I don’t know what it was. Did the season premiere raise my expectations so high, or have I really turned into the thing I’ve dreadest most (an annoying fanboy)? It’s just that the last episode didn’t really set off a spark with me – nor most of the people watching it with me. Why?
The Episode…
During the first three seasons, the thought of a Kate episode coming up was an instant alarm bell: this episode would be boring as hell, feature Kate running from point A to B, kill some bad guys on the way, and generally be a pain in the ass. Season Four’s episode “Eggtown” brought a change to that: the episode featured an actual story I was interested in! The trend continued in Season Five: saving Ben was an interesting feat – even if it did feature running around and away. Again.
But this episode? I just can’t justify the running anymore. It’s too much. The Kate parts of the episode (including the Sideways, who were more about Claire ) were so downright annoying that I was very disappointed – even for a Kate episode. Thank god two things saved it.
First off, I liked the fact that one of the main characters of the second season made his return: the sickness. Yes, apparently there is a sickness, and the whole thing wasn’t just a Dharma trick to get the people to stay down the hatch. We also found out – with the usual bit of LOST extrapolation – that it is related to the Monster. Will Sayid be able to conquer it? He’s the one character where the “salvation” question has been the most prodominant. He’s also the character who, in my opinion, kind of needs it the most. Sawyer said it all.
The second saving moment was – believe it or not – related to Kate, if only slightly. I’m of course talking about Sawyer’s goodbye to Juliet. Man, I really feel for the guy. I like how they’re really building towards his downfall: for that last five seasons, he’s slowly become a better person. Juliet’s death, however, plunged the guy right back into the abyss. I’m excited to see where they take this.
The Questions…
Apart from the whole sickness thing (which I didn’t mention in the questions because I considered it answered), this episode was very low on questions. Now we know that Claire is still on the island, and that she’s possibly gone insane – Rousseau style. That raises the questions: was Rousseau sick? Or was she telling the truth, and were her comrades the sick ones? Maybe I’m looking into it too much: she was probably telling the truth.
Next Week…
Next week’s episode, the subsitute, will probably feature Locke. I wonder if he’s going to call Jack up? I hope we’ll get a bit more insight on who this mysterious Man in Black (or the Monster) is. On the Sideways of things, I wonder if Locke really went on his Walkabout. And: who, if there was no island and hence no reason for Abaddon to recruit John, told him to go on it in the first place…
In All…
There were some interesting things going on in this episodes – some nice reveals. But seriously, if I’ve gotten this far, it means I’m not just in it for the reveals. I’m just not fond of Kate. I guess this is my problem – only my problem seems to be shared with everyone in the room.
I sometimes wonder: where are the Kate fans? If every episode is written for a different audience, then who are the people they write Kate episodes for?
Favourite Quote: SAWYER: He’s an Iraqi torturer who shoots kids, he definitely deserves another go around.
What an incredible trip it’s been – and this is only the beginning of the end. From the moment the episode LA X (a double feature, thank you very much nice people at ABC) started, I was sure it’d not only be a mood setter (like “Because you left”, the fifth season premiere), but a nailbiting, action-packed question answerer. We’re back for the swan song in the final season of LOST.
The Episode…
As per tradition, the season opener dropped us right into the action, confusing the hell out of us. At first, seeing Jack on the plane kind of disappointed me – after all, you know who you’re watching and when you’re watching, but as soon as he went into the bathroom (right after the crash didn’t happen) and spotted blood on his neck, I was sold. But the real shocker only came afterwards, when we were literally thrown out the window, into the water and witnessed what happened to the island: the bomb blew up in 1977, sinking the island and killing everyone. So it worked!
Or did it? Apparently, in some other timeline – or, actually, in the right timeline (meaning the one we’ve been following for five seasons), the explosion didn’t work. Apparently, the bomb’s explosion didn’t sink the island but used the electromagnetism in such a way that it tossed our survivors back to 2007. I guess this is the Schrodinger’s cat principle, only with a deep underground shaft as a box and a hydrogen bomb as a cat. Time cannot decide whether the bomb prevented or caused the incident. Obviously, this is faux science, but if you’ve been swallowing this stuff for five seasons like I have, you learn to let go and just roll with it.
