Follow along! The episode guide for “Greatest Hits” is in Finding Lost — Season 3, pp. 175-183.:::Sniffle::: WAAAAH…. Oh, Chah-lie… I don’t think I can bear to watch the next episode.
Fun things I noticed:
• Good ol’ Season Ender Rose & Bernard. Just like in season 5, they’re MIA for the entire season only to pop up in the end.
• The #3 hit seems strange: one of the happiest memories he has is his brother handing him the family ring because he doesn’t think he’ll live long enough to wear it? Odd.
• “#1The Night I Met You.” :::SOB:::
Things that have new meaning:
• Desmond sees the flash of Claire and the baby getting onto the helicopter, but as we all know now, Claire DIDN’T get onto that helicopter. Was it a false flash? Was the island screwing with Desmond and needed Charlie dead because he was Claire’s protector and it was the only way to get to her and Aaron? Or did something happen to “change the puzzle picture”?
• Look how concerned Richard is when Ben shows up without Locke and says he had an accident; now that we know Richard had been visiting him since he was a baby and already believed he’d been chosen by Jacob, he seems very worried.
• Juliet says there was an accident in the Looking Glass station. Could the accident have anything to do with Jack dropping a bomb?
31 comments:
This is one of the best “feel good” episodes of Lost, even though we know they’re getting ready to rip our hearts out when Charlie dies. The jumping-up-and-down, unbridled joy when Charlie and the rest of his band mates heard their song on the radio for the first time reminded me of the similar scene in “That Thing You Do”, with all the shrieking and hugging and thrilled-to-pieces hysteria. Such fun to watch.
Liam told Charlie that the DS ring “has to stay in the family.” It’s so sweet that Charlie left it to Aaron, although it would’ve been better if he’d left a note with it, explaining its significance. This way, no one will ever know. I also love love LOVE that Charlie called Aaron “Turnip Head” one last time, when he said goodbye to him.
And Charlie’s “I love you, man” to Hurley was perfect in every way. Nikki, you selected this moment as the highlight of the episode, and I agree 100%.
The whole deal with the ring is a bit off. Not only is it curious that Charlie would pick his brother's gift of the ring as a Top 5 moment, but Charlie leaves the ring in Aaron's crib ... and Claire promptly picks up Aaron and walks away without noticing.
Truly a fantastic episode, nonetheless. LOST has often juggled multiple story lines fluidly but rarely are so many elements set in motion at one time and carried forward so seamlessly. Witness the penultimate episodes of Seasons 4 & 5 which, while thrilling to watch, couldn't escape a somewhat hurried feeling as multiple plotlines converged for the finale.
Charlie's line, "Why does everything have to be such a secret? How about some openness for a change?". HOOT!
Life has caused me to get waaay behind in the rewatch but after a weekend of fiendishly watching and reading I've caught up finally. As always yall have the best comments as well as being eloquent & insightful writers. (Plus you all can spell and punctuate and write in coherent sentences!) It's nice!
Nikki, you mentioned in your book that it was strange Charlie didn't wear the weight belt around his waist but held it in one hand thus giving himself only one hand to swim with. I remember screaming at the screen the first time around for him to put on the blanking belt and pull himself down with the cable!
Is the Turniphead in this ep a different one? He seems to have much chubbier cheeks!
And I've always wondered why the Losties haven't investigated the cable running into the water before, especially once Sayid had the 'floorplan' of the LG station. Seems like the cable would have been irresistible!
It seems that Carl is in hiding so wouldn't Ben have noticed Carl was missing or have noticed Alex disappearing at times and have followed her at some point?
Loved the ring story and Charlie secretly leaving it for Aaron, although Claire never finds it, does she? Very sad. Sun has it now so maybe the ring will find Aaron in Season 6! And I had completely forgotten it means 'Dexter Stratford' not 'Drive Shaft'!
