Broken Frontier

With only 4 episodes remaining before the series finale, Lost continues its final season with an episode which brings together many loose ends and starts the final push of tying up so many different strands in a big pretty bow. “The Last Recruit” isn't one of the strongest episodes of the season, but its is an important one: it’s the start of the endgame.

The episode starts right where the last show left off: the long-awaited reunion of Jack and Locke. Sort of. This torch-side chat is actually the first encounter Jack has had with the Man in Black. Well... at least since he’s taken on the visage of Locke. Un-Locke reveals to Jack something the audience has known for years: that he had earlier been impersonating Jack’s father, Christian. Clare gets caught sneaking around behind them, and gets some quality time with her brother Jack.

Back at the camp, Sawyer is ready to put his plan to escape into action, and he starts recruiting people to come along with him. Zoe shows up and demands the return of Desmond, and gives Un-Locke a missile ultimatum. Un-Locke decides now is the time for action and breaks camp, but not before telling Sayid to go finish off Desmond. Sayid confronts Desmond in the well, but it is unclear whether he shoots him or not. Sawyer steals Locke's boat, and makes a break for Hydra island.

Most of the other main characters escape from Locke's group and join up with Sawyer and Kate at the boat. Still mad about Aaron, Clare holds a gun on Kate, but then has a change of heart and joins them on the boat. Jack decides mid-trip that leaving the island feels wrong and he goes for an impromptu swim. On the beach, Jack is greeted by Un-Locke and Sun and Jin are reunited on Hydra island. Widmore betrays Saywer, and then starts to shell Locke's group on the island. Jack nearly gets blasted to kingdom come, but Un-Locke drags him to safety and tells him: “You’re with me now”.

The flash parallels have really been sped up since Desmond has begun pushing the characters to remember their lives on the island. Now instead of focusing on a single character’s viewpoint, each flash starts tying all the loose ends from previous flashes together. The flashes start as hit-and-run victim John Locke is rushed to the hospital with Ben at his side. When the ambulance arrives at the hospital Sun, who has been shot, is also arriving and she seemingly recognizes John. Cop-Sawyer and recently arrested fugitive Kate have a police station chat, and Miles shows Sawyer that Sayid is responsible for the restaurant murders.

Desmond “pushes” parallel-Clare to meet her brother Jack. Sayid tries to run after his multiple homicide, but he is tripped up with a garden hose by detective Sawyer. Jack and son David meet Clare for the first time, and Jack gets a call from the hospital for an emergency surgery (guess who?). Sun and Jin find out their baby is ok, and Jack gets a surprise in the surgery room.

Not as flashy as some of the more recent episodes, “The Last Recruit” is the pivotal moment when Lost really starts to tie things up, unfortunately it also offers little more than being the beginning of the last movement: it’s really just a warm-up leading into the final act. Coming after a slew of great episodes ,this information-heavy episode feels a little overwhelming at times. “The Last Recruit” is certainly not Lost at it’s best, but it portends that the best is yet to come.