Well, if that doesn’t hook you for the rest of the season, just go watch American Idol. It’s not often that the consistently overblown ABC promotions team and the fan press hit the mark, but “The Man from Tallahassee” is indeed a “game changer.” It says something that “why Locke was paralyzed” was most certainly not the big reveal in any “LOST” episode. The gotchas were reminiscent of “Walkabout.” The clues were reminiscent of “Orientation.” And, says Jen, “Just go ahead and give Michael Emerson all the Emmys right now.”
The “LOST” word of the day, boys and girls, is “defenestration.” So Locke finally steps up to stop Anthony Cooper from his life destroying ways, but gets Peter Talbot killed and gets himself tossed out an eighth story window. Amazingly, he survived… something that most would call a miracle is, for Locke, the ultimate indignity. His dread upon being carried to his wheelchair was palpable.
But the story on The Island took centerstage, and Locke’s conversations with Ben were like a grandmaster chess game, each line crawling with significance. Locke’s faith in the island is absolute, but that blinds him. Ben’s understanding of The Island is probably unsurpassed (he recognizes that Locke has some “communion” with it), yet it has apparently failed him. And as incredible it was that Locke blew up that submarine, it’s obvious we’re a long way from knowing what it really means.
But the big mystery, the overarching mystery, is The Island, and we’ve never had so big a piece of the puzzle as we got tonight. Even blurred by metaphor, The Island does deliver a heart’s desire. Sometimes. For some people. And — here’s the thing — somehow. But surely that’ll have to wait until Season Eight (with the zombies). But whatever gave us Jack’s dad and Kate’s horse seems to be what has now given us a bound and gagged Anthony Cooper.
Talk about a big finish.
Frankly, “LOST” delivered tonight. Old “LOST,” big tease “LOST” would’ve cut to the thud as soon as Ben asked, “Would you like to see?” I actually heard it in my head. But in an episode crammed with answers, they saved the best one for last.
Of course, “Magic Box” isn’t a particularly satisfying explanation, one that — like the “Nanobot Theory” of Season 2 — would be too easy and too ridiculous to tolerate. Still, wish fulfillment has been on our minds lately, both on and off the island. The list can go on and on, mixing conveniently with separate debates about coincidence and fate. Walt’s bird, Ben’s spinal surgeon, Juliet’s homicidal bus, maybe even Hurley’s lottery win and Claire’s comatose mother.
My head hurts.
Jack’s talk with Kate, no doubt, swelled the hearts of Jaters (ugh) everywhere, even though I’d guess Kate isn’t completely convinced of Jack’s intentions. It was nice to get absolute confirmation of Alex’s relationship with Ben (socially, if not biologically) in both dialogue and in the unsubtle omnipresence of Alex pictures throughout Ben’s cabin. Sayid has brilliantly planted a seed of doubt in Alex’s mind, and it turns out her mother, Danielle, is at least slightly curious about her.
All in all, “The Man from Tallahassee” easily slides into the top ten episodes of all of “LOST,” which is no small feat in Season 3. And we’ve still got ten episodes to go.
LOST Location Notes:
- Locke was defenestrated (I love that word) from the Waikiki Landmark Hotel at Kalakaua and McCully avenues.
- His disability benefits office and hospital room were both in the Pauahi Tower in downtown Honolulu (same building as Hurley’s accountant… but no, it was not Locke falling past that window).
- The flower shop was Rudy’s Flowers in McCully.
- Locke’s apartment building looks familiar, but I can’t identify it at the moment. I’m not aware of too many submarines, either, unless it was the U.S.S. Bowfin.
Notes and Notions:
- Memorable Lines? So many. “Sorry, unfortunately we don’t have a code for, ‘There’s a man in my closet with a gun to my daughter’s head.’ But we obviously should.” Or: “We have two giant hamsters running on massive wheels at our secret underground lair.” Or: “Don’t tell me what you can’t do.”
- I love that the last line of the episode was an astonished, “Dad?” Goes back to Michael in the hatch in Season 2.
- MacCutcheon whiskey returns. There are a lot of menacingly wealthy people in the “LOST” universe.
