"Deep inside of a parallel universe,
It's getting harder and harder
To tell what came first."
Parallel Universe, Red Hot Chili Peppers
(I waited to post this shot of Terry from the S6 premiere red carpet; his confident Man in Black look is perfect for this episode)
Good morning, LOST fans. That was certainly worth the wait! I don't know about you, but there were several times during LA X that I had to pause the DVR, take notes and attempt to
absorb some of the more astonishing moments.
Before we begin, I want to manage expectations for both new and existing readers, and let everyone know how this site works. I have a strictly spoiler-free policy, and that includes comments (which I monitor and approve). I never read other sites, tweets, message boards/forums or even articles about new episodes until after I post my initial thoughts and theories, because I want to ensure that what I share is fresh and directly from my notes rather than influenced by anyone else.
For the last few years, I have stayed up all night posting immediate thoughts and screen grabs following every new episode. That may still happen in Season 6, but not every week. In the interest of time, tonight's first round of LA X analysis will be more abbreviated than usual, but I plan to re-watch the episodes, provide more comprehensive thoughts later this week and add photos to this post.
I will be out of the country next week and unable to watch the second episode until right before the third. My plan is to post extensive, 2-episode analysis in week three of S6.
So let's get started, and break open this premiere to discover a few significant notes inside of it together...
ALTERNATE REALITY (BITES)
For your reference and to help sort out the timelines, I will be referring to the new flight 815 alternate reality as AR from here on out.
It is fascinating that instead of the flashback or flash forward sounds from seasons past, the transition from one reality to another is now the sound of an island time shift.
Juliet's death is not a surprise, but you have to wonder whether or not those on the island are going to be killed off one by one this season while those in the AR timeline continue living their lives.
When notLocke described real Locke as "the only one who realized how pitiful the life he left behind was," my gut reaction was that we are going to see the 815 folks just as miserable in the AR as they were on the island.
ALPERT
Not only have we never seen Alpert age, I don't think we've ever seen him injured. I assume that notLocke is taking him to the Temple. Clearly, Alpert's role as island Advisor is going to change...
In the S5 finale, it appeared as if Jacob and the Man in Black were looking out at the Black Rock slave ship. Given notLocke's statement to Alpert that "it's good to see you out of those chains," I can't wait to see a) how the ship winds up in the middle of the jungle and b) what the Man in Black's role was once the ship arrived on the island...because Alpert wound up working for Jacob after he made him ageless.
We've seen skeletons hanging in shackles in the Black Rock, so now I'm wondering if Jacob rescued Alpert and protected him from the Man in Black somehow.
Alpert was genuinely shocked by the Man in Black's ability to transform into notLocke, so clearly he was unaware of such a loophole.
BEN
I'm not quite sure why Ben lied about Jacob when he emerged from the statue to get Alpert for notLocke. Are you?
Judging by the reaction of fans on the beach last weekend who watched the first hour of this premiere, Ben as anything less than a manipulative villain will not be a popular concept. I love Ben, but I'm a huge fan of his possible transformation into a confused, broken man (a la early Locke).
CHARLIE
When Charlie told Jack on the plane that "I was supposed to die," it certainly seems as if he was referring to his Looking Glass sacrifice...
CHRISTIAN SHEPHARD
I got chills when Rose said "you can let go now" to Jack on the plane, because Christian has said that to Jack on many occasions (S1, "you're just not good at letting go." S2, "let it go" via intercom when Jack was being held captive beneath the Hydra station).
Locke's prescient statement to Jack that "they didn't lose your father, they just lost his body" just may be the most important to contemplate as we try to figure out the logistics of the Man in Black manifesting himself both as Christian and then as Locke on the island...
CLAIRE
We see Claire in a taxi at the airport, but not on the plane - so I don't assume that she was. We also did not see whether or not she was pregnant, which would have provided confirmation of WHEN this flight 815 landed. But I also did not see a baby or child with her...
I am convinced that if Claire is still pregnant and in LA to give the baby up for adoption that Juliet will wind up helping deliver Aaron, and that the couple her psychic arranged for the adoption will wind up being people we've met before.
DESMOND
My first question was going to be why was he on the plane in the AR, but then I had a possible epiphany. It is not mere coincidence that only Jack saw and spoke to Des, that he disappeared after Jack returned to his seat and that Jack is then told that his father's coffin is missing from that same flight. Taking Faraday's assessment of Des as "uniquely and miraculously special" into consideration, I have a strong suspicion that Des and Christian Shephard are somehow connected in this AR.
When Sayid pulled out the photo of Nadia, I thought for sure that we'd see Des do the same with his infamous Penny pic. However, given that he was on the plane rather than the island pushing the button down in the hatch (which Eloise Hawking told him would be the most important thing he'd ever do), we have no idea where his relationship with Penny stands at that moment in time.
I did not catch the name of the book that Des was reading when he sat down next to Jack, but of course I was hoping it would be Our Mutual Friend.
