Eight Men Out - Elite Eight Breakdown - Part Two

Eight Men Out – Elite Eight Breakdown – Part TwoIn honor of the final eight characters in G-Man's DarkUFO Character Cup (seven of whom will eventually be eliminated), I am counting down each of their top five moments, Greatest Hits style. Part One below contains Michael, Eko, Charlie, and Jack, while this article contains the top four contenders: Desmond, Sawyer, Hurley, and Locke. Enjoy!

Desmond’s Greatest Hits

5. “I'm going to win this race, Pen—his race. And in a year, I'll be back. […] I have to get my honor back, and that's what I'm running to.” (Live Together, Die Alone)

In terms of character flaws, there are not very many negative characteristics that you can list about Desmond Hume. If you could change one thing about him, though, people would most likely ask him to stop caring about what a heartless bastard like Charles Widmore thinks of him. Penelope loved him, and she was willing to accept him despite his meager accomplishments. One could interpret Desmond’s desire to prove himself to spite Widmore as immature and selfish. Personally, I understand Desmond’s decision completely. Every man has a right to challenge himself, particularly in the face of doubts. He did not embark on a journey just to earn Widmore’s respect, but to win back his own respect for himself. There is truth in an old saying: how can Desmond let Penny love him until he learns to love himself? Winning the race around the world would have been an amazing achievement, but, as we all know, the island had much greater challenges in store for Desmond.

4. “Please, let me go back. Let me go back one more time. I'll do it right. I'll do it right this time. I'm sorry, Penny. I'll change it. I'll change it.” (Flashes Before Your Eyes)

The episode Flashes Before Your Eyes remains something of a controversial departure from the initial tone of Season Three. I wholeheartedly wish that Lindelof and Cuse had not tried to force one canonical view of the events, when the episode had worked so hard to promote two interpretations. Like any of us, Desmond can only tell us what he witnessed, and not even he could decide if it was all real. Whether Desmond actually traveled back in time or whether he merely traveled inside his memories is ultimately irrelevant. By all indications, Desmond did not change any of Lost’s past as we know it. Ironically, Ms. Hawking’s explanation to Desmond was false: he did not end up on the island because he was supposed to, he followed that path because he chose to. Every one of us has felt the same sense of regret that Desmond expressed upon his rebirth in the jungle. None of us will ever have the opportunity to travel back in time to change anything. As sincere as his words sound, Desmond’s actions cast doubt on whether any of us actually would make different decisions even if we had a chance to do so. We cannot help but feel just like Desmond in the jungle, pleading for a chance to make things right, but we cannot change the past. We can only change the future.

3. “You don't have to do this, Charlie. I'll go. Maybe, I keep seeing you die because I'm supposed to take your place. What about your girl? Besides. I might be luckier than you. Keep your memories to yourself. I'll take it from here.” (Greatest Hits)

Throughout the bulk of Season Three, Desmond spent most of his time on the island trying to save Charlie from his impending death. His efforts to save Charlie eventually failed, but not due to any lack of effort on Desmond’s part. Catch-22 represented a low point in this journey, as Desmond considered letting Charlie die in order to serve his own interests. The story explicitly referenced the Biblical tale of Abraham and Isaac as an analogous situation. Desmond himself expressed his intuitive displeasure with Abraham’s decision to sacrifice his son. Without entering into a religious debate, I still must say that I prefer Desmond’s reaction. I admire Desmond for telling whatever higher powers exist in the universe, that they were free to take him if they pleased, but he would not intentionally sacrifice anyone else. Sadly, though, Isaac survived in the original story, but Charlie did not survive this modern revision of the tale.

2. “Every single day. And for all our sakes, I hope it's not real.” (Orientation)

Desmond sacrificed three years of his life inside the Swan hatch, even though he wanted to return to Penny more than anything in the world. Desmond’s reply to Jack’s challenge reveals the true extent of that sacrifice. He doubted the Orientation video every single time he pressed the button, but he continued to push it anyway. Interestingly, the film itself did not mention the potential consequences, but it merely asserted that ‘the button must be pushed.’ The mere possibility that Desmond’s actions might cause harm convinced him to give up his life. He thought that it might be an experiment, and he hoped that it was fake, but those doubts and hopes could not persuade him to willingly do harm. In one sense, one could argue that Desmond kept pushing the button in order to save Penny. On the other hand, though, you could say that the experience of love for Penny taught him to love the entire human race. Inside the hatch, he could not see the faces of anyone in the outside world, but, for all of our sakes, he decided to imagine Penny’s face on everyone.

