LOST- Episode 60: Par Avion

  Previously on LOST:  Kate swore to go and get Jack back from the Others, her team found an above-ground Dharma Station manned by Mikhail, who turned out to be an Other, and Desmond warned Charlie that he was going to die.

  Things kick off with the now rare opening eyeball.  It belongs to young Claire, who has black hair in this flashback and has just woken up in a wrecked car.  She climbs out the windshield that was broken open when her mom flew threw it.  Claire wails on the pavement next to her gravely injured mum.

  In the present, Claire awakens from her dream to find that Charlie has been taking care of the baby and preparing a lavish breakfast for her on the beach.  Claire wonders why Charlie is no longer moping around and he says he has decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and seize the day. 

  Deep in the jungle, the Rescue Rangers have stopped to consult the electrical grid/map that Sayid got from the Flame Station.  Locke is not confident in the accuracy of the map, so Sayid sarcastically remarks that it couldn't be as infallible as the magic carvings on Eko's stick.  Locke points out that the stick led them to the Flame, followed by Sayid pointing out that Locke blew up the Flame.  Locke says that Sayid should have warned him about the C4 lining the basement.  An actual point-counterpoint instead of everyone just shrugging their shoulders?  A first for LOST in three seasons!  Kate stops the bickering by asking Mikhail straight up if they are going the right way.  He says yes.  Locke and Rousseau agree that Mikhail is very disposable, but Kate and Sayid want to keep him alive.  Kate tells everyone to just keep moving.

  Back at the beach, Claire and Charlie have their breakfast interrupted before it even gets started.  Desmond has emerged from the woods with a sudden great interest in what Charlie is up to.  They both know what this means and begin an awkward conversation like two kids on a first date.  Claire sees some birds flying off the island and over the ocean and runs off excitedly.  She tells the boys that she has an idea that could get them home!  Cue creepy LOST title screen.

  When Claire gets back to camp, she asks Jin for his fishing nets.  Sawyer finds her perkiness amusing, but stops short of calling her Barbie, since he lost the ping-pong bet andall.  Claire explains her plan to catch the birds and tie herself to them so she can fly off and get help.  Just kidding.  Turns out the birds are tagged by scientists and she wants to send a message out into the world.  Charlie seems very doubtful of her plan and is lost in thought when Claire starts bossing him around to help.  He thinks it's a waste of time and walks away.  Claire shoots a glance over at Desmond, who also walks away. 

  Claire flashes back to the hospital where she is being stitched up.  A cop comes in to ask her questions about the accident.  Claire had been driving the car and gets more and more defensive about her role in things.  The cop says he is not blaming her, but the questions are standard procedure when there has been a fatality.  Claire reminds him that her mother is still alive.

  It's time for a water break in the jungle, so Kate asks Rousseau why she never asks about her daughter.  Rousseau rightly points out that there is no way Alex knows who she is or that she ever cared, so what's the point of getting to know all about her?  She doesn't ask because she does not want to know the answers. 

  When the trek continues, Kate asks Mikhail how he came to be on crazy island.  Rousseau insists that everything he says will be a lie, but Mikhail seems to be a different breed of Other.  Perhaps it his role in communications that has made him more open to, ya know, communication.  He says he was recruited and came to the island by submarine.  The Others can come and go as they please, except the "come" part ended when an electromagnetic pulse knocked out the underwater beacons that lead to the island.  Kate wonders why anyone would want to come back there and Mikhail says she is not capable of understanding because she is not on "the list."  Mikhail proclaims the greatness of the man who brought him and his people here, which Kate mistakenly assumes is Ben.  Mikhail says that his present company is not on the list because they are flawed: angry, weak and frightened.  Sayid tells him not to speak to them as if he knows them, which emits a smirk from Mikhail.  Of course he doesn't know Sayid Jarrah or Kate Austen.  He claims to have a memory of Locke and begins to taunt him until Rousseau interrupts because she has found something.  They walk into a clearing and see giant pillars placed in a line to make what looks like an invisible fence.

  At the beach, Claire, Sun and Jin have put Claire's plan into action.  As Claire and Sun chop up fish to attract birds, they discuss mothers.  Sun says hers would be very disappointed that Sun is doing work and married a fisherman's son because she never worked a day in her life.  Claire seems saddened by the discussion and mentions how her mother WAS a librarian.  Sun seems interested in the past tense, but Claire speaks no more.  She flashes back to a bedside meeting with the doctor and her aunt, who doesn't seem to like Claire very much.  The doctor says that Mom may never wake up but she will be well cared for in the hospital because an anonymous someone is footing the bill.

