6:5 Lighthouse

Another great one last night. It's taking me a lot longer than usual to get this one blogged because there's just so much to go through. This was the 108th episode of LOST, and it aired on the 23rd of the month. So of course, The Numbers had to figure in somehow.

Flashsideways Connections

-The big shocker - Jack is a dad. I found this off-Island storyline so satisfying and redemptive. Jack seems to finally break the cycle of distant father-son relationships with David. Another brilliant name choice - the Biblical David (which means means "beloved") was a poet and musician, and composed many of the Psalms, including Psalm 23. The casting was great here - the actor who plays David really looks like he could be related to Matthew Fox.

-Jack apparently doesn't remember getting his appendix removed as a child. Another example of some crossover between this timeline and the one we're seeing on the Island. I thought it was interesting that Jack's mom said "Your father wanted to do the procedure himself but they wouldn't let him"; on the Island Jack wanted to assist in his own appendectomy.

-The song David plays at his audition is Chopin's "Fantaisie Impromptu in C-Sharp Minor." This piece has been played on LOST before, in the season 5 episode "The Variable," where young Daniel Faraday played it. And coincidentally, February 22nd, 2010 would have been Chopin's 200th birthday.

-Jack's literary theme throughout the entire show has been Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass." The season 1 episode "White Rabbit" refers to the creature Alice follows down a rabbit hole. In "Through the Looking Glass," Alice goes through a mirror to discover a world where everything is a mirror image of the real world - exactly reversed. In a way what we're seeing this season is a mirror image of season 1. "Lighthouse" pretty much bashes us over the head with the Alice references: David is reading the annotated book, Jack says he read it to him as a child, Jack talks about Alice's cats Kitty and Snowdrop (more on them in a later post), David's hidden key is under a rabbit statuette, and the main imagery of this episode of mirrors and game playing figures in hugely in Carroll's work. I highly recommend reading both of these books if you're at all interested in the symbolism in LOST (and even if you're not - they're just really fun to read.)

-Another beautiful mirror image moment is when Hurley tells Jack "You have what it takes," another reference to "White Rabbit" where we saw Christian Shephard witheringly tell his son that he will always be a failure because "you don't have what it takes." 

-The sign outside David's audition says "Welcome all candidates." 

-On David's bedroom wall there's a poster for the band Meat Coat - the band Driveshaft (Charlie's band) was supposed to open for in L.A. Maybe David was listening to Driveshaft on his headphones.

-Dogen was at David's audition! His words to Jack are significant "They're too young to have this kind of pressure, aren't they?...It's hard to watch and be unable to help."

-A common thread in all of the flashsideways we've seen so far is that life is better for all of the Losties. Claire might get to keep her baby. Kate may be innocent. Locke is with Helen, and learning to be content with his lot in life. And Jack has hope in a loving relationship with his son. Could we be seeing their eventual redemption instead of just another alternate timeline?


Revelations  

-I loved it when Jack looks at the lighthouse and says "I don't understand, how is it we've never seen it before?" because that's exactly what I was thinking. How many more undiscovered places can there be?

-I got so excited when Hurley and Jack found the caves again with Adam and Eve because I was sure we were finally going to find out who they were. I believed the promo that said "The time for questions...is...over!" Silly me. We still don't know. Damon and Carlton, why do you keep teasing us?? Why?!?! (I agree with Jay and Jack though when they say that we should appreciate LOST while we still have it - because soon it will be over and we'll be left with nothing but "Two and a Half Men." Noooo!)

-Jack tells Hurley he wanted to come back to the Island because he was broken, and he thought the Island could fix him. If the flashsideways are real, it seems that maybe he was right.

-My favorite reveal of the episode was the lighthouse dial. Man in Locke was lying about Jacob having "a thing" for numbers - the numbers actually have a meaning.

Although Kate's name didn't appear on the cave wall (that we saw, anyway) she is on the dial - number 51. So now the question is, are the two lists the same? I think one belongs to Jacob and one belongs to the Man in Black, and they may not correspond exactly. Man in Locke goes into the cave and throws a white stone out; Jacob has Jack go in the lighthouse and smash the mirrors - this may be evidence that the cave is Jacob's list and the lighthouse is Man in Black's. Also, the writing on the cave wall is white, and the writing on the dial is black.

