Lost: Season 2, Episode 20: Two for the Road Review
Two for the Road
Original Airdate: May 3, 2006
Writers: Christina M. Kim & Elizabeth Sarnoff
Director: Paul Edwards
As the finale draws near, the writers drop a major bombshell on us with the shootings of Libby and Ana-Lucia. In a way, it is a fitting bookend to end Ana-Lucia's story, as her accidental killing of Shannon brought her to the Fuselage section of survivors. Some fans, who have criticized Ana-Lucia's presence from the second she came on as a regular this season, likely welcomed her violent end with enthusiasm, as if that was some reaction to the audience's response or her real life arrest. While TV has the tendency to do that with characters that just don't work, this doesn't feel the same. In this case, it feels like a whole story was told and that there was some closure to the end. Plus, at this time in the season, it sets us up for the finale, much like Boone's death did last season, only kicked up a notch.
Of the connections we've seen so far, Ana-Lucia going with Christian to Sydney is one of the most intriguing. Both had a lot to run away from: Christian was removed as a surgeon in disgrace and Ana-Lucia was hiding from a murder she obviously committed. However, Christian was running to some type of back up family amidst his self-destruction. Apparently Christian has a daughter, and maybe even a second family in Sydney. Perhaps after the fall out with Jack, he hoped that he could have a new life with his other family. Some have theorized that Christian's daughter is actually Claire, making her and Jack half siblings and Aaron Jack's nephew. This is interesting, but I'm not sure how that could help or work into the overall story.
The age difference between the two is interesting, as is the possible attraction Christian had towards Ana-Lucia. The fact that he called her "Sarah", Jack's ex-wife's name, is definitely unsettling. It also plays into Ana's analysis of what she is doing. Ana-Lucia quickly sees where avoiding her problems will lead her. Christian's messed up life is an awful lot to swallow, especially for a stranger. She can't bear to be "pathetic" like Christian was. It isn't likely she learned his real name, or she would've mentioned something to Jack at some point.
Then she got on Flight 815 and was detoured to redemption. There she was victimized by the Others, eventually throwing an innocent person into a pit because she thought he was one. After 48 days in hell, she accidentally killed Shannon, and found herself unable to figure out how to deal with Sayid. She thought he would kill her much like she did towards the man who caused her to miscarry. Although she did let him go, her feelings of guilt and revenge never went away.
They lay dormant until she found Henry's hands wrapped around her neck. That, paired with the fact that Henry is no longer useful to them, causes her to do whatever it takes to get revenge, sleeping with Sawyer to get his gun. She goes through a lot of trouble for revenge, but never considers telling anyone else what happened. Clearly, deceiving Jack and the rest (besides Locke) played a big part in sealing her fate.
Ultimately, she just doesn't have the ability to kill Henry, so instead she gives the gun to someone she thinks can, and it is a fatal judgement. She can't resolve the fact that killing Henry isn't right. It is interesting that her character exit isn't quite a redeeming death as they achieve self-realization. Perhaps as she slipped away she realized something was wrong.
Henry and Locke's relationship is thoroughly intriguing. Henry knows how to get inside people's heads, and Locke is almost too easy for him. Locke is most vested in the island, but his is so based on faith that a man who knows a lot more about the mechanics of the island can take advantage of that. There would be no better way to get under his skin than to tell him that he was among the island's chosen people, but that the plan went awry.
There are plenty of questions. Since Ethan never finished his list, The Others never found out which ones of the Fuselage people were "good". This could imply that another mole in the ranks finished what Ethan started, someone who was on the plane, but a Dharma employee. Why did Henry come for Locke during the day (assuming he wasn't in Rousseau's trap for long)? Why is Locke the only one being taken? Are there other "good" people, or is Locke especially "good"? Or, is Henry just lying to mess with him?
Henry is a much better liar than Michael. Michael's story can be blasted full of holes. Kate found the beard, along with the tattered clothing, which disproves that The Others are really that destitute. Also, Jack should've realized Michael was lying when he said that he only saw two guns with them. The Others took five guns from them ten days earlier! The most likely explanation is that they are so concerned with getting The Others that they don't care enough to check facts.
Much is said about the final twist, with Michael killing Ana-Lucia and severely wounding Libby before shooting himself in the shoulder. The biggest question is why Michael would do such a thing. Since the beginning, Michael's primary motivation has been his son. The loss of his son has intensified that motivation throughout the season. Therefore, it's be logical that Michael shot them because that is what it will take to get Walt back, killing someone who killed one of them (watch your back Charlie). Some believe The Others made him one of them, but if that's true, why would Michael apologize before killing Ana-Lucia or have such instant guilt after shooting Libby? The real Others would kill her without such hesitation, as we're lead to believe. It would also cheat his character to have his actions be controlled directly by The Others. Rather, it's more interesting to think that The Others placed him in a position where he felt he had no choice.
