Wednesday, February 17, 2010

LOST Episode 6.04: "The Substitute" (Initial Thoughts & Theories)





"I'll make you a deal, like any other candidate.
We'll pretend we're walking home, 'cause your future's at stake."
Candidate, David Bowie


Due to jetlag, I had no intention of working on this post after The Substitute aired. However, I knew that there was no way I would be able to sleep after this phenomenal episode. In the interest of time, however, I will not be inserting many screen captures. 


Only a few episodes into the final season, I have to say that I am equally satisfied and impressed with how they are presenting the characters in their "what if" scenarios off island. I love how they are interacting and meeting for the first time (again), and am eagerly anticipating a fantastic finish to the series. 


But let's dig into tonight's episode, and scratch off some names together...


What's In a Name?


Initially, I called the new Flight 815 scenario an Alternate Reality, and then labeled it a Reset. After finally listening to Darlton's first podcast of S6, it is clear that they do not consider either of those to be viable options. So at least for now, I will refer to the parallel universe as Off Island.


Ben




Just as I suspected a few weeks ago, we get a glimpse of Benjamin Linus off island in a normal job. But because I'm unsure about what the alternate reality/parallel universe/reset really is, I wonder if it is possible that this photo of him at the copying machine that Miles brought to the island from S4 was taken during this indescribable time:




Has there been a better eulogy on Lost? I actually believed Ben's remorse about killing Locke when he said that "I'm very sorry I murdered him."




Black and White: Theme Alert!


 


Aside from the obvious and fantastic "inside joke" black and white stones on the scale of (in)justice in Jacob's cave, I noticed that Off Island Locke was wearing white socks. This is significant only because he was wearing black socks when he woke up on the beach after crashing on Flight 815 (remember - he wiggled his toes in disbelief).




Helen of Joy


It was great to see Katey Sagal again, although I admit that I was spoiled about Helen's eventual return a long time ago. Her husband Kurt Sutter, creator and executive producer of Sons of Anarchy, tweeted a while back about Katey being in Hawaii. Doh! 




When Helen said "maybe it's destiny" to Off Island Locke, I immediately thought back to the S1 finale when Locke told Jack that "the island chose you - it's destiny." 


Home is Where the Heart Is


Although I have no clue how notLocke and Sawyer will get 'home,' I can't wait to find out how that will affect the flash sideways of Sawyer and whether or not he will meet an alive Juliet when he returns.  IF notLocke returns to his version of home, we have to assume that it will be as John Locke (because he is stuck in that body, after all). 


Hurley




I'm a big fan of Off Island Hurley so far. I have a feeling that he owns more than just the companies that employ Locke and Rose, and that we'll see more familiar faces in his world this season. I thought for sure that Locke would meet up with Michael if he had taken the construction job.


I'll Be Seeing You, Boy




We know that the young boy who startled notLocke on the island was not Widmore or Ben. For a brief moment, I considered Alpert but his hair would not have been that light. The obvious choice is Jacob, although I believe it was actually young John Locke. The boy had blood on his hands when notLocke first got a glimpse of him (which may be a nod to both just having killed Jacob and to the many times he hunted and killed animals on the island). 




However...I am thrown by the fact that Sawyer was also able to see the young boy. We know that Sawyer is still alive, and that leads me to believe that the boy may be real and living on the island. Could he be a Temple Other Offspring, immune to notLocke's darkness and danger? 


AND - I'm not sure how this could be, but perhaps the young boy is Aaron. In real time, he would not be that old. But I am thinking back to the time when the Man in Black as Christian Shephard (Aaron's grandfather) told Locke that Aaron was "where he needed to be" after Claire left him in the jungle and joined her dead dad.


Ilana




If I had to guess, Ilana took a bag of Jacob's ash to bring to the Temple and put in the Spring. Perhaps that will make the water clear again. OR...she will use it as protection against notLocke during their journey to the Temple. 


We were given our first indication that Ilana knows more than she had previously revealed, when she mentioned Jin to Sun. My first thought is that Jacob briefed her about the island's current inhabitants when he visited her in the hospital to ask that favor in S5.