The images that appeared in the mirror are the temple where Jin and Sun got married, the church where Sawyer's parents' funeral was held, and Jack's childhood home. The first two are locations where Jacob visited them, but Jack's visit with Jacob was at the hospital where he worked. This makes me think that Shephard actually refers to Christian, not Jack. Hurley's instructions were to turn the dial to 108˚ - the name at 108 was "Wallace."

-It's becoming more and more clear that we can't trust anything Man in Locke says, and I'm not sure Jacob is any more trustworthy. Nikki Stafford pointed out that everything that comes from the two of them is a lot of smoke and mirrors - literally.

-Man in Locke is Claire's "friend." I probably should have figured that one out, but I didn't see it coming at all. Wow.

Questions 

-Who is David's mother?

-When Hurley finds Jacob in the temple he's crouched by the spring and seems to be putting something in the water. If so, what did Jacob put in the spring and why did he put it there?

-What is the lighthouse for? Is it really just for watching the candidates, as Jack believes, or does it have another function? And why did Jacob want the mirrors destroyed?

-How does Claire know that John Locke isn't himself? Is she aware of what has taken over him, and presumably her too?

-Jacob says that "someone bad" is coming to the Temple. Who is it - smokey? I think this puts to rest theories that Jacob is the one influencing Sayid.

Moments of Pure Awesomeness
 
-Hurley and Miles' game of tic-tac-toe ends in "a tie again, dude." If you play tic-tac-toe well, it's impossible for either side to win. A reference to the ongoing battle between Jacob and the Man in Black?

-I loved Jin's quick thinking in dealing with Claire and convincing her that Aaron is at the Temple and they need to go get him. The whole scene was so tensely creepy and well acted by both of them.

-Hurley: "I just lied to a samurai." Haha!

Your Turn!

Please share your thoughts and theories with me! I know a missed a lot in this one, there was so much to think about.

6:4 The Substitute, Second Thoughts

After listening to podcasts and reading blogs and message boards this week I've had some additional thoughts about "The Substitute."

-I had completely forgotten about this one - in season 3 when Mr. Eko's is killed by the smoke monster, he whispers something right before he dies: "You're next." And the person he whispered it to? None other than John Locke. At the time I assumed he meant a collective "you", but now it looks like he meant it specifically. Locke was the next one to be taken over. Interestingly, Sayid was there too. [The Lostpedia entry says that if you turn the volume up during this scene you can hear Eko say "I saw the devil." Evidence that the smoke monster is on the bad side?]

-The number next to Jack Shephard's name on the cave wall is 23. Psalm 23 is the one that begins "The Lord is my shepherd." The Christian symbolism in this episode (and just about every Locke episode) is amazing. More on that later.

-The good folks at Lostpedia put together a comprehensive list of the names that appear on the cave wall. Some are very interesting.

-I completely agree with those of you who pointed out that Fake Locke is not to be trusted. I'm not buying a word he says about Jacob forcing everyone to the Island - and I wonder if it's even Jacob's cave at all.

-The first place we saw the protective ash was around Jacob's cabin. Ben brings Locke there intending to pretend he's talking to Jacob, and when things start flying around the room we thought it was Jacob. But now that we know what is in John Locke, it seems much more likely that it was the smoke monster in the cabin all along. Ilana discovers the broken circle of ash and says "Someone else has been using it." I think the smoke monster was trapped inside the cabin by the circle of ash and somehow managed to break the circle and escape. Other manifestations we've seen inside the cabin (Christian Shephard and Claire) are likely Smokey related as well.

6:4 The Substitute

Ladies and gentlemen, the pace has officially picked up! Last night's episode more than made up for last week. And what a cliffhanger! (Ba dum, ching!)

Flashsideways Connections

-Locke getting rained on by the sprinklers and laughing about it reminded me of all the times he predicted rain on the Island. Given what we know now, I'm pretty sure all his knowledge about the Island was influence from the smoke monster.

-Helen's t-shirt says "Peace and Karma." This is a reality where Locke has found some measure of peace because of his life with Helen (BTW, how fantastic is Katey Sagal?)

-Helen suggests that she and John elope and just invite her parents and John's dad. It seems that Locke can't walk for another reason in this time line and still has a relationship with his father.

