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Hero of the episode: Mr. Eko Zero of the episode: Ana-Lucia
Quote(s) of the episode: “You doing this because you’re my captain? Or because you’re my mother?”—Ana-Lucia after her mother tries to assign her to a desk job | “She has no plan. She only has her guilt. . .and a gun.” –Sayid about Ana-Lucia | “What good would it be to kill you if we’re both already dead?” –Sayid to Ana-Lucia
Music vibes: sad when Sayid carries Shannon’s body, hopeful when everyone is reunited
Little things: Rose making Jack eat some fruit | Kate, Hurley, and Charlie seeing who can hit a golf ball the farthest. Jack eventually joins in.
Episode notebook:
The flashbacks are focused on Ana-Lucia. She used to be a cop.
Ana has been in therapy for four months in the aftermath of a burglary suspect shooting her four times. Her mom is her boss. The therapist clears Ana to return to work.
Sayid was ready to shoot Ana before being stopped by Mr. Eko.
Ana-Lucia takes Sayid’s gun, ready to shoot anyone challenging her authority. She makes Libby tie up Sayid.
Ana’s mom tried to put her on a desk and not in the field. Ana pushes back.
Mr. Eko takes Sawyer to Jack, not wanting to participate in whatever Ana is planning.
Michael is sent back to camp for supplies for Ana.
Ana refuses to identify her assailant, her mom doesn’t understand why.
Ana-Lucia feels guilty for shooting Shannon.
While Jack is working on Sawyer, Locke and Mr. Eko meet. Eko tells him about Shannon.
Kate helps Jack treat Sawyer.
An angry Jack wants all of his people back. Ready to go guns blazing toward Ana-Lucia. Mr. Eko will bring Jack to Ana, but only without guns.
Ana was pregnant when she was shot.
Ana asks about Sayid’s past. They share some common trauma.
Episode recap: So far, we’ve only seen one side of Ana-Lucia—angry and authoritative. I didn’t like her character up to this point because of her constant need to be in control. So annoying. It was her way or the highway and there was very little room for debate. The previous episode offered some glimpses of Ana-Lucia’s vulnerability. The flashbacks in episode eight flashbacks shed light on Ana-Lucia's inner struggles, revealing layers beyond her anger. Like a lot of people on the island, she is carrying a heavy burden.
In the flashbacks, we delve into Ana-Lucia's backstory: a cop grappling with the aftermath of a life-threatening encounter. It’s been four months since she was shot by a burglary suspect. Four months of therapy, with the hope that her doctor and her captain, who also happens to be her mother, will give back her gun and badge. She projects as someone who is physically healthy, but Ana’s emotional health is not quite there. Once back on the force, she's overly aggressive in situations that don't warrant it, yet silent when she should speak up. The suspect in her shooting is apprehended but Ana insists the man didn’t shoot her, which her mother can’t comprehend. All of the evidence points to this man, why is Ana insisting otherwise? What’s the end game?
On the island, Ana-Lucia has no end game. No plan for what to do with a vengeful Sayid, other than to tie him to a tree and hold the others back with his gun. Releasing Sayid is out of the question; the fear of him seeking retribution for Shannon's death looms large. Not everyone cowers under Ana’s authority, Mr. Eko takes charge of carrying Sawyer back to the larger group. Leaving Bernard, Libby, Michael, and Jin to grapple with Ana-Lucia’s erratic behavior.
Having safely delivered Sawyer to Jack’s care, Mr. Eko wanders around the hatch unsure of the path ahead of him. Once Sawyer is stabilized, Jack has vengeance on his mind, which Eko picks up on. He staunchly refuses to take Jack to confront Ana-Lucia, recognizing the potential for further bloodshed. For Eko, there's been more than enough killing, and he's resolved to distance himself from any more violence. But it might be out of his hand when Michael enters the hatch. Ana sent Michael back for supplies, which she will trade for Sayid’s freedom. Aware of Michael's mounting frustration with Ana-Lucia, Eko strives to defuse the situation. Mr. Eko will take Jack, and only him, to Sayid if he leaves his weapons behind, which the good doctor agrees to.
Ana-Lucia was crucial in keeping the tail survivors alive, they are forever in her debt. However, gratitude doesn't equate to a free pass for her recent behavior, nor does it mean they'll tolerate being held at gunpoint. Bernard has been apart from Rose for more than a month, and nothing will stop him from reuniting with her. Libby and Jin follow his lead.
As Ana-Lucia and Sayid find themselves alone, she's confronted with the weight of her guilt, both in the present and the past. Off the island, Ana’s true motives for not identifying the shooter are revealed. She desired to take matters into her own hands, gunning down the man who shot her. However, this act of retribution doesn't seem to have brought her the closure she sought. Instead, the unresolved trauma in her past is playing out on the island. Would she have been so quick to hold Sayid hostage if she had properly dealt with the pain and trauma from her past? When she’s ready to give up power over Sayid and pay the consequences, he doesn’t give her what she wants. Choosing to let her live with the guilt. Sayid has been where she is, having tortured many people in his past. He knows the tough road ahead for her. Ana will have to find the person she used to be on her own.
Now that the group has reunited, what comes next? Can they learn to live together? Or, as Jack warned in season one, will they die alone? Their shared future is uncertain. Please come back next week for recaps of episodes nine and ten.
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