- How’s that? Sayid gets chained to a playground swing, Kate gets the pool hall. And, of course, another scene to demonstrate her bendyness. Jen notes that the “LOST” writers sure do like to tie her up a lot (almost as much as they like to get her wet).
Links:
- “The Man from Tallahassee” discussion at TheFuselage.com, Lost-Forum.com, and 4815162342.com
Anyone else think the official ABC synopsis is a bit more spoilery than usually? That Jack in fact made a “deal” with the others is significant, no?
NorCal Matt …Its not a spoiler.. we already know the deal he made with Ben..if he help him, he will be send back to home !
Sure, he made a deal with Ben, we do know that. But the synopsis says jack made a deal with the Others. This “deal” could explain why he’s all chummy with Tom. I hope jack’s just faking them out though. We’ll see tonight.
WOW.. Lost is BACK Were do you start with the new questions…who is manipulating whom??
Best episode of the season. One of the best of the series.
WoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooW, this was such a good episode.
If ben never had any intentions of letting anyone ever get off the island, wheres MICHAEL AND WALT. I wonder how Danielle felt to see her kid finally.
You better be hoping that box is big enough to hold a new submarine…..best locke line ever…..that one ben said about the hamsters in their secret underground layer was good to.
was the officer interviewing Locke at the hospital Ana Lucia’s mom?
Great, great episode; all hail! But I thought I’d mention something that seems to go unmentioned by most fans: how beautiful visually this show is. (And aurally: Michael Giacchino just keeps delivering the goods week after week.) Not just in how scenes are framed, or the unexpected camera movements, but the looks on characters’ faces. The almost other-worldly look of Michael Emerson, or the look on Locke’s face after the sub explodes (he looks like a slab of sweaty granite hiding a well of emotions). Or perhaps the topper of the night, the heartbreaking look on Danielle’s face after she sees Alex. We will be savoring episodes like this one for many years to come.
I dont understand the title of this episode… John father’s come from Thallassee ?? but where’s Thallassee… and how they capture him ?? before the crash?? after ?? who go find him on the real world ?? the same who take Juliet ??
and one good episode. that mean next week it gonna be boring …
Two questions –
Did Jack have a new tattoo? Left arm, inside elbow. Some kind of heart, or something red. I noticed it when he raised his arm to lean on the building while talking to Ben & Juliet in one of the first scenes. It almost seemed like a move was meant to display the tat.
Let me get this straight, Cooper IS the man from Tallahassee, right?
lala – also a good question, and I think she was…
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Great episode… the old Locke we all know and love has returned, with a vengeance. I love how condescending he is to Ben “because you’re in the wheelchair and I’m not” and the old nasty manipulating Ben has also returned, God but he makes such a good bad guy, you just love to hate him… We all know that he is a manipulative SOB but it was nice to have one of the others, Alex in particular, acknowledge it. The exchange between Ben and Locke was great I loved how they played each other but I think Locke was the clear winner here, he knows he was being played and blew up the submarine anyway… he clearly has a larger agenda. Ben may have an idea what Locke is all about and what he is up to but I don’t think he is 100% sure what it or Locke really is. It was nice to have confirmed that Jack isn’t with them and he was just playing the game, so to speak, until he was going to be let go. It will be interesting to see what happens now that Jack hasn’t left the island. Ben wont be breaking any promises if he keeps Kate and Sayid prisoners now will he…
This episode was perfection. And if it wasn’t enough, Lockes’s last meek word, “Dad…?” Not “you scum bag, piece of crap, bastard, mother…” but, “Dad…?” Locke will be conned by Anthony Cooper again. I’m betting Sawyer will have a connection with Mr. Cooper, too. To the cast and crew — BRILLIANT!
Ok…so in the preview did you notice that sun’s accent is back verses the previous episode where she had no accent. I love her character, but that accent thing is bothering me for some reason. Great episode too. Come to think of it that did look like ana lucia’s mom. hmm. Does anyone know as well the name of that hurly episode where he is in the same building? I wanted to rewatch it.
Having Anthony Cooper on the island was an awesome ending. I love this episode too 🙂
Great episode! Another of my favorite lines (from Locke), “Because you’re in a wheelchair and I’m not.”
