Tuesday, May 19, 2009

S5E16 / S5E17 - The Incident

HAVE NO FEAR! I'M STILL ALIVE!

I know it's been far too long since my last post, and I'm about 2 months late with this recap, but things have calmed down in my life a little bit (aka I recently took a week off work), so I've managed to squeeze in an extra couple hours to do this post. So, without further ado, let's examine the finale.

What an episode! We finally got to meet Jacob, who appears to have played an important role in the lives of our Losties... but I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's go in order.

Q: What lies in the shadow of the statue?

We finally got the answer (in Latin), which translates to "He who will save us all." Is this a reference to Jacob? He's been living in the foot of the statue for (presumably) hundreds of years. Could this also be a reference to Locke (the real Locke), whose body is now laying on the beach, next to the foot? I'm actually re-watching all 5 seasons (surprise, surprise), and I'm half-way through season 1, and Charlie told Jack that if he had to put all of his faith into one person saving them all, it'd be John Locke. Then again, how can he save everyone if he's dead? Unless, of course, he isn't...

Is Locke Dead?

I mean, technically, yeah... he's dead. But... I think we're asking the wrong question here. The right question is....

Did the detonation of the bomb work?

For those that can't remember back to May, here's a quick recap of the plan-- The Losties were stuck in 1977, at the time of the "incident". The incident is what led to the pushing of the button, which led to Desmond pushing the button, which led to the crash of Flight 815, which led to seasons 1-5 of LOST. Essentially, they planned to detonate the Jughead bomb in order to "fix" things so that their plane never crashed on the island. The problem with this plan, of course, is that Jack and Kate never would've met; Kate would've gone to jail; Sawyer would've likely been arrested for killing the guy in Sydney; Hurley would've continued to be cursed; Aaron would've been given up for adoption; the list goes on.

So how does this tie into the "Is Locke dead" thing? If the plane never crashed, Locke would still be in the wheelchair, and would not be dead. So, if the bomb really reset things, then the Locke / Jacob events don't really matter.

I know I'm going in circles here, but you've got to see the issue that they face, which (to me) only seems like there is one solution. If the timeline is reset, then the Locke/Jacob storyline (and everything we've seen so far) is meaningless. If they don't end up on the island, then how would we learn the history of the island next season? But if the bomb didn't work, then the second half of season 5 was pointless. They've essentially got to make it so that the bomb goes off, but that everything that's happened so far counts. Is it possible that, as a result of the bomb being detonated, the Losties were blasted ahead in time to 2008, meeting up with the Locke/Jacob timeline? Could that be what Jacob meant when he spoke his dying words, "They're coming"?

Jacob's Nemesis (Esau)

Ok, so who is Jacob's nemesis? He is given no name in the episode, but the online LOST communities have been referring to him as "Esau" (pronounced "ee-saw"). Biblically, Esau is Jacob's twin brother, who vows to kill him. This appears to be the origins of the black vs white theme. Jacob is dressed in all white, while Esau is dressed in all black. And while it seems obvious to assume that Jacob is the good guy and Esau is bad, I want to make sure to mention that it's possible we're being misled.

Also, the Locke we've been watching all season is actually Esau in disguise. He is unable to kill Jacob himself (same reason Ben is unable to kill Widmore?), so instead he gets Ben to kill Jacob for him. But that was no easy task. (Buckle up.... it's gonna get rough.)

Esau (as Locke) took Ben to the temple so that Ben could confront the smoke monster and be forgiven. After Ben and "Locke" separate, the smoke monster appears. The smoke monster here is likely also another manifestation of Esau. The smoke monster lets Ben go, and he is soon confronted by the ghost of Alex (who is ALSO Esau), who tells Ben that he has to do everything that Locke (Esau) tells him. ... If you need to read that again, please do so now.... I'll wait for you..... ok.... got it? Good. Let's move ahead.

If we've seen Esau manifest himself as Locke, Alex, and the smoke monster, can we assume that this isn't the first time we've seen this guy? Is he the smoke monster all the time? Can Jacob also manifest himself as someone else? This just flipped our LOST world upside-down. I'm ok with the idea that Esau is the smoke monster, as long as Jacob also manifests himself as a white light (the one that Locke saw back in season one). Since the first season, we've seen A LOT of creepy ghosts and things on the island, and it seems reasonable now to consider that they may all be either Esau or Jacob. The question we face now is... who's who?

