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ep.0503 – Jughead

Something occurred to me during the opening of Jughead. Time has always been at the focal point of the series, but there is an important distinction to make — playing with “time” as a conceit is not limited to “time travel” as a device.

Case in point, in the early minutes of Jughead Desmond frantically searches for a doctor in the Philippines to assist Penny, who is in the throes of labor. Their son is born, and we learn that the couple has chosen the name Charlie. The implication here is that time is cyclical — Desmond’s time on the island resulted in his meeting Charlie, who then died while re-uniting him with Penny, which then influenced the couples’ name selection. In a way, the legacy of Charlie lives on.

Another interesting tidbit to keep tucked away for later is that we’ve seen three births thus far: Claire’s son Aaron, Sun’s daughter Ji-Yeon, and now Penny’s son Charlie. Although there isn’t much to make of this yet, it is important to note. After all, both birth and rebirth seem to be emerging themes this season.

Let’s dig into some of the meat of Jughead, most of which pertains to Faraday. Desmond follows Faraday’s direction, and travels to London, more specifically Oxford University, in search of Daniel’s mother. What he finds instead is far more creepy. While rooting through Daniel’s now-defunct lab, a janitor confuses Desmond for a run-of-the-mill gossip seeker. Apparently Faraday’s work has become somewhat of a university-wide legacy, and the janitor explains its allure, “after what he did to that girl?”

The girl in question, it turns out, is living in a vegetative state. She suffers from similar symptoms that Desmond experienced while on the freighter. As if that wasn’t enough, Desmond learns that Widmore is footing her hospital bills, and he even was the primary financial investor in Faraday’s research.

The question you are asking yourself is, “Why?”

More on that in a bit. Back on the time-displaced island, it appears The Others have far more secrets to reveal. After being attacked by a pair of uniformed grunts, Juliet, Locke, and Sawyer try to get them to talk. The pair are tightlipped until one asks the other a question…in Latin.

What’s more? Juliet responds. She’s certain they are Others, because they speak Latin. Meanwhile, Faraday, Miles, and Charlotte (don’t you just love the balanced pairing?) are subdued by another band of Others led by a woman named Ellie, whose significance I’m sure will factor in eventually. They are taken to a camp where they bump into Richard Alpert, and Faraday deduces that they are in the 1950s and that the Others believe that the US military is on the island — seeking to use it for nuclear testing.

Faraday convinces Alpert to let him have access to the bomb on the island, and assures him that he does not have intentions of detonation because “I’m in love with the woman sitting next to me and would never do anything to cause her harm.” He is, of course, referring to Charlotte.

After escaping from Locke, Sawyer, and Juliet, one of the two grunts returns to camp to report in with Alpert. Locke had a chance to shoot him as he fled, but decided not to stating, “He’s one of my people.” Later, we learn that the grunts name is Charlie Widmore.

Ellie escorts Faraday to Jughead, which is a hydrogen bomb left on the island. He tries to explain time travel to Ellie and instructs her to “bury it in the ground.” Sawyer and Juliet turn up in time to disarm her, and a flash in time occurs.

Historic tidbit: Jughead was the name given to a test device prepared in case the tests at Castle Bravo failed. They didn’t, so Jughead was cancelled and all EC-16s produced were disarmed and dismantled.

Before the jump, Locke meets with Alpert and because this meeting takes place before the two of them have ever met, Locke uses the compass to gain some level of trust. He also informs Richard that he is their leader, but Alpert is not entirely convinced. When the Others pick a leader, rigorous testing is done and it begins at an early age. Remember that meeting between young Locke and Alpert? During the visit Richard had asked, “Which of these items belongs to you?” The young Locke selects a vial of sand, the compass, and a knife — which seemingly angers Alpert.

Recall what I mentioned about time?

As if all of this wasn’t enough, following the time skip Charlotte suffers a nosebleed and collapses to the ground just as the already packed episode draws to a close. I’m sure we’ll be learning more about this from Faraday

So, thoughts on the birth/rebirth baby connection? Or do you want to expound on Widmore’s “Otherness?” The comments are wide open.