By the way, when Desmond appeared on the plane, one of the first possibilities that popped into my head is that he would run into Libby at the airport after they land. They did originally meet in an airport coffee shop somewhere in the U.S. after all...
FARADAY
When Jack told Locke that "nothing is irreversible," I thought about all of Faraday's talk of changing the past and the future. I certainly look forward to seeing Faraday pop up in this new AR, and somehow guide them toward their destinies.
Given that the 815 folks make it to Los Angeles, I hope we see the Lamp Post station again, as well as Faraday's mom Eloise Hawking...
HURLEY
Jacob didn't visit Hurley or Sayid until after their Oceanic 6 return. There has to be a connection or significance to the fact that Jacob chose Hurley to save Sayid back on the island.
I love that we've heard numerous times how Desmond and Walt are 'special,' but it turns out that Hurley just may be the most gifted of them all.
If the Hurley in the new AR is now a man of good luck and fortune, I doubt he spent any time at the Santa Rosa mental institution. So now I look forward to seeing him meet Libby in a different way...and if doing so causes him to have any deja vu as well.
ILANA
She did not go into the statue to see Jacob herself, but sent members of her team instead. It seems she knows how and why Locke's body was both on the beach and in the statue.
I hope that we learn far more about her character, because I would love to find out how she sustained the injuries that put her in a Russian hospital, why Jacob wore gloves when he visited her (as opposed to purposefully touching some of the 815 folks) and how long ago she had been on the island.
JACK
Just as he did in the Pilot, Jack saved a life. And just as he asked Boone to find a pen but wound up not needing one to save Rose's life on the beach, he asked Sayid to find one but wound up saving Charlie by pulling the drugs out of his throat.
The nick on his neck could very well be a physical reminder of Jughead's detonation. Although I'm not certain whether or not Jack actually exists in both timelines, his random injury reminded me of the nick on Faraday's neck after he was grazed by a bullet in Dharmaville...
I can't believe that this thought never occurred to me, but the possibility of Dr. Jack fixing broken Locke in the AR is brilliant. When I imagine what Locke will do once he regains the use of those legs, I have to consider that it will somehow involve the end of the series.
JACOB
It will be interesting to see if we will learn more about how Jacob's touch affected those he visited prior to their original 815 journey (Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Jin and Sun), as well as if that even happened in the new AR.
JIN and SUN
Fate vs. free will alert! Sun makes a choice not to protect or help Jin at the airport. I look forward to finding out how their relationship turns out in the AR, and whether or not they still have fertility issues.
JULIET
Can we just talk about how excruciating it was to watch her die AGAIN? If I never see her fall down that damn Swan shaft again...
Sadly, it seems as if Jughead was her intended role and legacy, that the island was done with her. That is why Jacob did not instruct Hurley to bring Juliet to the Temple to save her too.
When a seemingly delirious Juliet made the odd statement to Sawyer about going for coffee, I believe that was a hint that she and Sawyer eventually meet in the AR. And yes, I do believe we will see her again, alive and well in an alternate reality - regardless of the next paragraph.
My mind is still reeling from Miles' confirmation from the recently deceased Juliet that "it worked" (the reset, post-Jughead detonation) because I have to wonder how she knew.
KATE
I'm sure that the Skaters are thrilled for two reasons. First, that Juliet is out of the picture in the island timeline. Second, that Sawyer flirts with and then helps Kate out at the airport.
To be frank, although I had the honor of meeting Evie in person a few days ago and was blown away by her friendly enthusiasm, I am still not on Team Kate. To my new readers - this has been my stance since S1, and has nothing to do with Juliet.
LENNON
Yes, that is the name of the new character - the hippie in the Temple. Someone on this writing staff is a Beatles fan with a sense of humor. He seems like an Alpert advisor to the mysterious man in charge of the Temple.
LOCKE
Still in a wheelchair on flight 815, it is safe to assume that Locke did not actually go on the Walkabout.
It was great to see Boone bonding with Locke on the plane, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one who laughed when he said that "if this thing goes down, I'm sticking with you." Run, Forrest!
Similar to how both Desmond and Christian Shephard seemed to disappear from 815, so did Locke's knives. All three HAVE to be related...
notLOCKE
He MUST know that Jacob is now a walking spiritual advisor on the island. Yes?
I completely understand why Locke described Smokey as beautiful and 'light' now, but am still quite curious why the Man in Black flash scanned and then saved/spared Juliet and Kate when they were hiding in the trees a few seasons back. I don't believe that he ever appeared that way to anyone else, and it leads me to think that there is still something about Juliet that has yet to be revealed.
It is now safe to assume that when notLocke was the Man in Black, he resided in the Temple. Remember that Smokey was the Temple's security system, and he emerged to face Ben beneath there before manifesting himself into Alex.
I am a tad confused as to why notLocke is able to stop bullets but Jacob both bled and burned.