Jacob's Ladder




I'm am not a very religious person, but I think I have a grasp on the possible significance of Jacob's ladder on the island. In the Hebrew Bible, it is my understanding that Jacob's ladder is a sort of bridge between Heaven and earth where souls ascend, descend and suffer.  While obviously applicable to those recruited to the island, this is not my strong point and I welcome your interpretation as well.


Kate


Jaters and Skaters, fear not. Although it was rather alarming to learn that Kate's name was missing from Jacob's etched wall in the cave, I seriously doubt that the damsel is in any distress with regard to her future in the final season. 

Locke (Off Island)


That Helen mentioned his father while discussing their wedding seems to indicate that he is involved in Locke's life and that he was not responsible for how Locke wound up in the wheelchair. If Anthony Cooper did not push his son out of an eight story window, I certainly hope we find out how Locke became paralyzed. I have to wonder whether Locke did donate a kidney to his father, only this time...Cooper didn't flee and it brought them closer together.


I don't know about you, but when Locke was wheeling down the hallway of the school and he stopped a young African American boy to ask a question, my heart stopped when I thought it might be Walt. Unfortunately, due to actual actor age logistics - that would have been impossible. 


I'm sure that most of you noticed that Locke's alarm clock going off WAS the exact sound of the Swan hatch countdown clock warning. It reminded me of the Smokey print out sound that they played for Locke's office calculator in Walkabout (S1). 


Although Helen ripped up Jack's card, I doubt that we've seen the last of this incarnation of Locke and Jack. I love the idea of Jack's science 'fixing' Locke's faith.


So if Locke didn't go to the conference or on the Walkabout, what did he do in Sydney for a week? I am also curious to find out if Matthew Abaddon was the one who put the Walkabout idea in his head this time around...


Loophole Caveats


It seems the Loophole that the Man in Black was finally able to secure came with some baggage. Not only is he now stuck in Locke's body, there are rules that prevent him from killing certain people. 


Let's review the infamous Rules that we know about thus far:

  • Ben and Widmore are not allowed to kill one another
  • Jacob and the Man in Black are not allowed to (directly) kill one another

I assume that the young boy was referring to Sawyer when he told notLocke that "you know the rules; you can't kill him." Therefore, I believe that notLocke is not allowed to kill any remaining Candidates from Jacob's (etched in stone) list.


The Man in Black is stuck with Locke's shell even though it seems he previously manifested himself as Christian Shephard, among others. It must be that he is now stuck because of the loophole, and for killing Jacob.


LOST Book Club


When Sawyer brought up Of Mice and Men to notLocke, I remembered that Ben quoted an important passage from that book to Sawyer in S3...and take a look at just how relevant it is now:
"A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. It don't make no difference who the guy is, long as he's with you. I tell you, a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick."
Man Cave Candidates




It was a pretty big surprise to see that Kate's last name was not mentioned by notLocke and Sawyer did not ask about her (also, I did not see Austen etched into the rock). Given the apparent absence of Kate, I am now assuming that the Kwon etched on there refers to Jin rather than Sun, because the rest of the Candidates are all men. [sidenote: yes, I realize that other female names are up there but they are all crossed out; my question is about women as Candidates for island leadership.] 


That Ilana referred to Frank Lapidus as a Candidate is rather fascinating now, given that he was not on Flight 815...but was supposed to be (their pilot). I have a suspicion that Smokey killed pilot Seth Norris upon arrival because he thought it was going to be Frank Lapidus. If Alpert is right, and notLocke "wants everyone dead" - then he probably intends to somehow kill all of the Candidates before they have the opportunity to take over leadership of the island.


This is just an observation, but it strikes me as odd that the island's most prominent feature and icon is/was a statue of the goddess of birth and rebirth, and yet the island maintains an archaic, sexist system of leadership and aversely affects women who procreate there. 


notLocke


One of the best lines from tonight's stellar episode was delivered by notLocke: "people seldom get a second chance." And yet, we are seeing Locke getting two separate chances; one off island with the love of his life, and one as an entirely new man, mind and soul. 


