“That was intense,” a breathless Jen said at the closing thud. It certainly was. The practical result of squeezing eight hours of planned plot into five six post-strike hours of broadcast was evident tonight, as “The Shape of Things to Come” barreled through five deaths (though three were socks), the smoke monster, Sayid and Nadia, Ben vs. Charles Widmore, and Ben vs. Time and Space. Not a single scene dragged, and at worst a few seemed rushed, and for once a character’s “who what now?” confusion (Sawyer, in this case) seemed perfectly reasonable. Tonight I think we were given the juiciest morsels yet when it comes to the overarching conceit of “LOST.” There are power brokers and pawns, there are rules and regrets, we’re seeing deeply personal stakes in the love of a parent for a child, and yet also the edges of a conspiracy that spans the globe.
Is the battle between Ben and Widmore a game? Albeit one of real life and death? The injection of the board game Risk (and Hurley’s assertion of Australia’s importance to victory) is surely significant. Ben gives Charles notice of his next move, one of revenge, but it’s obviously not his last. The Island seems to be the prize, and in their conversation some interesting reveals. Widmore says the island was always his, that everything Ben has he took from him. And Widmore calls Ben “boy,” reminiscent of many an epic story where a master is usurped by his protegé. Widmore also says, “The hunt is on, for both of us.” So both powerful men had once possessed the island, but lost it. And I suspect the next grand arc in “LOST” will be finding it again.
And we still don’t exactly know what’s so great about this island in the first place.
This episode also teased us with more time travel talk. When Jack asks Daniel when he last saw the dead doctor, Daniel says, “‘When’ is relative.” And indeed, someone on the ship reports the doctor is just fine. More audaciously, we find Ben in the middle of the Sahara Desert in a ski parka, shuddering and injured, as if he’d just suddenly appeared there from someplace cold and… sharp? His first questions to the first person in Tunisia (that he doesn’t kill) are about what day it is, and what year. If I were in a wacky theory mood, I’d say the next Ben episode will find him in the arctic, battling for his life with a polar bear.
Speaking of Ben, what a badass. Taking out two heavily armed Turks with a baton, moving about under clever aliases (Dean Moriarty), dressed to the nines, dapper and deadly. Yet in this episode, we also see Ben make a grave miscalculation, betting on his impeccable information and powers of persuasion with Alex’s life. Her death was as big a shock to Ben as it was to us, sudden and unsentimental. In that moment, the full scale of the tragedy hits: Ben did love Alex, perhaps more than anyone. And yet the last thing Alex hears is her father asserting that she meant nothing to him.
And how about that smoke monster? Summoned by a Ben who clearly decided to pull out all the stops, it tears through New Otherton like an unholy cross between a tornado and a rabid pit bull. Releasing it to dispatch the murderous freighties was probably a step too far (and I wonder if it will be a looming danger for the next few episodes), but Widmore broke the rules first. Right? Keamy pulled the trigger. But I think even Ben knows he’s not faultless in her death.
Notes and Notions:
- Ben’s parka had yet another DHARMA station logo on it, a swirly spiral of some sort. More interestingly, it bore the name “Halliwax.” Halliwax is one of the names used by orientation video host Marvin Candle, most recently in “The Orchid” video. This station will surely be a big part of the next chapter in “LOST,” and will probably factor into how (and when) Ben gets around.
- It was simultaneously heartening and tragic to hear that post-island “Oceanic Six” Sayid apparently found and wed Nadia, but that she was killed in L.A. Given the backward timeline we’ve seen with flash-forwards, though, I hope we’ll soon see that reunion and some happy moments. Though, of course, they’ll be bittersweet.
- Sayid spent eight years looking for Nadia, both before and after the crash. I guess Shannon was a forgotten footnote, after all.
- Of course the episode opens with Kate eyeing Jack on the beach. “Wet Kate! Take a drink.”
- It was nice to see Sawyer step it up. He risks his life to rescue Claire, and ultimately gives up on Camp Locke and takes Claire and Aaron back to the beach.
- Both Ben and Locke want to see Jacob, but Hurley is key to finding him. The showdown between Sawyer and Locke over Hurley was great, and Hurley making the call to end the standoff was even better. Now we see why Hurley later tells Jack he regretted not staying with him.
- On Claire, the writers are just messing with us now. Her house explodes, but she miraculously survives. Her next line, after blearily calling out for Charlie? “I’ll live.” Ha!
- Where is Penny? Perhaps with Desmond? Perhaps back on the island, in fact? That may be why Widmore is so sure Ben will never find her.