It has to be said that, without the shadow of a doubt, the faux-2004 story was the more interesting one throughout the episode. The first hour was riddled with copies of Season 1, only slightly changed to make it feel irritable. Most notable amongst these moments was the introduction of Desmond, whom noone seemed to have seen other than Jack. Interesting.
On the other hand, the happenings on the island were much more of an introduction than a continuation of the story: Jacob is dead, there is Smokey Locke, we’ve reached the insides of the Temple (not entirely convinced about this yet, by the way: sure, they used to be pirates, but I’m not too fond of the Asian guy), they revived Sayid (duh)… It all felt a bit like set-up. Except for one thing: our black guy is the monster.
The Questions…
Looking at the questions, I’m amazed at how many were addressed in some way. My favourite one is the obvious nudge towards Desmond’s story: apparently, Henry Ian Cusik is a credited cast member for this episode. That’s pretty interesting, considering he had less lines than Boone or any other former cast member (safe for Claire). Does that mean Eloise will have been right all along, and Desmonds trip is not over yet? Oh please, let it be so!
What happened after Juliet banged the bomb is still a bit of a mystery. There are two timelines, but how will this play out in the end? Is one line real and one fake? What is this building towards? I’d be pretty disappointed if fifty percent of the season turns out to be fake, but I’m sure they have something interesting up their sleeve.
And hurrah: the faux timeline means that Locke is still alive and well (even if paralysed) somewhere! I’m very excited about the idea of Locke and Jack becoming the best of friends, I hope they pursue this idea further. On the island, in 2007, however, Locke is really and truly dead. His place has been taken by… someone, who happens to have the power to change into a smoke monster. Interesting! This is hinting towards an explanation I’d been hoping to get for ages now: how Locke “looked into the eyes of the island” and “the beautiful thing he saw there”. Was this our black man playing a trick on Locke?
Finally, on a less interesting note: yes, Richard was one of the passengers aboard the Black Rock. A slave, apparently. I hope we get a flashback about this; I’d love to see Richard in that time period and how it came to be that he stopped aging. But if we never see this, I can live with it aswell; the crumbs we’ve been getting suffice.
Next week…
Next week’s episode is titled “What Kate Does”, an obvious nudge towards the Season Two episode titles “What Kate Did”. Did she do something different in the Faux 2004? And why? I’m not too fond of Kate episodes, but seeing her get in the cab with Claire was an interesting idea. That means we will see Claire again – certainly off the island, but maybe in the 2007 timeline as well.
I’m also very intrigued by this “Lennon” character, mostly because he’s performed by John Hawkes, an actor I love very much. Most people seem to know him from Deadwood, but I immediately recognized him as “the guy who put his hand on fire” in Me and You and Everyone we know by Miranda July. This role’s completely different than that movie, though. So I vote: less Asian guy next week, and more Lennon!
In All…
It’s great to have LOST back for one last time. I’ll be glad when it’s over, but I love it when new things get introduced: they always do it so graciously, in typical LOST style – even if the things they introduce are always very, very different. I mean, with the introduction of the “faux LA X” (a false flashback or a flash sideways, we don’t know yet), I think we’ve seen all possible narrative ways of playing with time now, right?
In this way, the show has increasingly become a series about narration; about how to pursue a concept so far that it becomes an idea of its own. Maybe that’s why, despite the obvious flaws the show has, I like it so much?
When we left our Losties, there were two groups roaming around on the island, without the possibility of them meeting. The reason? One of them was in the present, whereas the other was in 1977. Big shocker!
Poor Ben. He just doesn’t see he’s being conned. He doesn’t see the forest for the trees, but to be quite frank: neither did I. I did not see it coming that John Locke was actually not John Locke, but Jacob’s nemesis, looking for a loop hole in order to kill him. It’s interesting, because not only did it raise a thousand questions about John Locke, more than that: it shifted millions of questions about Jacob to this new, mysterious “man in black”. Obviously, of both cliff hangers, this was the most shocking and daring one. It’ll probably also be the one they build upon for the series’ final moments – just my two cents.
On the other, 1977 did most definitely have the tear-jerking, short term shock effect: in the final moments of the fifth season, Juliet – alone and slowly dying – detonated Jughead. This will obviously be the first question leading up to the sixth season: what happened when she did? Did she create a new timeline? Or restore the original 2004? Will Oceanic 815 land in Los Angeles? Time will tell!
