Because of this rare "week off" between new episodes, I am taking the opportunity to host a spoiler-free live Lost chat on Tuesday night. My special guest panelist will be Jon Lachonis, aka DocArzt!
As we approach the final few episodes, this is our chance to exhale and then overanalyze the season and series thus far together. No Lost topic is off limits, except for spoilers of course.
If you'd like to join us, simply come back to this post on tonight at 7pm PST and follow the easy instructions in the box below. Please be patient during the chat, as I will be moderating and approving the comments myself as we go!
In addition, please feel free to submit questions or topics in advance (via Comments below) and we will do our best to address as many as possible during the chat. See you soon!
Greetings, Lost friends. I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed The Last Recruit primarily because it felt like and old-school episode of our favorite show. As notLocke said, "it's so nice to have everyone back together again." It was fantastic to see the original gang reunited, even under odd, new and strenuous circumstances. And to be honest, I found the lack of dense mythology to be refreshing (and a relief, from a typically all-nighter writer standpoint).
By the way, I've decided that Season 6 should be given a tagline: They Like to Blow Sh*t Up.
But without further ado, let's jump into the ocean and then regroup to tackle the unknown together...
ALL SKATE, NOW REVERSE
Most of you are aware of my lack of interest in the love triangle/quadrangle, but I did appreciate Sawyer's line to Kate that "it's like someone's trying to put us together."
I'm not a huge fan of Sawyer referring to Kate as Freckles again, only because it seems too soon after Juliet's death. Much like they seemingly rushed Claire's mourning of Charlie, I don't feel as though Sawyer would really revert back to to his cute ways with Kate mere days after burying Juliet. And yes, I realize that he first called her Freckles again back in Recon.
By the way, what was with the his & hers Grease Lightning jackets that they were donning in the flash sideways?
ALL YOU DO TO ME IS TALK TALK
Earlier this season (Sundown), Dogen warned Sayid about notLocke that "if you allow him to speak, it's already too late." Claire reinforced that message to Jack in this episode, "you decided the moment you let him talk to you; you're with him now."
So here is where that 'rule' gets interesting - the Man in Black, as Christian Shephard, spoke to Jack back in S4 (Something Nice Back Home), as well as Sun and Lapidus in S5 (Namaste). So technically, he already had them at hello.
HOWEVER, if the Man in Black is unable to leave the island, then how is it that he appeared as Christian Shephard both on the freighter (to Michael right before it blew up) and then in Jack's office off island? HE. IS. LYING. I believe that he used Christian's body on the island but not on those other two occasions. So who the hell was that?
When notLocke ominously said "well, here we go" - this is what came to mind:
FEAR FACTOR
In my last post, I speculated that an extreme state of emotional fear causes people to remember their time on the island. Desmond under water after a car crash and Hurley on a first date are the first two examples. It seems as if Sun has experienced it after being shot, because she sees Locke at the hospital and screams "No! It's him!" I suspect that when Claire goes into labor, she'll see flashes of the island, especially if her delivery doctor happens to be Juliet Burke...or Juliet Shephard.
FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
It was a very pleasant surprise to see Ilana in the flash sideways, and I love that her last name is Verdansky because it is obviously a nod to Russian geochemist Vladimir Vernadsky. One of his tenets was that human cognition is an integral feature to the earth's evolution. Taking the flashes sideways into consideration, I believe it is an appropriate nomenclature for Ilana.
By the way, I do not believe that her name was on either the cave wall or lighthouse wheel. I'm sure that it's a moot point now, but perhaps Jacob purposefully hid her existence from the Man in Black (if that's even possible).
HEART TO HEART TALK
When Jin and Sun are FINALLY reunited (and it feels so good), Sun suddenly regains her ability to speak English. I might argue that it is a result of her regaining consciousness in the hospital simultaneously in the flash sideways after being shot.
Sun's "I never stopped looking for you" reassurance to Jin reminded me of an essential S4 Desmond and Penny moment. In The Constant, Penny told Des on the freighter phone that "I've been looking for you for the past three years!" And in this episode, when Jin told Sun that "we'll never be apart again," I thought about Penny's boat picking up Des and the Oceanic 6 in There's No Place Like Home, when Desmond told her that "I'll never leave you again."
