Thursday, April 01, 2010

S6Ep10 - The Package

Hello my dear friends -

I'll skip the small talk once again just to maximize writing time, so let's get to it. Flashes first! (And for the newbies, don't forget to roll your mouse over the pics for hidden captions...)

KEEP IT ON THE DOWN LOW
NOBODY HAS TO KNOW


As many of us suspected after the season premiere, Sun and Jin aren't married in the alternate timeline. What I didn't see coming, however, is that Sun truly doesn't know English in the flash sideways. I'd thought she was just feigning ignorance when she was questioned by security after Jin was caught with the bag o' money. But if they were never married and he never was a crappy husband and she never wanted to take off on her own, then she had no reason to learn English, I guess.

BUT, they are still getting it on... and going to great lengths to hide their affair. Millions of men around the world forgave the producers for years of Shirtless Sawyer scenes once they got a look at Shirtless Sun, and all was well with the world for a few moments. Then Keamy had to ruin everything. Turns out it was his payment that had been confiscated and it was none other than my Kos Tour guide -- the man partially responsible for my picture with Terry O'Quinn -- Jeff, who was one of the guys refusing to let Jin leave with the dough! Yes, he was an extra in this episode and played one of the security guards, isn't that cool? That's him on the right. Congrats, Jeff -- you the man!


Speaking of the airport scene, and I'm sorry to be jumping around a bit in this section, but did anyone else notice this dude's absolutely amazing mullet?



Seriously, I could not take my eyes off of it. I was like, "Screw Sun and Jin -- I wanna know about that guy." I thought for sure he would be some key player in the episode solely because of that 'do. But like so many other times, I was wrong.

ANYWAY... Keamy calls in The Man Formerly Known as Patchy (hooray!) to translate for him. I was totally surprised to see our favorite Soviet, though by now all of these past character cameos shouldn't be such a shock, should they?

Sun claimed she had enough money to pay Keamy what he was owed, so Mikhail went to the bank with her while Keamy took Jin to the back of the restaurant we'd seen previously in "Sundown." It turns out that Mr. Paik already knew about the secret lovers, had closed Sun's account, and had hired Keamy to kill Jin -- the $25k was supposed to be his payment for doing so. But as we know, Sayid put a dent in those plans. After Sayid gave Jin a razor and took off, Mikhail shows up with Sun, things get ugly, and Jin straight-up shoots Mikhail in the eye. Is it wrong that I couldn't contain a huge laugh at that point? The Patch is his destiny.

Then came the scene that nobody expected. Sun had been hit in the stomach during the crossfire. My jaw definitely dropped open when I realized what was going on. But then it got worse... as Jin was carrying her out, she dropped a bombshell: "I'm pregnant."

You can be damn sure that I yelled "Saaaaaayyyyy WHHHAAATTTT?!?!" What did you yell?

OK, so here are my two main thoughts on this new development:
1) In the original timeline, pre-Flight 815, we learned that Jin was infertile. Sun knew this, but never told Jin. Once they survived the crash, that issue was resolved thanks to the Island's special powers and Sun became pregnant, with Juliet confirming that it was Jin's child because the "D.O.C" (date of conception) was during their Island stay. So now I'm totally confused because why would his infertility just randomly disappear in the alt timeline? UNLESS....
2) Jin is not the baby daddy. Let's face it, this is a possibility. Yes, in the flashes Sun did say that she wanted Jin to "run away" with her and they definitely seem to be in love, but that doesn't mean Sun hadn't been fooling around with Baldy back in Korea like she was in the original timeline. She has been proven not to be the most moral person in the world, so it's in the realm of possibility. Now, I fully admit that I think there's only like a 5% chance of this playing out since we're careening toward the end of the series, but I thought I'd mention it. It's the only way I can make sense of the situation.

Anyone else have an idea as to why Jin would not be infertile in the alt timeline? Hold up -- I just thought of one other possibility... when Jacob touched Sun and Jin in the original timeline, maybe Jacob purposely caused Jin's issues? And maybe in the alt timeline Jacob didn't visit anyone, so Jin was fine? I can't fathom why Jacob would do such a thing, though -- what would the point be? And so, I debunk my own theory.

OK, on to the Island.


PRIVATE EYES
THEY'RE WATCHING YOU

THEY SEE YOUR EVERY MOVE


Man, did that night vision stuff scare me. Since the episode opened with that scene, all that was going through my head was, "Whoa... is there another party we don't know about? Is this all a game that someone else is watching through a monitor? WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!" But it wasn't actually that hard to figure out, I was just slow that night. Clearly it was going to turn out to be Widmore's team. After Dead-Eye Sayid informed Fake Locke that he was utterly devoid of emotion and Fake Locke responded that it was probably better that way because of "what's coming," Fake Locke went into the jungle alone to do God knows what. The unseen night-vision people watched Fake Locke leave, saw that Jin was going to take this as his chance to bust out, and then decided to nick everyone in the neck with poisonous darts. One of my top twenty freak-out moments of the series was at the end of Season Two when Jack, Sawyer, Kate and Hurley got taken out by darts in a similar fashion after Michael set them up to be captured by the Others. So this scene brought back all those awful memories. Boo. At least there was no convulsing this time around.