The Ten Questions
Just like every year, I’ve got some questions I hope to see resolved in the next season. And, because this is LOST’s supposed final season, I have pulled out all the stops and tried to find the most pressing mysteries still surrounding the island and its characters.
Who is the „Man in Black“?
This is most definitely one of the biggest questions in the season five finale. He got introduced as such a threat, that by the end of the episode, when it was clear that he was inside John Locke’s body, his identity became one of the central pieces of the island’s mythology.
My Guess: This guy reaches into the core of the show and was already hinted at in the Pilot episode by Locke himself: Backgammon. One side is white. One side is black. Wonder if the black guy is automatically the bad one? Interesting that I’m asking the “good-or-bad-guy” questions in a show that, thus far, had none of these. I’m excited to see where they take this!
What happened when Juliet blew up the bomb?
As already said, this will be the first question asked going into the sixth season. It’s the reason there’s no promotional stills for the first episodes, and why shooting (and almost even casting) is kept a secret.
My Guess: I would personally lean towards an alternate universe theory. Something along the lines of: at first we make the audience believe that they truly did change the future, but there will a catch. Something will off and destiny will lead them back to the island. Even if their flight landed in LA.
What is Richard Alperts secret?
Richard Alpert is slowly starting to reveal his true form. Everything is still an enigma though: why doesn’t he age? Where did he come from? What is he doing there, exactly?
My Guess: It’s gotten pretty clear that Richard is one of the Black Rock’s survivors. Jacob gave him the gift of not aging, in order to get something back from him. Protection? Advice? The questions about the Black Rock might not be at the centre of attention, but I do hope we get a solution anyway.
What is the smoke monster?
Every time we see the monster, we find out something more about it. So far, we’ve found out it’s a security system, protecting a temple, being able to take the form of the deceased, showing people their biggest moments of redemptive need. And if you’re not sorry for your sins… you die.
My Guess: it’s almost a religious object. I think it’s one of the those things that will remain partially unsolved. I mean: how do you explain that Egyptians created a column of flying smoke in order to make an aggressive confession chair and not lose your credibility as a writer?
Does John Locke still exist somewhere, somehow?
One of the nasty after effects of the season five finale was the fact that John Locke is – we think – dead. This is weird: I’ve invested so much into his character and I liked him so much, but now I’m at a loss: am I supposed to be happy because Terry O’Quinn is still there, or am I supposed to be sad because I won’t see Locke again?
My Guess: As Locke is such an important character to the show’s mythology, there’s going to be a catch. At the very least, we will see John Locke again. They kind of owe us that, no?
Will we find out whether Desmond or Walt are truly special?
When I was first finished with season five, I was really disappointed that Desmond had such a small role. Now, apparently, he hasn’t even been contracted as a member of the cast anymore. Yes, Desmond’s romantic story arc is over, but his mythological arc not so much: why is he special? The same question could be asked for Walt: is he really special?
My Guess: I hope to see Desmond again. I think we will – I hope that will clear everything up (even if I doubt it). With Walt, I actually have trouble thinking of a moment where it was decided that he was actually special. The bird could have been a coincidence, the “him showing up in places he wasn’t supposed to” was really the smoke monster… Very, very doubtful.
Who are Adam and Eve?
When we saw Rose and Bernard in 1977, we knew is was going to be them. But now, as history’s been changed, is the answer really Rose and Bernard?
My Guess: It’s really Rose and Bernard.
What’s up with Ilana? What about Frank?
It’s the same question every year: “What is up with the new cast members?” This year, the biggest enigma is obviously Ilana: who is she? How did she come to meet Jacob? Why was she severely burned and in need of healing? And Frank: how did the 22nd of September, 2004, come to pass for him? Why was he supposed to be flying Oceanic 815, but didn’t?
My Guess: Frank used to be an alcoholic, so I guess that’ll be in there. I truly doubt we’ll see the long expected Frank Flashback, though. Ilana is a different nut to crack: her flashback will be of vital importance in order to understand the story. What it is though, I really could not imagine.
Is it destiny that they ended up on the island?