When notLocke told Ben that "I want to go home," I had goosebumps for several minutes. That we might see him as the Man in Black in the AR timeline is fantastic, and you just know that we will see him interact with some of the 815 passengers (just as Jacob did).
MILES
Our first clue that Sayid had not died should have been when Miles could not communicate with him (he responded "nothing" while looking at Sayid's body) after they thought he'd passed away.
ROSE and BERNARD
My only real question and concern about these two is whether or not Rose has cancer in the new AR...
SAWYER
In the new AR, James Ford does not appear to have changed much, and you just know that he's going to target Hurley and attempt to con him.
SAYID
Out of anyone, why does Jacob need and save Sayid? That I can recall, he's one of the only characters who has never been referred to as 'special.'
Sayid wondered out loud where he would go after he died because of his torturing, murdering past. When the Temple Others announced that "your friend is dead," my better half turned to me and said that the Spring was 'cleansing Sayid of his sins.' I'm totally on board with that idea, and wonder if the newly revived Sayid will indeed be a different man. Then again, after young Ben Linus' life was saved by that same Spring water, look how he turned out...
SHANNON
Given that she opted to stay in Australia, I am curious about when and where we'll see her again this season.
WIDMORE
In the AR, are he and Ben still enemies with rules? I am also looking forward to seeing the nature of his relationship with both Penny and Desmond.
THE ANKH
The ankh has been said to symbolize both eternal life and the afterlife, which certainly applies to Alpert and Jacob. We learned last season that Alpert was ageless because Jacob made him that way, and given Sayid's new importance to the Temple Others - I wouldn't be surprised to see him become the new Alpert.
Previous ankh appearances include the Tawaret statue (which had an ankh in one hand) and Other Amy's husband Paul, who was wearing one around his neck when he got shot.
ASHES, ASHES, WE ALL FALL DOWN
I have mentioned in previous posts that ghost hunters and witches have used ash to protect themselves from evil spirits, and that seems to be the case on the island.
Prior to the S6 premiere, I was convinced that the line of ash around Jacob's cabin was keeping the Man in Black trapped inside, but it seems I was heading down the wrong path. The ash was indeed protecting Jacob, but I'm curious to find out when notLocke broke that line and left the knife in the wall with the piece of fabric with the statue on it...
I absolutely love that notLocke-as-Smokey tricked Bram and knocked him out of his ash circle in order to kill him. Clever little smoke monster man.
THE ISLAND
Was the island submerged under water as a result of the Incident/Jughead's detonation, or a turn of the Frozen Donkey Wheel? Remember that it went "ploop" and disappeared beneath the ocean while its occupants traveled through time...
Although we appeared to see the Black Rock in the distance when Jacob and the Man in Black were chatting on the beach, I tend to think that the ship winds up intact in the middle of the jungle when the island resurfaces after a brief disappearing act/time shift.
LIKE SANDS THROUGH THE HOURGLASS...
When the Temple Others revealed the hourglass near the Spring healing water, I immediately thought that the granules inside resembled those inside the vial that Alpert presented young John Locke with at the foster home. For the record, I do not believe that it was simply sand from the island.
PILOT vs. CANDIDATE
It was good to hear Greg Grunberg's voice as Captain Seth Norris on flight 815. Consistency points.
And then I started to ponder what Lapidus' role will now be. He was supposed to be piloting 815 when it originally took off, wound up on the island after the freighter mission and was kept alive by Ilana because he's a "candidate" for something. If Ilana is indeed on Jacob's side (allegedly one of the good guys), Lapidus may wind up helping her and the Temple Others fight against notLocke.
THE TEMPLE
I am now wondering why Ben did not go to the Temple when he was diagnosed with the spinal tumor. Can the Spring only heal someone once, or from wounds not caused naturally?
When Alpert brought young Ben into the Temple to heal from his gunshot wound, he said that Ben would never be the same and would not remember what happened. Will that be the same for Sayid?
The Temple Others discover that the sacred Spring water is not clear. I have to believe that Jacob's recent death had something to do with it. Although Sayid survived after being submerged in it, I paused to contemplate whether or not the water was murky because Sayid was the one who caused young Ben's injuries (which the Spring healed).
I incorrectly assumed that the Man in Black resided in the Temple, and that as Smokey, he was its security system. In fact, it seems as if he was attempting to get inside the entire time and lingered beneath the Temple (dragging in poor Montand and facing Ben as Alex, etc.).
TIME AFTER TIME
Did this version of Oceanic flight 815 depart on September 22, 2004 as well? Are we sure that this alternate reality is set in 2004? Because the Pilot debuted on 9/22/04, so I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this flight departed on 2/2/10...
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I now believe that Jack, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Miles, Sawyer and Sayid are in the same time on the island as notLocke, Ben, Alpert, Sun, Ilana and Lapidus. After all, Jacob told Hurley that he just died "an hour ago."
Miles told Sawyer that Juliet's big secret was that "it worked" - so is that our confirmation that they do exist in two separate timelines realities? Someone page Daniel Faraday, stat. I have a headache.
