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Lost
Tricia
Tanaka Is Dead
Airdate: 02.28.2007
Unlike its preceding
episode, or perhaps because of it, “Tricia Tanaka
is Dead” benefits from fanboy favor due to its simple
storyline reminiscent of season one.
While
it certainly does very little to crack open the mythological
cauldron that is Lost, it still manages to offer
up a few thematic notes worth mentioning.
As promised,
the origin of Hurley’s weight gain is finally uncovered,
and as it should be, the source of his eating habits is
rather sad. Tying Hurley onto the “daddy issues”
train, we learn that a candy bar was the last thing his
father David Reyes (played by Cheech Marin) gave him before
skipping town.
The
interesting point is that David is not portrayed in the
usual deadbeat father light. In fact, he seems likable for
the most part. Well, when he isn’t hopping onto his
motorcycle to take a seventeen-year hiatus from his duties
as pater familias.
Hurley
is left clutching two things as he watches his father ride
away: hope and a candy bar. Unfortunately for him, the candy
bar was the only thing that remained consistent throughout
the rest of his life.
This
is where our flashback and the island happenings begin to
intertwine. As we follow Hurley’s story, David inevitably
returns once word about the lottery money gets around. Of
course this leads Hurley to deduce that his father is only
around because of the cash, and further spurs him down the
path of rejecting the money and exploring the truth behind
the numbers.
David
dangles carrot after carrot in front of Hurley to try to
get him to change his mind about heading out to Australia.
He pleads with him, “It’s never too late for
a fresh start.” Yet for Hurley, its already seventeen
years too late.
Ironically
enough, two other characters were wrestling with second
chances earlier in the episode – namely Kate and Sawyer.
In this combination, it’s Kate who exclaims, “It’s
never too late for a fresh start,” but Sawyer is unwilling
to relent. Can we add stubbornness to the pre-requisites
for the redemption theme on Lost Island?
Our
flashback and present-day storyarcs intertwine further when
Hurley discovers the VW bus with Roger’s corpse still
hanging out inside. By the end of season 3, it becomes clear
that Roger is actually Ben Linus’ father. It’s
even more telling that Hurley decides to repair what he
lost with his own father (repairing the broken down Camero
and taking a road trip) by fixing the vehicle in which Ben
severed ties with his own father.
If the
universe has a way of “course correcting,” as
Ms. Hawking told Desmond, then perhaps Hurley is a “corrector”
of sorts. He gets great joy out of fixing the broken down
bus. Perhaps he was somehow correcting the damage that Ben
created when he killed his father?
Before
we dive too deeply into the theoretical, let me add another
interesting connection to the pile. Remember the MacCutcheon
chess defense tangent from “Flashes
Before Your Eyes?” Well, the MacCutcheon is unique
because it weakens the Kingside while still affording the
player the chance to castle from the Queenside, right?
What’s
my point? Well, Hurley’s last name is Reyes, which
has its origins linked to Kings. Reyes is often the name
given to would-be kings, and is commonly linked to the Magi,
or the three kings, who brought gifts to baby Jesus. I’m
not saying this is groundbreaking, but I suspect that more
will be made of this in the future.
Next
time: We find another Dharma station, and Sawyer
tries to reclaim his throne in camp.
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