-I recognized Hurley's Hummer right away (he drives the same on in the season 1 episode "Numbers".) Locke tried to scratch it with his wheelchair lift, but it jammed - because Hurley is the luckiest guy in the world now. I can't wait to see more of his story.

-Part of me was hoping that Locke really had gone on the walkabout like he told Boone on the plane, but it turns out that his experience in Australia was the same as the one we saw in season 1. I wonder though why he didn't go to the conference?

-Rose still has terminal cancer. It's so interesting that she convinces Locke to accept that he is disabled and be "realistic" about his life, when on the Island, she and Locke are both miraculously healed.

Revelations

-Biggest one first - we saw Jacob's list! The list of all lists! And the people on the list are connected to the Numbers! A "candidate" is someone that Jacob believes could be his replacement, and that's what the lists (and apparently the Numbers) are all about. Here they are.

4 Locke
8 Reyes (Hurley)
15 Ford (Sawyer)
16 Jarrah (Sayid)
23 Shephard (Jack)
42 Kwon (either Jin or Sun.)

These are the people we saw Jacob visit in the season 5 finale. Noticeably absent is Kate, who Jacob visited when she was a child. My theory is that she was a candidate at one point, but she was disqualified after she killed her father.

Some of the crossed-out names that were visible include: Locke, Mattingley, Rousseau, Rutherford (Shannon), Troup, Burke (Juliet), Faraday, Littleton (Claire), Goodspeed.

-Ilana says that the smoke monster can't "change his face" anymore - he's stuck where he is as Man in Locke. So whatever is taking over Sayid now, it's probably not Smokey. Unless the monster can "claim" people without becoming them. Maybe "claiming" is about recruiting.

-I was so surprised to find out that Richard didn't know about Jacob's plan to find a replacement. All this time, he really has been operating just on faith in Jacob.

-Man in Locke yells at the blond boy "Don't tell me what I can't do." Clearly there is still a part of John Locke there - or maybe there was part of the smoke monster in Locke all along.

-Man in Locke says Steinbeck was "a little after my time". I think it's safe to say the smoke monster has been stuck on the Island for quite a while.

Questions

-Who is the blond boy Man in Locke keeps seeing in the jungle? I think it's Aaron. I don't have a good explanation for why, that's just my gut feeling. And he really looks like him.

-When Ben tells Ilana Jacob's body was burned, she immediately collects some of his ashes. Are all the protective ashes we've seen the burned remains of Jacob's predecessors?

-Why didn't Locke attend the conference in Australia?

-The set of scales has one black stone, one white; Man in Locke throws the white one into the ocean and tells James "it's an inside joke." This is most likely a reference to the pilot episode where Locke explains to Walt how to play backgammon: "Two sides, one light and one dark." Jacob is dead, so the light stone gets tossed. Another place we saw a white stone and a black one is with the bodies they found in the caves during season 1, the ones Locke calls "Adam and Eve."
The question (still!) is which side is good and which is bad?

-Man in Locke tells James "the most important question in the world" is "Why are you on this Island?" Why is that THE question? (I half-expected Locke to say "The answer is 42". And then it turned out that the answer WAS 42 - well one of them was anyway.)

Moments of Pure Awesomeness

-Traveling the Island from the perspective of the smoke monster, who then becomes Locke. So, so cool.

-I love that Sawyer immediately knew that Locke was not himself. He does the dumb hick thing pretty well, but he's a smart guy. However, I lost some faith in him when he believed Man in Locke so easily and followed him down the ladder. Nooo, Sawyer!

-Man in Locke entices Sawyer by saying "Come with me and I'll tell you everything." (He uses the same exact line on Richard.) Knowledge as a temptation is a common theme in the Bible, starting with the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

-Another brilliant song choice: Sawyer is listening to Iggy Pop and The Stooges' "Search and Destroy" when Man in Locke comes to find him. Some of the lyrics:

I am a world's forgotten boy
the one who searches and destroys
Honey gotta help me please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby detonate for me

-I love that Hurley helped John get a new job. It's such a Hurley thing to do. And he hit the nail on the head when he called Randy "a huge douche."

-The real Locke finally gets a burial, and a bizarre eulogy from Ben. I said "That was the weirdest funeral ever" right before Frank said it. Ha ha ha!