I do wonder about what Ben said to Locke about having trouble with his people if Jack had actually been permitted to go. It seems he would already have “trouble with his people” over letting Michael and Walt go, unless you can’t actually LEAVE on a boat. We know (at least according to Ben) that those on the island looked at the Sub as the way to leave the island. We also “know” that some have COME to the island via the Sub. I am not aware of anyone that we can confirm came to or left the island via boat.
First time poster. Love the site. Great job Ryan & Jen.
I don’t think the police woman was Anna Lucia’s mom. I’m sure someone knows for sure-ending credits(?).
I thought the tattoo was new too..
Walt and Michael left on a boat but Desmond had said before something like ‘the island always brings you back’. Desi couldn’t go anywhere.
Also, question. This is an old flashback/question: The guy that Desmond was in the hatch with, the guy he chased over the rocks the day our plane came down..wasn’t he the American officer who had something to do with Sayid’s capture and re-training in one of Sayid’s flashback’s (maybe season 1?) If anyone knows please answer. It’s driving me crazy..
Thanks!
Did any one notice Locke came out wet when he destroyed the sub? Why, he went in through the hatch, from the dock, no need to to jump into the water to enter it. My theory is that he did not blow up the sub !! Just hit the ” SUBMERGE BUTTON” as per Ben, and escaped through the torpedo hole. What he exploded was the dock. Hows that ?
OK, I check Lostpedia and Yes, Sayid’s American captor and Desi’s hatch partner and one and the same. How’s that ???
Michael Emerson desrves an Emmy, but Terry O’Quinn deserves two! 🙂
Interesting theory Dr Belden, but we know that Desmond came to the island via boat, as well as the Black Rock being shipwrecked there. The submarine was most likely Danielle’s as I seem to remember her saying that’s how she got to the island way back in season 1. The question that hasn’t been answered yet is was Danielle DHARMA?
That’s what I’m talking about!
Wonderful and poetic insights, Ryan and Jen, I adore reading your synopses.
A question that I have not yet seen posted is this; how exactly is Ben one of the only people to have been born on the island? I assumed that many of the Others had similar life-long island stories, but Ben debunked that last night. So how is it that he is a lifer when the rest are not? Tied to this, I love the idea that most of the Others have had to make a “commitment” to the island. Have they made that commitment because the island has given them something precious, as it has given Locke the ability to walk? Or are there other reasons they would all decide to abandon their off-island lives?
Did an alarm bell ring in anyone’s mind when the trek between Othersville and the ocean was only a minute? Since from episode 3×1 we’ve known that they live in the middle of a crater on a mountain…
http://gallery.lost-media.com/albums/ep-caps/season3/3×01-cities/1/twocitiescap-0090.jpg
…it would seem to me the hike would be a major one lasting hours, not minutes. Even accounting for editing, Locke and Alex were clearly out for a momentary stroll.
Wormhole technology? Is “Lost” connected with “Farscape” somehow? But seriously. Is this a major gaffe, or what?
I think that Richard, Ben’s new right hand man might be a significant character that everyone might be overlooking.
At the end of Season 1 when the Others find Jin, Michael, Walt and Sawyer on their boat. Tom (with a beard) tells Michael that they have to take Walt. There are two men standing behind him. One of them, I’m sure is Richard. I remember re-watching this and pausing to see his face because Kristin Veitch on E! mentioned that those two men on the boat would be significant. I never saw them again until now. I’m not sure who he might be, but I think he plays a bigger role than we’ve seen yet.
Also, on the Episode with Jack and Bai Ling. Did they explain the whole tattoo on his arm or just a small portion of it?
What did it mean?
No, that was not Ana Lucia’s mom, Capt Teresa Cortez (played by Rachel TicotÃn). Besides, a police captain (or whatever she was four years before the crash) isn’t likely to be partnered up with someone playing detective.
The second episode to end with the question, “Dad?” Good stuff!
