"Lost": An Island Of Paradoxes

Thanks to the brilliant novel by Joseph Heller, the term “Catch-22” has become an accepted, immediately recognizable part of our nomenclature. It refers to a paradox, and not only was it the title of the most recent episode of “Lost,” but it has come to define the stance of many viewers of the show.

I have friends who have ultimately given up on the show. When you have invested nearly three years of watching a show, the decision to stop viewing involves a belief that it is not going to give you the answers you want or the direction you need to justify this time investment — tempered with a wary concern that the next week, the next episode, the next plot twist could possibly validate that span of time. Some of these friends still ask for updates on the show, recognizing that they might have jumped ship just before those highly sought-after answers began to filter down and the intensity and direction of “Lost” started to ramp up.

The episode bearing the “Catch-22” name dealt largely with the dynamic between Desmond and Charlie. The paradox facing Desmond was whether he should keep saving Charlie from death, even if it meant that it could cost him a reunion with his long-lost love, Penny. In addition, does he want to repeat a situation that mirrors the paradox that he had in continuing to have to press the button in the hatch to save the world? In his latest vision, Des saw Charlie taking an arrow to his hobbit-sized Adam’s Apple, and Desmond had come to an internal decision to sacrifice Charlie in order to be rescued by Penny. When the time came, however, he was unable to let Charlie die, possibly turning the crashed pilot into a new character named Naomi instead of Penny. The other paradox he faced was having to lie to Charlie, Jin and Hurley in order to convince them to come on a camping trip with them so that the puzzle/vision/flash-forward would translate to reality.

The flashback sequence concerned Desmond’s earlier (albeit short-lived) incarnation as a monk — hence the somewhat annoying use of “brother” that he uses to address the other survivors. His mentor, Brother Campbell, is apparently related to Miss Hawkins, the seer that Des encountered in a jewelry store years later, who predicted Desmond’s arrival on the island and subsequent mission of pushing the button. Miss Hawkins uttered the famous line about fate having a way of “course-correcting” itself, making one wonder if that is what is continuing to happen as Des keeps being tested by saving Charlie from death time after time. Is he simply prolonging the inevitable — Charlie’s death — or is he actually altering the future? As he is being dismissed from the monastery, he meets Penny, bringing up the question of whether that was the intent of Brother Campbell — and Miss Hawkins? — the entire time.

As to Naomi’s arrival, helicopters’ flying range is usually significantly less than that of an airplane. Does this mean that the search group that we saw at the end of the second season has set up base someone nearby? Did Penny get the coordinates of the island, send a ship to the spot and then set up a ‘copter to search for the wreckage? And if so, did something about the island force the subsequent crash? How did Naomi come to get Desmond’s picture? Was there anyone else in the helicopter? Is she a distraction so that the “Others” can install someone else? As Charlie pointed out, isn’t it tricky to eject from a helicopter? Why was the book that Naomi had — “Catch-22” — in Portugeuse? How is Penny Widmore related to all of this? And what are the ramifications or ripple effects of Desmond significantly changing one piece of the puzzle — Charlie’s death?

One thing that the writers have done much better later in the season is interweaving humor with drama with character dynamics. Sawyer’s mix tape, the Brady Bunch reference and Des getting “pissed” on Moriah wine all added humor and served to add levity to an episode that was emotional and intense. At the end, as Desmond races to the fallen helicopter passenger, believing with all of his heart that it is Penny, the music and tone and pacing all reflected both the somber moment and the dramatic twist to come. The episode brought in existential questions and a host of additional questions, but it did serve to bring Penny and the prospect of some type of rescue into the picture as well … further helping “Lost” build to a season finale that is sure to see one of the survivors meet his or her end in a dramatic and memorable conclusion.

March 29, 2007: The Resurgence of “Lost”?

February 8, 2007: “Lost” V 3.5: Let The Games Begin

November 9, 2006: Mini-Season Makes For Long, Lost Winter Months

November 2, 2006: Vaya Con Dios, Mr. Eko

October 4, 2006: “Lost” In A Sea Of Questions