TVSquad

(S03E21) This episode was all about building suspense for the big season finale, and mission accomplished. Several big questions were answered, but not the one that fans were hoping for. If we weren't at the end of the season, I would complain about not getting an immediate update on Locke, but I can wait one more week. After Desmond's upsetting prediction, there had to be another Charlie-centric episode, and this one was surprising--to say the least.

The Flashback

Charlie's flashback was made up of his life's greatest hits--his favorite experiences and memories. His first great moment was hearing Driveshaft's "You All Everybody" playing on the radio for the first time. Charlie was close to quitting the band on the way to their gig in Clitheroe (I'm sure Clitheroe's residents loved the shout-out) when the band's luck finally improved.

Charlie's next favorite moment was learning to swim with his father. I hadn't thought about it before, but Charlie is one of the few characters who doesn't have a messed up relationship with his father. We've seen very little of Mr. Pace up to this point, actually. Was anyone else bothered by the fact that Charlie is suddenly a great swimmer, when he claimed that he couldn't swim in "White Rabbit" (the episode where Joanna drowned)? Was he lying to get out of risking his life? He wasn't much of a hero back in Season One. Things have certainly changed.

Charlie's third happiest moment was the Christmas that Liam gave him the "DS" ring, which was a family heirloom. It's interesting that Charlie and Liam used their great-grandfather's initials (Dexter Stratton) to inspire their band's name. I wonder what other names were in the running? I was absolutely heartbroken when I saw the ring in Aaron's crib later in the episode.

The fourth moment involved another famous Lost crossover. During a very familiar moment in Covent Garden (wasn't that scene nearly identical to the scene in "Flashes Before Your Eyes"?), Charlie saved Nadia, Sayid's former love, from a mugger. Finally, Charlie listed his first encounter with Claire as his last great moment in life, and ended up asking Desmond to give Claire his list.

The Jungle

No word this week on Locke's fate. When Ben returned to the Others' camp, he merely said that Locke had been in "an accident," and that Jacob wanted the kidnapping to go down 24 hours sooner. Was Ben trying to distract the Others with the kidnapping plot so they wouldn't go looking for Locke? He sounded desperate when he was changing the game plan; now the Others are going to kidnap every woman and kill every man who gets in their way.

After Karl's disappearance into the woods in "Stranger in a Strange Land," I wasn't sure if we would see him again during Season Three. He turned out to be far more important than I expected. As soon as Alex learned of the Others' new timetable, she sent Karl to warn the 815ers. I can't wait to see if Alex gets to meet Danielle by the end of the season. If that look that she exchanged with Ben is any indication, Alex is still having major doubts about her "father."

The Beach

Jack finally brought everyone (including the viewers) up to speed on his motives. I'm not sure how he managed it, but he contacted Danielle and persuaded her to help him take out the Others. Danielle's scene in "The Brig" finally makes sense! I would love to know how he got Danielle, who is normally all about self-preservation, to become a team player.

Jack's plan to blow up the Others when they reached the marked tents had one major flaw. The plan depended on knowing the Others' time of arrival, and Karl's news complicated things. Sayid and Jack improvised by assigning three people to shoot the dynamite at the right moment. Who knew that Bernard was such a good shot, or that he was still around? There haven't been enough Rose and Bernard scenes as far as I'm concerned.

The second element of the plan involved Naomi's satellite phone. Sayid believed that they could get the phone to transmit a signal by knocking out Danielle's distress call at the radio tower, and by sending someone to the Looking Glass station. Juliet told the 815ers that Ben was jamming all distress signals at a mysterious underwater DHARMA station. How many more stations are there? I'm waiting to see a DHARMA station located in the clouds; that would be the ultimate Star Wars reference, wouldn't it? They've already had Billy Dee Williams as a guest star.

Desmond's newest vision had Charlie sacrificing his life by going on the Looking Glass suicide mission. This time, Charlie's desire to be a hero for Claire and Aaron was greater than his desire to live. I was a bit choked up watching Charlie say his goodbyes to everyone, especially Hurley. For a minute, I really thought that Desmond was going to take Charlie's place, but Charlie wanted to confront his destiny head-on. Out on the ocean, he knocked Desmond unconscious and dove for the station's moon pool.

Apparently not all of the DHARMA stations are filled with strange men; some are occupied by gun-toting women. As soon as Charlie made it to the moon pool area, he was met by two armed ladies (they have to be Others, right?). I'm guessing that Ben's story about the flooding was another lie to keep the rest of the Others in the dark about the island. ABC's press release for the episode lists their names as Greta and Bonnie, and they should have a major influence on Charlie's fate. I was a little surprised that this episode didn't have the "payoff" of Charlie's death, but he hasn't pushed that yellow button yet. Death could still be in his future.

Final Comments/Questions:

• Did anyone else think of Ricky Gervais on Extras when Naomi said "You havin' a laugh?"
• Juliet's snarky comment after Karl outed her as a mole was hilarious.
• I could watch Sayid tackle Others all day long.
• Naomi seemed oddly relaxed during the episode. If you were hearing about the Others for the first time, wouldn't you be a little scared?

I'm giving this episode a 6 out of 7, only because it was more of a momentum-builder than a stand-alone episode. See you next week for the big season finale!