Jen didn’t quite know what to make of this episode. She said it was weird, she said it was surreal, she said it seemed like a dream. To be sure, “316” took its time, compared to the breakneck pace of the last few episodes, and — except for the fantastic opening scene — stayed entirely off the island with the Oceanic 6. There was a definite eerie tone throughout. And I, for one, liked it. The wailing strings of Giacchino’s score throughout took me back to Season 1. It was a good feeling. And that fantastic opening scene? I was thrilled that the show went there. Back to Jack’s eye, back to Jack on his back on in the jungle, back to the incredible “LOST” pilot. But it also made us doubt our prediction of how the entire series will end. Much like the return of the Oceanic 6 to the real world, this twist came earlier than expected, and is making us redraw our mental map of “LOST.”
If I have to give up on a variation on the time-loop theory, though, the otherwise odd and sudden appearance of Roy makes me pay more attention to the fans who are convinced all of “LOST” is tangled up in the Shephard family tree. Christian, Jack, Claire, Aaron… I mean, Roy says that one day he’ll escape and never be found. Where do you suppose he might go? Jack’s grand-dad gave off just the right level of creepy. And Jen said the casting, as kin of John Terry, was spot-on.
Either way, no other episode so far has made it more clear that this is the penultimate season of “LOST.” From the montage of our friends boarding another plane, to Jack’s explanation of Christian Shephard’s tennis shoes, the connections to the show’s beginnings are foreshadowing its end. We still have no idea what it will be, but now we can feel that it’s there.
The prominence of shoes triggered Jen’s memories of other key shoe scenes. The white tennis shoe is, of course, the first thing Jack sees in the Pilot. Kate removes shoes from a dead body in Season 1, then takes her stepfather’s shoes off before blowing him up in Season 2. Locke removes his shoes before entering the Swan station for the first time. And Hurley’s visions of Dave also featured a shoe. (Here’s a much longer list.)
A theme of faith was hammered home tonight, and specifically of Jack finally making the leap. His astonishment at how Sayid and Hurley ended up on the airplane was a bit much, but his “conversation” with Locke’s body was great. If he could only see the “Man of Science” now. The religious references are back in the spotlight, with Ben’s invoking Thomas the Apostle (and the episode’s title brings to mind “John 3:16,” a pivotal verse in The New Testament).
I was more struck by the “Chronicles of Narnia” link with the name of “The Lamp Post” Dharma station. (A lamp post is a major landmark in the “Narnia” story.) In “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe,” a character is instructed to bring his brothers and sisters through the magical wardrobe. Why? To fulfill a prophecy in which the return of the two sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve will end a witch’s reign, and crown the character king. Sound familiar?
Of course, “316” is hardly subtle about planting new questions. Why did Kate change her mind, and what happened to Aaron? Why is Sayid in custody, and why would he be transported to Guam (or Honolulu)? Why did Hurley sign on? And what happened to Ben? There’s no question the promise and “loose ends” he had to attend to was the murder of Penny. We can only hope that his battered condition means it didn’t go very well. All of these things, I expect, will be revisited in flashbacks while things unfold back on the island. Which makes me wonder if the final acts of “LOST” will mirror the show’s first couple of seasons in structure.
Hurley was right to freak out about Ben being on the plane, though. I don’t think that’s part of the master plan. And given Ben’s adversarial relationship with Widmore, and Christian Shephard’s frustration with Ben’s actions last week, it would appear that Sayid was right when he said that the only side Ben is on is his own. I can’t wait to see what he’s up to.
And the closing scene, where Jin drives up in a shiny Dharma van wearing a Dharma uniform, was pretty great. It simultaneously tells us that the Oceanic 6 returned to the island in a much earlier time, and that Jin (and presumably the rest of the left-behinders) has been living in that time for a while. My secret hope? That the Dharma Initiative hired Jin and provided him intensive language courses in Latin… and English. Talk about a great way to save Daniel Dae Kim from spending the rest of the series speaking Korean.
