Well, folks, the sixth and final season of LOST is officially underway. And I couldn't be happier with the premiere episode (especially since my theory from last week was pretty darn close)! The losties have found themselves living two alternate time lines-- both serving as a "what if" scenario. In scenario #1, we see what happens if the bomb didn't work as planned. Jack & Co are blasted back to 2007 and the survivors find themselves mingling with the island natives back at the Temple. The second scenario shows Flight 815 flying safely over the island (which is now underwater) and landing in Los Angeles. But this Flight 815 wasn't totally the same as the original one.
Flight 815B
The differences between the original flight and this one are very important to note. And I think the best way to do this is to look at each character.
Jack: Rather than consoling Rose and easing her nerves when the turbulence hits, the roles are reversed, and it is Jack that is the nervous one. Something else that is worth noting is that the stewardess (Cindy) gave Jack only one bottle of liquor this flight (instead of 2).
Locke: He mentioned to Boone that he went on a walkabout in Australia. In the first season, we saw that Locke went to Australia for the walkabout, but was rejected due to his paralysis. And apparently, my TV wasn't listening to me when I was yelling at it, "Stand up, Locke!" as I hoped that John had some better luck in this alternate world. So when we saw him getting wheeled off the plane at LAX, we found ourselves wondering whether or not he was telling the truth.
Hurley: No more bad luck... though he still won the lottery. Does this mean that he didn't use the numbers? I guess that if the island blew up in 1977, then Sam and Lenny never heard the numbers. And Lenny never ended up in the mental institution. And Hurley never heard the numbers. Though something tells me that they still managed to come into his life. They do seem to have a power of their own.
Kate: Her plane ride didn't seem all that different; though a video released at Comic Con suggested that she didn't really kill her father, but instead killed one of her father's work buddies. Hopefully, we'll get more insight into this in the next episode.
Sawyer: I have to admit... I'm at a crossroads when it comes to Sawyer. On one hand, he offered to help out with Charlie. But on the other hand, he seemed a little too interested in Hurley's money. Is he a con-man in this new world, or not? I really hope not.
Charlie: Everyone's favorite one-hit-wonder wasn't living it up in this world... though he was still living... for now. After being saved by Jack (again), he wasn't very appreciative, but instead told Jack that he should've died.
Jin & Sun: Some things never change. Jin was a jerk in season one. He's a jerk now. Maybe if he had someone to build a raft with, he could work out some of that aggression. Though they tip-toed around whether or not Sun spoke English. The mystery remains.
Boone: I was really excited to see Boone in the premiere. And even better, Shannon wasn't there. Don't get me wrong... I like Shannon... I just didn't like how much she complained in the first half of the season. Maybe by the time they bring her back, she'll be past that "annoying" phase. Note: I really loved how Boone told Locke that if the plane went down, he would stick with him. Unfortunately, it's his trust in Locke that ended up killing him in season one.
Desmond: In the original Flight 815, Desmond.... wait.... what the hell was Desmond doing on the plane? I guess if the island has been under water for the past 27 years, Desmond wouldn't be pushing that button. Though, his appearance on the flight really suggests that it is all about fate. He was destined to connect with the losties. And while I loved seeing Desmond again, I don't think we're going to get to see him and Penny together. I mean, if Widmore was on the island in 1977, then he was likely killed in the explosion. This means that Penny was never born. ... it actually hurt to write that.
Smokey's Apology
Speaking of things that are painful to write, YES... this is the last season of LOST. That being said, they certainly set the pace for the season by answering something BIG in the fist 15 minutes. (not)Locke was being shot at by Bram's team after killing Jacob, and after he disappeared around the corner, down came Smokey! Tossing around Bram's team and killing them 3-at-a-time, Smokey was stopped (only briefly) when Bram surrounded himself with a circle of ash. It quickly outsmarted Bram, and after Bram was killed, the smoke retreated, and (not)Locke reappeared. His apology to Ben made my top 10 LOST quotes ever... "Sorry you had to see me like that." Confirmation, (not)Locke is the smoke monster. And also confirmation, the ash around Jacob's cabin was for the smoke monster. The question... was it keeping him locked in the cabin, or was it keeping him out?
Jacob's List
A ghost-Jacob came to visit Hurley and told him to take a dying Sayid to the Temple, making sure to bring the guitar case that he gave to Hurley last season. When they got there, the temple master opened it up to find the Ankh from the four-toed statue. He cracked it open over his leg and pulled out a piece of paper (kinda like a giant Egyptian fortune cookie). And we can only assume (after his response) that the paper had their names on the list. Was this something that Jacob recently put together, or has it been inside the statue for hundreds of years? I hope we find out soon. I mean, they've only got 16 hours of the show left.
Connections
By the end of the "LA" timeline, we see that connections are already being made. Kate and Sawyer shared a little moment in the elevator. Jack & Sayid saved Charlie, though I think Charlie may come back, seeking a little revenge on Jack. Locke and Boone became single-serving friends (a "Fight Club" reference). But most importantly, Jack and Locke met and ended their conversation with Jack giving Locke his business card. "Nothing is irreversible," offered Jack, about Locke's paralysis. They're all coming together, and I think it's a safe assumption that this time line's story over the entire season will be about them all continuing to make these connections. I wouldn't be surprised if we found ourselves in an alternate version of the Jack/Kate/Sawyer love triangle in the coming episodes.
Richard in Chains
After (not)Locke came out of the foot-statue, he said to Richard, "It's good to see you out of those chains." This comment brings up 2 popular theories-- Was Richard one of the slaves on the Black Rock? Or are these metaphoric chains, in that now that Jacob is dead, perhaps Richard is free from the age-defying spell that Jacob put on him?
It Worked
These 2 timelines (which the producers are trying to refrain from using the term "alternate") raise some great questions about the direction of the show. And something very important to note is that Juliet (in the "it didn't work" timeline) told Miles that it did work. So the question is.... do these two time lines co-exist? Maybe this is tied into the consciousness travelling that we've come to love in episodes like "The Constant". Are the characters jumping between time lines? I'm hesitating to say that Jack seemed like he had some weird sort of a deja-vu feeling in the opening scene because I think it might just be something I'm looking for, rather than something that's actually there.
I hope you all enjoyed the premiere! We've only got 16 hours (in 15 episodes) left!
Until next time!
2 comments:
Nice wrap up, Drew...
2 points... A, When Sun was in the airport and the lady was asking her if she spoke any english, she was calling her Ms. Paik. That's her maiden name.
And B, Jacob had originally said to the MIB, "It only ends once, and whatever happens along the way is just progress."
That's what i think the LAX reality is, the end. And everything they've gone through has shaped/progressed/grew their characters to become a better, more balanced person.
Ie. Locke and Jack's interaction has Jack kind of agreeing with Locke's comforting words (Faith). And Locke seems interested in Jack's offer to help him (Science). They've both changed a little bit. And Hurley isn't such a negative nancy. He appreciates his riches and the fact he can talk to dead people, etc...
Here's my take on the "it worked" comment.
Remember that all the losties have been "destined" to be on the island. The atomic bomb explosion did indeed work, by changing the past and allowing the flight to reach LAX (in 2004). However, the losties are still destined, one way or another, to be on that island. The universe will do a "course correct" and still get them there somehow.
So when we're seeing the losties at the imploded hatch in 2007, it's part of the same timeline. The big reveal of this season will be, what happened in the alternate 2004 to bring them to their current situation in 2007.
In the end, it's still all one contiguous timeline. It's just a different from the timeline they just left.
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