Monday, February 1, 2010

5:16 The Incident, Parts 1 and 2

5:16 The Incident


See my original posts on this episode here and here.

Who would have guessed that the final episode of the season would be Jacob centric - and that we would actually get to see him interacting with characters in the past?! Pure awesomeness, that's all I can say.

-The scene with Jacob spinning and weaving always makes me think of this classic scene on Flight of the Conchords, which explains that weaving is a man's game.



...now on to more serious analysis. The symbol of weaving is one that comes up a lot in mythology. The first example that comes to my mind is the Greek myth about the Fates, three figures who control the mortals' destiny through the patterns they weave. The thread they used represented someone's life, and they had complete control over when that life began and when it ended. Interestingly, in many cultures weaving was predominantly a woman's craft, but in Egypt it was solely the men (this cultural disparity may have been what caused Brett and Jemaine's confusion.)

-Is that fish Jacob is eating a red herring? HA!

-Still unanswered: Why does the man in black need a loophole to kill Jacob?

-There is some great casting in this episode. Young Kate and young Sawyer are very believable as the kid versions of the characters we know and love.

-Richard tells Locke he doesn't age because of Jacob, and he believes that Jacob is why Locke is alive. He's right - but doesn't know that Locke is alive to kill Jacob.

-Another "yahoo!" this time from Bram.

-I paid closer attention this time to Jacob's interactions with each of the Losties. Both Sawyer and Kate say "thanks" to Jacob. I can't figure out if Jacob saved Sayid from getting hit by a car, or if he was helping Nadia be killed.

-It still cracks me up that Sayid wraps the nuclear core in a blanket as if it will help things. And he sure throws that bag around during the shoot-out!

-Vincent! If you watch closely you can see Madison (the doggie actor) take a treat from Sawyer's hand.

-Bram repeats a phrase we keep hearing "We are the good guys." Will we ever know for sure who the good guys actually are? Frank says that in his experience the people have to have keep saying they're good guys are actually the bad guys, and I totally agree.

-Jacob reading a book (Flannery O'Connor's short story collection, Everything That Rises Must Converge) reminds me of Ben reading a book on the plane waiting for it to crash. When he apologizes to Locke ("I'm sorry this happened to you") it also reminds me of Ben telling Locke "I'm sorry I made your life so miserable" in season 4.

-Jacob touches each person he visits, except for Ilana. Is this because Ilana is already an Other?

-I love, LOVE seeing Ben, the master manipulator being manipulated by fake Locke. For once the man who always has a plan has no idea what is going on or who to trust.

-Jack's flashback makes him seem so petty and whiny. Why didn't he ever mention his dad before when he told that story?

-Once again, the group splinters - Jack, Miles, Hurley and Sayid vs. Kate, Sawyer and Juliet.

-FINALLY Sawyer and Jack beat each other to a bloody pulp. That was a long time coming!

-I have to say that I agree with Sawyer here - Jack is willing to blow up a nuclear bomb because his relationship with Kate didn't work out? Seriously?

-I was too wrapped up in the excitement the first time to notice that Juliet changing her mind a million times is annoying. Super annoying. And not characteristic of Juliet at all. I think this is a clear example of the needs of the story overriding characterization.

-Locke promises that things will change once Jacob is gone. What exactly will we see change in season 6?

-I wonder if it's Jacob death that allows them to change the future, and not just the nuclear bomb?

-When the structure around the Swan site starts collapsing I just want to yell RUN AWAY!

-Jacob is always talking about how everyone has a choice. Is this true, or is it a case of protesting too much (similar to always saying "we're the good guys")?

-Juliet hits the bomb 8 times.

-Jacob says "They're coming." Who does he mean?

-The reversing of the end title (black on white rather than white on black) is an interesting touch. Is it just aesthetic, or does it mean they did change things?


Best lines:

GRAY-HAIRED MAN: I don't have to ask. You brought them here. Still trying to prove me wrong, aren't you?

BLOND MAN: You are wrong.

GRAY-HAIRED MAN: Am I? They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same.

BLOND MAN: It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.

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