Touching Flashbacks

In all flashbacks in the finale, we saw how the Losties encountered Jacob in their pasts, and the important role that he played. More importantly, you should all note that he touched all of them during the flashback. Here's a quick rundown of each:

Jack: After Jack's infamous "angel hair pasta" surgery, he was trying to get an Apollo bar from the vending machine, but it was stuck. It was Jacob who eventually got it it down for him.

Hurley: After being released from jail, he and Jacob shared a cab ride. Jacob left Hurley with the guitar case that he was carrying on the plane.

Kate: When Kate was a child, she and Tom (her best friend) were trying to steal a New Kids on the Block lunchbox, when they got caught by the store clerk. Jacob paid for the lunchbox, and Kate was free to go. Note: This is also the same lunchbox that Kate and Tom used to bury their time capsule, which Tom kept his plastic plane in until they dug it up years later. (That's the plane that the marshall had in his case on Flight 815).

Locke: After his father pushed him from an 8-story window, Locke smacked the ground, and Jacob appeared to revive him with a simple touch of the hand. Whether he really brought Locke back to life or if it was just good timing, we don't know. I'm guessing he was brought back to life.

Sawyer: While writing the infamous "Dear Mr. Sawyer" letter, his pen dried up. Jacob was there to provide him with a fresh ballpoint, to ensure that Sawyer finished writing the letter.

Sayid: After he and Nadia stepped off of a curb, Jacob grabbed Sayid to "ask for help", ensuring that Sayid wasn't hit by the same truck that killed Nadia.

Jin and Sun: Jacob made a cameo at their wedding, wishing them good luck and telling them never to take each other for granted.


Now, I don't know the significance of Jacob's touch, but you should note that all of those people are still alive on the island. Is it possible that they needed his touch in order to come to the island?

Lord of the Ring

Sun found Charlie's DriveShaft ring that he left behind. Is this a sign that we'll soon be seeing Claire again? I can't imagine that they'd bring up the ring without having Claire back to get it. I know she's supposed to be back next season... I just don't know how soon (first episode? 15th episode?). I'm voting for episode 1.

ROSE AND BERNARD!

I'm so happy to see Rose and Bernard back! They've been living with Vincent in the jungle for the past 3 years, saying that they didn't want to work for the Dharma Initiative because they're retired. This caused a lot of buzz in the LOST fan community that Rose and Bernard are likely the Adam and Eve from season 1. To me, it seems a little too obvious. I know this is supposed to be one of the bigger LOST mysteries, so I can't see them putting it out there so soon.

Is Jacob dead?

I can't imagine you could be stabbed and thrown onto a campfire and live to tell about it. Then again, if you have some form of island-magic, I think there might be an exception for you. I've been having suspicions lately that Jack's reason for being on the island is to save Jacob. The problem here is that Jack's still in 1977... or is he?

Four-Toed Statue Confirmed!

The LOST crew has confirmed the identity of the 4-toed Statue as Taweret, the Egyptian Goddess of childbirth and fertility. This ties in well with the fertility issues on the island. I'm a little confused, though, as this statue is considerably old (at least a few hundred years), but the fertility issues on the island didn't always exist. They weren't there in the 1970's (when Amy gave birth to Ethan on the island), but women couldn't carry to term on the island in the early 2000's. The big question here-- what changed? Is it possible that Ethan could be born on the island because of research by the Dharma Initiative? Maybe they found a way to fix it?

The Big Question

The MOST IMPORTANT thing in the finale was the opening sequence. As Jacob and his nemesis are sitting on the beach watching the Black Rock in the distance, they have the following conversation (courtesy of lostpedia):

Jacob: I take it you're here 'cause of the ship.
Nemesis: I am. How did they find the island?
Jacob: You'll have to ask 'em when they get here.
Nemesis: I don't have to ask. You brought them here. Still trying to prove me wrong, aren't you?
Jacob: You are wrong.
Nemesis: Am I? They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same.
Jacob: It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.

Go ahead.... read that a couple more times. It's clear that Jacob is trying to prove his nemesis wrong on something. And he keeps bringing people back to the island to help, but it never works. Jacob won't give up though... he's determined. And while it's easy to assume that Jacob is good and Esau is bad (as discussed above), I keep reading that conversation thinking, "This sounds an awful lot like Jack and Locke talking." Jacob is the man of faith, while his nemesis is the man of science.

