Tuesday, August 4, 2009

LOST ReWatch Week #8: Orientation, Everybody Hates Hugo, ...And Found & Abandoned


I must apologize for the delay - I am now two weeks behind in this Rewatch project! However, I think most of you will forgive me because the delay was caused by travel and Comic-Con. For those who missed it, here is my recap and analysis of the last ever Lost panel, accompanied by photos and links to all of the videos. :)

In addition, I just made the switch from PC to Mac and am furiously trying to learn a whole new bag of technology tricks to improve upon this and my other sites. So please excuse any spacing or photo size issues in advance.

I encourage you to also visit my fellow Lost Rewatch friends who are sharing their fresh perspective about previous seasons of our favorite show!

So let's crawl beneath the Swan together, lean our collective heads against the concrete and try to figure out if what happened did indeed happen...

Crossing Paths

While Shannon and her step-mother find out that her father did not survive a car crash, Jack walks by them in the hospital corridor.

Moments earlier, Jack had made the decision to save his future wife Sarah rather than Shannon's father after the two were in the accident.

Goosebump-Inducing Dialogue

Everybody Hates Hugo
Jin, in Hurley's dream: "Everything's going to change."
Mrs. Reyes, to Hurley: "You have to change your life. Do you think someone will change it for you?"
Hurley: "I'm sorry, but I can't let it happen again." [although he was referring to the food pantry, I immediately thought about his reaction to seeing the Swan being built in 1977 and the subsequent Jughead detonation, as well as the original dynamite blast which opened the hatch in 2004 that he tried to prevent...]
...And Found
Locke: "I'm not lost anymore."
Sun: "How did you do that?"
Locke: "Same way anything lost gets found; I stopped looking."
Abandoned
Shannon: "I need you to believe in me."
Parallels

In Orientation...

Helen says the following to Locke:
"You don't know what's going to happen. None of us do. It's why it's called a LEAP OF FAITH."
Locke says the following to Jack:
"I can't do this alone. I don't want to. It's a LEAP OF FAITH."
In 316 (S5), Eloise Hawking said the following to Jack:
"Start asking yourself whether or not you believe it's going to work. That's why it's called a LEAP OF FAITH."
In And Found...

Sun loses her wedding ring after burying a bottle of notes from the raft that Jin was supposed to be on.
In This Place is Death (S5)...

Jin gives Locke his wedding band to convince Sun that he's dead so she won't return to the island.

Significant Firsts

We see Pierre Chang as Dr. Marvin Candle in the Swan Orientation Film.

We also hear the names Hanso and DeGroot for the first time.

Jin speaks English (even though it's only in Hurley's dream).

We meet Libby; ironically, the first person she speaks with is Michael, who later kills her.

We are introduced to the Arrow Station.

We meet Bernard.

We find out Mr. Eko's name.

Bernard

I know the man was a Dentist, but he later assisted Juliet with Jack's beach side appendectomy. So...I am now curious why he did not offer to help or even look at Sawyer's infected bullet wound when they were making their original trek to the beach.

Further proof that there was more than meets the eye about Bernard - his Morse Code interpretation skills in S4.

Cindy

Was she taken by the Others or did she disappear on purpose; did Cindy ditch Ana Lucia & co. to join them? She was the only crew member from Flight 815 to survive, and unscathed at that. Conspiracy theorists...what are your thoughts about her allegiance?


Helen

I know I'm not the only one who thinks that Locke's girlfriend is still alive. Abaddon told him that she'd passed away from a brain aneurysm and took him to her grave, but as we've seen on Lost before...that does not necessarily indicate that she's dead and buried.

It seems rather unlikely now that Locke will have a happy ending on this series, but I hold a small glimmer of hope that he will reunite with Helen (perhaps in an alternate reality/timeline?).

Jack

Jack's 180 degree transformation from Seasons 1-2 to Season 5 is fascinating. He went from devout man of science to unstoppable man of faith.

He was infuriated by the countdown clock and button pushing, and did not believe one word out of Desmond's mouth. By the end of S5, there was no deterring the Doc when he believed that detonating a bomb would shift them back to the future.

Libby

I am very rarely disappointed with any aspect of Lost. However, that we'll never find out what Libby's real backstory was is atop my short list of frustrating, unresolved mysteries.

Being reintroduced to her character in Season 2...I just love that she said she was a clinical psychologist when clearly she'd spent time in a mental institution as a patient.

There are a few key aspects from the little we do know about her that intrigue the hell out of me; that her deceased husband was named David and Hurley's imaginary friend was named Dave, that Dave and Hurley were at the same institution as Libby, that she gave David's boat to Desmond - which is how he arrived on the island.

Personally, I believe that she is Penny's half-sister; that she was the reason younger Widmore was exiled from the island when he had an affair with a civilian that resulted in a pregnancy.