Notes and Notions:
- Just how closely were they able to recreate the conditions of the original flight? On one hand, much attention was paid to the little detail of Christian’s shoes. On the other, the plane was practically empty. No step siblings, no rockstars (save for a guitar), no cops or African warlords, and no high school teachers. Oh, and no pregnant women, unless Kate’s mysterious visit to Jack was for more than a little comfort.
- Hurley’s decision to bring a guitar is yet another thoughtful homage to Charlie. Along with “Simon’s Butcher Shop,” it sure seems like the writers are going out of their way to make sure he’s not forgotten.
- I loved that Hurley bought out the rest of the flight. I also loved the cold way Ben says, “Who cares?” when Jack asks what will happen to anyone else on the plane.
- Looks like we have a few new characters, provided they survived whatever happened to Ajira Airlines Flight 316. May they be handled with a little more grace than Nikki and Paulo.
- The brand of milk Jack served Kate is Meadow Gold. It’s available in many states, including Hawaii… but not California.
- The way Kate was found on the rocks in the lagoon, Jen noted, seemed to directly mirror the way Jack found her on his bed.
- The new and improved Frank Lapidas (Jeff Fahey) made Jen swoon.
- Guaranteed the song that was playing in Jin’s Dharma van is a Geronimo Jackson track.
- Locations: St. Andrews Cathedral housed The Lamp Post. Simon’s Butcher Shop is a real butcher shop in Kalihi. Roy’s care home is the Arcadia apartments, a real senior living facility.
Please comment below, e-mail us at lost@hawaiiup.com, or call the LostLine at (808) 356-0127 by Friday, Feb. 20.
Now they the Oceanic 6 has a way to get back to the Island, what will them going back actually accomplish? Assuming that Locke stops the Flashing with moving the donkey wheel in Episode 5, did the Oceanic 6 really need to come back? If the people are stuck in the early days of the Dharma Iniciative, what happens if they leave the Island now? Just things to think about.
Hey Ryan and Jen — I am a recent convert to audible.com (great distraction during Lost hiatus!), so I am glad they are sponsoring your podcast. I was wondering if you could post a list of Lost-related audiobooks that Audible.com has available. I am bummed that Stephen King’s, The Stand, is not available as a legal audiobook anywhere. That would be my top choice. But I will follow up on your suggestion, Jen, to listen to The Third Policeman. Any other ideas? Sorry if you already listed these somewhere.
@ Lydia, ABC.com has a LOST book club.
http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=bookclub
I am really excited about how 316 will work in John 3:16, probably the most notable passage of the New Testament…
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Could this refer to Locke, as in, whoever believes in the Island shall not perish but have eternal life….?
I did notice, just before the new season started, when the Ajira Airways website was launched, that there was a video on there, or a commercial (this might have been a video as part of the Dharma Special Access video) for Ajira … anyway, there was a guy at an airport holding a sign, like one of those chauffeurs with people’s names on it. His sign had a word in Arabic and the number 316. I read on a board that the word translated to “John”. FWIW
On the Ajira Airways website that was launched, there is a Flight 316 that goes from LAX to Guam. hmmmm
Chilidog, I think you are spot on with the John 3.16 reference. With all the “father/son” issues, maybe Christian gives up Jack…..can’t wait for tonight’s episode.
Lydia “I am bummed that Stephen King’s, The Stand, is not available as a legal audiobook anywhere. ” It would be great to have the unabridged version maybe read by Gary Sinise. Maybe some day.
Ben : “We are all convinced sooner or later, Jack”
As one who has been convinced, this really touched me.
Does Sun know they cant come back? Would she have left her daughter if she did? Or is it just Jack who can never come back?
Hugo buying up the tickets was vintage hurley. Not wanting others to be hurt if possible.
Lapidus! Brilliant!” We aren’t going to Guam are we?” HA!
Ben sure got his a$$ kicked. Widmore goons most likely.
Next week, lockes story! Cant wait!
What happened to Aaron? My guess, kate gave him to Claires mom.