This is a question that has been asked since season one. Yes, I know, it has been made clear that they crashed there because Desmond didn’t push the button in the Swan, but still: why has destiny always been bringing them back to the island? What is destiny? What are they there for?
My Guess: As a writer, this would be one of the hardest questions to answer without going overboard on the mythology or corny writing. I’m guessing there is a form of destiny, they do have a connection to the island. Why or what, though…
Will they, in the end, get off the island?
Even if the show’s premise isn’t really about getting off the island anymore, I do wonder: how will they end this thing? What will be the final image? How will they pull it off and what should we be waiting for with said ending?
My Guess: for some reason, I keep picturing Aaron and Yi Jeon in my mind, walking over the island, which is completely burned down. But that’d be silly and it’s the reason why I don’t write this show. Also, I don’t live in LA.
I remember that, when watching the Pilot, I got the feeling that some Flashforwards were getting too much exposition, whereas others got deliberately shrouded in mystery. I wondered what the cause for this could be: could these Flashforwards hold the key to the mystery, perhaps? One of the characters that intrigued me the most, was Bryce.
And now we finally know what was going on: cancer and a Japanese woman. At first, I was kind of disappointed: the flashforward was kind of lame, and didn’t really mean all that much. But by the end of the episode, I was completely sold on the idea of finding love over a flashforward and doing everything for it. And Keiko and Bryce, even if they didn’t share a single scene, were cute as a button and made it believable.
It’s strange to see Aaron’s daughter at home, and then having it turn into a drama instead of a mystery. I was thinking this would pull the plot forward – hey, it’s a complot against the military from inside said military – but instead we’re getting a “like father, like daughter” situation. I like it, it’s unexpected, but it’s strange to read how people can’t understand Aaron’s position in the matter. Guys, the man was an alcoholic, it’s like putting a bag of coke in front of a recovering addict. You don’t want to challenge him. I, personally, feel for him: if he’s not making the Hollywood choices, he’s surely making the human ones.
This episode was filled with little winks to other FBI/CSI/whatever series. You know the kind, where they can magically enhance a face, a finger or a turd and find out who killed Bambi. When they told us that they could enhance the smooth surface of the ring, immediately the question on our minds was asked: what about the face? Nice solution, nice little wink to the use of the magical computing thing while solving crime.
In All…
It’s episodes like this one that make me believe in this show. It’s wonderfully slow-paced, concentrated (e.g. it picks up certain elements that were left unsolved way earlier), focuses on characters and doesn’t take itself all too seriously (even if it tells the story in a serious way). Too bad the quality seems to be a bit of a roller coaster ride…
It was obviously very hard – no, nigh impossible – to top last week’s episode, The Gift. This episode sets up a new chapter, a sort of “Act 2” of the first season. We now think we know that the flashforwards can be prevented (although I do expect shit to hit the fan for Celia). Although… not everyone’s a real believer yet. And those who do believe… will feel the backlash pretty soon.
The more I watch of this show, the more apparent it becomes that it has a big issue: motivation. How the hell do you motivate people who just witnessed a glimpse of their future? Flashforward’s characters keep on flashing between hopeful and desperate. It’s something I like – maybe not the most optimal solution, but a plausible scenario nonetheless – but apparently, the audience does not. In a way, Flashforward is suffering the same problem that caused some people to hate LOST’s fifth season: time travel makes it very hard to keep your characters engaging. The fact that this is only Flashforward’s first season, though…
We finally got a better look at Simon – Dominic Monaghan’s character. Not sure what to say. Surely enough, I believe the performance (even if I did think “Not Penny’s Boat” when he met Olivia), but was a card game really the proper way for the audience to get our first insight in the character? I’m aware of the fact that those scenes were all about Lloyd (who is such a charming, likable man), but I know I’m not the only one whose eyes were directed at Simon the entire time.
I think it’s the setting that did it. Sure, other series have pulled off insane settings, but it’s something I don’t want to see in FlashForward just yet. I mean: where could Lloyd and Simon be playing poker with two random other guys, an odd looking dealer and openly discuss the fact that they caused a world-wide catastrophe? Or are those men – and the dealer – part of the Flashforward Causing Clan?
