Friday, February 05, 2010

S6Ep2 - LA X (Part 2)

Hello my dear friends –

First and foremost, thank you thank you thank you for all of your exceedingly kind emails, comments, Facebook messages and tweets about my big news. Some actually brought me to tears – in a good way, of course. Thank you a million times over. I dare say your nice words motivated me to write a much longer recap for Part 2 than I’d intended. You so sneaky.

Now, before we review the second hour of the premiere, I wanted to revisit two things I mentioned in my Part 1 post:

1) Penny’s fate in the alternate timeline: I had pointed out that Desmond was wearing a wedding ring on Bizarro Flight 815, and speculated that he couldn’t be married to Penny because Widmore would’ve been killed when the Island was destroyed. But several of you reminded me that Penny was most likely already born by this point in time, as we know her mother was an off-Island “outsider.” Further, it looked like Penny was in her early 30s when she brought Little Charlie into the world in 2005 (which would be consistent with the theory that she was already safe and sound as an off-Island toddler in 1977). So there is a possibility that Des and Penny still ended up together in the Flash Sideways – but there’s also a chance that they never met because Widmore didn’t live to become a successful businessman with a penchant for Moriah wine from Desmond’s monastery. So I don’t think Penny would’ve met Des as he was packing up his robes and leaving the brothahood like she did in the original timeline.

2) What sank the Island: It could’ve been Jughead’s detonation thanks to Juliet’s rock-banging efforts. But maybe Jughead didn’t even go off? Maybe Jacob being killed was what caused the remaining Lostaways to get flung through time to the present-day? Who knows. Some people think that since we heard one of the Dharma teachers mention a volcano in “The Man Behind the Curtain,” maybe Jughead caused an explosion deep in the core of the Island, and then that explosion did something to set off the volcano, and that’s what doomed our favorite rock? None of the possible explanations I can think of explain why the Barracks, a swing set, the sonic fence posts and even the remainder of the Tawaret statue would still be mostly intact, though. Doesn’t it seem like a nuclear bomb would’ve decimated everything… and a volcano would’ve turned the houses and the four-toed structure to ash? (By the way, if you're interested in whether or not Lost is actually sticking to real scientific theories as it proceeds boldly into multiverse territory, check out this Popular Mechanics article by my girl Erin McCarthy.)


OK, that’s enough looking backward… we must move on to the second hour, which began after that tearjerking scene where Depressed, Pathetic, But Alive Locke was wheeled off of the flight.


AIN’T NO SUNSHINE WHEN SHE’S GONE

While we didn’t have to watch Juliet die again in the second hour, we did have to endure her sad burial scene. I was like, “It’s about time!” when Sawyer demanded that Miles put his Sixth Sense Skillz to use and report back on her missing final words. Alas, more depressing stuff followed, because all Miles could hear was “It worked,” and Sawyer had no idea what that meant. But I’ll tell you what it meant: it meant that Juliet’s consciousness jumped over to the Alternate Timeline and she saw that her peeps never crashed on the Island. So she passed away at peace, knowing that – in some strange way – her bomb-blowing-up efforts were not in vain. I’m 72.5% sure that we’ll eventually see her on a coffee date with Sawyer in the Alternate Timeline, and she’ll suggest that they can go dutch on the bill. Then her seemingly incoherent babbling right before she died would not have been that incoherent at all. She wasn’t no fool!



SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

While Sawyer and Miles were laying Juliet to rest, Jack, Kate, Hurley and Jin were trying to navigate a stretcher-bound, fading-fast Sayid down deep, dark holes and over giant crevasses in order to find whatever it was that Jacob believed could save him. We got to see the skeleton of poor Montand and reminisce about his infamous missing arm, and we all held our breath as each of the 815ers side-stepped around a gaping pit. Can I just ask what the point of that big hole in the ground was if no one was even going to do so much as slip? Sheesh.

Then Kate ran ahead, disappeared, and Jack busted after her – leaving Hurley, Jin and Mostly Dead Slightly Alive Sayid in the pitch-black caves. It didn’t take long for Jack to realize he’d made a mistake because Hurley started hollering and then his cries were muffled by someone… or something. Did you catch that little black shadow creature that ran behind Jack? If you did, then admit it – you were scared. I was definitely flipping out and thought, “YEP. They’re finally gonna do it. They are going there. THERE ARE GONNA BE ALIENS ON THIS SHOW.” The whole scene with all those weird noises and figures whipping around behind the Mad Doctor reminded me of when Joaquin Phoenix was in the closet watching the TV clip of those kids who caught a glimpse of an alien busting down the street in Signs (one of the only times I’ve ever jumped out of my seat in a movie theater).

Alas, there were no aliens. (Still not taking that possibility off of the table before the series is over, though.)

It was just the Others, back in their old-school garb – one was even rockin’ a purple-pink turban. I liked him the best.


NOW OVER AT THE TEMPLE
OH! THEY REALLY PACK ‘EM IN

I wasn’t very surprised by the towering temple, or by the fact that all of the Others (including Cindy and the kids) had been chillin’ there. After all, in late 2004, before anyone left the Island in the original timeline, Ben had instructed Alex and Rousseau to go join the Others at “The Temple”… but then Keamy’s team ambushed the newly reunited mother and daughter (and Karl) and, well, you know what happened next.