HIS DARK MATERIALS
Although Sawyer aptly summed it up with "Sayid's a zombie, Claire is nuts," it appears that a glimmer of Sayid's former self remains. That the rules don't apply to Desmond and because he's uniquely and miraculously special leads me to believe that Sayid did not kill him. And, much like Desmond is doing in the flash sideways, he pulled at Sayid's heartstrings in order to snap him out of his zombie state.
When Desmond asked Sayid what he would tell the love of his life he did in order to be reunited with her, we found out immediately. In the flash sideways, Sayid told Nadia that "I'm leaving and I'll never be able to come back again." So the consequences of Sayid's actions in the flash sideways, as well as on the island, seem to indicate that he is destined to either die or remain on the island. If he isn't the final Candidate, perhaps he takes over the Man in Black's role as the Evil Incarnate trapped soul leader.
THE MAN IN BLACK BACKPACK
Weekly update of ridiculousness: the Smoke Monster is still toting around that damn backpack.
MAN OF SCIENCE, MAN OF FATE
The last time we had a Jack and Locke scene, one of them was dead. Jack put his father's shoes on Locke in the coffin before heading back to the island on Ajira flight 316. The beauty of that scene now is that the Man in Black was literally in Christian Shephard's shoes...both as ghost Christian and ghost Locke.
"It doesn't feel right, leaving the island. I remember how I felt the last time I left; like a part of me was missing." There is very little of the Man of Science left in Jack on the island. He has been drinking original Locke's kool-aid since he returned. "John Locke was the only one who ever believed in this place."
I winced when notLocke told Jack that John Locke was "stupid enough to think he was brought here for a reason. He pursued that belief until it got him killed and you were kind enough to bring his body back here in a nice wooden box." That, and "John Locke was not a believer; he was a sucker." Ouch.
MIRROR MOMENT
One of my favorite moments from this episode was Jack's look of recognition when looked into the mirror showing Locke's face before surgery. Not only was it yet another Mirror Moment for Jack in the flash sideways, it was a visual throwback to Jack's S3 surgery on Ben's spine (when Juliet has a private chat with him via mirror).
NOBODY PUTS (SQUIRREL) BABY IN A CORNER
I believe that Crazy Hair Claire has perfected the art of stink eye.
OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
The best line of the night, and perhaps the season thus far, was courtesy of Sawyer...naturally. Referring to Frank as "that pilot that looks like he stepped out off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie" was classic.
I share the general frustration with the lack of quality Lapidus time and dialogue in S6, but I have a feeling that our patience will be rewarded in these final episodes. Right now he is with Sawyer & co. but the logical thinking is that he will be faced with the opportunity to fly that Ajira plane off of the island.
PARALLELS
S1, Pilot
While explaining to Kate how he overcomes fear, Jack mentions ripping a patient's dural sac during spinal surgery. As it turns out, Jacob had visited Jack in the hospital after he fixed that patient, touched his hand while passing him a candy bar and said "I guess it just needed a little push." (Desmond gave Locke more than a little push to reunite him with Jack in the flash sideways). In this episode, Jack mentions that Locke's dural sac is in bad shape before his spinal surgery.
S1, White Rabbit
Jack first sees his deceased father Christian on the island, and chases him into the jungle.
He winds up over a cliff and is saved by John Locke, who shows up out of nowhere to help him. Locke describes his initial encounter with the Man in Black (in Smokey form), "I looked into the eye of the island, and what I saw was beautiful."
{Sidenote: in that episode, three key Lost phrases were introduced; Locke said "what if everything that happened here happened for a reason" and "a leader can't lead until he know's where he's going," and Jack said "if we can't live together, we're going to die alone."}
In this episode, Jack finds out that the Man in Black (speaking now as notLocke) had used his father's body to lead him to find water (in the caves) because "all I've ever been interested in is helping you."
S4, There's No Place Like Home, Pts 2 & 3
Sawyer decided to jump out of the helicopter into the ocean. He swam ashore and said "nice day for a swim" to Juliet on the beach. In this episode, Jack decided to jump off of the boat into the ocean. He swam ashore and notLocke greeted him with "nice day for a swim."