Jin in the Dharma van!
Great ep and add another book to the club Ulysses by James Joyce. My two cents Kate is now pregnant with Jack’s baby. I thought Sayid’s marshal looked familiar. She is Zuleikha Robinson listed at the character of Ilana who was in this ep and will be in the next ep as well. I like New Amsterdam and she is a good actress. It is nice to see her on Lost. Here is some casting news for DarkUFO “Robinson’s Lost deal calls for her to start off as a recurring player with an option to become a series regular in season 6 (a.k.a. the farewell season). “
In my opinion it was a really weak episode – salvaged only by seeing Jin in the end.
SPOILER ALERT – Don’t read if you haven’t watched the show!
Ben’s unfinished business – Penny! He was by the boat docks, I hope he didn’t blow up their boat or something like that. At least he hurt his other arm this time.
Interesting bit about the shoes, again it all comes back to Locke’s legs and feet.
Please, tell me you didn’t kill Penny, Ben. Please don’t let that be the case 🙁
Another great episode, and we won’t get answers to EVEN MORE questions for at least two weeks since next week is all about Locke.
Love the podcast Ryan and Jen, can’t wait to hear your take.
I really hate to be negative in two episodes in a row, but considering all of the hype, this one was really a let down. Why? It raised more questions than it answered. I know with 26+ episodes left that they need to raise new questions, but this one asked too many….
1)Why did Kate leave Aaron behind and with whom?
2) What has happened with Desmond/Penny/Charlie? Will we see them again? If so, how?
3) Who beat Ben up?
4) Why was Sayid taken onto the plane as a prisoner and by whom?
5) What made Hurley decide to come? Who told him about the flight?
6) Who is the mystery passenger on flight 316?
7) How did they end up on the island without a crash?
I was glad to see Frank as the pilot. I guessed correctly that he would be. Will the flight attendants survive or were they innocent victims?
I did like seeing Jin find Jack, Kate and Hurley.
My sister-in-law is a total atheist. She has sworn that if Lost is a Christian allegory like the Chronicles of Narnia she will stop watching. I suspect that she will definitely stop watching now.
As a side note, I was a Classics Major about 33 years ago in college. I studied the Greek New Testament and especially the Gospel According to John.
In ancient Greek, the translation of John 3:16 is more accurately translated “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not BE LOST but have eternal life.”
The gospel does not intend that non believers will perish, but they will be, for the lack of a better term, lost souls, such as Dante so well visualized in his Divine Comedy.
I’m sure that the title of this episode refers not only to the flight number but also to John 3:16. It is more than likely looking forward to the future of John Locke. Will he “resurrect” or reappear in a new form, much like Jack’s father and, indeed, much like Jesus reappeared to his disciples after his resurrection from the dead?
So, as a whole, I was disappointed by the episode, but, on the positive side, it made me think.
I think that this episode might just be up there with jughead for me. I think we were all stuck in the unfortunate state of mind that the Oceanic Six story was not going to be compelling at all, but this episode completely turned that around, for me at least. Towards the end of the episode, it was complete and total nostalgia, seeing hurley with a guitar case like charlie, sayid with a marshall, like kate, john as christian shepard in the coffin, and then seeing Frank Lapidus again just topped it all off. Fantastic episode, but what happened to aaron? Did he become a dumpster baby? Was he given to Mrs. Littleton? and did ben kill penny or at least try? He was at a pier after all…
P.s.- just saw lost untangled on “life on mars”, that looks pretty funny, we should all go check that out.
Keep up the good work,
-Tyler
I love the Chronicles of Narnia reference in the name “The Lamppost” I guess they both refer to a gateway to another world. Here’s a link to a nifty little article from Entertainment Weekly, tying this episode in to “Prince Caspien” http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1550612_20250233_20259645,00.html?iid=top25-%27Lost%27%3A+%27Caspian%2C%27+see%3F
I have a feeling that something happened to Ben and he didn’t make it back to the Island. Wasn’t he supposed to never be able to return after turning the Frozen Donkey Wheel?