The big LOST mystery here is, "What is Jacob trying to prove?" I think this isn't going to be answered until the final episode, as I think it'll reveal A LOT about why they were brought to the island, which is (of course) one of the biggest mysteries on the show (now that we got the answer of where Rose and Bernard are).

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Ok, so I finally finished the recap of the finale. And just in time for Comic Con this weekend. I'll be posting some brief things after Comic Con to let you all know what went down. Plus (fingers crossed), I'm re-watching the series (from season 1 all the way through) and formulating a "Big Theory". I've got it laid out in my head and I'm trying to work in all the details, while hopefully not being proved wrong. If any of you have theories or questions, send 'em to me and I'll try to address them in the blog. That way, it won't be completely dead for the next 7 months.

Thanks again for reading! And thanks also for your patience!

-drew.

Monday, May 11, 2009

S5E15 - Follow the Leader

Captain Richard

If you're a consistent reader of this blog, you know about my "Richard is from the future" theory, but I'm starting to consider otherwise. This week, we saw Richard building a ship in a bottle. The ship bore a striking resemblance to the Black Rock (as seen in the painting purchased by Charles Widmore). I'm frustrated because I think they're trying to tell us something here about Richard's origins, but I'm a firm believer that he is an island-native. Aren't we due for a Richard flashback?

Guess Who's Back

It's Sayid! I'm glad to see him back, just in time for the finale. Now where the hell are Rose and Bernard?

The Jealous Submarine

Just as Sawyer and Juliet are about to be handed a "Happily Ever After" card, in comes Kate. So, what happens now? Will Sawyer, Juliet, and Kate be the members of an off-island love triangle? I wouldn't place my bets on it. I would guess that they make it no further than the other "Alcatraz" island. And as much as I'd like to see Juliet happy, I think Kate and Sawyer are going to be together in the end. Then again, what do I know?

Radzinski's Map

The various LOST communities around the internet have been buzzing about the map that Radzinski asked Sawyer to draw for him. It's a popular theory that Sawyer's drawing becomes the basis for Radzinski's infamous Blast Door map, as seen in the hatch (under the black light). I don't personally subscribe to the theory, but I wanted to post this to get your thoughts on it. Please leave me a comment below, or e-mail me with your thoughts.

Not Under the Swan?

I always thought that the Jughead (bomb) was buried beneath the swan station, where all that concrete was poured, but they seemed to have suggested that it was buried beneath the barracks. Isn't that where Ben went to summon smokey? Richard did make a comment about getting the bomb out "the same way we got it down here". Could smokey have done that? It'd be a GREAT turn of events to find out that while Ben can summon smokey, it's actually Richard who can control it. Wouldn't that be cool?

Death to Jacob

The big kicker at the end of this episode was when Locke told Ben that he was looking for Jacob so that he could kill him. Would this even be possible though? Does the island not want Jacob to live? Is Jacob a bad guy? If so, does that mean that Richard is also a bad guy (as he's been following Jacob)? Or does Jacob simply not exist? I really really really hope we get answers on this in the finale. I don't feel like waiting another 8 months to get this answer.

But why would Locke want to kill Jacob? He hasn't really done anything to Locke. Did the island tell Locke to kill Jacob? Is Locke just out to prove that Jacob doesn't really exist? Or...

Remember back last season, when Ben took Locke to Jacob's cabin? And Locke heard Jacob say "Help me." Is it possible that killing Jacob will help him in some way? After all, killing Locke helped him get back to the island. Could Jacob be trapped in-between worlds right now? Maybe he's in a coma somewhere, and the only way he can be saved is if Locke pulls the cord, allowing the island to resurrect him?

It's a stretch, I know. I've really got my fingers crossed that we find out this week.

The Incident

Jack's plan (originally Faraday's plan) is to detonate the jughead, as to prevent the "incident", which (for those who don't remember) happens during the construction of the Swan. Apparently, the DHARMA crew drills into a pocket of electromagnetism, which causes them to create this button that needs to be pushed every 108 minutes (in order to discharge the electromagnetism before it becomes to strong). It's because of this, that Flight 815 crashed on the island. So, by detonating the bomb, it changes the future, ensuring that Flight 815 never lands on the island.

And while Jack is fine with this, Kate refuses to help him because (DUH) if Flight 815 never crashes, she'll end up in jail, never having met Jack, Sawyer, or any of the other passengers on Flight 815.

Let's face it, though. Would they really build this storyline up if they weren't able to change it? Probably not. So, buckle your seat belt and get ready for tomorrow's episode. I have a feeling we're in for a game-changer, involving Flight 815 having never crashed on the island.

