Did you say Widmore? As in Charles Widmore?
Well, okay.
Just when you think you’ve got the show pegged, Lost administers a judicious roundhouse kick to the brain-stem that reminds you of the obvious: you don’t know jack — or, in this case, Widmore. Interesting revelations abound in the most recent episode called “Jughead,” an apt title given the mammoth hydrogen bomb of the same name. We got some insight into two of the more mysterious characters on the show, Daniel Faraday and Charles Widmore, plus the introduction of a new explosive threat — unless that threat’s already been unleashed?
Oxford Odyssey
Any episode with a healthy dose of Desmond Hume is A-OK by me. This “uniquely and miraculously special” individual takes front and center in “Jughead,” following up on Faraday’s earlier plea for Desmond to find his mother in Oxford. While he only manages to find her location — Los Angeles, conveniently — Desmond reunites briefly with nemesis and in-law Charles “Up-Chuck” Widmore, and the scene is absolutely awesome. Their dynamic is totally flipped on its head as Desmond, often called a coward by Widmore, is the dominant presence in the conversation while the old man stays confined to his cushy chair. “Jughead” also provides a reminder that Des has more than one Charles in his life — he hasn’t forgotten about the late great Charlie Pace, the namesake for Desmond and Penelope’s new baby. It’s a nice connection that these three characters share the same name, one that I hadn’t put much thought into before.
More Widmore
See that guy on the left? His name tag says “Jones,” but his real name is “Widmore.” Yep, that’s Chuck Widmore as a young guy. Good to know his whole obsession with the Island stems from something concrete. Even as a mid-twenties Other, Widmore’s a bit of a wanker: he snaps his buddy’s neck before he can reveal information, he gets in Richard Alpert’s grill and arrogantly asks if he thinks that Locke “knows this island better than I do?” Wherever his vendetta stems from, old man Charles tells Desmond that the conflict goes back for a long time. Well, we now know that it’s been at least fifty years. Pretty nifty reveal.
An Alpert For All Seasons
According to Juliet, Richard Alpert has “always” been on the island and his current known age is approximately “old.” Very helpful, Jules. Perhaps the most mysterious man on the island, Alpert seems to be the face of the Others back in the ’50s. Is he the Benjamin Linus of this day and age? There’s certainly some higher power that he answers to that he mentions to Locke — a “chain of command.” Is Jacob the next rung on the ladder, or is there a different leader that Alpert plays second fiddle to? Either way, despite his age, Richard says that he has no recollection of John Locke — just as he’d predicted back in the future. Yikes, that’s confusing.
The Man, The Myth, The Lie?
It’s pretty wild that Locke was the one who told Richard of his birth date. The whole reason Alpert sought John out as a youngster stems from John’s own suggestion. It makes you wonder if the whole “John Locke is The One” myth came from Locke in the first place. If this is the first time that Richard has heard of Locke, as is suggested by their interaction, and he’s hearing of the birth from Locke himself, then it might be that Locke is setting up his own “destiny” in a cyclical way. He is the one who spoke of his coming back in the ’50s, and therefore he is the all-important “leader” in 2005. It’s kind of whacky to wrap your head around, but the point is that if it’s Locke who first told Richard of his impending birth, and it’s then Richard and the Others who go on to believe in Locke’s eventual leadership, then is Locke actually “special” or is it all based on a silly unfounded rumor? I suppose you need to factor in that Locke has seen Jacob, but then again, Hurley has too. If Locke’s mythology is based on a lie, expect Your Baldness to be very disappointed — and maybe that whole future suicide thing won’t be so far off after all.
Devious Dan
“Jughead” was a great episode for several characters and certainly a huge hit for sketchy scientist Daniel Faraday. The time-travel know-it-all is truly aware of everything around him. He doesn’t question Miles’ ability to talk to the dead, but instead capitalizes on it right away. He convinces Richard to let him inspect the Jughead, proving his capabilities as a con artist. He even shows some real courage in telling Charlotte the way he feels about her, feelings that she seems to reciprocate. But despite this, it’s not all peaches and cream with far-off Faraday. The little nerdo landed a poor woman in a time-travel induced coma, as discovered by Desmond. Perhaps more frightening is that this woman, Teresa, is kept alive due to funding from Charles Widmore. Even worse is that Widmore has funded Daniel’s research for decades. As the man behind the freighter expedition, one can imagine that Widmore and Faraday might have some long sort of history. Any “friend” of Widmore’s is someone to look out for, and only time will tell if Doctor Dan ends up as a friend or foe.