EMPTY GARDEN

It turns out Fake Locke left his peeps in order to visit Sun in her old garden. But she wasn't buying anything he was selling. I was pretty impressed with Sun because, as we ALL know, the only frickin' thing she's been hollering about this entire season is "finding her husband." And that's what Fake Locke promised -- a reunion with Jin at long last. But I guess she knew better than to trust an undead version of the bald guy that had come back to the Island in a coffin. So she busts outta the garden just like Ben busted out in "Dr. Linus" when he decided to try and escape from Ilana and his self-dug grave. It didn't turn out as well for Sun because she ran head-first into a tree and was knocked out cold. Fake Locke disappeared, Ben found her... but when she awoke she could no longer speak English.

Now, something suspicious is definitely going on with this, don't you agree? We've seen subtle hints of the original timeline influencing the alternate timeline earlier in the season, with Jack's neck cut and abdominal scar, with Kate kinda-sort having an "a ha!" moment when she saw Jack outside the terminal and then later seeming to have a reaction to unborn baby Aaron's whale doll, and with Claire suddenly having Aaron's name come to her. And we've seen all of the flash-sideways characters look into a mirror during their centric episodes -- that's gotta mean something because it's happened in every episode. Now we have Sun no longer speaking English, just like in the alternate timeline. I can't really put into words what I think this means, other than to say that I think the two versions of events are starting to intertwine a bit -- and affect each other. Will a 2004 version of a character end up doing or saying something that helps the Present-Day version of his or her character? Or vice versa? That's the way I'm thinking it's going.


I SEE A BAD MOON RISIN'
I SEE TROUBLE ON THE WAY
I SEE EARTHQUAKES AND LIGHTNIN'
I SEE BAD TIMES TODAY


Back at the jungle camp site, Widmore's peeps steal Jin and take off. Fake Locke returns and is PISSED. I found it interesting that he didn't act like he cared about anyone except Sayid, whom he slapped awake first, and then immediately asked about Jin. Seems like if Sawyer was one of the candidates Fake Locke would've been a little more concerned about his life. And he basically said "whatever" about Kate and Claire.

The attack sprung Fake Locke into action and after the others regained consciousness he informed them that he and Sayid were heading to Hydra to retrieve Jin. Before they left, Claire cornered Fake Locke about the names on the cave wall and asked if she or Kate were listed. He said that neither of them were, but told Claire that he still needed her, and that he was essentially just using Kate. Then in so many words he said that it didn't matter to him whether Kate lived or died after he got everyone else on the Ajira flight. "Whatever happens, happens." Yikes.

Over at the beach, Ilana's all, "Told ya so!" when Richard and Hurley trudge back into the camp. Richard is alarmed when he hears that Fake Locke had recently visited Sun, and even more concerned when Ben told him that the MIB intended to carry out his plan on Hydra. The Ageless One immediately figured out that the MIB was going to attempt to escape the Island via the Ajira plane and ordered everyone to pack up because they needed to go there, too. (Cue me having another meltdown about the impending outrigger shootout... how much longer are they going to tease us about this? Wait, I have an answer to my own question: until they finally remind everyone about that time-traveling scene in the "Previously on Lost" segment. When that happens, except the shootout to follow in that episode.)

Sun continues to be in a bad mood and storms off again. Eventually Jack finds her and they have a pseudo-chat on the beach (I thought that scene was exceptionally beautiful with the eerie way the sky was lit, didn't you?). After Sun reveals that she didn't go with Fake Locke because she doesn't trust him, Jack asked if she trusted him, and put out his hand to her just like Fake Locke had done. Sun declared herself to be on Team Jack, took his hand and -- I think it's safe to assume -- implicitly agreed that she'll head over the Hydra with the rest of the group.

(Hmm, I just thought of something -- what if Sun's the one who gets shot on the outrigger kind of like how she was shot in the flash sideways?)

In the meantime, Fake Locke reached Hydra and I was honestly shocked to see him come face to face with Widmore already. I loved their "Do you know who I am?" "Do you know who I am?" convo. And after Widmore denied abducting Jin, I found it interesting that Fake Locke once again pulled from Real Locke's memories: "A wise man once said that war is coming to this island." That was, of course, what Widmore said to Real Locke in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham."


PHOTOGRAPH
ALL I'VE GOT IS A PHOTOGRAPH
BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH

How psyched was I to see the return of the Clockwork Orange Brainwashing Rave Room?!?! VERY psyched. Oh, how I loved that room. Did you notice how Jin had to turn on the video just to remind all of the non-diehard viewers where in the hell he was? I thought that was funny.

After attempting to leave and subsequently being tased by Zoe, Jin's asked about the electromagnet pockets on the Island. That means that Widmore's plan has something to do with those spots. Jin refused to talk and instead demanded to speak to Widmore. And he got his wish.

I have to admit that the Sun/Jin storyline has never been that compelling to me -- I just haven't really connected to those characters that much. Their #1 moment for me was Sun's ear-splitting scream when she saw the freighter (with Jin on its deck) blow up (which I was POSITIVE we'd have to live through again courtesy of the "Previously on Lost" segment before this episode, but we didn't). #2 was when they said good-bye (after weeks of fighting) when Jin was about to leave on the raft in the Season One finale. And #3 was Jin getting all teary-eyed at seeing the Ji-Yeon pics in this episode. Kudos to Daniel Dae Kim for bringing it!

So yeah, Widmore gave Jin Sun's digital camera from the Ajira wreckage, then let him take a moment to scroll through the gallery, and then got down to business. He informed Jin that if the MIB ever left the Island, everyone they both knew and loved would "simply cease to be." That sounds like some end of the world crap to me, don't you think? Kind of like when Ms. Hawking warned Desmond that if he didn't fulfill his destiny on the Island, that "every single one of us is dead."

