LOST: Everybody Loves Hugo: The humble vs the exalted.

[Editorial note: Rather than doing recaps of the episodes (which many people are doing much better than I can), I figured that I would start posting one singular "main idea" thought that really jumped out at me for each episode of our remaining few.  I am better at fleshing out a single idea in depth than trying to document details, anyway.  ]

I generally enjoy and agree with most of Vozzek69′s insights into LOST, but I take exception to one thing he wrote about Everybody Loves Hugo .

She marched into LOST like she knew what she was doing, but backed it up with nothing but hard talk and a lot of rifle-pointing. She had a lame storyline, brought a very weak crew with her, and came to a totally useless ending.

Illana’s death wasn’t pointless. It was an illustration of an idea that is threaded through LOST in the same way that it’s threaded through one of it’s epic influences, Lord of the Rings.

In the Big Game of Good versus Evil, don’t rely on the “experts.”

See where cockiness gets you? Out in a blaze of glory.

Don’t put your trust in the people who have trained their whole life to be the hero.

Caught you by surprise, didn't it, O Eternal One?

Especially don’t trust the people who don’t want to question that they know what they’re doing.

Trust the messes.

"I may be bonkers, but at least I'm honest."

Trust the crazy people.  As Locke said in “White Rabbit,” the people who think they might be going crazy are usually the ones who are sane.  It’s the ones who think they’re the only sane ones you have to watch out for.

"I have no idea what to do next. And no problem admitting it."

Trust the uncertain ones.

"Sorry about the whole 'gunning down your girlfriend' thing, dude."

Trust the people who have nothing left to lose, and nothing left to gain (even if they’re dead.)

Trust the people that the Big Players have written off.  Trust the people who are beneath the notice of the powerful.

In this game, don’t trust the kings and queens, the knights and bishops and rooks. Trust the pawns, or better yet, those considered not even worth using as a pawn.

Because most of the time, that’s not where the real battle is won or LOST.