-Ben Linus as a high school history teacher is just too perfect. And he would be the one nagging everyone else in the teacher's lounge about the proper use of coffee filters. Besides the spot-on career assignment though, this is a big deal, because WHY? Why would Ben be off the Island, apparently living a normal, innocuous life? When they detonated the bomb Ben had already been born, and shot by Sayid, and revived by the Others. Clearly the Incident caused far greater ramifications than anyone expected.



Your Turn!

What are your thoughts and theories? Why are so many unanticipated things different in the flashsideways? Who is the blond boy in the jungle?

6:3 What Kate Does, Second Thoughts

I kind of feel like I need to apologize to episode 6:3. After watching it a second time and reading your comments I think I might have missed the point. And it was right there in the title all along.

"What Kate Does" is a reference to the season 2 episode "What Kate Did." Back then, Kate was defined by running away from her problems. She kills her father and runs away. She visits her stepfather and runs away. She kisses Jack and yep, she runs away. It isn't until the end of season 5 that she finally confronts her problems by giving Aaron to his grandmother and going back to the Island to try to find Claire. In the flashsideways it's almost like we're seeing season 5 Kate instead of season 1 Kate. Yes, she's on the run from the marshal. But she also goes back to find Claire. She takes some responsibility for her actions. "What Kate Does" is very different from "What Kate Did." Kate asks Claire "Would you believe me if I said I was innocent?" This time, maybe she really is.

Something else I missed the first time is in the shot of Claire's sonogram picture:
Notice the date - 10/22/2004. The original flight 815 crashed on the Island on September 22, 2004, so this episode apparently takes place a whole month later. Has something happened to push the time line back? One possible explanation is that the date is Claire's due date (which would be about a month away according to Dr. Goodspeed), but I have had a lot of ultrasounds and they have never had the due date on them.


See you later tonight after the new episode!

6:3 What Kate Does

I have to be honest, this episode was a bit of a let-down for me. After "LA X" my expectations were high - probably too high. I normally like Kate episodes but this one didn't resonate with me the way they usually do. Still, there's some cool stuff to talk about.

Flashsideways Connections

-I've heard a lot of cool theories about Claire's flashsideways life (the coolest: Stephanie from gspn.tv's podcast theorized that maybe Claire wasn't pregnant, but was at the airport picking her brother up for their dad's funeral!) - but so far Claire's life path seems to be pretty much the same in this version of reality. She's still pregnant and planning to place her baby for adoption.

-Kate getting her handcuffs removed reminded me of Fake Locke's comment to Richard "Good to see you out of those chains," and also Fake Locke telling Bram "There's nothing left for you to protect. You can go. You're free." The dichotomy of captivity and freedom is huge on LOST.

-Kate ends up being instrumental in Claire's decision to keep Aaron, while in the original timeline she was the one who took him away.

-Kate seems to recognize the stuffed killer whale in Claire's bag, which we saw 3 year old Aaron holding in season 5.

-Claire and Kate obviously sense a connection with each other, even though this is the first time they've ever met.

-Ethan is Claire's creepy doctor once again. But this time he has his father's last name (Goodspeed) and he doesn't want to stick Claire with needles.


Revelations

-Dogan explains that "a darkness" has "claimed" Sayid, and that it also claimed Claire. This explains why Claire would leave Aaron in the jungle and walk off with Christian at the end of season 4. She most likely died when her house exploded, and was "claimed" soon after that. My guess is that the "darkness" is the Smoke Monster, because the process we're seeing take place in Sayid seems very similar to what happened to Rousseau's team after their exposure to Smokey last season.

-The method used to claim people is explained as an infection, which is the same word Rousseau used. I think this is finally our explanation for what the vaccine was supposed to do - although ironically, Claire was the only survivor who actually received the vaccine. Maybe she stopped taking it?

-Claire has been in the jungle living by herself, setting up traps and carrying a rifle. I can't wait to find out more of her story and how she's become the new Rousseau.


Questions

-Why do the Temple Others think is it so imperative for Sawyer and Kate to be there?

-Sawyer's comments about Sayid stood out to me:

SAWYER: Of course he's fine.

KATE: What does that mean?

SAWYER: He's an Iraqi torturer who shoots kids, he definitely deserves another go around.