With these two shot, the initial responses some had was that these two actresses were killed off because of their real life DUI arrests last December. I don't buy that. If the writers really wanted to get these two off the show, their exit would've been earlier in the season, and probably more abrupt. From all the reports I've seen, Michelle Rodriguez didn't want to be bogged down with a TV show for more than a year, and that's what she got. Her story was told.
Libby is another story. The best reason to keep her alive is that we have yet to hear her story. We know bits about the other Tailies, but hardly anything about Libby. She claimed she was a psychologist, but all we saw of her was her as a patient. On the island, she didn't do much else either. There is a budding romance between her and Hurley, but that is fairly new. Ultimately her function on the island may be not much more than to enhance Hurley's character.
Why The Others would want Ana-Lucia dead is pretty clear: she killed two of them. It clearly upset Henry when he tried to exact revenge on her. Goodwin's death appeared to be an especially sore spot for him, as Goodwin believed that Ana-Lucia was good. Perhaps Goodwin feelings toward Ana-Lucia paralleled Ethan's feelings toward Claire and the then unborn Aaron. In both cases, each Other had an obsession that ultimately lead to their death (around the same time too). But it is worth noting that Ethan was far more malicious than Goodwin, so perhaps there is still something to be told about the two moles.
Since Michael likely set Henry free, this adds to the theory that Henry is "Him" or the leader of The Others. Henry has been afraid about "Him" and how "He" will kill Henry because he failed, yet if this was the case and that Michael was ordered by The Others, why would Michael let him go instead of killing him right there? When Henry talks about "Him", it feels reminiscent of the film The Usual Suspects, (SPOILER) where Verbal Kint speaks of Keyser Soze with such fear, but ultimately they are the same person, and Verbal is merely boosting his alter ego's own legend.
Regardless, these events kick things into high gear. While some suspect that behind the scenes problems were responsible for the final turn of events, it fits the arcs a little too well to be blamed for arrests. It should be interesting to see where they go now, as they can't turn back. Developments like this should certainly quiet the "nothing happened" complainers, and hopefully that can last through at least the end of the season.
Original Airdate: May 3, 2006
Writers: Christina M. Kim & Elizabeth Sarnoff
Director: Paul Edwards
As the finale draws near, the writers drop a major bombshell on us with the shootings of Libby and Ana-Lucia. In a way, it is a fitting bookend to end Ana-Lucia's story, as her accidental killing of Shannon brought her to the Fuselage section of survivors. Some fans, who have criticized Ana-Lucia's presence from the second she came on as a regular this season, likely welcomed her violent end with enthusiasm, as if that was some reaction to the audience's response or her real life arrest. While TV has the tendency to do that with characters that just don't work, this doesn't feel the same. In this case, it feels like a whole story was told and that there was some closure to the end. Plus, at this time in the season, it sets us up for the finale, much like Boone's death did last season, only kicked up a notch.
Of the connections we've seen so far, Ana-Lucia going with Christian to Sydney is one of the most intriguing. Both had a lot to run away from: Christian was removed as a surgeon in disgrace and Ana-Lucia was hiding from a murder she obviously committed. However, Christian was running to some type of back up family amidst his self-destruction. Apparently Christian has a daughter, and maybe even a second family in Sydney. Perhaps after the fall out with Jack, he hoped that he could have a new life with his other family. Some have theorized that Christian's daughter is actually Claire, making her and Jack half siblings and Aaron Jack's nephew. This is interesting, but I'm not sure how that could help or work into the overall story.
The age difference between the two is interesting, as is the possible attraction Christian had towards Ana-Lucia. The fact that he called her "Sarah", Jack's ex-wife's name, is definitely unsettling. It also plays into Ana's analysis of what she is doing. Ana-Lucia quickly sees where avoiding her problems will lead her. Christian's messed up life is an awful lot to swallow, especially for a stranger. She can't bear to be "pathetic" like Christian was. It isn't likely she learned his real name, or she would've mentioned something to Jack at some point.
Then she got on Flight 815 and was detoured to redemption. There she was victimized by the Others, eventually throwing an innocent person into a pit because she thought he was one. After 48 days in hell, she accidentally killed Shannon, and found herself unable to figure out how to deal with Sayid. She thought he would kill her much like she did towards the man who caused her to miscarry. Although she did let him go, her feelings of guilt and revenge never went away.