S5, 316
Eloise Hawing reprimanded Ben for failing to bring all of the Oceanic 6 back for Ajira flight 316, "I thought I said all of them." In this episode, notLocke told Jack that "it has to be all of you." {Sidenote: in the guise of Christian Shephard, the Man in Black said the same thing to Locke at the frozen donkey wheel in This Place is Death.}
Eloise Hawking told Jack to "start asking yourself whether or not you believe it's going to work...that's why it's called a leap of faith." In this episode, Sawyer tells Jack that "if you want to take a leap of faith, take it."
SIMPLY IRREVERSIBLE
In the S6 premiere (LA X), Locke told Jack that his condition "is irreversible" and Jack responded with "nothing is irreversible." It is fascinating that in this episode, Desmond warns Claire that "you could find yourself in a situation that is irreversible" because he is the key connection to the pending flash sideways/island convergence. My first thought was that Jack would actually 'fix' Locke after this accident and reverse his paralysis, and now I'm wondering if Desmond ran Locke over a) to lead up to that miracle or b) to prevent it.
YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME
After Widmore's crew firebombed notLocke & co., I think that they specifically made it sound like Jack was experiencing the hearing loss we heard post-Jughead detonation in LA X. Perhaps Island Jack is now Flash Sideways Jack on the island, just as Flash Sideways Locke may wake up after surgery to be Island Locke.
When notLocke told Jack that "it's okay - you're with me now," it was a striking realization that the roles in both worlds are concurrently flipped. In the flash sideways, Jack is saving/taking care of Locke. On the island, Locke is saving/tending to Jack.
CLAIRE
So Claire knows about her half-brother Jack in the flash sideways, but was she aware that their father had not only recently passed away - he was on their flight?
HURLEY
I heart Hurley's optimism and fanboy heart. "You can always bring people back from the dark side."
I'm fairly certain that Hurley has no idea that the sailboat his on belonged to Libby. Of course it isn't relevant at this juncture, but it's fun to continue observing little nuances.
JACK
"We were brought here because we're supposed to do something. If that thing wants us to leave, maybe he's afraid of what will happen if we stay. The island is not done with us yet." - Jack Shephard, Last Recruit. Last Action Hero. Final Candidate?
I have no idea what will happen to Jack, but I have to admit that I love his relationship with his son.
Did you notice that Jack had the exact same reaction to finding out that Claire is his half-sister both off the island (post-Oceanic 6) and in the flash sideways?
LOCKE
As soon as Locke said "Helen Norwood...I was going to marry her," I had a feeling that Desmond's plan had worked; he knew that Locke wouldn't die (even off island) if he ran him over, but he also knew that stirring Locke's island memories required a violent trauma. In my opinion, the Locke that Jack is operating on will wake up remembering everything on and off the island.
WIDMORE
Sawyer spent far too much time watching Little House on the Prairie and the Brady Bunch when he should have been an X-Files fan instead. Trust No One. Being a con man himself, why would he be surprised that Widmore turned on him?
So Widmore does not want the Man in Black to leave the island, but he's also not on Team Jacob because he is willing to kill the remaining Candidates. I have to say that I have no clue what Widmore's end game is, but I hope that if he dies in the end - it is at and in the hands of Ben Linus.
Random Aside of the Week
I find it rather odd that in Happily Ever After, Desmond tells Penny he'll meet her at a coffee shop on the corner of Sweetzer and Melrose (which are real streets in LA)...and in this episode he lures Claire to the law firm of Sweetzer & Verdansky. Nothing is a coincidence on Lost, but this one is particularly baffling.
--- Just a reminder - there is NO new episode next week! Although I'm sure that some of you will find that infuriating, I am thankful for the night/week off to prepare for what will be an insane three weeks of very busy Lost related writing and travels. Here is the schedule for the remaining episodes:
Tuesday, May 4: Episode 6.14 Tuesday, May 11: Episode 6.15 Tuesday, May 18: Episode 6.16 SUNDAY, May 23: Episode 6.17-6.18 (series finale)
I will be in LA for the Lost Weekend Fan Party and charity auction from May 14-16, and then again from May 22-24 for Jay and Jack's Lost Series Finale Party. I had a change of heart and decided that it would be far more fun to Watch Together, Write Alone for the very last episode. I started off this final season in Hawaii with Jay, Jack and other Lost bloggers, podcasters and fans - so why not finish out the experience that way.
