Thursday, March 26, 2009

LOST, Episode 5.10 - "He's Our You"

I still can't find the meaning of the face I keep on seeing
Was she real or am I dreaming?
Did the sound of your name TURN A WHEEL, strike a FLAME in me?
The Jackson 5, "Torture"

I'm sure I speak for most of you when I say...wow. Again. Although we knew that the Little Linus/Sayid connection in 70's Dharmaville could potentially put the mini manipulator in danger, I was still quite surprised when Sayid pulled the trigger.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the return of traditional flashbacks and the lack of time shifts in this episode.

AND, we yelled out (to no one in particular) when we saw Sayid first meet Ilana; it was in Nobu Waikiki - we had drinks at that very bar last month, and the bartender told us that Naveen Andrews was recently there filming a scene! For the record, I did not see MacCutcheon. And yes, I looked even though I realize that it is a fictional liquor.

But my head is spinning like a dislodged Geronimo Jackson record, so let's get started with the thoughts and theories...

ANN ARBOR, MI

When I heard Radzinsky talk about calling Ann Arbor, my first thought was that he meant Pierre Chang (Dr. Marvin Candle), because Chang mentions he's from there in the Comic-Con 08 Barracks video. However, I then recalled that the DeGroots founded the Dharma Initiative in 1970 when they were working on their PhD's at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (as mentioned in the Swan orientation film). They are also seen in the Pearl orientation film.

AMY

Still don't trust her. I am starting to believe that she's a spy for Richard Alpert and the Hostiles, that the picnic outside of the sonic fence with her first husband Paul was a set up, and that she knew Sayid wasn't a Hostile even though she pretended to be fearful of him.

ANNIE

Is Ben's childhood girlfriend still living in Dharmaville? If not, where did she go?

BEN

It seems rather obvious that Ben hired Ilana to get Sayid on that Ajira flight, given his first-hand knowledge about Sayid's weakness for hot mysterious women. Also, Ben would have been the only one to know that Sayid killed Avellino, so he chose that particular victim's name for Ilana's bounty hunter cover. I wonder if Ben also hired the Marshall to get Kate onto Flight 815...

Does the island let Ben die? In the future, he gets a spinal tumor - but it's never really been clear whether or not the island protects him.

How will Ben's "death" affect his future relationship with Richard Alpert if young Ben really thought that Sayid was a Hostile? Could it be that Alpert comes to respect, trust and work for Ben after he witnesses him come back to life?

It is interesting to note that no one intervenes to save or help young Ben. Not Alpert, future Locke, Smokey, etc.

Is there any significance to the fact that in the future, Ben is unconscious after being knocked out by Sun's oar, and in the past, Ben is unconscious after being shot by Sayid? I am far too tired to analyze whether it is a purposeful paradox or irrelevant coincidence...

HURLEY

I've always said that I'm more likely to trust a chef who looks like they eat (no offense, Giada De Laurentiis), so I love that Hurley is a Dharma cook.


ILANA

In retrospect, she didn't seem all that concerned about Sayid's whereabouts once the Ajira flight landed on the island and he'd disappeared. If she was indeed hired by Ben, perhaps she was told that might happen (even if Ben didn't give specific details how or why).

Now that she's on the island, what will her role be? Spy for Ben? Or was her purpose served, and will she meet her fate a la Naomi?

KATE

So why did Freckles return? I don't think it was for Sawyer or to update his favor request. I'm assuming it has to do with Aaron. Whomever has him probably made the trade by threatening his life unless she returned to the island.

When Sawyer went to her house, was Jack inside? Is that why she looked behind her and then shut the door to speak with him outside? Did she pull her usual I-can't-have-him-so-I'll-sleep-with-you trick again?

MILES


Donde esta?

If he is Pierre Chang's son, and he is somehow able to communicate that fact to his father (even though Miles would also be there as a baby at the same time)...is that what convinces Chang to believe in the island's abilities, time shifts, etc., and lead him to create the Barracks video? Many of us have assumed that Faraday was the one who informs Chang about the future because we think it's his voice behind the camera, but Miles may have played a role as well.

