Lost - Ji Kwon, and Hello Kevin Johnson
Kelvin Inman (of the hatch) had to clean up Radzinsky’s suicide blood stain, and so, too, does Kevin Johnson have to clean up some other guy’s blood stain.
Aside from the name and stain similarities, I have to believe that the “cabin fever” driving Gault’s crew to suicide is probably what got to Radzinsky, too. Maybe even Rousseau’s crew, sixteen years ago. A few weeks ago, when they showed us time traveling’s side-effects, I thought that might be the “sickness” Rousseau was referring to, back in season one, that drove her crew to death. But it might actually be this “cabin fever,” which could be side effects of time distortion, or something else.
So! The big “reveal” this week wasn’t necessarily the return of Michael (who saw THAT coming, right?!), but rather the fact that Jin doesn’t make it off the island.
He’s not one of the Oceanic Six, which kind of makes me glad, because the spoilers I read from the beginning of the season said that he was, so I was actually surprised at this turn of events which was a welcome change to a spoiler-addict like myself. But that leaves me kind of uneasy, because it would mean that Aaron is an Oceanic Six-er. I guess technically he was on the plane, but it just kind of feels like it should be a ticket holding passenger. Aaron would just be the son of a Six-er, unless there is more to this story that hasn’t been revealed yet.
Everyone seems to be asking “is Jin really dead?!?” I think the answer is clear: hell naw he ain’t dead, Sun!
The date of death on the tombstone is 9/22/04, or… the date of the plane crash.
Jack is sick of lying and wants to go back. Matthew Abbadon (Naomi’s boss) asked Hurley: “Are they still alive?” and he freaked out. Plus, I like a happy ending. So I’m saying, yes, Jin is alive, along with all the rest of the missing survivors, and the end of the series will reunite everyone. I hope.
One side-note before I keep going: I have mixed feelings about the flash-back-flash-forward-at-the-same-time narrative. About half way through, I almost said out loud, “I wonder if they’ll ever do a flash-back, and flash-forward at the same time. I think if they did, that would be too much.” And lo, they did. I was not expecting it at the time, and the more I think about it the more I think they got lucky that it worked, but I think it’s pretty risky and asks a lot from the casual viewer, who may not only feel cheated but also overwhelmed. Then again, casual viewers are suckers.
Anyway, the other big “reveal” was the return of Michael, under the alias Kevin Johnson. Sure, this was ruined since Day One, but I think the shock isn’t necessarily in WHO the man on the boat was, but HOW the man on the boat was who he was. In other words, how did Michael get on the boat? Specifically, the hair cut and the seemingly convincing alias?
Keep in mind, Lost-time moves slower than our time (not sci-fi, just the way the story works, like how “24″ takes place in 1 day). It’s still 2004 in the Lost world, and only 50-some days have passed since the crash. A little over 2 weeks ago, Michael sailed away with Walt after the hatch implosion. So, Michael has only been gone for roughly 20 days, yet here he is, all clean cut and shaven, minus Walt, with a new name.
That was quick.
One possible easy explanation that would not be at all out of place: Ben invented the alias long before Michael’s departure, had a real rescue for Michael in place where he could shower up, shave, and get his facts straight before the ship met up with the freighter and they said “here’s the new janitor from the company.”
Another possible explanation that I hope is not all out of place on Lost: A lot of people are saying that Michael and Walt time traveled into the past. Remember, Faraday told Sayid, Desmond, and Lapidus to stay on a heading of 305. Ben told Michael to stay on a bearing of 325. Faraday’s heading would have no side effects. Who knows what Ben’s heading does? Maybe the side effect is that he sailed three or four years into the past, and left Michael a Jigsaw-like tape recording instructing him to seek him out for help.
So, Michael in the past tracks down the Ben from that place in time, not knowing what else to do when he goes home, sees himself, and finds out it’s actually 2001. Ben says “you can work for me,” and Michael gives him the rundown.
Ben did seem awfully familiar with the plane crash as it happened. I still think he knew about it long before it was set to occur.
This is asking a lot, though. I have a feeling #1 is the real answer.
BUT, #2 would answer another question: Walt’s aging. He looked a lot older when he appeared to Locke, and Locke even said so, calling him “an Older Walt.” Obviously this is because the show has been on for 4 years in the real-world, and the actor has grown, but remember only 50 days have passed on the show so they need a creative way to deal with his aging. I’ve already speculated that maybe Walt will just be seen in flash-forwards from now on, and that’s why he appears older, but maybe there really will be a sci-fi explanation for his aging.
Either way, we should get some kind of answer in the next episode, since it’s called “Meet Kevin Johnson.”
One last, sort-of-off-topic thought: earlier in the post I mentioned Abbadon (Naomi’s boss) asking Hurley if “they are still alive,” presumably talking about the other Oceanic survivors who didn’t make it off the island. This means that he legitimately doesn’t know. But, according to the last episode, the people on the boat are instructed to kill everyone on the island after making off with Ben. So, obviously something happened, here. I think the survivors will get friendly with the people on the boat (thanks, Daniel, I knew I could trust you) and come up with a way to make it appear like everyone has died. Somehow 6 are allowed to leave, but I’m betting the rest voluntarily stayed behind with the full knowledge that they’d be there the rest of their lives.