Leave a Comment to Win
As always, I appreciate and encourage constructive feedback! I love reading your thoughts and theories each week, so don't be shy.
Every week until the finale, I am giving away a piece of Lost memorabilia to a fellow fan. Simply leave a comment to be eligible. Up for grabs this week - a complete set of Season 3 Trading Cards.
The winner of last week's tee (What Would John Locke Do) is...Dee! Please email me your shipping address, Dee.
In case you missed it, here is my appearance on last week's AOL TV video series Instant Dharma, as well as an article I posted this week called How Will Lost End? It Doesn't Matter.
Take care and enjoy the week off between episodes!
Good evening, Lost friends! I appreciate your patience. Before we get down to business, here is the Instant Dharma video that I appeared on this week - I was in LA filming it immediately following this episode on Tuesday night (which is why I was unavailable to write this post until now)! If you ignore the fact that the camera gifted me with an extra 4 8 15 16 23 42 pounds and focus on the content, I think you'll enjoy our instant reactions to Everybody Love Hugo. :)
You might notice that I will touch upon a few of the points below that we discussed in the video, but keep in mind that we literally watched the episode and then filmed for an hour without pausing. So we were unable to cover everything, and I am already toying with a few changes to my initial assessment.
This is a particularly long post because I actually had time to watch the episode twice before writing everything up. If I were Hurley, I would simply describe that rare opportunity with "Dude, it was awesome." Apologies to those of you who read this on your phone or while on the treadmill (which, apparently, is quite a few of you!).
So let's gently put down our baggage for the moment (RIP Ilana) and dive into the aftermath of an explosive episode together...
AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF THE DEAD
Given the amount of posthumous appearances on and off the island, I think it's safe to say that both Miles and Hurley can attest to the fact that "dead people are more reliable than alive people." The chorus of the deceased has guided the journeys and misadventures of many lives across several centuries.
The trapped souls on the island from hell are merely the sediment at the bottom of that rare bottle of wine.
In addition, I am curious about the fact that the three people that have inspired our flash sideways friends (thus far) to recall their island memories are in fact dead in the island timeline: Charlie, Faraday and Libby.
AND THEN THERE WERE THREE
When Ben pointed out that the island was done with Ilana and wondered out loud what it had planned for the rest of them, my concern for his future went up a notch. But when he decided to head back to New Otherton with Alpert and Miles, my heart sank. Those three are separating themselves from the last pieces of notLocke's puzzle - the remaining Candidates. To me, that puts all three of them into the unfortunate category of potentially disposable, given how few hours there are left to wrap this show up and that all of their story lines are just about resolved.
Insert sad face here. I will miss Dr. Linus the most when all is said and done. At least from this trio.
ASHES, FLASHES, WE ALL FALL DOWN
Hurley is turning out to be far more clever than we ever imagined - either that, or I simply did not give the dude enough credit. As soon as he saw Ilana's bag of ashes, he seemed to know that they would be useful and/or important. He was not with her group when she had Miles communicate with the ashes to tell her that Ben had killed Jacob (Dr. Linus), so he may not know that they ashes belong to Jacob.
BAD LUCK SOUL
Although it was nice to finally have confirmation that the Whispers on the island are indeed the souls of those who are stuck there for doing 'bad' things, it has also introduced a potential discrepancy.
Michael heard whispers right before Christian Shephard appeared on the freighter in the S4 finale, and his ghost has clearly been off island. Recall that earlier that season he appeared to Jack in his office (Something Nice Back Home).
Michael also heard whispers right before Libby appeared on the freighter in the same episode...and she had appeared to him earlier off island. In addition, ghost Libby was innocently murdered and doesn't seem to qualify as a trapped soul on the island - nor has she appeared there in ghost form.
But I am fan of the idea that there are lingering spirits on that island that will spill out into the world if and when the cork drops out; when the Man in Black finally gets to leave the island, he will not be alone. In the flash sideways world, it appears as if Darkness and his team of Lost Souls have already escaped, given that the island is submerged deep in the ocean.