Overall, not my favorite episode. It had a few great moments, such as the reappearance of Frank (though I do miss his beard!) and Ben’s speech in the church. After seeing what ChiliDog posted and the preview for next week, I definitely think that Locke is some sort of savior or redeemer. Next week looks amazing, by the way!
Did Ben go to Kill Widmore’s daughter?
That would be unfinished business.
Also, that Indian guy on the plane is evil
Also is 316 supposed to be a bible verse?
“1)Why did Kate leave Aaron behind and with whom?”
To protect him; probably with his grandmother.
“7) How did they end up on the island without a crash?”
Looks like it was from a time skipping island flash, to me.
PS: Ben is a total liar. I don’t know who taught him to read, but it was not his mother 🙂 Great line though!
I think by not telling us why Kate, Sayid, and Hurley gives the show the ability to go back to the old format of Lost, flashbacks. And I guess we now know that Sawyer, Juliet and the others were in the future when they found the canoes on the beach.
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I thought this was, once again, a wonderful episode. What a GREAT nod to the Pilot episode. (And speaking of pilots, Frank looks so different without his goatee!) And although I do agree that this episode gave more questions than answers, I wouldn’t consider it a letdown just because the writers aren’t handing us nothing but solutions. I mean, seriously, there wouldn’t be any creativity to their storytelling if they didn’t challenge us with more questions.
I’m usually not a fan of the Jack-centric installments, but I really loved this one. I’m particularly interested in Kate’s side of the story now. Was I the only one that was creeped out by her, this hour?
Who did Kate leave Aaron with? Claire’s mom seems the obvious answer, but I think she left him with Sawyer’s Baby Mama. It’s been alluded to that Kate has had contact with the woman in the last 3 years (Sawyer asked Kate to find his daughter, and that’s probably who she was talking to on the phone when Jack came home and started the argument that led to their breakup.) Kate didn’t want to tell Jack about the woman then, and she doesn’t want to tell him about leaving Aaron with her now. If she left him with Claire’s mom, why not tell Jack, seems like he would be okay with him being with his grandmother….
I think all the mysteries behind why they all got the plane is supposed to be like the first crash, when we didn’t know anyone’s back story. I love how the beginning was just like the beginning of the series, even with Hurley yelling “help”.
But on the practical side, they are going back to a deserted island, so why didn’t they dress for it, Jack, a suit? Really? What happened to the hiking boots Kate was supposed to wear? Is Hurley bringing a guitar to recreate Charlie’s guitar?
Ben wasn’t on the original plane, so was he supposed to be on this one? No one delivers a line as cold as Ben. Jack – “what happens to all the other people on this plane” Ben “who cares?” Why does anyone even listen to this man!!
Worst episode of the season so far. Every new “mystery” struck me as “Gee, I wonder how that’ll come out” and not as “Wow! What’s up with that?!”. But I’ll see what I can come up with to talk about…
1) The whole bit about trying to emulate the original flight as much as possible was just too cutesy for me. There’s no good reason for doing this since you can’t really go all of the way with it. Blah.
2) Geek Moment : The comic book that Hurley was reading was written by one of the new Lost writers, Brian K Vaughn.
3) Here’s a wild thought. What if Kate made a deal with Widmore to protect Aaron from Ben? And the deal is she’s working for him. And that’s why she’s so uptight now. Just an idea. She probably just gave him back to Claire’s mom and just misses him a lot.
4) That other guy in first class is going to show up again. He’s not just an extra. That’s an actor I recognize from other things.
5) Ben’s business had to be Penny. And that could motivate Desmond to return to the island now. How would he get back? He could be anyone sitting in the back of the plane. After all, he doesn’t have to do any of the emulation since he wasn’t on the first flight anyway.
6) John, if your sister-in-law bails on the show because of christian allegories, then she was never a true fan in the first place. Seriously, I’m an atheist and I see no reason to go berserk when I see a christian allegory… or when I see God’s name on my money, etc. Battlestar Galactica is a very popular show… where the christians are the bad guys and the pagans are the good guys, but does anyone really care about that?