Charlotte’s Web Dead?
Hey, Charlotte? You got some lipstick all over your nose and mouth. Here, take my washcloth. Go on, use it, I don’t have germs. It’s okay, it’s — Charlotte, are you even listening? Welp, looks like poor ol’ Ginger’s en route to a nice dirt nap away from all this time-warping whackiness. Kind of a bummer, since Lost has always suffered in the “solid female character” department, and Charlotte definitely made it onto the right side of the list. Hopefully she pulls through. Besides, there’s a lot left to be discovered about her — her hunch is that she was born on the island, which probably means she was. I guess if she does kick the bucket, that doesn’t mean we won’t see her back story given all the time changes. Actually, it makes me wonder if this is how the writers plan on resolving departed Libby’s story as well. There’s a lot of conjecture that she was somehow tied up in DHARMA and/or Widmore, so it’d be interesting if we saw her on the island at some point. Either way, if I had my pick, I’d say keep Charlotte around and ignore stupid Libby. She got what was coming to her. What? I’m just saying what you’re thinking.
Jughead: Bomb, Bird or Both?
After consulting with my esteemed colleague Professor Blump, it’s clear that we have already seen the Jughead device in previous installments of Lost. That’s right — the Jughead is in the Swan Station. It makes perfect sense if you think about it. There’s a leak in the Jughead, which could cause a deadly “incident” as referred to in the orientation video requiring the button to be pushed every 108 minutes — perhaps that button triggers some sort of spray to keep the leak sealed up. Further, Daniel says that if the Others simply bury the bomb and cover it in concrete, everything should be okay. Well hey, remember that massive concrete wall in the hatch? Yeah, how ’bout that? Daniel also says that the bomb doesn’t go off since the island still exists in fifty years, but perhaps the Jughead did go off when Desmond turned the failsafe key. As for why the detonation of the bomb would trigger such a massive electromagnetic effect? Who knows, except to say that the Jughead might not be a hydrogen weapon after all but an electromagnetic one. (Edited to Add: This from a science savvy reader: “All hydrogen bombs emit electromagnetic pulses when they go off.” Booyah!)
But if you need further evidence, just look at the above mural taken from the Swan hatch. See that arrow shaped do-hickey? Maybe that refers to the Arrow Station, but I think it’s eerily similar to the Jughead device. If the Jughead and the Swan’s electromagnetic power are one and the same, and the Jughead has already gone off, then maybe that’s part of the reason why turning the frozen donkey wheel set the island off on an unstable series of time jumps, rather than a singular stable leap. Crazy, crazy stuff.
Bonus Points
Anyone notice that the Oceanic Six plus Ben were entirely absent this episode? More importantly, did anyone care? The episode was compelling enough with the likes of Faraday, Desmond, Locke, Widmore and Alpert. Even Sawyer and Juliet, while nice additions, didn’t need to be in there. While Juliet’s revelation that the Others can speak Latin was darn cool, it makes me wonder why Sawyer et al don’t grill Juliet for more information about the island the purpose of the Others. Clearly she knows more than she’s divulged already and given their deadly situation, what further harm could spilling the beans possibly do?
Also, with Desmond heading off towards Los Angeles, put your bets in now that Ms. Hawking is Daniel’s mother. You could probably call that a mile away anyway, but her presence in Los Angeles, the British accent and her adept knowledge of all things island make her and Danny boy a perfect fit. But Des, whatever you do, do not bring Penny to Los Angeles with you. Benji Linus is there, and he’s got a serious grudge against old Chuck that’s gonna leave baby Charlie without his mumsy. Do us all a favor and stay out of this one. We just want a happy ending for fricking somebody.
Come back every Thursday for an all-new edition of Lost: Island Fever!
