LOST / 3x21, "Greatest Hits"

OK... I'm going to cheat here. A poster at the Fuselage named Todell (who happens to also write a LOST blog for the Houston Chronicle) posted this which I'm copying and pastung in lieu of any actual recap from me. I really had nothing to say about this episode so I was surprised to see someone draw so much meaning out of it, and especially using the Hero's Journey which was my virtual college thesis.

Charlie's list? His greatest hits? They're the steps of the mono-myth:

1. a call to adventure, which the hero has to accept or decline
2. a road of trials, regarding which the hero succeeds or fails
3. achieving the goal or "boon," which often results in important self-knowledge
4. a return to the ordinary world, again as to which the hero can succeed or fail
5. application of the boon in which what the hero has gained can be used to improve the world
1. A call to adventure = #5 Charlie hears his Driveshaft song on the radio for the first time, and realizes he will be a "bloody rock god" = Charlie learns that Claire can be rescued.

Charlie has lost hope with the band and is ready to quit when the group hears You All Everybody on the radio, and hope is reborn! Charlie will be a rock star after all! On the island, this scene is shown shortly before Desmond tells Charlie that Claire and Aaron will be rescued via the helicopter. Hope is reborn!

2. A road of travails = #4 Charlie's father teaches him to swim = Charlie learns he will drown to death.

As a child, Charlie is frightened to learn how to swim, but after some encouragement from his father, Charlie overcomes his fear and dives in. On the island, this scene takes place just before Charlie learns that to be the hero, it requires that he drown to death. Which, of course, is a nice bookend to the flashback -- Charlie must learn to swim, only so that he can drown.

3. Achieving the goal or "boon," self-knowledge = #3 Liam gives Charlie the family ring = Charlie telling young Aaron that he loves him.

Liam gives Charlie the family ring, the symbol of their lineage. The ring is the symbolic "boon:" it represents Charlie's specialness, is bestowed upon him because he's the "different" one, the one that will have a family. And he does have a family: Claire and Aaron. To whom he bestows the family "boon."

4. A return to the ordinary world = #2 Charlie saves the woman from the mugger = Charlie accepts the mission and says his goodbyes.

Charlie saves Nadia after Driveshaft has broken up, and he has returned to the ordinary world where he is no longer a "rock god." And he passes the test. On the island, Charlie has to say goodbye to his family and friends, the members of his ordinary world, before he can complete the mission.

5. Application of the boon = #1 Charlie meets Claire = Charlie goes on his mission to the Looking Glass.

Charlie has finally found his great purpose in life: loving and saving Claire, and he accepts it. The child in Claire's womb will be the inheritor of Charlie's boon, but for the child to carry on Charlie's inheritance, Charlie must commit an act of sacrifice and heroism.

There are plenty of heroic characters on the show whose stories also follow the mono-myth pattern, but the difference here is that the writers are literally drawing the comparison out for us on that list that Charlie creates.

***

The thing that really bugged me about this episode was that it felt REALLY manipulative, that exactly all the right buttons were pushed to get the audience to react a certain way. And these weren't subtle moments either. Then again it was called "Greatest Hits" and any band's greatest hits are never their most subtle works. But, yeah, it worked: there were moments I was on the verge of tears and there was that bit at the end when I thought Charlie was done for and had comitted the noble sacrifice.

BUT... as I wrote that monring only three things were going to happen: 1) Charlie was going to die; 2) Desmond was going to sacrifice himself to save Charlie once and for all (very nearly done); 3) Deus Ex Machina.

And of course... we got #3.

The episode served as a bridge to the end game. The problem here was that the previous run of six of seven episodes have been so good that this one felt like it pulled the breaks and served as a breather before the whole thing got going again. Now all the pieces are in motion and we'll finally get that epic confrontation between the Others and the Losties that's been building since the coming of Ethan.

Easter Eggs:

*Yup, that was Nadia.

*The Bunny Rabbit Hatch

*And the mysterious sticker on Charlie's guitar: "I was here moments ago." WHAT.

NEXT: This is it! LOST's Season Finale, the Jack-centric "Through the Looking Glass". And be sure to tape it... supposedly the epsiode will require immediate rewatching, especially the final five minutes...

ETA: At my personal blog, a commenter was intrigued by my thinking that Ben was more a monster now for being amoral, than being immoral. Really I shouldn't have used the word monster. Here's my response:

Oops... I actually don't mean monster in a "bad" way, but that Ben was no longer operating by the traditional rules of good or evil, so instead of being "human" he was now something else entirely. That kind of philosphy can lead to benevolent or harmful acts depending on where it's newly rooted. In Ben's case it's not really rooted at all, just where it needs to be so he feels right. He's never a liar, until he is and then he's not again. He's not a killer, until he is, but then he's not really. He's a good person, but the person handing out the "good" label is himself.