"I understand that you feel the need to do this. But I need you to knowthat everything that Kate and I have done, it was for Aaron."
-- Jack (Matthew Fox)
Spoilers. A real jumble of quality this week, but ultimately better than any episode involving Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and her surrogate son Aaron (William Blanchette) should be, thanks to enjoyable moments permeating the whole story, and some fun on-island distractions...
"The Little Prince" title seems to allude to Aaron's great importance in the show's mythology, but it's perhaps worth noting how the on-island storyline reminds us that seemingly important things aren't always what they seem: here, after leaping back in time by a few months, Locke (Terry O'Quinn) notices a column of "hatch light" emanating from the jungle, but decides against sparing himself a lot of pain by telling his past-self it's just a man inside turning on a light. Perhaps Aaron's significance should be similarly downplayed, as the show has evolved into a different beast since the days of season 1, when children like Aaron and Walt appeared integral to the deeper mysteries. Remember when the Others' primary mission was abducting kids? Is that branch of the mythology still pertinent?
Here, Kate is trying to find out who's snooping into her lineage with Aaron, by pestering her to give a blood sample to prove her maternity. Afraid to have the truth exposed that she's not Aaron's biological mother, Kate tries to strike a deal with meddling lawyer Dan Norton (Tom Irwin) -- offering him the blood sample he wants, but only if he reveals his client's identity. Dan doesn't think it's likely his client will agree to her offer, and warns her that he could legally force Kate to relinquish her DNA if she isn't more cooperative.
Meanwhile, Sayid (Naveen Andrews) is attacked by another assailant (posing as a nurse) as he recovers from heavy sedation at a hospital. He manages to subdue the assailant, then notices his attacker has Kate's addresss scribbled on a scrap of paper in his pocket. Fearing another imminent attack, Jack (Matthew Fox) rushes to protect Kate, who has left Aaron with the visiting Sun (Yunjin Kim) at her home. This forces Kate to tell Jack about her own dilemma regarding Aaron. But why has Sun been sent a box of chocolates containing a gun with a dossier report on Jack and Ben? Is this help she's receiving from Widmore in killing Ben, whom she blames for her death of her husband Jin?On the island, the losties jump back in time by a few months, allowing Sawyer (Josh Holloway) to witness past-Kate helping Claire deliver baby Aaron in the jungle, before another flash has them arriving back at the beach camp to find it's been ransacked. An abandoned pair of outrigger canoes have been left behind on the beach, so they steal one to circumnavigate the island to get to the Orchid station quicker -- where Locke believes he'll be able to stop the time displacements, before everyone starts getting nosebleeds like Charlotte (Rebecca Mader).
During their paddle on the ocean, unseen attackers begin to pursue them in the other outrigger, shooting at them with rifles. Fortunately, another time-flash saves the the group from certain death, by dumping them in the middle of a violent storm, circa 1988...
This episode is certainly very entertaining and, thanks to a brilliant final scene, it nicely sets up the exploration of a chunk of Lost mythology that's been cruelly ignored since season 1. Yes, the presumed dead Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) makes a return to the show, having spent the past episodes floating on freighter wreckage, transported around in time without his knowledge. In '88, Jin is rescued by a French crew weathering a storm, and every Lost afficionado's senses will be tingling with anticipation at the inevitable reveal: a young, beautiful French woman makes Jin's acquaintance, calling herself Danielle Rousseau (Melissa Farman).
Is it plausible this fresh-faced youngster will turn into grizzled, half-crazy Mira Furlan after 16 years of isolation on the island? The half-crazy Rousseau we know has yet to be formed, so it will be interesting to see that begin in earnest. Fans will also be eager to see some explanation, finally, about what Rousseau's crew were doing 16 years ago after being shipwrecked on the island, and exactly how her crew died of the "sickness" commonly referenced in season 1. There's also mild amusement in how poor Jin has spent four seasons trying to learn pidgeon-English to communicate with his friends, only to now find himself amongst French scientists.Kate's story is less gripping than anything happening on the island, particularly as her problems with Aaron come to be explained as another of Ben's furtive mind-games; a means to coerce her into fleeing back to the island, it appears. It also doesn't help that Kate and Jack, as a couple, grow more tedious as time passes. I used to enjoy their burgeoning romance in season 1 and 2, but Kate's tendency to flit between Jack and Sawyer has made her character less virtuous and likeable. And, fact is, Kate-Jack is a boring love match compared to the spark that accompanies Kate-Sawyer. You can believe in Sawyer's passion for Kate (even when he's not technically sharing a scene with the actress, in this week's jungle moment), whereas Jack just looks like an emotionally-stunted puppy around her. It used to be endearing; it's now plain irritating.
Overall, "The Little Prince" may be the worst episode season 5 so far, but it's still perfectly watchable and captivating in places. It's just that most Kate-centric episodes are a bore, and making her a (foster) mother has done little to change that fact. I'm also not convinced by Locke's sudden brainwave that he needs to get the Oceanic Six back to stop the time-slips, and the show has yet to adequately explain why Ben thinks likewise. It's probably because this is the only way to justify continued adventures now six characters have escaped the island, but hopefully the writers have a decent answer for why the island needs its full quotient of losties.
Questions!
- Who ransacked the beach camp, and who pursued the losties in the outrigger?
- What are Rousseau's team doing on the island? When will they start exhibiting the Sickness first mentioned in season 1?
- What happened to the rest of the survivors, like Bernard and Rose?
- Who sent Sun a gun in a box of chocolates, with a dossier on Jack and Ben? Charles Widmore?
- Who was Sayid's assailant at the hospital, why did he have Kate's address, and how did he know Sayid was there?
- So, has Miles been on the island before?
8 February 2009
Sky1, 9pm
Writers: Melinda Hsu & Brian K. Vaughan
Director: Stephen Williams
Cast: Ken Leung (Miles), Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), Jeremy Davies (Daniel), Rebecca Mader (Charlotte), Michael Emerson (Ben), Yunjin Kim (Sun), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Matthew Fox (Jack), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), William Blanchette (Aaron), Guillaume Dabinpons (Frenchman #1), Susan Duerden (Carole Littleton), Tom Irwin (Dan Norton), Emerson Brooks (Tony), Stephanie Niznik (Dr. Evelyn Ariza), Marc Menard (Frenchman #2), Bruno Bruni Jr (Brennan), Ane Tranetzki (Bellman) & Melissa Farman (Danielle Rousseau)