I'm curious as to why Charlie didn't give Liam the ring back when he visited him in Australia before he got on the plane. The whole point was to hand it down to the next generation. Charlie was a single druggie with no job, no girl and no prospects, while Liam had kicked his habit and established a family.
And Nikki, I agree with what you pointed out in the book: why whack poor Des on the noggin and leave him to sunburn and/or drown when all Charlie had to do was insist he be the one to dive? I think it was pretty obvious Desmond's offer was reluctant at best!
I do love the Turnip-Head term of endearment that Charlie has for Aaron.
This episode breaks my heart, mainly because we know what's coming. But I think, and I have said this before, that we are being shown Charlie's atonement for some mistakes he made in the past. And now, and in the episodes (sob) that follow, we are going to see Charlie truly redeem himself , and commit a completely selfless act that serves the greater good.
I was going to write more, but I realize I am thinking more about Through the Looking Glass 1 and 2, so I will wait until these are posted.
:)
@tiasabita: Regarding baby Aaron's different appearance in this episode, they used LOTS of babies to portray Aaron. I don't remember exactly, but it seems to me that they had as many as 30 different babies in the role of Aaron just to get them through the first season, or maybe it was Seasons 1 & 2. It's because babies grow and change so rapidly in the first few months, and they needed Aaron to be the same size for a long time while they were shooting. So, lots of different babies.
Nikki, I remember you lamenting that the timing was wrong, or your son could've played Aaron, what with his coloring and Turnip-Headedness. I know you wouldn't have minded an extended vacation in Hawaii, hanging around the Lost set during production.
Was that Nadia who Charlie saved from the mugger?!?! I can't believe I didn't notice that before! Wow that gal really got around before Sayid came back into her life.
As poignant as the scene of Charlie leaving Aaron the ring was, the mother in me was screaming,"Don't put that ring in the crib with the baby! Aaron could choke on that thing!!
I loved the Charlie/Hurley "bromance" and that good-bye scene between them on the beach complete with the manditory "I love you man"...sob!
Nikki - Your comments about why Claire was not one of the ones to get on the helicopter after Desmond said his flash showed her doing that, have been wondered about by many including myself. When I rewatched it this time however, a new thought occured to me: What if Desmond was lying about that part of his vision to motivate (manipulate?) Charlie to play his part, and he never did see Claire and Aaron get on the copter. It wouldn't be the first time he has lied to Charlie - If you consider not mentioning the fact that he was going to be shot in the neck with an arrow lying (that's a pretty big fact to omit)! Anyway just a new thought and question to add to the many that already clog my brain!
Ever since the first time I saw it this has been one of my all time favorite Lost episodes. I loved Charlie and will admit that one of the main reasons I first wanted to watch Lost was because of "Merry" being in it :P
But this time, with how obsessed I have become with the show and knowing everything that was coming I just loved it even more. I've been watching the episodes on my laptop at work during my lunch breaks (the only time to get them in so I can keep up) and I was sitting there sobbing all through Charlie's list. I kept having to run for kleenex and hoping that no one would decide to come to the break room until the episode was over. ::SOB::
@Nikki: “#1The Night I Met You.” :::SOB:::
Exactly ;-;
Anyhoo...
In that scene with Karl dashing for the boat, I was like, Hey! It's the "running for your life" theme :)
So, Desmond saved Charlie, but Naomi still landed on the Island bringing a picture of Penny and news of a freighter. Why does Des think it can't be changed this time?
Where did Charlie find such a nice piece of lined paper?
Where DID Sayid get those blueprints from? And why haven't we seen them before? Did he pick them up when they visited Mikhail?
Did you see that little smirk on Juliet's face when Charlie said he was a swimming champion- almost like she knew he wasn't. Hmmm... has she been reading his file?
Charlie saying good-bye to Aaron had me crying my eyes out. It is so sweet and so tender and so freakin' sad!
You know, it's a good thing Charlie didn't have to hold his breath until he hit the button, because he never ever would have made it. He would have drowned before ever getting to the room.
