Sunday, September 6, 2009

Lost Season 6, Episode 1: Title Analysis

I broke my own rule and watched a few episodes of Lost while flying a few days ago. It was eerie, but also a productive use of time! Sitting in the airport and then on the plane, I started to ponder the possible interpretations of the Season 6 premiere episode title.

Although I try to remain as spoiler-free as possible, I was unable to avoid hearing about the title; not only was it revealed in Paul Scheer's viral video, it was plastered all over Facebook and Twitter.

So here is your MINOR SPOILER warning...if you do not want to know the title, stop reading now - it is posted below the photo below. 




Assuming that LA X is actually the title of episode 6.01, and not a placating red herring, here are some of the more obvious possibilities:
  • LAX: the airport that Flight 815 was scheduled to land at on 9/22/04
  • Los Angeles Ten: similar to the Oceanic Six (perhaps only 10 characters "reset?")
  • Lost And...Found?
And, of course, here are some of my far-fetched options (to be taken with a grain of speculative salt):
  • Locke, Aaron and The Variable [X is an algebraic variable after all] 
  • Locke, Alpert and The Variable (candidates: Desmond, Faraday, NotLocke, Jacob, Walt?)
  • Lower Australia, and X may mark the actual location of the island 
As Hurley reminded us in S4, "Australia is key."And Isaac of Uluru (in central Australia) pointed out that there are certain geological places with great energy there.

By the way, one of the southernmost cities in Lower Australia is PORTLAND. According to Richard Alpert, the island is "not quite in Portland."  Just a thought. :)

So...what is YOUR interpretation of LA X?

19 comments:

Match.com dating stories said...

Love this post!

It does seem like Hurley is always throwing us a crumb or two. Especially in S4 and 5.

I love the theory about the arctic setting for the island also.

Thanks for all the hard work and theorizing.

Anonymous said...

I think it refers to the fact Jack was wrong in thinking his plan will get him back to LA.

Anonymous said...

Or the reset will work... except for Jack and anyone else Jacob touched. Maybe the number of people he touched will turn out to be ten, giving an "LA" group that's been reset, and an "X" group that hasn't.

Majandra said...

Mhmmm I think LAX might refer to the airport... at least as one possible interpretation. I'm pretty sure there will be a double meaning there somewhere.

I have a theory about we might see in the season premiere but it is based on something I know about it for a fact, and since you're trying to avoid spoilers, I won't go into detail here. ;)

glf said...

Hi Jo, I had to write as I live in Melbourne and will be going to this Portland for a break in November! I’ll have a look for the island when I’m there,  although I’d better warn you that I have been to this Portland many times already and didn’t see anything LOST there. [Note to everyone: I get it – I know Jo is talking about the LOST story and not the real thing!] However, let me prattle on – Portland area is a really beautiful spot and being a good distance from a capital city it’s generally quiet. There are miles of wild and beautiful beaches and cliffs where you can walk all day without seeing another living soul. There is a great national park campsite in the area which is situated behind a sand dune. People have collected a lot of flotsam and jetsam and decorated and ‘furnished’ the campsite (found a picture here - http://www.everytrail.com/view_picture.php?picture_id=65575 ). When we camped there a couple of years ago we did talk about how it was a bit ‘LOST’ish.

Otherwise your question re LA X? Confirms to me absolutely that they’re not going to land in LA. It says that despite the Incident, 815ers are destined (which we’ve been told over and over haven’t we!) to go to the island. That's about as far as I can 'predict' how S6 will go.

Cheerio, Gail

Unknown said...

Hello Jo from Tokyo.

I like this.
Los Angeles Ten: similar to the Oceanic Six.

Jughead detonation will cause
Jack and Co. to "Mind Travel" into the Fright 815.

I believe original survivors will be rest but with knowledge of island.


Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, Jin
(Jacob 6)
And possibly Bernard, Rose and Vincent.

9 members. (incl. Vincent the dog)


Juliet and Miles are not in original fright so they will travel to their own 2004 places.


I noticed X should not be "TEN".

For more my reset theory please refer to
http://hirokislostlog.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-theory-for-lost-part-1-jack-will-say.html

thorsten said...

