This episode will be pretty lowly regarded by the fan community, I am sure. Everything was working against it--it was mostly a set-up episode and it came on the heels of one of the show's high points. But I found plenty to like here, especially since it featured my two all-time favorite characters reaffirming their friendship: Jack and Sun.
In 2004X:
Jin's cash was confiscated by customs, but otherwise he's good to go. The two go to a hotel where they check into separate rooms--they are not married, she's still Miss Paik. Jin is worried about being late for his meeting at the restaurant; Sun wonders what the harm could be since these people work for her father.
Later, Jin comes to Sun's room before he sets off. He says she's just on this trip to shop, which hurts Sun, who asks him about the button drama from on the plane. He explains that he didn't want people to see them, and it's now quite clear there's a clandestine relationship going on. That becomes crystal clear when Sun engages in a button-tease cleveage-fest. Yowza.
In the morning, Sun expresses her desire to run away, citing her secret bank account. But there's a knock at the door, and Sun takes a good, hard look at herself in the mirror before opening it to find Keamy, who wants his package. Uh-oh.
It turns out that Jin is Sun's bodyguard. Keamy and Omar find him hiding in the bathroom, and since they can't communicate they fetch the Russian guy who speaks nine languages--Mikhail, with eye. Keamy has gotten his watch, but is short the 25K that was taken at customs, and so Mikhail takes Sun to the bank to get it while Keamy and Omar take Jin to the restaurant.
This goes poorly all around, as Sun's account has been closed by Mr. Paik (guess it wasn't so secret after all) and Keamy explains to Jin (who of course does not understand) that this whole thing was a ruse to kill Jin--hands off Sun is the cardinal rule of the company. "Some people just aren't meant to be together", he says.
Jin hears the Sayid massacre of Keamy and co. going down, and we see Sayid bust in. He begs him to cut him loose, as best he can given the language barrier, but Sayid doesn't want to get involve and just hands him a boxcutter and says "good luck". Of course, Jin does manage to get free and put a gun at Mikhail's head. But Mikhail doesn't drop his gun when Jin orders him to, knowing that if he'd killed Omar and Keamy he wouldn't have hesitated. They struggle, and Jin gets off two shots. One gets Mikhail through the eye (a nice touch), but the other hits Sun, who Jin scoops up and attempts to get to safety. She takes this opportunity to drop the bombshell that she's pregnant, and I suppose at this point we are meant to wonder about what potentially dying in 2004X would mean for a character in 2007.
The Jacobians
I'm going to call the people who at this point are hanging out with Jacob's emissaries (Ilana and Richard) the Jacobians. Ilana explains that her plan is to wait for Richard; Ben doubts Richard will ever be back, but is also following Ilana around like a puppy dog, either eager for a chance at redemption, scared she'll change her mind, or engaged in some sort of Ben scheme. Ilana claims that Jacob has never lied to her before and that she's confident Hurley will bring Richard back. Miles quips that unless it's related to bacon, that's not a great bet, and Frank doesn't even want to hear about bacon. Sun angrily stomps off into the jungle.
She goes to her garden, and consequently we get another great callback to the pre-flashforward era of the show (Seasons 1-3; "Through the Looking Glass" really is the episode that the whole series pivots on). Jack tries engage her re: their candidacy and to tell her about the lighthouse, but Sun says she doesn't want to hear about destiny and tells Jack to get lost. He complies, but soon she has a scarier visitor--the Man in Black himself. He appeals to her by promising reunion with Jin and holds out his hand, saying "I'd never make you do anything against your will." But Sun is having none of it and runs the other way before knocking herself out on a branch.
Ben finds her and tries to help her, but she can't speak English. Back at camp, Ilana eyes Ben suspiciously as he explains how he found her; exasperated, Ben asks "Why won't you believe me?" and Ilana sensibly replies "Because you're speaking". Jack deduces that Sun has some sort of concussion that has affected the speech portion of her brain; she can understand English, but not speak it. This plot point seems a little unnecessary (although it sets up a great scene in just a moment). Miles thinks it's bizarre, to which Frank just scoffs that he can speak to dead people.
When Richard finds out from Ben that the Man in Black was headed for Hydra Island, he now knows what to do--they must go there and stop him. But Sun refuses to tag along, going into a hilarious rant in Korean about how she's not going to destroy the plane that's their only way off the Island, how she came here to find her husband and take him home, not to save the damn world, and the like.
Later, Sun sits by a fire alone when Jack comes up to her. He gives her a pen and paper and shows her that there was a tiny tomato growing in her garden. He asks why she didn't go with Locke and she says "I don't trust him". He asks if she trusts her and she shakes yes. He then asks that she come with him and everyone else to Hydra Island and promises to do all he can to unite her and Jin. He offers his hand and she takes it, and while some people will hate this episode, I love these two and their rocky platonic friendship and this was actually one of the most emotional moments of the series for me. Jack + Sun forever!
The Locke Flock
The episode opens through the perspective of night vision goggles, but somehow I managed to forget about this before the scene was out. The Man in Black has his first sit-down with Jin, dispensing medical advice as well as explaining that his name was on the cave wall, he doesn't know whether it meant Jin or Sun, and that all of the candidates must leave the Island together. Some people may cry foul at another "Everyone has to do it together" plot device (like the Oceanic Six boarding Ajira 316), but this one makes perfect sense--if all the candidates leave, there's no one left to take the place of Jacob.
Sayid expounds upon the Sickness when he tells the Man in Black "I don't feel anything--anger, happiness, pain". The dark one explains that "Maybe that's best to help get you through what's coming". He goes off to run an errand (later seen to be his appeal to Sun). After heeaves Jin is about to fly the coup, but before he can, they are all hit by poison darts and knocked out (I've seen this before). The sub folk are the responsible party, and Zoe identifies Jin as the man they need. They drag him off, leaving Kate, Sawyer, Claire, and the rest.
Locke is frantic when he sees that Jin is gone, waking up Sayid who fills him in on what happened. Locke and Sayid prepare to set off in the outrigger and my hopes get up that we are about to see "The Little Prince". Sawyer asks him why he can't just turn into smoke and fly and MiB retorts that if he could do that, he wouldn't be on the Island at all. No dice re: outrigger shooting, it turns out. Claire is staring creepily at Kate, and talks with MiB about it. Claire's name is not on the wall, Kate's is not *anymore* (so MiB is aware of her potential candidacy), but MiB needs Claire (assuring her there's plenty of room on the plane) and he needs Kate to help convince the three people he's short to come with them (sure, Kate should help with Jack, maybe Hurley, but I'm not sure how she's supposed to convince Sun to join their group). In any event, Claire is still seeking revenge against Kate, and MiB tacitly approves this so long as she bides her time.
Meanwhile, Jin finds himself in Room 23, where Zoe wants to know about the grids of electromagnetic energy the DHARMA Initiative (Jin included) made. Jin, like Sawyer, wants to deal directly with Charles Widmore.
Locke arrives at Hydra Island, with Sayid nowhere to be seen. Widmore's people are waiting for him; MiB insists he's come in peace and the big guy himself comes out. Widmore knows he's not Locke; MiB says he must know something. Widmore says all he knows is a mix of myth, ghost stories, and jungle noises. MiB retorts that the pylons belie that he knows a little more than that. MiB is there because Jin was taken, and he wants him back--Widmore claims to have no idea what he's talking about. MiB, apparently drawing down into his Locke memory reservoir again, quotes Widmore on war coming to the Island, and says that he just got it.
We see Widmore back in the Hydra, confronting Zoe and saying that the raid happened too soon. They should have waited and let Locke march off into the jungle. Zoe snarks that he should have a mercenary in charge then instead of a geophysicist. Widmore forgives her to some extent, saying that what's done is done, and tells her it's time to get the package (what's behind the locked door in the sub is destined to be a short-lived mystery, and one everyone saw coming, which is okay).
Widmore's people found Sun's luggage on Ajira 316, including her camera with photos of Ji Yeon, who Jin has never seen before. But Widmore says any time the two have together in the real world would be short if "that thing" was allowed to escape, since it would change everyone they loved, from Jin's daughter to his own Penny. Widmore claims to have a way to prevent that, using the package, which is a who, not a what.
Kate and Sawyer have another one of the tense, looking-over-their-shoulders for MiB and plotting conversations that have dominated their seasons. Sawyer hopes that Sayid has taken out both MiB and Widmore, but is disappointed when MiB returns without Sayid. It turns out Sayid swam to the sub dock, and he sees Zoe and another Widmore lackey unloading the package--Desmond David Hume. Desmond is knocked out from the sub ride still (Zoe muses about how much tranquilizer he must have been given), but as he's lying on the dock he sees Sayid in the water, and his hazy expression of "What the hell/Of course" is priceless.
Random thoughts:
* The Hydra storyline at the start of Season Three was hated by a lot of fans. It's a nice in-your-face by the writers that the great battle for the Island may go down there.
* In addition to the obvious Season 1-3 callbacks, we also had someone who couldn't speak communicating by writing (see Locke and Charlie in "Further Instructions") and Sun placing her faith in Jack to keep her safe, as Jin told her to do the first time they were separated post-crash (the raft launching in "Exodus, pt. 1").
* If you believe that Jack is the one true candidate, then you have to be happy to see him holding out his hand and touching people, as both Jacob and the Man in Black have done.
* How about this: Adam and Eve are a couple we know (Jack/Kate or Jin/Sun) whose physical bodies die as they assume the knew role of Island protectors--now a job for couples. This would actually be a pretty awesome ending, IMO.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
6x10 Pre-Thoughts
* Does Richard exist in 2004X? He owes his existence in the 1970s to Jacob's touch. If Jacob/the Island was destroyed, would he go poof? Would his agelessness simply cease, rendering him in his mid-50s in 2004X? Or would that gift linger on? I'll keep my eyes open for his appearance in that timeline.
* Some people are criticizing the heavy religious overtones of "Ab Aeterno", and criticizing the show for moving in that direction. One rejoinder is that religious questions have always been present on LOST. One can argue about how much they added to the show (the most overtly religious episode ever was also the worst, "Fire + Water"), but it's always been there.
However, I don't think that 6x9 indicated that the show was moving more heavily in that direction, not in the slightest. I think that it instead served to illustrate what we've seen hinted at throughout this season--the Man in Black attempts to appeal to/manipulate people with the forms and conventions with which they are most comfortable. By scanning Richard, the Monster was able to learn about Isabella and about Richard's faith. He used these two things to appeal to him, by attempting to paint Jacob as the devil.
It was the Man in Black who used the religious language to describe his conflict with Jacob, not the other way around. Jacob waives off the notion of hell, telling Richard that the wine represents what he [Richard] calls hell, then giving a number of alternate descriptions (malevolence, evil, darkness).
Jacob also denies having any sort of god-like powers: he cannot bring Isabella back from the dead, nor can he absolve Richard of his sins. Granted, eternal life is chock with religious undertones of its own, but Jacob denies godhood.
In fact, Jacob's philosophy flies in the face of many Judeo-Christian conventions, and is much more humanist. Jacob sneers at the notion that men will sin because it is in their nature to do so, instead idealistically believing that humans are inherently good, hence his efforts to prove the Man in Black wrong. Additionally, it seems clear that the evil he describes the Man in Black as wanting to spread is unique, as surely no one, lest of all the tortured souls of LOST, would describe the world they left behind as one in which evil and darkness were foreign forces.
If LOST had to be boiled down into an underlying religious philosophy, it would be one of new-age fusionism and humanism, with a dash of the old-time religions sprinkled in to keep their adherents comfortable. Of course, this has led both hard-core atheists and true believers to complain about what the show has to say on the matter. Please, general public, don't let LOST be hijacked into a work of fiction through which people fight their religious battles. I don't think the producers are pushing a comprehensive world view, just an engaging, centuries-sprawling puzzle that is so good it pushes people to get too involved.
* Some people believe there is a contradiction between Jacob's inability to bring Isabella back to Richard and his saving Dogen's son. I fail to see it, as it's never explicitly stated that Dogen Jr. kicked the bucket. It seems as if Jacob's intervention prevented that from happening, just as he may have done with Locke in "The Incident". From the Lostpedia transcript of "Sundown":
Every Friday I picked my son up from baseball. He was twelve. The accident was very bad. I survived. But my son...