Random question - what the heck is so important to a shape shifting smoke monster soul that requires him to carry it in a backpack with him in all forms? 




After chasing the young boy, notLocke briefly appears to transform back into old Locke when he exasperatingly repeats "don't tell me what I can't do." Whoever that young boy is or represents, he has the unique ability to make notLocke seem vulnerable. 


When notLocke told Sawyer that he is "trapped" I thought about the island, Ben's metaphor and a few lines from the lyrics to the No Doubt song Trapped in a Box: "trapped in a box of tremendous size, it distorts my vision, it closes my eyes...sucks up our lives and proliferates lies. watch the world as it flocks to life's paradox."


I am hoping that they show us what the Man in Black was like as a regular Joe off island at some point during this final season. The question is - will we see him in an ancient century or in modern day, visiting specific people like Jacob did.


Previous Season Parallels


Off Island Locke talking to Helen about the odds of meeting a spinal surgeon reminded me of Ben's response in S3 to Jack crashing on the island right after he was diagnosed with a spinal tumor. 


Sawyer's talk about Of Mice and Men recalled Ben and Sawyer's chat about it in S3 (Every Man for Himself).


And Off Island Locke's statement about miracles that "there's no such thing" brought me back to the S4 finale when Jack stated that "there's no such thing as miracles." In addition, at Locke's birth in S4 (Cabin Fever), a nurse referred to him as "a miracle baby."


Progress


In the S5 finale, Jacob says that "it only ends once; anything that happens before that is just progress." Taking notLocke's three Candidate options into consideration (do nothing and see how it plays out, accept the job to protect the island as the new Jacob or get off the island together), I am wondering if "it" ends if and when notLocke actually gets off of the island.




Rose & Bernard


Several people jumped all over me when I predicted in my first S6 post that Rose still has cancer in this version of Flight 815. Given that we saw Locke in a wheelchair, I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised to discover that in this life - no one is/has healed. What I want to know is if Bernard took her to Australia to see Isaac the healer, and what that conversation was about (compared to the original). 

By the way, in the S3 finale there was mention of a Gary Nadler working at the same hospital as Jack and Christian Shephard. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that it was Bernard's son or brother. 

Sawyer

I am not at all convinced that Sawyer will simply follow notLocke from here on out, and give in to the dark side. Something tells me that regardless of his immense grief and disregard for the well being of his friends, he will wind up saving the day (along with Jack) in the end. We had four seasons of surly, selfish Sawyer and one season of Sheriff Sawyer...which leaves us with savior Sawyer in S6.



When Smokey Sings


I just loved the visual perspective they gave us as notLocke traveled around the island as Smokey. However, I had to wonder why he did not transform into Smokey while chasing the young boy. 
---
I have so much more to speculate about, but am operating on fumes due to my rather insane travel schedule. Feel free to leave feedback and comments, but please be constructive if you disagree with anything that either I or your fellow readers say. 


Thank you for reading this week's initial installment of analysis - stay tuned for further thoughts and theories in a few days!


-Jo

37 comments:

Monte said...

I actuallythink by far the most significant revelation were the black and white stones, which make their first reappearance since their discovery by Jack in Season 1 on "Adam and Eve." Long ago, Damon and Carlton promised that Adam and Eve would be key to resolution of the whole series (something fans often forget), and that their appearance in Season 1 would prove that the writers always knew how they were going to resolve the series. My guess, therefore, is that we ultimately may learn that Adam and Eve are no less than Jacob and Smokey, which also would explain their advanced age, although that begs the question how one of them will come to be captured in a woman's body. Also, as for who the boy is, my best guess is that it may be Christian Shepard.

Monte said...

By the way, Lostpedia reports that Kate's name and number WERE visible, and that she was listed as 108, and not crossed out. It's also reported that several other significant names can be discerned -- for instance, Shannon reportedly was 31, and is crossed out. I have yet to see a screen capture that shows those numbers, but 108 certainly makes sense for Kate.

What is particularly interesting to me is that apparently neither Rose nor Bernard's names have been identified, and yet they are were brought to the island too, and are still alive there.

Zhami said...