Ah… nothing like posting at the same time as others…
After posting, I read Kelleyish’s idea about Aaron. That’s a good theory that fits in many ways. I like it!
OK…..if Locke is a sustitute for Christian Shepherd then is Ben a sub for Aaron?
Funny to think about it that way since he told John he could not come back once he moved the island but now is afforded that opportunity because of Aaron’s absence even though Aaron was in his mother’s womb when 815 crashed.
I loved this episode. It was a great combination of emotional, character-driven elements with a good dose of mythology. Overall, it felt a lot like a season one episode, which I loved. Just one question.. if the island is constantly moving, then how was Widmore’s boat able to find it in season 4? My theory is that the failsafe key “locked” the island in one place long enough for it to be found. To get “moving” again, the island just needed a little push of the frozen donkey wheel. Also, I’m pretty sure that the flash only affected the Oceanic 6, transporting them back to the 70s. As for the rest of the passangers, I believe that they are still in 2008, but crashed on the island, where they will inhabit the old beach camp and encounter Sawyer, Locke, and Juliet when they come time-jumping. I love the podcast, keep up the good work.
I’ve just finished watching this episode and WOW! I loved it.
I think both Hurley and Kate boarded the plane because of some apparition that they had that forced them to do it. Moreover, Hurley left Jail because Sayid was caught and perhaps confessed. By the way, loved the look on Sayid’s face when everybody shows up.
Another thing that I loved was that the O6 (or at least Kate, Hurley and Jack) appeared on Dharma Times, I think that the writers did that on purpose to tell us more about the story of the Initiative, and to put more trouble ahead of them.
I have a feeling that the man that was on the plane who said to Jack ‘Sorry For Your Lost’ works for Widmore, otherwise that thread of the story would be Lost.
Finally, I’m now more positive than ever that John Locke is going to be some sort of on-Island Jesus,and that’s because:
He was trying to convince everyone to BELIEVE IN THE ISLAND
He SACRIFICED himself to SAVE the REST
He was betrayed by some sort of Judas (Ben shooting him in the Dharma Pit)
Lots of thought, a lot of them fresh as they come out of my head. Forgive the grammar, spelling and verb mistakes, English is not my native language.
I feel the same way about “316” as I did about “This Place is Death.” It was a necessicary and, at many times, interesting chapter in the story, but it didn’t connect with me in the way that so many great Lost episodes had. There was so much story to tell, it almost lacked emotion.
Sure, there were a few great moments, like Ben’s telling of the Thomas the Apostle story and Jack putting his Dad’s shoes on Locke, but overall, I saw these last two episodes as a device for hopefully setting the scene for the remainder of the season.
And lastly, Mahalo, Ryan and Jen! Found this website at the beginning of the season, and love the blog and the podcast. Keep up the great work!
Some other thoughts…
Rabbit: nice catch on Ben’s line re: learning to read. I appreciated the humor at the time, but didn’t think about the inherent lie in it. Another nice subtle reminder to never trust Ben.
I also like Kellyish’s theory on Kate, Aaron, and Sawyer’s baby mama. It would be completely within her character to want so badly to hide that from Jack, she’d get him in bed just to change the subject.
I was extremely dissapointed with Mrs. Hawking’s explanation of the Island and the Dharma station. It felt entirely too nonchalant and lacked the passion of her past appearances with Desmond in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” or with Ben at the end of “The Lie.” And I was dying for one of the characters to question Desmond about his previous ties with her; you’d think they either didn’t hear his comments or already knew of the connection.
Ditty: I certainly hope you’re correct that this episode will lead to several character-centric flashback episodes that fill in the gaps from “316,” but I almost wish they’d gone that way from the beginning, instead of giving us this one long narrative with so many questions.
