“LA X” was a fitting opener to the final season of “LOST.” It had a reassuring focus on character with a generous topping of mythology. It had moments of strong emotional resonance, and a few gasp-worthy reveals. And it sets the stage for the epic battle between Jacob and the Man In Black that has apparently simmered beneath much of what we’ve been studying for the past several years. Sure, with yet another storytelling “twist,” we have no idea what’s going on… but since when has that been a problem?
Okay. So Jen’s a little nonplussed with the “parallel storyline” structure, and I can see why. On one hand, it’s clever. We get to see both outcomes of the Jughead argument. And the little differences we spot range from amusing hat-tips to a deeper exploration of a person’s fate. On the other, it seems just a little cheap to not commit to one answer… at least this late in the game. It also raises the troubling specter of having to switch between two worlds for several more episodes, when we really want the writers to just pick a path and let the rubber finally, finally hit the road.
And intellectually, I can see many reasons to dismiss or even dislike the universe where Oceanic Flight 815 lands safely in Los Angeles. Through that lens, they’ve thrown out five years of character development and regression. So I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Sure, some of the touches were more fan bait than plot (Frogurt at the taxi stand, Doctor Arzt being annoying), but other moments felt right: Jack and Locke talking at the airport lost and found, with Jack taking interest in Locke’s condition. Jin returning to his darker, meaner self, and Sun already rebelling. Sawyer flirting with Kate, but more tellingly, not interfering with her escape from the airport. Hurley being confident and lucky. And Charlie, once running from death, now almost exhaustedly chasing it. I guess I’m more curious about the “what if” scenario than I thought I was.
Besides. The island is underwater? A development that comes about sometime after New Otherton is built? (A development that, sadly, could’ve used a few more days in the CGI rendering farm?) Just like watching a magic show, independent of everything else, I now simply have to see how they explain that. My guess is that it sank when Ben moved the island, a moment that is at the other end of whatever branching we’re now seeing. But I can’t even begin to explain what I actually mean.
Meanwhile, the new on-island world (universe, storyline, timeline, what have you) so far certainly seems to be custom-built to feed the fans obsessed with the mythology of the show. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that,” says Unlocke, while Richard says, incredulously, “You!” If the Man in Black and the smoke monster are one and the same, we now have a whole new prism through which to reexamine the last five seasons. I only hope things hold up under such scrutiny.
Learning what was in the guitar case so early in the season was a pleasant surprise, and the giant Ankh was certainly an impressive prop, regardless of the fact that a sealed envelope would’ve probably worked just as well.
Finally, we see the temple, and meet a whole new group of characters. It’s a good thing Hiroyuki Sanada is so good at being mysterious, because these original recipe Others (shunning technology and performing rituals) could very well have been too much, too late. Instead, Sanada seemed a perfect disciple and ally of Jacob, and through him, the Others again seemed to be a tribe to be reckoned with. An intimidating air that was reminiscent of the first two seasons, before Kate found the costumes.
What of the temple spring? Apparently it’s supposed to heal, as the Island itself does, though that power went missing as the water turned cloudy. Sayid, instead of being revived, apparently died. But that was likely always Jacob’s plan. I bet that Jacob now has a new agent or vessel in Sayid, given the unfamiliar voice with which Sayid asked, “What happened?”
But with word that Jacob is dead, the Others at the Temple prepare for battle with “him.” Their flare alerts Alpert, who’s sadly pummeled by Unlocke/Man In Black, and I guess the battle is on.
Notes and Notions:
- I guess we had to get “closure” with Juliet, but having to basically see her die twice was wrenching. Josh Holloway, hands down, gave the performance of the evening.
- From beyond the grave, Juliet says, “It worked.” So can she see the other timeline? Is it even, really, another timeline? After all, in Los Angeles, it’s 2004. On the island, it’s 2007 or so. Maybe the writers can somehow connect the two into one single timeline? Does that even make sense?
- The Man in Black’s tribute to the late John Locke was a bittersweet one. He spoke the truth about our sad, defeated friend, and our would-be hero. But perhaps not surprisingly, Terry O’Quinn’s “menacing” look is incredibly effective, and I’ll gladly let John Locke go in favor of seeing what the actor does with a whole new soul.
- The Man in Black wants to get off the island, and go “home.” I guess it’s fair to ask where or what “home” is, but I think the real story is why he (and likely Jacob) are trapped on the island. His reference to Alpert’s chains, meanwhile, hint strongly at the suspected link between Alpert and the Black Rock.