  By the time Claire is done on memory lane the trap is set.  Unfortunately, all the birds fly away when a gunshot rings out from nearby.  Desmond apologizes and says he was hunting boar.  Claire is very suspicious, especially after Desmond stammers through his reasoning for being in the vicinity.  Claire thinks he doesn't want her to catch a bird at all.

  Back in the jungle clearing, Sayid is very cautious about going near the invisible fence.  He has noticed sensors on the sides of the pillars and thinks it's an alarm system or a trap.  Mikhail says he is right, but it hasn't functioned in years.  As Sayid checks the map to confirm Mikhail's claim that the fence surrounds the entire barracks, Locke puts down his bag and suddenly whips Mikhail into the fence.  Mikhail says thank you, then promptly foams at the mouth and drops dead.  Locke says sorry.  And really, what else can you say after becoming a murderer?

  After a commercial to ponder this development, Sayid and Kate have decided that they are mad at Locke.  Sayid has even begun to wonder why Locke is really with them.  It's not like he was exactly bosom buddies with Jack.  Kate has decided that they should go over the fence and asks for the ax.  Locke insists on getting it from his bag, which makes Sayid even more suspicious and lo and behold, when he opens the bag, he finds some C4.  Now Locke is both a murderer and a liar, liar, pants on fire.  He says you never know when C4 might come in handy, which is in the lame excuse handbook right under "It's not you, it's me'.

  Backat camp, Claire has decided she is mighty angry and accuses Charlie of being up to something.  He professes innocence, but Claire calls him a liar and tells him to stay away from the baby.

  In the past, Claire arrives at the hospital to find that her mother is being looked at by a new doctor.  It is the man we know as Christian Shepherd, Jack's dad.  It seems Claire's aunt isn't too fond of him, either.  Tempers flare and Claire learns that Shepherd is one paying the bills and that he is the father she was told was dead .  Now we all know what that means.  It means when Jack delivered Aaron, he was looking at his sister's business.

*EDIT*  Amalfimama is right.  Kate delivered Aaron.  I'm seriously starting to worry about my formerly stellar memory.

  Meanwhile, the Rescue Rangers have chopped down a tree and leaned it onto one of the pillars.  It's time to climb and Kate is up first.  She gingerly shimmies up the tree, drops down and is SAFE!  Locke goes next and also makes it.  He and Kate then take a moment to check out the dead body, man!

  At the beach, Sun tells Claire she is right to be upset and the discussion leads to Claire deciding that she is going to get some answers.  She flashes back to Dad visiting her at work in the Wild Chick Piercing and Tattoo Parlor.  Cause she's a crazy punk with BLACK hair, so that's totally where she would work!  Dad insists on a cup of coffee and then he will be gone forever.  During the coffee break, Dad tells her that he visited a lot when she was younger but stopped coming around because Mom kind of resented him having another family in the States.  Then he gets to the point.  He wants Claire to pull the plug on Mom and knows ways to get around the law.  Claire is disgusted and storms off.  Dad stops her and tells her not to keep her mom alive out of guilt.

  In the present, Claire has tracked Desmond to a more remote part of the coast where he climbs a rock and catches a bird.  Claire is amazed, yet still kind of angry and bewildered that Desmond knew exactly where to go and what to do.  Desmond points to some more rocks nearby and says that that is where Charlie fell in the water and died.  BOM BOM BOM!

  But of course Charlie is not quite dead yet-he is relaxing at camp.  Claire approaches him and revealsthat Desmond told her everything.  Charlie asks her if she believes that rubbish.  Claire flashes back to a visit with her motheryears after the prior flashbacks.  Mom is still comatose and hospitalized.  Claire reveals to her that she is pregnant and she is going to give the baby away.  Then she breaks down and apologizes for her role in the accident.  Her role being a disobedient punk kid who argued with her mother and probably caused the accident on purpose. 

  As the sun sets at the beach, Charlie reads the note Claire has written.  He says it is perfect, but I disagree since she forgot to write SEND HELP!.  Charlie attaches the note to the tagged bird and sends it off. 

  In the jungle, Sayid returns to his friends from a bit of scouting and announces, "We're here".  The gang takes a peek through the bushes and sees the suburb of Otherville complete with people biking and walking and...Jack running for his life.  Kate wants to call out to him, but Sayid puts a hand out to stop her.  Then they watch in horror as Jack completes his route, catches the football and spikes it for the touchdown!  Tom to Jack for 6!  I told you Jack and Tom were BFF!  Is Jack now a card-carrying member of the Others?

  Next time on LOST: The one we've all been waiting for!  Locke confronts Ben, but more importantly, he flashes back to how he got in the damn wheelchair.

PS- If you see a Support John McCain ad at the top of this page, please be reminded that I have no control of the ads.  I've gotten used to it for the most part, but that one struck me as a new level of wrong.  The VCH has no political allegiance.