The Lost Watch 5.08

Hello, Losties. Sorry it’s been a week longer than originally planned, but with this week’s mini-hiatus, I thought I’d hold the column to this week. So without further ado, here’s this week’s reaction to last Wednesday’s episode, “LaFleur.”
As simply put as possible, I really loved it.

One of my favorite questions raised by the show since the Season 3 finale has been what has everybody else been doing if three years have passed in “real” time. The idea those left behind could be literally anywhere at any time was a thrilling possibility. The reveal of this answer could have been a total let down or blown my balls away and changed how I feel about life in general.

But, as usual, Lost took the path of – and I say this not as a put-down at all – total least resistance. Considering where the show has been building with the handful of survivors left on the Island over the course of this season, looking back on “LeFleur,” nothing should have been shocking. However, the continuous payoffs of Sawyer and Juliet really coming into their own as leaders and as a new breed of heroes really elevated “LaFleur” over the “revelations” of last week’s “Bentham,” in my modest opinion.

Sawyer is walking a clear path of consciousness at this point in his character’s development, and considering there’s really no one else who could stand in for the more “absolute extreme” characters (ie, Jack or Locke or Ben), Sawyer’s manning-up is cool to me.

And Juliet. And Juliet. When Sawyer decides to go help Michelle Dressler and Juliet falls right in step…something in their characters felt absolutely right to me. I’ve felt all season that these two were going to get together, but their love story in this week’s episode takes these characters to new dimensions. Sawyer has literally been running for his life since well before he ever stepped onto our Island. Juliet’s been shouldering her own burden through three years of attending in vain to the pregnant on the Island. Joining this era of the Dharma Initiative, the two can settle into a (most deserving) faux-normality. The proof? When has Sawyer ever stopped to smell the flowers? Sawyer doesn’t need someone who could bolt as quickly as Kate could/would/has. He needs more than an intellectual equal in his partner. He needs someone who would fit with him, and Juliet fits that pattern to a T, much better than I think Kate ever could.

Ironic that I’ve been totally Team Jack in the war of Kate’s affection (and look how well that turned out…surprise!), but now I don’t want the two of them to eff up what may be my second favorite couple on the show (behind Bernard and Rose). That’s not true…I do love me some Jin and Sun. Sawliet might be #3.

And for the Juliet haters (like my mother)…if you can’t get on board with this chick, you’re just jealous. I’ve been sold by Juliet since Season 3 and I think this last episode cements her lack of ill intent on our heroes, her sincerity within her own plight and how right she is for Sawyer at this point in the story. Juliet’s one of our heroes. Deal with it!

Another thing this week’s episode got 100% right is the scene with Sawyer and Richard. Once upon a time, we would wait at least a season, maybe two, to get a payoff scene between characters like that. Even until recently upon a time, Sawyer would have made up some kind of crazy awesome story about what happened to those bodies instead of telling the absolute truth. I love the moments on the show where everybody gets clued in on that which everybody already knows everything that everybody knows and would need to be clued in on, but typically they come in someone slipping a Claire is Christian’s daughter to Jack at his father’s funeral. These reveals are generally stumbled upon. This conversation was blunt, here’s-what’s-going-on, let’s-get-rocking awesomeness.

In typical Lost fashion, I’m sure this established happy factor going on in New Otherton will be destroyed by the return of the Oceanic 6, et al. But one question I never asked myself before “LaFleur,” is whether or not I would want the Foundies to join back up with the Losties at all. This is the greatest contribution of this latest batch of episodes: we knew those who went back would somehow come back to the Island, but do we want them there anymore? Even taking Sawliet out of the equation, should Sun be home tending to the baby? Didn’t Kate vow to watch over Aaron?

We’ll have to wait ANOTHER week to find out just how much the Island will shake with the landing of the 6, but until then, I’m going to bask in the residual love of Sawyer and Juliet…

Keep twiddling those dials,

~Romulus