In All
I like this show a lot. I’ve not yet reached a point where I would blindly follow the creators and not doubt their decisions, but if this season delivers something solid, I’m sure it will be. This episode made me wonder, however: can they do it? Card tricks only get you so far – I don’t want to see the card house they’re constructing collapse in front of their noses…
I love plot twists. For Flashforward, it didn’t take too long until a really juicy one arrived. And I love it!
It had to be coming at some point during the first season, but they still dropped it on us as a bombshell: apparently, you can change your future. Unless they magically bring back Al, his suicide just proved what we were all waiting to hear. I personally never doubted it – free will is pretty big in our western society, if you rob us of that no one would watch what you’re writing – but for it to come so soon… it makes me curious towards what other tricks they have up their sleeve.
For a minute, I thought we would see Demitri joining the blue hand club. Now that I’ve seen how savage they are, I’m very happy he didn’t. I really like Demitri (John Cho does a nice job at portraying him), and I wish the best for him.
No Janis this week – but we did get to see a lot of Olivia, Nicole and Bryce. I kind of get the feeling they’re forming a sort of B-story. I want to see more of these people, get them into the plot and not just somewhere along the sides. Although I was pretty disappointed to find out that Bryce’s flashforward was “just” about a Japanese girl. I wonder if there’s a catch to this?
But back to business: I’m really, really excited where we’re going to go from here. Yes, you can change the future. But how? Is throwing yourself of a roof the only thing that will work? Will someone else take Al’s place? I have a little nagging sensation inside of me that keeps telling me that the intriguing mystery that started the series has been robbed of its spotlight. That a (possible) answer has been given. What’s the next problem going to be, then? What’s next?
In All…
I get the feeling that the series is slowly picking up momentum. I thought it was all going a bit slow at first (and the constant repetition of the flashforwards drove me up the wall), but while watching this episode, I actually got the impression I was biting off more than I could chew, and that Marks blackboard was starting to grow bigger than my mind. Have I reached the point where I want to watch these episodes again? Already?
And that’s another wrap. The last season finale leading into another season – all that’s left now is the final season… and the series finale. And, in typical LOST fashion, this one did not disappoint. It left us with plot twists to ponder about for the next few months, and delivers the most enigmatic cliffhanger I’ve ever seen on this show. But more on that later, let’s stick with our structure and start with the beginnings:
The Episode….
Let’s start with our centric character: Jacob. He was undoubtedly at the centre of this episode, and gave us a serious nod towards the existence of destiny on this show. You can feel that Jacob and his nameless nemesis are at the core of the LOST mythology – their characters are probably symbolic, and if they are, I’m willing to bet one of them is destiny and one is free will. Or something. Maybe the true nature of the show won’t be so complicated in the end?
I had a lot of fun watching the finale. I do have to say that it doesn’t beat the one we got last season. I think that’s the writer in me talking: I loved the whole “the beginning is the end” set-up, where the story seemed to be doing a loop and caught up with itself. It was a bit of poetry. This finale was none of that – but then again, neither was the season. Season five was all about the science fiction – so the finale really does seal the deal.
A lot of people got annoyed over character motivation on this one. I personally loved the wobbly state of mind the characters seemed to be in: no one seemed to know what was going to happen anymore (just like the audience, by the way) so they just went along for the ride. With all due consequences (which might just be erased from existence after all – who will tell?).
My only gripe is that I’m not really sure whether I’m buying into this whole “Evil Locke” thing. Sure, it was quite a shocker, but on the other hand I (and a lot of fans with me) really liked Locke and didn’t really see this as a fitting end for the guy. Then again: I always figured he’d be evil in the end; O’Quinn has a knack for tackling evil roles. Guess I’ll have to sit this one out, see where it goes and then decide.
The Questions…
It’s funny to see how certain things get a new light shed on them after a while. The first question (How Locke ended up in the coffin) just got a new question handed to it: How did Jacob’s nemesis enter Locke’s body? And: is it really Locke’s body? There seem to be two of them on the island.
The same thing seems to happen with the third question: How do they all return? The question now becomes: where do they return to? Are they going back to LA X? Or back to island times anno 2007? There is no way of knowing what happened when Juliet detonated the bomb. Not even a small hint.