- Have we yet seen Sayid think with his heart instead of his gun? Or is that just further foreshadowed with tonight’s discussion of Nadia’s death?
- The episode was titled, “The Shape of Things to Come,” a book by H.G. Wells.
- Anyone know what song Ben was playing on the piano?
- Locations: The Tunisian hotel was the downtown YWCA. I’m surprised at how much they showed, considering how distinct the architecture is and how much we saw of it when it played a mosque in Australia for a Sayid flashback. Iraq was on a back lot at Honolulu Community College. (Photos here.) The Sahara desert was a rock quarry, I’m guessing in Waianae. Not sure where London was.
What did you think? We’d love to hear from you! Comment below, or call the LostLine at (808) 356-0127.
Ryan and Jen, I can’t wait to hear your comments. Just finished the episode here in Ohio and …”Wow!” I did call “board game and Risk” to my wife before they showed it..just want credit for that one. This season is amazing.
Wow. What an episode! Five deaths even for LOST is a lot. We know now that Widmore had Nadia killed. Alex is dead – how sad. 3 unidentified Losties are also dead.
My big question is how did Ben materialize in the middle of the desert? What is the smoke monster and how does Ben control it?
It seems clear now that Widmore was part of Dharma and he wants the island back. Ben took the island from him.
Ben is now going to kill Penny. He doesn’t know that Penny hates her father, or maybe he doesn’t even care.
Just a really shocking episode.
Hey Ryan & Jen! I’ve been brooding for the past 10 minutes on the episode, which was absolutely fantastic, and came up with a couple things. First off, towards the beginning of the show today we saw Sawyer Locke & Hurley playing Risk, but one of Hurley’s lines really stuck out to me. He said “Australia is the key to the whole game,” which sounds to me like a very important comment that will tie together the reason why the island brought these specific people to it, or even why the island has its power. Next and more important, right at the end we saw a Whidmore and Ben confrontation. Ben commented on Whidmore’s Scotch, which he explained he was drinking because of his nightmares. We can assume the scotch is to make him go to sleep after the nightmares wake him up, which is a lot like Walt’s nightmares. Connection anyone?
Thanks for the time and the awesome show guys!
Wow!!!
This show takes a lot of chances.
Very bold
Oh, I forgot. Is Widmore Alvar Hanso?
Hi guys! Wow, what an episode! I loved seeing another side of Ben, it was fantastic. And about Widmore’s nightmares…what kind of nightmares is he having, I wonder? He sure doesn’t seem to feel very “guilty,” about what he has done to the people on the island (if he is in fact the one who inadvertently killed Alex)… So what kind of nightmares is Widmore having? I can’t wait to hear your comments, guys!
What a great episode! … I’m completely speechless at the moment, which is rare when it comes to LOST (for me or anyone else that has been hooked on LOST).
Hot damn. That was… that was like three hours of story folded into one.
I called poor Alex’s death, unfortunately. Once Mr. Mercenary had her in that position, I was pretty sure Ben wasn’t going to be able to save her. It’s clearly an integral plot development, but it’s really a shame.
Widmore’s denial, though, and the way he referred to Alex (“that poor girl”) really makes me think. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who would deny his guilt in that sort of situation– I feel like he owns up to the murders he has committed (unless there are legal repercussions), and certainly he had nothing to loose by admitting that he “changed the rules.” And in a way, I think he does have a point; Ben really did leave Alex to her death. His own hubris refused to allow him to surrender, and Mr. Mercenary clearly has no qualms about killing.
I also have to say, that scene between Ben and Widmore was pure, unadulterated brilliance. The lighting in particular was stunning and bitter; there were shots when the two men looked almost like ghosts.
And poor Sayid. Man… he is just a suffering soul, isn’t he? Although in a horribly perverse manner, the fact that his love story with Nadia ends in tragedy gives me hope that Desmond and Penny might find happiness(I know, I’m a horrendous person…) You’d think *somebody* has to live happily ever after… right?
It was a great episode…action packed (as you saw from other posts). I guess I’m a shipper (I didn’t know!), because all I want to know is how Sayid and Nadia hooked up after he got off the island.
Claire must be made of titanium.
Also, you had to know Alex was about to get it when the big dramatic music queued up. Seemed like a senseless brutal ending to her character but I guess that now sets the stage for the Linus-Widmore conflict and the revenge kiling Ben swears to take out on Penny. Will be interesting to see how Desmond fits into all this once/if he discovers Ben’s motive.
Well, it seems pretty clear that Ben and Charles are the only ones really and truly involved in the island. Everyone else are just pawns in their little chess game and very expendable. What a serious turn of events.