Is this just a throwaway line, or could he be on to something that those who are at peace are the ones who get to die? Sawyer commented in "LA X" that he wanted Jack to stay alive because he deserved to suffer along with the rest of them. Are the ones who are stuck on the Island being punished somehow? It's interesting that this was a big question during season one (remember all the purgatory theories?) and now it's coming up again.

-If Dogen is right that Claire's body has been claimed, what about Christian Shephard? Did he get claimed in a similar way? This would explain his missing body, and the apparent necessity of burying bodies on the Island or sending them off on burning rafts. But then on the other hand, Locke seems to have been "claimed" without the use of his body at all. Could there be two different methods the Smoke Monster uses to influence others, or are we seeing two different entities at work here?

-Thanks to Jack, we found out that the pill Dogen wanted him to give Sayid contained poison. If it's just a way to kill Sayid (or Fake Sayid maybe) why did Dogen say that Sayid had to take it willingly? Wouldn't poison work even if they forced it on him? Maybe Dogen can't kill Sayid and needs someone else to do it for him. Is this another case of the Others wanting someone else to do their dirty work?

-What has Claire been doing out in the jungle for the past 3 years?

Moments of Pure Awesomeness

-I laughed out loud when Sawyer told Kate "Don't follow me." He should know by now that in Kate Language, "Don't follow me" means "Please track me down and keep bugging me no matter what I say."

-Josh Holloway had some amazing moments, both in this episode and "LA X". He has come a long way as an actor.

-Sayid: "No, I am not a zombie" ... delivered in the most zombie-like way possible.

-Star Wars references! After being tortured Sayid tells Jack "They didn't even ask me any questions," reminiscent of Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back. In another Han Solo moment, Aldo tells Kate "After you, princess."

-I didn't recognize Aldo at first, but once I heard his name it clicked. He's the Other we met during season 3 when Kate, Sawyer and Alex rescue Karl from Room 23 (using "the ol' Wookie prisoner gag," according to Sawyer.)

Not So Awesome

-Claire's wig was reeeeally bad. It's almost like the costume department is intentionally using bad wigs just to keep up with their bad wig reputation. Or maybe finding a good wig is a lot harder than it seems.

-Personal TV pet peeve coming up: If a woman with a healthy pregnancy went into labor at 36 weeks there is no way they would try to stop it just because she didn't feel ready. And even if they tried, there's no guarantee it would work. That said, I can understand why they made this decision for the story's sake - it mirrors Ethan telling Claire it's her choice what she does with the baby in the medical hatch.

-I had a hard time understanding the decisions made by both Claire and Kate throughout the flashsideways. If we're supposed to believe that they've never met, why on earth would Claire want someone who just carjacked her cab to come along with her to meet her baby's adoptive parents? And why would she cover for Kate at the hospital and then give Kate her credit card - just because she gave her a ride to the hospital? Kate telling Claire "I think you should keep him" sent me over the edge. Who says that to a stranger?? I'm able to suspend disbelief a lot on LOST but I had a really hard time with this one.




So what were your thoughts? Do you agree with my initial reaction? What do you think is going on with Claire?





-

We Want Some Freakin' Answers!

This nicely summarizes how a lot of people feel about the final season.




It's pretty obvious at this point that every question will not be answered, but all of us have an idea of which answers are essential for us to be satisfied by the end of the season. At the top of my list would be:

-How did Jacob and the Man in Black/smoke monster first come to the Island?

-Why do Charles Widmore and others want the Island so much?

-What is up with on-Island Claire? Dead, alive, other?

-What is Christian Shephard's history with the Island? Why is his body missing, and why are both his children (and his grandson) so important?

-Who are Desmond's parents?

-How will all the fractured relationships resolve?

-Why were these particular people (Jack, Kate, Sawyer, etc.) supposed to go to the Island in the first place?

-And a brand-new question since the premiere: Will the two timelines resolve?


Your turn! What are the answers you just HAVE to have?

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse on Jimmy Kimmel

LOST's masterminds Damon and Carlton talk about the season premiere, announce the end date of the final season (May 23!) and discuss which changes in the flashsideways were intentional and which were coincidental. They also (sort of) address the theory that Jacob has taken over Sayid's body. As always they are charmingly geeky and funny, and only slightly smug about knowing all the answers.