OLDHAM

Bravo to the casting staff on Lost for choosing William Sanderson to play Oldham. He is the king of creepy awesome, as any Deadwood fans would know from his underrated role as Farnum.

Given the strict rules of "the truce" and the sonic fence, why is Oldham allowed to live on his own on the outskirts of Dharmaville? Clearly he is not afraid of anyone or anything, and although they brush him off as crazy, he holds some power over the Others. Could he be Jacob?

RADZINSKY

Two words: loose cannon.

SAYID

In The Economist, Ben said the following to Sayid: "These people don’t deserve our sympathies. Need I remind you what they did the last time you thought with your heart instead of your gun?" I love that Sayid used his gun this time. (I am obviously so not in favor of shooting a kid; just Ben in general).

What ever happened to Sayid's brother?

Add Sayid to the long list of Losties with daddy issues.

Should I now be concerned about the fate of favorite male Lost character of all time? Will the island/Jacob/Alpert avenge Ben's "death" and send Smokey to take care of Sayid? I seriously hope not.

[Side note: if the PTB (powers that be) kill off either Sayid or Juliet (my top 2)...I will be very disappointed. Reminder: please keep your comments spoiler-free; if you've heard anything about the future of any character, please do not share that information here. Thank you in advance!]

WIDMORE

Ben was having Sayid kill all of Widmore's associates. Not because they were a threat to Sayid, any of the other Oceanic 6 or those left on the island...but because Widmore changed the rules when Alex was killed.

PARALLELS
  • Ben brought Sayid a book when he was in jail, Locke brought Ben a book when he was being held beneath his New Otherton house.
  • Sawyer watched as Oldham "tortured" Sayid via hallucinogenic drug while tied up to a tree, Sayid tied up Sawyer to a tree and tortured him in Season 1 to find out where he was hiding Shannon's inhalers.
  • Ben set a Dharma van on fire to distract everyone and set Sayid free, Walt set the raft on fire in Season 1 because he didn't want to leave the island. On second thought, the only similarity is fire...
A Separate Reality (Ben's book)

It is about apprenticeship, which clearly ties into Richard Alpert's relationship with Ben. But there is also the use of psychotropic plants, which reminds me of Locke's Season 3 sweat lodge paste and Oldham's truth serum used on Sayid tonight.


THE FUTURE

Faraday has reiterated that they can't change the future; that what happened, happened. Even though he's been a few sandwiches short of a picnic since Big Red's death, I'm still following his train of thought. He has the infamous notebook of secrets after all, from thirty years of time travel back and forth from the island to...a separate reality.

That being said, will Sayid's actions have any impact on Ben's future purge or "the incident?"

NOT ENTIRELY CRAZY THEORIES OF THE NIGHT


1. Just as he did when he saved Ben's life by removing the spinal tumor, Jack will save young Ben's life.

2. Little Linus transforms into Lethal Linus after being shot by Sayid as a kid. His entire purpose and plan are altered by this...incident. Including his lifelong obsession with Juliet.

3. Radzinsky is panicked that Sayid saw the model of the Swan (even though it's unclear whether Sayid even registered what he saw) because it will become or house an island wormhole/exit. We know that whomever turns the Frozen Donkey wheel winds up in Tunisia, but perhaps there is more than one way to (time) travel from the island. Entering the numbers into the computer directly relates to the wormhole and the electromagnetic field above or surrounding the island, which is why Hawking emphasized to Desmond that the most important thing he would do in his life is push those buttons.

---
That about does it for the first round of initial thoughts about "He's Our You." I have no doubt that there will be a second round sooner than later, given the magnitude of that last scene and the resulting ramifications for the remainder of the season and series.

