Na na na na na na na na Leader!

For some reason, the higher-ups at my real, paying job don’t take my “No Wednesday business trips” demand seriously. They file it away between other unrequited requests such as “Furniture made of Fruit Rollups” and “Pants-Optional Tuesday.” Therefore, we’re switching things up this week with me (Charlie) taking the lead-up article beat, and Maggie busting out a sleep-deprived review in the wee hours of the night for your Thursday morning enjoyment.

And what a week to switch it up! We’ve reached the penultimate episode of LOST’s penultimate season. Double penultimate! As each season enters its home stretch, the twists and turns jump up and bite us like a smoke monster from beneath the Others’ Temple.

And so, we go hurling toward Season 5’s grand finale (“The Incident”) with tonight’s episode, “Follow the Leader.” The leadership motif is one of LOST’s longest-standing and most steadfast. It’s consistent. Like a rock. Like a constant. Like my love for Kate.


Tease-y Peezy Lemon Squeezy
Tonight’s DVR preview: “Jack and Kate fail to agree on the best direction to take to save their fellow island survivors and Sawyer and Juliet come under scrutiny from the Dharma Initiative.” And, as my DirecTV preview adds, “Locke solidifies his position as leader of the Others.” The other nice thing about late-season LOST episodes is that they give you a little bit of storyline for every character. Looks like we’ll get that tonight, so let’s take a look at this preview, piece by piece, and see how each of these parties might be following the leader.

The Hopeless Optimist
As the post-episode preview hinted at last week, Jack extols the values of Faraday’s half-baked plan to preempt The Incident and thus prevent Desmond, Oceanic 815 and the freighter folk from the trauma that ensnares them on the Island. That’s an interesting character (re)turn for Jack, who has spent the last few weeks floating apathetically through the drama unfolding before him. He seemed happy to submit to fate’s directive.

But the silver bullet with Dr. Shepherd is, and has always been, saving (or “fixing”) people. It’s the only thing that can derail his newfound allegiance to “whatever happens,” the only thing that can cast doubt over everything that Ben Linus, Ajira 316 and Dead John Locke have taught him. Last week, Daniel fired that silver bullet in the form of his time-altering master plan. And Jack, ever a sucker for savior work, appears ready to jump in head first.

The Honeymooners
For Sawyer and Juliet, time is running thin. They’ve turned Dharma lackey Phil into their very own bound-and-gagged R. Kelly (yes, that’s a Trapped in the Closet reference. Google it if you’re unfamiliar. You’re welcome). The other Dharma folk are starting to ask questions, and the LaFleurs are running out of excuses and stall tactics. Looks like that whole return-to-the-beach excursion just got severely expedited.

The Mummy Dearest
The guest list includes some unknowns this week, but it also lists young Eloise Hawking and young Charles Widmore among the cast. I’m excited to see the aftermath of Eloise’s familial nerdicide. Hopefully we’ll get some more insight as to whether or not this was the intended path (or supposed precognitive future) that Ms. Hawking was envisioning. As I mentioned last week, I think the shooting ends Ms. Hawking’s future-forecasting abilities because it robs her of her Constant, son Daniel. Side mystery: why is his last name Faraday, given his parents last names are Hawking and Widmore?

So Ellie will have hell to pay. And considering that the victim’s father – Charles Widmore – can’t be too far away, things could get extra dicey. “Hi honey, how was work? Not much happened here. Except a 35-year-old time-traveling version of our son Daniel showed up in camp and I kinda shot him. My bad. I made rabbit, though. Hope you’re hungry!”

Most importantly, what will Richard say about all of this? He didn’t seem thrilled about Ellie’s brashness last week, and certainly he’ll weigh in with his ageless, timeless wisdom.

The Savior
The return of John Locke! Throw your hands up in the air and wave them like you just rose from the dead on a mysterious Island!

It’s about time we revisit the journey of Locke and his merry band of two, Ben and Sun. Last we left them, Ben had been acquitted by Judge Smokey and dressed down by Deputy Alex, only to be emerge from the depths of the Temple and into the arms of Island Supreme Court Chief Justice John Locke (sorry, I ran out of judicial hierarchy parallels there).

Alex put Ben in his place, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was now second-in-command to Locke. And I think Ben bought it, enough to stop him from trying to defy it. He escaped Smokey and its ghostly sidekick once, he dare not tempt it again. Right?