Or!!! They are all “hiding” in the past, still living on the island, but years and years before anything happened. And the Others are their descendants. Remember Adam and Eve, from season one?
Ones remarkably similar to the ones Locke carries around?
(Props to Mike for the awesome Locke picture).
Aaaaaand I have to get these blogs done sooner. By the time I post them, there are hundreds of blogs saying the same thing. And we only have 1 episode to go before a brief hiatus (I think), and then five more episodes until the end of the season and we have to wait another 9 months for more Lost!
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Lost - “The Other Woman”
How funny was Ben in this episode? “Hi! Come on in!” and “See you guys at dinner,” with his little facial quirks and slightly feminine mannerisms. But that’s what so genius about his character — he may make you laugh from time to time, but he’s constantly a scary guy. The man is truly creepy. And the little quips and quirks may make you smile (from a distance), but only illustrate just how insane his mind really is.
“You’reeee miiiineee!”
I love how each time we see the plane crash scene, even though this is probably the fifth time we’ve seen it, it’s from a totally different perspective and takes on a whole new meaning. We now know that Ben sent Goodwin to the crash site because of the danger, and he kept him out there until he was killed so as to get rid of the competition for Juliet.
Would have liked it better if Juliet and Goodwin were in a healthier relationship, though. The “other woman,” Harper, really didn’t serve much of a purpose, other than Ben’s mouthpiece. I remember it being revealed that Goodwin and Juliet were together in a season 3 episode, and I took it at face value that they were exclusive and didn’t really have anything to hide. Him being married just seemed kind of a forced addition to the story.
But back to Ben! This is the first episode where we got to see Ben vulnerable. Every other time we’ve interacted with Ben, he’s been on top of his game and one step ahead of everyone. But this time around we got to see something (someone) get under his skin: Juliet. This might seem kind of minor to the casual viewer, because everybody has something that can easily get under their skin, but remember how Ben’s mind works when he’s manipulating someone: “find out what that person is emotionally invested in, and exploit it.” It’s how he got to Michael, it’s how he’s gotten to Locke, Juliet, Sawyer… and the list goes on. But now that Jack knows that Ben is craaazy in love with Juliet, maybe the tables will get turned. Jack now knows what Ben is emotionally invested in… now exploit it, Jack!
This episode was definately not a perfect 10, but it did reveal the answer to one of Lost’s central mysteries: how does Charles Widmore fit into all of this? We get confirmation that he’s behind the boat, looking for the island. The rest, about how he wants to exploit the island for his own reasons (one assumes money), could very well be a lie. And if Penny knows about the island, and has been researching it, and apparently has a remote listening station set up in the Arctic to find it… does her dad know? Maybe Charles Widmore is not a bad guy, maybe he’s looking for Desmond so Penny can be happy. Maybe Ben is just making him look bad.
So, Ben is a tricky sonhovabitch. What does this mean for his man on the boat, I wonder, who is supposed to be revealed this week? The preview for this week says the man on the boat is somebody we never thought we’d see again. I cannot remember if (potential mild spoiler, highlight to read) Michael’s return is supposed to be public knowledge, so it’s entirely possible they think we think we’d never see Michael again. He’s the one who makes the most sense to me at the moment. But who else disappeared that we thought we’d never see again? The only people who have gone, to my knowledge, have died. Having Ana Lucia show up or even Libby, saying all “haha, I faked it,” would just seem a little over the top. Maybe it’s one of the others… time traveling? Richard Alpert? We haven’t seen him in a while.
I really want to go back to a season two story and get that wrapped up… who was the original Henry Gale? That’s right, Lost producers, I haven’t forgotten. Sayid dug up a grave and found the real Henry Gale, who appeared to really be a parachuter. I want to know where he came from, how he found the island, and what sort of side-effects, if any, he experienced on his way in. I want to see how the Others approached him and what they did to him.
After all, maybe he’s the man on the boat?
Lost Blog
I sincerely apologize for not yet having a blog recapping last week’s episode “The Other Woman.” I do have a draft written, but life keeps getting in the way. As far as theorizing goes, though, the episode didn’t have much beyond the strange whispers when Harper appeared and the confirmation that Charles Widmore is looking for the island.
For now, I need to ask an opinion. If one such as myself were to launch a blog talking about nothing but Lost…
www.lostblog.tv
Yay o nay?
Dishonorable Desmond
Hmm! One more quick thought that’s probably so obvious I’m the only one who missed it.
When we were introduced to Desmond via his first flashback episode (I can’t remember if it was later in season two or early season three), we learned he was dishonorably discharged from the military, but we didn’t know why. Well, based on last week’s episode, maybe it’s because he just got up and left, seeking out Daniel Faraday?
If so, this is just more evidence against the argument that “the writers are just making it up as they go along” (even though there’s nothing wrong with that).