[Dogen pauses]
And then, in the hospital, a man came to me. A man I had never met. And he told me that he could save my son's life, but I would have to come here... to this island... where I would have a new job. And I could never see my boy again.
The contrast with "I survived" could be interpreted as meaning that he had in fact died, but it also could mean that it was touch and go. Perhaps I'm parsing it too much, but this doesn't seem troublesome.
* Debates about whether Jacob or MiB are good or evil are Season 6's version of the "Whatever Happened, Happened" v. "We can change things!" debates of Season 5--splitting the fanbase into camps and triggering nasty message board exchanges.
I say it in every post, and I'll say it until I stop seeing the crazy notion that MiB might be the good guy: there's no way in hell. Jacob may well be less than a benevolent father figure, but the MiB commits at least one indisputably evil act per episode. In "LA X", he killed Bram and Jacob's bodyguards. In "The Substitute", he doesn't necessarily do anything evil, but it certainly seems as if he engaged in some cliffside stagecraft to try to win Sawyer's trust. In "Lighthouse", we see that he's been manipulating Claire for years. In "Sundown"...come on, I don't even have to spell that out. In "Dr. Linus", he urges Ben to murder Ilana. In "Recon", he slaps Claire around and admits to Kate that he had fabricated an enemy to turn her into what she is today. And in "Ab Aeterno", he leaves Richard to suffer physical torment by leaving him in his bondage, then inflicts incredibly cruel psychological torment by creating a manifestation of Isabella. He may not be "evil incarnate" as Dogen would have us believe, but he's not that far off.
Jacob is evil is the new "whatever happened, happened" v "you can change the past"--splitting fans into camps and leading to nasty message board exchanges...but seriously, you cannot possibly believe that MiB is good.
* I have claimed that the only interaction between Jacob and a Lostaway that in anyway suggests evil (at least that we're privy to) is Jacob and Sayid. Jacob distracted Sayid, allowing Nadia to be killed.
After "The Incident", I should have put the pieces together, but now we see that Jacob directly told Ilana to protect the candidates, and part of that obviously included bringing Sayid back to the Island against his will. Jacob really has it in for Sayid, and when he does come back he gets shot, dies, gets infected, kills his high priest...I sure hope Jake knows what he's doing.
* Some people are criticizing the heavy religious overtones of "Ab Aeterno", and criticizing the show for moving in that direction. One rejoinder is that religious questions have always been present on LOST. One can argue about how much they added to the show (the most overtly religious episode ever was also the worst, "Fire + Water"), but it's always been there.
However, I don't think that 6x9 indicated that the show was moving more heavily in that direction, not in the slightest. I think that it instead served to illustrate what we've seen hinted at throughout this season--the Man in Black attempts to appeal to/manipulate people with the forms and conventions with which they are most comfortable. By scanning Richard, the Monster was able to learn about Isabella and about Richard's faith. He used these two things to appeal to him, by attempting to paint Jacob as the devil.
It was the Man in Black who used the religious language to describe his conflict with Jacob, not the other way around. Jacob waives off the notion of hell, telling Richard that the wine represents what he [Richard] calls hell, then giving a number of alternate descriptions (malevolence, evil, darkness).
Jacob also denies having any sort of god-like powers: he cannot bring Isabella back from the dead, nor can he absolve Richard of his sins. Granted, eternal life is chock with religious undertones of its own, but Jacob denies godhood.
In fact, Jacob's philosophy flies in the face of many Judeo-Christian conventions, and is much more humanist. Jacob sneers at the notion that men will sin because it is in their nature to do so, instead idealistically believing that humans are inherently good, hence his efforts to prove the Man in Black wrong. Additionally, it seems clear that the evil he describes the Man in Black as wanting to spread is unique, as surely no one, lest of all the tortured souls of LOST, would describe the world they left behind as one in which evil and darkness were foreign forces.
If LOST had to be boiled down into an underlying religious philosophy, it would be one of new-age fusionism and humanism, with a dash of the old-time religions sprinkled in to keep their adherents comfortable. Of course, this has led both hard-core atheists and true believers to complain about what the show has to say on the matter. Please, general public, don't let LOST be hijacked into a work of fiction through which people fight their religious battles. I don't think the producers are pushing a comprehensive world view, just an engaging, centuries-sprawling puzzle that is so good it pushes people to get too involved.
* Some people believe there is a contradiction between Jacob's inability to bring Isabella back to Richard and his saving Dogen's son. I fail to see it, as it's never explicitly stated that Dogen Jr. kicked the bucket. It seems as if Jacob's intervention prevented that from happening, just as he may have done with Locke in "The Incident". From the Lostpedia transcript of "Sundown":
Every Friday I picked my son up from baseball. He was twelve. The accident was very bad. I survived. But my son...
[Dogen pauses]
And then, in the hospital, a man came to me. A man I had never met. And he told me that he could save my son's life, but I would have to come here... to this island... where I would have a new job. And I could never see my boy again.
The contrast with "I survived" could be interpreted as meaning that he had in fact died, but it also could mean that it was touch and go. Perhaps I'm parsing it too much, but this doesn't seem troublesome.
* Debates about whether Jacob or MiB are good or evil are Season 6's version of the "Whatever Happened, Happened" v. "We can change things!" debates of Season 5--splitting the fanbase into camps and triggering nasty message board exchanges.
I say it in every post, and I'll say it until I stop seeing the crazy notion that MiB might be the good guy: there's no way in hell. Jacob may well be less than a benevolent father figure, but the MiB commits at least one indisputably evil act per episode. In "LA X", he killed Bram and Jacob's bodyguards. In "The Substitute", he doesn't necessarily do anything evil, but it certainly seems as if he engaged in some cliffside stagecraft to try to win Sawyer's trust. In "Lighthouse", we see that he's been manipulating Claire for years. In "Sundown"...come on, I don't even have to spell that out. In "Dr. Linus", he urges Ben to murder Ilana. In "Recon", he slaps Claire around and admits to Kate that he had fabricated an enemy to turn her into what she is today. And in "Ab Aeterno", he leaves Richard to suffer physical torment by leaving him in his bondage, then inflicts incredibly cruel psychological torment by creating a manifestation of Isabella. He may not be "evil incarnate" as Dogen would have us believe, but he's not that far off.
Jacob is evil is the new "whatever happened, happened" v "you can change the past"--splitting fans into camps and leading to nasty message board exchanges...but seriously, you cannot possibly believe that MiB is good.
* I have claimed that the only interaction between Jacob and a Lostaway that in anyway suggests evil (at least that we're privy to) is Jacob and Sayid. Jacob distracted Sayid, allowing Nadia to be killed.
After "The Incident", I should have put the pieces together, but now we see that Jacob directly told Ilana to protect the candidates, and part of that obviously included bringing Sayid back to the Island against his will. Jacob really has it in for Sayid, and when he does come back he gets shot, dies, gets infected, kills his high priest...I sure hope Jake knows what he's doing.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
6x9: Ab Aeterno
Was it the greatest LOST episode? I'm not sure it tops "The Incident" or "Through the Looking Glass". What I do know is that it is, hands down, the best non-finale, non-premiere episode ever. The hype was well worth it, and episode 6x10 is going to get a raw deal in a lot of people's books because this was an impossible act to follow.
In an extended flashback started in "The Incident", Jacob gave Ilana a list (of course) of the six remaining candidates, and tells her that after she gets them to the Temple, Ricardus will know what to do. But in 2007, Richard is freaking out. He claims again that everything Jacob says is a lie and that they're all dead and in hell, and that it's time to start listening to somebody else. He sets off into the jungle.
This sparks a heated conversation among the beach campers, with Ben saying "this oughta be interesting" as Sun lets Jack know that Locke is the man that Richard wants to talk to. We don't really see Jack's reaction to this; I assume that'll be next week. But Ilana sets off after Richard, even as Jack says he's crazy and Ben concurs, citing that he's known him since he was 12, and explaining to Frank that Richard was the same age.
Meanwhile, Hurley is chatting in Espanol with an invisible presence. Jack assumes this is Jacob and demands to know what he says, but Hurley insists that it's not Jacob and that it's a private matter.
And thus begins the most epic flashback in LOST history, besting Desmond's time-tripping in "Flashes Before Your Eyes", Ben's first flashback in "The Man Behind the Curtain", and well, you name it. In the Canary Islands in 1867, Richard finds his wife Isabella sick and leaves to get medicine, talking their meager stock of gold coins and even his wife's cross. But the wonderful panacea of Obamacare has not yet arrived in the Canary Islands, and the doctor refuses to come all that way to treat Isabella (hey, wait, that does sound like Obamacare). He gets some medicine out of a cabinet, but Richard's booty is not enough, even with the cross. Richard is desperate; they struggle and he accidentally kills him by blunt force trauma, Desmond/Kelvin style, although this time the instrument is a table and not a rock formation.
Richard rushes back to Isabella, but she's already dead and he's arrested. In jail, he reads an English bible and confesses his sins to a priest (but is it really?) and reveals that he had intended to move to the New World. The priest refuses to absolve him, explaining that only through penance can he make good, and there's not time for that since he's going to be hanged the next day.
Richard is led out of his cell, but a Mr. Whitfield is there, and when Richard confirms he speaks English, Whitfield purchases him as a slave for Magnus Hanso. As suspected, Richard is put on the Black Rock. A storm hits, and the ship is approaching land. Another slave sees the Island and the statue, which he believes to be the devil--"This Island is guarded by a devil". A tidal wave takes the ship up and into the statue, which destroys the statue (hopefully the wave, not the ship, because that would be silly).
Richard and the other slaves are still chained up as the survivors scurry around above them. We learn that Captain Hanso is dead and only five officers are left. The slaves finally get Whitfield's attention, but he starts killing them one-by-one with a sword, explaining that they have no water or food and that if he frees them, they'll seek revenge. But before he can kill Richard, the Monster interrupts, killing everyone including Whitfield, smoke ripping right through the wooden ship. The Monster scans Richard but leaves him.
We see Richard struggling (and failing) to reach water dripping through the ship's deck, eventually managing to pry loose a nail to pick at the locks. But a boar rummages through, munching on his friends and eventually charging Richard, knocking the nail away. When all seems hopeless, Isabella appears and claims that they're both dead and in hell. They need to get away from someone--she's looked into his eyes and seen nothing but evil. Richard realizes he's seen the same thing, and then hears the sounds of the Monster. He finally convinces Isabella to run, but she's either killed by the Monster or never comes back. Of course, it seems clear that she was just a projection of the Monster itself to soften the target.
Some time later Richard is barely alive when Black Robe himself (as seen in "The Incident") arrives on the scene (some people are saying he resurrected him by touching him, similar to what may have happened between Locke and Jacob after his fall in "The Incident", but I think he just woke him up). He gives him water and says he's a friend (echoing what he'll say to Claire). But he doesn't free Richard until he agrees to help him, to do anything he tells him to do. Under the circumstances it's impossible to blame Richard for agreeing, and after he frees him, Black Robe says "It's good to see you out of those chains" (he'll say it again in "LA X"). They both need to escape, because they're both in hell according to Black Robe. He wants to be free himself, and there's only way to achieve that--kill the devil.
As Richard chows down on boar, Black Robe tells him to head to the statue, where the devil lives. When Richard inquires about Isabella and whether the black smoke got her, Black Robe confesses that he is the black smoke, but claims he saw the devil with Isabella and couldn't stop him. He admits to murdering the officers, and gives Richard a dagger with which to stab the devil. He instructs him do it with no hesitation and not to let the devil speak--he can be very persuasive (this of course mirrors what Dogen tells Sayid about Black Robe in "Sundown").
But Richard isn't too keen on this plan; after all, he believes that the reason he's in hell is that he murdered the doctor. Black Robe responds that the real question is whether or not Richard will ever see his wife again (shades of Nadia) and throws in that the devil betrayed him, stealing his body and his humanity.
So off Richard goes, approaching what's left of the statue as rubble is strewn all around. But Jacob gets the jump on in and beats the crap out of him. It's a different Jacob than the one we've seen in the past--he's angry and he wants to know why Richard is there. Then he asks if he met a man dressed in black in the jungle, and Richard responds in the affirmative. Richard believes he's dead, but Jacob claims that he's not and that it was not Isabella that he saw in the jungle (of course, he's implying that it was a manifestation of her created by the Monster).
