch!!
Sonshine: Great idea regarding Jacob!
Fred: The chopper splashing being the same chopper that carried the Oceanic 6...I believe that 100%. It makes perfect sense, seeing as how poor Dr. Ray washes up on the shore hours before he actually dies. Good call there, Fred!
I love superheroes as much as the next nerd, but whenever anybody asks me who would win in a race between Superman and the Flash, I reply: "Sonic the Hedgehog" just to remain impartial. (But let's face it, that little blue S.O.B. was FAST!)
Love the cutesy Penny and Desmond origin scene! True, though: how DID Naomi get her hands on that pic? Did Widmore pass it on to her through Abbadon? If so, there must have been an important reason for doing so. Did widmore want her to kill Desmond if she ever came across him? Something is rotten in Denmark...
@Fred: Interesting theory with the helicopter, although I feel a bit like the Grinch, at the end of the Dr. Seuss story: "She puzzled and puzzed, till her puzzler was sore..." I'm workin' on it. The leap of faith you recommended helps a lot. We REALLY NEED to see the S6 episodes!
Love this episode!
Charlie walks thru the jungle in the rain with his guitar exposed-cant be good for that instrument.
Ruth looks like she's about 15yrs old! I remember being shocked that she was with Des the first time I saw this.
Jack, "What are you doing here Hurley?"
Hurley, "Uh, keeping Des here company, 'cus were "friends"(?)"
How does Jin know "Bridge over River Kwai"?
Where did they get the marshmallows? When Hurley said they would have them, I thought he was kidding!
Interesting Des confesses to Charlie that he is a coward.
@Marebabe-"If we don't play every 108min, the island will explode!"
Love that line.
Sawyer to Jack, "Finally, something I can beat you at!"
@Fred-I noticed the very "Hawaiian" hula girl too!lol
Did anyone else notice Des was wearing two different red shirts, one in his picture, and another one in Naomi's. Different time lines?
Bernard's "Best of Phil Collins" mix tape! You gotta love Sawyer for trying.
Could Des really have let Charlie die, just to see his tru love again?
@Nikki-I too wondered why Charlie's guitar neck didn't break. Must be the healing powers of the island at work again!
I love the ending where they go back and forth between FB and now, showing Des and Penny's "love at first sight" moment. Penny seems so smitten-she keeps giggling like a school girl. And Desmond's smiles at her-aw! Sorry Nikki, but I think they make the cutest couple!
I think the producers have confirmed that the freighter had 2 helicopters, and I think you can even see both in a flashback scene. I don't remember which episode however, but I can check.
Naomi's motives puzzle me. She tells the Losties that she was hired by Penny to find Des. However when she recruits Miles she tells him the goal is to find and capture Ben for Charles Widmore. Which one is true, or is it a little of both?
I have this idea about Desmond's flashes. I think he gets them in order to save Charlie (who is somehow particularly prone to fatal accidents). Charlie's life is being preserved so he can accomplish his Looking Glass mission. One of the reasons I think this is that in this episode Des has a flash of Charlie getting an arrow to the throat, but he also has a flash of the parachutist dropping to the ground, and if you look carefully, you can see Charlie is one of the people waiting for the parachutist to drop.
@Susan: I went to Lostpedia and saw an aerial photo of the Kahana. Yes it does have 2 helipades, and the notes indicate there were 2 helicopters. So I wonder did Naomi parachute out of the helicopter long before it crashed, cause if it was over the ocean when she jumped, no way she'd make it to the island. (It was a cool theory if there had been only one helicopter, but it looks like there were 2).
Thanks Fred now I don't have to look it up ROFL.
Maybe her helicopter was passing over a relatively uninhabited part of the island, started having trouble, and then she jumped, while the helicopter continued on till it was over water. The only thing is, I can't see how it could have passed so close to Des et. al. without them hearing it (before it was over the ocean).
@Susan-for some reason I'm thinking you dont hear airplanes, helicopters as well when they are behind you. Besides, I think the jungle could've muffled it a bit, and water definitely magnifies sound.
I've been following this rewatch since the middle of season one, and I have been having a great time rewatching with all of you. This is the first time I've signed in to comment, but before I do I would just like to say how great everyone that I've read on this blog is. You are all humorous, kind, intellegent, and a lot of fun. I was so impressed with your blogs Nikki, that I went out and bought your first two books and I am loving reading them along with the rewatch.
Anyway...
