I’m going to start off with a question: Is there any character on “Lost” who doesn’t have big issues with their father? I’ll give you a minute to try and think of someone. Kate doesn’t count, because as you’ll remember, she had some major problems with her stepfather, unfortunately resulting in a house burned to the ground, with him inside. And as far as Jin goes, Sun’s father was enough for both of them to handle. Jack? No. Sawyer? No. Locke? No. Unless I’m mistaken, I believe Hurley is the only character currently on the show (whose home life we’ve been familiarized with) that has a healthy, close relationship with his or her father. Just something to chew on.
The daddy issues on this week’s episode, “Some Like It Hoth” belong to Miles, he of the mysterious freighter folk who came to the island at the end of season three to seemingly offer salvation for our castaways, despite some serious ulterior motives. Right away, we learn that from a young age, Miles has been able to read the thoughts of the deceased. Seems a bit useless, if you ask me, as being able to read the thoughts of the living would be more beneficial, but you take what you can get, I suppose. However, Miles was able to use his mysterious abilities for financial gain, culminating in a very lucrative offer from Charles Widmore. This would ultimately bring him full circle, back to the island on which he was born. Confused? Well, it seems that Miles father, absent and unknown to him, is the mysterious Dr. Marvin Candle, star of the infamous hatch instruction videos. Flashbacks (or forwards…) reveal that while on her deathbed, Miles’ mom told him that his father left them both when Miles was a young boy and never wanted anything to do with them.
These scenes are framed by Miles’ trip to the Orchid to drop off a dead body (the first signs of the island’s electromagnetic power resulting in a Dharma worker’s metal filling being ripped through his skull… yikes). Hurley tags along, unaware of the circumstances until both men discover each other’s talent (or curse) for being able to interact with the dead. The revelation, as well as the ensuing conversation, is played for laughs. Hurley, the always enjoyable Jorge Garcia, continues to be effectively used for comic relief. He spends most of the car ride to the Orchid writing in his journal, and it’s revealed he’s writing his own improved version of “The Empire Strikes Back,” before it can be produced by George Lucas. These scenes and playful banter between Hurley and Miles work well. It’s nice to be able to turn your brain off and just enjoy these characters every once and a while, and the episode as a whole, does a great job of truly making you feel invested in Miles.
Miles reveals to Hurley that when the island time-shifted to the ’70s three years ago, he stood in line at a Dharma dining hall in front of his mother; the inference being he followed her around on the island and discovered who his true father is (because he hadn’t been born yet). Dr. Candle, on the other hand, is unaware of the relationship, and thus, treats Miles strictly as an employee. However, there’s a nice moment where, when prompted by Hurley acting as family-therapist, Dr. Candle explains he likes country music and Miles’ twists his face with disgust, as only a son can do when finding out just how awful his or her parent’s tastes are.
Elsewhere on the island, Kate foolishly attempts to comfort Ben’s father, letting him know that Ben will be fine after he discovers his wounded son has gone missing. Kate, of course, had a hand in delivering him to Richard Alpert. This immediately raises his suspicions, and he begins to ask a lot of questions he receives no real answers to. Sawyer has his hands full as well when one of his workers comes to him with proof that he delivered young Ben to Alpert. Ever the resourceful fellow, Sawyer does what he does best, and knocks the crap out of him after luring him into he and Juliet’s home.
The episode winds down with a sweet scene of adult Miles watching himself as a baby being read to by Dr. Candle. But how could Miles be on the island as his present self and as an infant in the same time period? Isn’t that kind of against the rules the show outlined for itself with time traveling at the beginning of the season? Then, as our heads begin to hurt, Daniel Faraday arrives (returns?) to the island in the ’70s. Pass the Motrin.