Richard still doesn't believe he's a live, so Jacob drags him into the ocean and starts dunking him underwater. Richard begs him to stop, and when Jacob asks why he says "I want to live". Jacob says that that's the first sensible thing he's said and asks his name. Ricardo is the Espanol version, and Jacob says they need ot talk.
Richard asks what's inside the statue, but Jacob says that no one comes in unless they're invited. He denies being the devil, but does say that he brought the ship to the Island. In response to the question of why, he uses the glass of wine they're drinking from as a metaphor. The wine represents hell, malevolence, evil, darkness--whatever you want to call it. It's trapped in the bottle, and the Island is the cork that keeps it in. Black Robe believes that all humans are corruptible because it's in their nature to sin. Jacob brings people to the Island, where they have a fresh start and who they were before doesn't matter (echoing what both Jack and John said in Season One) and to attempt to prove Black Robe wrong about human nature.
Richard asks why Jacob doesn't intervene, and Jacob explains that he doesn't want to force people to do things (obviously contrasting himself with Black Robe)--it has to be their choice. But Richard astutely notes that if he doesn't intervene, Black Robe will. Jacob takes this in, and offers Richard a job as an intermediary between him and the people he draws to the Island. Rather than intervening directly, he'll use Richard as a vehicle. Incidentally, all of the people previously brought to the Island by Jacob are dead--Richard is the only survivor.
Richard asks what he'll get out of this arrangement, so Jacob asks what he wants. Richard asks first for his wife and then for absolution of his sins, but Jacob is unable to do either. So Richard instead asks for eternal life, and Jacob touches his shoulder and explains that he can grant that.
Richard returns to Black Robe, who immediately knows that he hasn't killed Jacob. Richard gives Black Robe a white stone for Jacob, and Black Robe asserts that should Richard ever change his mind, the offer still stands. Then he gives him Isabella's cross and disappears. Richard buries it under a small stone structure of some sort, evidently wanting to shut off memory of his past life as he embarks on his new eternal Island life.
End flashback and in 2007, Richard returns to this site and digs up the cross. He's changed his mind, says "I was wrong", and begins desperately repeating "Does the offer still stand?" When someone emerges from the jungle, though, it is not Black Robe but Hurley. Hurley explains that he was sent by Isabella (which makes who Hurley was talking to in Spanish one of the show's shortest-lived mysteries). Richard doesn't believe this until Hurley relays that she wants to know why Richard buried the cross. She says (in a mixture of through Hurley and Richard finally believing that she is present) that "It wasn't your fault I died...it was my time...you've suffered enough". Richard wants to be together, but "we are already together". Richard puts her cross around his neck (Eko/Yemi leaps to mind), but Hurley says she said one more thing--Richard has to stop the Man in Black or else they all go to hell (and I guess that since the show flat out called him the Man in Black I should now follow suit. Starting next time, I guess). We see that Locke/Monster/Black Robe was watching this unfold from a distance.
Flashback again, and for the first time it's a Black Robe flashback. Jacob comes to see him shortly after Richard has pledged allegiance to him, and Black robe says "Don't gloat, it's unbecoming of you". He again states his desire to leave, but Jacob refuses. Black Robe explains that this is why he wants to kill him, and vows that he will. Jacob retorts that he does, someone will take Jacob's place. Black Robe vows to kill that person too. Jacob gives Black Robe the rest of the wine to pass the time, and as Jacob walks away Black Robe slams it against a rock, demonstrating that Jacob really is good with metaphors.
* I guess I was wrong about Jack's dynamite stunt reigniting (pardon the pun) Richard's faith in Jacob. He was still off the deep end until Hurley was able to deliver the one emotional connection that matters to him, even after 140 years.
* I've noticed people complaining about the Black Rock and the storm, specifically that when Jacob and Black Robe saw the ship in the distance in "The Incident", it was a calm day. Two points: we don't know whether that ship was actually the Black Rock--people just assumed that to be the case, but we know that Jacob brought many people to the Island through the years. Secondly, would a sudden weather anomaly really be beyond what we've seen on this show before?
I agree that the notion of the ship destroying the statue is silly; it would be the other way around, but the tidal wave seems to explain this quite well.
* Is there anyone still out there that wants to claim that BR is not evil? I can't say it enough: I'm not saying that Jacob is necessarily good. Just that Black Robe is evil.
* It seems as if Richard convinced Jacob to change his policy on interacting with people. Later, Jacob would go even farther by visiting the Lostaways. One wonders if this change in policy was also the result of a suggestion, by Richard or someone else.
* It's interesting to learn that the Others as we know them didn't exist in 1867. Richard Alpert's arrival and suggestion to Jacob apparently was a sea change in the relationship between Jacob and people brought to the Island. The earlier inhabitants apparently interacted with the Island without Jacob's guidance, which could explain some otherwise incongruous things like seeming cult-worship of the Monster.
I doubt the show will devote any time to it, but I would be very interested in learning how the Others' society developed, when and how the forefathers of key figures like Widmore and Hawking arrived, and the like.
In an extended flashback started in "The Incident", Jacob gave Ilana a list (of course) of the six remaining candidates, and tells her that after she gets them to the Temple, Ricardus will know what to do. But in 2007, Richard is freaking out. He claims again that everything Jacob says is a lie and that they're all dead and in hell, and that it's time to start listening to somebody else. He sets off into the jungle.
This sparks a heated conversation among the beach campers, with Ben saying "this oughta be interesting" as Sun lets Jack know that Locke is the man that Richard wants to talk to. We don't really see Jack's reaction to this; I assume that'll be next week. But Ilana sets off after Richard, even as Jack says he's crazy and Ben concurs, citing that he's known him since he was 12, and explaining to Frank that Richard was the same age.
Meanwhile, Hurley is chatting in Espanol with an invisible presence. Jack assumes this is Jacob and demands to know what he says, but Hurley insists that it's not Jacob and that it's a private matter.
And thus begins the most epic flashback in LOST history, besting Desmond's time-tripping in "Flashes Before Your Eyes", Ben's first flashback in "The Man Behind the Curtain", and well, you name it. In the Canary Islands in 1867, Richard finds his wife Isabella sick and leaves to get medicine, talking their meager stock of gold coins and even his wife's cross. But the wonderful panacea of Obamacare has not yet arrived in the Canary Islands, and the doctor refuses to come all that way to treat Isabella (hey, wait, that does sound like Obamacare). He gets some medicine out of a cabinet, but Richard's booty is not enough, even with the cross. Richard is desperate; they struggle and he accidentally kills him by blunt force trauma, Desmond/Kelvin style, although this time the instrument is a table and not a rock formation.
Richard rushes back to Isabella, but she's already dead and he's arrested. In jail, he reads an English bible and confesses his sins to a priest (but is it really?) and reveals that he had intended to move to the New World. The priest refuses to absolve him, explaining that only through penance can he make good, and there's not time for that since he's going to be hanged the next day.
Richard is led out of his cell, but a Mr. Whitfield is there, and when Richard confirms he speaks English, Whitfield purchases him as a slave for Magnus Hanso. As suspected, Richard is put on the Black Rock. A storm hits, and the ship is approaching land. Another slave sees the Island and the statue, which he believes to be the devil--"This Island is guarded by a devil". A tidal wave takes the ship up and into the statue, which destroys the statue (hopefully the wave, not the ship, because that would be silly).
Richard and the other slaves are still chained up as the survivors scurry around above them. We learn that Captain Hanso is dead and only five officers are left. The slaves finally get Whitfield's attention, but he starts killing them one-by-one with a sword, explaining that they have no water or food and that if he frees them, they'll seek revenge. But before he can kill Richard, the Monster interrupts, killing everyone including Whitfield, smoke ripping right through the wooden ship. The Monster scans Richard but leaves him.
We see Richard struggling (and failing) to reach water dripping through the ship's deck, eventually managing to pry loose a nail to pick at the locks. But a boar rummages through, munching on his friends and eventually charging Richard, knocking the nail away. When all seems hopeless, Isabella appears and claims that they're both dead and in hell. They need to get away from someone--she's looked into his eyes and seen nothing but evil. Richard realizes he's seen the same thing, and then hears the sounds of the Monster. He finally convinces Isabella to run, but she's either killed by the Monster or never comes back. Of course, it seems clear that she was just a projection of the Monster itself to soften the target.
Some time later Richard is barely alive when Black Robe himself (as seen in "The Incident") arrives on the scene (some people are saying he resurrected him by touching him, similar to what may have happened between Locke and Jacob after his fall in "The Incident", but I think he just woke him up). He gives him water and says he's a friend (echoing what he'll say to Claire). But he doesn't free Richard until he agrees to help him, to do anything he tells him to do. Under the circumstances it's impossible to blame Richard for agreeing, and after he frees him, Black Robe says "It's good to see you out of those chains" (he'll say it again in "LA X"). They both need to escape, because they're both in hell according to Black Robe. He wants to be free himself, and there's only way to achieve that--kill the devil.
As Richard chows down on boar, Black Robe tells him to head to the statue, where the devil lives. When Richard inquires about Isabella and whether the black smoke got her, Black Robe confesses that he is the black smoke, but claims he saw the devil with Isabella and couldn't stop him. He admits to murdering the officers, and gives Richard a dagger with which to stab the devil. He instructs him do it with no hesitation and not to let the devil speak--he can be very persuasive (this of course mirrors what Dogen tells Sayid about Black Robe in "Sundown").
But Richard isn't too keen on this plan; after all, he believes that the reason he's in hell is that he murdered the doctor. Black Robe responds that the real question is whether or not Richard will ever see his wife again (shades of Nadia) and throws in that the devil betrayed him, stealing his body and his humanity.
So off Richard goes, approaching what's left of the statue as rubble is strewn all around. But Jacob gets the jump on in and beats the crap out of him. It's a different Jacob than the one we've seen in the past--he's angry and he wants to know why Richard is there. Then he asks if he met a man dressed in black in the jungle, and Richard responds in the affirmative. Richard believes he's dead, but Jacob claims that he's not and that it was not Isabella that he saw in the jungle (of course, he's implying that it was a manifestation of her created by the Monster).
Richard still doesn't believe he's a live, so Jacob drags him into the ocean and starts dunking him underwater. Richard begs him to stop, and when Jacob asks why he says "I want to live". Jacob says that that's the first sensible thing he's said and asks his name. Ricardo is the Espanol version, and Jacob says they need ot talk.
Richard asks what's inside the statue, but Jacob says that no one comes in unless they're invited. He denies being the devil, but does say that he brought the ship to the Island. In response to the question of why, he uses the glass of wine they're drinking from as a metaphor. The wine represents hell, malevolence, evil, darkness--whatever you want to call it. It's trapped in the bottle, and the Island is the cork that keeps it in. Black Robe believes that all humans are corruptible because it's in their nature to sin. Jacob brings people to the Island, where they have a fresh start and who they were before doesn't matter (echoing what both Jack and John said in Season One) and to attempt to prove Black Robe wrong about human nature.
Richard asks why Jacob doesn't intervene, and Jacob explains that he doesn't want to force people to do things (obviously contrasting himself with Black Robe)--it has to be their choice. But Richard astutely notes that if he doesn't intervene, Black Robe will. Jacob takes this in, and offers Richard a job as an intermediary between him and the people he draws to the Island. Rather than intervening directly, he'll use Richard as a vehicle. Incidentally, all of the people previously brought to the Island by Jacob are dead--Richard is the only survivor.
Richard asks what he'll get out of this arrangement, so Jacob asks what he wants. Richard asks first for his wife and then for absolution of his sins, but Jacob is unable to do either. So Richard instead asks for eternal life, and Jacob touches his shoulder and explains that he can grant that.
Richard returns to Black Robe, who immediately knows that he hasn't killed Jacob. Richard gives Black Robe a white stone for Jacob, and Black Robe asserts that should Richard ever change his mind, the offer still stands. Then he gives him Isabella's cross and disappears. Richard buries it under a small stone structure of some sort, evidently wanting to shut off memory of his past life as he embarks on his new eternal Island life.