Ben said the submarine is the only way to communicate with the outside world but its not the only way cause in season 2.. a pallet of food was drop from a plane.. (a submarine dont drop thing) ….. anyways,,, Ben is just a liar..its hard to trust him…
He give a specific destination to follow at Michael and Walt.. and after what he said to Locke, im sure they are not in the real world…probably just go back at the begining of the loop time
Yes, “The Man from Tallahassee” would be Anthony Cooper. The question being if Anthony Cooper was from Tallahassee, or if the phrase is (as Locke suspected) a code of some kind that would also define Anthony Cooper.
Also, for those who still suspect Hurley’s falling guy was Locke, here’s why I say no: Hurley’s conversation with his accountant was about a year before the crash. We know Locke’s been in a wheelchair for at least four. Hurley and his accountant talk about Tustin as being somewhere else, where we know Locke was in Tustin. A few episodes back, Hurley mentions someone jumped from the roof, which would certainly look different from someone being thrown through a window. But key, to me, are the visual differences. We looked out Hurley’s accountant’s window and saw a city street maybe 20 stories below and other buildings in close proximity. Anthony Cooper’s lived eight stories up in a residential apartment with an open view. If they wanted to connect those two falling people, timeline discrepancies notwithstanding (after Desmond’s episode, anything goes), the would’ve tried a lot harder.
Adriano, I just added that “Dad?” observation to our notes within minutes of your comment! Jen mentioned it last night but I forgot to include it.
Tysie, I agree Richard is an up-and-coming figure. That he comes back in so prominent a way after showing up in Miami with Ethan is telling.
Joe, Danielle said she came by research vessel, not submarine, a vessel we’ve seen: The Black Rock. Then again, who believes anything she says anymore?
MotherFury, that wasn’t a new tattoo, though it’s certainly been more prominently shown since “Stranger in a Strange Land.” Must’ve upped the color in the ink in wardrobe.
Jim, I agree, the attention to detail and production quality is a big part of why the show is so effective. Just the sound design when we heard Jack playing that Giacchino-esque piano piece when Kate came in the room put us right there with them.
Agreed that this was a magnificent episode, both in info delivery and, as ever, the sheer beauty of the filming.
What kept me awake last night was the (Con Man) Father Theme that is so pervasive in Lost. We recently met Hurley’s father, a con artist; Kate’s dad was a con, I believe; obviously John’s father is a prime example as well. Meanwhile, many others on the show have terrible father relations as well–Jack, Sawyer and Sun, to name a few. Some have become cons themselves as a result, like Kate and Sawyer. And Ben tangles up these various ideas by being a father figure to the Others and seeming to be the ultimate weirdo con guy himself.
Are these people “Lost” because they had lousy father relationships? And will they get “Found” when they sort them out? Is that why poor Locke gets to see his horrid Daddy Boy again? Thoughts?
I just had a thought – seeing as we have this “shared father” thing going on (Jack & Claire) why not Locke & Ben sharing a dad?
And what if the two dads were actually brothers?
Which would make Jack, Claire, Locke & Ben related…
What are the odds?
Tallahasse, Florida
State Capital, in Northwest “Pan Handle”
Home of Florida State University,Florida A&M University.
FSU has an Atomic Particle Excelerator,
and Massive Physics dept.with Nobel Prize Docs.
Best Episode Ev er,
watched it 4 times, But….I really can do without ABC’s
Barker-Like; “‘Check it Out, Check it Out,looky looky what’s coming up”
I watch CBC feed and “Lost” is not ‘lost in over promo.
I loved this episode!!! I haven’t been really sucked in by a Lost episode in a while. There were so many amazing moments, most of which you guys have already mentioned…and when Jack whispered into Kate’s ear, “I’m coming back for you…” I just lost it! I know, I’m a sap. But it was just heartwrenching!
Ok, so I’m also thinking that Locke’s dad is the Smoke Monster, but some co-workers of mine have another theory… You know how Walt is able to make himself and other things appear when they’re not really there. Do you think Ben also has this ability? And that’s how he’s able to project the image of Locke’s dad in the room? Anything’s possible with this show!
My two cents on Cooper. He’s no smoke monster. He did not magically appear in the box at Ben’s command. He’s been on the island for awhile. Ben makes up the whole island communion, box story to play into Locke’s tenderness for the island. I think Cooper and Ben are partners in crime. Ben and Cooper are now pulling a ruse on Locke, at least they are trying. It’s Cooper’s turn to play the role of captive, as Ben did so brilliantly in the hatch.