I also had figured that in another ironic twist, Sayid would have to undergo the same treatment that Young Ben did when Richard took him to the Temple in an attempt to save him from Sayid’s assassination attempt.

But before the Others got around to helping the 815ers, they of course tried to kill them without asking hardly any questions first. Hurley, who’s been rising nicely to the occasion as the group’s new and most clear-headed leader, thought quickly and shouted, “Wait a second, dudes – Jacob sent me and he gave me that guitar case into which I may or may not have peeked.”

I don’t know what I was expecting to see in the case (a guitar with special powers? a machine gun? an inflatable Charlie doll? buckets of Hurley’s secret sauce with which to win over the Others?), but it sure as hell wasn’t an ankh with one of Jacob’s lists and/or some random note hidden inside.

According to the John Lennon-looking dude (whose official character name is actually Lennon – nice!), the note said that if Sayid dies, they’re all screwed.


WELL I LOVE THAT DIRTY WATER

Everyone tramped into the temple and it was noted that the miracle spring was not running clear. (To fans of DListed: I immediately thought, “Somethin’ in the milk ain’t clean!”) The grouchy Japanese dude who seemed to be the Others’ boss cut his hand and was dismayed to see that the waters didn’t heal him back up. That’s when he let the 815ers know that there’d be “risks” to trying to save/drown Sayid. But there really wasn’t any choice, was there? I didn’t like watching them save/drown He of the Black Tank Tops at all. But I knew knew KNEW that there was no way Sayid was gonna go out like that. Death by drowning? Um, no… sorry. Nameless chick from Season One and our dear Darth Hoodie already had that honor.

But for a while we had to wait while a lifeless Sayid dried out on the ground (did you notice how Jesus-like he looked when they were carrying him out of the water?) and everyone else gazed wide-eyed at each other in shock. MajorlyPissedOff Sawyer and Miles had also been captured and brought to the spring area by this time.

Hurley wasn’t about to sit around and do nothing, so he found Cranky Japanese Guy (whose name is apparently “Dogen”) and was observant enough to realize that this fool actually understood English. Dogen understood English but was a big snobby brat about it and wanted everyone to just leave him alone so he could continue making like Mr. Miyagi with his bonsai tree-trimming.

But then Hurley dropped the bomb that Jacob had been defeated, and that totally sent the Others into chickens-with-heads-cut-off mode, running around the Temple setting up flare-shooters and sprinkling ash every which way but loose. Lennon explained that the ash was to keep “him” out.


ASHES TO ASHES
FUNK TO FUNKY

So let’s pause for a moment and discuss two big mysteries:

1) At what point did the Temple stop being Smokey’s Playground? When Richard took Young Ben there to be healed in the late ‘70s, we didn’t see any wisps of dark clouds hangin’ around. But Smokey was lurking around those parts in 1988 when the French team had their unfortunate encounter with him. Remember that Rousseau’s partner, Robert, and a few others actually climbed down into the hole after Smokey and armless Montand, only to come out “changed”… or “sick.” Sick enough for Rousseau to have no choice but to kill them all weeks later. And Smokey was definitely there in 2004 when Ben summoned him to give Keamy’s team a spanking… and again in late 2007/early 2008 when Fake Locke led Ben to the underground chamber to be judged. So what exactly is the connection between Smokey and the Temple, and if Smokey and the Man in Black are indeed one in the same, why haven’t the Others had a ring of ash around their hideout this entire time? Were they just relying on Jacob to keep the peace? Was Smokey unable to hurt them as long as Jacob was around? I think that might have been what was going on.

2) So let’s just run with the notion that the Others had no real reason to be scared of Smokey until Jacob was no longer able to protect them. Smokey could kill or scare the crap out of anyone else who came to the Island, but the Others were off-limits while Jacob reigned. What does that mean for Jacob’s cabin and the broken circle of ash there that Ilana noticed? Was Jacob originally in that cabin, admiring his bloodhound oil painting and reveling in his lack of modern-day gadgets and enjoying a stress-free existence because he knew that the circle of ash was keeping his nemesis away? Or was it the Man in Black who was being kept hostage in the cabin for some time, and unable to escape because of the circle of ash? I could go either way on this one – there’s evidence for both scenarios. As I can only assume that we’re going to keep learning more and more about the Man in Black/Fake Locke, his relationship to Smokey and his ability to take other forms, I will let these questions rest for now.

But I’ll leave you all to ponder this: below is a screencap from Season 3’s “The Man Behind the Curtain.” In that episode, Ben is shown stepping carefully over the ash. However, to me it looks like the ash is already broken in an area to the left of where Ben’s shadow falls. There are a lot of dark spots in this shot so maybe it’s just an issue with the lighting situation, but it got me wondering not only who broke the circle of ash, but when… and, of course, why.