End flashback and in 2007, Richard returns to this site and digs up the cross. He's changed his mind, says "I was wrong", and begins desperately repeating "Does the offer still stand?" When someone emerges from the jungle, though, it is not Black Robe but Hurley. Hurley explains that he was sent by Isabella (which makes who Hurley was talking to in Spanish one of the show's shortest-lived mysteries). Richard doesn't believe this until Hurley relays that she wants to know why Richard buried the cross. She says (in a mixture of through Hurley and Richard finally believing that she is present) that "It wasn't your fault I died...it was my time...you've suffered enough". Richard wants to be together, but "we are already together". Richard puts her cross around his neck (Eko/Yemi leaps to mind), but Hurley says she said one more thing--Richard has to stop the Man in Black or else they all go to hell (and I guess that since the show flat out called him the Man in Black I should now follow suit. Starting next time, I guess). We see that Locke/Monster/Black Robe was watching this unfold from a distance.
Flashback again, and for the first time it's a Black Robe flashback. Jacob comes to see him shortly after Richard has pledged allegiance to him, and Black robe says "Don't gloat, it's unbecoming of you". He again states his desire to leave, but Jacob refuses. Black Robe explains that this is why he wants to kill him, and vows that he will. Jacob retorts that he does, someone will take Jacob's place. Black Robe vows to kill that person too. Jacob gives Black Robe the rest of the wine to pass the time, and as Jacob walks away Black Robe slams it against a rock, demonstrating that Jacob really is good with metaphors.
* I guess I was wrong about Jack's dynamite stunt reigniting (pardon the pun) Richard's faith in Jacob. He was still off the deep end until Hurley was able to deliver the one emotional connection that matters to him, even after 140 years.
* I've noticed people complaining about the Black Rock and the storm, specifically that when Jacob and Black Robe saw the ship in the distance in "The Incident", it was a calm day. Two points: we don't know whether that ship was actually the Black Rock--people just assumed that to be the case, but we know that Jacob brought many people to the Island through the years. Secondly, would a sudden weather anomaly really be beyond what we've seen on this show before?
I agree that the notion of the ship destroying the statue is silly; it would be the other way around, but the tidal wave seems to explain this quite well.
* Is there anyone still out there that wants to claim that BR is not evil? I can't say it enough: I'm not saying that Jacob is necessarily good. Just that Black Robe is evil.
* It seems as if Richard convinced Jacob to change his policy on interacting with people. Later, Jacob would go even farther by visiting the Lostaways. One wonders if this change in policy was also the result of a suggestion, by Richard or someone else.
* It's interesting to learn that the Others as we know them didn't exist in 1867. Richard Alpert's arrival and suggestion to Jacob apparently was a sea change in the relationship between Jacob and people brought to the Island. The earlier inhabitants apparently interacted with the Island without Jacob's guidance, which could explain some otherwise incongruous things like seeming cult-worship of the Monster.
I doubt the show will devote any time to it, but I would be very interested in learning how the Others' society developed, when and how the forefathers of key figures like Widmore and Hawking arrived, and the like.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
6x9 Pre-Thoughts
* I probably was a bit over-effusive in my initial praise for "Recon". I did really enjoy the episode, but I have to downgrade it to third on my Season Six list, behind "LA X", "The Substitute", and "Dr. Linus". One thing I realized about the episode upon reflection: not enough Sawyer snark. I'm not crazy about Sawyer, but he didn't get a chance to show off one of his signature character traits in an episode that might be his last centric, and that's too bad.
* I really hope that the show is not trying to push the idea, as some fans seem to believe, that Jacob set Sawyer on his path of revenge by giving him the pen. It's true that the letter served as a tangible and constant reminder of his experience, but it's also silly to pretend as thought he feelings he harbored towards the real Sawyer would not have existed in lieu of finishing the letter (or that he wouldn't have just found another pen).
I'm not saying that Jacob was completely guiltless in the matter, but at worst it was a tiny push.
* I also find the notion that the show is doing nothing to portray Black Robe as the bad guy. Slapping Claire around after admitting he lied to her and made paranoid? Transforming Sayid into a zombie-like state where he won't even save his BFF Kate? Killing the pilot for absolutely no justifiable reason (and Rousseau's team, and...well, come on, it's the Monster)? This is not a good guy, and if you can't see that your own moral compass is suffering from an electromagnetic anamoly.
* So I missed that Miles mentioned that he knew Charlotte from the museum, where his father works. Let's get Dr. Candle a cameo in 2004X, pronto.
* If I had to guess who the "true" candidate is at this point, my vote goes to Sun. My reasoning--perhaps a woman is needed to fix the fertility problems, but more importantly, she was the one Ajira passenger candidate who actually landed in 2007, on the runway Jacob (apparently) ordered the Others to build. Is it possible that Black Robe, under the guise of Jacob, ordered them to build it, given that Black Robe is now plotting to fly the plane off the Island? Possibly. But I don't think Black Robe really intends to leave the Island by plane; that's just a cover for a more outlandish plan that he couldn't possibly explain to his human flock.
* This week's episode is either going to be one of the best ever or one of the most disappointing ever. Unfortunately, it may well be the latter, and not through any fault of its own. But the level to which fandom is building it up is reminiscent of "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham", an episode that while good was widely considered a disappointment.
* I really hope that the show is not trying to push the idea, as some fans seem to believe, that Jacob set Sawyer on his path of revenge by giving him the pen. It's true that the letter served as a tangible and constant reminder of his experience, but it's also silly to pretend as thought he feelings he harbored towards the real Sawyer would not have existed in lieu of finishing the letter (or that he wouldn't have just found another pen).
I'm not saying that Jacob was completely guiltless in the matter, but at worst it was a tiny push.
* I also find the notion that the show is doing nothing to portray Black Robe as the bad guy. Slapping Claire around after admitting he lied to her and made paranoid? Transforming Sayid into a zombie-like state where he won't even save his BFF Kate? Killing the pilot for absolutely no justifiable reason (and Rousseau's team, and...well, come on, it's the Monster)? This is not a good guy, and if you can't see that your own moral compass is suffering from an electromagnetic anamoly.
* So I missed that Miles mentioned that he knew Charlotte from the museum, where his father works. Let's get Dr. Candle a cameo in 2004X, pronto.
* If I had to guess who the "true" candidate is at this point, my vote goes to Sun. My reasoning--perhaps a woman is needed to fix the fertility problems, but more importantly, she was the one Ajira passenger candidate who actually landed in 2007, on the runway Jacob (apparently) ordered the Others to build. Is it possible that Black Robe, under the guise of Jacob, ordered them to build it, given that Black Robe is now plotting to fly the plane off the Island? Possibly. But I don't think Black Robe really intends to leave the Island by plane; that's just a cover for a more outlandish plan that he couldn't possibly explain to his human flock.
* This week's episode is either going to be one of the best ever or one of the most disappointing ever. Unfortunately, it may well be the latter, and not through any fault of its own. But the level to which fandom is building it up is reminiscent of "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham", an episode that while good was widely considered a disappointment.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
6x8: Recon
The best episode of the season, with the exception of "LA X". I'm not predisposed to like Sawyer episodes but this one brought the goods. And yet I see the early reviews on the internet are not favorable at all.
2004X
We were led to believe that Sawyer was up to his usual con tricks again, but we come to find out that he is actually a cop running a sting, and that he and Miles are still cop bodies as they were in DHARMA times, using "LaFleur" as a code word. Unfortunately, Sawyer is still trying to hunt down an Anthony Cooper who was in the south in the late 70s, so some things haven't changed in X-land. Miles sets him up on a date with a redhead who works at the museum, but can tell that Sawyer is holding back something from him.
The redhead is Charlotte--still the same, a female Indiana Jones (although we have no clue whether or not she has any connection to the Island or DHARMA). Sawyer explains to her that he had to choose whether he'd become a criminal or a cop, and he chose the latter. They hook up, but Charlotte needs a t-shirt and finds James' file on the real Sawyer instead, which gets her kicked out of bed and the apartment.
Miles is ticked, and has pulled Sawyer's credit card and found that he was actually in Australia when he was supposed to be in Palm Springs. Miles quits as his partner, and Sawyer doesn't just look in the nearby locker room mirror--he shatters it with a punch. At the beginning of the scene, Liam was at the station looking for info on Charlie's arrest.
Sawyer goes home to his TV dinner, beer, and Little House reruns (which conspicuously say "People aren't really gone when they die.") This motivates him to attempt to woo back Charlotte, but she rejects his overtures.
Sawyer gives Miles his file on the real Sawyer and tells him everything. Although this time, his trip to Australia netted him not a dead Frank Duckett but the name Anthony Cooper, who he still intends to hunt down and kill. Why did he tell Miles this? Because he knows he'll try to talk him out of it. This nice moment of male bonding ends abruptly with a car ramming there's; the fleeing passenger turns out to be Kate (of course).
On the Island:
Sawyer finds Jin in Claire's tent and promises they won't leave the Island without Sun. He has a terse reunion with Kate as Black Robe and his followers roll in. Black Robe lies by omission to Cindy and the kids, telling them that the black smoke killed all the people at the Temple. Claire holds Kate's hand, feigning fear; Kate also sees Claire doting on squirrel-Aaron and finally realizes that her protectorate is not dealing with a full deck. Sawyer tells Kate that he's not with anyone when she wonders why he's following Black Robe.
As Black Robe addresses his followers, telling them they'll need to make camp for a few days, Sawyer presses the issue, asking when they'll leave the Island. Black Robe is upset, admits to Sawyer that he's the "smoke thing", and justifies killing the Temple dwellers because he gave them a chance to leave, and it's kill or be killed--and he doesn't want to be killed. Black Robe sends Sawyer to Hydra Island on an outrigger on an Ethanesque mission; he's not worried about what will happen if he gets caught, because Sawyer's the best liar he's ever met. Black Robe intends to repair the plane and fly it off the Island.
At Hydra Island, Sawyer visits the cages (and Kate's sundress of Season Three seems to bring back some old feelings) and finds the plane. The bodies of all the Ajira survivors have been dragged up a hill, where they are piled; a woman who says her name is Zoe claims to be the last survivor. Zoe doesn't quite know how they died--she heard screaming while she was out collecting wood, and then they were all gone. Sawyer says he's with a group of people, to which Zoe replies "Thank God". Sawyer knows "Trust me, God's got nothing to do with it". However, it takes Zoe a beat too long to produce that her plane was on its way to Guam, because of course she wasn't on the plane. But her people are in the bushes with guns trained on Sawyer, so he asks to be taken to their leader.
Zoe leads Sawyer past a group of people setting up sonic fences and to a sub, so it's clear these are Widmore's people. Inside the sub is a locked room, which Sawyer takes note of as he's led in to speak with Chuck. He refuses to shake, explaining that the Kahana is his reason; Widmore scoffs at how little he knows about what really was going on. Widmore also denies killing the Ajira survivors, and Sawyer admits he was sent by John Locke. Both men know that the real John Locke is dead, and Sawyer offers to bring the impostor to Widmore if he ensures the safety of his friends and their safe passage off the Island. Now they shake.
Meanwhile, back on the main Island, Kate talks to Sayid and sees he's off; he also says he's not okay. Claire jumps her and tries to stab her, and Sayid does nothing. Black Robe has to pull her off himself (this whole scene is reminiscent of the real Locke beating the crap out of Mikhail as Richard and Tom look on in "The Man Behind the Curtain"), then slaps Claire and says that she's acting inappropriately.
Black Robe explains to Kate that he told Claire the Others had Aaron in order to give her something to live for, channeling her grief into hate. He offers Kate his hand, which she conspicuously does not take, although she does go with him to the shore so that he can explain where Sawyer went. He claims to understand what Kate is going through; his mother was crazy, which caused growing pains which could have been avoided if things were different, and now Aaron has a crazy mom too.
Claire and Kate hug and make up, with Claire tearfully exclaiming that she knows how much Kate cares about her and Aaron. Black Robe admits he didn't send Sawyer to find the Ajira survivors; Sawyer tells the truth about his encounter with Widmore, from the locked room to the pylons to his deal with him, and they reaffirm their pact to get off the Island. But Sawyer's still conning--he tells Kate he'll let Widmore and Black Robe fight it out while he and Kate commandeer the sub off the Island.
Assorted notes:
* Sawyer's streak of ending up in the most out of left field romantic pairings continues: first Juliet and now Charlotte.