Part 1:



Part 2:

The Two 815s

Someone directed me to this video - a side-by-side comparison of Jack's two experiences on board flight 815. Watching them together, Jack really seems to be "remembering" something that has never happened to him and it explains why his reaction to the turbulence is so much stronger than Rose's this time. Also, Matthew Fox looks much better with less hair.

6:1 LA X

It finally arrived! The final season premiere. After all the anticipation I think a lot of us were worried that the premiere would be a letdown. Thankfully all the worrying was for naught. I can't imagine a better season opener. There were lots of revelations, and enough left unanswered to keep us scratching our heads - which is just the way I like it. (For those of you who are interested, my friend Erin referred me to an interview with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse where they talk about the premiere. I found it very interesting!)

Revelations:

-First, the biggie: Fake Locke is the smoke monster! I'm sure the implications of this will continue to unfold for the rest of the season. In a podcast last summer the producers said that by the end of this season premiere, all the pieces will be in place for viewers to figure out the end game of the entire show. I'm sure this is what they meant. I keep thinking of the scene where Locke plays backgammon in season one: "Two sides; one is light and one is dark." I think we can unequivocally say now that the smoke monster is not using the bodies of those who have died on the Island, because the whole time he is walking around with Ben, Locke's body is lying there on the beach.

-One of my favorite aspects of LOST is the use of unconventional narrative styles. First it was flashbacks, then flashforwards, then time skipping, and now it's what the producers call "flashsideways" - a glimpse at an alternate timeline. To many viewers this was the only logical next step, but I have to say I'm thrilled that they've introduced it in a way that no one would have expected: showing an alternate reality while leaving some of the Losties on the Island to deal with the aftermath of the hydrogen bomb detonation. Did anyone else notice that the "whoosh" sound they use for flashbacks is different now? It sounds like a combination of the flashback sound and the time travel sound.

-Juliet is definitely dead. It was devastating watching her die again. With the recap show, and the opening sequence showing her fall down the hole yet again, I felt like I'd watched her die dozens of times in one episode. She seems to have had a glimpse of their alternate reality as she died. Will she and Sawyer be meeting up for coffee in that timeline (and go dutch)?

-There is a group of Others living at the Temple, and they have a pool that can heal people. I think we now know where Richard took young Ben in season 5 after Sayid shot him. Richard tells them that if he is healed, Ben will lose his innocence and he will always be "one of us." Sayid doesn't have much innocence to lose, but I'm guessing he will be changed in a significant way as a result of his experience in the pool.

-Detonating the bomb DID change things...but not the way they thought it would. They assumed that flight 815 would land in L.A. as scheduled and their lives would go on as normal. But in our glimpse of the alternate 815, things are already different way in advance of the flight. Hurley still owns a Mr. Clucks and says he's the luckiest guy in the world. Shannon stays in Sydney instead of flying home with Boone. Michael and Walt don't appear to be on the flight at all. Sun doesn't speak English (although there may be reason to believe she's lying about this.) Cindy gives Jack one bottle of alcohol instead of two. Charlie is convinced he's supposed to die. Desmond was on the flight - Desmond, who caused the original crash of 815! - and then seems to disappear. And the biggest surprise to me: the Island itself is completely under water. We haven't seen this yet, but it's likely that Kate has been arrested for a different crime this time, as seen in this video clip from Comic-Con 2009.


-Both Jack's déjà vu on the plane and Juliet's last words seem to indicate that there is some kind of crossover between the two timelines. I think this might be what causes the Whispers, the temporary intersection between two versions of reality. The Others seem to be able to control this in some way, and perhaps can even view what people are doing in other times and places.

-The contents of Jacob's guitar case are finally revealed. I laughed when Hurley admitted he had peeked inside, because a few minutes before I had said "there's no way I would carry that thing around for three years without peeking!" The object inside was an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. It's the same symbol that was carried by Tawaret (the four-toed statue when it was still whole) and worn by Paul, Amy's husband who was killed by the Others in season 5.

-We see yet another of Jacob's lists. Everyone on the list is someone we saw Jacob visit (and touch) off the Island in season 5 - Jack, Kate, Hurley, Jin, and Sayid. The ones missing are Ilana, Sun, Sawyer and Locke.

