Season 3, Episode 21: "Greatest Hits"

GREATEST HITS - This refers to Charlie's list that he made chronicalling the top 5 moments of his life. Also, Naomi (the parachuter) informs Charlie that his band, DriveShaft, came out with a Greatest Hits album after he "died" in the plane crash.

There wasn't a lot going on in this episode, I think it really was just building us up for the season finale next week.

However, a couple things that are worth pointing out:

In one of Charlie's flashbacks, he saves a woman from being mugged. That woman is Nadia (Sayid's girl). She calls him a hero and thanks him for saving her when everyone else just walked on by.

Desmond informs Charlie that he had a vision of him going down into the Looking Glass station where he must flip the switch which is blocking their radio signals, before drowning. He tells him that this time he has to die, or everything won't happen as it is "supposed" to. He tells him that he sees Claire and Aaron getting into a helicopter. One thing I noticed is that he ONLY mentions Claire and Aaron getting into the helicopter. He did not say anything about all of the other survivors. This kind of makes me wonder if he was making it up, because he knows Charlie's affection towards Claire and Aaron, so this would definitely make Charlie want to do this task, if it meant helping Claire. Also, when Charlie first asks Desmond if he had another one of his visions, he tells him no, but then later tells him that he did. I am wondering if he made up this vision because he needed Charlie to volunteer? He may have some information about the Looking Glass, since he has been on the island for some time. Or, he just might have some ulterior motive, if he did have one of his visions, but may not be telling Charlie the truth, because he needs him to die in order for this to happen (just like how he wanted the last one to happen so he could see Penny).

When the two of them go out towards the underwater station, Desmond offers to go instead. He tells him that maybe he is supposed to take his place? I don't know, it seemed very fishy to me, the whole thing. And especially, if Desmond truly had this "vision" about Charlie going down there, why did he not see the two women with the guns in this vision? So far, all of Desmond's visions have panned out exactly as he saw them (except where he has changed the course of what happened by stepping in himself to save Charlie, thereby changing the outcome). So that kind of leads me to believe that this was not a vision after all.

After Desmond offers to go in Charlie's place, Charlie hits him over the head and knocks him out, before going down himself. Charlie seems to be okay with the idea of sacrificing his life, if it means saving Claire. Charlie has started to believe in fate, and he truly believes that he has to do this in order for the helicopter to come for Claire and Aaron. We have seen Charlie's character make a full circle since coming to the island. He started out as a drug-addict, washed up rock star, and now he has turned into a responsible "father-figure" - he truly cares about Aaron. He has fallen in love with Claire. He even leaves for Aaron his family's ring that was meant for him to pass down to his son one day. This shows how Charlie has really changed. He went from a life of sex, drugs and rock and roll (literally) to that of a "family-man" just like his brother Liam predicted. Charlie would do anything for Claire and Aaron. He has learned how to TRULY love. And that means making sacrifices at any expense. So when Charlie is faced with the idea of giving up his own life in order to save the woman that he loves, he has no hesitations. This also ties in to the whole religious theme of the show. Charlie sacrifices his own life to save everyone else.

Another point - in one of the earliest episodes (from season 1) there is a girl drowning in the ocean, and Charlie yells for help and says he can't go after her because he can't swim. Then, in tonights' episode, he volunteers to go down to the underwater hatch, saying that he was a champion swimmer and that he could hold his breath for 4 minutes. So which one was he lying about? We also saw in his flashback as a little boy that he was scared to go into the water, but his father helps him get over that fear. So, does he really go on to become the grand swimming champion? Why did he lie then about not being able to swim? Maybe at that point (when they first arrived on the island) Charlie just did not care about helping others. When he saw the woman drowning, he had not yet had that "epiphany" of learning to care about others, about doing the responsible thing. As I mentioned above, I think Charlie has gone full circle since arriving on the island. That would explain why he was unwilling to help a drowning woman at the beginning (remember he was still battling his drug addiction then) and now here he is sacrificing his life in order to help the rest of the survivors.

Another interesting point from this episode is we see that Alex really seems to care about the survivors. She immediately thinks to warn them when Ben tells her he is going for them. Why is she so willing to help them? Yes, they have helped her (and her boyfriend, Carl) in the past, but there seems to be more to the story. Also, why is she so against her "father" and the Others. She has said before that she is not one of them, and clearly we have seen her rebellion towards them. But what has happened in her past to make her completely against them, so much so that she is willing to help the survivors? I hope we see an Alex-flashback sometime...I would be curious to see more about her life growing up on the island. Also, is she going to be reunited with her mother, Danielle?

So, obviously alot going to be happening next week. I do think that this "vision" of the helicopter is true - however I do not necessarily think it is a "rescue" helicopter. I think that it could either be something tied in with the Others - they could be tricking them to thinking they are getting rescued, but really it is part of their plan. OR, if it is indeed a rescue helicopter, I think it will be unable to leave the island. We already know that this island is not on any map, and that it is impossible to find. Ben has even said that no one would ever be able to find it. I think it's kind of like some Bermuda-triangle place. So, if a helicopter was able to get there, I don't think it would be able to get off. We know there is some weird electromagnic force on the island (although is that completely gone now that the hatch blew up??) but whatever the reason, I think that if they DO get rescued, they won't actually be able to leave.

Another thing - who are the two women in the Looking Glass station? One was blond and one was a brunette. The blond woman kind of looks similar to the same blond woman who we saw in the very first season finale when they came on the boat to take Walt. Also, there is some speculation that this woman could be the grown-up version of Annie, the little girl who gave Ben the doll when they were kids.

Next week looks great!

I did read something that gives a little bit of "insight" into the Finale. It is not a spoiler - meaning it doesn't give specific information about the plotline- but it does give some information about certain subjects that either will or will not be touched upon. I will post it below....stop reading right here if you don't want to know.
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ABOUT THE SEASON FINALE:
* We do not get a lot more information this season about Richard Alpert and the island’s other natives.
* We do not get a lot more information this season on the Dharma Initiative or the Hanso Foundation.
* We do not learn a lot more this season about Jacob.
* We don’t learn more about the four-toed statue.
* Christian Shepherd is not discovered alive.
* Libby does not appear.
* We will learn something huge about Kate.
* We get a major clue related to the “other” Oceanic 815 that boasted no survivors.
* We’ll be meeting new characters, but not in flashbacks.
* Rousseau’s original Frenchy broadcast from the pilot plays a role this week.
* There is much death in the finale.
* Yet another original cast member goes the way of Boone and Shannon.
* But, get this, another of the original regulars returns. And that regular is not listed among ABC’s cast list.
* We will see Terry O’Quinn (Locke) at least one more time before the season ends.
* We see a new side of Hurley.
* Desmond does not sacrifice himself to save Charlie.
* There’s a big surprise involving Naomi and Penelope.
* The huge huge huge HUGE season-ending reveal resides in Jack’s very dark flashbacks, so watch them very carefully.
* Between now and 2008, fans may scratch holes in their heads wondering how this show is going to continue next season.