- Hurley can see Jacob, but Jin can’t, though Jacob touched them both. Therefore, Hurley is special, and seeing the dead is simply his thing. Indeed, he seems almost too suddenly fine with it, barely reacting when Jacob tells him he died three hours prior, and talking warmly to the recently deceased Sayid. Miles, too, got to let his freak flag fly, and this time his communion with the dead came with a great deal of dramatic flourish. Sometimes, I can’t believe this is the same show we were watching in Season 1.
- Great lighter moments. Hurley saying he knows how to use a gun, or arguing about trademarking the word “Outback.” Locke telling Boone he’s not pulling his leg, and Boone telling Locke he’d follow him to stay safe on a plane. And, of course, a Sawyer nickname: Earhart.
- Richard said, “Asking me what’s in the shadow of the damn statue doesn’t mean you’re in charge.” He flippantly referred to a line that, up until now, was infused with significance and weight. Kind of like, “Live together, die alone.”
- Fun with pointy things! Jack was again looking for a pen to save someone’s life. And how great is it that a character named Bram dies via a stake through his heart?
- Book: “Fear and Trembling” by Soren Kierkegaard, a retelling of the biblical story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac.
- Locations: The Temple interior is on the Hawaii Film Studio sound stage, but the impressive exterior is in Manoa Valley. The plane interior, and the collapsed hatch tunnel, was also on the studio lot. The Swan site is in the jungles of Heeia Kea in Kaneohe, and the foot of the four toed statue was Makua Beach. LAX is, of course, Honolulu International Airport.
We’d love your feedback for our podcast this weekend! Comment below, e-mail us at lost@hawaiiup.com, or call the LOSTLine at 815-310-0808.
@Connie
We know Alpert didn’t skip through time and that all the others vanished right after Ben turned the frozen donkey wheel leaving Locke isolated. Perhaps it’s a function of the baptism by drowning or the vaccines, but they stayed constant while our primary characters moved.
@ Stephen in Bathurst
You do not disappoint. My mind is blown by the possibility of Desmond on the Black Rock. He’s already appeared in a place he’s not supposed to be.
Don’t know if anyone else noticted, but in the flash-sideways Sun and Jin are not married. Neither one have wedding rings and the customs lady calls Sun Ms. Paik. Don’t know what’s going on but I really liked this episode and the direction the show is going. I think somehow the two universes will come together at the end or something. Who knows? I’ll just have to wait
So the man in black say’s to Ben I’m gonna get off this island now that Jacob’s dead. In the alternate time line at LA X John Locke (GOOD-OR MAN IN BLACK) Talks to Jack about his spinal injury and Jack tells him nothing is impossible you may be able to be fixed. What if that is really the man in black and that’s is loop hole off the Island. It is a alternate universe and John Locke is really dead anyway. Imean it’s not that far out to me. And it would make thing’s all that much more twisted because Jack help’s him walk again. Kinnda uses him like Ben used him to remove the tumor. Jack would be the Jack ass yet again….
doesn’t anyone think about that
if sayid is jacob
that there would be two physical entities of sayid bodies?
when the man in black took john lockes form
there were 2 bodies, the man in black’s/dead locke
so if sawyer is jacob then why would he wake up IN sayid’s body and not appear in another form outside of his body?
just thought that was interesting
appeared in a place he’s not supposed to be ?
like Walt
Walt is part of the loophole.
jesse Says:— Wait, how did Richard see the signal if the signal came from the 70s? WTF? somone please answer this!!!!!!
The Losties appeared at the hatch that Desmond and Locke had blown up. Not the 70’s construction site but the old blown up hatch years later in 2007. That was kinda important and established very early in the episode.
LOL we really go out of our ways to find incredible theories! Well… they really are incredible! lol At least it is fun.
I saw two great “change” in the “atomic bomb saved the world” reality (not including Desmond wearing a ring that is hidden purposely by a book :p ):
-Sawyer learns that Hugo won the lottery and his first reaction is: “be careful when you say you won the lottery people could take adventage” I thought we would see him do something to Hugo later and yet when Kate’s run to cabs we see that Hugo is alone without problem… Would it mean that Sawyer is now a good person? Altruistic? Helping his neighbour?
-Jack and Locke together! And how the man of faith can confort Jack soul and how the man of science (quite confident of himself (nothing is irrevercible… to me!)) can confort John’s body. I hope we see a developpement to that!!! (and I don’t know why but I bet it will be quite late in the serie)
Okay, watched the episodes last night and after a nights sleep i’m starting to digest it all. I’m just going to write a brain dump of my opinions regarding the episodes. Apologies in advance for the length.
That ep gave us a lot to think about, quite a lot of curtain drawing back, but not much Wizard of Oz behind it.