1. “Three days before you came down here, before we met, I heard a banging on the hatch door, shouting. But it was you, John, wasn't it? You said there isn't any purpose—there's no such thing as fate. But you saved my life, brother, so that I could save yours. I've got to go. And you've got to get as far away from here as possible. I'm going to blow the dam, John. I'm sorry for whatever happened that made you stop believing. But it's all real. Now I've got to go and make it all go away. I'll see you in another life, brother.” (Live Together, Die Alone)

Many men lived inside the Swan hatch for many years to push the button and prevent a catastrophe. All of them had a way out, but none chose to use it. Kelvin once pondered whether he had the courage to ‘take his finger off the dam and blow the whole thing up instead’. Kelvin himself could not go through with turning the fail-safe key, but Desmond found the courage when it mattered most. Clinging to nothing more than pure hope in the power of love, Desmond destroyed the hatch without any realistic chance at survival. As Locke once noted, the island will give you something you need, but only if you give it something in return. In order to ‘save the world’ once and for all, Desmond gave his life to the island, and, in exchange, he was reborn. His new gifts will no doubt play a central role in the remainder of this series. Desmond’s story draws many parallels to The Odyssey, perhaps the oldest surviving story in Western civilization. Although both characters suffered through epic journeys to return home to their beloved Penelope, Odysseus was never willing to value anyone’s life above himself. Desmond’s degree of self-sacrifice puts Odysseus to shame.


Sawyer’s Greatest Hits

5. “That's it? That's all you got? Splinters? No wonder we kicked your ass in the Gulf! No. Don't stop now. I think my sinuses are clearing.” (Confidence Man)

DarkUFO poster Jacob’sChair commented that many similarities exist between Sawyer and another famous TV character, Dr. House. Both characters project an outward display of misanthropy, and both men have the uncanny ability to point out flaws in other characters in an entertaining fashion. For the most part, Sawyer’s barrage of verbal abuse is not as sophisticated as House’s language (after all, House is the main character on his own show every week). The writers overuse so many nicknames, pop culture references, and meta-references that his realism tends to suffer. Hurley’s no-nickname challenge to him presents a step in the right direction. Sawyer should be smart enough to display the same degree of insight without resorting to name-calling. The torture scene from Confidence Man was one of the first instances in which Sawyer began to evolve out of his stereotype into something deeper. Sawyer expertly manipulated Jack and Sayid into revealing their true colors. His brilliant response to Sayid’s torture also demonstrates that Sawyer is not just about nicknames. He can use words every bit as impressively as House or any other character on television.

4. “'Cause I wanted you to believe we had a goddamn chance.” (I Do)

During his stay at the Hyrda station, Sawyer explicitly referenced his apparent mantra: It’s every man for himself. In light of his actions on the island, though, the title of Sawyer’s flashback episode could not be more ironic. Sawyer did not waste any time looking after himself, and instead devoted all of his attention to easing Kate’s pain. At the end of that episode, Ben pointed out that even the threat of a lethal pacemaker could not keep Sawyer in line, but his behavior only changed after the Others threatened to harm Kate. Even though Sawyer was dedicating his efforts to lifting Kate’s spirits, he refused to let her know exactly the burden that he was carrying. He could live without hope for himself, but he could not bear to see Kate lose hope. After constant questioning, Sawyer finally broke down and told her the truth about their situation. The rest of the scene is history.

3. “FINISH IT!!!” (The Brig)

When Locke drew Sawyer out into the jungle in Season Three’s The Brig, Sawyer remained adamant in his assertion that he would not kill anyone. James soon learned the truth that Anthony Cooper caused his father’s muder-suicide, but he still did not decide to commit murder. James learned from the mistake he had made with Frank Duckett: shooting first and then asking questions later. In his encounter with Cooper, Sawyer chose a different approach, and gave himself a chance to hear the man out before acting. If Cooper had chosen to read the letter, and if he had expressed sincere remorse (in a fashion similar to Sayid’s confession at the end of Enter 77), James probably would have spared the man’s life. However, Anthony Cooper never displayed the ability to feel a single ounce of remorse. He was capable of forgiving Cooper for stealing away his parents, but he could not forgive him for tearing up the letter written by a child. There was no way on earth that James could ever make Cooper feel his pain, so he dished out the only type of pain the man was capable of feeling.