Speaking of Desmond...


I MET YOU ON SOMEBODY'S ISLAND
YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD KNOWN ME BEFORE

Can I get a "FINALLY?!?!"
Can I get a "'Bout damn time!?!"
And can I get big ol' round of cheers that we're bound to hear "Brotha!" again soon?

Hooray, hooray! Desmond is BACK, and he is The Package (no perverted jokes, please). For like two milliseconds I thought The Package might be Ji Yeon, but then the reality of Desmond not being seen since the premiere returned and I knew it was going to be him.

We found this out thanks to a very creepy scene in which a Rambo-like Dead-Eye Sayid was slithering through the water and came face to face with Des as he hung over the pier, all whacked out on spiked OJ. They just stared at each other for several seconds and I had no idea what was going to happen. I thought maybe Sayid was going to pull Des into the water and glide away with him, or that Des would start shouting and alert Widmore's team to Sayid's presence. Instead, they both remained silent and Des was hauled onto shore. I can only imagine that Sayid will return to Fake Locke and report his findings so they know what they're dealing with.

But what ARE they dealing with, exactly? What is Desmond needed for? Since Zoe mentioned she's a geophysicist and is all concerned about the electromagnetic pockets, I can only assume they think that because Desmond turned the failsafe key (which then caused him to have all those weird future-flashes) that he has harnessed within him some sort of special power (how they would KNOW he turned the key is another mystery). Faraday alluded to something along these lines when he informed Desmond (during one of the time-traveling jumps last season) that he was "uniquely and miraculously special." Ms. Hawking also knew how important Desmond was -- not just because of what she said to him in "Flashes Before Your Eyes," but also because she warned him after he refused to join the Ajira flight: "The Island isn't done with you yet."

So Desmond's connection with turning the failsafe key and the effect doing so had on him and on the Island's electromagnetic pull is the only thing I can reasonably assume Widmore's team wants him for. Unless they just REALLY like his accent. Other ideas?


FLIES IN THE VASOLINE WE ARE
SOMETIMES IT BLOWS MY MIND
KEEP GETTING STUCK HERE ALL THE TIME

Let's end with the same question we've ended several posts with this season: What is UP with Widmore?

Here's where my head's at after this episode: Widmore, like Ben and like Jacob, is against the MIB leaving the Island. He does not want that to happen and understands that the results would be catastrophic. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's on Jacob's "side," per se. Widmore is on his own side and apart from wanting to contain the MIB, he has his own agenda. And that agenda involves: 1) keeping the MIB from escaping so as to not end the world, and 2) making sure the Island is easily accessible in the future.

Why? Because he wants to exploit its unique properties and powers. Ben said as much back when he first introduced Real Locke to Widmore via security video tape back in Season Four: "John, three months ago in Gainesville, Florida, the Virgin Mary seemed to appear in a patch of mold on the side of an old housing complex. When the word got out, over 5,000 people came to see her face for themselves. You've survived an airline crash on this island. One minute, you're in a wheelchair. The next minute, you're doing jumping jacks. If 5,000 people came out to see a piece of mold, how many people do you think would come here to see you? Charles Widmore wants to exploit this island, and he'll do everything in his power to possess it."

Now, Ben lied a lot during that talk he had with Real Locke, but I think there may have been a glimmer of truth to this part. We do know that Widmore has been on a quest to find the Island again ever since he'd been banished. We also know that he is a successful businessman back in the real world. Maybe he feels like the Island could be added to his empire? Maybe he knows that if he brought sick people there and they were cured that he would be worshiped -- like a god? Maybe he just wants the Island all for himself and wants to be able to simply come and go as he pleases without all the calculations that are currently necessary? Who knows... but in my mind he is STILL "bad" overall. Remember Alex!

As to why he chose Jin to kidnap rather than, say, Sawyer (another "candidate"... assuming Widmore even knows about the candidates...), on top of Jin's familiarity with the electromagnetic pocket locations, it might go back to Widmore's familiarity with Sun. Don't forget -- they struck some sort of weird deal after Sun returned as one of the O6 and thought Jin was dead. She was going to kill Ben with the gun Widmore provided and all that. So maybe there was more to their agreement than we realized.


BEST LINES OF THE EPISODE

ILANA: Hugo will find him. He will track him down and bring him back.

MILES: Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I'm not sure Hurley can track anything...

LAPIDUS: Hey, don't talk about bacon.



SAWYER: What do you need a boat for? Can't you just turn into smoke and fly your ass over the water?

LOCKE: Do you think if I could do that I would still be on this island?

SAWYER: No, 'cause that would be ridiculous.


BEN: What? Oh, for the fourth time, I was gathering mangoes and she was already unconscious when I found her. Why won't you believe me?

ILANA: Because you're speaking.



Until next time,
- e

62 comments:

Erika (aka "e") said...

Songs this time were:

Down Low - R Kelly

Private Eyes - Hall and Oates

Empty Garden - Elton John

Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Photograph - Def Leppard

Jungle Love - Steve Miller Band

Vasoline - Stone Temple Pilots

Thanks for reading!

- e

225712012 said...

Much as I loved 'shirtless Sun', I have a feeling they weren't all hers. They seemed much bigger in one particular scene, and seemed to shrink in the scenes that included her face.
Well, they were pretty nice, whoever they belonged to.
There were no credit mentions for 'Sun's breasts' on IMDB either.

Alexistran said...