I Need a Hero
Remember “Live together, die alone,” the Dr. Jack 2004 campaign promise made in the glow of the beach bonfire?

How about the “New sheriff in town,” oratory from Sawyer after he commandeered the arms supply from the rest of the survivors?

Or John Locke’s, “If you wanna live, you’d better come with me,” warning from last season’s divisive post-radio tower fallout?

And who could forget that nameless Other’s warning to Richard about what Charles and Ellie would think of his caring for an injured Ben Linus?

The theme of leadership has permeated some of the most integral turning points in LOST’s history. And it would seem that tonight would be an apt test of that very concept.

A lot of people need a leader right now. Kate and Jack need to dissect the fleeing lessons of time travel sherpa Dan Faraday. Sawyer must trust in himself – or siphon some confidence off his Dharma Darling Juliet – to lead himself and the other castaways out of (D)harm(a)’s way. Ben needs to believe in Locke. And Locke needs to continue to believe in himself, Jacob and the Island as he tries to keep everyone on fate’s course.


So Who Would You Follow?
Jack, right? He saved the 815’ers on countless occasions and led the Oceanic Six back to their destiny via Ajira 316. Of course, he’s gotten a lot of people killed along the way. And has often succeeded in spite of himself, claiming coincidences and good luck as byproducts of his visionary leadership. Ok, so not Jack.

Sawyer? Sure, he had his hiccups in Seasons 1-4. But Jim LaFleur is a new man, with purpose and power, calm, level-headed leadership that blends equal parts street and book smarts. But don’t be fooled. Jim LaFleur’s Dharma Utopia is his longest con yet, whether he knows it or not. It’s all based on a lie, and his ability to bend and twist that lie to save his own ass. As we’ve seen for the last few weeks, that house of cards is beginning to come crashing down.

So, Locke, of course. Locke Solid! Oh, come on. I don’t care how many moments of understanding or successful leaps of faith he’s experienced recently. He’s still John Locke. Flawed, scared, uncertain John Locke. Hedging your bets on baldie would be like placing a grand on a 50:1 horse to take the Kentucky Derby. And who would do that?

But Richard, Richard is the man, right? Richard, Eloise and Charles, the Holy Trinity of mid-70s Island leadership. Hey, maybe those three actually do represent an allegory for the Holy Trinity of Christianity where Richard is Jesus and…damn it. Charlie. Focus. Look, I love me some Richard, eyeliner and all. But this season, he’s been as clueless as an 815er in Season One. “Huh, you’re time traveling?” “Whaddya mean I have to bury this bomb?” There’s a part of me that thinks Richard is in over his head right now. And if Richard isn’t on top of things, neither are his hand-picked mortal leaders, Charles and Ellie.


Taking What We Can Get
The point is, whether you’re a Jack fan, a Sawyer man, a Locke believer or a member of the Alpertarian Church of Latter Day Saints, you’re wrong. None of these “leaders” has truly been able to put together a coherent, thought-out, all-encompassing plan to solve the conundrums the Island poses.

And that’s something I’ve always enjoyed about LOST: the fact that there isn’t one right answer to most of the deeper questions they pose. Sure, there is only one ending (tell me!), one man Kate can choose (pick already and shut up!) and one explanation for Hurley’s continued girth (it’s glandular!). But when it comes to complex themes like good and evil, fate and free will and universal interpersonal interconnectedness, there’s a lot of paths to take.

The “leadership” motif is the one most directly affected by the desires and idiosyncrasies of our characters, and I think it serves as a very elaborate, deep manifestation of the idea that there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Men of Science don’t win. Neither do Men of Faith. Conmen can only hold on so long. And sooner or later, your reign as The Man has to come to and end.

Every character has been branded with some moral ambiguity over the life of the show. And now that the Island’s diverse groups of inhabitants need someone to step up and take them in the right direction, the strengths and weaknesses of each character are going to be put under the microscope. And I think the people who come out of it smelling like a rose are the ones who can learn how to reconcile Jack’s logical leanings with Locke’s leaps of faith; and Sawyer’s do-what-it-takes attitude with The Others’ do-what’s-asked mentality.

Who do I think that person will be? Desmond. Absolutely. Okay, just kidding. I have no clue. But that’s why I love this show.

Namaste.
Charlie