The only proof I have that Ben and Cooper are working together is a stretch. But in episode 4, season 3 when Ben takes Sawyer up to the cliff to show him the other island, Ben says, “We did all this because the only way to gain a con man’s respect is to con him. And you’re pretty good, Sawyer. We’re a lot better.”
“We” could be Ben and Cooper.
Would someone please remind me where we found out “Jacob” was the leader of the Others? I am still racking my brain trying to remember…
The last 2 episodes have been absolutely incredible! I think Rousseua still has a large part to play,lurking around the next corner somewhere. I can feel it!
A superior episode, it squarely puts LOST back in the hunt as series to watch. I practically wrote off the first half of the season, but Cuse & Lindeloff have put in some real thought and concern into the interior lives of the characters’ development.
By the way, if you download The Treatment with Elvis Mitchell on iTunes you can hear his interview of Cuse & Lindeloff. Some insights and a few laughs.
An easier way to get the interview:
http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt070307damon_lindelof_and_c
Their most recent podcast was also good:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/podcast?pn=podcast
@Carly: I believe Jacob’s name was first invoked in “I Do” back in November, in connection with his famous list. I don’t believe we’ve ever received confirmation that he’s the leader, but it’s making more sense that he’s the great and magnificent man in question (who else is there, Widmore?).
I was rewatching this episode…..Above jack’s piano when he was playing his music was a painting that looked like from the island. Same as over the bed when ben was lying down and across from ben looked like a big map of the stars. Also after locke grabbed alex when she came in the room and then we heard footsteps…I thought the man who asked ben if he was ok said “dad are you alright?” Was it richard or the other guy who came to check on ben who said it? As far as “eyes” go…..locke, cooper and ben have the same color. Peter Talbot in actual history…was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin (not sure if important). Ben also has tons of Tribal/african masks in his “house”. If ben has been on the island all his life…stuff in the “house” should reveal a bit about the person! In the painting behind the sofa when locke opens the pack….what is the lady (juilette)? in the painting holding? On his desk there are butterflies in a picture frame and collection of bells . You never know what is behind the “pickett fence”.
Anothy Cooper also drank the same kind of vodka that Penny’s father drank…He also was the only one to drink it..not locke or desmond…just the fathers (lol)..and both lock and desmond were “kicked out” of the room so to speak. Ok that is all for now 🙂 I just love looking at details 🙂
Why was Locke wet when captured? I considered the theory that Locke didn’t really destroy the sub, but knew how to flood the tanks, park it at the bottom of the deep/dark lagoon and escape through a hatch as “Lost in Lost” indicated. Maybe to do optimum damage, the C5 was detinated on the outside hull below the water level instead of from inside of the sub. But that doesn’t make sense. The containment of an internal blast would do irreparable damage if not sink the sub. Maybe Locke just blew up some convenient oil drums on the dock? There’s more here than meets the eye. Either way, Jack and Juliet ain’t goin’ nowhere.
I need to go back and look at the episode (Lockdown?)… but Locke’s apartment building looks a lot like the hotel where he met with Anthony after retrieving the money from the safe deposit box and where Helen left finally left him, minus the airport in the background.
Exactly,
Sub not “Sunk”
Locke Too smart to destroy that resource.
I thought that as well, Sub interior was “tiger fish?”
at Pearl . Harbor..Isn’t it?
OK – – Here’s what I got from the preview for next week….Sun is about to bust Sawyer for the kidnapping plot w/ Charlie….that’s gonna be good…..and these two morons that have been showing up lately are about to be found out as spies? How could they have been spies when they must have been on the passenger list ….of course…they could have been coming to the island by free will via the airplane which means maybe one or the other is an “other” recruiter….but how would they know that they would not be killed by the crash……..any thoughts? So glad I’ve stuck w/ LOST….best show on t.v. right now…it’s starting to be better than it ever has been if you ask me…..
Another thought : Locke is …….about to get his ass kicked real soon now….not only is Jack onto him, but so is Sayid….and Rose if she’s still around and it’s about to come down….
