Aloha! LOST Thoughts from Hawaii about "This Place is Death" (Episode 5.05)

Aloha from Maui, Lost fans! I am currently blogging from the balcony of our hotel, which is equally ridiculous and comfortable. We are in Maui this week, and will be going to Oahu for the Lost Tour on Tuesday!

As usual, below are my initial thoughts and theories about tonight's episode, "This Place is Death." Upon a second viewing, my plan is post further analysis (yes, even while on vacation). And please excuse the lack of photos that accompany this post; in the interest of time, I thought it was more important simply get these questions out before morning.

I say 'wow' quite often after new episodes, and this was no exception. I am struggling to wrap my head around the connections and threads through time, and am so impressed with the direction and story thus far in S5.

BLACK SMOKE MONSTER

How did Robert (Rousseau's baby daddy) know that Smokey was a security system for the Temple?

Smokey does not arbitrarily kill just anyone on the island...so what was Nadine's particular crime against humanity/the island?

Is Smokey (or its functionality) affected by the time shifts at all?

FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL

Were the time shifts occurring because the wheel had become dislodged from its axis? Will they stop now that Locke turned the wheel?

NOSEBLEEDS

Locke has been on the island as long as Sawyer...is he immune to them because of his role/destiny on the island?

THE ORCHID

HUGE shout out to Lost fan Doug D. Not only did he recently read "The Little Prince," but he left this insightful comment about the similarities between the book and the show on my blog BEFORE tonight's episode aired:

Hey Jo, I wanted to see what you think about what I've been throwing around about the "Little Prince" title for the episode.

If you haven't read the Little Prince, there are spoilers about the book below.

I think that the Little Prince was a reference to Locke. We are thought to believe that it is Aaron because he is a young boy. But there are so many things that point to Locke. I've only read the book once, so I'm probably missing a lot, it is a great read.

Now some of this might be a little out there, but here goes.

1) The story starts off with the Little Prince wanting the pilot to draw a sheep, the pilot ends up putting the sheep in a box. I think maybe Locke understands the "magic box" now.
2) His search for 6 people, just like Locke's trip to get the O6 to return:
geographer - Hurley
businessman - Sun
Lamplighter - Sayid
drunkard - Jack
King - Ben
Conceited Man - Kate

3) The Little Prince is always asking questions and will not give up until he gets his answer. Sounds a lot like Locke.

4) On Earth the Prince meets a Fox, he tells him about taming things. I think the fox is either the island itself or Smokey.

5) And of course the snake says that the Little Prince must die to return home. Sounds like the advice that Richard gave Locke...

Doesn't it look like there is a well in next weeks promo, similar to the well the little prince finds in the story...

I'm sure there is a lot more in the story, and I need to re-read it.

So kudos to you, Doug, because there is indeed a well and it is integral.

THE TEMPLE

In Season 1, Rousseau said that Montand lost him arm in the Dark Territory. Is it called that because Smokey surrounds and guards The Temple?

It seems odd that Keamy and his mercenaries were at The Temple when they shot and killed Karl and Rousseau in the future...where was Smokey during that time?

Ben sent the remaining Others to The Temple at one point. Is that where Flight Attendant Cindy and tail section kids Zach & Emma are? What about Goodwin's wife Harper?

Is a clue to the 4 toed statue inside of The Temple? It can't be a coincidence that Charlotte is an archaeologist and someone who made reference to a leader around 200 BC.

It seems that unlike the hatches and stations, The Temple was not created by Dharma. So who built it, and how long ago?

AARON

Does Kate bring him back to the island?

BEN

Is his fate controlled by the island as well? If Sun had pulled the trigger, would the gun have jammed?

I love that it's his fault that the 'very bad things' are happening on the island, and not the O6; because HE left. Is that really why he's working so hard to get everyone back there?

Will he be able to return to the island even after turning the Frozen Donkey Wheel, because he wasn't supposed to be the one to do it?

When Ben first discovered that Daniel Faraday was one of the Freighter Four who had landed on the island, was he already working with or aware of Faraday's mom (Hawking)?

WHEN did Ben visit Locke, and was it on or off the island? Did Locke willingly hand over Jin's ring and try to sell Ben on the story?

Does Ben go after Penny now that Desmond has entered the picture and he knows where to find him?

CHARLOTTE

How/why does she speak Korean? Did Faraday instruct her to learn the language in the past, knowing that it would come in handy on the island in the future?