I thought the reason Jin was chosen by Widmore was explained - he signed the Dharma maps and so can relocate the pockets. Sawyer on the otherhand was going by Lafleur so Widmore won't necessarily know it's the same guy.

Em. said...

Thanks for the post. Love them!

I thought Keamy was already hired to kill Jin & that's why Jin was in LA... to deliver the payment & himself to Keamy. And this is why Keamy smirked that Jin was there.

Also, I thought Widmore kidnapped Jin because Jin was the one who signed the field blueprints, therefore, Jin knows where the electromagnetic pockets are located.

pejafor3 said...

Reading your recap is like opening a present.
But... reading your pic comments is priceless!

Spanio said...

Do yourself a favor and rewatch the scene where Keamy was taping up Jin. There's one part where it sounds a whole lot like he's saying "what's about to happen to your island."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0beKmucSUBI

Unknown said...

First off, I love your recaps. I've just started following internet chatter this season and hearing what other people are thinking about definitely increases my own analysis and enjoyment of Lost.

On that note, I had a couple of thoughts based on your thoughts.
1) I don't think Keamy squealed on Jin and Sun. If the confiscated money was payment for Keamy to kill Jin, Mr. Paik wanted Jin dead when he sent him on the trip. So Mr. Paik probably found out about the affair some other way, which would also explain Keamy's smirk when he promised not to reveal their secret (because the secret was already out).

2) I've been thinking for a while that the flash-sideways are showing the candidates’ lives without Jacob's interference. Everyone seems somehow better off without his meddling. Although, if MIB getting free really means the end of the world, then the sacrifices of the candidates may be worth it in the grand scheme of things.

3) How awesome would it be if Desmond somehow saved Sayid from being dead inside like Sayid saved Desmond by helping him contact his Constant?

Kelly, UK said...

I was quite disappointed that there was no big Jin/Sun reunion this episode. How long can they drag it out? But I didn't think too much of it when Sun said she was pregnant. Things are just slightly skewed in this version of the world, like Jack having a son and Sayid not being married to his Nadia.
I loved the attention to detail when Mikhail got shot in the eye. It was very fitting.

Waldi said...

http://getlostpodcast.iimmgg.com/image/270bbe587276e48f3fad95f3a41ff999

There are 3 pockets of electromagnetism on the map. We know that two of them are Swan and Orchid station. Based on the contour lines, the 3rd pocket should be at the top of the volcano. Widmore's peoples kidnapped Jin to help them at the 3rd pocket. The leader of Widmore's people is a geophysicist, because they want to release the electromagnetic energy. (Maybe that happend in the ATL, causing a vulcanic erruption, that is why the Island is sunken.)
Because Desmond is special, I think they want to expose him to the exotic particles/electromagnetism. Desmond will be able to foresee the future again. Their only chance to defeat MiB, if Desmond foresees his actions.

Erika (aka "e") said...

Spanio -

It's been confirmed by Jorge Garcia that that is NOT what Keamy said. Per the script, Keamy said: "Because if you figure out what's about to happen to you, I can't have you freaking out." That's what I heard, too, no question.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Geronimo-Jacks-Beard/166204864418?v=feed&story_fbid=113724458640030

Everyone else - Yes, I realized Widmore took Jin because of the map, just thought there might be another reason, too. Edited the post to make it clearer! Thanks!

- e

Erika (aka "e") said...

Em and Ezekial - Thanks - you were right about Keamy already knowing about the affair -- I edited the post to reflect that. Was too tired writing it last night!

- e

Alisha Rene' said...

E IT!

and I those were my fav lines as well - esp the Ilana/Ben.

great write 'e'

how's the book going? - mine is having some road bumps, but moving forward =D

mendy said...

A couple of thoughts...
Jin definitely spent time on the Island in the 70ies. Proven by his signature on the map. It's fairly likely that the Island cured his infertility back then.

I think that Desmond's ability to see the future is possibly why Whidmore has brought him to the Island. Remember the scene in the airport with him and Claire? He talks about Claire's baby as a boy and when she stops he changes and says baby.

Erika (aka "e") said...

Mendy -

I think you might be confusing the timelines. In the original timeline Jin was infertile before the crash and then that was cured on the Island. Sun got pregnant, she left the Island and THEN he went back to the '70s... not returning to the present time until the Jughead incident. So in the original timeline he's never left the Island since the crash and Ji Yeon was born before he time-traveled.

In the alt timeline they never went to the Island, it's underwater. They never crashed so they never traveled back in time, either. So that couldn't have cured his infertility. Something else must have, or else he was never infertile in the alt timeline in the first place, which is what makes no sense to me...

- e

Kia said...

Wonderful write-up as always.... "Keep it on the down low" had me LOL! I agree that Jacob's touch made Jin infertile. I think that this was because he may actually replace Jacob. You can't exactly be a father AND do that job.

If Jacob is the version of Christian that we saw on the boat (because MIB couldn't have traveled over water) then Jacob would have also played a role in separating Sun and Jin once Sun was pregnant.

This would also confirm that Jin is the "Kwan" listed on the cave wall, and the true candidate. But who knows.... :)

Anonymous said...

Didn't Ben shoot Desmond the day before the 316 flight?

A few days after that, Widmore, Hawking, Desmond and Penny were at the hospital.

Hasn't only a couple of days passed from when 316 crashed and the current events?

So how did Widmore grab Desmond and a sub and sail from LA to the Island so quickly? That didn't look like a very big sub, and probably can't travel that fast.