---
It is now 3am and I must get some sleep. Thank you SO much for taking the time to read through my initial thoughts and theories about the S6 premiere! Due to the hour, I hope that you please excuse any errors/typos above.
As always, I encourage and appreciate comments and constructive feedback, but please keep in mind that this is all purely speculation; I do not publish personal attacks or disparaging comments.
Enjoy and absorb what you've just experienced as the final season began - I will see you back here soon with further thoughts about 6.01 and 6.02!
-Jo
Posts
42 comments:
I think the bullets bouncing off of MIB and the knife being able to kill Jacob has something to do with them "not liking" modern technology. I think that if they are Gods or demigods the only way to kill either of them is with the weapon that has been around since man created God.
wow - you hit on so many things i was thinking and even more that i had not considered. You're like the LOST Master!
I'll be reading all season.
thanks
As usual, a fun recap on the first two hours! Since I have stayed away from all spoilers, did they show you the first two hours on the beach last weekend?
Awesome, Jo! I like your theory that Hurley didn't spend any time at Santa Rosa. But it got me thinking: if that's true, where did he get The Numbers to play the lottery...?
Can't wait until Tuesday!
Great thoughts and questions. Loved everything about this episode and thought the writing was brilliant. One particular scene seemed so out of character for Kate. She knocks the shyte out of the Marshall in the airport bathroom to escape but then feels guilty when Frogurt confronts her for cutting the taxi line! So she gets on the back of the line! Cmon! No way. Not our tough Kate!
Looking forward to a great season of your recaps and thoughts. Thanks.
Couple of things I think:
1. Desmond may have been jumping (a la The Constant), and that explains his sudden disappearance from the plane in the AR. He may or may not be controlling this.
2. I'm wondering if they plan on juxtaposing AR with the island events this entire season. If you think about it, the AR might be the ultimate finale storyline, and they've already started it for us.
3. The alternate timelines thing might get really messy, especially if things that happen in other timelines affect other timelines. Jack's neck mark might confirm this later in the season. You almost wonder if any flashback/flashforward we've seen in a previous season will be "re-written" to show it was actually happening in this new AR. Libby, for example, seemed to take on multiple roles (working for Widmore, patient in Santa Rosa).
Showwise, things that bugged me:
1) The cheesy CGI they used to show the island was under the ocean (it was just too cutesy for me or something)
2) Juliet for another hour. Sure, it's sad, but I just felt that that entire hour was wasted on a storyline I didn't feel was very creative or surprising; I've seen burials before, seems the only outcome was "It worked" and confirming (?) that Juliet was not pregnant. Maybe I was just ready for the story to start rolling.
3) AR storyline didn't impress me much either, but only because I kept waiting for something crazy to happen. The only weird thing was Jack's neck mark, which I blame on Bai Ling.
4) John Hawkes' Lennon makes six cast members of Deadwood to grace the Lost universe. Hopefully, that guy stays, because I wasn't too keen on the lack of translation. I'll wait around for the translations of what the Asian dude was saying
5) In retrospect, I'll probably warm up to the episode, it was frustrating because to me, the whole thing felt so foreign. You didn't really know when they were on island time until Jacob showed up. And the prospect of them juggling 3 timelines (Seasons 1-5, AR, island time now) gives me a headache.
It occurred to me this morning that they *are* all in the same timeline on the island, because the people on the beach saw the fireworks set off at the temple. That means Sun and Jin are in the same timeline now!
First, great recap. I'm still trying to get my head around this episode, but it's growing on me.
I think they confirmed that, on island, it is now 2007 (Kate said the hatch was the way it had been after Desmond turned the key, and Sawyer passed Des's exercise bike on his way down to Juliet). I'd also agree that we'll be seeing Juliet again - I don't know how, but I'd guess that right at the end, she was seeing both realities at once. So in a way, "It worked."
As to the submerged island: I'd guess the Jughead explosion sunk it in 1977 and created the AR timeline. So Desmond could never have been on the island, and everyone else's storylines have been similarly changed.
Anyway, still sorting, as I'm sure everyone else is.
After some reflection, I think the jughead explosion was a big enough "rock thrown in the water" to split the flow of time.
For the original timeline folks though they are back on their original track and flowing forward. But the split means that there is a whole separate set of events happening concurrently.
I think the AR we saw was 2004, but will quickly catch up to the folks in 2007, probably with some crazy connections made, etc. In the 3 years it takes to catch up, everyone will be right where they should be. For what? I don't know. But Jacob does seem to have a plan.
I think that Sayid is dead Jacob's loophole. That is why Jacob made sure that Hurley got him safely to the temple with his ankh, list etc. I predict that the Sayid that woke up is not our friend Sayid, but rather a not-Sayid (Jacob)like not-Locke (man in black).
I'm leaning towards the AR being on the same "branch". Via the Lost University time travel discussions, the incident was either a fork in a linear branch, or they hopped to an entirely different branch.