I appreciate your patience and eyes. Thank you for reading and sharing; as an Anonymous reader astutely recognized in a recent comment...I love receiving and reading your feeding more than anything. It is why I continue to analyze and discuss Lost with great enthusiasm.

Enjoy the rest of your week, rewatch the episode (or at least "the scene") and stay tuned for more lucid theories soon!

14 comments:

Kristian01 said...

Thanks Jo,

I'm down under in Australia and I dowload and watch every episode as soon as I can, but I watch it alone. My ex got me into Lost and then a year later we broke up. None of my friends understand my obsession, so I have no one to bounce ideas off or discuss it with. Reading these ideas and recaps help keep me sane! ;-)

Brilliant episode. I think that Darlton want us to think that young Ben is dead, but that would change things way too much for them to deal with in only 1.5 seasons. I think you are right in assuming that Jack will save him, or maybe even Juliet. Which could explain why he develops such a thing for her in the future... remember the "she looks just like her" lines from mid season 3? I always assumed they were talking about his first love, but now? It makes more sense this way.

Thanks for the blog!

Kris

Anonymous said...

I have to disagree on the Little Linus becoming Lethal Linus because of this act. I think he will chalk it up to Sayid not being a 'hostile' or he will assume that there is more to it. I think whatever makes Ben decide to carry out the purge is going to be much more serious than this little incident. Maybe the big incident, and I hope we see that soon. I am really getting tired of 77, it is time for the rockin' 80's.

Anonymous said...

Something else that just popped into my head while I was contemplating some of your thoughts:

1. IF Faraday was correct that whatever happened, happened, then Ben would have had no reason to hire Ilana. Since Ben already knew that regardless of what Sayid said the night before the flight, Sayid would be on that plane and sent back to 77. There is no way around that fact, since to Ben, it had already happened.
2. I think it is far more likely that Widmore figured out who Ben used to kill his associates and leaked it to the family most likely to do something vengeful. He would never have known that the flight was going to disappear ala 815. His only thought would be a bit of retribution. Widmore strikes me as the kind of guy who could easily figure out that Ben wouldn't have done the killing himself, and Sayid was a well trained killer.

Kristian01 said...

And... i just re-watched it. Watching that scene for a second time where Ben told Sayid that he was a killer, seemed like Ben knew that Sayid shot him as a child... It was part of what made Ben who he is today and why he has trust issues... Ben WANTED Sayid to shoot him as a child!

Or am I rambling crap? What do you think?

K

Anonymous said...

Hey Jo! My head always feels like it's about to explode after an episode like lastnights! you always seem to make it worse...in a good way!! =) thanks!

1. Where do we think Faraday is right now? I know he went off the deep end & everything, but where did he go?
2. my little theory of the day is...Sayid killing Ben is a break in the truce. Sayid is thought to be a Hostile. Ben is a Dharmavilleian. Sayid kills Ben....Hostiles vs. Dharmavilleians '77!!
There was always talk about a "War". Widmore said it to Locke. He told Locke he had to be there b/c there was going to be a war....could this be the start of that war?
Maybe...i don't know. My head hurts!

Anonymous said...

Is there any chance that Ben could be some sort of undead who still ages? And the cancer, all the times he gets beat within an inch of his life is some sort of course-correction? I haven't thought this out at all (obviously) but it just occurred to me...

whiterabbita said...

Kristian: Ben WANTED Sayid to shoot him as a child!

Well, it could be true!

Jo: your wondering about the Marshall and Kate in flight 815. I don't know why, but if I think flight 316 is set up by Ben, I've always made a mental conncection Widmore-815. But I'm totally confused, as ever. xx

mfeige said...

I absolutely love the blog and the lost recaps, I just started reading after "Namaste." I love the idea that Ben's tumor is course correction and the the island is constantly trying to kill him and failing. hence in this different past Sayid succeeds the first time. If I had a better memory I would list all the times ben has almost been killed or attacked. Off the top of my head, Keamy etc, The Tumor, Jack almost kills him near the radio tower, When he is hurt and locked in the Swan, That's all I've got.