The first big reveal is that there’s a new timeline in which 815 doesn’t crash, and obviously events differ as soon as it passes the “crash moment”. But there are a couple of noticeable differences that set it apart from OUR 815.
The first being the fact that Desmond is on the plane.
The second, unless i’m going insane, is that Hurley is happy and believes himself to be the luckiest man in the world. I’m pretty sure he’s just coming back from being knocked back by the wife of the guy who gave him the numbers. Not giving him the sympathetic ear, the understand, that we know he wanted. Plus, I’m guessing someone who says that nothing ever bad happens to them wouldn’t have that mindset if their mansion had burned down, or their chicken franchise had been hit by a meteor. So I’m guessing those things haven’t happened in this timeline. But it’s understandable that things relating to the numbers might change if the timeline has changed.. We’ll get to that later.
Anyway, the next reveal we have is that in the divergent timeline we see that the island is underwater, which would’ve really got the Atlantis-theorists going giddy if it wasn’t for the inclusion of the Dharma huts, and the Dharma branded shark. Which means that the island submerged at some point after the 70’s, fairly congruent with the idea of a hydrogen bomb going off in 70’s…
Then we see that OUR losties are still on the island, but have moved back to the “present”. The hatch is back, albeit destroyed.
We get Sawyers “IT HASNT WORKED” hissyfit, then Juliets posthumous “oh but it has” rebuttal.
In my opinion, she’s right:
The point of the hydrogen bomb was to disperse the electromagnetic energy and change the past in such a way that it couldn’t course correct. If the electromagnetic energy is dispersed, the hatch doesn’t need to be built, Desmond can’t be there pushing the button, so he won’t fail, and 815 won’t crash.
They’ve basically committed a grandfather paradox by going back in time and stopping themselves crashing.
Grandfather paradoxes are exactly that, paradoxes, they can’t exist in a simple way, you can’t go back and change your own past.
So how does the universe cope with the idea that the person who’s changing reality won’t exist?
It forks.
So the losties HAVE to still exist, in their own timeline, because otherwise our new losties couldn’t land at LAX.
I still don’t really know why the island would end up underwater, but maybe that’s just what would happen after a subterranean h-bomb detonation.
Okay, to progress:
Hurley DOES see dead people, fair enough, no idea why, but we also have no idea why miles can hear them, it’s just something that seems to have happened.
One of my theories is solidified, you see Montands body in the temple, but not the bodies of the other French people. I was initially convinced they were dead and possessed, but that was before we learned that smokey doesn’t need to possess the corpses, he just takes their visage.
So, if he had been doing that, they wouldn’t have had bodies when Danielle killed them. So perhaps they WERE still humans, just… converted somehow. There seems to be some “truth” that converts/recruits people to the cause, we meet the stewardess from the plane again in the temple. She doesn’t seem bothered at all by Jack and co turning up, she acts as if they’re from another life or something: “oh, they were on the plane with me”, as if she doesn’t think of herself as one of them anymore (which she may not be).
The whole water resurrection thing I can’t interpret yet, the “water of life”, “fountain of youth” idea has been floated before, to explain Richards immortality, but i’m not sure what i think about that.
I imagine that Sayid coming back to life of his own accord is either because of “course correction” or (my preferred explanation) because of Jacob touching him in the past. We’ve been shown Jacob touching certain people in their past, and we were shown a scene that very much appeared to be Jacob resurrecting Locke (after being thrown out of a building) by touching him on the shoulder.
We’ve also, going way back to the beginning, seen proof that fake-locke IS Smokey – “i’m sorry you had to see me like that”. We’ve also seen proof that the ashes protect against smokey (so the cabin encirclement was either to keep him out, or keep him in). We’ve seen that smokey killed those people without judging them – his normal modus operandi. Perhaps because they were “soldiers” or followers of jacob, he didn’t need to judge their free will. We also saw that shooting him didn’t seem to have an effect, he was fine when he reappeared, so we need to wonder here why jacob died. Was it because he was killed by someone who did so out of pure free will (Ben), or was it because he was in his original body? I don’t really believe the latter.
Okay, to proceed. His exchange with Richard is FASCINATING. “Nice to see you out of those chains”. My original Richard theory, way back, was that he was a slave from Egypt, being carried on the Black Rock. Richard being “in chains” is fairly congruent with that notion. I’m not talking ancient Egypt, just that Egypt was (if i understand correctly) used a lot in the slave trade, and he particularly looks like he could pass for Egyptian in a pinch.