* It's interesting that Anthony Cooper and Locke get along fine in 2004X, but he's still responsible for Ford family murder-suicide.
* Sawyer's actions in helping Kate escape in "LA X" seem awfully strange now that we learn he's a man of the law. I guess he still has a rogue streak and a soft spot for smoking hot criminals.
* Black Robe doesn't want to be killed--this must be possible, as Jacob can be killed, but it also must be difficult to accomplish, as Sayid or Bram could attest.
* If Sawyer is the best liar Black Robe has ever met (and surely he's met a lot of them), then why does he trust him to maintain allegiance to his cause? Or are both engaged in a dance of deception? I have a feeling we'll see a Sawyer/Black Robe fight of epic proportions near the end of the season.
* I'd assumed that Widmore would be on Black Robe's side, but it seems as if he'd like to capture him too. It's possible that the two are in cahoots, but it's also possible that what I've long thought but abandoned is true instead--that Widmore and Ben really have been on the same side, and that their conflict is more of an Others civil war. Time will tell.
* Just as Phil hitting Juliet made everyone hate him, will Black Robe's slapping Claire finally be enough to convince everyone that he is evil? One would hope. That doesn't make Jacob good necessarily, but Black Robe is evil. Taking a mother's grief and channeling it into hate? Also evil.
* I bet the scene between Kate and Black Robe on the beach will be looked back on as very important, but even if so I'm not sure which aspect of it will be focused on in retrospect. Was Black Robe's mother truly crazy, and if so, are his people the ones with mother issues and Jacob's the ones with father issues? Is he drawing on his retained Locke memories to weave this tale, or is this a similarity between Black Robe and Locke's life stories? And is his wistfulness for things being different an impetus for creating the X-timeline, or attempting to steer the world towards it?
* It's great to see that Kate, Jin, and Sawyer have not capitulated to Black Robe, and I have to believe that the real Claire is bubbling just under the surface as well. And who's to say Sayid won't find enough of his real self to muster up a crucial final sacrifice at some point? I think all of the Lostaways will end up being positive contributors to the end game.
2004X
We were led to believe that Sawyer was up to his usual con tricks again, but we come to find out that he is actually a cop running a sting, and that he and Miles are still cop bodies as they were in DHARMA times, using "LaFleur" as a code word. Unfortunately, Sawyer is still trying to hunt down an Anthony Cooper who was in the south in the late 70s, so some things haven't changed in X-land. Miles sets him up on a date with a redhead who works at the museum, but can tell that Sawyer is holding back something from him.
The redhead is Charlotte--still the same, a female Indiana Jones (although we have no clue whether or not she has any connection to the Island or DHARMA). Sawyer explains to her that he had to choose whether he'd become a criminal or a cop, and he chose the latter. They hook up, but Charlotte needs a t-shirt and finds James' file on the real Sawyer instead, which gets her kicked out of bed and the apartment.
Miles is ticked, and has pulled Sawyer's credit card and found that he was actually in Australia when he was supposed to be in Palm Springs. Miles quits as his partner, and Sawyer doesn't just look in the nearby locker room mirror--he shatters it with a punch. At the beginning of the scene, Liam was at the station looking for info on Charlie's arrest.
Sawyer goes home to his TV dinner, beer, and Little House reruns (which conspicuously say "People aren't really gone when they die.") This motivates him to attempt to woo back Charlotte, but she rejects his overtures.
Sawyer gives Miles his file on the real Sawyer and tells him everything. Although this time, his trip to Australia netted him not a dead Frank Duckett but the name Anthony Cooper, who he still intends to hunt down and kill. Why did he tell Miles this? Because he knows he'll try to talk him out of it. This nice moment of male bonding ends abruptly with a car ramming there's; the fleeing passenger turns out to be Kate (of course).
On the Island:
Sawyer finds Jin in Claire's tent and promises they won't leave the Island without Sun. He has a terse reunion with Kate as Black Robe and his followers roll in. Black Robe lies by omission to Cindy and the kids, telling them that the black smoke killed all the people at the Temple. Claire holds Kate's hand, feigning fear; Kate also sees Claire doting on squirrel-Aaron and finally realizes that her protectorate is not dealing with a full deck. Sawyer tells Kate that he's not with anyone when she wonders why he's following Black Robe.
As Black Robe addresses his followers, telling them they'll need to make camp for a few days, Sawyer presses the issue, asking when they'll leave the Island. Black Robe is upset, admits to Sawyer that he's the "smoke thing", and justifies killing the Temple dwellers because he gave them a chance to leave, and it's kill or be killed--and he doesn't want to be killed. Black Robe sends Sawyer to Hydra Island on an outrigger on an Ethanesque mission; he's not worried about what will happen if he gets caught, because Sawyer's the best liar he's ever met. Black Robe intends to repair the plane and fly it off the Island.
At Hydra Island, Sawyer visits the cages (and Kate's sundress of Season Three seems to bring back some old feelings) and finds the plane. The bodies of all the Ajira survivors have been dragged up a hill, where they are piled; a woman who says her name is Zoe claims to be the last survivor. Zoe doesn't quite know how they died--she heard screaming while she was out collecting wood, and then they were all gone. Sawyer says he's with a group of people, to which Zoe replies "Thank God". Sawyer knows "Trust me, God's got nothing to do with it". However, it takes Zoe a beat too long to produce that her plane was on its way to Guam, because of course she wasn't on the plane. But her people are in the bushes with guns trained on Sawyer, so he asks to be taken to their leader.
Zoe leads Sawyer past a group of people setting up sonic fences and to a sub, so it's clear these are Widmore's people. Inside the sub is a locked room, which Sawyer takes note of as he's led in to speak with Chuck. He refuses to shake, explaining that the Kahana is his reason; Widmore scoffs at how little he knows about what really was going on. Widmore also denies killing the Ajira survivors, and Sawyer admits he was sent by John Locke. Both men know that the real John Locke is dead, and Sawyer offers to bring the impostor to Widmore if he ensures the safety of his friends and their safe passage off the Island. Now they shake.
Meanwhile, back on the main Island, Kate talks to Sayid and sees he's off; he also says he's not okay. Claire jumps her and tries to stab her, and Sayid does nothing. Black Robe has to pull her off himself (this whole scene is reminiscent of the real Locke beating the crap out of Mikhail as Richard and Tom look on in "The Man Behind the Curtain"), then slaps Claire and says that she's acting inappropriately.
Black Robe explains to Kate that he told Claire the Others had Aaron in order to give her something to live for, channeling her grief into hate. He offers Kate his hand, which she conspicuously does not take, although she does go with him to the shore so that he can explain where Sawyer went. He claims to understand what Kate is going through; his mother was crazy, which caused growing pains which could have been avoided if things were different, and now Aaron has a crazy mom too.
Claire and Kate hug and make up, with Claire tearfully exclaiming that she knows how much Kate cares about her and Aaron. Black Robe admits he didn't send Sawyer to find the Ajira survivors; Sawyer tells the truth about his encounter with Widmore, from the locked room to the pylons to his deal with him, and they reaffirm their pact to get off the Island. But Sawyer's still conning--he tells Kate he'll let Widmore and Black Robe fight it out while he and Kate commandeer the sub off the Island.
Assorted notes:
* Sawyer's streak of ending up in the most out of left field romantic pairings continues: first Juliet and now Charlotte.
* It's interesting that Anthony Cooper and Locke get along fine in 2004X, but he's still responsible for Ford family murder-suicide.
* Sawyer's actions in helping Kate escape in "LA X" seem awfully strange now that we learn he's a man of the law. I guess he still has a rogue streak and a soft spot for smoking hot criminals.
* Black Robe doesn't want to be killed--this must be possible, as Jacob can be killed, but it also must be difficult to accomplish, as Sayid or Bram could attest.
* If Sawyer is the best liar Black Robe has ever met (and surely he's met a lot of them), then why does he trust him to maintain allegiance to his cause? Or are both engaged in a dance of deception? I have a feeling we'll see a Sawyer/Black Robe fight of epic proportions near the end of the season.
* I'd assumed that Widmore would be on Black Robe's side, but it seems as if he'd like to capture him too. It's possible that the two are in cahoots, but it's also possible that what I've long thought but abandoned is true instead--that Widmore and Ben really have been on the same side, and that their conflict is more of an Others civil war. Time will tell.
* Just as Phil hitting Juliet made everyone hate him, will Black Robe's slapping Claire finally be enough to convince everyone that he is evil? One would hope. That doesn't make Jacob good necessarily, but Black Robe is evil. Taking a mother's grief and channeling it into hate? Also evil.
* I bet the scene between Kate and Black Robe on the beach will be looked back on as very important, but even if so I'm not sure which aspect of it will be focused on in retrospect. Was Black Robe's mother truly crazy, and if so, are his people the ones with mother issues and Jacob's the ones with father issues? Is he drawing on his retained Locke memories to weave this tale, or is this a similarity between Black Robe and Locke's life stories? And is his wistfulness for things being different an impetus for creating the X-timeline, or attempting to steer the world towards it?
* It's great to see that Kate, Jin, and Sawyer have not capitulated to Black Robe, and I have to believe that the real Claire is bubbling just under the surface as well. And who's to say Sayid won't find enough of his real self to muster up a crucial final sacrifice at some point? I think all of the Lostaways will end up being positive contributors to the end game.
6x8 Pre-Thoughts
I haven't had a lot of time to reflect on the show this week, so a lot of what follows is very much prodded by the insights of others across the internet, and it's brief:
* Not related to the show itself, but I can't believe that anyone would believe anything they read on the bottom of the enhanced episodes. They are not written by TPTB and are often painfully stupid (i.e. "This is a flash-sideways difference" when it turns out Jack has a son. You think?). I love being able to get a refresher on last week's episode right before the new installment starts, but I'll keep 100% of my attention on the show itself.
* Is it possible that one of the locations with candidate names that we've been told belong to Jacob actually belong to Black Robe? Why does Jacob need to places to write his lists? What if Black Robe owns the cave, and scrawled the names from Jacob's lighthouse list somewhere for his own reference? I realize that this would not make a lot of sense given his actions in "The Substitute", and I'm not quite sure what the practical story effect of this difference would be, but it seems a little odd.
* Ben is now the first character to be approached by Black Robe, reject his overtures, and sign up with Jacob's side. Claire (albeit suffering understandable duress from the loss of Aaron, and being goaded into it by Cabin Christian) sided with Black Robe. A lot of people believe that Sawyer is pulling one of his cons, but for the moment at least, he's with Black Robe. Sayid enthusiastically joined Black Robe. Richard clearly has no use for Black Robe and is terrified by him, but he also lost all faith in Jacob (at least until Jack's dynamite stunt, which seems to have brought him back around). Ben Linus is the only character that has been on the receiving end of a direct appeal from Black Robe and chosen the other path.
* I can't believe I didn't note it more when Ilana was bandaged as if she had suffered radiological burns in "The Incident", the episode in which Jughead is blown, but is it possible that her injuries were in relation to the Island in 2004X or whatever universe the bomb did go off? An Ilana flashback episode, along with a Richard flashback, are the two most sorely needed mythological flashes at this point.
* I tend to believe that Widmore is working for Black Robe, whether he knows it or not. In fact, all of the actions that Widmore engaged in as Island leader (including some that seemed pretty evil, like ordering Alex to be killed) might well have been under orders from Black Robe. The feasibility of that scenario depends on how long the cabin or other means of communication with Jacob had been hijacked by Black Robe.
Another argument for this point? Widmore's insistence that Locke needed to go back to the Island, and if he didn't, the wrong side would win the upcoming war. Black Robe had engaged in a long con, using Locke, his time travels, and his own delusions of grandeur (fueled of course by himself) in order to engineer the loophole. Widmore getting Locke on the path to return to the Island was the final push the plan needed. It could also explain that Eloise was working for Black Robe, getting Ajira 316 set up as a substitute for Oceanic 815. On the other hand, that may be going a bit too far as Eloise's actions seem in many ways to serve Jacob's assumed agenda more than that of Black Robe.
* Was Widmore the person that Jacob wanted to find the Island via the lighthouse? Possibly; a sub certainly would have much more use for the Looking Glass than the lighthouse, but Jacob did say that the person would find another way. However, I think it's more likely that the man Jacob wanted is one who traveled by a means for which a lighthouse would be very helpful. Say someone who liked to sail...