If it was a fork that led to Desmond never getting to the island, it makes me think jughead led to a sinking of the island, which would kill everyone, including Widmore, Eloise, and unborn Faraday. Whether Penny was an off island birth yet or not is hard to figure, but Ellie and Charles weren't the happiest looking couple so maybe Charles strayed already. I thought of Faraday as younger than desmond/penny so perhaps Penny still exists in the AR but without Charles there's no reason to think Des would go through half of what he did, including the monastery since we saw a picture of Eloise on the Friar's desk...
If they hopped branches entirely then everything is up for grabs. But since so much seems to be about choice, i would think they would be going with a fork...
Great initial thoughts. I'm adding your blog to my list of obsessive Lost related activities between episodes.
In terms of the AR timeline...I have a strong feeling that each of the characters is going to somehow redeem him/herself with relationships with each other that are clearly budding or are yet to bud. Jack makes Locke whole again and maybe Locke provides a decent father figure for Jack. Kate does something to help a pregnant Claire that redeems her in the eyes of the criminal justice system. Sawyer attempts to defraud Hurley but ends up failing and changing his ways...
I dunno what the heck the AR story line has to do with the Island one, but that's just my initial thoughts this morning.
Heyas Jo!
Great recap! I only skimmed it this morning but have a few thoughts:
- Ben - "I'm not quite sure why Ben lied about Jacob when he emerged from the statue to get Alpert for notLocke. Are you?" Initially, I was thinking that Ben's going thru shock of killing Jacob, the island deity. He probably was scared of telling Richard that he just killed Jacob. Plus, he's also dealing with the thoughts of being manipulated by notLocke. The player just got played big time!
- Juliet - Brent and I think that Juliet was in between AR and island reality. Like maybe she was actually talking to someone else in the AR world with her mind caught inbetween both realities.
- Sayid - My crew and I think that Sayid will become like... the opposite of a killing machine. If the temple "takes away one's innocence," and if Sayid had always killed naturally and on his own, we think it'll do the opposite and take out his instinct to kill.
Annnd one last note, the only one who came out a winner in the island reality is Jin. Why? Cuz after aaalllll that, he finally learned English! w00t! hahah
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, Jo! I look forward to reading more this season! :D
<3
Estella
Great recap Jo! This one had so much to dissect it's hard to get a handle on it.
One thing about the AR that came to my mind was reincarnation. Not that they were reincarnated per se, but in The Incident Jacob said to MIB in reference to the people coming to the island, that it "only ends once and everything else is just progress". And there are just enough changes in the AR characters to suggest a sort of forward progress in their character, which is what reincarnation believes (I think). Also, with the way Jack acted...like he didn't have full recognition of what happened on the island, but like he had an awareness/deja vu type feeling going on.
So based on everything we know now about MIB and Smokey, do we think that the MIB was also Abaddon? Or are they totally not related there? (just curious)
I am curious about MIB being "Locke" but yet Locke's body was also on the beach. That is different from previous theories we've all had about the MIB/Smokey being Christian since Christian's body was missing. The same with Yemi. And now, since people are speculating that Jacob has "come back" in Sayid's body...how do we reconcile or explain that there is notLocke and dead Locke at the same time? If Jacob found the same loophole with Sayid, wouldn't he be "notSayid" while Sayid's dead body still lay in the Temple? (I'm confused)
Lastly (because honestly I have enough questions to fill a book)- did anyone notice and/or get worried that Hurley donned a red t-shirt (a la Boone, Frogurt, Juliet, etc.) before leaving the van for the Temple? Does this mean that Hurley is now a "red shirt" and is now slated for death at some point in the future? Please say it ain't so!!
Ok, that's enough. Hope you got some good sleep after all this Jo!
Claire - She was shown as pregnant right as the taxi took off
Jin and Sun - I interpreted this differently. To me, it was possible that Sun really didn't understand and that she doesn't even know english in the AR
Juliet - I can't take credit for this, I read it somewhere, but it seems to fit perfectly. Juliet may have known that "it worked" because here little strange mumbling about coffee and what-not could have been here seeing a date that she was on with Sawyer in the AR! She actually had a quick "flash between" where she went from the 2007 timeline to the AR and back again. She wanted to tell Sawyer that so that he would know that they did in-fact end up together.
Lennon - Crazy theory! When I saw Lennon with the round glasses, I immediately thought of young Ben Linus with his round glasses. Can someone go back and confirm whether or not young Ben Linus was wearing his round glasses after he was "fixed" in the temple as a kid? My crazy theory is that this "Lennon" character is the true Ben Linus, and the Ben we know and love is something strange and different from the young ben. I know it's crazy, but I'm aloud to have one crazy theory!
Flocke or "notLocke" - Am I the only one who felt like it wasn't a black smoke monster that came in and killed Bram and the other "what lies in the shadow of the statue" folks? It looked more like gray or even white smoke to me...? Did anybody else think this? I work a bit with visual effects and compositing, and that smoke (as well as the smoke that "judged" Ben last season) just wasn't black like other versions of it have been. It was clearly white or gray? Or was my TV just not making it look as black as it should've?