2. “Set up a new account. It don't matter what bank, just make it in Albuquerque. Put it in the name of Clementine Philips. And I want it so there's no way she can ever find out who the money's from.” (Every Man for Himself)

Sawyer spent half of his life in the pursuit of material gain. He conned women into believing that he cared about them, and then betrayed their trust to steal their money. When Sawyer found out that he had a daughter, though, he convinced Cassidy that he did not care about her, and then gave away the largest sum of money than he had ever stolen. Sawyer did not care about the money, and he did not care about getting credit for his generosity. He only wanted his daughter to have a better life than he did. At the end of The Long Con, Sawyer once commented: “I’m not a good person, […] never did a good thing in my life”. Despite his self-assessment, the audience has witnessed Sawyer behaving selflessly at times. Most people tend to behave most morally in public, and only violate those rules in the dark. Sawyer reverses this trend completely, and he only feels comfortable doing good deeds when no one else is watching.

1. [We see Juliet drinking from a canteen and chatting with another guy. Sawyer is unloading a barrow full of rocks nearby, and watches them. Juliet notices him staring and throws him the water canteen. He catches it and then empties it on the ground. He watches Kate hacking away at the rocks. He thinks a second, then marches up to her and kisses her. Pickett and another guy run over, shouting. Pickett smashes Sawyer in the head with the butt of his rifle. A fight ensues with Sawyer fighting three of the Others. He gets a taser away from one guy, but it doesn't work when he tries it. He gets a gun that's fallen on the ground.] (The Glass Ballerina)

As I said before, many of the greatest scenes on Lost do not require any dialogue. I could not come up with a recognizable name for this scene, but I refer to it as the ‘Non Serviam’ scene. Just about any other character would have readily accepted a drink of water while doing manual labor under the island sun. Sawyer saw Juliet's action for what it truly was, though, not a genuine act of kindness, but a thinly disguised attempt to appease her own conscience. The Others kidnapped them at gunpoint, caged them like animals, and forced them into doing labor through their resident slave driver, Pickett. If you use physical intimidation to take away someone’s freedom, Sawyer is not going to give you any favors. Dumping out Juliet’s canteen was an inspired move, but kissing Kate to force them to act was an even more brilliant move. Sawyer exposed their hypocritical hubris better than anyone else could. This was one of the few moments on Lost that caused me to literally stand up and cheer. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one.


Hurley’s Greatest Hits

Against my better judgment, I decided to rank Hurley ahead of Sawyer in the Character Cup Power Rankings. I used the justification for myself that I thought Hurley would fare better against Ben and Locke than Sawyer would. Apparently, I overestimated Hurley’s popularity a bit. In his own way, Sawyer generates just as many laughs as his rotund counterpart, but he boasts a nicer physical appeal, stronger flashbacks, and more all-around action (both sex and violence). Hurley will not be advancing to the Final Four, but he deserves a spot every bit as much as any remaining contender.

5. “Nikki and Paulo. I guess we didn't really know you very well. And it appears, you killed each other for diamonds. But I know there are good parts to you too. You were always nice to me. And you're a member of the camp. And, er, I really loved Exposé. OK then, goodbye...” (Expose)

Hugo Reyes possesses the unique ability to recognize the good qualities in just about anyone. Throughout the series, Hurley has been one of the few characters to reach out to the camp’s resident misanthrope, Sawyer. Although his optimism towards Sawyer is remarkable, his parting words for fan punching bags Nikki and Paulo is even more remarkable. Not many Lost viewers gave Nikki and Paulo a chance, and, even in this Character Cup, almost no one credited them with any redeeming qualities. Even after their eventual farewell party in the episode Expose, the most common fan reaction towards the supermodel pair was closer to relief that they were gone than gratitude for what they brought to the show. Even though the flashbacks in Expose center on Nikki and Paulo, the episode showcases Hurley’s virtues as the camp’s leader. We can forgive the fact that he buried the two poor souls alive, because he did everything he could to protect and to heal the community. I agree with Hurley’s eulogy: Nikki and Paulo were still members of the camp, and I really loved Expose too. It takes a special type of person to see the good in all people, and Hurley has that ability. (If you’d like to read the most insightful piece of criticism ever written about Lost, far better than anything I’ve ever written, check out MetaLost38’s Reading of Expose in the Theories section of this site.)

