The show is into overdrive right now as things are speeding along to the finale.

We get a flash-sideways for Hugo, the most successful businessman in the flash-sideways world.  He donates to charity.  He buys businesses and provides jobs.  He is a sweetheart that receives awards galore.  Everybody loves Hugo.

But Hugo’s mother wants him to have a girlfriend.  She’s never happy.  Setting Hugo up with a blind date leads to a chance encounter with a distinctly out to lunch, figuratively and literally, Libby. Libby has memories of Hugo from another time and she was hoping that he had the same memories which would make her not crazy.  Hurley did not share the memories and Dr. Brooks redirected Libby back to the van to return her to the institution.

Hugo can’t get Libby out of his head so he goes to see her.  She seems considerably less cray-cray in this conversation than at the restaurant so Hugo asks her out on a date.  They wind up on a beach having a picnic, a picnic they did not get to have on the Island and they share a kiss, which triggered Hugo’s memories.

Hugo’s flash-sideways was a sweet one, with Desmond floating around keeping an eye on them like a guardian angel.  Of course, Desmond is anything but a guardian angel for Locke as he runs him down with his car after school one day.

Before leaving the flash-sideways world I want to have a shout out to Samm Levine, actor and former Movie Trivia Schmoedown Champion and Team Champion, who made an uncredited appearance here as Mr. Cluck’s worker.  It was cool to see a younger Samm Levine show up on LOST.

On the Island, Hugo was starting to show some real chops as well.  It is important to know that Hurley could be a person who takes over for Jacob.  He has never been one to lead the group, always blending into the background.  Here, Hurley is taking steps to be in charge.  At first, the information came form the dead- as Hugo sees and converses with Micahel, but eventually, Hugo makes his own choices.  Even Jack is following Hurley.  Hurley blowing up the Black Rock so Richard cannot use the dynamite on the airplane was a shocking moment as was Hurley’s decision that their next move was to go see Locke.  In grand LOST fashion, any decisions by leaders tends to split the group in half and Richard, Miles, and Ben take off on their own.

Michael, by the way, is stranded on the Island as a ghost, and he explains that the whispers are the restless spirits of the Island.  This explanation did not feel right, though I do like the idea that Michael is still being punished for his crimes.  The whispers always seemed to have something to do with the Others so there felt like there needed to be something else.  Perhaps the Others always stirred up the restless spirits because a bunch of them are from the Dharma Initiative and the Others were responsible for their deaths in a mass murder moment.

And there was an intense stare down as Jack and Locke come face to face once again.

Lots of other cool/shocking things this episode too:

• Ilana blew up in a very Arzt manner.  It was a perfect ending to a character that never felt like she belonged.  Ben’s comment about how the Island was done with her was chilling as well.
• Locke tossed Desmond down a well.  Locke certainly looked nervous around Desmond, whereas Desmond seemed perfectly calm.  That calmness, the lack of fear, really spooked Smokie.
• The Island boy continued to taunt Smokie.  Desmond can see him as well.