Oh, oh, oh wait! Just as it was posting I saw Nikki's question about why Claire and Aaron didn't get on the helicopter and asking Or did something happen to “change the puzzle picture”?
Random thought... what if Desmond was SUPPOSED to save Charlie again, and because he DIDN'T the picture changed and Claire and Aaron didn't get saved?!
Every other time he's saved Charlie good has come out of it. He saved Claire's life when she almost drowned, they caught the bird and were able to send out the dissertation of life on the Island, the parachutist still landed...
Sonshinemusic I think you make a great point about changing the vision. The thing is Des clearly stared that if Charlie doesn't die Claire and Aaron don't get on the helicopter. That didn't happen... Yet anyway. I think the Des lied theory is the easiest and probably best. He needed to see Penny and he knew charlies death was inevitable. Done and done...
Sonshine that's an interesting point, and fits with my theory that Des was given his flashes in order to save Charlie for the Looking Glass mission.
One of the things I like best about Lost is how they don't solve all the mysteries at once. In season 1 Sayid finds a cable in the ground, and Hurley later visits it. But we don't find out what it is. Then we finally get the solution at the end of season 3. There is a nice balance of answers and questions on the show.
re the Looking Glass station-- Jack: "if it's flooded then how does it still work?" Sayid: "How it still works is irrelevant." Well, Sayid I beg to differ, how it still works is very relevant, especially to Charlie.
Nikki re the accident in the Looking Glass station, Juliet is repeating what Ben told her so the truth is very much in question here.
@Sonshine: My! we are feeling insightful this evening! And once again, I find myself in complete agreement. Like you, I first became interested in Lost when I saw that Dominic Monaghan was going to be in it. (Speaking of Dom, he's on Jimmy Kimmel tonight. The show just started, and I've got an ear tuned to the TV, waiting for Dom's appearance.)
LOL on the "running for your life" theme. I hafta ask, is that an actual title on one of the Lost music CD's? I don't own any of them, but it occurs to me that it COULD be an actual name for a musical theme on the show.
About the nice notebook paper, people pack all sorts of things for a trip, and I suppose this was salvaged from the luggage. And the blueprints must've come from the Flame. I don't remember for sure, but when/where else could Sayid have gotten them?
Great catch on Juliet's knowing smile. Of course, she's been reading up on all of the 815ers. And I remember thinking, when I first saw this episode, that Charlie would have certainly drowned if The Looking Glass had really been flooded. I kind of forgot about that on subsequent viewings, since I already knew there was AIR waiting for him down there.
@Sonshine: Oh, yes, I meant to also say that I really like your thought that something might have happened to change the puzzle picture. Maybe Desmond was really supposed to save Charlie again.
This is definitely on the "Greatest Hits" list for Lost ep's (sorry, I couldn't resist).
Love when Sayid yells at Jack. He needs a little yelling at. "Go lead your people, Jack!"
I too wondered if Des lied to Charlie about seeing Claire get on the 'copter. Especially if he saw in his vision Charlie talking to Penny. It seems before, that he couldn't go thru with letting Charlie die, but actually SEEING Penny on the monitor, in his vision, might have been enough for him to make up a story. But that may be why he offered to go down for Charlie, 'cause Des again couldn't live with the thought of letting Charlie die. But Charlie couldn't take the chance of screwing this one up if it meant letting Claire/Aaron be rescued.
What a conundrum.
Okay, a few more observations.
I remember reading in one of these blogs someone mention that the other boy at the pool was Des? Really? I always thought it was Liam. Sadly, Nikki, I dont have any of your books (yet) or I could look it up to see if it was there.
(Maybe for Christmas, but that's a little late, and I'm still hoping to get STNG s5 on DVD this year finally!
Karl DOES look like Bobby Brady! lol
Rose, "I like you better since you got back, Jack. You're almost an optimist."