-It's very interesting to me that so many characters we know from the Island make connections in the flashsideways. Jack and Locke, Kate and Sawyer, Jack and Charlie, Jack and Desmond, Locke and Boone, Kate and Claire. There must be something about these people that draws them together. (When Kate got into the cab with Claire I thought for a second "Hey, maybe Claire will ask Kate to adopt Aaron!" - but then I realized Kate was holding the cab driver at gunpoint. Not quite the ideal person to give your baby to.)


Literary References and Allusions:

-I recently explored how in seasons 1 and 2 the writers often used the symbols of fire and water, and that theme is back big time. The scenes in the statue use fire (burning Jacob's body, torches), and the scenes in the temple use water (the healing pool.) Both fire and water often refer to baptism - in this case Jacob had a literal baptism by fire (which doesn't seem too pleasant) and Sayid was baptized in water (also not a fun time.) When they carry Sayid out of the pool his arms are extended out in the shape of a cross, which can't be coincidental. Religious symbolism is one of my favorite aspects of LOST and I'm glad it seems to be making a comeback.

-The healing pool reminds me of the Biblical story of the Pool of Bethesda. Bathing in pools has a long history within ancient medicine (i.e. the Roman baths) and some of that tradition shows up in the Bible. The story says that sick people would wait around the edges of the pool for the water to move. When they saw movement it meant that an angel has stirred the water, and the next person to get in the water would be healed. Jesus comes and heals a man who has been waiting by the water for years, showing that he was more powerful than the legendary waters.

-Hurley discovers a copy of a French translations of Søren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling. The title refers to Paul's epistle to the Philippians, a verse which reads, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." The book specifically addresses aspects of the Abrahamic test, when Abraham was commanded by God to kill his only son Isaac, and explores the ethical dilemmas inherent in a religious life. The foremost question: Does duty to a higher power override common sense morality? (The Others could probably benefit from these kinds of questions, don't you think?)


Moments of Pure Awesomeness:

-Boone asking Locke "You aren't pulling my leg are you?" and Locke responding "Why would I pull your leg?" HA! And then even better, Boone goes on, "If this thing goes down, I'm sticking with you." Maybe not the best idea, Boone.

-The smoke monster's description of Locke's final thoughts broke my heart. And I SO wanted it to be true when he told Boone that he went on the walkabout. It seems that even in the alternate reality Locke is a broken, frustrated man. I hope he gets some sort of redemption.

-Jack's whole conversation with Desmond. Suddenly the oft-repeated phrase "See you in another life, brother" has a whole new meaning.

-Jack offering to help Locke and saying "Nothing is irreversible" gave me shivers down my spine.


Still unanswered:

-Why is everyone in trouble if Sayid dies? Are they still in trouble now that he's come back to life?

-Is the pool how Richard has stayed so young all these years? And Jacob?

-I heard Damon and Carlton answer a very interesting question (I think it was at Comic-Con): "Has Jacob ever appeared in another form?" The answer was no. I think it might be safe to say that whenever we've seen someone dead appear alive again, it was the smoke monster.

-We've heard a lot about course correction when someone tries to change their destiny. Are we going to see course correction taking place in this new timeline, even with the Island underwater?

-Now that we know a circle of ash is a protective measure against the smoke monster, what was it being used for at Jacob's cabin? Was it keeping Smokey in, or keeping him out? Locke hears a voice in the cabin saying "help me". Was that Smokey or Jacob? I'm inclined to think it was the smoke monster, but I don't think we can know for sure yet.

-Where are Christian's body and Locke's knives?

-How does the smoke monster have all of Locke's memories, including his thoughts as he was dying?

-How does Richard recognize the smoke monster/Jacob's nemesis, and what does is mean that he was "in chains" (slave on the Black Rock?) Was Richard a witness to the smoke monster's arrival on the Island?

-I think the title "LA X" refers to "X" as a variable - we are seeing an alternate arrival in L.A. The big question is, what is that variable that has caused so much to change? Is it free will, as Daniel Faraday has hypothesized? Is it Desmond (who is the one character who the rules of time travel don't apply to)? Is it because of Jacob's death? Or is it simply that they detonated the bomb at the right time and the right place?

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.