Anyway, my thoughts are that, as you say, Flocke wants his home/temple back. But I still don't buy into the thought that Flocke could actually be the good guy here, and Jacob and his people are the bad guys. That just doesn't jive with me.
Miles/Sayid - The other thought (again, not my own, but just a theory I read somewhere) is that Sayid is dead, but now somebody or something else is in his body. Possibly MIB, possibly Jacob??
More on Sayid - I agree that it was meant to represent baptism and rebirth, but I'm not so sure this is the Sayid we know and love (even in a redeemed state). I think, had Jacob still been alive, and had the water been clear as it was supposed to be, and had the water healed the Japanese dude's hand as it should have, the Sayid would've been healed and "back to his old self." But, could it be that Sayid as we know him is no more in the current timeline? Maybe a resurrected Jacob or MIB possession? Of course, there would still be a dead body lying on the floor if it was MIB... Thoughts?
The Ankh - I'm pretty sure Tawaret statue has one Ankh in each hand (two total). I'm sure now that Amy's husband (and possibly Amy too) are actually the Temple "others" or, as I like to call them Other Others. She and her husband, IMO, were spies for the Others Others (but the regular Others, or Hostiles were unaware of this, and therefore killed her husband). Maybe Amy knows/knew more about Sayid that she was willing to let on and this is why she voted to have him killed back when he was held captive by Dharma?
I love that "underwater" assessment.
Great review!
Great episodes, huh?
You ask if Ben and Widmore will have the same rivalry and rules in the AR. However, I'd suggest that if the Jughead detonation sunk the island in this timeline, then young Ben and Widmore died in the blast. And that their corpses are lying at the bottom of the ocean with the rest of the Others and DI members and other on-island folk from 1977.
It's funny you suggest maybe all the 2007 Losties will die one by one in the "original" timeline. I thought the opposite. When Charlie looked like he was going to die on the AR plane, I thought maybe all the the AR Losties would die.
To me, the AR is the bogus, less important timeline, which will fold back into, or be wiped out by, or somehow cause important events in the original timeline. The original timeline is where the "war" has to be fought and where "the end" has to happen. That's just a guess and personal preference as of now though.
The impt Rose and Bernard question, for me, is did they flash to 2007 with team Jack?
I forgot:
Why do the airport/NSA people call Sun "Ms. Paik"?
Hi! I agree with a lot of what you speculate about, except for this - why would Jacob need to be in an ash-surrounded cabin to be protected from the MiB? The MiB can't kill Jacob directly. I think the cabin was where the MiB lived and the circle of ash was what kept him there. Or maybe Jacob did live there and then moved to the statue? It's confusing.
Love reading your blog! How about when they pulled Sayid out of the water? His arms were straight out like a "T" - looked like Jesus before being put on the cross. So Sayid died and was resurrected - maybe to guide everyone to "eternal" life (like Jesus)? Sayid was also a sinner (murderer), but was washed of his sins and will now live eternally? Just a few thoughts to ponder...As for Jacob - is he some sort of angel or a God? Will his "mind" be in Sayid's? Or will it really be Sayid? So much!!! love it!
ZOMBIE Season is here. Sayid is going to start eating brains!
Great job on the recap, Jo!
I've concocted a bizarre theory that Sayid as we know him has dies. As the episode was ending and MIB/Smokey was leaving the beach with Richard slung over his shoulder, the camera panned one more time to dead Locke on the beach. I think Locke as we know him and love him is still needed and important and needed for the story to continue. Theory time...so, they show locke, and the next thing we see is Sayid sitting up in the temple asking, "What happened?" I think that Locke's consciousness is now in Sayid's body. Some have suggested it is Jacob. Darlton have always said that Jacob didn't inhabit other bodies. Why start now? It is actually the "third" day since Ajira 316 crashed. And now, Locke will rise again...but not in his body. Crazy, I know. But this is lost and all bets are off. But I love Sayid and hope he sticks around till the end. It's just a theory, let the bashing begin.
Also, didn't Cindy say something like..."They were on the first 815?" Or did she just say they were on the first plane (meaning 815 and not Ajira 316?).
I'm not at all annoyed with the AR. I'm looking forward to how it all plays out.
Thank you Jo!! Loved the post!! Great read!!
Jo, I think you bring up a really good point that Juliet may be Claire's doctor in LA and that the couple who will adopt her will be a couple we already know. Could this couple be Rose & Bernard (since she's older and may be not able to conceive?) or even Sun & Jin (since we know he's sterile?). Just a thought :)
Great Lost blog JO, the best one around in my opinion.
After Sayid drowned in the spring and was declared dead by Dogan, Jack performed some CPR and touched Sayid and after that he came back. He was not instantly revived but we have seen Jack perform CPR before to Charlie and Desmond and they have both come back to life. I think that its more than coincidence that we have seen this happen for the third time.