Great observations, insights, and commentary!

umberhaven said...

Are you sure the blond kid isn't just Zack, from flight 815?

Erin said...

Best. Eulogy. Ever. And so few words needed to pack such a powerful punch.

Very good point about Smokey probably offing Seth because he thought he was Frank. It's about time the show gave us some reason for that. And that's probably why he killed Eko too. But why, then, didn't he kill the other candidates back in the earlier seasons?

Did you catch that the girl trying to give the animal test was the psychic from Tricia Tanaka Is Dead? I thought the same thing about Walt, even though I knew it couldn't be him because of age differences. Unless they'd been thinking waaaaaay ahead...

Liked the Of Mice and Men shoutout. Kinda sad that's Sawyer's favorite book; it really *is* depressing. I feel like he should stick with Watership Down.

I think the young boy might be Aaron too. Or young Jacob. Or maybe somebody keeping both Jacob and Smokey in check (which could, I suppose, be Aaron). I loved hearing UnLocke snarl, "Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do!"

Okay, all for now. Great thoughts!

Harjinder said...

Something here just doesn´t add up.

I don´t think we can assume that dead Christian and NotLocke are the same entity anymore. If NotLocke is really "stuck in that body" and at the same time that Christian was with Sun and Lapidus showing them the 70´s Dharma picture, NotLocke was with Ben crossing over to the main Island.

I found it strange that they were both co-existing at the same time, but now that we know he is stuck in Locks body, that just can´t be possible.

What do you guys think?

Unknown said...

Excellent point about how could NotLocke be Christian last season, as well as Alex. I assume Darlton will make sense of that. Such an incredible episode. I think I need to watch it many times to absorb everything.

Unknown said...

Re: NotLocke couldn't be Christian last season

Maybe he's stuck with Locke's body now because he killed Jacob.

Before that, he could still change appearances (to Alex, to Christian), because Jacob was still alive. Maybe this is his "punishment" for killing Jacob, or for taking the body of a "candidate".

That aside - Great to see Katey Sagal, a really wonderful surprise.

Seeing Ben as a teacher - awesome.

Ben's eulogy for Locke made me tear up, as did Locke and Helen's talk about miracles.

Overall, the best episode yet this season.

Side-note: All the way back in Season 1, after the numbers showed up, me and a friend started guessing what they could mean, or who they could signify, thinking maybe the numbers designated certain people on 815. (This came to mind when Kate mentioned that the number 23 meant something to her, in regards to the $23,000 award for her capture.) Funny how things turn out. :D (We also guessed that somehow Locke would turn out to be evil, but this isn't really Locke, so...)

Unknown said...

Just noticed that before Randy Nations fires Locke he tells him "I thought you wnated your vacation week in October for your wedding". How could that be if it is supposedly October 22 and after already in the alt timeline according to Claire's sonogram photo?

Olessi said...

Yeah, I agree - good observation about the timetable for NotLocke and Christian. IIRC, NotLocke seemed honestly surprised in The Incident when Ben said he had been visited by his dead daughter.

If Christian and Alex really were supposed to be the smoke monster last season, maybe MIB is trapped in Locke's form because of the death of Jacob?

aim said...

Re: Gregory's comment about the timeline with the Oct wedding and the sonogram date.

I think the sonogram date is Claire's due date (about 4 weeks away) and not the current date. I think that timeline works.

Unknown said...

Just one observation from last night, in season 5 Richard tells Sun he watched them all die ( Jin, Jack ,Sawyer etc ) from the photograph given to her from Christenen. However Richard doesnt bat an eyelid when he sees Sawyer again ( they had a significent meeting at dharmaville in S5 should remember him )coming ' back from the dead ', just an observation seemed very strange...

Unknown said...

Thanks for all the great insights. This episode was fantastic. I don't know how it would work, but it would be great if the boy turned out to be Aaron. The name Shepherd in the cave could refer to Aaron instead of Jack.

Stu said...

I think that the Kwon referred to on the cave wall is Jin, not Sun as Sun was not transported back in time when on the Ajira flight and the rest of them either were (Sayid, Hurley, Jack, Kate) or were already back in that time (Sawyer, Jin).