We know that the man in black was wandering around when the Black Rock arrived, so if the last time he saw Richard was when Richard was in chains, it must’ve been after that point. So I assume richard was on that ship. But after that, some event must have occurred that either took the man in black out of the loop (imprisoning him perhaps), or forcing him to remain in smoke form (where he can’t exactly interact with people).
Either way, this is the first conversation he’s had with Richard in a long time (at least 50 years), which is troubling. Richard hasn’t been hiding, and we know the smoke monster was wandering around in the 70s. Like i said, troubling.
We also get to see that there’s definitely a conflict of sorts between the temple-others, and the man in black. They have counter measures (the firework alert, and the ashes) ready to go. So why does Jacobs death suddenly mean that they’re a target? Was Jacob protecting them? hiding them? Or did the RULES of the conflict forbid the man in black from hurting Jacobs followers. Rules which are made irrelevant after jacob dies. We know that the others made a truce with Dharma, perhaps that isn’t the first truce they’ve been involved in…
I think I’ve covered everything save for the events in the divergent timeline – which i don’t think are important yet.
I also haven’t mentioned my utter frustration at Sawyer for not taking Juliets body to the temple.
Really looking forward to reading other people’s theories. Again – apologies for the length of this!
Thanks all
Aaron in Scotland
@ Aaron, epic post.
Are we going to reach 300post? Have you all read all of them!?
Nice post Aaron, with lots of good points. I’d like to pick up on your point about why Jacob died because it’s a good one. As you noted, MiB was shot and he lived to fight and smoke another day. Jacob was only stabbed, yet he reacted as a person and started to die. It doesn’t seem to make sense. You suggest a couple of reasons (Ben’s free will and Jacob being in his original body) but neither seem satisfactory.
In fact, the question could simply be asked “why did he let Ben stab him?”. Ben himself asks this question too, and interestingly the MiB is a bit dismissive of Ben’s question, stating arrogantly than Jacob just knew he was beat. That just doesn’t ring true though because he could have run away to Richard or fought back or something. He also could have not antagonised Ben with his own dismissive “What about you?”.
So here’s a theory (and don’t we just need another one). I think Jacob wanted to be killed. I think he wants to end his centuries long struggle with MiB, and I think he is using MiB’s search for a loophole to somehow trap and destroy him. The struggle ends when they are both dead. Jacob dies now and the plan he laid out is enacted to defeat MiB.
Which leads us back to Ben. Jacob needed Ben to kill him as part of the plan, which is why Jacob didn’t resist. And Ben, for his part, might be playing everyone, including the MiB. We already know he lies and manipulates. Jacob may have come to him with the plan to kill him. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all of Ben’s reactions (such as seeing Locke alive) have been faked. Perhaps he wasn’t told all the details. Maybe he was just told to kill Jacob at a particular moment. I see possible redemption for Ben by the series end.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this season opener! It far exceeded my hopes.
A few comments:
I love the dual-reality/parallel universe storyline. I feel like we’re getting twice the story for our money here! Like most people, I figured we would get only one of the two apparently possible outcomes to the detonation. And what an awesome surprise — without having to watch any extra commercials, we get to see BOTH stories! It couldn’t get any better, in my mind. And oh the fun we now get to have of trying to guess how the two threads will intersect!
The biggest questions in my mind after watching:
-Speaking of parallel realities… We’ve already had a very specific example of what that might look like — DESMOND, and his dual-existence in two realities! I bet you that that is the direction they will take this. The Losties will all begin to exist in both realities! Little by little, increasingly, the two realities will intersect, and they will each be aware of the other, just like Desmond was.
-Can’t help but wonder if it is possible that Jacob has been orchestrating everything, including his own death? Also, is there any chance that Ben is actually following along with Jacob’s plan in all this?
-Was the ash circle around the Cabin keeping Nemesis/Esau IN?
Or OUT? Very important question. Also, when did the ash circle become broken (which would tell us a lot.)
-Do Jacob & Esau/Nemesis both have the capacity to appear as a smoke monster, and also inhabit others’ dead bodies? I’m starting to believe that the early Christian sightings were actually Jacob, helping Jack. And the later ones (beginning with Christian’s appearance to Claire and then to John in the cabin) are Esau/Nemesis — with the express intention of manipulating John to get a body so he could find his loophole.
But again, the question of when the ash was broken would give us a big clue about this.
-And of course, where the hell is “home” for Nemesis/Esau?
And a few thoughts:
I would bet that we’ll see Juliet in LA – X Alternareality — most likely having a coffee with Sawyer and offering to go Dutch.
This one is a little farther out, but: Will Jack heal John and somehow Locke will return to play a pivotal role in confronting Nemesis/Esau, thus earning his redemption in the process?