I like this episode a lot…Mostly because it had a lot of call backs to season 1 with Jack waking up and running through the jungle and them recreating the 815 flight with some original members and some being “proxies” for other characters we have loved as well. Also I think the writers included the opening as a hint that all the time loop theories are wrong. No doubt thousands of people were like, “oh my god its the pilot again! I didn’t think we would see this till the very last scene of the show. Wait…never mind…There’s no Vincent and he pulled paper out of his pocket instead of a vodka bottle.” I honestly don’t think they will attempt to pull that first one off again now after this.
Ryan & Jen;
I think that Aaron has probably been taken by Charles Widmore. It was foretold is Season One that Aaron must be raised by an “OTHER”. Charles Widmore is an “OTHER”.
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Bed was reading Ulysses on the plane…that was interesting. There is no doubt that he went to kill Penny and received a beat down from Desmond. Seeing Jin at the end made the episode!
Oops…meant to say Ben was reading Ulysses obviously.
I actually liked the episode because it gave us questions and added some mystery when the previous episodes gave us a lot of answers. So, I liked the change of pace and I understand that this episode and next week’s is supposed to be closely tied together (from the official Lost podcast, Darlton mentioned that this episode was originally supposed to be episode 7 but they switched the order because it will make more sense after we see next week’s episode).
Lapidus as the pilot. Great! Ben’s “Who cares?” in response to Jack’s inquiry about what will happen to the other people on the plane. It would also appear that we’ll see a few new characters introduced (the guy who was on the plane that gave Jack the condolances while in line at the airport) and the marshal who was taking Sayid.
Jin driving the Dharma bus in new condition and the little smirk he gave at the end was great. Guess that means they are definitely in Dharma Initiative times, eh? I had originally thought that maybe Jack and the others would end up on the island but in future time, guess that isn’t happening, or is that future Jin? Given the condition of the VW, I have to believe it’s 30 years in the past.
Guess they are prepping for March sweeps so I think this and the next episode are definitely set-up episodes for probably the wilder ones in March (in order to get the ratings).
Oh, and I liked the nod to Brian K. Vaughn’s “Y: The Last Man” which he wrote and Hurley was reading at the airport (though it looked like it was the Spanish version).
I liked that it threw out some new big mysteries. We now will have more flashbacks to look forward to to learn how the other 3 ended up on the plane, Ben’s unfinished business and of course the where abouts of Aaron. I like some of the theories above- that Kate “sold her soul” in order to save “her son”. She did something very very bad in order to protect him. Is she now possibly “In bed” with Widmore?
Also- remember back in the episode “The Man from Tallahassee” whenBen asks Locke to imagine a box that can deliver anything your mind could wish for? (in that episode Locke’s father appears) Well- I wondered about that “suicide note” and how it said that he “wished” Jack had listened to him. And when he lands on the island the only part he still has is the “I wish” part. I think there is something to this part of the Magic of the Island- when Kate sees the horse for example…she wanted or wished to see that.
My other thought- though I like my first one better- is that Locke did not write that note at all- Ben did because he is a manipulative crazy son of a you know what.
Favorite lines: “We aren’t going to Guam are we?” and “You better fasten your seat belt!”
I missed the island folks but still enjoyed the fact that we have some new big mysteries to ponder- its what makes this show great!
Love the podcast….maybe more addicted to it than the show…at least it’s longer! 🙂
How can Mrs. Hawking calculate a time and place for the island in the future when, back on the island, Locke is turning the FDW to change the course of the island?
I think the episode was great and that it is fine if it answers questions but poses new questions. I laughed at what Jack was saying to Locke, how he must be laughing at the sight of him going through with it.
Ritual just kept coming up. Trying to recreate the conditions is like performing a ritual. I liked Hurley’s concern for how it is “supposed to be.”
The parallels of the story of Doubting Thomas to Jack was great.
I was so scared for Kate, with her looking so emotionally drained and nearly dead on Jack’s bed and then saying that he can never ask her that question again. I think she had to see the lawyer and decide to give custody over to Claire’s mom as Ben had planned all along. This is the most painful thing she had to do and she never wants to talk about it again. What did Aaron know about her leaving; what will he remember in the future about her and will he go looking for her? It is a cycle of being abandoned and trying to search for a lost parent, like Charlotte’s story.