Lorraine Be said...

Great recap as ever - and a special thanks for the two lovely pictures of Jack and Sawyer! Speaking of pictures, the one you posted of Widmore and Locke facing each other struck me as interesting as they ALMOST look like mirror images. Please acknowledge my comment, Erika, so I can have something worth living for even after Lost has finished! x

Erika (aka "e") said...

Anon - I believe several weeks, if not a few months, have transpired since 316. All that stuff with the 815ers living in the Dharma initiative definitely took a couple of weeks at the very least (leading up to Jughead). Then after Jughead I think it's been probably a week or so at least as well. I'm sure Lostpedia has a timeline somewhere but I haven't checked.

LorainB - Acknowledged! : )

- e

Unknown said...

Thanks e for your great recap.
I love watching Widmore and can admire him for his patience if anything. Which tells me how he approaches a "War" zone. He comes prepared to win. But I think in "The End" he'll still lose the island.
As far as Desmond coming back to the Island, that Brotha is destined to live in another life. And another. And another... . He's back on the island to be with the "whispers" in every Time-line. He's the only one that can be Consistent in every time-line.

Amanda said...

Thanks again for the write up e!

I think you are totally right with the Jacob touching Sun and Jin caused the fertilty issues. If you think about it the reason he touches people is to nudge them in the direction of the island. Perhaps if Sun and Jin had conceived a child pre-815 she wouldn't have planned to leave him and would never have been on that flight? Just a thought.

As for Widmore I think he is technically on team Jacob. We have seen the show protray a lot of different leadership types. I think Widmore is just a power hungry leader and while he is on the same side as Ben, Jack, etc he has a different philosophy when it comes to how to make things happen. I think he is fine with making hard choices as long as it's "for the greater good" like ordering Roussue to be killed where as Ben is willing to lie but to lead his people but not necessarily kill? And Jack tries to make EVERYONE happy. I think Jacob preference of leadership is Jack, but that doesn't mean that Widmore isn't on his side. Maybe we will see a Widmore Ben team? Polotics makes for strange bed fellows...

Doctor Lame said...

hey e, about the whole jin fetility thing. i have a thought that perhaps since we have seen all these cowboys without daddy issues maybe jin in this timeline isn't infertile just like anthony cooper isnt a jackass to locke.

Unknown said...

One additional thought on the connection of Sun and Widmore -- wasn't there some established business link between Widmore and Paik (Sun's father) earlier in the series?

hatch-man said...

Hey e! Love every recap.

First, a little LOST leaked into my real life. See, I got this nasty infection and had to spend a weekend in the hospital, hooked to IV antibiotics. Ugh. No worries, I'm fine now.

Anyway, night one I was feeling pretty bad, and thought I heard "paging Dr Rom" on the hallway speakers. I put it down to hallucination. Night two. A man walks in, and says ( I kid you not) "Hi, I'm Dr Rom"

Holy bedpans! All I could think was, "you are not going to stick me with needles and steal my baby!" I didn't say anything, because he would have had me committed.

I asked how he spelled his name, and it's Ram, not Rom. Whew.


Now: I'm still not buying good/evil. Jacob has not been on the up-and-up, and he keeps bringing people to the island for MIB to torture and kill.

But, I think I'm starting to see that the replacements for Jacob and MIB could be Jack and Flocke. hhhmmm? They've been at odds the whole series.

Loved the episode, knew Sun would get hit, was wondering Des or Daniel on the sub, Love this roller coaster.

My final thought: Everything that rises will converge. The sideways line and the island line seem to be merging, and there appears to be a bit of leakage between the two.

Hate to see it end, can't wait to find out what happens!

Series de Bolsillo said...

Hello -E

I think you are totally right with the Jacob touching Sun and Jin caused the fertilty issues. Maybe Jacob needs Ji-Yeon to be conceived ON the island.

I know it's a long shot considering Lost is almost over, but everything is possible with this guys.

Greetings from Madrid.

Unknown said...

I think you are 100% right on the Sun getting shot theory... and since that means they would be heading to Hydra Island, that means the long-awaited Jin/Sun reunion would be quite sad... I just hope she doesnt die as she reunites with Jin.

As always, loved your recap!

Anonymous said...

Another great write-up, e, keep it up!

The only thing I'd like to add is regarding Widmore...

You think he's still BAD because of the Alex situation. In Recon, this conversation occurred between Sawyer and Widmore:

"WIDMORE: Do you know who I am?

SAWYER: Of course I do. You're the fella that sent a freighter to the island loaded with guys to kill us all.

WIDMORE: It's sad, really... how little you actually know."

Are we sure it was Widmore's fault that Alex died?

Anonymous said...

We totally loved the moment between Desmond and Sayid...it was totally a WTB moment...WhatthaBrotha???

I think Desmond is the ONLY one who can go back and forth between the timelines as he has before.
I think that's evidenced by him being on the plane, and then NOT being on the plane.

Thanks for the great write up as always!
Sarah M. in MI

Sherylm said...

Thanks for your thoughts about how Widmore could want to save the island and still be a bad guy because I felt very confused after that scene...one question, wouldn't Widmore have been the Other's leader when the Purge took place?

And I'm glad you mentioned the great job Daniel Dae Kim did when Jin looked at the photos of his daughter. That scene was very touching and felt very real. But I was wondering if Widmore was lying about how he got the camera as I thought maybe he took it from Sun (without her knowledge) when he had her sequestered at the airport. After all, he must have always meant to get Jin to help out the Diane Keaton-look-alike geophysicist he brought along this time. And softening Jin up with the cute lon-lost daughter pictures seems just Widmore's style.