Steven, I like your take on things. I think it’s clear that Jacob let himself be killed.
I theorise that Jacob has the same “smoke monster” ability that MiB does (and infact, i think he visited Locke in this guise early on, leading to Locke suggesting that he saw the heart of the island, and it was beautiful, white smoke?), i could have escaped, or killed Ben if he had wanted to.
Perhaps he allowed himself to die because he knew that he could be resurrected, or because he knew that time would loop again (if you subscribe to the time loop theory), or because he knew he could pass on the message to Hurley, and thought that was more important than living.
The alternative, perhaps, is that as you suggest – he just realised things were coming to their conclusion.
I see redemption for Ben myself, and have been saying since we first met Ben that i think he’s “the good guy” on some level. But i’m not sure about whether i think Ben is acting as a kind of… double agent for Jacob. I think his reaction was legitimate, i think he stabbed Jacob because in that moment he felt hatred, he was going through the same feelings of abandonment that he felt whenever his dad insulted or beat him. MiB set him up by appearing as Alex, pointing out that he had been a bad father to her, and then broke the camels back by pointing out that Jacob didn’t care about him, that he got cancer despite doing everything he could to protect the island.
I think Ben has become the tool, the ultimate Pawn in the bigger game, and i don’t see him picking up his role as puppet master again, i think finally he is “Lost” and although he may eventually end up back on top, he’s in for a rough ride.
Oops, amusing mistake in that last post. “i could have escaped, or killed Ben if he had wanted to.” is supposed to be, of course “i think he could have escaped, or killed Ben if he had wanted to.”
Desmond is the “Constant”; maybe that’s why he was on the plane?
Flight 316, Locke’s (MIB) return, Jacob’s death — what is the timeline? The Dharma village is dilapidated and abandoned, the survivor’s camp is all run-down. Should be years following the original story. 2007, 2010, Other?
Ryan and Jen,
This blog has been such a great community of ideas. Have you considered writing a book after the season ends on how Web 2.0 has affected entertainment? Beyond the amazing writing, this show’s success comes partly from its timing in our technological world. Our ability to come together with theories, book reviews, art interpretations, etc. has enriched our viewing experience and pushed the writers to place each detail carefully.
Great job, and thanks for this site!
My first crackpot theory of today:
“John Locke’s Last Thought” I think that either the Man in Black was lying about John’s last thought. Perhaps Miles or Hurley will have a conversation with him. Or the thing that John did not understand has some significance. We can only guess what he “did not undertand”. Did he not understand why Ben would kill him now that he had found out that he was successful? That actually isn’t all that sad. If that is the case, the real John Locke actually died knowing that his actions and his alone set in motion the events needed to get the Losties back to the island, which is what he believed was what the island (and by extension, the rest of the world) needed to stay safe. Or, uh, something like that.
My other crack-pot theory (after re-watching Cabin Fever from Season 4 just after watching LA X), is that there is a third person, a woman, involved in the ancient times of Jacob and the man-in-black. Let’s assume that the image/persona of Christian Shepard was being used by the man-in-black. So, who was using the form of Claire (who, had been blown up in the house by then). It was the third person. The man-in-black’s mate. So, now you have a man and a woman going back to ancient times. Could we now have an explanation of who Adam and Eve are? Or we could explore the metaphor further…could Jacob be Adam, the new mystery woman be Eve and the man-in-black is The Serpent?
Narratively, I have no idea what the implications of this backstory and how it relates to the Losties and the overall threat to the real world and our existance. But I am on the edge of my seat to see how it plays out.
That’s my crack-pot theory, and I’m sticking to it.
I forgot one thing to include about the comment by Bram or Ilana…
My other crack-pot theory (after re-watching Cabin Fever from Season 4 just after watching LA X), is that there is a third person, a woman, involved in the ancient times of Jacob and the man-in-black. Let’s remember that Bram or Ilana indicated that “someone else has been using the cabin.” Now let’s assume that the image/persona of Christian Shepard was being used by the man-in-black. So, who was using the form of Claire (who, had been blown up in the house by then). It was the third person. The man-in-black’s mate. So, now you have a man and a woman going back to ancient times. Could we now have an explanation of who Adam and Eve are? Or we could explore the metaphor further…could Jacob be Adam, the new mystery woman be Eve and the man-in-black is The Serpent?
Narratively, I have no idea what the implications of this backstory and how it relates to the Losties and the overall threat to the real world and our existance. But I am on the edge of my seat to see how it plays out.
That’s my crack-pot theory, and I’m sticking to it.
Just want to say that I am very interested in the reason why MIB says “I am very disappointed with all of you” before he carries Richard away at the end of the episode. Any thoughts?