Darlton have confirmed on many occasions that actress Cynthia Watros has either been unavailable or uninterested in returning to the show. It seems that they would be interested in filling us in, given the opportunity to do so.

Dear Cynthia Watros:

Please return to Oahu at least once in the next ten months. Yours is an integral role and we are clamoring for closure.

Seriously and thank you,
The fans

Locke

Some of you will jump all over me because it was a mere prop...

...but I still contend that Bentham's obit is significant because it said that he had a son.

I rarely think about that possibility, but Locke's uncanny paternal nature with Claire & Aaron and his swaddling knowledge replanted that seed in my mind.

Before you politely disagree with me (hint hint; you know I'm not a fan of criticism that isn't constructive), keep in mind the possibility of an Alternate Reality element in S6. I strongly encourage you to watch the Hurley, Kate and Oceanic commercials that they played at Comic-Con; both hint quite obviously toward two possibilities. First, that the passengers of Flight 815 never boarded that plane or crashed on the island. Second, that their lives and luck were entirely different BEFORE getting on Flight 815 and crashing on the island.

The Others

The kidnapped Tail Section people were on the list for being "good people," and we know that they're alive because we later glimpse Cindy and the kids both on Hydra Island at the cages and in Other tent camp with Ben. Is it safe to assume that they all reside inside the walls of or beneath the Temple?

I still find it rather puzzling that Darlton confirmed on a podcast that the barefoot Other child who was dragging a teddy bear through the jungle was neither Zach or Emma. Why else focus on that bear when the Tail Section siblings first landed on the beach?

Rose

From the very beginning, Rose was resolute about her belief that husband Bernard was alive; it certainly seemed like far more than simple faith. I also think back to the faith healer in Australia who told her that he could not heal her because she was not "in the right place yet" and then her cancer WAS healed upon arrival on the island. It seems to me that Rose may have been visited by Jacob and his magic touch at some point in her life before Flight 815.

The Swan

What struck me at Comic-Con was the number of times that both Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) and Darlton said that certain events would take place and specific characters would return "if Jack's plan worked." After re-watching Orientation, it seems quite clear (at least to me) that Jack's plan DID work...

According to Dr. Candle in the orientation film, the Swan was "originally constructed as a laboratory where scientists could work to understand the unique electromagnetic fluctuations emanating from this sector of the island." He then makes reference to 'the incident' and explains the new protocol for pressing the button every 108 minutes as a result.

So...the obvious conclusion is that Jack's plan worked, that Jughead detonated and caused The Incident, and that a team was then put in place to study those properties beneath it. That the Swan continued to be constructed after the detonation seems to indicate that it may have shifted them forward in time but left relatively little physical damage to the locale. The concrete beneath the station (which Sayid noted was similar to Chernobyl) must have been used to block off any remaining dangerous electromagnetic issues caused by Jughead.

It is also significant to note the Candle appears to have a prosthetic left hand in this film; remember that Chang's left hand was crushed during The Incident.

For those of you who are convinced that the detonation of Jughead did not change anything...
  1. Do you believe that the Swan construction continued and it was completed and staffed without any incident?
  2. If so, what incident is Candle referring to the in the film?
  3. If what happened, happened...is Juliet alive or dead at the bottom of the Swan shaft?
  4. What do you make of the flash that occurred when she appeared to detonate the bomb; mere television SFX or time shifting indication?
Walt

On the island, Walt has appeared on several occasions in places he wasn't supposed to be (recalling the warning from Other kidnapper Ms. Klugh to his father Michael). We know that he has special telekinetic powers, but we must also ponder whether or not Mystery Man/NotLocke ever embodied young Walt to communicate/warn his friend in these instances...

Wet Ghost Walt appeared to Shannon and then Shannon & Sayid.

Taller Ghost Walt later appeared to tell Locke that he had work to do after Locke had been shot and left for dead by Ben in the Dharma ditch.

By the way, I love that in Hurley's dream, Walt was shown as Missing on his milk carton when he had no idea that Walt was no longer on the raft at that time.
---

That wraps up this installment of my belated Lost Rewatch episode analysis. Stay tuned sooner than later, as I will tackle The Other 48 Days, Collision, What Kate Did and The 23rd Psalm next! Fair warning - I have always liked Ana Lucia, so the gloves are on if you are on opposite ends of the beach with that one...

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramble!
-Jo

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed the analysis. I'm going to look over the swan transcript now - there might be some answers there. BTW, 108 is opposite, 360 is turning all the way around and ending at the same place you started. Of course, maybe we will see Jack make a full 360 by the end! Who knows.

BuckarooBanzai said...