AND I’M A CHANGED MAN
I’VE BEEN BAPTIZED
AND I’M A CHANGED MAN
I’M A BRAND NEW GUY


The Others were in full-out panic mode with their ashing and flaring, and John Lennon did NOT give peace a chance when he threatened Jack about the need for them to have a private chat. Jack’s all, “You can’t make me!!!” and John Lennon’s all, “Imagine… my fist in your face!” but then we never got to see that situation play out (or learn what Lennon needed to discuss) because – AS WE ALL KNEW in our heart of hearts (especially since Miles was acting suspicious in a I-Can’t-Hear-This-Dead-Person way) – Sayid teetered onto his elbow like a collapsed drunk and said, “I’m back, suckas!”

For the record, even though only 1% of me was afraid that he was really dead, I was still happy to have even that little bit of doubt removed. As far as I’m concerned, Sayid’s safe for the rest of the series (am I being naïve?), though he’s clearly got some sort of Otherness running through his veins now. One theory is that Jacob has possessed Sayid. Another is that a Bit o’ Jacob is in ALL of the 815ers that were visited by him in the past, meaning that if any one of them dies, his full power couldn’t be unleashed and/or he could never be resurrected. Kind of like the whole Horcrux situation in the Harry Potter books. Kind of.

Either way, Sayid’s back and he better be able to still kick butt and take names. That’s all I ask. That, and that Yoko Ono doesn’t show up. If that happens then I WILL stop watching.


SOUL LIKE A LUCIFER
BLACK AND COLD LIKE A PIECE OF LEAD
MISGUIDED ANGEL
LOVE YOU ‘TIL I’M DEAD


Elsewhere on the Island, Ben’s mind was whirling from the realization that Locke wasn’t really Locke, and that this Fake Locke and Smokey were one in the same. I know some people out there still doubt this, but once again I urge you to consider the fact that there are just 16 hours remaining in this show. When there is dialogue like this…

BEN: What are you?
LOCKE: Wh.. I'm not a what Ben, I'm a who.
BEN: You're the monster.
LOCKE: Let's not resort to name-calling.

… It’s meant to clear things up for the not-so-hardcore fans. It’s an answer, people! I know they’re hard to recognize after going so long without any… but I want you to take it and put it under your pillow and kiss it goodnight tonight. Because IT IS a blessed answer!!!

Then Fake Locke went on to give an awful (OK, it was amazing, but you know what I mean) speech about how sad and pathetic Real Locke was in his dying moments. I could barely stand to think about it. And I’ll be damned if I could get THIS evil face out of my mind that night. YEEK!!!



Fake Locke wrapped up his conversation with Ben by stating that all he wanted to do was go home. Now, at the start of my Season Five finale post, I talked about the possibility of Jacob and the Man in Black being some kind of fallen angels, like in the movie Dogma. I didn’t think the writers would actually go that route, but now I’m starting to reconsider this theory. I mean, where else would “home” be for the Man in Black besides either Heaven or Hell? What, you think he’s from Jersey or something? Come on.

Once Fake Locke emerged from the statue, Richard was quick to realize what was going on and warned everyone not to open fire on the masquerading baddie. He knew that the bullets would just ricochet off of him (that’s a sweet superpower, by the way). He also figured out that Fake Locke was the Man in Black, whom he must have tussled with waaaaaay back in the day, because he was like “Oh no, not YOU again!” before being knocked out cold. Fake Locke’s mention of seeing Richard “without his chains” was probably meant to be a confirmation that Richard originally came to the Island on the Black Rock, which, as you may remember, was a slaving ship.

Next, Fake Locke flipped the Ageless one over his shoulder (just like Real Locke did with his dead daddy-in-a-bag back in “The Brig”) and then scolded the Others on the beach for reasons I didn’t really understand. What did they do that was so wrong except traipse all over the Island following him? I don’t get it.

There you have it for the Island events. Not nearly as much happened in the Alternate Timeline in hour two.


HELP
I HAVE DONE IT AGAIN
I HAVE BEEN HERE
MANY TIMES BEFORE

So the America’s Most Wanted clip about Kate that was shown at Comic-Con panned out. She did escape the marshal’s custody once again, with a little help from none other than Sawyer (and no thanks to a snippy Frogurt in the cab line). The biggest reveal in Kate’s scenes, though, was of course the fact that the taxi she jumped into already had a passenger—Claire. Now, I haven’t been able to watch this part of the show again, but I definitely didn’t see any obvious (meaning, visible without pausing the frame) signs that Claire was or was not pregnant. I’m sure you’ll all tell me if I missed something there. Either way, it’s clear that even though Claire wasn’t shown on the Oceanic flight, she was in fact on it. Now we just need to know if her reason for flying from Australia is the same as it was before.


LET’S FLIP THE TRACK
BRING THE OLD SCHOOL BACK

Kate wasn’t the only one having problems leaving LAX. Jin and Sun were detained because he didn’t fill out the freakin’ customs form correctly, and the security peeps went on to find a stash o’ cash in his luggage. I’m so not enjoying the experience of watching Mean Jin again, I tell ya. He’s up to his old shady tricks and it sucks. At least Sun (who was curiously referred to by her maiden name, “Ms. Paik” – I failed to catch whether she was wearing a wedding ring, so maybe they’re not even married?) kept up her no-English-speaking charade and didn’t come to Jin’s rescue like she easily could’ve. Let the defiance begin!