Good luck.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

S5E14 - The Variable

Congratulations to LOST on airing their 100th episode, "Variable". And as the first Faraday-centric episode, it certainly did not disappoint (except, of course, for when he was killed.... but I'm getting ahead of myself).

Yet More Daddy Issues

One of the big reveals in this episode was Charles Widmore claiming that he is Faraday's dad. It's strange, though, that when he mentioned it, Eloise slapped him. I got the impression that he hasn't earned the "father" status with Faraday. The sad thing is that he could've been around for Faraday's entire life, and he wouldn't have known because of his little memory problem.

LOST with Whom?

We got a little more insight this week into Faraday's memory problem. He has to live with a caretaker because he has major memory-loss issues... likely as a side effect of all his crazy experiments. His mother persuaded him to work for Widmore and go back to the island, where he'll be healed (and apparently shot as well).

Beating Around the Bush

Ok. I'll stop beating around the bush here. Faraday was shot. By his mother. In 1977. WHAT? Does this mean he's dead? I certainly hope not. However, I'm definitely not gonna hold my breath on that. I just can't fully commit one way or the other yet, because he's still supposed to film that video with Pierre Chang from last summer's comic con video.

Need a reminder?



So did she know that he was gonna get shot? Probably. So why did she send him back to the island? It's simple-- she's just making sure that things happen the way that they're supposed to. If that's the case, she's gonna be really pissed with Jack & Co. because they're going to spend the rest of the season trying to prevent Flight 815 from crashing on the island.

Faraday May Be Dead, But...

PENNY AND DESMOND ARE ALIVE!

That's it.... nothing else here. Just celebrating. Move on to the next line item.

In Trouble

The Dharma folks found Phil tucked away in Sawyer's closet, and now Sawyer and the rest of the Losties are in BIG TROUBLE. After a big shoot-out, Radzinski was shot in the arm by (if I remember correctly) Sawyer (or was it Jack?). Regardless of who it was, they've got no choice now but to run. And while Sawyer's option of starting over in the jungle sounds interesting, I think we (as an audience) would benefit much more if they just joined up with Richard's team. Maybe then we'll get to see what the hell Rose and Bernard have been up to for the past 3 years.

Chocolate Before Dinner

I was glad to see Charlotte back in this episode (granted, she was just a child). And there are 2 things that we should take away from this scene.

1) She told Daniel that she wasn't supposed to have any chocolate before dinner. This is also what she told him before she died. So, it established that this is, in fact, the same memory she was reliving before taking her last breath.

2) HE DID IT! He told her not to come back to the island. WHY?! He said that he wanted to try to change things.... but if he DIDN'T tell her, then THAT WOULD'VE BEEN CHANGING THINGS!!! You would think that, for a PHYSICIST, he'd be a little bit smarter. Sheesh!

Son of a Dharma Scientist!

Let's face it-- the "Miles is Pierre's son" thing wasn't going to stay buried for long. But leave it up to Faraday to spill the beans and make for an awkward moment between father and son. Faraday told him that he needed to evacuate the island in order to save everyone from the electromagnetic pulse that is destined to happen in a matter of hours. But again, if Faraday is big on changing things, then why tell Dr. Chang? If he didn't know about it, then baby Miles would've stayed on the island, thus changing things.

Hello! McFly! Anybody home?! Think, Faraday! Think!

(He's very "George McFly", isn't he?)

Half Lab Assistant, Half Girlfriend

We also got a little more insight this episode into the relationship between Faraday and Theresa. She started out as his lab assistant, but they soon became romantic. And after performing experiments on himself, she offered to be the guinea pig, and things went sour. The question here is-- why did it hurt her, but not him? Is he special? Or was he just able to find his constant? I'd like to wrap this up with a "Time will tell" like I normally do, but if he's dead, then I don't know if we'll ever find out.

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Well, that about does it for me. I'm glad that I was able to get this done before tonight's new episode, titled "Follow the Leader". I'm really looking forward to Season Five's penultimate episode. Normally, the episodes before the finale normally serve as a big set-up for the finale, so I'm not expecting a lot of big reveals. Then again, last year's pre-finale episode was "Greatest Hits", where Charlie died. GREAT episode! Let's hope tonight's is just as good, if not better!

After tonight's episode, I'd love to hear from you guys! Leave me a comment or send me an email with your theories, comments, or questions!

Until next time!

-drew.