If this is true, though, it would mean he’d remember it. Or, as in The Butterfly Effect, he wouldn’t remember it, but rather just a black-out period, because his future self hasn’t experienced it yet. He’d only remember it when it happened to his future self (what we just saw). This seems kind of implausible, though, because you’d think he’d ask “why?” if he was dishonorably discharged for something he doesn’t even remember doing.
Also, more evidence that Michael might be the man on the boat: the boat people were not surprised to find survivors of Flight 815. Remember that conversation with Miles? “Oh, wow! You’re survivors of Flight 815!! Better?” This might be because they all knew there were survivors all along and are part of the coverup, or because Michael told them on the way.
Desmond Hume will be my constant.
My constant. Oh, my. What a sweet episode. Desmond has been one of the most mysterious and intriguing characters since the very first time we met him, brotha. He’s one of my favorites and I’m glad he’s probably one of the most important characters to the overall mythology that makes up Lost.
So, I think the question we should be asking after last week’s episode is, are we stuck in time? And is it possible, if the right conditions are set, for us to become unstuck? Desmond and Minkowski had the right conditions to start “traveling” to different portions of their lives, but I have to wonder if that’s only the beginning. Instead of “traveling,” what if we could eventually live every moment of our lives simultaneously? We’d essentially live forever. No doubt be mysterious to those around us who are not “enlightened.” Makes me think of Jacob. Maybe the cabin moves because he’s always going back and forth, changing things in the past that effect where the cabin is in the future.
I remember an episode from last season, when they found Karl strapped in the mind-warping chair in Room 23. One of the things being repeated over and over again was, “only fools are enslaved by time and space.”
Anyway, I think this particular episode answered a mystery that was presented a few episodes back: why the hell was Daniel Faraday crying when he watched the news that Oceanic Flight 815 was found? Remember that? Someone asked him, “why are you crying?” and he said, “I don’t know…”
I think I know!
If the note in his journal is any indication, he’s a time traveler, or will be soon. But even if he’s not, his meeting with Desmond changed his life. He knows his destiny — in 8 years, he’ll be on an island and meet Desmond, and have the opportunity to study the island and it’s effects on time travel (hence the payload experiment), and so when he saw the news that Oceanic Flight 815 had been found, that was the first piece of the puzzle that began to fall in place. He knew it was really happening, and it was only a matter of time before he was asked to go on an expedition and get on the island where he could do his research. And so he cried in happiness because his dream was coming true, just as Desmond told him.
And rather than explain all that, he just said, “I don’t know…” as in, “you wouldn’t understand…”
I could go on and on about the consequences of time travel and how it may explain everything, but it’s too confusing trying to keep it straight. Instead, I want to talk about how Michael is the “friend” on the boat.
So, here I go: Michael is the friend on the boat, and Ben’s informant. The heading Ben sent him on at the end of season two was not the heading Faraday gave. Ben sent Michael in the wrong direction. What that means is any body’s guess — maybe he time traveled to some other time where nobody would believe his story, or maybe there was another boat waiting for him. Either way, due to the build up, I’m convinced Michael is on the boat and will show up in two more episodes. I cannot wait.
Another theme of the overall Lost story is how “everything happens for a reason.” No other episode can fit into that theme more so than this one, and it was such a powerful payoff. Like Daniel watching the pieces start to fall in to place, when you really experience something and everything that’s happened to you in the past suddenly has meaning and makes sense, it really makes you utterly speechless.
“Trust me…”
“I do trust you, but you still have to remember that number…”
And Desmond looks up, and repeats the number he asked for 20 second ago for him, 8 years for Penny.
Then the phone rings, and rings, and rings, and Adam starts to cry, and Penny picks up, and it’s just “is that really you?” Desmond was able to get in touch with Penny due to everything that’s happened to him in the past, from the military discharge to the ship wreck to the hatch implosion.
And when the phone is ringing, they do a series of quick flashbacks to Desmond leaving Penny’s apartment and smiling. I think he was time traveling those flashbacks again as the phone rang, and he was smiling because he knew everything fell in to place just then. It also adds an interesting dynamic to the flashbacks and flash forwards — maybe they are actually time travels, but the characters just don’t realize it and think they are memories triggered by events on the island. Desmond is the only one who becomes “unhinged” and actually flies around the time line thanks to his exposure to the hatch’s magnetic energy discharge.
Either way, I think Daniel Faraday will answer most, if not all, of the island’s sci-fi mysteries. He’s the only newcomer that I completely trust.
Also, I read somewhere that the “Economist” that Ben sent Sayid to assassinate might be Charles Widmore, Penny’s dad, the man bidding on the Black Rock journal. What do you think? Makes sense, if he’s bidding on the journal to keep the location of the island to himself. What’s more, if he was bidding on the journal to find the location of the island, maybe he made up the entire “race around the world” story for Desmond and gave him the race track, knowing it would lead him right to the island so he’d be exiled.
But this is Lost, so there must be some bigger reason about why shipping Desmond away to an island was the only way to get him away from his daughter. Seems kind of extreme.