Was anyone else annoyed with the introduction of Dogan, the Japanese leader of the Temple Others. A totally new character, seemingly of some importance, whom we know nothing about? We already have the new group of Ajira people that have not been explained and now there is another unknown group introduced in the final season. With the time jumps and now an alternate reality I think there are enough characters and storylines to contemplate without new variables.
And by the way, Where the heck is Claire?
My Crazy AR Theory
I have a feeling that the AR (flashsideways) will be the ending of the show. Let me explain, so the events taking place on the island after the flash will play out during the season and then our losties will be transported to the reality where 815 does not crash. If it turns out to be true its a great writing method to end the show but not having to tell the rest of the story in the last episode.
Boom LOST
i agree that the cabin had contained the MIB for at least a certain amount of time. I feel like all the manifestations of smokey were due to the MIB - including Christian, because they helped push Locke and Ben towards events that would lead to MIB's ability to capitalize on the loophole. When john heard the voice in the cabin it said help me. Sounds more like MIB to me.
Jacob always appeared as himself....
I don't know - confusing and awesome and Lost usually is.
My ONLY question is about the original dwelling place of Jacob and the line of ash around the cabin.
At the beginning of the season 5 finale, we see Jacob inhabiting the statue. Did he then abandon it and use the cabin instead, using ash to keep MIB out? It appears that he felt free to go back and use the statue to live in again after which his cabin was being used by MIB.
I also watched all of season 5 last week and I can't help but think that the only time I would consider Jacob as having an "influence" other than his touching of the losties, was with Rose, Bernard, and Vincent. I think the interaction with that couple in the jungle was really significant. I think that if Smokey is MIB, then Vincent is Jacob.
One thing I wondered about why Des was on the plane...we see the island under the sea now, which makes me think everyone on the island at the time of the 'incident' were killed, atleast the ones who were in their correct time..that being said.. Would Widemore, Penelope, and Hawkins actually exist now in the AR?
I am not sure if anyone touched on this yet so here goes. Was anyone else surprised to see that the temple appeared to be Mayan in origin. I mean one would naturally think that the temple would be Egyptian with all of the egyptian hieroglyphs found around the island. Then I remembered the scene where Ben journeys to the depths of the temple to be "judged" by Ol' Smoky and sees the Hieroglyphic portrait of what appears to be Anubis and a smoke like creature.
http://www.forareasonblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/hieroglyphic-in-smokeys-lair.jpg
I remembered that some people including my self thought that the smoke like creature in the image looked alot like the Mayan Vision Serpent in lintel 15. ( see image below)
http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/mm033786_l.jpg
Where am I going with this you may ask, well here you go. When Not Locke said " I want to go home." I thought that perhaps his home is in the temple. It would make sense that the only mayan looking hieroglyph ( old smoky) would live in the mayan looking temple. Perhaps He was even removed from his home by Jacob long ago and has been a prisoner forced to protect the island. Now that Jacob is dead Ol' Smoky is pissed off and is going to get his home back. ( Hence the Fire work alert from the temple and the preparedness of the Others). Who know it is just a thought but what if Jacob is not the pure spiritual leader we all think we know and love. Wouldn't that be a grand Lost twist for ya.
Katie H
Hey Jo! Well first of all I think we must thank God for making possible the existance of LOST, so in order of business: THANK YOU LORD FOR LOST. I think you got it right by thinking that Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, Jin and Miles are now in the same timeline that Flocke, Sun, Ben...are. And I have the proof! Remember the rocket that they shot from the temple? Well, Richard and the other saw it from the beach :D But there's something about this matter that is keaping my mind twisted: Does this mean that Claire has also been transported to the same timeline? Was she even caught in the time travelling thing and ended up in 1977? Good GOD where the hell is that girl??? Now, I must let you know about this theory of mine: have you ever get to thinking that Jacob is in fact the bad guy, and the Man in Black is in fact one of the good guys? After all, he does protect the Island in a way, and he ''wants to go home''(and by home I think he is refering to the temple); Come on! how bad can he be? (LOL)... I share your desire of seeing lovely Juliet alive again, as well as a closure to Libbys' story. Well that's all I have for now, please excuse my English, but I'm a Spanish-speaker by birth ;)
That was a great premiere, and you've followed it up with a really good recap! I enjoy your thoughts and writing style.
I don't have the chance to read all the comments, so this may have been said, but I think this whole mess has been Jacob's plan all along. He gave Hurley the guitar case containing the Ankh with the note with the names quite a while ago. Then he didn't fight back when Ben attacked, even egging him on. Appearing to Hurley at the right time and saying the right things. All of this insuring Sayid got to the Temple. I really do believe that Jacob is inhabiting Sayid, it'd be a great plot twist (not the the show isn't one big spiral staircase of twists).
in math X is a variable, so could it be that the title, LA X, means that the flashsideways in LA are really the variable X and what happens there will affect those on the island...
