It's a solid B-level episode as our Lostaways come together in both timelines. Unfortunately, what was a semi-happy reunion in 2007 comes apart at the end, with a disturbing implication (although one that I don't believe will come to fruition).
2004X:
Ben plays the role of concerned friend (despite not knowing anything about him) of Locke as he's ferried away in the ambulance. He's wheeled into the hospital right next to Sun, who in her moment of distress apparently recognizes him and is terrified.
Sawyer flirts with criminal Kate, marveling at the coincidence that they were each on Oceanic 815, as if someone is trying to bring them together. Kate maintains her innocence, and posits that he let her go at LAX because he didn't want anyone to know they were in Australia. Their mating dance is interrupted by Miles, who alerts Sawyer to a restaurant shooting and the suspect that was caught on tape.
Desmond stalks Claire to an office building; she's headed to the adoption agency on the fifteenth floor and he nosily tags along, urging her to have legal representation with her. Luckily, he knows a lawyer who owes him a favor, and she's on the fifteenth floor too. It turns out to be Ilana, and as it would happen she's been looking for Claire.
Sayid and Nadia have a brief conversation in which nothing but everything is said. Miles knocks on the door, and Sayid attempts to go out the back, but Sawyer trips him with the garden hose and arrests him.
Jack and David arrive at the same office complex, on their way up to Ilana's office for the reading of Christian's will. Their relationship is a lot chummier, and so it looks as if the brief time between "Lighthouse" and this episode has not seen their newfound bond broken. Ilana asks Jack if he believes in fate, then introduces him to the sister he never knew he had. The awkward family reunion is broken up by an emergency call from the hospital.
In the hospital, all is well for Sun, as both she and the baby are fine. Meanwhile, Jack goes into surgery, and looks into one of the mirrors, seeing both himself and Locke, who he recognizes, which throws him just a bit.
On Island
The tense meeting of the Jacobians and Locke's Flocke is still in progress. MiB asks to speak to Jack alone; Jack obliges after getting permission from Hurley. He says that he doesn't know what Locke is, to which Locke asserts that he does. Jack asks about why he took Locke's form (since he was dead and you brought him back in a wooden box is the snarky response), dancing around the real issue which MiB knows he's asking about. So he gets Jack to ask about Christian, and MiB admits that he was the apparition of the elder Shephard. Why? Because they needed water, and all he's ever done is try to help them get off the Island (sure, that's why he killed the pilot way back in "Pilot"). Now that Jacob is dead, they are free to go, but it has to be together. We also get some more Locke putdowns coupled with a subtle jab at Jack ("he wasn't a believer, he was a sucker...he believed this place could help him [definitely paraphrasing there]").
Someone has been following them--it's Claire, happy to see her brother. It's a cute scene with an undertone of Claire craziness; she talks about how MiB was impersonating their father, and since she didn't have much in the way of family she's glad that he's coming with them. Jack replies that he hasn't made up his mind on that front yet, but Claire says he did decide--he decided the moment he let MiB talk to him, and now he's one of them just like the rest.
Sawyer lets Hurley in on the sub hijacking plan, as Kate does the same for Claire, but lets him know that Sayid is not invited because he's on the dark side. He tells Hurley not to tell, and I am surprised that he didn't let it slip at some point--you remember Arzt and the Black Rock dynamite plan in "Exodus", right?
Jack returns from his meeting with MiB and talks to Kate; Kate says "[Sayid's] different now" and Jack replies "I guess we all are". Just then, Zoe strolls into camp, accusing MiB of taking something that belongs to them (but never stating what it is; of course, as the audience we know, but the Lostaways sans Sayid do not). They have until nightfall to return it, or it's war, and some sort of explosion (I didn't see a missile, although I heard something) shows this isn't just an idle threat. She leaves a walkie for MiB to call on, but he uses the stick he crafted last episode to smash it, saying "Here we go".