4. “Look, I don't know about you, but things have really sucked for me lately and I could use a victory. So let's get one, dude. Let's get this car started. Let's look death in the face and say, "whatever, man." Let's make our own luck. What do you say?” (Tricia Tanaka is Dead)

Reactions to the episode Tricia Tanaka is Dead have been decidedly mixed. The flashbacks were not particularly well-written, Cheech Marin was underutilized, much of the humor was shamelessly low-brow, and the editing in the climactic scene required downright cheating to build tension. Despite all of these criticisms, though, the episode still managed to bring Hurley’s ‘Curse’ storyline to an extremely satisfying conclusion. After blaming himself for countless misfortunes, Hugo finally decided to break the power of the curse through an act of pure will. In the process, he also managed to lift his friend up from a serious state of depression, and put Charlie back on the path to fulfill his potential. The reality of the situation might not be as simple as the slogan ‘you make your own luck,’ but nothing positive ever results from a defeatist attitude. Regardless of whether the curse was real, Hurley decided that he would not allow his own negative feelings to dominate his life.

3. “This is the greatest guy I know, my, my, my grandpa, Tito. He's worked three jobs for -- how long has it been now? 52 years. 70 years old, and the closest thing he's had to a vacation is when they put a pacemaker in him 4 years ago. So the first thing I'm going to do with the money is, uh, finally give him the rest that he's earned. That's really what it's all about for me, to be able to do things for the people I care about, because I really put my family through a lot recently, and, um, well this way I can make it up to them. You know, maybe even buy my mom a new house.” (Numbers)

Hurley was the last main character to receive their first flashback episode during Season One. I have read some people complain that the Numbers storyline amounted to nothing more than a cheap attempt to make him appear interesting. People win lotteries every day, and few of their stories are worth telling. However, Hurley’s appeal does not stem from the fact that he won a 114 million dollar fortune, but his reaction to it. He gained enough money to lead a hedonistic lifestyle for the next hundred years. Instead, though, he decided to spread the wealth with the people he loved, and felt willing to give it all away if it could help them. Hurley’s selfless desire to help his grandfather makes Grandpa Tito’s subsequent death all the more devastating. He even kept Randy around as a way to say thanks to his undeserving former boss. Of all the horrible things that we witness people do to each other in the name of money, both on this show and in the real world, Hurley’s stance towards his money reminds us of what human beings are truly capable.

2. “So, I had an idea. I'm out here looking for some psycho with Scott and Steve, right? And I'm realizing who the hell are Scott and Steve? Look, if I was a cop and some woman got attacked, we'd canvas, right? Knock on doors, find witnesses. But we don't even have doors. Look, we don't know who's living here and who's still at the beach. I mean, we don't even know each other. My name isn't Hurley, it's Hugo Reyes. Hurley's just a nickname I have, alright? Why? I'm not telling. Point is, we've got to find out who everyone is. Yeah, a registry, you know a name, what people look like, who's related to who. I mean, we start laying down the law, maybe we'll stop attacking each other. It seems like someone's getting punched, or stabbed, or something every other day here. We've got to find out who did this to her.” (Raised by Another)

In Hurley’s Round Four match-up against Sayid, a few people commented that Hurley ultimately did nothing for the camp in Season One except provide comic relief and build a golf course. To anyone who truly believes this claim, I suggest that they watch Raised by Another once again. The episode belongs to Claire and Charlie, but I consider it to be the best episode for building Hurley’s character. After Claire’s attack in the caves, neither Jack nor Sayid took charge of this situation, but only Hugo was capable of solving the mystery. His method of protecting the camp did not depend on guns or torture, but just relied on talking to people. His solution was unquestionably effective. Boone criticized Hurley’s actions as ‘setting up your own little Patriot Act,’ but Hurley used his charisma in that episode to pull even the most guarded individuals (Locke, Sawyer, and Ethan) willingly out in the open. Hurley’s interactions during the episode convey the sense that he had two motivations for surveying the camp; not only did he want to get to uncover the culprit, but he was also genuinely interested in interacting with and learning about all the other people.