Did the Losties end up on the island by coincidence? Some flashbacks (notably Sawyer, Kate, Sun, Jin and maybe even Locke’s) seem to suggest there is some destiny involved. Sayid and Hurley had their defining “touched by Jacob” moments after they were rescued. Is there some sort of pattern going on there?
Were we given a remotely coherent answer to who Jacob is? I reckon this finale makes the whole matter even more complicated. But at least now we know he’s a real (as in: physical) being. Is he a God? We don’t know.
The Cliffhanger: what’s next?
What a very, very interesting cliffhanger. When I watched it for the first time, I was completely emotionally invested in it (mainly because I hadn’t been keeping track of time and thought it’d last a bit longer). I’ve always said Juliet is the perfect tragic character, and now she’s met her tragic end. Of course, whether she is truly dead is a question that remains unanswered.
In fact, the question whether anyone who’s died so far is dead, remains unanswered. If Juliet triggered the bomb, and if Daniel was right, history as we know it has been altered. It’s been altered in such a way that Flight 815 never crashes, which causes the last five seasons to not have happened at all.
I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing. How can the final season part ways with the other ones and still bring the series to a coherent end? The writer in me says it’s not a good idea to feature such a game changer near the end of a series, as I’ve seen series get destroyed by them: the horcruxes and wand lore in the Harry Potter series, for example. It has the risk of feeling a bit like a Deus ex Machina. Obviously, though, I don’t know what the writers are still planning on doing. I trust them enough to know they won’t spend the last season off island – they’ve proven their worth so far.
But then again, the pessimist in me is holding on to his heart, as certain things in the season finale were placed without context and hence felt wrong. The revelation as Locke being… well, “that other guy”, was presented in such a manner that I just have to believe that where they’re going with this is any good. If this is truly the end of John Locke, it’s a shame and an anticlimax too. Unless they’re taking this beyond the realm of awesome.
But did that all actually happen if Juliet successfully altered history? I hate this finale, there’s nothing definite I can write about. But that’s what I love about this show – there’s always a challenge.
In All…
A very nice, emotional episode. Had me hooked for the entire duration. The problem with it (the big Jughead audience middle finger in the end excluded) is that you have no way of telling what information was still relevant. Jacob has been killed, but history might have been altered. Will the universe course-correct? Where will our Losties end up? And when? And why?
Nothing really mattered in the end. I couldn’t help but feeling some of it might just be pointless later on. But hey, benefit of the doubt has got me five seasons in and I’m obviously still excited, so I’ll sit this one out until next January.
Is it that time of the year already? It seem like only yesterday when Season Five made its flashing debut with Locke asking Richard the question: “When am I?” Now, the Richard story comes full circle as the newly resurrected Locke sends good old Alpert in to save Locke’s life. Now we know how Richard knew. He was telling the truth all along. ” You told me.” And now we know the significance of the compass to Richard. “It points North, John.” Simply awesome. That compass has been floating through space and time with no one to have created it. Awesome.
I can’t say this episode was breathtaking. It was set-up, just like every year: a very strong episode that leaves the big reveals to the next one. Jacob. Jughead. The statue. Its shadow. The undoing of the entire series so far. And, while the story tags along: probably something interesting about Richard Alpert. More on that in my conclusion.
John Locke isn’t John Locke anymore. He’s new and improved, a sort of John Locke 2.0. While watching this episode, I couldn’t help but notice that Jack seems to have become the new John Locke: strolling through the jungle, doing crazy things and believing in destiny. I like this new Jack. And is it just me, or has Kate become a wall
flower – or just the new Jack? When Kate entered the sub, Sawyer and Juliet tossed each other a “we have to travel with her?!” kind of look. I loved it.
I don’t like Kate and I like how everyone seems to acknowledge that. Kate’s definitely been the most annoying character of the season so far, and I think I’ve pretty much given the character her final chance. She’s got to do something really spectacular in the finale to get on my good side again. I hope Sawyer stays with Juliet. I hope they have cute blond little seventies babies. I want to see those babies.
The Questions…
Did the Losties end up on the island by coincidence? I think this question is starting to get a bit shaky, and pretty much boils down to your definition of “coincidence”. If we live in a world made of course-correction and determinism, does coincidence still exist? In a way, the entire run of things was a coincidence: the incident, Desmond, the crash… But if you look at it differently, it was meant to be: it was destiny – predetermined to happen. What a literary question – unheard of in a mainstream TV series. Let’s see if they explore this further in the finale.