MiB addresses his troops, playing dumb on the supposed theft he committed and admitting that his plan is being up. They are going to head for Hydra Island and the Ajira plan, with Sawyer dispatched to get the sailboat, to meet them at a rendezvous point. He takes Kate with her, quickly giving Jack instructions to double back and meet them when he gets the chance, bringing only Frank, Hurley, and Sun (Sayid is evil and Claire lost her ticket when she tried to kill Kate).
MiB simultaneously dispatches Sayid to kill Desmond, threatening to take away the carrot of Nadia if he doesn't follow through. Sayid goes to the well, which is not nearly as deep as I expected it to be. Desmond asks him what he was offered, and when he finds out what it was, he has two follow-up questions. Sayid bats the first one (Why do you believe he can bring back the dead?) with ease; it happened to him. But the second cuts deep into his soul--what will you tell her you did to bring her back? It's essentially the same logic that Ben used on Michael in "Live Together, Die Alone" when Michael asked how Ben could be sure that he wouldn't tell anyone about the Island.
As Sawyer and Kate arrive at the beach (and the Elizabeth, last seen in "The Glass Ballerina" I believe), he fills her in on the plan. Kate doesn't want to leave Claire, though.
Jack asks Claire why she trusts MiB, and her answer is that because he was the only one that didn't abandon her. MiB frets about Sayid's tardiness, asking Sun if he's seen him; when she doesn't answer, he scoffs about the silent treatment, to which Sun writes "you did this to me". He denies this and tromps off himself, giving Jack his opening. He takes the chosen group, leaving Claire (did her profession of trust in MiB scare him off?), but she glares at them as they leave.
MiB catches up with Sayid, interrogating him about what happened, but Sayid maintains that he killed Desmond and just needed a moment to process shooting an unarmed man. He invites MiB to check himself, but he seems to be placated.
Everyone is getting on the Elizabeth, but Claire crashes the party with rifle in tow. Kate tries to reason with her, over Sawyer's objections, apologizing for Aaron, explaining that she was the reason she came back to the Island, etc. It finally works, and Claire hands over her rifle, but she warns that "If he finds out we're gone, he's going to be angry".
As they sail towards Hydra Island, Sawyer explains the plan to Frank, who gives it his hearty approval. Jack sits alone by himself, staring out at the water. Sawyer goes to talk to him, and Jack says that leaving the Island doesn't feel right--it's not done with them yet. He remembers what it felt like the last time he left (Sawyer says, perhaps not even knowing how ironic it is, "they have pills for that"). If MiB wants them to leave so badly, perhaps it's because he's afraid of what will happen if they stay. Sawyer says that Jack can either button up the crazy talk or get off the boat. Jack apologizes again for Juliet's death and jumps off.
Kate is furious with this turn of events, saying that they have to go back for Jack. But Sawyer says "we're done going back".
MiB is waiting for jack on the beach, and he knows Saywer took the boat. The rest of the Elizabetheans arrive at Hydra Island, greeted to Zoe and some other Widmore guntoters. We get the Jin and Sun reunion, which corresponds with Sun regaining her ability to speak. But the happiness is soon broken up by Zoe getting new instructions from her boss over the walkie, declaring that the deal is off. They are forced at gunpoint to their knees and the weapon is fired at MiB on the beach. The explosion knocks everyone back, including Jack who MiB carries away. He sits him down at a tree and says "It's okay, you're with me now."
I suppose it's possible that Jack was quickly resurrected Sayid-style, but I have a hard time believing that Jack will now be a soldier of the dark. We saw both Sayid and Claire soften their attitudes tonight (if not flat out return to the side of the good), and Jack was certainly not trusting of MiB (his comments to Sawyer on the Elizabeth were the most pointed and important). I still think Jack winds up as the hero, although all of us Jack fans will have a couple weeks and then maybe a couple of episodes to fret about his fate.
Of course, the more likely explanation is that MiB interprets Jack's return as a sign that he's chosen his side, not knowing as we know that Jack believes he has a destiny to stop MiB. Thus, "The Last Recruit" is from MiB's perspective--everyone else (probably even Sayid) has abandoned him, and Jack's all he has--which really leaves him with nothing.