Doesn't Jack's hair look softer somehow now that he has come around to being a Man of Faith? I'm liking him lots better though he doesn't have the strength of faith that Hurley does. And I was glad to see "in-charge" Richard back again.

Although I was convinced that it was Desmond behind the ship's hatch door (just like in the beginning in the Swan Hatch), he looked so awful when they finally dragged him out on the dock that I thought I must have been mistaken until my daughter said: 'Well, you were right, Mom, it is Desmond.' But just coming out of the hospital and being drugged by your evil father-in-law could do that to you, I guess.

After reading all the complaints about the V countdown in the corner of the screen, I was, for once, happy that I have to watch LOST on Itunes ;-)

Thanks as always and have a good weekend.

Brasco said...

I'm Still anxious to see how the time lines tie together. I have faith they will make it work and us diehards will be happy, but not lovin the ATL right now.
I keep thinking back to Ben's ability to call on Smokey on Keamy and friends and trying to figure out that interaction and how it relates to Ben's role and relationship knowingly or unknowingly with MIB.
Still thinking the ATL and MTL are mirror images of each other and just as mirrors show a reversed image, maybe the ATL is a distorted inverted look at the MTL we have grown to love.
I feel confident that one of the big thiings to learn in the package was that Jin is the candidate as they shoved the Paik name so many times in ATL to remind us that if Jacob has been tracking these candidates for much of their lives, Sun has not been a Kwan long.
Not sure how it would explain the need for Locke's death and body, but I have gone back and started watching from Season One with all the knowledge I have now (thanks E) and there are so many times when Locke's mysterious behaviours and knowledge of the island, the rain storms and such almost make me feel like Locke wasn't really locke from early on, can't explain it, but almost too wierd.
Thanks to all the fans comments too, love them!

Kathy said...

Didn't Daniel write in his journal, "If anything happens, Desmond Hume will be my Constant"?

Maybe Widmore and Eloise want their son back?

My kid says this is a weird theory, but I like it! :)

Unknown said...

Ericka, thanks for the recaps. You do great work.
A few thoughts about "The Package"...
1) On the Jin fertility question... Who's to say when the alt timeline really started? Could Jin's having been cured on the island have crossed over to the alt timeline? This could be just like Sun's not speaking English crossed over to the island timeline. Everything seems to be merging.
2) Now there's 3 Kwons that might be the candidate. Won't Fake Locke be mad if he gets all 6 candidates over to the Hydra island and finds out he's missing Sun & Jin's daughter? I hope she's not on the sub too.
3) That "V" at the bottom right of the screen was annoying. Isn't this badvertising?... I've never watched that show and I'm already annoyed by it.
4) Besides the map, Whidmore may have taken Jin because he's the only one in Locke's group who is on the list and hasn't accepted one of his promises. Whidmore's group was doing surveillance on Locke's group before they took him. He may also have taken him to keep a connection to Jin's daughter.
5) MIB doesn't seem to like water. Is that why everyone seems to gravitate toward the beach? Has smokey ever appeared there? Will Fake Locke paddle back on his own without Sayid? I don't think so.
6) Jacob said someone else was coming to the island in the "Lighthouse". At the end he said they would need to find another way to get there. Was he talking figuratively about Jack, or was he talking about Desmond? I guess we'll find out next week brotha.

Typical Lost Episocde. A few answers and a lot more questions.

SKID said...

e,

SKID here. Blast from the past. Faraday Tie guy.

Let's go ahead and rev up the counter that we USE to use to count how many days it would take for the tie to come OFF and NOW let's begin the countdown until we see it again . . . albeit a sideways version of it.

We will start counting . . . NOW.

(I will be hosting a parade in my town when it comes back.)

Anonymous said...

According to Lostpedia timeline, it has been 9 days since the Ajira plane took off. Kate, Jack, Hurley and Sayid were only in Dharma four days before the incident.

Anonymous said...

What if Team Widmore are looking for the electromagnetic pockets so they can sink the island. Would explain the shots from the season opener. Would also explain why, although both Ben & Widmore are not on the side of Locke/MIB, they are at odds with each other. They have different agendas. Bens is to protect the island - always has been. Maybe Widmore just wants to be rid of it forever to be safe.

Kyvyny said...

Speaking of @hatch-man's thought that everything will converge, maybe the book that Jacob was reading "Everything That Rises Must Converge" is ever more showing us what will eventually become of the two realities.

Josiah914 said...

No one else seems to be mentioning it, so I will. In your post, you kinda' just brush over how Locke told Claire that she and Kate were not on the cave wall; however, that's not exactly what he said. He definitively told Claire that she was not on the wall, but of Kate, he said her name "was not, not anymore," seeming to indicate that Kate was a candidate, but somehow is no longer. I originaly thought candidates got "crossed out" by death, but Kate is alive. Does this mean she's done something to get "crossed off," or does this mean that she will be dying soon? He did clearly say "not anymore" when referring to Kate's candidate status.

Finally, when he told Claire that after they get on the plane "whatever happens, happens," I think this can be interpreted two ways; and go back & look at facial expressions to see support for both. One, I think it could be his way of conveying everyone's ultimate fate if he is able to leave the island--you're all dead. (Funny enough, though, he would be fulfilling all of his promises to people in doing so--for a few moments, like if MIB is free once the plane is safe distance away, technically Sawyer, Kate, and Claire would be "off the island" as he promised, then dead; and Sayid would be reunited with his woman--in death).

