The producers and writers of LOST have assured us that they have a plan and that we will get answers to some of the major mysteries that make up the mythology of the greatest show (in my humble opinion) ever to have aired on network television. After The Candidate, I had to convince myself to keep the faith that this will all end accordingly. Since the beginning of this season I have prepared myself with the knowledge that any one of our favourite characters can die. Couple that awareness with the fact that LOST is ending its amazing run and you have a complex formula for dissolution of everything that we have held near and dear to our hearts since September 22, 2004 and we suddenly find ourselves on a bullet train hurtling out of control. Hang on, my friends, for the ride of your lives!
Immediately following last nights airing of the Candidate there was such an outcry of anger, total devastation and absolute confusion that I think it may have caused an almost epic traffic jam on the internet. I have tried to stay away from all reviews and recaps in order to get my own thoughts sorted out. I am still feeling like I have been cast adrift into a vortex of confusion. Sleep is usually one of my dearest friends, but last night it was fitful and fraught with frequent episodes of sitting upright in bed and asking “what does that mean?” and then falling back down to the pillow in a cold sweat.
FLASHSIDEWAYS/WHAT IF/SIDE TIME
I loved how Jack referred to John as a “candidate”, and was initially confused when his offer to perform surgery and “fix” John was refused. As the episode progressed though, I realized that John was punishing himself, forcing himself to be confined to the wheelchair. It wasn’t until I saw Anthony Cooper that I realized the cause of his guilt. Forgive me, but I kind of giggled at the irony. In Original time, Anthony Cooper caused John’s injury that paralysed him and in the Side time, the roles were reversed and John was the reason his father is doing the best impression of a turnip I have seen in a long while. It’s also a bit ironic that John is the cause of his own paralysis, and I think that it is a foreshadowing of what may be MIB’s downfall (But I’ll get to that in a bit).
Claire seeks out Jack at the hospital to ask him a question about her portion of Christian’s estate, which was an ornate music box that played “Catch A falling Star”. This was a double-whammy prop, in my view. The music box played a song that has recurred throughout the entire fabric of the show, and as they looked at it, we could see Jack’s and Claire’s images reflected in a mirror. This is only the beginning for Jack and Claire as siblings and I think that Jack’s invitation that she stay with him will allow for Claire to keep “Aaron” in the Side time. My heart skipped a beat or two when Jack assured Claire that they were not strangers, but family. This bodes well for both of them, I think…I hope.
The final scene in the Side time was so very interesting and outlined that both Jack and John are still unable to “let it go” or “forgive themselves”. In Jack’s case, he is learning and is willing to use that life lesson to help another person. We will see if he really is ready to stop trying to “fix” people and things and not chase after John in an effort to convince him to have the surgery.
Earlier I alluded to John’s self inflicted paralysis as a possible cause of falter for MIB in the Original time. I think that John Locke’s “consciousness “will assert itself in MIB causing an inner struggle of who will gain control over the “body”. This struggle will weaken MIB and thwart his efforts to leave the island and leading to his ultimate failure. I really don’t know how it will go down, but I do have a theory (which I’ll get to later).
ORIGINAL TIME
OH
MY
GOD
As Jack woke and sat up in the outrigger I couldn’t help but think of Frank’s similar sleep sailing experience. As Sayid said, at least he didn’t have to paddle. I’m not sure about anyone else, but when Sayid said that I thought I saw a spark of “emotion” and had a renewed hope that his story of redemption would get off that detour to hell he was on. We know now that Sayid’s story has ended.
When Jack tells Smocke that he’ll help him but he is not leaving the island, he sets off a chain of events that lead to a very shocking and sad ending. The final half hour of this episode was spent sitting bolt upright and clinging to the edge of my rocking chair with eyes glued to the TV. I’m not blaming Jack for the catastrophic ending, but I do think it was his mistake to lay out his intentions so soon and it allowed Smocke to formulate yet another evil plan to kill off all the candidates.