@Steven: best theory around I think. The Island needed protection because it was the MIB prison with Jacob being is warden/educator trying to persuade him to change his view. But Jacob realized it was impossible so he decided that it should “end” once and for all. So he sacrificed himself knowing it will end for MIB by doing this. And since they live in a world ruled by the number we know it is a doomed world.
I know Rich will hate me but know the only thing that can happen with this world his “Destroy the Island”.
If my Desmond theory is right and during is third life he decided to marry Penny (because when he had a third chance he did not let it pass this time!) I can understand that he would have liked to visit flight 815 and some of his passagers (including Jack) just to check how they were doing… and since how close he was Charlie I am sure he is going to try to help him.
I would like to stress how HAPPY and smiling all the passagers were. I think the progress will have happen before the “end”. And we will see that they don’t have to fight, corrupt and destroy.
Also, I saw that a lot of people were wondering about the LA X instead of LAX. This was posted on lostpedia [not by me – ha ha]
Earth X: The “X” in ‘LA X’ stands for an alternate reality. It is commonly used in comic books including Marvel Comics which have an alternate history/timeline called “Earth X”. (Books)
@Jessica: I think we will understand when MIB starts to call himself “Jacob”. The real one, the real “great and magnificent man”. True leader of the others. False prophet time will soon get started.
First I would like to say, thanks for the great Transmission Weekend Ryan and Jen! It was fantastic. Second, a big congrats for the shoutout on Nightline. Still suffering from a bit of jet-lag, I didn’t stay up that late but DVRd it so I could watch it yesterday.
Now a comment that I don’t think has been mentioned here yet…… At the Temple, when Cindy the flight attendant said she knew Jack & company, did anyone else happen to catch the fact that she said “They were on the FIRST plane, Oceanic 815 along with me”? I just re-watched that part of the episode and the word “FIRST” was definitely there. Anyone else think that this was significant?
Or maybe she was just differentiating between flight 815 and Ajira 316. With LOST anything is possible, but the word “FIRST” sure seemed to stand out to me.
Again, thanks for the wonderful premiere weekend activities in Hawaii Ryan & Jen. Your efforts along with Bruce & team are to be commended
Just a footnote…the book that Desmond is reading on the plane is “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” by Salman Rushdie. Look it up and you will see the same cover. It is a children’s book written by the author of “The Satanic Verses”.
@Yann – This is for you, screen shot of Desmond with wedding ring.
http://twitpic.com/119whz
@LReene- great catch! I have so many things to look for when I rewatch it tomorrow.
@Jessica – I like your explanation of the title, makes a lot of sense.
@LReene – I heard Cindy say First Plane too, but I just assumed that it was a reference to 815 and 316.
I don’t think I like the idea of the MiB being a prisoner while Jacob is his warden — I’ve always envisioned them as two sides to the same coin, equals with different philosophies.
@Yann
No! The island is the navel of the world through which the creative force that permits life flows. We are the point of the experiment, to see how we will grow and what choices we will make, not MIB. Jacob says as much in his first conversation on the beach.
@Steven & Aaron
Jacob allowing himself to be killed is very reminiscent to me of the death of Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. The teacher surrenders to death as part of the calling of a greater power and dies at the hand of his former pupil. This pupil goes over to the dark side, but is not beyond salvation. He eventually redeems himself by killing the tyrannical emperor. This would support my theory that only Ben, still the leader, can kill MIB.
Another film allusion I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere is the similarity of Lennon to the photojournalist who interprets for Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. Heart of Darkness (which Apocalypse adapts to the Vietnam War) and Kurtz have been mentioned several times on Lost.
I love the cammeraderie and insights propelled on this site. Thank-you Ryan for posting the link for your (and Jen’s) moment on Nightline — very cool!! Yes, the “end-date” saved this show for the masses — I was on board regardless…
“Sliding Doors” also immediately came to my mind — good to see that mentioned — two alternate realities that eventually mesh…
Thank-you so much to Ryan and Jen for your weekly write-ups which help to clarify the madness, and thank-you to all you theorists who make me think deeper — I also particularly like Aaron’s (from Scotland) post
Love being L O S T (and found) — xxxooo
Welcome back, Ryan & Jen! I cannot WAIT to hear your podcasts, once again.
I had honestly forgotten about Locke’s quip about wanting to go “home”. While watching the premiere with my friends, someone jokingly said, “Ha! What if he’s an alien?!” To which my immediate thoughts went to the most recent Indiana Jones film. I don’t think the writers would do THAT to us, but if they pulled the alien-card as LOST’s deus ex machina, I will kill them. Really.
