Lost: Season 5, Episode 6 "316" Review

 "We're not going to Guam, are we?"

-Frank Lapidus

After arriving at the church, Eloise Hawking (Fionnula Flanagan) leads Jack (Matthew Fox), Sun (Yunjin Kim), Ben (Michael Emerson), and Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) down below to another Dharma station, the Lamp Post, which is how the Dharma Initiative originally found the Island.  Eloise tells them they all need to be on Ajira flight 316, which will take them back to the Island.  However, they need to create the original conditions of the flight as best they can, otherwise the results could be chaotic.  That means they need to get as many of the Oceanic 815 passengers as they can, plus John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), who will be used as a proxy for Christian Shephard (John Terry).  Eloise tells Jack to get something of his father's to put in Locke's coffin.  She also gives him Locke's suicide note.

Desmond wants no part in any of this.  He delivers the message he was sent to deliver and leaves.  Jack, Ben, and Sun all go their separate ways.  Jack is called to a retirement home, where his grandfather, Ray (Raymond J. Barry), recently attempted to run away from.  While there, he finds a pair of shoes that belonged to Christian and Ray lets Jack take them.

Jack returns home to find Kate (Evangeline Lilly) inside.  She tells him to never ask about Aaron (William Blanchette) and in return, she will go back to the Island.  They sleep together and Kate leaves the next morning.  Jack receives a frantic call from Ben, asking him to pick up Locke's body.  Jack puts Christian's shoes on Locke and puts the suicide note in the coffin as well, before heading to the airport.  

Jack sees Sun, Kate, and Hurley (Jorge Garcia) at the airport, where Hurley buys as many of the seats as he can, so fewer people will be involved in their dangerous journey.  They also see Sayid (Naveen Andrews) being escorted onto the plane by a woman with a badge.  Ben, bruised and a little bloody, makes it on the plane at the last minute.

After takeoff, one of the flight attendants delivers Locke's suicide note back to Jack, as it was found during the pre-flight screening.  Jack finally reads it.  It says, "I wish you had believed me."  Everyone is shocked to discover Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey) is the pilot of the plane and when Frank sees everyone on board, he quickly realizes they are not going to make it to Guam.   

The plane starts to violently shake and there is a bright flash of light.  Jack wakes up in the middle of the jungle and quickly finds Hurley and Kate.  A Dharma van approaches them and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) steps out wearing a Dharma jumpsuit.

What Works:

"316" starts out with a massive exposition dump delivered by Eloise Hawking and Fionnula Flanagan does  a fantastic job.  She answers a few questions and explains things nice and concisely.  I love her performance and her schoolteacher mannerisms.  She's a great tone-setter for the episode.

The tone of the episode overall is a little melancholy.  Jack wants to go back to the Island, but at the same time, he is now facing crunch time.  He only has a few hours before boarding a plane that may crash.  That can't be an easy thing to do, even if it's what you want.  I think "316" manages to capture that tone perfectly with some sadness and apprehension amongst all of the characters, but especially Jack.

The best parts of the episode come from the interactions between Jack and Ben.  Ben has some amazing quips throughout this episode and I love the dynamic between these two characters.  How far we've come from "Through the Looking Glass," where Jack beat the absolute snot out of Ben.  

My favorite moment of the entire episode, and one of my favorites from the entire series, comes from the reveal that Frank Lapidus is the pilot of the plane.  Frank is one of my favorite characters and we haven't caught up with him yet this season.  I got so hyped the first time I watched this episode and "We're not going to Guam, are we?" is my favorite line from the entire show.

Finally, "316" leaves us with a lot of new and exciting questions.  Where's Aaron?  Who beat up Ben?  How did Sayid and Hurley end up on the plane?  And why is Jin wearing a Dharma jumpsuit and driving a hippie van?  It's an exciting episode that really shakes up the show and makes me excited for what's next.

What Sucks:

I only have one problem with this episode and that is the scene where Kate and Jack get it on.  I just don't buy into this scene.  Something about it feels off and I've never been able to quite put my finger on what it is.  It just feels out of place to me.

Platinum Polar Bear:

The Platinum Polar Bear goes to the most competent character of the episode. For "316," I'm giving this award to Desmond for deciding he wants out of all this madness and just leaves the episode.  The guy has a wife and kid now.  I don't blame him at all for leaving.  Good for him.  This is Desmond's 5th time winning this award, which ties him for 5th place with Mr. Eko.

Verdict:

"316" is a criminally underrated episode of Lost.  While I'm not a big fan of the Jack/Kate love scene, the rest of the episode is awesome.  Eloise Hawking, Frank Lapidus, the whole tone of the episode, and the interactions between Jack and Ben are all great.  This episode has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great