I thought it was a great show. I loved your analysis. I hope Ben stays in the show somehow because he is one of my favorite characters for his unpredictability. It seems like Ben is constantly topping himself with each progressive feat he becomes a bigger jerk (a lot of other words I could use, but I'm not sure about the cursing rules).

Matt

glf said...

Thanks Jo great breakdown and Hi to fellow Aussie Kris.

Good pickup on Ann Arbor – everyone else has missed that one.

Annie – yes where is she – I was guessing (given what the preview showed us) that Sayid was going to try and shoot Ben but got Annie instead – hence why Ben is so twisted about her etc. After this I’m in the Ben was twisted beforehand camp – no mother; abused by father…

Amy – yes more to that story there and how did Ethan become an Other. Sorry JO but I have to say this – I STILL don’t trust Juliet (she’s SUCH a good liar)

Ben – do you think he was the Economist as well? – he’s lying about EVERYTHING else.

Ilana – if she’s ‘Ben’s’ wonder if Cesar is ‘Widmores?. Although I’m still wondering when we’ll learn about Gabriel and Jeffrey that Ben referred to when he spoke to Jill the Butcher in The Lie‘have Gabriel and Jeffrey checked in yet?”Could they be Ilana & Cesar?

Radzinsky – yes brilliant, intelligent but UNSTABLE...

Sayid – Smokey et al - please leave Sayid alone – we love him. And boy oh boy Ben sure has ‘got him back’ for shooting him as a child.

Agree with mfeige that it does appear that the Island is trying to free itself of Ben – tumor, turn the wheel to save the island (it appears the island goes back in time when the wheel is turned– it did when Ben moved and then when Locke moved it). Personally I’d like to be free of Ben – I am somewhat tired of it all being about him. I’d like to get back to S1 zone when it was about the 815ers and their journey.. dream on..

zerocrossing said...

"He is the king of creepy awesome, as any Deadwood fans would know from his underrated role as Farnum."

How dare you not mention that he's J.F. Sabastian from Bladerunner and Larry from The Bob Newhart show! ;)

Nurby said...

I will wish I had invested in all the past seasons on DVD to rewatch them!!! I am wondering how many times have we seen ben lie and absolutely knew he was lying. It really stuck out to me in this episode, watching him blatantly lie to Sayid about Locke's death. I know we figure he lies all the time, but I can't quite think of how many we are privy to.

The one thing that keeps bugging me, is what did Ben say to Kate at that lunch they had. I really hope that gets answered.

Any significance to mentioning that Ben said that he made Sayid a chicken salad sandwich after the whole chicken killing scene. It's hard to think that Ben was so innocent and just acting out because he had a bad dad. hmmmm...

White Rabbit said...

I LOVE FARNUM!!

CeQuiFaitDemain said...

Maybe it has been said before but I remember that you discussed wether Lapidus and Sun were in 1992 or 2007. But there were this place where the plane landed that was build in 2004... So it's 2007, no?
And then, as far as the barracks seem not changed when Sun and Lapidus get there, it seems that the future has been changed... no?

But it would be very surprising because many of our questions would be about events not happening anymore so we may never have any answer...

Josh said...

This was so long ago, and I'm kind of incorporating events from very interspersed episodes, but here goes... do we know exactly why Ben decided to get into the camp of the Oceanic losties (Jack, etc.). As far as I can recall, Ben did not know that there would be a plane suddenly snap in half in the sky, which is why he wanted Ethan to get a passenger list. Did he get the list from Ethan or however, and see Sayid Jarrah's name and go, like, "no way...". Obviously they were brought to the island by someone or something in some way, so even if Ben was involved in getting Sayid to the island, is that why he went to their camp...? I mean, even if he was involved, I can see him being curious enough to want to go to see the man who shot you as a child.

(Again, I may have just completely forgotten important details.)