I. WILL. KILL. THEM!
@greenberry: Have fun on this blog (that’s the most important) feel free to send your theories and feelings about the episodes(we are sooo going to reach the 400s)!
@Carol: THANK YOU!!!! IT IS SO A WEDDING RING!!! Third time’s the charm!
@LReene: Yes I thought also it meant the first plane (which was funny because they were on the second plane also) but maybe they are aware that a second course has happened… It will be very interesting to find out about that!
@Rich: I KNEW you would react! 😀 I am sure we will find out eventually… But it is great to debate with you tho and I am sure we will find ways to do so even when this show will be over!
But I would like to say again that the Island is still where the 4 8 15 16 23 42 hatch has been built and Darlton talked about the “Valenzetti Equation” just before the season6 (with the: “fans will get more irritating” commercial (and boy… were they right!)). Doom is apun the Island!
@Jono: I so agree with you, it would reminds me of the South Park episode about Indiana Jones4. If you haven’t seen it you should now (if you get offended easily you shouldn’t tho). But I would have the same feeling as the children tho.
OK… I won’t have the podcast until this WE? I am going to watch the damn 1h40 a second time! And maybe a third tomorrow! I am such an addict…
When Juliet says, “It worked” then dies… One’s life is said to flash before you as you die right? So it does work, her seeing it as she dies is now she knows. It just hasn’t happened yet.
And I think someone else mentioned it here before (sorry can’t remember who), but it will “end” as in the LA X timeline, with everyone being strangers to one another. Reason I say “end” is because this amazing story, will have no end!
Actually just occurred to me as I was about to post this, doesn’t the Wizard of Oz end in a similar fashion? Not with anyone dieing, but with Dorothy telling of her amazing story saying “You were there, and you, and you were there too, oh why doesn’t anyone believe me?!” Akin to Jack telling Desmond, “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” Answer?? Yes, but in another life, brotha!!!
An alien storyline would not be a Deus Ex Machina. The groundwork was laid back in Season One with Walt/Hugo’s Comic Book. In addition to the image of a fierce polar bear, there was an image of a what appeared to be a green, large headed alien strapped to an examining table. So, if the show gets back to that…well, there you go.
I had a really crazy thought after that whole scene with Jack and Locke at the airport baggage claim.
What if the reason Locke was able to walk again on the Island was because Jack had surgically fixed him in the alternative timeline. When the plane crashed, somehow Locke’s timelines got interchanged, and he became the Locke from the alternative timeline we’re seeing this season. Since that Locke’s paralysis had been healed, he was able to walk. Crazy, I know, but I thought I’d put that out there.
Thinking of “The Rules,” did Ben expect Keamy’s bullet to bounce off Alex (in season 4) as Bram’s bullet did? Which reminds me of Michael being unable to kill himself — Tom asks if the gun jammed or if the bullet bounced off his skull. I hope they’re all linked, because this shows great planning by the writers.
Haven’t yet read through all the comments, but I did a search on “tree” and found no one has yet posted…
At the very beginning of ep 601, as the white blast of the bomb fades to the clouds outside Jack’s airplane window, you can clearly see a tree, first through the mist, and then as a kind of reflection in the plane window. Is it Kate’s tree? Is it a way to show that the two after-Jughead realities are taking place at the same time?
I thought it was pretty cool but didn’t think it was that important until I saw Carlton Cuse’s tweet of 2/1:”DL and I are in editing looking at some POV shots of trees for a sequence we are editing. Trees are important on LOST.”
So what’s the importance of the reflected tree, except to say that we are looking at mirror images? (Followed by the mirror image of Jack in the airplane lav)
One more note before I finish reading above: what struck me about Charlie on the plane is the definitive, knowing way he said, “You shouldn’t have done that, man. I’m SUPPOSED to die.” That didn’t sound to me like someone who was invested in suicide so much as invested in doing something to fulfill a certain, dare I say it, destiny? As if he has some knowledge the others in this timeline don’t.
Okay, time to finish reading!
Hi All,
Glad to contribute to the 300+ comments! I seems to me that the overarching theme of LOST (besides good/evil & black/white) seems to be being “FOUND” — it is now showing up in the promos (“Amazing Grace” & the Last Supper table)
My guess is that LOST will end by each of the original “Losties” realizing that they are more lost without the Island — that the island is their salvation and way of being “found.”
@Jen in Chicago – That’s quite possibly the most awesome crackpot theory I’ve read so far. Do you think the creators would be that brave to do something so difficult to wrap your head around? I think so. We’ll have to wait and see….
“I want to go Home!”