I’m not as over the top about this episode as some. First and foremost, why is the Kate/Jack conversation so weird? Its’ one thing when the “Others” talk all mysterious, it’s another when Kate and Jack do it. I know Jack is “playing” along but when he’s one on one with Kate it was too strange. And the whole idea that Ben needed Locke to blow up the sub to save face with his people was just too far fetched. The reasoning didn’t ting true. And Locke blows up the sub so as not to leave the island? Fine, he can stay, why can’t others leave? That was out of character. You think if he said “I’m staying” anyone would care? Anybody else agree with me?
In the podcast, Damon and Carlton said it was Locke who hit Sayid over the head (back in the first season) and then smashed the radio. They mentioned it as an early example of Locke’s most recent behavior, but I have no memory of the culprit ever being revealed.
The ending of “Dad” evokes the amazing Season 1 finale of that other great mind-bending show – Alias – when Sydney finds that that the mastermind behind her torture is none other than “Mom?!”
Long time reader, first time poster – LOVED this episode! I do recall Locke being revealed as the Sayid-basher in Season 1, though I’d have to rewatch the episode to say exactly how – it was subtle, and made so that “we” (the audience) knew, but the Losties did not, if I recall correctly. I do hope Locke is able to get some retribution from Anthony Cooper, somehow. When I think of all the betrayals he’s experienced at the hands of that man it both angers and saddens me. Cooper should just not have that kind of power over one of our guys. Can’t wait till next week!!!
Did anyone notice that in the scene where Locke is hiding in the closet, the man who comes into the room says to Ben that they’ve captured Sayid and Kate, but he refers to them by two different names. I didn’t catch the names, but they didn’t sound like code names, they sounded almost like biblical or religious names. I unfortunately didn’t Tivo the show so I may be off base on this – anyone recall this happening?
Ira – he referred to them by their last names – [Kate] Austen and [Sayid] Jarrah.
Kudos to the writers and to Emerson and O’Quinn for this week. As Ryan said, this episode was a ‘game changer’ and a great one at that. Every commercial break, I just say ‘this is awesome’ to my wife, and at the end of this episode, I exclaimed that this was the best TV on. I’m back to craving the next episode almost immediately – 7 days is too long!
NickinFuts:
I can’t say that anyone on the plane would have been coming by free will. If I remember correctly, Ben did not seem to “expect the crash”, although he clearly knew what to do when it occurred.
All:
I also suspect the Sub story isn’t over. We see Locke enter the interior of the sub, but then he comes on the dock wet. I think that has to be significant. If he had placed the explosives on the interior, there would not be any reason for him to be wet. He moved and/or submerged the sub and the explosion was just to give the impression that he blew up the sub.
Going back to the “Magic Box” idea of the island granting every one’s deepest wish, I have and interesting theory. What if Anthony Cooper’s appearance on the Island was not brough about by Locke deep desire for a missing father figure, but rather he being conjured to the island by Sawyer. It has been a old theory floated in the past since Mr. Cooper’s first appreance as the ultimate con man that he was the original Sawyer. So what if Sawyer’s deep rooted obsession for revenge with the original Sawyer brought Cooper to the island instead of Locke.
I just hope it doesn’t get like the show “fantasy island” with the magic box
Great episode! This is probably just an oversight on my part, but was it ever revealed who was supposed to be Navigating the sub for Jack and Juliet? After-all, Ben himself said it wasn’t as easy as pushing a button or two. Was Tom going to take them? Or was that never revealed at all? Just curious.
Oh my goodness. I loved this episode. And I so hope that the theory brewing about Locke not having actually blown up the sub is true.
He blew up the flame hatch, which was the ONLY way to contact the sub. So, there’s no way that Ben will be able to look for it even if he did figure out that it’s not quite as sunk as he thinks. That would mean that Locke hatched (ha ha) the plan as he played chess in the Flame, and then worked to carry it out rather than just blindly doing something selfish and preventing Jack, etc from being able to leave.
I like this idea much better than he just didn’t want his Dad to be able to get to him again. But, seeing as how he went out that window thanks to Dad, I can understand this motivation too.
My favorite line: “Because you’re in a wheel chair. And I’m not”