Lauren (Kip Mylo) said...

Great observations. I believe the candidates are men or women whom Jacob has chosen to "one day replace him." My opinion is that there can only be one true chosen one, and that that person starts as a candidate. My guess is either John Locke or Jack Shephard.

I can't believe I never noticed the backpack before. Great observation!

Mollster said...

I know nothing about the bible, but I do know that Jacob had a twin brother named Esau. Esau was born first. And then eventually, Esau sells his birthrite to Jacob for a bowl of food. Could the Man in Black be Esau and could he have originally possessed the island and "sold" it to Jacob for something inconsequential?

1Miletogo said...

Wow, what an episode, so much going on and to comment on.

First the young boy, my first thought is that it was Jacob. What if, both Jacob & MIB came to the island as boys in their original form. We see a Lord of the Flies scenario take form. Jacob kills MIB's best friend, hence a bloody young Jacob. This makes MIB want to kill jacob. Maybe the appearing boy was a friend of both Jacob & MIB that ended up dead by accident.

As for Christian, I think both Jacob & UnLocke assumed his vision. During the first few seasons, Christian was more of a guide, and he wore the suit and white shoes that he arrived on the island in. Then the later Christian, wore Hiking boots and a plaid shirt and told Locke what to do.

I think this episode is going to call for a few more rewatches :)


MIB and Jacob seem to sometimes act very kid like. And the phrase from UnLocke "I just want to go home" also sounded like a kid. Maybe over the years they just keep taking over "candidates"

I think Adam and Eve were some earlier version of MIB & Jacob.

I think that MIB is trapped in Locke now due to the loophole and killing Jacob.

Very good thought on why Seth was killed, if Frank is a candidate, and Smokey thought it was Frank, he probably wanted to get rid of him. This all reminds me a little of Harry Potter and how he had to destroy Horcruxes. It is like as long as there is a candidate, Jacob will live on.

I also think that Smokey didn't know that people are a candidate until it scanned them to find out their name. First Locke is scanned and is ok, then the next encounter is bad. Same thing with Eko.

SJK63 said...

Here's how I want this series to end. I would like to see Jack and Sawyer sitting on the beach together, all alone on the island, watching a ship sail by, where Sawyer says without any real hostility, "you know how much I want to kill you, don't you?"

Jack calmly says, "Yes, I do. But you'll have to find a loophole."

1Miletogo said...

Also in the footsteps of MIB killing Candidates, When have our "Candidates" been in mortal Danger?

I'm reminded of emily Locke being ran over, (an attempt to kill Locke?) could it be that Jacob touched Emily before she was ran over to save her life? That touch could have also planted some of Jacob's thoughts into an unborn Locke (picture of Smoke monster drawn by young Locke)

What about the meteorite that almost killed Hugo, or the deck collapsing.

Also, the almost running down of Sayid.

I'm sure there are other times that our Candidates may have had close encounters.

Maybe another affect of Jacob's touch was not only to bring them to the island, but as protection against MIB. Anyone that Jacob touches, MIB can't kill.

Target Addict said...

Great post, Jo! But one of your initial comments sticks out for me: "first I called the new Flight 815 scenario an Alternate Reality, and then labeled it a Reset. After finally listening to Darlton's podcast, it is clear that they do not consider either of those to be viable options. So at least for now, I will refer to the parallel universe as Off Island."

I'm not sure whether this is significant or not, but in the enhanced repeat of "What Kate Did" (which aired last night prior to the new ep.) when the Off Island scenes started, the subtitles stated "This is neither a flashforward, nor a flashback. This is what would have happened if Flight 815 had never crashed".

Unknown said...

Great job Jo!!!

Anonymous said...

Well apart from Helen it was quite exciting to see Ben. We knew we would surely see him at some point.

I wonder what draws them all to LA?!

I'm very annoyed that they ripped up Jack's card but I'm sure they'll find a way to cross paths again.

Maybe Hurley will own Oceanic too?

As for the boy, he is just a complete mystery. My initial thought was of a young Jacob. As for Richard not being able to see him, I thought the boy had just run off before Richard saw him. I'll have to re-watch to check.