An important question going into the finale will be the identity of Jacob. Locke’s statement that he wanted to kill him crashed on us as a bomb, but in a way it’s not that crazy. For the last three seasons, Jacob’s been an invisible force, a sort of anti-God, making the Others do certain things. Or is it the other way around: do the Others do things, and say it was Jacob will? In either way, Jacob has definitely derailed into something decadent. Or has John’s resurrection put him on a different side? An anti-Jacob side?
In All…
There were three leaders in the last episode. There was Jack, looking for the bomb. There was John, leading his people on a mission to slaughter a God. But in my opinion, the real leader of this episode was Richard Alpert. And – in both times – he’s not feeling good. He’s not feeling good at all. His authority and good reasoning is being questioned, and he knows nothing good will come of it. Is Richard also one of the walking dead? Did he come from the Black Rock?
Favourite Quote:
Juliet: I love you.
Sawyer: Well I love you back.
There you have it. Another layer has been added to Sun and Jin’s ever changing backstory. Now we know who Sun learned her English from. And the tragedy that made their already rocky relationship even worse: infertility. So… the island is apparently to Jin what the Nyle is to Kanaan: a huge boost in cultivationability. If that is even a word. It should.
It appears that Henry Gale (from Minnesota) is not the nicest of people. But then again: how would you be if you had experienced the things he had? First he gets shot by an arrow, then beaten to a pulp. I’d get a bit cynical too if that’s the way I can control the people around me. Stellar, absolutely stellar performance at the end. I wonder what Sayid, Ana-Lucia and Charlie will find?
Was it just me, or was there a very long pause when Jin asked Sun whether the baby was his. Obviously, if she’s been with someone else, she can’t know whose baby it is if she’s only found out about the pregnancy while on the island. Somehow I think the title of the episode is misleading. We have yet to find out the whole truth.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!! When Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse teased this episode as being The Constant’s brother, I held my heart in anticipation: no way an episode can be as good as The Constant when it’s been announced as being so. So I shrugged and forgot about it.
But Oh My God! This episode really was exactly what they told it would be. It delivers loads of answers, builds up to the finale in a way I could not have imagined, and it’s so dramatic on a whole new level. Too bad poor, poor Daniel Farady had to die for it.
And that was the brilliant part. Sure, if you watch the episode a second time, you can see it coming about three minutes in. But the first time you’re watching, you’re thinking that they possibly cannot kill Farady. It cannot happen. Farady is Season Five’s Libby. You think he’ll make it… but he won’t.
Right before Faraday died, he revealed it all: that there’s more than just constants in this world. That there’s variables – people. Kant and Rousseau would be pleased to hear Faraday’s words. Does this mean everything up till now has been in vein? That this destiny stuff will be wrong? That they will detonate Jughead and the first five seasons will have never happened?
In my opinion, that is very likely. I mean, there’s a few different roads the finale could walk. First of all, the bomb could not explode, making their efforts useless and showing us the whole constant/destiny thing again. Second, the bomb could explode but it had always exploded. This would basically define the “Whatever happened, happened” thing this season seems to have.
In my opinion, they oughta walk the third, daring line. And I think they will. The bomb will explode. And the crash of Flight 815… will have never happened. Once again, people who read this theory dismiss it as jumping the shark. But didn’t they do that when the flashforward thing got out? And when the frozen donkey wheel got out and the island disappeared? We are looking forward to a finale of epic proportions.
The Questions…
We finally know all there is to know about Farady. Except for the book. Was the book truly just a notebook he kept because he had memory problems? I was kind of thinking he had been traveling through time and had given the book to himself at some point. But seeing how he’s dead… my theory doesn’t have much chance anymore.
In All…
This was easily the best episode of Season 5 so far. In fact, it might be one of the top episode of the series ever. It’s up there with The Constant, that’s for sure. I just can’t get over the shock effect of Eloise killing her own son. And knowing about it all of her life. And still not letting the poor kid playing the piano. Bitch.
Favourite Quote:
Young Daniel: “But I want to keep playing the piano. I can do both. I can make time.”
Eloise: “If only you could.”