Hey there. I’m a new listener of your show. Have been playing catch-up listening to your last five installments and have enjoyed it. Here are some comments I just left on CHUD.com’s message board:
After this episode, there’s no more debating whether or not Ben is an enchanting snake of wickedness. Now he’s caused Alex’s death (SCREW! PISS! MOAN! I liked her) and I’m almost certain he was responsible for Nadia’s expiration too. Do you think this is only Ben sticking it to Widmore or is he also working to control all of the Losties?
What was the game Locke, Hurley and Sawyer were playing – Risk? And does Ben’s “he changed the rules” line along with he and Widmore’s conversation suggest that those two monsters are competing in a real world version of the game?
Can Ben not kill Widmore because the island won’t let him or is there a better, less eye-rolling reason*? And is Ben time-travelling, are we seeing flash-forwards or both?
*Maybe Widmore is Ben’s constant?
Hello losties!
Glad to be back. So Ben controls the monster by going to some room behind he suit rack and he can somehow time travel half way around the world.
So what are the “rules” between Ben and Charles? Why are there people on the boat who want to kill Ben and scientists who want to find him as well?
Strange group of people on the boat who seem to not talk with each other – otherwise, why wouldn’t they all meet up together on the island?
Anyone care to hazzard a guess?
Welcome back Transmission!
@vancouverlSlost, I think the rules seemed clear… Mob rules, no family involved. Widmore killing Ben’s daughter is a violation of blood relations… or in this case, emotional relations. The game is backgammon, “There are two players. One side is light, and one side is dark.” (“Pilot, Part 2”). The fact that Ben has always claimed to have being the good guy, the shots in the episode had Ben in the light and Widmore in the dark.
@John Fischer: I believe that when Ben entered the secret room, I saw some sort of cryptic writing on the wall. I’m betting that those were runes and incantations that Ben used to call the monster. Ben understanding the door was open for “Ol’ Smokey” to come in, he used it to signify “Open War” to Widmore’s men. Way to go Ben!
Oh, and I think you may have something on that Widmore might be Hanso’s descendant.
Great seeing the group back on these boards, goodnight.
-Mr. Z
PS: hope this makes it on the show, “YOU GUYS ROCK!”
Wow…I’ll have to digest this one. Couldn’t help but think they were paying homage to Indiana Jones, especially considering the new film is coming out in a few weeks. Would have been a nice tip of the hat if Ben was wearing a leather jacket in Indy styling. 🙂
Overall, a big WOW episode. Action and intrigue. Ben could be the next Jack Bauer! 🙂
I gotta believe the thing Ben was carrying was his ticket to traveling through time.
Oh, one thing that I did think about upon the initial viewing this evening regarding Jack. Obviously with the hiatus his sudden illness seems a little quick BUT he obviously got some sort of bug. Anybody think that the kiss from Juliet was how he got the bug? She may have kissed him on purpose to poison him. Just a thought.
I love this new RSS thing….
@Nels: I think Jack is the first to contract the illness that Danielle Rousseau talked about in Season 1, episode “Solitary”. She tells Sayid, “the Others were the carriers”, so you might be on to something. Maybe Juliette was an accidental carrier and passed the virus to Jack through the kiss. Or… no, that just makes sense! Brilliant Nels!
The only real question is, how did Rousseau figure out that the others carried the virus? Sadly, she’s lying in a puddle of mud somewhere in the island… hopefully she contracted whatever virus Patchy had and rises from the dead 3 times, eh?
– Mr. Z
An action packed episode! I wonder how Jack knew that Bernard knew Morse Code? And who was on the other end of the transmission if the freighter’s radio wasn’t working to begin with?
This episode was a lot more exciting than I’d anticipated. Loads of action moving the plot forward, and confirmation of my theory that Ben and Widmore are playing some sort of twisted game!
My favorite part, though? Miles RANG THE DOORBELL. Seriously, who else would DO that?!
Ryan Calvert, that was indeed “Risk.” I once spent a lot of time playing that game.
Ryan,
My first count was 5 deaths too, but there were actually 7 confirmed dead if you add the mercenary in Iraq and the doctor. Even more if you assume that smokie killed the 6 guys who attacked the village and the two guys on the camels in Iraq! I’ve lost count!!!
Wow. I could probably research a thesis on when Vincent shows up and what it means but beyond that! Some of the comments that D & C provided leading up to this weeks episode suggests an outer space theme. The tunnel that Ben went down seemed to be older than the regular Darma stations. So, folk from outer space found the island, made it special, built the 4 toed statue and created smokey. Hanso found the island and set up the darma initiative to study it. Widmore and Ben are key players in this (were they working together when Ben was a “Boy”?)and destoryed Darma (perhaps together and set up the rules going forward) to take control. They can’t seem to kill each other and it remains to be seen what the results of breaking the rules will have on the fates of all.
