‘Lodge 49’ Rewatch: Taking Inventory

Written by John Edward Betancourt

How ‘The Mysteries’ Reminds Us Reflect and to Appreciate and Learn from Every Single Moment

‘I don’t have much time left. And I’m not gonna spend it like a chump in a nursing home. If I’m crazy, fine, but I’m going down swinging.’
- Larry Loomis

When we hear the phrase, ‘taking inventory’, a negative meaning slips into our minds. Because that particular phrase is often associated with our final days in life, wherein we should be reflecting upon how it all went before we pass into the great beyond. And our hope is that when the end draws near, we meet our maker with a smile upon our face since we lived a wonderful life that was full of joy and free of regrets. Granted, there are no promises or guarantees that our final moments will feature that perfect scenario, but it is something we all strive for and push for.
 
But the fact of the matter is, taking inventory of one’s life isn’t something that needs to be exclusive to our final days on this earth. In fact, it is something we should do on a fairly regular basis. Because when one takes the time to step back and reflect upon their lives, you can receive a clear picture of where you’ve been and where you are in the moment. Which can allow for one to appreciate the great things one has accomplished, or it can allow you to course correct, if by chance you’re on a path that doesn’t make you happy, and it just so happens that the next episode of Lodge 49 embraces this notion in powerful fashion.
 
Because we actually see a lot of characters take inventory in ‘The Mysteries’, and that leads to some healthy and beautiful moments as the story progresses along. Take Ernie for instance, since in this particular tale, he really does a fine job of taking a step back when it comes to his relationship with Connie so that he can view it in objective fashion and come to understand where their love affair is at and where it is going. And in doing so, he comes to realize that perhaps their relationship is a little unhealthy at the moment, prompting him to put things on hold. Which means that the lesson inherent here is that; taking inventory of our romantic pursuits allows for us to see clearly if we’re chasing ghosts or if we have something that really is fulfilling and once we know, we should act accordingly.

---

Yet what was truly impressive about this particular episode, is that it found a way to ease us into various levels of this exploration as the hour rolled along. Because Ernie’s journey gave way to Liz’s and her plight in this tale was equally as fascinating since she used an attempt to get her brother to wake up out of his funk, as the foundation for her own path of healing. Whether or not it’s the right path is debatable but seeing how others viewed her and realizing that she wasn’t really getting any better at the moment either, prompted her to call Corporate Guy and attempt to do something with her life. And this was a prime example how taking inventory can allow for us to course correct when we’re in a tough place and kudos to Liz for trying to find a path forward.
​
But truly, the centerpiece of this story, was its twist on taking inventory in our final days. Because this episode served as Larry Loomis’ farewell, and it didn’t take a medical diagnosis for him to understand that his life was slipping away. Which prompted him to do the thing and reflect upon his life and spill his secrets to Ernie before his final breaths arrived. But the twist in question, stems from the fact that Larry’s attempts to reconcile his past came in frenetic fashion, serving to remind us in subtle fashion that we shouldn’t wait until the end to reconcile our demons or tell the people that matter to us how much we love them. We should instead, handle those things right away, so that every single moment in our lives will be as peaceful and as lovely as Larry’s last one.
 
If anything, this was quite the beautiful message to find within the framework of a tale about grieving, but that’s what makes Lodge 49 so special. Because it was always unafraid to tackle important topics and show us how there’s beauty in even our darkest moments and that made the second viewing of this particular tale a powerful and moving one indeed. Either way, this was another incredible episode of the series, one that put Dud on the back burner in brilliant fashion since only those who wanted to make a little bit of progress were highlighted here, and he’s not quite ready yet. And this was also a tale that features the first ‘official’ appearance of Cara Mantella as Jackie Loomis, a character that instantly stays with you because of her phenomenal performance, and it was nice to see Cara steal the show here once again. But all of that aside, wow, this rewatch continues to impress and seeing the show slide into more beautifully philosophical territory leaves one to wonder what other powerful elements of the human condition we will uncover as we continue along. Until next time.   

---