Sawyer and his group are tossed into the polar bear cage, and you can hear the hum if the portable sonic fence. I don’t ever recall hearing the other fence hum. This is not a good scene as Sawyer explains to Kate that her name was on the cave wall and that it had been crossed off. At this point I realized that Kate’s usefulness was ended to all parties involved save for Kate herself. I also realized that by telling her, Sawyer was trying to protect her. Forewarned is forearmed? I’m not sure.
I am wondering how Sayid killed the power to the portable sonic fence. Did he just pull cut the extension cord? Did he pull the plug? Did he steal all the gas from the generator? Did he poke that stick Smocke was whittling a few episodes back into some moving parts? HOW? This allowed Smocke to wreck havoc at the cages and help free the others. Don’t think he’s not angry about how they all turned against him, by the way. Jack arrives to help everyone out of the cages and lead them to relative safety, if there is such a thing. He explains to Kate that he’s not meant to leave the island but will help them all get to the plane. Obviously Jack didn’t hear the part about ALL of them having to leave TOGETHER when Smocke was explaining how things are going to work. I had bad feeling as Smocke was checking the plane and found the wires that led him to the C4. Question! Why didn’t Widmore just destroy the plane as soon as he arrived on the island? Yeah, yeah, I know it’s a plot device, but that’s the kind of detail that bugs me. Then I had an awful thought that Widmore is secretly working WITH Smocke and they had planned that. But if our LOSTIES took the sub, how would Chuckie leave? I know there’s no way that he would want to STAY on the island once Smocke had been bottled up again.
Also, I believe MIB DID kill all the other survivors on that plane. Remember all the times he would disappear and when asked where he was, he would say he was taking care of something. Think back to the Incident when he told Richard that they would have to go to Hydra Island and deal with the others from the plane. Yeah, I’m convinced Smocke did that.
So, where was I? Oh yes, the plane. I really loved the home made bamboo steps! I wonder if I can have those for my pool…..Anyway, knew that the plane was not going to be the answer to Smocke’s little problem. For a while now I have considered the thought that his main goal was to kill ALL the candidates in fell swoop, thus gaining the freedom to leave the island at his own will. Let’s review the facts, shall we?
Originally there were multiple “candidates” for Jacob’s job, (if you take the lighthouse compass as the list, there were 360 candidates over the years so far) but as time passed and people were killed on the island, or they didn’t measure up, their names were crossed off the list. A bit of trivia for you to stump your friends. There are 15 passengers from 815 on the list and 4 Others on the list that are in reference to the NUMBERS! Don’t ask where I find this stuff, it would frighten you.
LOCKE – 4, REYES – 8, FORD – 15, JARRAH – 16, SHEPHARD – 23, KWON - 42, Austen – 51
Since Kate’s number is 51, which by the way is the transposition of 15, I am assuming that she’s not going to make it to the end and thus not going to succeed in her quest to reunite Claire and Aaron off island. Interestingly enough Claire’s number is 313 and Charlie’s number was 195.
Okay, back to business. Smocke has been very insistent that all the survivors be TOGETHER when they attempt to leave the island and at first I believed that some magical force dictated such. Then I remembered that Smocke DOESN’T KNOW who will be the one to do Jacob’s job and that he had vowed to kill anyone that may take his nemesis’ place. Since he has no idea WHO would become the next Jacob, he really had no choice but to start eliminating them. The “RULES” state that he can’t kill any of the candidates himself, so over the years he has used his belief that humans will kill each other and manipulated the deaths of many people. Which brings us to the doomed submarine ride….
Smocke switched his C4 filled pack with Jack’s back pack. We all saw it happen and that is when I knew for sure that Smocke had planned to confine the candidates and let them either be killed by each other or Widmore’s men. And how convenient that poor Claire was left behind (that really rankled me since she was defending them). Jack was right when he told Sawyer that the C4 would NOT explode. I know that many of you believe that it would have since it was Jack who carried it onto the sub that it would go off, but since Jack did so UNKNOWINGLY it makes perfect sense that it would not have. Unfortunately for Jin, Sun and Sayid, Sawyer didn’t believe it and pulled the wires, thus setting into motion the disastrous events that followed.
WHY?
Why?
Why?