Did Keamy pull the trigger I didnt hear a gun go off..Alex just kinda fell over…did I miss something
Oh, and one more thing. Dean Moriarty isa semi-autobirographic character in Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road which the writers have referenced before. Dean too, had a bum for a father. Hum…..
I suppose the most obvious answer over Claire not dying in the explosion is that the island still has work for her to do, so she is under it’s protection.
Wow, that was an amazing episode. My second favorite this season, after “The Constant.” I found it a bit odd that Sayid just took Ben’s word for it about who was responsible for Nadia’s death. Granted, he was grieving, but given Sayid’s past understanding of Ben and his lies, don’t you think he might have wanted to confirm the information. Ben’s little smirk after Sayid said “who’s next” makes me think that Ben had Nadia killed, not Widmore.
I also think it significant that Sayid and Nadia were apart for 8 years, just as Desmond and Penny were. Sayid considers Desmond his friend and they are now each other’s only support on the freighter so that bond of friendship should become stronger. I think all of this is being done deliberately by the writers to set up an arc that will end with Sayid refusing to kill–or stopping Ben from killing–Penny. Sayid is a soulful romantic at heart and it would definitely be a final redemptive arc for him given his past as a torturer to save Penny and Desmond.
The only thing I am sure of is that I do not trust Ben or Widmore. The only people the lostaways can trust are each other at this point.
Thanks again for bringing back the Transmission Ryan and Jen!
This was a great episode. I had my mouth open during most of it. I have to say I was surprised that Alex was killed, Ben has always been able to talk his way out of every situation he has been in, so thought he would do the same here.
I have to say, I loved Sawyer this episode. The fact that he was the one to go save Claire while Locke barracaded himself inside. But, I love Sawyer every episode.
Many great comments above and a few that made me think “Wow!”, here are some of my favorites:
Ryan:
What was the game Locke, Hurley and Sawyer were playing – Risk? And does Ben’s “he changed the rules” line along with he and Widmore’s conversation suggest that those two monsters are competing in a real world version of the game?
Can Ben not kill Widmore because the island won’t let him or is there a better, less eye-rolling reason*? And is Ben time-travelling, are we seeing flash-forwards or both?
*Maybe Widmore is Ben’s constant?
GREAT THOUGHT!
Danie: I also think it significant that Sayid and Nadia were apart for 8 years, just as Desmond and Penny were. Sayid considers Desmond his friend and they are now each other’s only support on the freighter so that bond of friendship should become stronger. I think all of this is being done deliberately by the writers to set up an arc that will end with Sayid refusing to kill–or stopping Ben from killing–Penny. Sayid is a soulful romantic at heart and it would definitely be a final redemptive arc for him given his past as a torturer to save Penny and Desmond.
I LOVE THIS THEORY TOO!
These are both great theories! I hope one or both actually unfold throughout the next few seasons.
Love this site!
Hey guys – one quick thing i wish to put out there –
What if that whole “night trip” to Widmore’s hotel room was done IMMEDIATELY following Alex’s death?
As in, he walked right into that hidden room, closed the door…. perhaps travelled back in time to threaten Widmore, THEN come back and release the smoke-monster?
Also – do we have any confirmed deaths due to the smoke monster on this episode? we know it goes to the jungle, it gobbles up a guy, but do we know if its dead? Keamy is still alive, as shown in next week’s trailer…
The name of the piece that Ben was playing on the Piano is
Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Opus 3, No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Have been playing that piece for 35+ years.
Someone else can investigate its meaning.
Enjoy this site.
I agree with Danie…never trust Ben!
Has anyone else read the Xanth series by Piers Anthony?
About 20 books in, you discover that the magical place of Xanth is a by-product from one of several all-knowing Demons who are basically playing chess with the lives of beings at stake.
So, Lost is just a game. The game belongs to Widmore, but somehow Ben weaseled his way into it. I particularly liked when Widmore called Ben a boy and said, I know WHAT you are.