Nice report from the southern tip of downunder, Gail!
I never came further than your lovely capital ;)

About LA|X, with only 17 episodes (I know, I know) remaining to wrap everything up, there is not much time left for red herrings. I say they will land in LA in september 2004, regroup, and bring the band back together. They will get Faraday, hijack the Galaga, and return to the Island to kick some Esau butt.
The End.

Unknown said...

You've got some great theories there, Jo! My take on it was that LA X was like a reference to Earth X, or in other words, an alternate reality version of LA. As in, if they have changed the timeline?

Anonymous said...

I'll take it as a red herring, which is not to say I don't find these theories a lot of fun.

We spent enough time getting back from LAX the last time around.

We did leave some interesting people and storylines behind in LA though: Charles Widmore, Ellie, Desmond, Penny, and little Charlie were all at the hospital. And yes, Aaron and Claire's mother.

Anonymous said...

i think LA X goes with the two realities idea...i.e. in one reality they land in LA and in the other they remain at X , where X is the location of the island

Anonymous said...

LA X is 100% official, Jorge Garcia confirmed it.

Match.com dating stories said...

Okay,

If they land in LAX, what year is it? IF the commercials are canon, then then Hurley comes back with a new chicken sauce, and Kate has killed some one else.

My brain hurts thinking about how they will wrap this up to everyone's satisfaction.

However, before the plane crash, Kate was supposed to have killed her stepfather, how could that be changed??

Anonymous said...

I think episode one will be about the Xtraction of mister Chang's Left Arm during the incident.

Machio

thorsten said...

@pgtbeauregardislost…

The year is 2004. IF Jughead was the first time involved in the Incident, and IF the Swan has no Apple II controlling the magnetic bladder and 815 does not crash because Desmond did not push the darn button.
They land in LA, September 2004. The Real John Locke in the wheelchair, etc. But Because this is a different universe, tiny things are different, like killing the wrong plumber.

Anonymous said...

LA X = LA 10 = LA 2010? Also incidentally the year the show will air... Also could be LAX itself in 2010 - the Ajira crew are in 2008, I believe, so could be set 2 years in the future after all has, sort of, been resolved, but it hasn't.

Whether LA could be something else I don't know, but knowing this show it probably is!

Match.com dating stories said...

@thorsten,

I probably need to read Stephen Hawking's book, because I don't understand how Locke would still be in a wheelchair, but Kate killed someone else. Would it be possible for Locke to walk off the plane?

It makes sense that they would make it 2004, and they all land in LAX.

Would they remember anything about each other? I'm too lazy to figure it out by myself, I'll wait for you'all to get it right:)

thorsten said...

@pgtbeauregardislost…

You are right, it is totally possible that Locke is fine. But we see that Kate followed through with her plan, for the same reasons as in Timeline A. The same with Locke. He will not let go of his father. Maybe the confrontation will not happen in this flat high up, but then Cooper will do another nasty thing to Locke, to get rid of him. People are basically the same. And blowing up Jugheads core changed nothing in the personal lifes of these folks.

They will only remember each other if Jacobs touch was about that. But for the sake of the audience, and with only 17 eps left to untangle the loop, yes, they will remember.

ZooBot23 said...

Hi Jo!
I love your blog, even if I rarely comment. LA X! So exciting, the possibilities! Every time I speculate about LOST, I'm wrong. Which is great, because I love surprises. Mystery, Surprise, Love: these are the central themes to Life Itself...and LOST. But, I tend to agree with the previous posters that this may be an Earth X kind of thing. Although, I did just watch the Paul Scheer clip (Human Giant is a great continuation of UCB, if you ask me!), and it suggests that we may get to see the temple in this episode. I just really hope I can stop reading about new episodes, because I'd really like to have a completely astonished look on my face every time a new episode airs!!!

Orchid Station said...

I am more thinking the title does reference the flight landing at LAX.

This is due to the fact that 815 didn't crash as the hatch wasn't built. They were born, they did everything to get on the plane... just things in life are now... different.

Jack and co will be on that flight and continueing on with a different life.

However.... back in '77. Juliet lets bomb go off and there is mind transfer or moving back to present time for rest of em.. they exist now in 77 for good.

I also think however jack and co stay in '77 and maybe don't age. (explains un-Locke!) and hence "HE FOUND A HOLE IN THE LOOP OF TIME" (loophole anyone?)

If LAX Jack & Co. ever end up on island, they will be either able to meet '77 themselves (either old or young! old would be cool).

Steve, Australia!