There are an awful lot of people who are bitter and angry that Sun and Jin (myself included as I sobbed into half a box of tissues) did not get their happily ever after and were unable to leave the island to raise their daughter. But think for a minute. In the Side time they have the opportunity to embrace their futures and raise their daughter together, so in a way, they have achieved it and their story arc is finished. We got to see that Desmond had managed to reach deep within the darkness of Sayid and provided him with the means by which to have his Nadia back. Let’s hope they are reunited in death because we know that in the Side time they will be apart forever.
That leaves us with Lapidus and his status is unknown at this point. He was hit rather hard by that door and I think knocked out, so I’m thinking that he’s dead too. This is distressing to me. We have not seen how his life pans out in the Side time, so I’m hopeful that he has a chance at happiness.
The last we saw of the remaining candidates they were washed up on the dark beach and mourning the loss of their friends. I’m sure, as he had in the flashsideways while talking to John Locke, Jack was wishing James had believed him. I know I was thinking it.
DID YOU NOTICE?
Locke wants to kill Jack in the original time and Jack wants to help Locke in the side time.
Original Locke regained the use of his legs from the crash of 815, Side Locke was paralysed in a plane crash.
Original Anthony Cooper caused John’s paralysis. Side Anthony’s vegetative state was cause by John.
While unconscious, John Locke mumbles; “Push the button” and “I wish you had believed me”. Jack repeated the wish to John later, which caused him to pause.
This episode breaks the record for the largest number of MAIN CAST characters being killed at three, also this season (for obvious reasons) is the first season to kill off more than one original main character.
This is the first episode since the premiere of Season 4 where ALL the main characters appear in the same place at the same time. Go check!
There were 4 bricks of C4
QUESTIONS
How did Widmore know about the list?
Where are Cindy, Zach and Emma?
Is Frank alive?
How’s Jack going to help Kate now?
Why wasn’t the sub more visibly guarded?
QUOTABLE QUOTES:
JOHN: Why?
JACK: Because I think you're a candidate.
SAYID: Welcome to Hydra island. At least you didn't have to paddle.
WIDMORE: I have a list of names. Ford, you're on it. As are Reyes and the Kwons. Kate Austen? She's not. It doesn't matter to me whether she lives or dies.
WIDMORE: You may not believe it, but I'm doing this for your own good.
SAWYER: You're right. I don't believe it.
BERNARD: Do you mind if I ask you why you're so interested in Mr. Locke, Jack?
JACK: Um... he and I met about a week ago. We were on the same flight back from Australia--
BERNARD: Oceanic 815.
[Jack looks shocked]
BERNARD: I sat across the aisle from you. If memory serves, you were flirting with my wife, Rose, while I was in the bathroom. It's pretty weird, huh?
JACK: Yeah.
LOCKE: You know, I would ask him, except I don't think he's gonna give me a straight answer. But I can't imagine that his intentions are good. If we move right now, we can break your people out, run for the plane, and be off this island before Widmore knows what hit him.
LOCKE: Because I could kill you, Jack. Right here. Right now. And I could kill every single one of your friends. And there's not a thing that you could do to stop me. But instead of killing you, I saved your life. And now I want to save them too. So will you help me? (LIAR)
HURLEY: And we're dead... (when the power to the sonic fence goes off)
HURLEY: Well... wait, now he wants us to leave the island?
LOCKE: No, Hugo. He wants to get us all in the same place at the same time... a nice confined space we have no hope of getting out of... and then he wants to kill us. (foreshadowing?)
Jack: Why don't you come stay with me?
Claire: Stay with you? [ Jack nods.] I mean, we're…we're strangers.
Jack [laughs]: No, we're not strangers. We're...we're family.
JACK: Locke…We did exactly what he wanted.
OBSERVATION: We have been led to believe that water is not a good thing for Smocke while he is in his smoke form, so, if my thinking that John Locke from the Side time will assert his “consciousness” into the Original time and force MIB out of his body, he will have no form to take. If that happens on Hydra, all Jack has to do is ensure there are no other forms he can take and remove all forms of travel off that island. But I’m probably wrong.
Next week we get Across The Sea. I’m both fearful and excited to see what happens next.
No comments:
Post a Comment