Looks like the transition to your 13“ MBP was no problem, Jo. Libby as Widmores daughter is sweet, I like that idea. About Cindy, I still wonder what she and the kids were supposed to watch at the cages… And her just dropping from the group, which leads to Shannons death, seems quite possible.
With Jughead, the whole nitrogen bomb would have blown away half the island, but the fission core may have been small enough so that it's aftermath was containable. But as long as we don't know what actually happened when Desmond turned the Failsafe key and the hatch went sideways it's hard to predict the outcome of a small nuclear blast next to the energy pocket. The same for flashing them out of Ajira 316. Obviously no nuclear blast was needed to propel them back to 1977. But I guess with only 17 episodes remaining, Jacks plan worked.

Rene said...

I haven't read this yet since I'm trying to rewatch the last two episodes in this group but not having any luck online. What's up with the free episode player on abc.com? It now only offers season 1 and season 5. Are there any other sites that provide free full episodes? Or do I need to rent these from a video store?

Thanks, Rene

Tess315 said...

Do I think the bomb being detonated changed things? Yes.
Do I think Jack's (and Daniel's) plan worked? No.

For the plan to have worked they would all end up in LAX and I don't think that's what's going to happen.

I've said this on other blogs. To me detonating the bomb is the same as Desmond turning the key. This may be how they bring some of the season 1 characters back, in a time flash created by the bomb detonation.

However bringing the characters back in this way would have one flaw. Technically we should only flash through Juliet's past like we did Desmond's and that wouldn't involved the dead Losties.

I assumed that Penny was the child concieved with an outsider since Daniel was Widmore's and Hawking's son.

Did Darlton confirm that it was a child dragging the bear? I never thought it was a child. I thought it was an adult. Perhaps one who hadn't grown up mentally.

Widmore always calls Ben boy. It could be just to demean him. But what if it's because Ben is still a child? Maybe taking him into the temple not only took his innocence but kept him a child. Ben does sometimes have temper tantrums when things don't go his way. I know it's out there. Just a thought.

One thing that I found strange about the bear was that it was so beaten up in such a short time.
Maybe this has something to do with time travel.

lostforeever said...

Jo, really love your posts. I too am a fan of Ana Lucia and was disappointed on her untimely death. I'm not sure why people don't remember that Cindy and the kids were called to Alcratraz Island to watch or witness Juliet's trial for murdering Danny. Look forward to the rest of the rewatch.

Nurby said...

I am finally catching up, but realizing I am still behind on the rewatch. Got a lot of shows to watch this weekend, luckily netflix now has them for instant play!

I would also love to know more about Libby. I was really shocked when they killed her off. I didn't really see why, but maybe that will be answered in the end.

Well off to watch more season 2 episodes!

Anonymous said...

I dont know why, but I had this idea that Daniel and Penny were twins and Elly and Charles took one each to raise. So maybe Libby is the child Charles had with and outsider.

Capcom said...

Great observations Jo, and commenters!

I feel the same way that you do about the bomb vs the core, Thurston. I was also wondering if the magnetism could have (in a SciFi world) pulled most of the blast inward, to keep it from blowing the island away, leaving the area for the Swan basically intact for the station to still be built, as Jo mentions. Kind of like whatever the failsafe was/did to release the buildup and implode the area...perhaps the core had the same effect, alllowing the DI to still precariously contain and use the magnetism.

Heheh, all of their lives didn't seem so different in the alternate universe, Kate is still a loser murderess. Unless she was framed, which is entirely possible. :o)

BuckarooBanzai said...

You are right Capcom. But how goes the old saying?
A tiger can not change her stripes!
;))

Chris said...

Love your posts. You may need to put up a totally separate post defending Ana Lucia! I'm curious what you can find that is actually good....

BuckarooBanzai said...

Chris, Ana Lucia really suffered from the neighbours with the screaming kid, before they moved away.
Give her a break.

Capcom said...

LOL Thorsten. :-)

Anonymous said...

Check out this Damon and Carlton interview where they reveal some new hints about Libby's backstory http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a163300/exclusive-team-darlton-talk-lost.html

Here is Lostpedia's analysis of this interview:

They later revealed in an interview the reason for her being in the institution was her going mad after her husband's death and that it will not be explained without Cynthia's presence.[1]

The timeline of Libby's backstory has been stated differently on two occasions. The long-standing stance was that she gave Desmond the boat before she was in Santa Rosa. However, a new interview[1] indicates she gave Desmond the boat after she got out of Santa Rosa. Since Libby stated her husband had only been dead a month, the likelihood of her going insane and recovering in that time is unlikely. However, as it is the most recent explanation, it is the one assumed to be true.

Ernie said...

Hey JO, in the past couple of months Darlton did an interview where they basically went through Libby's entire backstory and said that at this point on the show, it doesn't really fit in with their story telling anyway.

You can catch it in this video:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid20170988001?bctid=28387335001