LET ME HEAR YOU SAY
THIS SH!T IS BANANAS
B – A – N – A – N – A – S

I don’t like to swear too much in these recaps, but I just couldn’t help myself with the heading above because it sums up my reaction to the final scene between Jack and Locke. But before I get to that, two points of weirdness: 1) Christian’s coffin – GONE! and 2) Locke’s knives – GONE! Christian’s destiny was to NOT be buried, I guess. No idea what’s going on with the missing knives. They were probably just an excuse for the writers to bring Jack and Locke together in the airport. But I’m sure something more is going on with the MIA coffin.

You already know how much the end of Part 1 (with Locke being wheeled off the flight) depressed the hell out of me and made me cry, so I was thankful that this last Flash Sideways scene of Part 2 provided such a lift -- such… HOPE. I wasn’t sure I was diggin’ the whole Alternate Timeline thing until this scene. But if Jack is able to “fix” Locke and Locke ends up able to finally go on his walkabout and live out a happy life in the real world, then you can count me among those who would be satisfied with that outcome for my favorite character (though let’s be clear – I’d still prefer to see him running around alive and well on the Island, but, as the Stones said best, you can’t always get what you want).

I’ll leave you with my favorite line of the second hour, courtesy of Jack:
“Nothing is irreversible.”

LOVE IT. All around, an extraordinary premiere – wouldn’t you agree?

Until next time,
- e

60 comments:

Erika (aka "e") said...

And the lyrical headings are from...

“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers
“Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse
“Rock the Casbah” by The Clash
“Dirty Water” by The Standells
“Ashes to Ashes” by David Bowie
“I’m a Changed Man” by Otis Redding
“Misguided Angel” by Cowboy Junkies
“Breathe Me” by Sia
“This is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan
“Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani

- e

shannon said...

I love the idea of the 815ers are Horcruxes. Love it so hard.

And I didn't say it before, but I really appreciate that you're going to keep posting, I would be Lost without you! And congrats on the book deal, that's awesome!

Stephanie said...

Thanks for the recap! It is great! A few thoughts….

1.) I’m not sure if Sun was keeping up with her charade of not speaking English. If she wasn’t married to Jin, or if other circumstances in her life were different, she may not have learned English in this timeline.

2.) For the scene with Jack and Locke at the airport…I think it made a switch of who was “The man of science “ and “The man of faith.” In this timeline, Locke seams to be sticking with the medical/scientific facts about his condition. However, Jack now seems to have faith and believes that nothing is irreversible. I thought that was a very interesting change.

I’m also curious if Locke did really get to go on his walk-about in this timeline…and I have a feeling that the circumstances that put him in the wheelchair are different.

3.) I noticed that Charlie didn’t have any tape or writing on his hands like he did in the first episode. (He did have writing on his hands in the original plane crash in season one, right?)

4.) A few interesting notes from the produces: I read a recent interview with Cuse and Lindelof. They said that Smokey “does want to leave the Island. If you start thinking about the ramifications of what happens if the Smoke Monster can leave the Island….it’s maybe not a good thing.” They also said: “We might not tell you what the numbers mean. But we have every intention of telling you whether or not humanity is good or evil.”

Sherylm said...

Well, I've been sitting here laughing outloud in front of my computer so you know I have been reading your write-up ;-) I even told my daughter in Toulouse, who was watching some very bad movie entitled Jurassic Tiger simply because Josh Holloway was in it, to forget the movie and to get over to LongLiveLocke!

I did rewatch the premier and there is no shot that would confirm whether or not Claire is pregnant...I don't think the Miss Paik thing is a big deal because in many countries (including my adopted home of France) women keep their maiden names so that's what would be on her passport (along with a notation mentioning her husband's family name if she wished).

One very strange thing I noticed is that on Lostpedia and some other sites, they state that this is the only episode where all the actors named in the credits actually appear in the episode but in my Itunes version, Harold Perrineau's name appears on the list at the beginning of the first episode even though we don't see him in either one of them...

Thanks again for all your work and we'll be looking forward to reading your next installment.

Sherylm said...

One more small thing: although I actually liked Kate better in this season premier, you would have thought that after the "Jack reviving the dead Charlie" incident, she would have gotten over her desire to immediately cry out: "Jack, give it up, he's already dead" -particularly given the very brief inspection Dogon (?) gave Sayid. Anyone in their right minds would have tried CPR on a friend who had just been dragged out of the water unconscious. I sure hope that's the last time we'll see her dissuading Jack from at least trying to do something useful.

ioncewasmine said...

i think Smokey/MIB couldn't hurt the others as long as Jacob was alive, if they go by the same rules as Ben and Widmore. that's why Ben said "he changed the rules" when Keamy killed Alex. would explain why when Hurley told (john) Lennon and Dogen that Jacob is dead, they went into freak-out-mode

Seaphron said...