Desmond's statement that "I have nowhere to run to" is certainly also applicable to the Man in Black, as well as the Lost Souls.
BLACK ROCK DOWN
My only remaining question about the Black Rock is this: was the Frozen Donkey Wheel beneath the Orchid originally from the ship? I suppose we'll never know, and it does not matter in the big picture.
BREAKING THE ICE
When Hurley posed the question, "how do you break the ice with the Smoke Monster?" my first response was - tell him a joke. Something like, "what did one snowman say to the other snowman?"
My crowded pop culture brain provided the visual above as soon as I pictured Smokey as a friendly (or at least funny) snowman. COLLISION COURSE
Right now I foresee a possible scenario that would bring together a majority of our friends in the flash sideways world...
Jin will bring a wounded and pregnant Sun to the hospital, where Dr. Juliet Burke will be pulling double duty to save Sun and deliver Claire's baby. Detectives James Ford and Miles Straume will be on the scene at the hit and run, and then accompany the ambulance carrying the wounded Locke and his new friend Ben to the hospital. Jack will operate on Locke. Sayid will happen to be there visiting his brother.
So where does Kate fit in? I doubt that she would have called Claire after being arrested by James, or that Claire would have had money to bail her out.
CRASH INTO ME
As I've listed out in previous posts, there have been many relevant car crashes on Lost. Let's focus on the ones involving the incredibly indestructible Mr. Locke:
File under: durable S.O.B.
Emily Locke was hit by a car, causing her to prematurely deliver baby John (Cabin Fever)
Locke was hit by a car confronting his mom in a parking lot (Deus Ex Machina)
Locke was hit by a car after speeding away from Abaddon's murder (The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham)
Locke was hit and run by Desmond in the flash sideways (Everybody Loves Hugo)
DOH!
Hurley inadvertently led the rest of the Candidates (himself included) right into notLocke camp and master design. Not only that - he brought the only airplane pilot on the island to the man who wants to fly a plane off of it. Son of a bitch.
Of course Widmore has Jin, but we're still not sure which Kwon is the Candidate. For all we know, it's abandoned baby Ji Yeon.
THE END OF THE BEGINNING
I don't know about you, but for a brief moment when this episode began, I thought that Dr. Chang was delivering a eulogy along with a photo montage of the deceased Hugo Reyes. That just might have pushed some fans over the edge.
THE FIRST RULE OF FIGHT CLUB IS: YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB
I am so going to break that rule...again. As I've mentioned on two prior occasions this season, a part of me is leaning toward the Fight Club theory that Jacob and the Man in Black are one in the same. In the Instant Dharma video, I assumed that the young boy in this episode was a younger Man in Black because his hair was much darker than that of the young blonde boy we first glimpsed in The Substitute. That the same actor played both boys leads me to believe that he was playing two versions of the same character; the blonde represents what seems like Jacob Angel on one shoulder of the same man, while the brunette represents what seems like MiB Devil on the other shoulder of the same man.
By the way, I simply refer to the young mystery boy as Mini Matt Damon.
I WILL TRY TO FIX YOU
Jack rarely has any affect on me, but for some reason my emotional core quivers whenever he addresses his obsession with fixing people. When he threw in an admission about getting Juliet killed, I was pleasantly surprised.
I also loved that he said "maybe I'm supposed to let go" because in the very first scene on the plane in LA X, Rose told him that "you can let go now." The key for Jack in both worlds is just that.
It has taken him time, travel and trauma - but Jack is finally proving his father wrong. In S1, Christian told him that "you're just not good at letting go."
I'M NOT CRAZY, I'M JUST A LITTLE UNWELL
I love that neither Hurley (in flashbacks) nor Libby (in flash sideways) were every actually crazy.
My top two lines from this episode relate to their lack of insanity. Dr. Brooks told Hurley that Libby "has issues with reality" and Hurley describes Libby's other world as a "bizarro alternate universe." Once again, Hurley represents what the dedicated masses are thinking as we watch this show unfold.