After sleeping on the theory that Juliet gave Jack his sickness (which may or may not be the “illness”) – though I don’t recall anybody else from our Losties actually having such intimate contact with an Other so could be completely true that the Others have some communicable disease (especially if maybe Rousseau had some intimate contact with an Other previously). This could mean that Juliet got hers from Goodwin and that was how she could give it to Jack when she kissed him. But anyway, that’s not what I thought about last night when waking up in the middle of the night. I thought that they are maybe setting this whole Jack illness thing up to mesh with the reveal that Claire is his half-sister somehow. I’m thinking that Jack will get worse and need some blood transfusion for some reason and that the blood has to be from a relative who is not sick in order to recover from it. Hence, Ben will reveal that Claire is Jack’s half-sister. Now, in true Lost fashion, perhaps the decision to save Jack by using Claire’s blood will come with some consequences – for instance, maybe Claire will then come down with the illness but in the process save Jack since Claire sees Jack as being more important and perhaps Claire wants to be like Charlie and sacrifice herself for the “greater good.”
This could explain Jack’s coolness to not wanting to see Aaron in the future and how Kate ended up with Aaron.
Taking that a step further, Juliet could have gotten sick as well but perhaps her sister was somehow involved in her recovery – like they were able to retrieve blood from her without her knowing what it was for (if you go along the lines that a blood relation helps to recover from the symptoms – but not actually get rid of the disease).
Anyway, just a thought, and perhaps a wild one at that. 🙂
I was surprised that Ben didn’t use ghost guy Miles to talk to Alex and set the record straight. Really wonder what Miles character has to offer here anyway…he hasn’t done anything since he confirmed Kate’s story.
This is perhaps my favorite LOST yet. The pacing, revelations, sets, SFX, lighting, direction, acting, script – the whole package. Superb.
Australia is the key to the whole game – RISK. I agree with FreeLance_FoX – that remark has significance. Although I’ve always thought the key to winning at RISK was simply good dice rolls. Games and rules were at the heart of this episode.
The doorbell ringing was genus. A crying baby always adds to the tension. Faraday is still wearing a tie.
Hats off to the SFX people for another merciless appearance by Smokey. Spectacular.
Is Sawyer gettin’ a “sweet thing” for Claire? I think so, although my wife says no… but, what does she know?
kyrish–“What if that whole “night trip” to Widmore’s hotel room was done IMMEDIATELY following Alex’s death?”
Yeah–that thought did occur to me too. I’m not sure how to know for sure though.
I do have to say that I am going to be on edge until this series ends now that Penny is a target. I love the Des/Penny storyline and no matter what else happens, I really want to see them reunited and let Des have some peace and happiness after being in that hatch for 3 years. I would be such a sad panda if one or both get killed.
Ryan, I think the London street was Richards St. next to Iolani Palace.
What an amazing episode. Wow. So many dramatic reveals and intense moments. On the lighter side I loved several of the lines from last night…
Sawyer calling Hugo “Chicken Little”
Ben to Sayid – “That should do it.”
Locke – “And now why would I do that?” (classic…how many times has he said this now??)
Widmore’s comment about Ben’s creepy eyes.
This was a really good Sawyer episode. We know he has a softer side but it was refreshing to see him go to such lengths to save Claire, and also try and protect Hurley in the cabin/beach standoff with Locke. And we did get to see him shoot guns so he’s still a bad boy, right?
Speaking of guns, I love how Ben just pulled out that huge one in a split second, haha! One thing I didn’t enjoy was the opening scene with Kate/Jack and their cheesy little greeting…gag.
The writers did an excellent job (once again) balancing the intensity of this episode with several lighter moments.
Gaaaaa, can’t wait til next week!!
I think the writers are now setting up a large conflict between Ben and Desmond. I don’t believe that these two characters have ever interacted in the past.
I believe after everything Desmond has gone through will “cure” him of his cowardness and protect Penny at all costs. Widmore knew that this would happen at some point, so he delibertly push Desmond done this path.
Wow! Great episode and so many more questions! My favorite was the opening scene of Ben “landing” in the desert…confirmation that he can travel sans vehicle. Also loved the peek into the hidey hole and Ben’s dive into Smoky’s tunnel. Ben is the most intriguing character by far in this series…and to think he wasn’t supposed to be a permanent addition to the cast!
Lost of character changing in this episode. Hurley stepping in to be the mature voice of reason…Sawyer stepping into a Jack-like role of protect and defend…Ben totally devastated. Good stuff!
Was surprised to see on of my previous theories taking shape (that hardly ever happens for me): The island was once “ruled” by Widmore, but he was usurped and exiled somehow by Ben and now Widmore is trying to regain his throne. It may turn out that Widmore and Ben may not even be normal human beings, but some kind of super humans or evolved humans…we shall see.
A few thoughts:
There has been some speculation that Widmore manipulated events to get Desmond on the Island via the solo yacht race. Given what we are learning about Widmore and Ben and their “powers”, this now seems even more plausible and would make Desmond’s arrival on the Island and Penny’s subsequent search for him one very important domino in Widmore’s effort to get the Island back from Ben.