* Not related to the show itself, but I can't believe that anyone would believe anything they read on the bottom of the enhanced episodes. They are not written by TPTB and are often painfully stupid (i.e. "This is a flash-sideways difference" when it turns out Jack has a son. You think?). I love being able to get a refresher on last week's episode right before the new installment starts, but I'll keep 100% of my attention on the show itself.
* Is it possible that one of the locations with candidate names that we've been told belong to Jacob actually belong to Black Robe? Why does Jacob need to places to write his lists? What if Black Robe owns the cave, and scrawled the names from Jacob's lighthouse list somewhere for his own reference? I realize that this would not make a lot of sense given his actions in "The Substitute", and I'm not quite sure what the practical story effect of this difference would be, but it seems a little odd.
* Ben is now the first character to be approached by Black Robe, reject his overtures, and sign up with Jacob's side. Claire (albeit suffering understandable duress from the loss of Aaron, and being goaded into it by Cabin Christian) sided with Black Robe. A lot of people believe that Sawyer is pulling one of his cons, but for the moment at least, he's with Black Robe. Sayid enthusiastically joined Black Robe. Richard clearly has no use for Black Robe and is terrified by him, but he also lost all faith in Jacob (at least until Jack's dynamite stunt, which seems to have brought him back around). Ben Linus is the only character that has been on the receiving end of a direct appeal from Black Robe and chosen the other path.
* I can't believe I didn't note it more when Ilana was bandaged as if she had suffered radiological burns in "The Incident", the episode in which Jughead is blown, but is it possible that her injuries were in relation to the Island in 2004X or whatever universe the bomb did go off? An Ilana flashback episode, along with a Richard flashback, are the two most sorely needed mythological flashes at this point.
* I tend to believe that Widmore is working for Black Robe, whether he knows it or not. In fact, all of the actions that Widmore engaged in as Island leader (including some that seemed pretty evil, like ordering Alex to be killed) might well have been under orders from Black Robe. The feasibility of that scenario depends on how long the cabin or other means of communication with Jacob had been hijacked by Black Robe.
Another argument for this point? Widmore's insistence that Locke needed to go back to the Island, and if he didn't, the wrong side would win the upcoming war. Black Robe had engaged in a long con, using Locke, his time travels, and his own delusions of grandeur (fueled of course by himself) in order to engineer the loophole. Widmore getting Locke on the path to return to the Island was the final push the plan needed. It could also explain that Eloise was working for Black Robe, getting Ajira 316 set up as a substitute for Oceanic 815. On the other hand, that may be going a bit too far as Eloise's actions seem in many ways to serve Jacob's assumed agenda more than that of Black Robe.
* Was Widmore the person that Jacob wanted to find the Island via the lighthouse? Possibly; a sub certainly would have much more use for the Looking Glass than the lighthouse, but Jacob did say that the person would find another way. However, I think it's more likely that the man Jacob wanted is one who traveled by a means for which a lighthouse would be very helpful. Say someone who liked to sail...
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
6x7: Dr. Linus
Another fine episode, neck and neck with "The Substitute" in my book for second best episode of the season.
2004X
* We get a scene along the lines of what I was hoping for involving Ben and European history, except rather than pondering what could drive people to become mass murderers, he talks about how Napolean felt his title of emperor was meaningless without power. We see that Ben is exactly as big of a sad sack as he appeared to be when we first saw him in "The Substitute"--Principal Reynolds cancels his history club meeting so he can monitor detention and he weakly says "It's Dr. Linus" as he walks away. Of course, Dr. Arzt teaches at the same high school and they are pals, and Locke encourages Ben to start a revolution.
* The most interesting thing about the 2004X portion of the episode was the relationship between Ben and his father. While Jack's daddy issue is untouched, both Locke and Ben have theirs squared away in 2004X. Ben is trying to keep his dad healthy, although the oxygen tanks certainly are meant to evoke images of the gas canisters of the Purge. Most interesting though is that Ben and Roger were on the Island, as members of the Dharma Initiative. They left, leaving Roger to wonder how great Ben's future might have been had they stayed. Should we be wondering if Ethan was also born on-Island, and if others who might pop up in 2004X who would have been on the Island in the past were there as well?
* Ben still has something of a fatherly relation to Alex, this time as a mentoring teacher. But when Alex spills the dirt she has on Principal Reynolds and the school nurse, Ben can't help but hatch a scheme, enlisting Arzt to hack into the principal's email account for dirt on the relationship. For his participation, Arzt wants a particularly pathetic Arzt-ian list of things: aprons, lab equipment, a better parking spot.
Principal Reynolds is a cool customer, though, threatening to torch Alex's hopes of getting into his alma mater, Yale. Ben has to decide between his becoming principal and helping his pupil, and for once in his life he does the right thing (corresponding to his Island choices, as we have seen so often in 2004X-2007 synergy). So Ben settles for getting Alex her letter, getting the history club back, and giving his own parking spot to Leslie.
On Island
* In the aftermath of the Temple massacre, Ben is separating from the group, but when he catches up, Ilana uses Miles' powers to catch him in his lie about who killed Jacob. Ilana is none too pleased, seeing as Jacob was the "closest thing to a father" she ever had. They head back to the old beach camp, citing shelter, supplies, and the water to their backs.
As they settle, Ilana explains to Sun that she too would like to find Jin, so that she can protect him as he is one of the candidates, of which there are six. Ilana does not know which of Jin or Sun is the candidate, nor does she really know/explain what the position entails, but the math on six is also questionable. Has she written off Sayid as a lost cause? Is she counting the one of Jin or Sun that turns out not to be a candidate? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, than one or more spots open up to join the presumed list of Sayid, Hurley, Jack, Sawyer, and Kwon. Kate seems like the leading bet (especially considering we saw her name at the lighthouse), but Ilana knows Miles' name, and Frank's potential candidacy has been discussed in the past.
* Frank and Ben talk, as Ben reminisces about Oceanic 815 breaking apart and Frank ponders how different his life would have been had he not overslept and flown the plane. Ben thinks not much--after all, the Island got Frank in the end. This diversion allows Ilana to get the drop on Ben; she takes him to Boone Hill and forces him to dig his own grave.
Ben hilariously attempts to shed doubt on Miles' credibility, reporting Miles' blackmail attempt from "Eggtown" (and also promising to pay him through his "vast network" if he can free Ben and Ben can leave the Island. Miles doesn't care about Ben's money, though--he knows about Nikki and Paulo's diamonds (and who expected a Nikki and Paulo name drop in Season Six? Have they been mentioned at all since "Expose", other than Sun having an episode on during "Ji Yeon"?) Miles reveals that he knows that Jacob cared about dying (Ben asserts he didn't), and that he hoped up until the last moment that he was wrong about Ben.
* As the grave nears completion, the Monster sounds are heard and Black Robe as Locke appears to Ben--apparently, Ilana didn't hear or see any of this. He appeals to Ben, inviting him to come to Hydra Island where he is assembling his group. (I thought for a moment that we would be seeing the boat chase scene from "The Little Prince"). Ben's role? The Island will still need an overseer, and Ben is Black Robe's candidate. He has left a rifle in the woods and releases Ben from his shackle.
* Ben predictabily runs, with Ilana giving chase. He gets the upper hand in their standoff, but hesitates to kill her (Despite Black Robe's orders to shoot, as she wouldn't hesitate. Perhaps someone else fears his enemies speaking to potential recruits). Ben explains that he knows the loss she's feeling--he allowed Alex to die in the name of Jacob and the Island, and for what? Ben says he's going with Black Robe, because no one else will take him. But Ilana does take him, and so Ben signs up with the army of Jacob, at least for the time being.
Of course, meanwhile there was Jack and Hurley, and the two storylines didn't meet up until the episode's closing act:
* Hurley is again dreaming about food; Jack is eager to get back to the Temple, and Hurley attempts to stall him in a number of ways--taking an alternate path, trying to get breakfast--but Jack sees right through him. Richard shows up, though, and offers to lead them back to the Temple (via an alternate route that neither Jack nor Hurley felt was the right way...hmm). Jack asks where Alpert came from, but Alpert claims he wouldn't believe him. Jack, who by now is pretty accustomed to Island weirdness, insists, but Richard says "not yet".
* Alpert is well aware of the Temple carnage, having seen it firsthand, and he has actually led Jack and Hurley to the Black Rock/ He's a little taken aback to learn that Hurley still communicates with Jacob, and urges him not to believe a word he says. Of course, Richard doesn't trust Black Robe either, leaving him firmly in the middle for a brief moment. Richard explains that he came to the Black Rock on a mission to die.
We pretty much get confirmation that Richard was at one time on the Black Rock, as he says he hasn't been back there in all the time he's been on the Island. He explains to Jack that he was touched by Jacob (and thus given a gift), but that it is in fact a curse. He spent his life, "longer than you can imagine", in service of Jacob and his plan, which he was told he was a part of and that it would be revealed to him in due time. But now with Jacob dead, he feels his life was wasted and he wants to end it.
Only he can't end it; that's apparently one of the drawbacks of being touched by Jacob (and would also explain why Jack couldn't kill himself in "Through the Looking Glass", among other things). So he wants Jack to light a fuse and set off the dynamite. Jack agrees, mortifying Hurley. Jack seemingly emphasizes with Richard's situation, and lights the fuse. Then he wants to talk. As Hurley and Richard both urge him to run, Jack holds his ground. He recounts what he saw at the lighthouse, and that he thinks Jacob had some sort of plan for him and will not allow him to be blown up by the dynamite. Sure enough, the fuse goes out just as it runs out. Jack snarkily asks if Richard would like to try another piece. Richard snarks that since Jack has all the answers, he should tell them what to do next. Jack's plan--go back to the beach where it all started.
It seems as if Jack is starting to accept that he is special, and that he has also managed to pull Richard back into Jacob's fold, reigniting his faith.
* So Jack, Hurley, and Richard arrive at the beach in the midst of a classic Season One musical montage. Ben is helping Sun put up a tarp (and I thought for a moment he'd confess that he lied about Jin's wishes in order to get her to come back, but alas), Miles is admiring his new diamonds, Frank is starting a fire, Ilana is crying. Then Sun and Frank hug and shake with Jack and Hurley, and all looks as happy as things on the Island after the Monster has gone on a rampage.
But things don't stay idyllic, because there is a submarine scoping out the Island, and when the crew member reports there are people on the beach, his boss tells them to continue as planned...Charles Widmore.
2004X
* We get a scene along the lines of what I was hoping for involving Ben and European history, except rather than pondering what could drive people to become mass murderers, he talks about how Napolean felt his title of emperor was meaningless without power. We see that Ben is exactly as big of a sad sack as he appeared to be when we first saw him in "The Substitute"--Principal Reynolds cancels his history club meeting so he can monitor detention and he weakly says "It's Dr. Linus" as he walks away. Of course, Dr. Arzt teaches at the same high school and they are pals, and Locke encourages Ben to start a revolution.
* The most interesting thing about the 2004X portion of the episode was the relationship between Ben and his father. While Jack's daddy issue is untouched, both Locke and Ben have theirs squared away in 2004X. Ben is trying to keep his dad healthy, although the oxygen tanks certainly are meant to evoke images of the gas canisters of the Purge. Most interesting though is that Ben and Roger were on the Island, as members of the Dharma Initiative. They left, leaving Roger to wonder how great Ben's future might have been had they stayed. Should we be wondering if Ethan was also born on-Island, and if others who might pop up in 2004X who would have been on the Island in the past were there as well?
* Ben still has something of a fatherly relation to Alex, this time as a mentoring teacher. But when Alex spills the dirt she has on Principal Reynolds and the school nurse, Ben can't help but hatch a scheme, enlisting Arzt to hack into the principal's email account for dirt on the relationship. For his participation, Arzt wants a particularly pathetic Arzt-ian list of things: aprons, lab equipment, a better parking spot.
Principal Reynolds is a cool customer, though, threatening to torch Alex's hopes of getting into his alma mater, Yale. Ben has to decide between his becoming principal and helping his pupil, and for once in his life he does the right thing (corresponding to his Island choices, as we have seen so often in 2004X-2007 synergy). So Ben settles for getting Alex her letter, getting the history club back, and giving his own parking spot to Leslie.