It was awesome as always E! And I am pretty sure Claire is pregnant, maybe I am just thinking things. It is late. But I think she was

Anonymous said...

Great post, thank you, and congratulations again for your wonderful news!

RebeccaZ said...

Lovely post, as per usual, and congratulations on the book!!!!

Real quick like ... Whenever the donkey wheel was turned, the island moved to a different locale. I'm thinking that, if Juliet got the bomb to detonate, the island moved to the bottom of the ocean and that's why everything is still perfectly intact.

Mellis said...

e, I am so, so enjoying your posts. Your life must be crazy right now, so they are extra appreciated. My two cents -

1) I think Richard was MiB's slave in Egyptian times rather than on the Black Rock. That would explain all the Egyptian references they made last season.

2) Someone at Losttv-forum had this great theory that the island, who Darleton have said IS a character, wanted to rid itself of the pesky humans using and abusing it and somehow found a way to sink itself. Sort of committing suicide, so to speak. Crazy idea, but it would be a rather poignant ending to my favorite show in the world.

Garry UK said...

Congratulations on the book deal - e, you deserve it for all your hard work.

Maybe you could write a spin off to Lost when it is all over :-)

Anyway also wanted to say thanks for the blogs, once I have seen the episode on Friday night (Here in the UK) the next thing I look forward to is this blog.


I really do think that Sayid is the new Jacob.

Also I was watching Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey the other day and guess who turned up as a thug? A very young Jacob :-)

Maybe MIB, instead of wanting to go back home to Heaven/Hell, he is an Alien and wants to go home like ET did? ;-)

Unknown said...

After reading the summary from part one where Locke cut a patch from the quilt that Jacob had made I thought that I had seen that patch somewhere before and I finally remembered that it was Llana (sp) who had pulled the same kind of square patch of cloth from the cabin where it was pinned to the wall with a knife. Hmmmmm, wonder what's up with that eh?

E, thanks for keeping up with the recaps and congrats on the book deal!

Anonymous said...

great stuff...real quick clarification i think the reason they showed the big hole in the walkway in the temple was because last season when ben and flocke were there the ground collapsed and ben fell underneath. im guessing it was for continuity but it did seem like something was gonna happen with them all sidestepping the big hole

tinanettles said...

One thought on the Ms. Paik thing - if her father is behind them being detained in LA, this may be a dis of Jin and of Sun's decision to become a Kwon.

Graneledone said...

I've seen many other Lost summaries/recaps around the internet and I must say, when I stumbled upon yours I was smitten! Love your voice and attitude - I will def be coming back here! Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, e! Great, as usual.

1. As an earlier poster said, I think the hole in the temple floor was the same one that Ben fell through when he got judged. The tension was all about them NOT falling through because we know what was down there.

2. Neither Sun nor Jin had wedding rings on. Kind of a big deal because their rings were both featured in the original timeline. However, if you watch Bernard leaving the plane, it seems very deliberate the way he is holding out his left hand showing that he has his ring on his finger and it isn't hanging on a chain around Rose's neck.

--S

drallabg said...

I am not on the alien trail, however; I believe Elijah, Enoch, and Moses or at least two of them will play a roll in LOST!

Unknown said...

Two things:
I think it was rather clear that the temple dwellers did not want to allow the black smoke guy to enter the temple. So what is thew easiest, most covert way that we have seen for the MIB to infiltrate a group of people? Take over a dead person's body. Any newly dead people in the temple? Expect to find out Sayid is now harboring the MIB, IMHO....
Second, I tend to look at Jacob and the MIB as equals, two seperate sides of the SAME coin. So all of these things we discuss about the MIB, I say they also apply to Jacob, and vice versa. This began to make me think about what you said regarding Jacob's Cabin. What if instead of the ash trying to keep the MIB out, or for some stragen reason the MIB in......what if the ash was to keep Jacob in! Would love to hear thoughts...

Billie said...

The MIB needed a dead body to inhabit. Although I think Sayid is that dead body for Jacob, maybe they'll surprise us and it will be Christian Shepherd's body.

tierdear said...

Awesome recap--as always. We had the most horrible blizzard here in Virginia this weekend, so I took the opportunity to make another friend obsessed with Lost. (We did Season One yesterday, and started Two today. My conversion count is up to 12! :) Why am I not in PR? I don't even know.)

ANYWAY, it's so neat to go back and watch the earlier seasons knowing what we know now. It makes me that much apprehensive/excited for the wrap up of this series.

ALSO, congratulations on the book deal! I'm so so so proud of you--I know that's the hardest part of being a writer. I've been working on a few novels--more YA stuff, and I had some interest from Harpers Collins. Probably the best moment in a long time!

Okay. Back to watching Boone die in the plane. Love ya!

ElsieM said...

Great recap, as always, E! And congratulations on your book deal. How very cool! You're a terrific writer.

My co-worker (aptly named Richard) had a theory about the Smoke Monster. He thought perhaps that whoever was in charge of the island was able to become Smokey. So, while Jacob was in charge, he was Smokey, and was not a threat to the Others. But when Jacob died, MIB became the head of the island and was able to become the Smoke Monster. This would explain why Smokey was allowed in the temple previously, but when the Others there found out Jacob had died, they realized that MIB would now be the Smoke Monster and was very, very dangerous, so that they had to keep him out.

