Just because Rose is African-American shouldn’t mean that her husband would be the same! Shame on all of you who thought Mr. Eko was her husband. What? An older couple who acts on impulse more than some of the younger couples exhibited in the show? You mean they barely met? They haven’t been together for thirty-odd years??

Surely you jest! Well, surely they don’t, actually. Here we see how Bernard’s chance encounter with a woman stuck in the snow sent him head over heels in love with her. We also see that when Rose breaks the news to Bernard, in the middle of his proposal no less, that she is dying of what one could only assume is cancer (there we go again) his love remains unrequited, and his newfound goal in life is to find a way to spend the rest of his life with the women he loves.

This includes a trip to the outback, a wild “throw caution to the wind” escapade during Rose’s final months among the living that actually turns out to have ulterior motives on Bernard’s behalf. You see, he’s learned of a healer who is able to cure people in spite of insurmountable odds of recovery, and Bernard is hell-bent on saving his precious love.

Twists abound, because obviously Rose is still alive on the island and her health doesn’t appear to be waning. So much so, that when Bernard decides to take action in getting the Losties off the island by constructing a giant S.O.S. sign on the beach, Rose decries his ambitions and pretty much embarrasses him in front of the rest of the island’s “socks.”

[Note: “Socks” is the affectionate term the producers use to refer to anyone outside of the inner circle of Lost characters. Those people in the background? Yeah, socks. According to the podcasts, Bernard is sort of the de facto voice of the socks. Haven’t you people been doing your Lost podcast homework?]

As support for building the beachfront distress signal disintegrates, tensions between the happy couple continue to flare up. Rose, it seems, doesn’t want to be rescued, and the reason why ties her to Locke in a very special way.

Back in the outback, Rose agrees to see the healer for Bernard’s sake, but she is told that her condition cannot be cured. Not surprising to say the least, but what is intriguing about Rose’s visit is the proliferation of symbols closely resembling the Dharma Initiative logo on the walls of the healer’s abode. Another curiosity is whether or not Locke’s determined insistence upon trekking into the outback was inspired by the very same healer Rose was turned away by. Hmmm??

As it turns out, the connection between Rose and Locke is far less subtle. Although Locke’s destination in the outback could still turn out to be a tie between the two characters, their pre-island conditions are intertwined by a chance encounter in the airport prior to take off. Rose remembers bumping into Locke in his wheelchair before the plane left the ground, and so she knows that they have both been healed by the island, somehow.

The plot thickens indeed.

The remainder of "S.O.S." plays out in a rather heartfelt fashion. Rose explains why she lied to Bernard, who realizes once again just how graceful the woman he loves is capable of being. And in a rather sweet fashion, Bernard finds a reason to embrace his newfound home on the island amongst the rest of the socks and lostaways.

Next: Since this is posting late, your grueling wait for new Lost-ness has now come to an end. We’ll see you here in a couple days for a rundown of another Ana Lucia gem, "Two for the Road."

Mario Anima