I am now starting to believe that maybe Clair doesn’t die (she seems invincible!) but for some reason can’t leave the Island. I could be wrong, but why would the writers have her survive that unsurvivable explosion only to have her die later. That would have been a perfectly good time to finish her off once and for all. There must be more for her to do, as a previous poster has already surmised.
I missed so much due to our lousy antenna-powered TV reception. I couldn’t see the glyphs on Ben’s Smoky Door or get a good look at the Monster. The price of being too cheap to subscribe to cable ;O) Looking forward to watching it online when I get home today.
MILD SPOILER ALERT (IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE WHO DON’T LOOK AT THE “NEXT ON LOST” PREVIEWS):
In the preview for next week I thought I heard someone say that Jack has appendicitus (how mundane).
“Not sure where London was.”
From what Darlton mentioned in their Official Podcast, it actually was London due to Alan Dale’s theatric schedule.
Theory :
( Hopefully not a spoiler…FYI ) — also sorry that this is dreadfully long. 🙂
During the Haitus I read Ryan & Jenn’s posts and the author of the book they noted remarked about a site : lostisagame …
Like the Transmisstion, this is a good site in many respects and has a wild theory about LOST being a game. It tries to delve into the reasons that characters sometimes have different color or changing color eyes and the differences between shadow ( dark player ) and light ( light player ) we see the characters in on the show. ( this theory deals with LOST being more of a… well…video game… than a game of Risk )
This theory definately affected me watching last night’s episode and with yet more game play introduced last night and those themes fresh in mind I would like to share what I wrote the site author and invite anyone to comment to me to discuss this theory here as I always enjoy the feedback this site produces… ( in re-reading my email I see where as always not all of my thoughts are fluid when I write anything in relation to LOST…but I think the jist gets through..you’ll have to believe me when I say that in normal life I am not so Nuckinfuts ).
MY Excerpt :
I’ve been reading your interesting theory. I am a little stumped still…but am not sure if you have been clear in some areas, or have not pieced the best way to describe what you are saying or have seen is just yet. I think that this may help if you have not already said this somewhere…
Admittedly, I have not read the entire site, but have a possible solution for you to consider why so many scenes seem to have “props” shift and change so often…like when clocks change almost instantly, and items on tables rearrange or dissapear, and to propose a clear and concise answer the reasons eyes change colors.
In a video game you can often play with the same character as your opponent. However, so that you can distinguish between each other during the game there may be subtle differences to each character…this is especially true in fighting games where two people want to fight using the same character. For instance, one fighter may have white pants and the other may have black while all other components of the character remain the same.
If LOST is a game like you say and i f there are truly 2 players and 2 sides with one light and one dark then it is possible that depending upon which player’s vantage point we see on the show ( throught the camera lens ) it would reason that would determine what color eyes someone has, or what is on the table.
Each player may be competiting to get through the game and each may have different paces and may choose different means to accomplish his goal of winning…so a clock in one scene may be when player 1 arrives and the clock in the next cut scene may actually be player 2’s arrival to that point of the game.
Imagine this now. You have Player 1 and Player 2 to start with. While a character may die on LOST they may have only died to one of the players. I’ll use Charlie as an example. Charlie appears to Hurley in Season 4 after he drowns. But Charlie may have only died in Player 1’s game. If Player 2’s actions keep a player alive then it would be possible to see Charlie again because to that player he never died.
With so many philosophical & religious themes that have arrisen I would suspect that the “Players” are GOD and the Devil. When we see GOD “playing” the characters tend to do the right things mostly in their actions….and when they do the wrong things they are being controled by the Devil. This may be wrong but it is my guess.
This could go on and on and start to help w/ “course correcting” ( game cheats I guess..ha! where certain things must be accomplished in order to proceed…so in this case Player 2 cannot continue until Charlie dies…so he must decide by which of Desmond’s premonitions to let him die. )
This leads me to believe what we have seen on screen has only been 1/2 the story…not in the since that we have 2.5 seasons lef, but in that what we have seen are the decisions being made by player 1 and the other 1/2 by player 2. The show is sort of like 2 a parrallel universes where we see the good and bad ways the opponents play.
Let me know what you think of this…Brian – Atlanta, GA
RESPONSE FROM SITE AUTHOR :
Brian,
Thanks for taking the time to write such a long email describing your thoughts about LOSTisaGame.com
I was intrigued by the whole discussion you wrote regarding the God and Devil aspects. Its really quite the same as the concept I have based my theory on with Light being good and Dark being Bad. With Dark always attempting to interferre with The Greater Good of the LOSTies.