I just love Charlie and Hurley together (I guess I just love Hurley whoever he is with). The, "I love you man", and Hurley's unconfortable, "Sure thing dude, love you too", if only he knew this was the last time he'd see Charlie! And something I was saving for the finale, I feel so bad for Hurley, he tries so hard to be helpful and everyone just turns him away, even Claire, and both Charlie and Sawyer are SO MEAN to him! Are they just trying to protect him?
Ya gotta feel for EdR for having to put back on that preg suit!
@tiasabita-I think the Losties just haven't had any "down time" to go exploring for fun. Too many other emergency's going on...had to wait until the emergency was directly related to the Looking Glass.
@Pamalamb-Nadia? Yes!!
Nikki: "The #3 hit seems strange: one of the happiest memories he has is his brother handing him the family ring because he doesn’t think he’ll live long enough to wear it? Odd."
I'm not sure I find this odd at all. Liam passed down a very sentimental heirloom to Charlie. While the context of the situation was dour, that doesn't make obtaining the ring any less significant. I don't remember Charlie saying these were his happiest memories, just his greatest. Not all greatest hits have to be uptempo, right?
This episode is very powerful, and a remarkable send off for Charlie. He'd been through alot over the first three seasons: overcoming heroin addiction, killing a man, falling in love, obsessing over a baby, attacking Sun anonymously, and learning he was going to die from a prophet. We saw him as insecure and sweet, prone to manipulation, but ultimately sincere and heroic. What a great character!
crazyinlost you're right the other boy in the pool is Liam, but if you listen very very carefully you can hear some background kid yell "Desmond" to someone else. It's very hard to hear and I think it doesn't even show up on the close-captions.
@humanebean Witness the penultimate episodes of Seasons 4 & 5 which, while thrilling to watch, couldn't escape a somewhat hurried feeling as multiple plotlines converged for the finale.
I agree; of all of Losts pen-ultimate "get everyone in place for the finale" episodes, this one is easily the best.
As for the seemingly-contradictory vision of Claire and Aaron getting on a helicopter, whether the answer is Desmond lying or the island lying to Desmond or something changing the puzzle or whatever, I just really hope we get some kind of explanation (even a vague one).
I don't really care WHAT the explanation is, so long as this apparent inconsistency isn't left hanging.
@humanbean:There's another issue with the ring to consider. The ring was supposed to be handed down from father to eldest son. Okay, by why is the great grandfather called Dexter Stratten? Charlie's and Liam's last name is Pace, not Stratten. So what gives?
Desmond says to Charlie, "I keep seeing you die because I'm supposed to take your place." Is this true? Will Desmond take someone's place? We already saw the wrong pilot took someone else's place (Lapidus). In a round about way, Ben took Henry Gale's place, but it was Gale who died. And we'll learn Kate takes Claire's place on the helicopter with Aaron. Is this a possible loophole to undermine fate--if X is supposed to die, and Y takes his place, does that satisfy Fate and change the future? From a religious point of view, this whole substituting one for another's place smacks of Xianity. Following this vein, is Jack then supposed to take someone's place--he has taken Locke's to a degree in Season 5.
Sticking with Charlie, the symbolism of his shoe coming off as he dives for the Looking Glass is reminiscent of the white sneaker Jack passes in the pilot. A lost shoe is impending death. (We've made the connection between the white sneaker Jack sees in the tree and Christian Shephard, but he has both his sneakers on--so from whom did the white sneaker come)? And, dare I mention him, someone elses shoe was found by Hurley in the fork of a tree. So if you lose your shoes on the island, does that spell doom? Poor, poor, Sawyer, then.
I see from Alex, the Others are eating rabbit. Are those the experimental bunnies? I'm a bit confused. Locke critcised Ben for having chiken in his fridge. But rabbit is okay? Is the great god of the island a giant chicken? Or is it you can't kill something that flies, but can something that runs on the ground (boar, rabbits, miscellaneous survivors).
Going back to Charlie, once more. When he leapt into the pool and his father pulled him up, I thought of Hellen's comment to Locke: You need to make a leap of faith. Unlike Locke, Charlie's father is there for him; Charlie just needs some faith.