On Island
* In the aftermath of the Temple massacre, Ben is separating from the group, but when he catches up, Ilana uses Miles' powers to catch him in his lie about who killed Jacob. Ilana is none too pleased, seeing as Jacob was the "closest thing to a father" she ever had. They head back to the old beach camp, citing shelter, supplies, and the water to their backs.
As they settle, Ilana explains to Sun that she too would like to find Jin, so that she can protect him as he is one of the candidates, of which there are six. Ilana does not know which of Jin or Sun is the candidate, nor does she really know/explain what the position entails, but the math on six is also questionable. Has she written off Sayid as a lost cause? Is she counting the one of Jin or Sun that turns out not to be a candidate? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, than one or more spots open up to join the presumed list of Sayid, Hurley, Jack, Sawyer, and Kwon. Kate seems like the leading bet (especially considering we saw her name at the lighthouse), but Ilana knows Miles' name, and Frank's potential candidacy has been discussed in the past.
* Frank and Ben talk, as Ben reminisces about Oceanic 815 breaking apart and Frank ponders how different his life would have been had he not overslept and flown the plane. Ben thinks not much--after all, the Island got Frank in the end. This diversion allows Ilana to get the drop on Ben; she takes him to Boone Hill and forces him to dig his own grave.
Ben hilariously attempts to shed doubt on Miles' credibility, reporting Miles' blackmail attempt from "Eggtown" (and also promising to pay him through his "vast network" if he can free Ben and Ben can leave the Island. Miles doesn't care about Ben's money, though--he knows about Nikki and Paulo's diamonds (and who expected a Nikki and Paulo name drop in Season Six? Have they been mentioned at all since "Expose", other than Sun having an episode on during "Ji Yeon"?) Miles reveals that he knows that Jacob cared about dying (Ben asserts he didn't), and that he hoped up until the last moment that he was wrong about Ben.
* As the grave nears completion, the Monster sounds are heard and Black Robe as Locke appears to Ben--apparently, Ilana didn't hear or see any of this. He appeals to Ben, inviting him to come to Hydra Island where he is assembling his group. (I thought for a moment that we would be seeing the boat chase scene from "The Little Prince"). Ben's role? The Island will still need an overseer, and Ben is Black Robe's candidate. He has left a rifle in the woods and releases Ben from his shackle.
* Ben predictabily runs, with Ilana giving chase. He gets the upper hand in their standoff, but hesitates to kill her (Despite Black Robe's orders to shoot, as she wouldn't hesitate. Perhaps someone else fears his enemies speaking to potential recruits). Ben explains that he knows the loss she's feeling--he allowed Alex to die in the name of Jacob and the Island, and for what? Ben says he's going with Black Robe, because no one else will take him. But Ilana does take him, and so Ben signs up with the army of Jacob, at least for the time being.
Of course, meanwhile there was Jack and Hurley, and the two storylines didn't meet up until the episode's closing act:
* Hurley is again dreaming about food; Jack is eager to get back to the Temple, and Hurley attempts to stall him in a number of ways--taking an alternate path, trying to get breakfast--but Jack sees right through him. Richard shows up, though, and offers to lead them back to the Temple (via an alternate route that neither Jack nor Hurley felt was the right way...hmm). Jack asks where Alpert came from, but Alpert claims he wouldn't believe him. Jack, who by now is pretty accustomed to Island weirdness, insists, but Richard says "not yet".
* Alpert is well aware of the Temple carnage, having seen it firsthand, and he has actually led Jack and Hurley to the Black Rock/ He's a little taken aback to learn that Hurley still communicates with Jacob, and urges him not to believe a word he says. Of course, Richard doesn't trust Black Robe either, leaving him firmly in the middle for a brief moment. Richard explains that he came to the Black Rock on a mission to die.
We pretty much get confirmation that Richard was at one time on the Black Rock, as he says he hasn't been back there in all the time he's been on the Island. He explains to Jack that he was touched by Jacob (and thus given a gift), but that it is in fact a curse. He spent his life, "longer than you can imagine", in service of Jacob and his plan, which he was told he was a part of and that it would be revealed to him in due time. But now with Jacob dead, he feels his life was wasted and he wants to end it.
Only he can't end it; that's apparently one of the drawbacks of being touched by Jacob (and would also explain why Jack couldn't kill himself in "Through the Looking Glass", among other things). So he wants Jack to light a fuse and set off the dynamite. Jack agrees, mortifying Hurley. Jack seemingly emphasizes with Richard's situation, and lights the fuse. Then he wants to talk. As Hurley and Richard both urge him to run, Jack holds his ground. He recounts what he saw at the lighthouse, and that he thinks Jacob had some sort of plan for him and will not allow him to be blown up by the dynamite. Sure enough, the fuse goes out just as it runs out. Jack snarkily asks if Richard would like to try another piece. Richard snarks that since Jack has all the answers, he should tell them what to do next. Jack's plan--go back to the beach where it all started.
It seems as if Jack is starting to accept that he is special, and that he has also managed to pull Richard back into Jacob's fold, reigniting his faith.
* So Jack, Hurley, and Richard arrive at the beach in the midst of a classic Season One musical montage. Ben is helping Sun put up a tarp (and I thought for a moment he'd confess that he lied about Jin's wishes in order to get her to come back, but alas), Miles is admiring his new diamonds, Frank is starting a fire, Ilana is crying. Then Sun and Frank hug and shake with Jack and Hurley, and all looks as happy as things on the Island after the Monster has gone on a rampage.
But things don't stay idyllic, because there is a submarine scoping out the Island, and when the crew member reports there are people on the beach, his boss tells them to continue as planned...Charles Widmore.
Monday, March 8, 2010
6x7 Pre-Thoughts
* Sayid killed Dogen and Lennon, but left them in the spring. I assume they will not be coming back to life, particularly with the Temple now laid to waste, but there are better places to dispose of dead bodies on the Island.
* Excellent point by one of the recappers at DarkUFO: As Sayid bleeds out in "LA X" from his gunshot wound, he expresses great fear about his afterlife destination to Hurley. Speaking with Dogen in "Sundown", he boldly proclaims that he is a "good man". Sayid also called himself a bad man in "He's Our You". It would seem as if the real Sayid knew he was morally compromised; the infected Sayid thinks he is just fine, and that's probably the best evidence (other than the whole serving Black Robe thing) that he is truly infected.
* The debate is now raging as to whether 2004X is an epilogue, will converge with 2007, or is something else entirely. I don't have any brilliant convoluted theories to share, but I do think back to Jacob reading "Everything That Rise Must Converge" in "The Incident"--as he hovered over Locke, no less.
* Ryan from Zap2It pointed out that the Others folded awfully quickly in the face of Sayid's message from Black Robe, and tied it to Greta and Bonnie in the Looking Glass in "Through the Looking Glass". Remember them? One says that she followed order because she trusts Jacob, and the second she stopped doing that, this whole thing would fall apart.
Ryan's observation, one I'm stealing now, is that this may explain the eagerness with which the Others changed sides. We've seen that many Others have a great reverence for or personal relationship with Jacob--Mikhail called him a "great, magnificent man", he visited Ilana in the hospital, he saved Dogen's son. But none seems to understand what the whole deal is about, other than that love for Jacob. With Jacob gone, there's nothing cohesive to unite the Others, no incentive to face death rather than defect to Jacob's enemy--about whom they may know next to nothing.
* Obviously I could be wrong, but if I did predictions in the obnoxious omniscience that leads people to say things like "mark it down", I'd say: Mark it down--Claire will be redeemed.
* Excellent point by one of the recappers at DarkUFO: As Sayid bleeds out in "LA X" from his gunshot wound, he expresses great fear about his afterlife destination to Hurley. Speaking with Dogen in "Sundown", he boldly proclaims that he is a "good man". Sayid also called himself a bad man in "He's Our You". It would seem as if the real Sayid knew he was morally compromised; the infected Sayid thinks he is just fine, and that's probably the best evidence (other than the whole serving Black Robe thing) that he is truly infected.
* The debate is now raging as to whether 2004X is an epilogue, will converge with 2007, or is something else entirely. I don't have any brilliant convoluted theories to share, but I do think back to Jacob reading "Everything That Rise Must Converge" in "The Incident"--as he hovered over Locke, no less.
* Ryan from Zap2It pointed out that the Others folded awfully quickly in the face of Sayid's message from Black Robe, and tied it to Greta and Bonnie in the Looking Glass in "Through the Looking Glass". Remember them? One says that she followed order because she trusts Jacob, and the second she stopped doing that, this whole thing would fall apart.
Ryan's observation, one I'm stealing now, is that this may explain the eagerness with which the Others changed sides. We've seen that many Others have a great reverence for or personal relationship with Jacob--Mikhail called him a "great, magnificent man", he visited Ilana in the hospital, he saved Dogen's son. But none seems to understand what the whole deal is about, other than that love for Jacob. With Jacob gone, there's nothing cohesive to unite the Others, no incentive to face death rather than defect to Jacob's enemy--about whom they may know next to nothing.
* Obviously I could be wrong, but if I did predictions in the obnoxious omniscience that leads people to say things like "mark it down", I'd say: Mark it down--Claire will be redeemed.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
6x6: Sundown
I didn't hate "What Kate Does", but I freely admit it wasn't the strongest episode. Toss it out, and this season would be a run of uninterrupted awesomeness, continuing today with "Sundown".
In 2004X:
Nadia is married with two cute kids to Sayid's brother, Omar. Uncle Sayid has a boring but comfortable life as a translator for an oil company; he's just returned from Sydney and will soon go to Toronto, bringing boomerangs (like the ones that washed up on the beach for the Tailies) back as presents for the kids. But Omar owes money to a loan shark and wants Sayid to take care of the problem. He refuses, insisting he's not the same man he used to be during the war, and it's apparent that Omar is a touch jealous of the relationship between his wife and brother.
Omar is mugged, and at the hospital Sayid and Jack literally cross paths. Nadia urges Sayid not to retaliate. Later, Nadia asks Sayid why he pushed her towards Omar; Sayid responds that he was not worthy of her because of what he did in the war, and that he's spent the last twelve years trying to make amends. (Remember, in the original storyline, it was only during the war that Sayid became a torturer, and he then continued in that line of work for several years before fleeing).
Sayid is later forced to get into a car by a man who appears to be mercenary Omar. He's taken to the loan shark himself...Martin Keamy. Sayid turns the tables, killing Keamy's men and then shooting Keamy as he begs for his life. He hears someone tied up elsewhere in the kitchen, and it turns out to be Jin.
I've enjoyed the 2004X stuff, but this week was easily the weakest story we've seen in flashes this year.
On the Island:
Sayid demands to speak with Dogen, who explains that there is a scale of good and evil in every man, and that the electro-machine Sayid was hooked up to allows them to determine which way the scale tips. Dogen and Sayid get into a fight, with Dogen eventually getting the upper hand and having the opportunity to kill Sayid, but he does not, instead just banishing him from the Temple.
Meanwhile, Black Robe wants Claire to go into the Temple, promising to reunite her with Aaron and maintaining that he always does what he says he will. He also assures here that he'll only hurt the ones who won't listen.
Miles tells Sayid that he was dead, and that it wasn't the Others who saved him just as Claire strides into the Temple. She wants Dogen to leave the Temple to talk to Black Robe; Dogen refuses as he believes Black Robe will kill him, and has Claire held in a hole. He wishes to speak to Jack and Hurley, but they are still out in the jungle on their lighthouse excursion. Dogen tells Sayid that Black Robe is evil incarnate, and that if there is any good left in Sayid he'll kill Black Robe by plunging a knife into his heart before he speaks. We're left to wonder why that would make a difference, but Dogen seems to know what he's talking about, as he knows Black Robe will appear as a dead acquaintance to Sayid.
After a brief and seemingly fruitless run-in with Kate in the jungle, Sayid hears the rustling associated with the Monster and pulls his knife. Black Robe as Locke speaks to him, then Sayid stabs him. This accomplishes nothing, as Dogen expected. Black Robe gets into Sayid's head by telling him that Dogen expected that he would kill Sayid, and he suggests that this wasn't the first time that Dogen had tried to have someone else off Sayid. He offers him anything in the world, even Nadia.