I'VE GOT THE POWER
For all intents and purposes, notLocke seems to have been telling the truth when he told Desmond that "Charles Widmore is not interested in answers, just power." Electromagnetic power, to be exact. I had been trying to figure out if Widmore would wind up on Team Jacob or Team Man in Black, but he's really on Team Island. Jacob is trying to protect it and notLocke is trying to leave it, but Ben called it back in S4: "Charles Widmore wants to exploit this island, and he'll do everything in his power to possess it."
IN ANOTHER LIFE
Libby's memories of Hurley were from, in her words, "another life." That is a goosebump-inducing phrase in the current context, and looking back at who else has used it.
S1, Nadia to Sayid: "You'll find me in the next life, if not in this one." (keeping in mind that notLocke promised Sayid he would see her again)
S2, Desmond to Jack: "See you in another life."
S2, Dave to Hurley: "See you in another life." (perhaps he is real in the flash sideways)
S2, Desmond to Locke: "I'll see you in another life." (right before the hatch imploded & exposed both of them to electromagnetic energy)
S4, Jack to Desmond: "I'll see you in another life." (after rescue, the last time they saw one another until the plane in LA X)
IT'S ELECTRIFYING
It seems as if notLocke was tipped off about Desmond's abilities (and Widmore's purpose for bringing him back to the island) when Des told him about being exposed to electromagnetic energy. notLocke's demeanor changed, as he appeared to realize that Desmond was the weapon Widmore had intended to use to somehow neutralize the Man in Black and keep him on the island.
Although Desmond told him that there isn't anything special about him, I'm not sure if notLocke is aware that Des is indeed "uniquely and miraculously special."
JESUS STICK: THE SEQUEL
In S3 (Further Instructions), Eko's Jesus stick fell out of a tree and almost hit Locke in the head after the hatch implosion. Locke noticed that Eko had etched the words Lift Up Your Eyes And Look North with the word John right beneath it (from John 3:05), and interpreted it as a message meant for him. In this episode, we see notLocke whittling a large stick for no specific reason ("when the time is right, it will tell me"). It is a safe bet that after another consciousness-altering event, this stick influence his actions as well.
Perhaps his BFF Backpack will be related, or at least the contents within. Seriously, I'm going to start calling him Man in Black Backpack soon.
LOST BOOK CLUB
In the interest of time, I will refer you to an outside source that will illuminate Dostoyevsky's Notes From the Undergroundfar better than I ever could. Hurley picked up a copy of this book (in Russian) in Ilana's tent after she died.
MATTERS OF THE HEART
Once again, love is all you need. Desmond inspired Hurley to pursue Libby, just as Charlie inspired Desmond to find Penny.
Although I am on the fence about love as the glue that may very well bring the two worlds together, there is one train of thought that I am on board with...that seeing or meeting Juliet will cause Sawyer to remember his time on the island.
MIRROR MOMENT
For the first time this season, a character did not have a moment in the mirror or their reflection in the flash sideways. Unless I missed it - did Hugo have one? Is this a clue about his candidacy?
(MORAL) COMPASS
notLocke pointed out that the energy beneath the well made compass needles spin. So of course I had to look back at the use of compasses on the island:
Locke brought 2 compasses with him to Sydney for the walkabout. He gave one to Sayid in S1 but I'm not sure we know where the other one is. Probably in Smokey's Backpack of Mystery.
Faraday used a compass in S4 to stay on course while bringing people from the island to the freighter. Yeah, they all blew up.
Alpert gave Locke a compass to prove that they knew one another during the time shifts. At some point, notLocke was involved but I'm far too tired to elaborate or contemplate further.
And although it isn't confirmed, I thought that the wheel in the lighthouse resembled a giant compass.
MURDER BY NUMBERS
The Connect Four game being played at Santa Rosa was a nice callback to S1 (Numbers), because that is where Hurley first heard the infamous digits, 4 8 15 16 23 42. It is interesting to note that Leonard Simms is not the man playing the game or mumbling the numbers, because we don't know if this version of Hurley used those numbers to win the lottery.
I'm not sure if all of you have seen this, but here is a Good Luck Clucks commercial from the last Comic-Con panel. They were providing less-than-subtle hints about Hurley's flash sideways as far back as July 2009.
As Martha Toomey first told Hurley in Numbers, "you make your own luck, Mr. Reyes." That phrase was then also used by Hurley's dad and repurposed by Hurley himself in Tricia Tanaka is Dead. In the flash sideways, the key to Hurley's success is making his own luck without the (mis)fortune.