Secondly, I really think he was trying to reassure Claire, who I firmly believe still wants to hurt Kate, that she can do whatever she wants to Kate once they're off the island on that plane. Her facial response to this seems to indicate that.

Just some clarifications & thoughts.

Unknown said...

As you know, in every flash sideways, each character has looked into a mirror and looked unsure about something..we saw that with Sun in the last episode and also with Jack looking into the mirror in the airplane restroom, seeing the cut on his neck. Obviously looking into mirror can mean looking into one's soul or self..but for the Losties, perhaps looking into the mirror represents the realization that something isn't quite right in the flashsideways and that each character has a slight memory of the other reality on the island.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone hear what Keamy said to Jin in the fridge???

He asked if he could understand anything he was saying while he was duct taping him up.

Then said good....I'd better hurry up or you might figure out what going on with the ISLAND!!!!

SAY WHAAAA?????

Jason Seville said...

e,

I'm not denying that Widmore might be "bad," but you keep appealing to the death of Alex as proof.

I might be missing something (wouldn't be the first time!), but why is this connection so clear in your mind? Widmore told Keamy to get Ben... Keamy meets Alex (she screams that she is Ben's daughter)... and Keamy sees his chance for leverage.

Did Widmore TELL Keamy to kill Alex or was that a decision Keamy made on his own to fulfill his mission?

I wouldn't be surprised if I'm missing a line of dialogue that reveals such and edict from Widmore, but if there is not one, how can you continue to declare that Widmore is evil because of the death of Alex?

Thanks!

Erika (aka "e") said...

To the latest Anon - Scroll up in the comments. It's been confirmed by the cast that this is NOT what Keamy said.

To Jason S - Reread the "Dead is Dead" transcript (Lostpedia). Widmore said "Kill it" in regard to Alex as a baby. Ben refused. Then they had another conversation about Alex when Widmore was banished. And again in "The Shape of Things to Come." So this is why I hold Widmore responsible... regardless of whether or not it's clear what happened with Keamy, Widmore DEFINITELY wanted Alex dead as soon as she was born, which too me seems too evil to ever be justified. Hope that helps explain my position. : )

- e

ICE-H said...

I only recently learned out about your blog and fantastic reviews, they are really interesting to read. I especially loved the picture comments!

However I'm surprised that no one mentioned what Keamy said when sent Omar to get Mikhail 'The Russian guy... speaks, like,
nine different languages. Danny's friend.'
'Danny's friend' - I believe this is about Danny Pickett, and that there is a chance that we will see Pickett cameo...

Unknown said...

Thanks, e, for a fab recap! Love your insights and all the comments of your fans!

Totally didn't think about Sun being the one shot on the outrigger to correspond to the Alt Uni! I was on the edge of the recliner when Richard mentioned going over to Hydra - finally, that outrigger shot-em-up scene! Oh well! But it's coming!! And I forgot about Sun and Widmore meeting up in London! That will also be an interesting reunion!

@Michael - yes, I think there was an established Wid/Paik connection but can't come up with it exactly. I think when Sun approached him in London she said something about being Mr. Paik's daughter but you're right, seems there was more. Please post it if you figure it out!

It's so exciting every week to see little things that seem to be bleeding from one timeline into the other! Can't wait for the big moment when it all comes together!!

Rewatched last nite on a real tv screen and not my iphone! I was intrigued by the Keamy - mentioning - the - island controversy and I can see how people thought he said that! It sounds like it but glad he didn't say it. I want the island reveal to be a totally 'holy &*%$' moment, without any confusion as to what was said!

Also, on my rewatch noticed the kinda sideways reflection of Jin while he was in the fridge. Not a mirror, I know, but interesting with all the emphasis put on reflections! And I laughed when Sawyer told Kate the cocoa was pretend, like when Charlie told Claire the peanut butter was pretend to cheer her up!

Happy Easter weekend, All!

hatch-man said...

Interesting little thought just whizzed through my worm-eaten brain:

Season One, lots of eyeball closeups. Season Six, lots of folks peering into mirrors.

Who was it said "the eyes are the mirrors of the soul" ??

Anonymous said...

Didn't the whole outrigger shooting start with Sawyer, Locke, Juliet, Miles, Daniel and Charlotte going back to the beach camp and finding no one there. Then they find two outriggers and decide to take one. Next thing they know, there are people in an outrigger behind them shooting at them. So where are the three outriggers right now?

I believe Sun and Lapidus took one of the three from the Hydra island to Otherville and were followed by Ben and Locke. Lapidus took one back and was hit over the head and brought back on one with Ilana and her gang, but not sure where they landed. So at some point, someone is going to have to show up at that camp with the outriggers that Sawyer and the others found. It seems like Miles would remember that incident at some point.

Garry UK said...

To ICE-H - you've missed a lot regarding -e's comments I joined in season three I think and they are invaluable!

On a completely selfish note I wish she didn't need to write her book then we could have the type of blogs we got in earlier seasons!

But -e has to make a living and I do wish her all the best for her future career in writing and reviewing!

As a follower of -e's blogs on lost I can tell she has a lot on her plate.

Keep up the fantastic work....love it!

One question though - if the crew of the black rock were taken out so quickly by MIB how the heck did the Dharma initiative ever get set up?

Dr. Gorila Zombie said...

Great recap! (as always!)