After seeing Through the Looking Glass at the end of season 3, I always thought that Naomi was not sent by Penny but was working for Whitmore. Whitmore somehow got a copy of the picture of Penny and Des, gave it to Naomi and told her the whole story of Penny and Des, and told her to use it as a way to gain their trust and hide what her true mission was (to get Ben and kill everyone else). I think that if Locke had not killed her she would have been a big problem for the losties - just like Keamy!
Loved the whole ghost story scene - it just goes to show you that a ghost story is one of those things that needs no translation. I also love how Jin has interacted with the other characters in season 3 - even with the language barrier he truly has become one of the guys! Jin is one of my favorite characters. It really bothered me that in season 5 he finally learned english, but the writers never gave him anything to say!! Hope that changes in season 6.
@Susan, Fred & crazyinlost: I've learned a lot just now listening in on your helicopter discussion. I never dreamed the Kahana had 2 helicopters, mostly because it's relatively small, compared to, say, an aircraft carrier. :)
@Pamalamb: Welcome! Your background story is a lot like mine. I lurked around, enjoying this blog for a long time before I joined in on the discussion. I was drawn to this extraordinary group of people for all of the qualities you mentioned.
You're so right about Jin. His transformation from the Loner Mr. Grumpy Pants has been fun to witness.
@Pamalamb-I also want to welcome you to the fold! I'm also a newbie, having only just joined in the conversation about 2wks ago. But after just recently reading all the back-blogs starting in July, I wanted to join in the conversation. Hope you have as much fun as I'm having!
I wonder if Claire will ever get on that helicopter...
Also, the whole "one puzzle piece will alter the end result of the flashes" concept exonerates Desmond's behavior in Par Avion. He sees Charlie with a bird. He sees Charlie floating in the water. Change one, alter the other. It's poetic irony his actions kept furthering Charlie's need to go to that cliff.
@SonshineMusic: who wonders if the man who touched him was Jacob!
AHHH! Mind=blown.
@Batcabbage Flash would win
I say the same thing, and my wife has to listen to me go on about it too. Superman's great at a lot of things, but Flash is the best at one thing: running fast. In my book, that means he'll always trump Superman.
I wonder if Claire will ever get on that helicopter...
Me too. I really hope that detail doesn't get dropped/intentionally ignored, as it's kinda instrumental to Charlie's sacrifice.
I also hope the picture of Penny Naomi has gets explained. I'd be willing to chalk up the Eloise pic to her general "orchestrating events behind the scenes" schtick, if they never get back around to it.
Do you think there's a small chance that Naomi was really looking for Des? It seemed to me hat some of the people on the boat weren't exact;y there for the same reason that Keemy and Dr. Creepshow were. It is also apparent that not everyone one the boat had the same information. Or all of the information. Either way, I always thought of Naomi as a person who probably had more information than Miles, Daniel, and Lapidus, but less than Dr. Creep and Keemy. Maybe that explains why Naomi had Pen and Des's photo?
Top stuff guys !
Jacob setting Desmond on the path .... hmmm !!!
Thought I'd chime in here 'cause I have found .... well, something of interest, which I thought may have been quite important. Partway through this episode, at the actual point where Charlie & Hurley have their Superman / The Flash confab :
Hurley : ' .... In case you haven't noticed dude, I'm not exactly The Flash .... '
right where he says "exactly" there is a flash right at the top of the screen. I initially thought it was lightning, but it looks like a squidge of sunlight through the camera lens - production error or 'happy accident' ?
I'm really quite gobsmacked it never got picked up before.
Which may beg the question, are there any other instances in LOST like this?
-- Dougie.
P.S. thanks to marebabe re : reply about the Harlan Ellison story question, I picked it up through the e-mail reply thingy thru blogger. Woody Allen - maybe it's a Yiddish thing?
Also, FYI, just discovered a Ray Bradbury short story entitled . . . ' The Best of All Possible Worlds '
-- DAMc.
Nikki: Have you ever noticed that Desmond says “Pen-neh” the same way Bill the Vampire says “Sook-eh”?
...
I didn't get to comment on your posts about True Blood because I only finished Season 1 on DVD as Season 2 was starting and I don't get HBO. But one of the advantages to barreling through the whole first season that way -- besides sating my post-cliffhanger hunger for each next episode as quickly as a single-disc Netflix subscription allowed -- was hearing commentary from Alan Ball in which he divulged his stage direction to Anna Paquin during one particular early scene [mild crudity warning for the prudish]: He tells us to watch for Sookie's reaction as Bill offers up a particularly sibilant, seductive "sssSuhk-eh"; Paquin's eyes go wide like she's just been given some secret cosmic knowledge, and Ball reveals that he told her that Sookie feels the line "in her vagina".
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