Isn't the blood on his hands a bit similar to in S1 when he has the dream pointing to Yemi's plane in Deus Ex Machina?

I even thought Walt was delivering his knives back, so desperate to see him I was! It's going to be hard to see him with such a big age increase since filming began.

As for Locke's missing week, maybe he could have met Christian and Sawyer in the bar and they got up to no good together.

It was great to get a Smokey Eye View of the island too. Hope we see some more soon.

Right I tried to put these in order with your article so hopefully makes some sense.

John said...

Just my 1 cent given the economy and all. ☺ I've studied the Bible both in the sense of religion and as literature. Jacob's ladder reminded me of a few different allegorical views on it but I won't get into that. What I find more interesting is that Jacob had a twin brother - Esau (MIB?). Esau was supposed to inherit Isaac's (their father) estate. Jacob deceived his father and the estate was awarded to him. Scholar's debate the morality of this but the Bible blatantly avoids it. No where in the Bible does it state what Jacob did was immoral or not.

This strengthens my belief that Lost will not play out as good vs evil but a struggle between multiple protagonists and antagonists.

I too believe the kid is Aaron.

Another great post Jo!

http://twitter.com/TenaciousTanaka

RowanRaven said...

Jo, thanks for the write-up (and so quickly after the episode aired, too!)!

I think it's highly significant that Smocke (thanks to Lynne for that moniker) immediately punched Richard in the throat to shut him up... there's something we're not supposed to know yet about Smokey/MIB/Smocke... like, maybe his REAL name? And then we'll find out who he really is? Because, as we learned last name, he was once a "real man" who lived, loved, and lost. Ha! Pun intended.

I feel sorry for Smocke, even if he may be lying and/or using Sawyer.

I, too, got a bit verklempt during Locke's "funeral", where Ben was being so painfully honest.

I love this show!!!

Thanks again.
--Kimberly

Jen Galicinski said...

great write-up, loved it!

re: the island never having women as leaders, what about Eloise? Wasn't she the leader when she shot Faraday?

DW said...

Should have known even South America wasn't far enough to keep Jo from posting.

Great episode, far from the dour Dogen and Jack. My favorite part was that unlike virtually everyone else, Sawyer knew immediately it wasn't Locke.

It does seem like the 10/22 on the sonogram was Claire's due date--no one else's timeline seems to have been delayed. We'll know in a few episodes when we see Jack at the hospital bar, watching the Red Sox win.

Ben presumably still has a spinal tumor, so my guess is substitute Locke sends him to Jack. (The number is stored on his cell phone.)

I wouldn't be too sure about the patriarchy, given the number of women whose names are on the wall of the cave. And yes, Ellie.

Juliet is notably absent as a candidate; Ben recruited her, not Jacob.

scully said...

hi guys! i'm new to the site and i completely love it. I just wanted to say that i think Jacob and MIB could actually be Cain and Abel?
they're adam and eve's children. Cain is a crop farmer and his younger brother Abel is a SHEPHERD. Cain is portrayed as sinful, committing the first murder by killing his brother, after God has rejected his offerings of produce but accepted the animal sacrifices brought by Abel(remember when Locke said Boone was a sacrifice required by the island?)
and guess what? The novelette Of mice and men is based on this story!

Kevin T said...

@Gregory Well, if the 815 flight was on Sep 22, 2004, that lends creedence to the Locke off-island timeline still being correct.

scully said...

also, rechecking my bible studies, Aaron is a descendant of Jacob in the bible and this is what wikipedia says:
As a result of a severe famine in Canaan, Jacob resettled his whole family in Egypt, in the Land of Goshen, at the time when his son Joseph was viceroy. Jacob died there 17 years later, and Joseph carried Jacob's remains to the land of Canaan, where he gave them stately burial in the same Cave of Machpelah as were buried Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca and Jacob's wife Leah (Genesis 49:29-50:14).
this Cave of Machpelah is also where Adam and Eve were buried (!)

John said...

Great post as usual.