So Sayid returns to the Temple to deliver a message--Jacob is dead, and everyone is free to leave. Black Robe will be leaving the Island forever, and the deadline to follow him is (title drop) sundown. If they don't follow, they will die. Meanwhile, Claire is creepily singing "Catch a Falling Star" in her hole as Kate arrives to speak with her (after forcing Lennon to allow her the privilege). Kate explains that she took Aaron and that she's here to rescue Claire and reunite mum and baby. But Claire says that it's not her that needs to be rescued--"He's coming and they can't stop him".
Sayid's message has caused a panic at the Temple, as many Others of little faith prepare to leave, including Cindy. Sayid goes to return Dogen's knife; Dogen is sitting by the spring and gives us his backstory (just in the nick of time). He was a successful banker in Osaka until he was promoted one night and got hammered. After he picked up his son from besuboru practice (one mystery dear to my heart explained), he got in an under-the-influence crash, seriously hurting his son. A man appeared at the hospital, offering to save the boy if Dogen would come to the Island and never see his son again. Of course, that man was Jacob. Sayid observes that Jacob drives a hard bargain, states his intention to stay, then drowns Dogen in the spring. Lennon comes in and is shellshocked, saying that Dogen was the only thing keeping it out, so Sayid slashes his throat.
The Monster arrives and attacks the Temple, and mass chaos ensues. Many Others are killed, Kate goes back to rescue Claire and is forced to hold onto the top of the hole to stay out of the Monster's path. Ilana, Ben, Sun, and Frank arrive just in the nick of time to save Miles; that group hides in a hole in the corridor where Hurley and Dogen had their showdown in "Lighthouse". Before hiding,
Ben had gone to retrieve Sayid, but after telling him "There's still time" and getting a crazed response of "not for me", he slinked back empty-handed. Miles informs Sun that Jin is still on the Island. As the smoke (get it?) clears to a creepy version of "Catch a Falling Star", Claire and Sayid both join the group huddled around Black Robe. Kate seems to be following as well, although her look appears closer to terror than obedience. Jin is seemingly not in this group.
Sorry this is almost all synopsis and no analysis, but I didn't get to watch LOST until midnight and have to go to bed.
In 2004X:
Nadia is married with two cute kids to Sayid's brother, Omar. Uncle Sayid has a boring but comfortable life as a translator for an oil company; he's just returned from Sydney and will soon go to Toronto, bringing boomerangs (like the ones that washed up on the beach for the Tailies) back as presents for the kids. But Omar owes money to a loan shark and wants Sayid to take care of the problem. He refuses, insisting he's not the same man he used to be during the war, and it's apparent that Omar is a touch jealous of the relationship between his wife and brother.
Omar is mugged, and at the hospital Sayid and Jack literally cross paths. Nadia urges Sayid not to retaliate. Later, Nadia asks Sayid why he pushed her towards Omar; Sayid responds that he was not worthy of her because of what he did in the war, and that he's spent the last twelve years trying to make amends. (Remember, in the original storyline, it was only during the war that Sayid became a torturer, and he then continued in that line of work for several years before fleeing).
Sayid is later forced to get into a car by a man who appears to be mercenary Omar. He's taken to the loan shark himself...Martin Keamy. Sayid turns the tables, killing Keamy's men and then shooting Keamy as he begs for his life. He hears someone tied up elsewhere in the kitchen, and it turns out to be Jin.
I've enjoyed the 2004X stuff, but this week was easily the weakest story we've seen in flashes this year.
On the Island:
Sayid demands to speak with Dogen, who explains that there is a scale of good and evil in every man, and that the electro-machine Sayid was hooked up to allows them to determine which way the scale tips. Dogen and Sayid get into a fight, with Dogen eventually getting the upper hand and having the opportunity to kill Sayid, but he does not, instead just banishing him from the Temple.
Meanwhile, Black Robe wants Claire to go into the Temple, promising to reunite her with Aaron and maintaining that he always does what he says he will. He also assures here that he'll only hurt the ones who won't listen.
Miles tells Sayid that he was dead, and that it wasn't the Others who saved him just as Claire strides into the Temple. She wants Dogen to leave the Temple to talk to Black Robe; Dogen refuses as he believes Black Robe will kill him, and has Claire held in a hole. He wishes to speak to Jack and Hurley, but they are still out in the jungle on their lighthouse excursion. Dogen tells Sayid that Black Robe is evil incarnate, and that if there is any good left in Sayid he'll kill Black Robe by plunging a knife into his heart before he speaks. We're left to wonder why that would make a difference, but Dogen seems to know what he's talking about, as he knows Black Robe will appear as a dead acquaintance to Sayid.
After a brief and seemingly fruitless run-in with Kate in the jungle, Sayid hears the rustling associated with the Monster and pulls his knife. Black Robe as Locke speaks to him, then Sayid stabs him. This accomplishes nothing, as Dogen expected. Black Robe gets into Sayid's head by telling him that Dogen expected that he would kill Sayid, and he suggests that this wasn't the first time that Dogen had tried to have someone else off Sayid. He offers him anything in the world, even Nadia.
So Sayid returns to the Temple to deliver a message--Jacob is dead, and everyone is free to leave. Black Robe will be leaving the Island forever, and the deadline to follow him is (title drop) sundown. If they don't follow, they will die. Meanwhile, Claire is creepily singing "Catch a Falling Star" in her hole as Kate arrives to speak with her (after forcing Lennon to allow her the privilege). Kate explains that she took Aaron and that she's here to rescue Claire and reunite mum and baby. But Claire says that it's not her that needs to be rescued--"He's coming and they can't stop him".
Sayid's message has caused a panic at the Temple, as many Others of little faith prepare to leave, including Cindy. Sayid goes to return Dogen's knife; Dogen is sitting by the spring and gives us his backstory (just in the nick of time). He was a successful banker in Osaka until he was promoted one night and got hammered. After he picked up his son from besuboru practice (one mystery dear to my heart explained), he got in an under-the-influence crash, seriously hurting his son. A man appeared at the hospital, offering to save the boy if Dogen would come to the Island and never see his son again. Of course, that man was Jacob. Sayid observes that Jacob drives a hard bargain, states his intention to stay, then drowns Dogen in the spring. Lennon comes in and is shellshocked, saying that Dogen was the only thing keeping it out, so Sayid slashes his throat.
The Monster arrives and attacks the Temple, and mass chaos ensues. Many Others are killed, Kate goes back to rescue Claire and is forced to hold onto the top of the hole to stay out of the Monster's path. Ilana, Ben, Sun, and Frank arrive just in the nick of time to save Miles; that group hides in a hole in the corridor where Hurley and Dogen had their showdown in "Lighthouse". Before hiding,
Ben had gone to retrieve Sayid, but after telling him "There's still time" and getting a crazed response of "not for me", he slinked back empty-handed. Miles informs Sun that Jin is still on the Island. As the smoke (get it?) clears to a creepy version of "Catch a Falling Star", Claire and Sayid both join the group huddled around Black Robe. Kate seems to be following as well, although her look appears closer to terror than obedience. Jin is seemingly not in this group.
Sorry this is almost all synopsis and no analysis, but I didn't get to watch LOST until midnight and have to go to bed.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
6x6 Pre-Thoughts
* A lot of LOST commentators made special note of the tic-tac-toe game that Miles and Hurley were playing, and I'm kicking myself for not noticing myself. As they point out, tic-tac-toe is a game that is almost always played to a draw with rational and intelligent players. The only way the game ends is if someone makes a mistake.
And as such, it seems to be a great metaphor for the battle between Jacob and Black Robe. Black Robe sees an endless cycle; Jacob says that it only needs to end once. But who made the fatal error? Jacob by his carelessness or his lack of pity for Ben or the like, or Black Robe by opening up a loophole in the first place?
* I pondered how Jin could have known that Kate took Aaron, without remembering that Kate and company were back in Dharma times for several days and he likely would have been told then.
* A scene I really want to see in 2004X: Benjamin Linus, teacher of European history, discussing with his class one or more of the many madmen of European history (Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and I'm only addressing one war there), asking the question of how seemingly normal men could be capable of genocide and other unspeakable evils
* Claire said her father and her friend told her that the Others had Aaron. Ryan from Zap2It pioneered the notion of "Cabin Christian" as an agent for Black Robe, and it seems he was spot on. But is Christian just another manifestation of Black Robe, one lost to him now that he's trapped in Locke's body. Or is he something else entirely? How did Claire become comfortable with the notion of her friend Black Robe occupying Locke's body, while at the same time being completely sure that it was not really Locke?
* There has been speculation on the identity of the person coming to the Island (and whether there is one at all, since it certainly seems as if Jacob had an ulterior motive in sending Jack and Hurley to the lighthouse). Desmond, with his "miraculous and special" nature, seems like a good choice. Perhaps it could even be the 2004X version of Desmond.
Desmond-spec has been fueled by the fact that the name corresponding to 108 degrees on the dial was "Wallace", which conjures up William and thus, of course, Scotland. Also noteworthy from the dial: (51) Austen.
* In season one, the first two episodes (Pilot, pts. 1 and 2) had multiple people's flashbacks. The thrid episode (Tabula Rasa) was a Kate flashback; the fourth (Walkabout) a Locke flashback; the fifth (White Rabbit) a Jack flashback.
In season five, the first two episodes (LA X, pts. 1 and 2) were multi-flashes; the third (What Kate Does) was a Kate episode; the fourth (The Substitute) a Locke; the fifth (Lighthouse) a Jack. Perfect order correspondence. And if you've seen the title for tonight's episode, you might join me in thinking this will continue for another week.
After that, it would be tough, as 1x7 was a Charlie episode; while he may still be alive in 2004X, he's not getting his own episode. But they could just skip dead people and go Sawyer-Sayid-Claire-Jack-Kate. I'm sure it has to stop before that; if anyone gets multiple centric episodes this season, it won't be until much further down the line.
And as such, it seems to be a great metaphor for the battle between Jacob and Black Robe. Black Robe sees an endless cycle; Jacob says that it only needs to end once. But who made the fatal error? Jacob by his carelessness or his lack of pity for Ben or the like, or Black Robe by opening up a loophole in the first place?
* I pondered how Jin could have known that Kate took Aaron, without remembering that Kate and company were back in Dharma times for several days and he likely would have been told then.
* A scene I really want to see in 2004X: Benjamin Linus, teacher of European history, discussing with his class one or more of the many madmen of European history (Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and I'm only addressing one war there), asking the question of how seemingly normal men could be capable of genocide and other unspeakable evils
* Claire said her father and her friend told her that the Others had Aaron. Ryan from Zap2It pioneered the notion of "Cabin Christian" as an agent for Black Robe, and it seems he was spot on. But is Christian just another manifestation of Black Robe, one lost to him now that he's trapped in Locke's body. Or is he something else entirely? How did Claire become comfortable with the notion of her friend Black Robe occupying Locke's body, while at the same time being completely sure that it was not really Locke?
* There has been speculation on the identity of the person coming to the Island (and whether there is one at all, since it certainly seems as if Jacob had an ulterior motive in sending Jack and Hurley to the lighthouse). Desmond, with his "miraculous and special" nature, seems like a good choice. Perhaps it could even be the 2004X version of Desmond.
Desmond-spec has been fueled by the fact that the name corresponding to 108 degrees on the dial was "Wallace", which conjures up William and thus, of course, Scotland. Also noteworthy from the dial: (51) Austen.
* In season one, the first two episodes (Pilot, pts. 1 and 2) had multiple people's flashbacks. The thrid episode (Tabula Rasa) was a Kate flashback; the fourth (Walkabout) a Locke flashback; the fifth (White Rabbit) a Jack flashback.
In season five, the first two episodes (LA X, pts. 1 and 2) were multi-flashes; the third (What Kate Does) was a Kate episode; the fourth (The Substitute) a Locke; the fifth (Lighthouse) a Jack. Perfect order correspondence. And if you've seen the title for tonight's episode, you might join me in thinking this will continue for another week.
After that, it would be tough, as 1x7 was a Charlie episode; while he may still be alive in 2004X, he's not getting his own episode. But they could just skip dead people and go Sawyer-Sayid-Claire-Jack-Kate. I'm sure it has to stop before that; if anyone gets multiple centric episodes this season, it won't be until much further down the line.
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