1. “Attention, Others. Come in, Others. If you're listening in, I want you to know that we got you bastards. And, unless the rest of you want to be blown up, you best stay away from our beach...” (Through The Looking Glass)

The vast majority of characters on Lost are killers. Throughout the course of all three seasons, it appeared that Hurley would never cross the line to take another person’s life. In the Season Two finale, Hurley even refused to carry a gun during their mission to confront the Others. In Through the Looking Glass, though, we learned that Hurley was not afraid to use lethal force under the right set of circumstances. Hurley will not kill for revenge, and he certainly will never kill for greed. He will not kill anyone who surrenders and begs for mercy. However, if you happen to be holding three of his friends at gunpoint, ready to execute them, Hurley will find a way to stop you. His speech on the walkie-talkie afterwards describes his intentions perfectly: his words are not vengeful or sadistic, but merely protective. I was one of the viewers lucky enough to avoid reading any of LostFan108’s spoilers before the Season Three finale, and I am eternally grateful for it. Although I did figure out the flash-forward twist early in the episode, I had absolutely no idea that Hurley’s inspired rescue attempt was coming. For me, this moment offered the most pleasant surprise throughout the entire series. Most of us could not have figured out that the van was the ideal weapon in that situation, but we all new that Hugo had it in him to do what was necessary.

Locke’s Greatest Hits

5. “I'm an ordinary man, Jack, meat and potatoes, I live in the real world. I'm not a big believer in magic. But this place is different. It's special. The others don't want to talk about it because it scares them. But we all know it. We all feel it.” (White Rabbit)

In Season One, Locke became the first character to avoid merely reacting to situations and who began to look at the situation with a broader perspective. He served as a some-time mentor for Walt, Jack, Charlie, Boone, Sawyer, Shannon, Sun, and even Paulo, as a result of his unique perspective. This quote holds even greater significance in the grand scheme of things, because we could have easily replaced the word ‘Jack’ with ‘Matthew’ and ‘place’ with ‘show,’ and the sentiments would remain every bit as sincere. Many parallels exist between Terry O’Quinn’s career and Locke’s journeyman past. Both men bounced around from one challenge to the next, searching for something with greater meaning. Although he has always been a tremendous actor by anyone’s standards, the audience can tell that O’Quinn identifies with Locke more than any of his past roles. O’Quinn portrays Locke with such joy, partly because he feels the character achieving his destiny and partly because he feels himself achieving his own. As the elder statesmen on the island, both O’Quinn and Locke possess a unique appreciation of how special their situation really is, and seek to impart that wisdom on to the younger individuals, who tend to be too wrapped up in their own interests to stop and appreciate the ride.

As always, though, O’Quinn himself says it best: In his recent interview with Lost Magazine, re-published on this site, O’Quinn commented: “This is unique – and I’ve told the other cast members – some of whom are younger and haven’t done much in the TV/film industry – This isn’t going to happen again. You’re going to do this once in your life. You might go on to do other good things, and you might be on things that are more successful, but you’ll never be in anything like this again.” Terry O’Quinn clearly understands how unique this series is, many fans understand just how special it is, and I hope that all of the writers and actors will treat it with the same reverence during this historic ride over the next three seasons.

4. “We hunt. […] We know there are wild boar on the island. Razorbacks, by the look of them. The ones that came into the camp last night were piglets, 100, 150 pounds each. Which means that there's a mother nearby. A 250 pound rat, with scimitar-like tusks, and a surly disposition, who'd love nothing more than to eviscerate anything that comes near. Boar's usual mode of attack is to circle around and charge from behind so I figure it'll take at least three of us to distract her long enough for me to flank one of the piglets, pin it, and slit its throat.” (Walkabout)

By his own admission, Locke enjoys playing games. He chose to spend his lunch breaks playing war simulations against his friend. He was distracted from guarding Mikhail by computer chess simulator that enticed him with the phrase ‘your move’. Locke seeks out these challenges, because they place man against man and man against machine. At one point, though, his favorite game on the island involved pitting himself against the forces of nature. His speech before his first boar hunt describes all of the characteristics that attract him to the sport of hunting. Locke embraces hunting as an intellectual, a physical, and a spiritual exercise. It should be no real surprise that Locke abandoned hunting after he found the hatch. He lost interest in killing boar as soon as they ceased to provide an adequate challenge for him. He proved to himself that he could survive in the wild, but then he needed to prove to himself that he could open the hatch. Locke leads his life as a quest to find things that people think he cannot do, and then do them anyway. Admittedly, he makes such decisions for selfish reasons, but how can anyone deny him the right to define his own existence in this way?