Did anyone notice the "DS-Pace" name crossed out on the rock? I believe is was just below Locke's name.

My crazy theory is that the flash sideways may somehow be the actual present. The only thing I have to some what back this up is that Kate's episode was titled "What Kate Does" implying that it was a present act.

NotLocke also seemed to imply, in his conversation with Sawyer in the cave, that he wanted to leave the island. This may mean that his home is not really the temple. Just a thought.

James said...

Jo - Nice post. I like that you format your blog in contrasting fashion to all the other blogs.

Re: To those wondering about Claire's sonogram's date:

Greg Nations, Lost's script coordinator, confirmed that the date was a typo (DOH!). The '04' and '22' was correct, but the '10' was intended to be a '9.'

Very early in Lost's history, JJ Abrams gave an interview where he talked about making the island a 'character' in the story instead of simply a 'place.'

The island is a being unto itself with it's own will, agenda, and actions. I'm certain the island reveals itself in the form of various dead characters, just like Jacob and MIB (presumably) have done throughout the series.

The young Jacob we saw in "the Substitute," is an example of the island personified, delivering admonishment to MIB/NotLocke along with a reminder of the rules.

So, the island itself plays the role of 'higher power' as it relates to Jacob and MIB(Esau). When it takes young Jacob's form, we initially are presented with a young boy in a overtly biblical pose, showered in divine light.

We'll see if my interpretation is right as the shows rolls on, but these pieces fit together too well, in my opinion, for it to be coincidence.

Unknown said...

Great post Jo! Started reading your blog this season and wish I had known about it since day 1!

Did anyone else notice that Locke shook everyone's hand in Off Island? Much like Jacob physically touched everyone, might Locke physically shaking everyone's hand have some significance? I don't even want to let my mind wander there (yet), but it almost seemed forced like it needed to happen for some reason...

SJK63 said...

A couple random observations I thought about. First, I think the makeup crew has gone out of their way to show the scar on UnLocke's right cheekbone. I keep wondering if this means there will be a time when UnLocke meets a revived Locke and it will be the way we'll know the difference. Just a thought.

Also, with regard to the Jacob/Esau comparison, here are some more curious aspects of the Biblical characters to compare to the show:

1. Jacob had a son named Benjamin, who was borne of a mother who died in childbirth.

2. Jacob's ladder is believed by the Eastern Orthodox Church to be symbolic of the Virgin Mary, which has strong themes given the miraculous nature of birth on the island.

3. Jacob of the Bible was buried in a cave. We just saw that Jacob had a cave retreat at the bottom of his ladder.

4. It took 20 years for Isaac and Rebeccah to have their children, Jacob and Esau, which indicated trouble having children which is similar to the island.

5. Esau was known for his idolotry. I think about the large idol of fertility.

6. Esau was known as the hairy brother.

Sherylm said...

For a moment there, when Smokey was flying about, just after he heard the loud music in Dharmaville and "saw" Sawyer was suffering, I was terrified that he was going to do something dreadful to Juliet in her grave...and I was actually relieved when he went back to being UnLocke and it was "just" Richard who was in danger...

I think that although Sawyer followed Unlocke out of anger and frustration, once he had spoken to Richard, he began his own "long con" and is only seeming to go along with Unlocke.

I don't see the problem with the term "alternate time line", especially in light of the enhanced version statement: "This is neither a flashforward, nor a flashback. This is what would have happened if Flight 815 had never crashed". That's exactly what an alternate time line would be....

Thanks again and I'm really looking forward to your second write-up of this episode.

Just Thinking said...

Enjoyed your write up Jo. Re the black and white, what do you think of Helen's black nail polish?

Trina said...

I think it's more than what would have happened if the plane had not crashed. So many things are different in the Off Island Reality from their previous backstories.

The hydrogen bomb blowing up affected way more than keeping the plane from crashing. It changed all their lives in a huge way.

You brought up alot of things I hadn't thought about. Great post.

Brian said...

Thanks for making connections between seasons. I love that kind of stuff. Also, thanks for pointing out the picture of Ben that Miles had. Every time I saw that, I thought it was odd but it's one of those little details that are easy to forget.