They lay dormant until she found Henry's hands wrapped around her neck. That, paired with the fact that Henry is no longer useful to them, causes her to do whatever it takes to get revenge, sleeping with Sawyer to get his gun. She goes through a lot of trouble for revenge, but never considers telling anyone else what happened. Clearly, deceiving Jack and the rest (besides Locke) played a big part in sealing her fate.
Ultimately, she just doesn't have the ability to kill Henry, so instead she gives the gun to someone she thinks can, and it is a fatal judgement. She can't resolve the fact that killing Henry isn't right. It is interesting that her character exit isn't quite a redeeming death as they achieve self-realization. Perhaps as she slipped away she realized something was wrong.
Henry and Locke's relationship is thoroughly intriguing. Henry knows how to get inside people's heads, and Locke is almost too easy for him. Locke is most vested in the island, but his is so based on faith that a man who knows a lot more about the mechanics of the island can take advantage of that. There would be no better way to get under his skin than to tell him that he was among the island's chosen people, but that the plan went awry.
There are plenty of questions. Since Ethan never finished his list, The Others never found out which ones of the Fuselage people were "good". This could imply that another mole in the ranks finished what Ethan started, someone who was on the plane, but a Dharma employee. Why did Henry come for Locke during the day (assuming he wasn't in Rousseau's trap for long)? Why is Locke the only one being taken? Are there other "good" people, or is Locke especially "good"? Or, is Henry just lying to mess with him?
Henry is a much better liar than Michael. Michael's story can be blasted full of holes. Kate found the beard, along with the tattered clothing, which disproves that The Others are really that destitute. Also, Jack should've realized Michael was lying when he said that he only saw two guns with them. The Others took five guns from them ten days earlier! The most likely explanation is that they are so concerned with getting The Others that they don't care enough to check facts.
Much is said about the final twist, with Michael killing Ana-Lucia and severely wounding Libby before shooting himself in the shoulder. The biggest question is why Michael would do such a thing. Since the beginning, Michael's primary motivation has been his son. The loss of his son has intensified that motivation throughout the season. Therefore, it's be logical that Michael shot them because that is what it will take to get Walt back, killing someone who killed one of them (watch your back Charlie). Some believe The Others made him one of them, but if that's true, why would Michael apologize before killing Ana-Lucia or have such instant guilt after shooting Libby? The real Others would kill her without such hesitation, as we're lead to believe. It would also cheat his character to have his actions be controlled directly by The Others. Rather, it's more interesting to think that The Others placed him in a position where he felt he had no choice.
With these two shot, the initial responses some had was that these two actresses were killed off because of their real life DUI arrests last December. I don't buy that. If the writers really wanted to get these two off the show, their exit would've been earlier in the season, and probably more abrupt. From all the reports I've seen, Michelle Rodriguez didn't want to be bogged down with a TV show for more than a year, and that's what she got. Her story was told.
Libby is another story. The best reason to keep her alive is that we have yet to hear her story. We know bits about the other Tailies, but hardly anything about Libby. She claimed she was a psychologist, but all we saw of her was her as a patient. On the island, she didn't do much else either. There is a budding romance between her and Hurley, but that is fairly new. Ultimately her function on the island may be not much more than to enhance Hurley's character.
Why The Others would want Ana-Lucia dead is pretty clear: she killed two of them. It clearly upset Henry when he tried to exact revenge on her. Goodwin's death appeared to be an especially sore spot for him, as Goodwin believed that Ana-Lucia was good. Perhaps Goodwin feelings toward Ana-Lucia paralleled Ethan's feelings toward Claire and the then unborn Aaron. In both cases, each Other had an obsession that ultimately lead to their death (around the same time too). But it is worth noting that Ethan was far more malicious than Goodwin, so perhaps there is still something to be told about the two moles.
Since Michael likely set Henry free, this adds to the theory that Henry is "Him" or the leader of The Others. Henry has been afraid about "Him" and how "He" will kill Henry because he failed, yet if this was the case and that Michael was ordered by The Others, why would Michael let him go instead of killing him right there? When Henry talks about "Him", it feels reminiscent of the film The Usual Suspects, (SPOILER) where Verbal Kint speaks of Keyser Soze with such fear, but ultimately they are the same person, and Verbal is merely boosting his alter ego's own legend.
Regardless, these events kick things into high gear. While some suspect that behind the scenes problems were responsible for the final turn of events, it fits the arcs a little too well to be blamed for arrests. It should be interesting to see where they go now, as they can't turn back. Developments like this should certainly quiet the "nothing happened" complainers, and hopefully that can last through at least the end of the season.
Score: 8/10
posted by Matt @ 6:36 PM
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