I can't think of anything that would rule out or conflict with this theory. Any ideas?

Elsie

Chaopescado said...

Firstly Congrats on the book deal Erica!!

Awesome recap, just a quick line re Claire being pregnant. Now I'm not sure if I imagined it, seeing that a few have mentioned that we can't tell if she is or not. But I'm pretty sure when we saw Claire in the cab, she was huffing and puffing as if she was going into labour. Anyone else notice it?

Anonymous said...

Hi great post as usual.

Just wanted to make one note. Correct me if I'm wrong but the MIB did not inhibit dead Locke's body. His body is still there by the beach. So if Sayid is indeed inhibited by Jacob or someone else it would not actually be the same thing.

Bad_Robot said...

Love reading your thoughts on the show Erika. The podcast w/ ODI and Karen was terrific. Hope you do that again soo.


~B_W~

Diane said...

Congrats on your book deal- I will definitely read it!!!
Thank you for finishing up this final season. I've become dependent on your recaps for both clarification and some good laughs!

Julie said...

Great write up! (as usual) ;)

Everything about this episode was amazing! Totally worth the wait! Maybe I'm just biased because of how amazing it was to see the first hour on the beach, but seriously, I loved every second. Except watching Juliet die over and over. :( Poor Sawyer...


Is it Tuesday yet? I need more! Lol

Julie

Debbie Bower said...

wasn't the gaping hole in the temple, the same hole that Ben fell down earlier, when he was confronted by the smoke and saw Alex?

My question was... why in the world would the try to carry the stretcher at the same time they were trying to get around the gaping hole. Did they not consider passing the stretcher to the ones who had already cleared the hole?

I LOVE reading your recaps!

-Deb

Keeping Pace said...

Erika,

I'd like to comment on you not counting out the possibility of aliens being involved after watching the premiere, and to run with that in positing another possibility about where "home" is for the MIB, if the writers don't go w/ the Loki/Bartleby idea (huge fan of Kevin Smith, btw, so kudos for seeing the clear references to Dogma with the fallen angels and the loophole :)

I've had a theory ever since the end of S4 that there is a spacecraft buried under the Island (and maybe the basis for the Island forming in the first place). The premiere gave me a few more things to add as clues that I'm right: MIB's wanting to go "home" and Rose holding a magazine which said "The truth is out there" w/ a UFO on it. Home definitely seems to be off-Island to me, which would play into how the Cabin seems to be a microcosm for the Island (I think MIB was the one trapped in there when he said "Heeeeelp meeee..." to Locke back in Man Behind the Curtain, seeing as the ash would keep him in; and we saw the Cabin moving around in the S4 premiere before we learned that the Island could move too in the S4 finale).

I've been saying for a while that I think MIB/Smokey and Jacob could either be aliens or evolved humans, and that they crashed on Earth in the distant past. Smokey reminds me of the water-like alien that imitates people and scans their memories in James Cameron's Abyss movie, except he looks like smoke instead of water. MIB's home might be the Crab Nebula (which is the answer that Damon gave to where the show will end, geographically, in an exclusive interview where they first revealed finally getting their end date: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=3197096&page=4 ).

There have been tons of clues to this theory spread throughout the show: everything from Hurley/Walt's comic book (about an alien who crashed to Earth and had the Flash and Green Lantern unbury his ship), to the Hatch being a clear nod to Stephen King's Tommyknockers (which has a hatch to a buried spaceship in it and causes all kinds of crazy powers in the local townspeople), to the reference to the Little Prince in S5 (about an alien who crashes to Earth --- in Tunisia, where the Wheel Exit is ;) ;).

Think about it! How cool would it be that the show (which we saw start with a plane crash) actually is itself caused by the biggest crash of all which makes the Island into what it is?! And if MIB and Jacob are evolved humans who have gone past the need for physical bodies (hence why Smokey is a "who", not a "what"), how great a twist would it be if this all is caused by humanity and a case of time travel?!?!!!! I can totally see LOST going there. Humanity causing the Island is about the biggest twist and mindfuck ever. WE caused this?!????? HOLY SH*T

No wonder why, when Darlton are talking about the ARGs, they always refer to the show itself as "the Mothership"!!!! And the BEST LOST fansite for everything is DarkUFO? Coincidence, I think not!

SKID said...

So, I am pushing for a new name for Fake Locke. I have heard them all: Flocke, Un-Locke, Alterna-Locke, MIB, Esau . . . etc.

Since Smokey is in the likeness of our beached hero, what about (drum roll): The Locke-ness Monster.

I doubt I will budge anyone from MIB, but it is worhth a try. I sent the name to Jeff Jensen at EW.com and he actually e-mailed back that he liked it and might use it. Maybe I will start a petition. :) Just a thought.

pejafor3 said...

Erika,
Missed your picture comments.
Hilarious as always!
Thanks.

Malika R. said...

E, that is that "Stepfather" face...and it was memorable freaky moment.