@Fred - good catch on Dexter Stratton not passing the family name on consistently through the generations. It's not hard to imagine, though, that somewhere along the line there was no son to hand the ring on to ... and thus perhaps the eldest daughter carried on the tradition. Personally, I think the writers had the idea of the cool "DS" ring for Drive Shaft and came up with the 'handing down the ring' storyline later ... without bothering to explain the discrepancy.
I'll cut 'em some slack on this one. PROVIDED the writers someday explain my personal favorite mystery - in "One of Us" as Ben is trying to talk Juliet into staying on the Island, he promises her that he will cure her sister's cancer. Further, he tells her that "Jacob said he would take care of it himself ... unless of course you don't have faith in him". So ... what exactly has Juliet learned about Jacob in her first six months on the Island that would lead her to have this kind of faith in Jacob?
I think I have mentioned this before, but like several of you I started watching LOST due to Dom. The premise for the show was odd and I didn’t see a lot of future in it. Thank goodness Dominic was in it, I have really enjoyed the ride, even after Charlie was eliminated.
What ever Desmond saw in his vision, it appears that Charlie had to disarm the jamming device, because Desmond probably would not have known the notes for “Good Vibrations”. Something may have changed keeping Clair from joining Aaron, but we’ll never know unless it’s a plot point they reveal this coming season. Was Mikhail not supposed to kill Bonnie and Greta, or was Locke supposed to be in charge of the “Others” and Ben neutralized??? Hmmm. . .
PS: I missed the whole ring "family name" thing before, but I thought they specified it was through Liam and Charlie's mom. Maybe I just "assumed".
@marebabe - yes, makes sense that they'd have to use various babies for aaron! and @crazyinlost - you're probably right, too, about the Losties not having much free time to check out the cable in the sand! thanks to you both for setting me straight!
@Susan-Thanks for the heads up about the pool. I'll have to go back and listen for that. My problem is my sound system for my computer is over 20yrs old and doesnt work well, and the room with the good stereo doesnt have a dvd player. Maybe I'll take it to my parents house with there plasma screen and surround sound!
@Fred-I'm sure they have plenty of rabbits around to eat since rabbits multiply like...black spots! (hey, just had to get a Monty Python jibe in there somehow).
Random thought:
With the ongoing theme of conning there is the possibility that the island or whoever causes Desmond's visions conned him into thinking 'Claire' + Aaron were going to be saved. We never see Desmond's actual vision this time whereas we've seen the former ones. We know that the visions are fast and confusing and Desmond doesn't have exactly the best memory as I remember (heavy drinker etc.). What if Desmond saw a woman holding Aaron got into the helicopter without seeing her face and just assumed it was Claire.
So he wasn't lying to Charlie, but just being used by the 'vision-giver'.
(zoning out) Who maybe can have the power to show chosen parts of the 'if you don't do anything, ... will happen'-future, but not anything else which limits the 'vision-giver' in his possibilities to manipulate people or fate as are Esau and Jacob.
(Please mind my odd English - I'm not a native speaker.)
@celandinehaleth - you are quite right, well done. Charlie does specify the way the ring was handed down when he says to Liam, "Mum gave you that. You're the first born. It was her father's and his father before that". That certainly explains the name discrepancy. Good catch!
Gamal that's what I've always thought too, that Desmond saw someone else (Kate or Sun) holding Aaron and getting on the helicopter and just assumed it was Claire.
The one time we see his visions (in Catch-22) they are disjointed and not very clear. Desmond himself doesn't even seem to realize that Charlie gets the arrow in the throat but is still around when the parachutist falls out of the tree.
My theory is that by the end of season 6, or perhaps at the end, we will see Claire getting into a helicopter being rescued, and that Charlie's sacrifice is what put everything in motion to lead us to it. (Truth be told, I've been waiting for Claire to get into the helicopter since Desmond saw it, and I'm still not giving up!)
@JW: Keep the faith, Brother! :)
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