I am so glad they are keeping up with the Wizard of Oz references- because as you guys know its my favorite thing. I can’t tell if I am more glad that the show is back on or that I get to listen to all of you guys again…all of it is great!
I have to say- I was kind of disappointed with the fact that they milked another death out of Juliet- it sort of waters down the first one which was so beautiful and well done.
I do like that Sayid was resurrected though…should make for a fun season!
Welcome back!
@Joe: The last comicon finished by “Somewhere over the rainbow!”. Now I think the Wizard Of Oz storyline really is going somewhere! The Man Behind The Curtain (Ben) will be met in the “real” world has a manipulative guy who is not that bad. Those guys who were lacking heart, brain and courage will have found it in this world (while they were looking for it in “Oz” but they had it all along just not knowing it). I think the Wizard Of Oz song was the right one for the last comicon song because it will be the most fitting to this season and this show.
I apologize if someone else has posted something similar, but here’s my theory on the alternate timeline:
Last season we were told that you can’t change the past, present or future, because whatever happened, happened. Based on this theory time is like a string that cannot be altered. Our characters may have jumped back and forth to different points on that string, but there’s nothing they can do to change the course of that string. From a storytelling perspective, this means that the story of our characters has already been written and cannot be altered.
Faraday’s plan to change the future was based on the idea of introducing the power of an atomic bomb to the electromagnetic properties of the island. I think what we’ve seen this season in the alternate timeline is the result of an energy so powerful that the timeline was literally ripped in two.
So prior to 1977 and the moment of the Incident we have one timeline, as things were meant to be, but after 1977 we have two divergent timelines, as if that string had been torn and taken two separate paths. This way, you avoid any paradoxes. Our characters that went back in time and visited the 70’s and the 50’s were all from the string we’re familiar with.
And this is just awesome from a storytelling perspective because we get the best of both worlds: the reset and our characters given a second chance and the continuation of the story on the island. Only, the manner in which these two alternate realities were created and the connection between them seems as though it’s extremely relevant to the rest of the plot and the ultimate end of the series.
Love hearing everyone’s thoughts again this year…I had forgotten how much work I don’t get done when the show is on…
@ MLE : re: Juliet – agree they milked it a little, but here is a little more credence to the fact that she never died last season: She falls in and as she’s hitting the bomb she and the rest flash forward in time. If she had died before the flash she would not have come forward in time because we know that Charlotte’s dead body did not come through time last season. They have to be alive to flash.
@ Jessica : re: LA_X – thanks – that was a great way to put things in perspective I think – For me, I think it will make since to refer to the new timeline folks as Jack_X ; Sun_X ; Arzt_X ; etc.
@ Noelle & everyone: RE: Christian – Agree that perhaps MIB & or Jacob may be using the cabin and the likeness of Christian to their ends. Very well put.
It also makes me think back to when Ben tells John he must kill his father as a sign of commitment. Hmmm. Does anyone think that Jack will end up having to kill Christian ( or what looks like Christian ) to prove their faith in _______. Crazy?
@ Alex in MD : re: Aliens : I agree though I see the fuss people make about this and understand ( I was furious about the new Indiana Jones ); but in this instance we were shown the comic book in one of the very 1st episodes w/ the alien; a city in a bubble ( space ship? ) ; etc. I agree that it’s somewhat…allowable??….not sure how Ryan feels from memory but please don’t hate me Jen!
Oh yeah… @ Yann: RE: Sawyer_X & Hurley_X: Sawyer_X surely knows a good long-con and from Arzt_X’s conversation w/ him will know enough about who he is and where he can find him to start running a con. I’d bet on it.
Actually reading that is a little harder than I thought. Maybe just SawyerX, CharlieX, JinX, etc….
Namaste! NuckinFutsX
Maybe the shippers can have it all! Maybe it’s Jaters & Suliets & SkatersX & DesclairesX, etc. Ugh.
@Nuckinfuts: The most important part with SawyerX (I can’t belive I am doing this) was how joyfull he seemed! Totally the opposite of Sawyer season1 after killing the wrong guy! So maybe Sawyer… Maybe he was James in that plane! Maybe he is not looking for the killer of his parent and never wrote that letter after all (as the flashback with Jacob might have let us guess) and thus never killed a guy in Australia. And maybe he is not a con man now!
@ Yann: It felt good didn’t it? ( SawyerX ) Haha….now I know exactly who you’re talking about….and we’re all insane!
That’s a great point. If SunX & JinX are not married, etc. maybe SawyerX is a lot more different too & perhaps his folks did not die. I suppose all history since the explosion could be different for the entire world. Perhaps The Red SoxX always win the series. Hmmmm….