Joey Perri said...

Is it too early to say Sayid has gone through the same steps that made Richard live forever?

Unknown said...

Hey E. First post. The reason the hole was in the floor and no one slipped was because it was the hole from when Ben collapsed and then saw "Alex". It wasn't just a hole to be a hole :)

Love the horcrux idea.

Anonymous said...

Hi Erika

Think the swing and statue were just shown to prove that it's definitely THE island under the water and not some other random island.

Also I'm a little worried if Penny's even going to appear this season. Reason was that she wasn't even mentioned in the recap program beforehand, and it would have only taken half a minute or so to mention her and Desmond's epic romance (plus the fact she's Widmore's daughter). Also in the program it also showed the Oceanic 6 being rescued by a boat in the middle of the ocean but it didn't even say it was hers. So whether she'll even appear I'm not so sure.

All the best (and congratulations on your book deal - if it's anything like your blog it'll be an instant winner).

Jamdez said...

Great recap as always!

I've been thinking over the last few days about the scene with Jack and Locke in the airport. If Christian's coffin was not on the plane in the Alternate Timeline maybe it wasn't on the plane in the Original Timeline. It would explain why Jack couldn't find the coffin or his dad's body anywhere after the crash.

I'm really loving this new season so far!

Jimbo said...

I don't believe MIB/Flocke IS the smoke monster - I believe he is merely the one controlling it now. Perhaps Ben had the knack of controlling it after he was saved in the temple (and one reason why he could call the monster from the barraks). And now Sayid is the one (after being healed) who can now compete with MIB with controlling Smokie?

Kelly, UK said...

Great work as ever E!

I think that Jacob has taken over Sayid's body. Don't you think Sayid's voice/accent was different?

Anonymous said...

If the H-BOMB going off means the past never happened then the bomb never went off. Does that mean, they never traveled back in time? If so then they never changed the past and the future still happened. Isn't this the paradox of time travel. If they never went to the past then they never would have set off the bomb so they would have crashed anyways. Like how you can travel to the past and kill your dad even though that would mean you were never born so you couldn't have done that. Probably why they are still on the island and the hatch is still there (imploded).

Oceanic_Flax said...

"Can I just ask what the point of that big hole in the ground was if no one was even going to do so much as slip? Sheesh."

I just think it was to confirm that the 815'ers are on the island at the same time as Flocke, Ben, Frank, Sun, Richard & co. since it's the hole Ben fell down. That's about it. Great recaps as always and congrats!

rbeck said...

Just a quick thought:
I like what you said about it maybe being Jacob's death that caused the remaing lostaways to travel back to the present island time. Before Jacob died he said 'they're coming'. Maybe he meant Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, etc. because he knew they would be coming back to the present time and they were on his list.

Ernie said...

Hey e, don't dismiss the aliens on Lost just yet. What if man in black's home is another planet? People have theorized that the temple would be a spaceship, I think Carlton even joked that it was. What if, like the frozen donkey wheel, they're giving us the truth. I know its crazy, but this is Lost. Crazier things have happened.

For the Horcruxes, I've wondered the same thing since "The Incident." Was that why Jacob touched all of them?

I also wonder if the chains comment to Richard is too easy. I talked about it in my recap (http://gulfcoastoffense.blogspot.com/2010/02/la-x.html), what if he meant that the chains were off since Jacob is now dead. Richard isn't symbolically chained to Jacob anymore?

Anonymous said...

Czechmate -

E, I think that you and everyone else are off on something and I just gotta chime in at my favorite Lost recap site.
AIN’T NO SUNSHINE WHEN SHE’S GONE
While we didn’t have to watch Juliet die again in the second hour, we did have to endure her sad burial scene. I was like, “It’s about time!” when Sawyer demanded that Miles put his Sixth Sense Skillz to use and report back on her missing final words. Alas, more depressing stuff followed, because all Miles could hear was “It worked,” and Sawyer had no idea what that meant. But I’ll tell you what it meant: it meant that Juliet’s consciousness jumped over to the Alternate Timeline and she saw that her peeps never crashed on the Island. So she passed away at peace, knowing that – in some strange way – her bomb-blowing-up efforts were not in vain.


Last season Juliette tells Sawyer why she's changed her mind; "because if I never met you, I never have to loose you." In addition, we know from season 4 and 5 that her greatest wish is to get off the island.

I firmly believe that Juliette's last words were mundain and therefore more powerful than anything weird that might have happened. "It worked" means two things to me. The first is that she has finally gotten off of the island. Her death allows her escape. The second is that she doesn't have to lose Sawyer because she is going first.

I have little doubt that they have already filmed that coffee shop scene you're talking about and it will happen, but I dont' believe that Juliette could see it at that point. I believe her words are entirely mundane.

joshRgordon said...

The Nameless Drowning Victim in Season 1, was named Joanna. I just remember that for some reason...

Anonymous said...

Czechmate said...
Jamdez said...
I've been thinking over the last few days about the scene with Jack and Locke in the airport. If Christian's coffin was not on the plane in the Alternate Timeline maybe it wasn't on the plane in the Original Timeline. It would explain why Jack couldn't find the coffin or his dad's body anywhere after the crash.