How did Charlotte know about the well? Given her age, she was probably on the island after Dr. Candle instructed the Dharma workers to avoid the Frozen Donkey Wheel. So where was the well during that period?

Could Eloise Hawking be her mother too? It can't be a coincidence that both Charlotte and Faraday only make reference to their mothers. If they are brother and sister, their relationship will have been creepier than Shannon and Boone's.

Given that she mentioned Carthage, which is present day Tunisia (where she discovered a Dharma polar bear collar before going back to the island)...

DANIEL FARADAY

Exactly when and how did he and Charlotte become close? It struck me as odd that he didn't know about her island upbringing and language skills.

Back when he was the mean, evil man who warned young Charlotte to never return to the island because she'd die...was he working with or for Alpert, Ben or Widmore?

DANIELLE ROUSSEAU & CREW

Why would an 8 months pregnant woman embark on a research trip in the first place?

What kind of scientists travel with that kind of fire power?

In the future, will she remember encountering Jin 16 years earlier?

Was her crew actually sick? Did Smokey have any affect on their mental capacity?

Is Robert really Alex's father? He didn't hesitate to pull the trigger on Danielle, who was pregnant with his alleged daughter.

DESMOND

Does he recognize Eloise Hawking from his visit with her in the past (when she told him that pushing that button would save the world)?

Does he return to the island as well? If so, do Penny & Charlie come with him?

ELOISE HAWKING (I recently explored her possibilities here)

Given that we saw young soldier Ellie on the island, isn't it possible that Faraday was born there too? If so, why is he immune to the time shift sickness/nosebleeds?

Could Charles Widmore be Faraday's father? Why else would he be financially backing Faraday's research?

JACOB

He is remarkably absent during all of the time shifts. What was his/its role on the island during each era?

LOCKE

After Locke turns the Frozen Donkey Wheel, WHEN is he?

Even though she and Ji Yeon were in Korea before he died, did Locke visit her as Bentham and lie about Jin being alive?

MATTHEW ABADDON

I realize that Lance Reddick is busy over on Fringe, but Abaddon has been noticeably absent during the O6 reunion. He doesn't seem to be involved with their return yet he was the one who recruited the Freighter Four for Widmore. Does he really represent Oceanic?

MILES

IF he is the son of Pierre Chang (Dr. Marvin Candle) and was also born on the island, wouldn't he be experiencing the effects at a more rapid rate like Charlotte?

He was the first one to allude to the fact that Charlotte was born on the island...and yet he can't recall whether or not he was. Does he know about Charlotte's past because he's communicated with a deceased relative on the island?

SUN & JI YEON

Does Sun bring Ji Yeon back to the island with her? If they have less than 70 hours to return, that would give her time to fly her to LA from Korea.

Why tell her daughter that she has a new friend (Aaron) unless she knew/thought the two would ever actually meet? I didn't exactly get a warm and fuzzy feeling of sincerity when Sun was 'helping' Kate in the last episode.

If Sun really believes that Jin is alive, will she continue to work with Widmore to kill Ben? If not, will she continue to let him believe that she is?

I BELIEVE THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE

Aaron Austen/Littleton. Ji Yeon Kwan. Charlie Hume. And let's not forget about Walt. They HAVE to be significant to the future of the island and conclusion of the series entirely.

DID YOU NOTICE...

Jin told pregnant Danielle not to go after/save Robert from Smokey, just as Jack told pregnant Sun not to go after/save Jin on the freighter.

Robert told his crew that they "don't leave anyone behind" when he went after Montand and Smokey, and Jack apologized to Jin...for leaving him behind (on the freighter). Live together, die alone (in both cases).

Robert's gun jammed when he intended to shoot Danielle; the island was not ready for her to die.

A boat at the Long Beach marina is called Illusion.

Christian Shephard told Locke that his death would be a sacrifice. Locke referred to Boone's death as "a sacrifice that the island demanded."

CRAZY THEORY OF THE NIGHT

The pushing of the button every 108 minutes in the Swan hatch DID serve a purpose...it released energy which was building up on or below the island; energy that propels/powers the Frozen Donkey Wheel and causes the island dislodging and resulting time shifts. That is why Hawking met with Desmond in the past, to assure him that pushing that button would save them all.
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I've never needed to watch an episode again more than this one. Perhaps it is my current locale or state of mind, but my usual process is particularly slow this evening. I will be downloading it from iTunes in the morning and hope to re-watch before this weekend.

Thank you for your patience! Please feel free to illuminate me with your brilliant theories and poke holes in my exhausted attempts.