The end where Jin pulls up in the bus is so wonderful!
My crackpot theory is that Kate did Jack to get pregnant because she needed to have a baby inside her (as Aaron was in Claire) as the substitute.
Aaron was born, and therefore couldn’t go on the plane BUT they needed him, so a woman had to be pregnant.
It was obviously a sacrifice Kate had to make when leaving Aaron. Ben obviously new about this as he was trying to have Aaron taken away already.
This was my favorite episode so far this season – from the funny inside jokes (“is Ben lying?” … “probably”) to the constant jaw drop moments. The pilot, the meetup at the airport, Ben finishing some “business”. Good stuff.
A nice tension building episode…long on questions and short on answers. Some thoughts:
Like Jeff, I was disappointed in Mrs. Hawking’s demeanor. She came off more like the good fairy godmother (boring) than the creepy wicked witch (intriguing) of Flashes Before Your Eyes. Definitely unsatisfying. Also not as many fireworks between her, Desmond and the others as I was expecting…ho hum.
Geoff Gentry-I like your idea that Kate is pregnant. She would be filling the role of pregnant Clair as well as her own, and the baby will be a Christian Shepard grandbaby just like little Aaron is.
Like others, I think Kate gave Aaron to Mrs. Littleton and she did so as a result of Ben’s manipulations. Ben brought Mrs. L to LA, made sure that Kate would find out she was there with the threat of losing Aaron, then Ben rammed it home at the marina repeating at least twice that Aaron didn’t belong to her. Kate gave him up out of guilt. Score another point for Mr. Linus.
It’s pretty obvious now that the O6 are back in the heyday of the Dharma Initiative (late ’70s/early ’80s), but that doesn’t explain the Ajira water bottle in the canoe at Camp Lostie circa 2004+. The O6 could have been pulled to one time and the other crash “survivors?” pulled to another, but I don’t like that theory. The bottle could have survived through the decades and been picked up in the future by an unknown person. Also, if the Canoe People are our O6 or other Ajira passengers, who got shot? Could they have all been Red Shirts so it doesn’t really matter? Curious about the other two people in the Ajira first class cabin: the officer escorting Sayid (why would she be taking him to Guam of all places?) and the mysterious man who gave condolences to Jack in the airport.
OK, I don’t care what anybody says. I LOVED this episode. The action was totally there, the humor was FANTASTIC — and then there was Jin at the end. Plus, we don’t have to wait forever to find out what was in Locke’s suicide note.
Can’t wait to find out what happened such that Kate, Hurley and Sayid ended up on Flight 316 . . .
Ditto Michael 281…sorry I repeated…I must have been typing while you were posting…I really did read all the posts ahead of me before I posted :O(
Just read this at DarkUFO’s site so can’t take credit:
How was Kate able to leave the country so easily given that she is not supposed to even leave the state of California for what? the years?
I agree that it split up the passengers so that Jack, Hurley, and Kate are in the 1970s, but Sayid, Sun, Ben and the other people ended up in a different time altogether. Perhaps that was the “unpredictable” effect that Ms Hawking was telling them about because they couldn’t emulate the original flight exactly. It will also be cool if 3 years has passed for the left behinders since Locke turned the wheel and they have been stuck as members of Dharma for that long. It will make for some really great flashbacks. I imagine Jin will probably start speaking to them in perfectly fluent English when that scene at the ending continues, and they will be like, “Wow, what happened to you?”.
Also another thing I forgot to post that would be awesome is if after Hurley, Jack, and Kate flash off the plane onto the island in an earlier year, the plane is still in 2008 and Ben could run up to the cockpit phone and be like “Hey, Frank, I built a runway for us, look for the smaller island.” Then they can take some Ajira water bottles in canoes back to the beach camp and end up being the other end of that high speed canoe chase we have already seen.
