Lost: Catch-22

Hurley: "This is future crap, isn't it?"

Finally. A definitive explanation on why Desmond calls everyone "brother."

If Lost is ultimately about the journey of each of these characters, then this one gave us a big piece of the mystery that is Desmond. I really like Desmond. He's not the coward that he thinks he is; he just finds it hard to make decisions and commit, and he's run away from marriage twice. But I knew he wouldn't sacrifice Charlie, biblical analogy or no biblical analogy. Desmond is just too good a guy.

Our traveler from the sky was carrying Ardil-22, the Portuguese translation of Catch-22. (Portuguese again!) It's a famous anti-war book about a World War II pilot who tries to prove he's insane so he won't have to bomb people, but the catch is that by trying to prove he is insane, he confirms that he actually is sane. Catch-22 has become a term describing an unsolvable conundrum where one has two tasks that cancel each other out, which describes what just happened to Desmond.

Sort of. I'm not sure if it's an apt analogy, because – who was that woman? Whose side is she on? Why did she have the photo of Desmond and Penny in her pack, and how did she know Desmond's name? Is she a new cast member who will hang around for a short while, only to die horribly and pointlessly?

Meanwhile, we finally got some more sex from our island of good-looking near celibates. It appears that Kate wants Jack now, but is settling for Sawyer. But Sawyer, who doesn't think he is worth loving, didn't just take Kate's pass at face value. He's a perceptive guy. Plus, he's worth loving; Kate just can't see it. Wake up and smell the hottie, Kate. Sawyer is perfect for you. Jack isn't.

Character bits:

Desmond met Penny Widmore right after he was expelled from a Scottish abbey for being a bad monk. (I thought at first that he was in prison, because we know Desmond was in prison.)

Desmond became a monk basically as a subconscious way to avoid marrying a woman named Ruth, another biblical name with a loaded meaning. Ruth has an angry brother named Derek.

The photo on Brother Campbell's desk showed him with the mysterious woman in the jewelry store in "Flashes Before Your Eyes." A relative?

Widmore Senior obviously likes obscure Scottish booze. Wine as well as whiskey.

Jin spoke more English than ever before. And his Korean version of a campfire horror story had me in stitches.

Sawyer defeated Jack at table tennis. And at Kate.

Sawyer mentioned Bernard, but we didn't see him, of course. We haven't seen either Rose or Bernard in, like, forever.

Bits and pieces:

— I think this Desmond/Charlie fated to die thing is by far the most interesting thing they've done with Charlie.

— Ah, yes. The eternal Flash/Superman footrace debate. Did this relate somehow to Des's "flashes" being all powerful? Or to Catch-22?

— The guys were whistling the theme from Bridge on the River Kwai. It was about prisoners of war (again, World War II) actually getting into, and taking pride in, building a bridge for the enemy before realizing that they had to find a way to destroy their biggest accomplishment. This could apply to Juliet and her relationship with the Others, actually.

— The wine that the monks were making was called "Moriah." It was the biblical site of the near sacrifice of Isaac. Which of course relates to Desmond's near sacrifice of Charlie. Or Penny for Charlie. Whatever.

— Sawyer was reading another book when Kate came to booty call. I couldn't see the cover. Post a comment if you know what it was.

— We couldn't make out the inscription on Sawyer's tee shirt, either, but Dan theorized that it might be SPQR. (Ancient Rome.) Again, if you know what it was, post a comment!

— When Des met Penny, they were about to take the ten cases of wine to Carlisle, which is on the border of Scotland. Boone's last name was Carlyle. Intentional coincidence?

— In this week's hair report, the quality of the wigs has improved, because Desmond's flashback hair was pretty convincing.

Quotes:

Desmond: "Hey. Where's the wire?"
Hurley: "Did you eat those mushrooms Jack warned us about?"

Brother Campbell: "Perhaps you don't understand the value of sacrifice."

Sawyer: "You need me to make you a mix tape?"

Juliet: "Your dad never taught you to use a hammer?"
Jack: "No, my dad taught me how to drink."
Juliet: "At least he taught you something."
Sawyer: "Hope I'm not interrupting. You two arguing over who's your favorite Other?"

Sawyer: "If we don't play every one hundred and eight minutes, the Island's going to explode."

Lost is such a quality show that nearly every episode is at least three out of four polar bears. As is this one,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

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