I gave up a long time ago trying to account for every little “mistake”, especially since TPTB themselves have often indicated that some things are simply production errors. And also because itis widely known that the prop guys have a wonderful time switching things around every once in a while to drive the fans nuts. But I do continue to catalogue as many of them as possible on the site. What I do think is important is when we see major changes in the primary prop associated with each characater.
As for the organization of my theory. While it is quite long, you would be best just to read through the synopsis in each section that talks about why certain elements are important and how they play into the game, rather than searching through some of those very long lists.
Regarding deaths, TPTB have also stated that when someone is dead, they are dead, so I don’t think its possible for a charcater to be dead for one player and not deaad for the other player. Just my opinion.
I agree with you on the concept of heir being visual differences in characters’ appearances based on who is manipulating the character. And obviously a complete change of clothing would be way too obvious, that is why I believe that the eye color changes, the use of certain props and the constant refrences such as “You’re the doctor”, “Are you a hunter?” etc are important. They let us know who is playing for which side based on whether or not that role is a “good” or a “bad” role.
– signed –
ANYWAYS – – anyone who cares to respond to any of this long mess is welcome to help me shape this theory that may hold some water….and thank you to anyone who took time to read this…I hope you got at least something from it all…
Brian – Atlanta, GA
I dont believe for one second that widmore had anything to do with Nadia’s death.
I believe it was another deception by Ben to get Sayid on side and commit his killings for him, you can see it on his face when he walks away.
Shapes of Things To Come -Yardbirds lyrics, as well as HG Wells book
(maybe not as relevant as I hoped)
Shapes of things before my eyes,
Just teach me to despise.
Will time make men more wise?
Here within my lonely frame,
my eyes just heard my brain.
But will it seem the same?
(Come Tomorrow) Will I be older?
(Come Tomorrow) May be a soldier.
(Come Tomorrow) May I be bolder than today?
Now the trees are almost green.
But will they still be seen?
When time and tide have been.
Fall into your passing hands.
Please don’t destroy these lands.
Don’t make them desert sands.
Chorus, Lead.
Soon I hope that I will find,
Thoughts deep within my mind.
That won’t displace my kind.
Loved the episode. Fast paced, action packed…
I’m really intrigued by what’s going on in Tunisia. Why did Ben go there? I’m sure it wasn’t just a stop in his way to Iraq. And what about the hotel he stayed in? I’m not sure what to make of the hotel woman’s look, but she definitely knew who Ben (or Dean Moriarty) is.
As for the smoke monster, CC and DL suggested on the Official Podcast that Ben might know how to summon the monster, but that he might not be able to control it. On a related note, why was Ben all covered in dust when he came out from the secret room? I’m sure it’s relevant to whatever he did to summon the monster.
Loved opening HiatusCast with “4815162342/Lenny” by Jay and Jack. Very funny. I should have skipped the forward cabin. Over spoiled.
Great episode last night. I’ll enjoy watching again.
Thanks for the Rachmaninoff (RandallKay) and Kerouac novel (cat) references.
Here are some disjointed thoughts:
I think that the end of the episode with the arrival of dead doctor on beach, Bernard ratting out Daniel and Jake falling ill (I will assume that we all know now what is the matter with Jack – mundane or not) was a full of good information. As previously asked, “Who’s sending morse code from the boat?” I would have to guess heli pilot. He had radio. Maybe Beachies will call for helicopter to save Jack. I suppose that the dead doctor on the island may still be a live doctor on the boat. So dit dah, dit dah, o. I don’t think there’s any ‘island sickness’ theme going to come into play. I think we only have Danielle’s story about this and she is/was nuts.
So now with Claire and Aaron headed to the beach, we can assume some type of air lift in the near future for some of our Oceanic 8. Hurley will have to run to catch that last flight off.
I also thought that it was interesting that shots taken from jungle by Keamy men took out Ben’s people, one, two, three and massive rounds and grenades (?) all missed Sawyer. Pretty funny. I bet that was a great scene to stage and shoot.
One point that was confusing. I thought that Locke knew about Ben’s room that Sayid found. No?
Ben’s last minute confession at Alex to Keamy was a bit odd. Like saying these words out loud should have had a big effect (rules of the game). We knew that she wasn’t his, but taken from Danielle. Did Ben know that he needed a ‘daughter’ for some event in the future? Weird.
Looking forward to your cast which alway stops my head from spinning
So After reading all of those posts…i hope i am not repeating someone but I sure some people caught this or maybe not….but just in case….