I think that there is a USA secret service agency that knows all about the island. The big clue is that the photo of the island located in the lamp post station.
I believe that the two new characters (the two others in the front of 316) are linked to this agency and they know the oceanic 6 are lying, and that they have been following them for some time to get to the island.
We defiantly know the USA government had been to the island in the past, so I think a connection with the USA government will be reveled in the near future!
This episode didn’t do it for me. There is no way I’m ever giving up on the shoe but I felt that this episode SO was just so much spoon feeding!
Fionnula Flanagan was so Disney and Ben’s explanation of Thomas The Apostle (aka Doubting Thomas) was just such a gimme. I wish he would have just stared at the picture and walked away and then we could have done the research, come on here and chatted about it.
We all know it is a mix of mythology and theology and science but this episode was like just read so much as EXPLANATION.
Also who else was annoyed that they wasted a valuable 2-3 minutes re-showing what we’d just seen in the beginning just to get the big Jin reveal (OK, I love Jin but no more “Jin reveals” that trick is PLAYED OUT)? I felt like that time could have been used to give us more story.
LOST has utterly and completely changed the way I watch television and I think they should keep it intelligent and trust that we devoted fans (whether its just the regular week to week watcher or the total crazed forum-rats like us) will get it and keep going along for the ride.
John Fisher, totally agree with you on the 316 references and the Narnia connection but I think Doc Jensen took it a little far. While there are religious connections, I don’t think they are all encompassing. I do think that Locke will have a resurection as did Christian. Was Christian a proxy?
I agree with Ryan and am so thankful that the last scene of the last show will not be Jack opening his eyes. Thank God!
I’m almost positive that Ben’s unfinished business was to murder Penny before he left for the island. As someone above mentioned, he was at the boat dock. I’m hoping and praying that due to his bloody condition that he was unsuccessful.
I really like the Kate pregancy ideas expressed above and do think Aaron is with his grandmother. I also was thinking that the other passengers might be in another time period. I think there is going to be a longer interval before Sun and Jin are reunited.
Darleton had said that this episode was interchangeable with the next one and so they switched it. Darleton wrote both so we know that together, the two episodes must be really important. I can’t wait for next week.
Other observations & questions:
*Why didn’t Mrs. Hawking ever once mention Daniel or really acknowledge him? That’s her son right? What about, at least, some kinda motherly comment? I am still not convinced that she’s really his mother.
*What is this church that she is inhabiting? How come no other people are walking in just by the way? What happened to the Dharma bums who built it? How did she get it? Who else is she working with and why?
*I think I noticed a Virgin Mary in her messy office that looked similar to the drug plane Virgin Mary statues….
*Something is weird about Jack’s grandfather….I am curious to know what.
*The way Desmond was so strongly advocating against specifically Jack going back to the island made me think that they might be related. There is definitely a very significant bond between the two….
*I think the canoes and water bottles are from the next Agira shipment of people who will come to the island — Desmond, maybe Walt? or maybe I’m wrong and it is more Widmore henchmen? It is definitely someone in the future.
*Every time I see Jack down on his back in the middle of the jungle, it always makes me think of Psalm 23:2 – He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
*I think Jack is (of course) The Doubting Thomas and he will become a believer when he returns to the island and sees either the living John or the living Christian (or maybe both). It is interesting to note that in the Bible, Thomas is known as The Twin (though the name Thomas already means “twin”).
*I agree with the others who think that Ben got beat up while trying to take down Penny. “A promise to an old friend”, sounds like the promise he made to Widmore. I don’t think it went to well.
*Finally, to the person that said their aetheist sister-in-law refuses to watch the show from now on because of the Christian allusions, I have to agree that she must never have been a true fan. I also question whether she is a true atheist, because someone who doesn’t believe in The Bible would see it as just another book and should no more be offended by references to it than the references to the many other books (The Stand, Our Mutual Friend, The Bad Twin, Ulysses)that have already been made in this program. Frankly, the Bible has been referenced since the very beginning, so if she is just getting angry now than something else is going on…