Sun and Jin: I think everything in the alt timeline is better than in the previous one (even as we are seeing right now bad stuff happen). Charlie is alive in this timeline, anthony cooper is a great dad, I have no doubts that real Locke will walk again thanks to jack and Juliet and Sawyer will haver their coffee... and Jin... is able to have kids!

Best best wishes!

Anonymous said...

I have not seen this mentioned before. Once Claire hears that Kate has had Aaron all this time (and is NOT happy about it)....why hasnt anyone mentioned to Claire that Aaron is with his Grandmother (Claire's Mom)?
Wouldn't that little piece of knowledge chill Claire out, in regards to wanting to kill Kate because "she took Aaron"? Why has not one said that to her yet?
Luv your recaps! Good luck with your book!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the re-cap again.

On a seperate issue, while Jack is starting to behave like Jacob, is Sayid starting to resemble smokie?

Sayid: "I don't feel anything .. anger, happiness, pain .. i don't feel it anymore."

Smokie in S6Ep9: "You are not the only one who lost something, my friend. The devil betrayed me. He took away my body ... my humanity."

Term said...

Hi E,

Any chance that Desmond could be a candidate? He definitly was "brought" to the island the first time. He pushed those buttons for years, probably not doing anything to de-candidate himself (even though he rammed that guys head into a rock during that fight that caused him to miss pushing the button).
Maybe he is the secret 7th candidate, and because of that, MIB can't get to him, and can't get off the island, because they are protecting him.

Thanks,

Term

Anonymous said...

Prediction: Next time we see Jin and Sun in the alternate timeline, they will be in the hospital and the attending OB/GYN will be... Juliet! Perhaps just to make a cameo, perhaps to also shed light on the whole Jin fertility issue.

Anonymous said...

I think Jin is the Kwon and not Sun because all the other candidates were either in the 70's already (Sawyer, Jin) or on the plane and transported to the 70's (Jack, Hurley, Kate)with little old Sun left behind with dead Locke.

I still think they have to do something with/about the two kids and hope they will do it soon!

Kristen in NOLA

Anonymous said...

Hey e, I always look forward and much enjoy ur Recaps ... a little girl lovingly screaming on a fun roller coaster ride - RichPundit

Have many comments, here's one:

Sun sideways pregnant? Looong ago there were many subtle clues of Michael being Sun's Island squeeze which would fit Juliet's DOC. Damien Rice's incredible "Delicate" closing a related episode really touched me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huDIF--HmPU , as well as several odd glances and the awkward freighter conversation. Ur thoughts?

Anonymous said...

how did the whole smokey alarm system come into play? I presume smokey was always a thread but while they were building this large system why didn't smokey just kill them all? Who figured out that some sonic fence would hold him back? Was smokey ever able to leave the island and that was how they built this sonic fence? I just don't get how he would just sit there.

Also remember when Faraday first got to the island the first thing he did was go that building and turn off the chemical system. What was that about?

Brasco said...

I agree with anonymous on 4/5, in Richard's flashback, Jacob mentioned everyone else that came to the island prior was dead, did Richard's role include helping to bring and protect others coming to the island? Did Jacob just start influencing the subsequent followers to keep them safe? And if Smokey could take out the whole black rock crew in less than a day, how come he couldn't take out the others who came since Richard? Also, what's with all the "pretending" that the others have done in the series, most recently Dogen who was a modern businessman who makes a deal and now (RIP) pretends to not speak english and acts more like a samurai king then stock broker? Just rehashing a million Lost mysteries as I get amped for the final few episodes!!!

GeoffUK. said...

e, As an avid Lost fan living in England, I wondered if you could confirm something for me. I've heard that there are plans to show the End of series Finale simultaneously worldwide (or as close as possible with time differences) If we get the usual 3 day delay it will be very difficult to keep the ending secret over here, what with all the various websites from the US on offer. I find it extremely difficult at the moment not to take a peak. Your site is great cos of the delay in writing up, that co-incides with our Friday night transmission.

Any way have you or any of your peeps heard if this true?

Erika (aka "e") said...

Geoff - I'd also heard a rumor about the finale being shown on the same date worldwide, but I highly doubt they could ever do it simultaneously... that would mean some people would have to watch it in the wee hours and that wouldn't be good for ad sales! Plus, although it's a huge event to US, in the whole scheme of TV events it is not, so I doubt they'd be able to pull off and/or justify the necessary level of worldwide distribution coordination.

But I do know that the finale will be shown on Sunday, May 23 here in the US, so perhaps they'll try to do it on the same DAY for everyone in other countries, too, just not at the exact same time.

I'm sure more details will come out as it gets closer! If I hear anything I will definitely post it.

- e

Kimberly Carpenter said...

So now we know that Dharma used the rave room for brain washing experiments, and the others were using it to... screw with Carl?

The slides mention Jacob, so it must be Other-related, yes?

Tanyar said...

Assuming that this show has quite a lot of similarities in story lines with Christianity, such as resurrection and baptism, I say there is only on possible ending for Desmond, and it involves two fence posts and a hand full of nails.

Unknown said...

Soooo excited for tonight, e! This season has really lit a fire under my hind-parts. I suspect that Desmond is even more important than you theorized in your post, but I have NO idea how. Thanks for all your hard work!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

could ben and widmore be each other's constants and that's why they could never kill each other according to the rules???

SDS said...

Incredible - I never even thought about Sun being the one who gets shot. My theory radar appears to be not working at the moment - thank God I've got LongLiveLocke!!