PARALLELS S2, Dave We met Dr. Brooks, who was treating both Libby and Hurley at Santa Rosa. In this episode, he was still treating Libby there.
Hurley's imaginary friend Dave tells him that "none of it is real, none of it is happening. It's all in your head. I'm part of your subconscious - all the people on this island are. I'm the part of you that wants to wake up. The only way for you to bust out is to tell your mind that you don't believe any of this." It sounds like Dave may have been Libby's therapist in the flash sideways.
S4, Meet Kevin Johnson When Sayid and Desmond found out that Michael had returned (on the freighter as Kevin Johnson), he told them that "I'm here to die." In this episode, ghost Michael tells Hurley that "I'm here to stop you from getting everyone killed."
Ghost Libby appeared to Michael as he was recovering from a suicide attempt in the hospital; she was carrying a stack of blankets as a visual reminder that he shot her through blankets. In this episode, Hurley throws open a blanket for he and Libby to sit on during their reset date on the beach.
In addition, ghost Libby said "don't do it" to Michael on the freighter when he was about to detonate Ben's bomb. In this episode, when Miles asked why he blew up the Black Rock, he responded with "Michael told me to."
TO SERVE AND PROTECT
Just as Locke blew up the Flame station and sub because he believed it was their destiny to be on the island, Hurley blew up the Black Rock because he is protecting "it" (the island). Or so he thinks. There is no dynamite left to blow up the plane that the Man in Black may wind up using to finally leave the island, which would result in the end of the world...or at least the end of that timeline.
TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE
When notLocke apologized to Desmond, it stuck out to me because of how many times Smokey has apologized in his current form. His civility in all instances is downright disconcerting.
LA X: "I'm sorry you had to see me like this." The Substitute: "Richard, I'm sorry I hit you in the throat and dragged you off the beach." Recon: "I'm sorry, Kate. I have to take responsibility for Claire's behavior." The Package: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." (to Sun)
Strangely, I found that Widmore's disposition in Happily Ever After paralleled notLocke's, when Widmore apologized twice to Desmond ("I'm really sorry we had to do this to you" and "I'm really sorry for taking you away from them.")
Conversely and perhaps more importantly, the Man in Black's response to Jacob's "you tried to kill me?" in Ab Aeterno was "you expect an apology?" WELLS EMBARGO
Visually speaking, Desmond down the well reminded me of Claire down in the pit inside of the Temple (and, of course, "it puts the lotion in the basket"). Whereas notLocke knew she would be protected in there during his Smokey rampage in Sundown, in this episode he threw Des in the well to protect himself and everyone else from what may have had planned.
Last season (This Place is Death), Locke descended down a rope into a well outside of the Orchid and wound up beneath the station after a time shift. We know that there was another giant pocket of energy down there, so that accounts for the second known well.
I realize that the Temple was destroyed, but now I'm wondering if the Spring was actually also above one of the pockets of electromagnetic energy...
WHO'S YOUR DADDY?
I missed Cheech, didn't you? I suppose that Hugo's dad never returned in the flash sideways. DESMOND
Although Desmond is the one who is nudging people in a certain direction in the flash sideways, much like Jacob did with a select few from the original flight 815, their methods are decidedly different. For example, while Jacob may have caused Nadia's death in order to lure Sayid back to the island, Desmond took care of Locke himself.
While it is up for debate whether or not Desmond ran over Locke in the flash sideways because he had just been thrown in the well on the island, or because he needed to push Locke toward Jack (under worse/different circumstances than a mere consultation for spinal surgery), I am leaning toward the former. When notLocke told Desmond that "there's something I'd like to show you," I was immediately reminded of Desmond's last statement in Happily Ever After: "I just need to show them something." One minute, notLocke throws Desmond down a well. The next minute, he runs over Locke. To me, there is a clear connection of consciousness.
Isn't it a bit odd that Desmond (in his flash sideways) knows that his son's name is Charlie? After all, I thought he had only briefly seen visions of Penny with their son. I wasn't aware that flashes before their eyes were accompanied by a soundtrack.