Rewatch season one. Jack finds Christian coffin at the caves and destroys it in a fit of rage.

Tanyar said...

Hello E!
I would like to point something out:
Sonic fence had the ability to keep Smokey away from the Dharma village. Whether it was a side effect, or purpose, really doesn't matter. Horace Goodspeed was a Dharma member who built the cabin. Cabin was located outside the sonic fence, so ash had to be there to keep Smokey away. I believe it is safe to assume that the ash was placed there by Horace, not as a finishing touch, but as a security system.

This, of course, does not answer why the ring was broken, but at least somewhat invalidates the option of cabin being a prison for Man in Black.

Brasco said...

I been thinking about Jacob's touch and the lists. Jack wasn't on "Jacob's list" at one point, since Jacob did touch him, what if they're coming meant the oceanic 6 since they were now all together in the same time frame for the first "time" in a while. Also, if Sayid dies, then the they would be short one and the purpose of "you all have to go back" would be lost and maybe then smokey/MIB could reign supreme. Perhaps as noted previously, Jacobs touch passed something on to those people and thus the ability to defeat/overcome smokey/mib, sort of Jacob's own loop hole and why he wasn't afraid to die, sort of his faith in humanity... or the survivors to do exactly what Jacob felt they would do make "progress" and prove once and for all that humanity finds a way for good to overcome evil.

Daniel D. said...

Great Blog. I am sorry that I did not find it sooner. Congrats on the book deal.

I only have one, possibly pointless, question/point.

So, we know that Smokey starts/lives in the wall around the Temple. We also know that Smokey leaves and pulls people back via the corner hole in the wall. So why wouldn't there be a more permanent entrance for Smokey if Smokey is supposed to be able to come and go?

The only other time I can remember anything going into the wall is when Richard took young Ben to the Temple after Sayid shot Ben. But we never see Smokey appear from anywhere other than the corner whole that looks like he busted out.

Does that mean Smokey was only meant to protect the Temple and not roam free?

Like I said - probably pointless.

Anne said...

People keep talking about the Oceanic 6 being back at the island, but there is actually only 5 of them... Aaron is still in LA with his grandmother.

Julie said...

Re: the "chains" comment directed at Richard - I think Richard was one of the slaves on the Black Rock. We know that MIB and Jacob had contact with the ship, we saw it in "the incident".

But if that's true the process of being on a slave ship to becoming consigliere for Jacob will be an interesting story...

Nicky said...

e-
So excited to hear about your book deal and we appreciate you still hooking us up with the posts. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this theory but do you think that there might have been one final "flash" time traveling flash that brought the Agera (dans Sun) to the rest of the Losties? Maybe Jacob's death casued the frozen donkey wheel to turn one more time??
Can't wait to hear what you have to say tonight
Peace

Anonymous said...

Did anyone else notice the similarities in the dialogue when Kate was telling Jack to stop trying to revive Sayid and when Kate was trying to get Jack to stop reviving Charlie way back in season one? It seemed to me (and I have no access to the scripts or episodes) that it was almost identical, except that this time, Jack stopped.

Shelley said...

E, THANK YOU so much for your awesome review/recap! I love Lost, but with four kids, two jobs, laundry and whatnot, I never get all the things that you point out. It's because I have forgotten how to really pay attention to one thing at a time. I just want to say it is a very valuable service you give to the insight impaired like my self.

"Nothing is irreversible." Awesome! I would have missed that without you!

Unknown said...

i am not sure if Sun has used a different Sur name before, but Korean women do not take the name of their husbands. They keep the birthgiven surname of their father, and their children will take the name of their father.

Screaming Reviewer said...

Hey this is the blog Lost In Character - i review movies and tv shows like lost and i just wanted you to know that you inspire me so much! Thank you so much for what you do you really make create joy with what you write!

Thirty-Fiver said...

I need me another recap, e!

Thirty-Fiver said...

I need me another recap, e!

JetBoy said...

I actually have a question, don't know if it's been addressed...

What happened to all the other 815 survivors, other than the main characters?

Unknown said...

hey e. i have never commented before but have read your recaps for quite some time. i share your love for locke and think you have great taste in tunage. the song lyrics and the shared view of the show drew me in from my first stumble across your lost blog. anyway, yes, great premiere, and great comments made by you. always a great, friendly fabulous lost space. just wanted to share my thanks and wish you success on your endeavors. i have so many lost thoughts but others articulate them, and none better than you. werd.

Anna said...

You are amazing. Your comments are almost better than the show! (just kidding, but they are awesome.)

(insert cow-tow).

Alex said...

e, I noticed that Kate, in the bathroom with the marshall, she knocked him out, and picked up the gun but left the marshall's case there. Given what we saw on season one, I believe that if the toy airplane was in the case, she would have taken it. So, does that mean she didn´t kill her childhood friend? It makes sense, as she wouldn´t need to escape from her mother at the hospital crashing the car, because her mother wouldn't scream, because Kate never killed her father! Am I right? What do you think?