3. “You're conning her, aren't you? You're going to marry her for her money, right? I want you to end it. I want you to call off the wedding. [...] Because it's not fair! You make people think that you're their family. And then you leave their life in ruins. And I'm not going to let you do it again!” (The Man From Tallahassee)

Locke was never one to interfere with another man’s prerogative, and famously questioned whether he could tell anyone what they can or cannot do. When he found out that his father was planning to destroy another life, though, Locke made an exception to his rule. Locke could live with the fact that Anthony Cooper had ruined his life, from birth all the way to his marriage proposal to Helen. However, he could not live with the fact that Cooper was planning to do the same thing to someone else. It did not matter to him that Cooper was stealing from an old rich woman whom Locke never met. He still could not sit by idly knowing that another person was about to relive the same pain he felt at the end of Deus Ex Machina. Locke decided to intervene, and, as we all know, on Lost, no good deed goes unpunished. In order to do the right thing, you need to pay the consequences. His decision cost him his back and indescribable emotional anguish over the course of his four years of paralysis. Only later, through an act of pure will, did he become whole again.

2. “Because you're cheating! You and your people. Communicate with the outside world whenever you want to, you... you come and go as you please... you use electricity and running water and guns... You're a hypocrite! A Pharisee. You don't deserve to be on this island. If you had any idea what this place really was... you wouldn't be putting chicken in your refrigerator!” (The Man From Tallahassee)

The philosopher John Locke used the idea of a metaphorical state of nature to analyze political systems. The character John Locke sees the return to a state of nature as a much more literal construct. Locke’s belief system on the island presents a profound challenge to the status quo. His stay on the island has been an extended walkabout, ‘a journey of spiritual renewal in which one derives strength from the earth and becomes inseparable from it’. In order to ensure his communion with the earth, Locke looks to the island to provide everything that he requires. Locke still uses technology, but only as a means to destroy other technology. We live in a world in which we depend upon countless products created by others to survive. Dependence on such technology distracts us from spirituality, but more importantly, it prevents us from struggling to survive. As Locke once commented, struggle is nature’s way of strengthening us. Much like Native American belief systems, Locke’s values carry a special quality that one cannot help but respect. He would prefer to struggle against nature, in order to make himself stronger.

1. “Hey, hey, don't you walk away from me. You don't know who you're dealing with. Don't ever tell me what I can't do, ever. This is destiny. This is destiny. This is my destiny. I'm supposed to do this, dammit. Don't tell me what I can't do. Don't tell me what I can't ...” (Walkabout)

The final flashback of Walkabout is perhaps the most famous moment in all of Lost. The scene works on its own as a painful and tragic moment. Many people credit it as a twist ending on par with Hollywood’s best efforts. Others commend it as the first moment that introduced the audience to the island’s special powers. While these factors are all important elements in the show, the scene itself has much greater significance for building the John Locke character. What did it reveal about him? He actually planned to go hunting in the Australian outback, even though he knew he was paralyzed! Locke was absolutely convinced that he could survive in the jungle even without the use of his legs. As he said, he lived with his condition for years and truly believed that it would never prevent him from doing anything. Locke is not an interesting character because he was healed, he is amazing because of what he planned to do, even though he might never be healed. Regardless of whether his actions qualify as insanity or genius, the man’s courage and determination are astonishing. Like Norman Croucher, Locke believed that he could use his brains and his will to triumph over the limitations of his body. In The Brig, Ben demanded that Locke commit an ‘act of free will,’ before joining the Others. While eliminating Cooper was an important step, Locke had already made a much more meaningful gesture of free will, and the island recognized it. More than anything else, this singular belief in the unlimited power of his own will sets him apart from all of the other characters.

Congratulations to Terry O’Quinn for winning his long-overdue recognition from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. I already wrote a previous piece (Supporting Actor Showdown) in which I laid out my case for why O’Quinn deserves his Emmy. I predict and I hope that Locke will also earn his equally well-deserved recognition as the show’s finest character. Right now, it’s Locke’s time to shine.