DR. CHANG
That Dr. Chang introduced Hurley at his tribute seems to indicate a friendship. This ties Miles to Hurley in the flash sideways, and by association Charlotte (who also works at the museum), Faraday (who clearly stalks and/or visits her there) and his parents Eloise and Charles Widmore, his half-sister Penny and then Desmond.
Could there be an event in the future which brings them all together, much like the hospital scenario outlined above?
ILANA
Is it mere coincidence that Ilana dies and Jacob is nowhere to be found?
The island was done with Ilana, but it seems to me that Jacob wasn't. She had trained her whole life to protect the Candidates, only to accidentally blow herself up. Did Jacob know that was going to happen? Even I am not courageous enough at this point in the game to suggest that she somehow survived; that her mysterious burns in Russian hospital resulted from this and that her visit with Jacob was before any of this took place.
On a personal note, I was disappointed to see Ilana killed off before the finale simply because Zuleikha Robinson is quite lovely and friendly in person. I had high hopes for her character. So much for my Asher theory (although that name was already crossed out)...
JACK
This was the first time that Jack has seen Locke since he placed his father's shoes on him in the casket. That was a fantastic moment and I can't wait for their next moves. I have a strong feeling that Jack has something up his sleeve (other than a misinterpreted tattoo).
LIBBY
Clearly she and Crazy Claire share the same hairdresser.
I was surprised and intrigued to hear her say that she was at Santa Rosa voluntarily. In the flash sideways, I have to wonder if she lost a husband to illness (like the original storyline), and if that propelled her voluntary check-in.
Then again, I've been convinced for years that Hurley's imaginary friend Dave is one and the same as Libby's ex-husband David...who named a sailboat Elizabeth after her...which she then gave to Desmond after David died...which Desmond was on when he first crashed on the island. Coincidence, I'd like to introduce you to fate.
Not Libby's Boat?
CRAZY THEORY OF THE WEEK
A major key to the resolution of the flash sideways may have been revealed in this episode: fear, or the lack thereof. Desmond's consciousness returned to the island after experiencing the flash sideways world for a time, infusing him with a new sense of fearlessness. Perhaps their flash sideways lives will become their reality when they finally let go of their greatest fears once and for all on the island.
Dating all the way back to the very first episode, fear has played an obvious and rather significant role; here are just three examples:
In S1 (Pilot), Jack says the following to Kate while explaining his botched surgery story: "Fear is sort of an odd thing. The terror was just so crazy, so real. And I knew I had to deal with it. So I just made a choice. I'd let the fear in, let it take over, let it do its thing...but only for five seconds. That's all I was going to give it. So I started to count, 1 2 3 4 5. Then it was gone."
In S2 (Dave), Hurley told Libby that "you're just a part of me that's scared; you don't want me to wake up. This isn't happening, none of it. I'm just imagining it. This isn't real life."
In S2 (Par Avion), Mikhail informs Sayid that he is not on the list because "you are angry and weak and frightened."
The extreme state of fear caused Desmond to access memories he didn't know he had from the island while under water after Charlie crashed their car. The emotional nature of fear (in this case, hesitation and the unknown plus first date nerves) caused Hurley to access memories he didn't know he had from the island while kissing Libby.
--- It is hard to fathom that I will only be doing this on six more occasions; spending this much time writing about one episode of one television show. Thank goodness that I am tremendously busy until May 23, because I am not prepared for the end just yet. Denial is the state I'm living in, and for now it is equally comfortable and blissful.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read through this very long batch of Lost episode analysis, and for waiting patiently. From the early days (when I only received 2 per post) until now - every single comment I receive is a treat, and I really appreciate it when you share your theories and/or have constructive feedback.
Leave a Comment, Win...Something
As I mentioned last week, I've decided to give out a Lost tee or other piece of memorabilia to a fellow fan every week until the finale. To be eligible, all you have to do is a leave a Comment after each episode. I will randomly pull a name each week and announce a winner in the following week's post. Up for grabs this week: a women's Medium TeeFury shirt called "What Would John Lock Do" (see below for graphic)!
The random name pulled out of last week's comments, and the winner of the "Desmond's Replacement" tee, is bryanmurray70! Bryan, thank you for participating and please email me your shipping address.
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