When smokey did appear and the flashes occured again, I noticed an image. I checked darkufo’s sight for screencaps and there is a great set of images of the smoke monster. One of the pictures has a flash in it and it looks like a picture of something. It may be nothing but to me it looks like an image of a place. Somewhere that has a tree and rocks circling the tree and maybe a building to the right of it???? or a bench and steps to the building…..where is that scene from…it sort of looks familiar but not.
I was just curious about it. The picture has like a campus feel to it.
Scene between Ben and Widmore and Ben being named as Moriarty just got me thinking about Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis James Moriarty two master minds gathered in the same room just as “The Final Problem” by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Question: Can Juliet carry the disease if she was not born on the island?
It was suggested that Ben traveled directly to London from the hidden room. However, remember that Widmore commented on his tan and Ben mentioned he had picked it up in Iraq. The vist may have been out of order in some respect but it seems like the line was an intentional clue regarding the sequence.
@Lee: Ben’s motif has been to take advantage of opportunities. Widmore has been repeatedly confirmed as (1) sinking a false plane to recover the island, (2) sending mercenaries to kill everyone on the Lost island, (3) hosted a boat race around the world in order to find the Lost island, and (4) personally killed one of Ben Limas’ men. As Ben just used The Orchid’s time and space transporters to Tunisia, we can assume Ben is just taking advantage of a situation set up by Widmore. Ben is simply gifted at thinking three steps ahead of everyone, we shouldn’t undermine simplicity of his character.
@Lostintranslation: I think Ben just lied to Widmore to throw the trail off of his whereabouts. The majority of flash-forward or flash-back’s have never left out time in between sequences only to bring it back later. Not that I am aware of anyway.
After a day of contemplation, and I’ll watch the episode again in a moment, I have thought about a few unanswered and answered questions. (And I apologize for using the @ to respond… I’m not expert, but I’m used to twitter responses.) This is a long list, but I assure you a very critical list that highlights things that might have been missed on the first pass.
1. Who is The Economist?
– If Ben can’t kill Widmore, then that rules him out of being the Economist. Then who can he be?
2. Is Jack’s appendicitis ailment related to the virus previously mentioned in the series (refer to Nels and my earlier post)?
– I think Jack will discover Claire’s relation through the blood transfusion, but it will be Juliette, not Ben, who will make that reveal. Also, if the island is following Jack’s behavior because “he’s got work to do”, then this could be reason to why the island is saving Claire from any fatal wounds.
3. Who shot or stabbed Ben before his transportation to the Sahara Desert?
– I haven’t read anyone mentioning his right arm wound, even though it’s an obvious precursor to a future episode where we find out who and how that wound occurs.
4. Why does Ben want to save Locke when 14J was announced?
– Ben simply says it’s in Locke’s best interest, but why would he want to save Locke now? Specially after putting a bullet in his gut. And why would Jacob need three people (Ben, Locke, and Hurley) to communicate?
5. Who is the portrait of the woman in Ben’s home? It looks a lot like Juliette, but it can’t be because that would just be creepy.
– Can this be a portrait of Ben’s lost love?
6. Who is Dean Moriarty? How many time has he visited that hotel room? How did become a preferred guest, and more importantly “when” did he first arrive at the hotel in Tunisia?
– It’s obvious that Moriarty has been used before, but has it always been Ben? The look on the receptionists face signifies that she never expected to see Moriarty as the name has been on the roster for longer than she remembers.
– We know from The Orchid video that it can travel through (1) space, and (2) time… Ben’s travel to Tunisia correlates with the Polar Bear’s location as was shown in
7. Why would Widmore kill Nadia… Sayid’s wife?
– Bakir is Widmore’s man. Because Bakir answers without pause concerning Widmore.
8. What are these “Rules” Ben and Widmore are playing by? I posted previously that they are mob rules… simply no family. But what are those rules still?
9. When Ben entered ol’ Smokey’s tunnel? How did he communicate with the monster? Directly? Indirectly? Through incantations? Why did he emerge dirty?
– It’s obvious by the state that Ben comes out of the tunnel that he had direct contact with the monster. His hands are dirtiest than his entire body. Did he beg? It appears like Ben had to negotiate or pray with the monster to convince it to act in his interest.
10. How will the Doctor die? If that event happens in the future, why does he die and not Kevin Johnson?
– These are events that are happening in relation to the Lost island’s special space/time properties. I know this is getting into the time travel aspects of the show, but they are interesting.
11. What nightmares is Widmore referring to? How did Widmore come into “owning” the island?
– Widmore is obviously psychotic. He’s the bad guy. And I am convinced entirely of this fact. Ben is the good guy. Widmore the bad. And I think the nightmares are a result of breaking the rules.