Jo - great recap. I like your technique of recapping the episode by character. Nice theories on what the future holds for our 2004 Losties (i.e., Hurley meeting Libby off the island).
I loved a lot what you said about the alternate reality in general and some specific observations about Ilana, Jack and young Ben Linus. But the best part was reading what you think about The Island and its possible resurface with the Black Rock...
Great write-up, Jo, as usual...the prevailing theory in our house at the moment is that the two timelines are somehow going to converge...
One funny thing was that in the scene when they were at the luggage carousel at LAX, there was a bald guy in a black suit that made me think of the Observer in Fringe...as if LOST was complicated enough as it is ;-)
I know everybody is calling the LAX timeline an alternate reality, but Darlton have specifically pointed out after the episode that it should not be called that. So how about choosing another name for it, Jo...
I'm with those who think MIB originally made his home in the temple and then was exiled to the cabin. I also vote against Jacob coming back in Sayid's body, as Jacob likes his players to have free will.
What should be interesting to see is how they cover Richard Alpert's origin story without a flashback.
Awesome posts, and the premiere posts before looked like great fun too.
I was wondering about two things, that people haven't seemed to mention (maybe they're too obvious) but-
1. was that the spring, was certainly have Biblical-overtones seemed to me to be some sort of Fountain of Eternal Youth, especially considering it's restorative powers, and Alpert.
2. and that the Island at the beginning of ep 1 looked very much like an Atlantis-type place? rather than the bomb sinking it, i'm thinking the wheel.
Loved the episodes. I can't believe the writers have managed to surprise me again. I couldn't decide if they'd do a 'reboot' scenario or a 'failure' scenario. I never thought it'd be both!
Another great post, Jo! I wanted to ask your opinion on something as it's been 'eating away' at me. In the final scene when Sayid wakes up and says "What happened" - his voice sounded like Charlie's to me. Now I know that Naveen Andrews is British, but I don't recall a time when that has come through on the show. And as I've been wrestling with what it could mean i.e. did Charlie take over his body? did Jacob have Charlie take over his body? but wait, Locke's voice is the same ... it can't make it fit. But then again, this is Lost and making things fit sometimes is difficult. So I was wondering if perhaps when you went back and watched if you noticed the same thing?
Great Recap, Jo! I love reading your thoughts and insights.
one thing I picked up on was Cindy in the temple saying..."They were on the 1st plane with me."
I think she is aware there was a an alternate reality going on with 815 arriving in LA, not crashing. I think the rest of the survivors will eventually become aware as well, as Juliet did as she was dying. Its just a matter of when and how, which I can't wait to watch.
Later in the episode Cindy brings in the kids from the tail section, who are older than they were in 2004. Its hard to say how much older, but I would guess its 2007- But we'll see.
I'm really excited to see how the AR and the island stuff connects or plays out. Also, how will the AR survivors interact with each other, how much will fate eventually bring them to gether or course correct and how much was just coincidence.
Enjoy Beunos Aires! Looking forward to your posts in the next couple of weeks.
Jo- Thanks for the great meet-up and your analysis of the premiere. It looks like we're in for a mind-blowing final season. And as much as I hated the CGI on the big screen, it seemed to be substantially better for the network broadcast. Then again, maybe I was just less shocked by it.
I also cannot believe I never put together the idea that Jack could fix Locke's paralysis! Of all the crazy things happening in this premiere, this was what really blew my mind.
Finally, for those still wondering, Desmond was reading "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" by Salman Rushdie. It's been sitting on my nightstand for months and now I'm motivated to finally read it! Also, I did a little digging on Lostpedia and apparently Haroun is Arabic for Aaron. Thoughts?
LOVE this blog.
Okay. I'm saying this to as many people as I can -- 1. because I think it's relevant and 2. because it gets rid of all the crazy nicknames.
Anyone know the Jacob/Esau story of the Bible? Jacob/Esau are twin brothers, sons of Isaac. Esau is deemed the "older" twin and is going to get the birthright and Isaac's blessing. As he is going out to get the animal for sacrifice, his mother realizes that "the older will serve the younger," and tells Jacob to fool his father, who is blind.
She tells him to go out and get an animal too, and dress up like Esau and go to his father and receive Esau's blessing. When Esau comes back, he sees that Isaac has already blessed Jacob and asks his father for his own blessing, but his father won't do it.
Needless to say, Esau is PISSED and vows to kill his brother after his father dies.
Thus, why I call notLocke/FakeLocke/MIB/Flocke/Smokey/SmokeMonster = Esau.
Oh, Jacob's twelfth son? Benjamin.
Love the idea that Juliet will deliver Claire's baby off-island and people we know will adopt the baby! Hadn't thought of that!
oh poop. I guess I messed up when I posted my last comment. Well can't remember everything I wrote, but do remember that I forgot one more question:
Why does NotLocke say to Ben that he is sorry he had to see him that way, when Ben has seen him that way before?
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