I think I have some of the same feelings of angst and uncertainty about this week’s episode, Ji Yeon, as I did about last week’s episode, The Other Woman. On the one hand, I like learning more about the endgame. On the other hand (I have five fingers. Har!) I don’t want to see it end.
As a co-worker remarked earlier this week, it’s getting lost yourself – immersing yourself each Thursday night with a pad, a pen and the pause button – that makes it all worthwhile.
Ultimately, I do this for you people. My adoring public. My fellow Losties.
Read on.
- The Oceanic Six
- Jack
- Hurley
- Sayid
- Kate
- Aaron
- Sun
- The Survivors of the Chancellor
- The Black Box
- Captain Gault is telling the truth
- Captain Gault is lying
- Yi Jeon
- Kevin Johnson
Prior to Ji Yeon, ABC has been hyping this episode as the one where the final member of The Oceanic Six would be revealed.
After toying with us (just like last week) with a flashback (Jin’s much like Juliet’s), we see the flash-forward is Sun’s.
The final tally (in revelatory order):
Commence to disagreement or nit-picking. I may have gotten things wrong.
Subtle, but true: Jin’s death is listed as 9/22/2004, the date that Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. This is in keeping with the previous backstory (forward story?) that the Oceanic Six are the *only* survivors of the crash. I wonder, is Jin actually still alive or is the grave a sign that he did die?
Lots of questions about why the Oceanic Six ARE the Oceanic Six, but I’m sure we’ll know more eventually. I actually hope not SOON.
The Survivors of the Chancellor is a novel by Jules Verne dealing with a shipwreck and survivors and other Lost-like nonesuch. Regina was reading it before she weighted herself down, skindiver-style, affecting her own demise.
Discuss.
So we have two starting points:
Ben’s man on the boat, Michael AKA Kevin Johnson seems to think Gault is lying.
So, the black box is either a sure sign that something time-screwy is happening OR *someone* faked the wreckage.
Charles Widmore would claim that it’s Ben Linus. Ben Linus would claim that it’s Charles Widmore. Or worse: Ben would advance some other theory which is beyond the scope of this bullet point.
My question is this: who stands to gain more from propagating the lie that Oceanic Flight 815 crashed with no survivors?
My own personal opinion is that Charles Widmore used the Captain’s Log of the Black Rock to come up with coordinates to stage the wreckage. The story of Find815.com, while not completely canonical, does point to Widmore-owned Maxwell Group embarking on a mission to find The Black Rock only to stumble upon Oceanic Flight 815. We saw this in several episodes this season as well.
But why?
Matthew Abbadon, recruiter of the Freighter Folk who make it to the island, told Naomi (who wasn’t convinced) that there were no survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Captain Gault obviously shared Naomi’s feelings and believes that Sayid is who he says he is. Likewise for Daniel Faraday and Charlotte Lewis.
Again, why?
Why hire a bunch of folks who might actively work to uncover/discover your handiwork, unless it wasn’t Widmore behind it?
I guess it’s another mystery we’ll learn more about. Graciously something new to not know. :-)
I’m sure someone is fast at work on a timeline, but I’d love to have a prohibitive date for her birthday. Figuring that Sun is 8 weeks pregnant when Juliet examines her and that we’re at roughly day 100 in the Yi Jeon episode, that makes her birthday what? Sometime in July or August of 2005?
I’m no mathematician but I want to know how this flashforward synchs up with Hurley’s mental institution stay, Jack’s bridge experience, the trial and everything else.
The producers have said that they don’t mess with time internal to each particular flash, but since tonight had one in each direction, I’m seriously questioning why Hurley was the only one who came to visit and WHERE/WHEN everyone/thing is happening in the “future”.
For those of you who had Michael Dawson, below deck, with the mop (sorry, Clue fans): *Ding!*
But where is Walt?
Why is/isn’t he the suspected saboteur (more so/less so than some others on the Freighter)?
Did he wash up on the boat or make it back to civilization first? (It seems more probable that he just washed up, but where is Walt?)
More to come, I’m sure, in the next episode: Meet Kevin Johnson. No official word from ABC if it’ll air next week, but I think I’ve seen releases that we’re stuck waiting a month for the final 6 episodes of the season (we’ve seen 7 thus far).
So a few minor advancements forward and some more spidery questions.
Still, I miss the wholly unknown Lost and I’m still struggling to accept the flashforward, chugging-toward-eventual-resolution Lost.
Oh well. G’night!
And as usual/always, leave a comment.
BONUS LINK: Lost Madness (it’s timely basketball reference) from the Washington Post. Go vote!
They’re ahead of the NCAA Tournament timeframe, but it’s cute
Muppeteers…I agree, this one leaves only questions:
What intrigues me is this dynamic of who should be feared more: Widmore or Linus?
Who is the greater threat, and, in the inverse, who is closer to being “the good guy?”
And how do we measure such a thing? The best interests of our Lostaways (or even just come of them) or of the world in general (which assumes some greater importance to the Island that affects everyone everyone)?
Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few (or the one)?
Is Jin dead on the island as well?
Are we counting Aaron REALLY as a 6? (I guess we have to, but I wasn’t until now).
How DID Michael come to be on that boat? And how far back was this planned?
IF Ben REALLY does have the power to fake the wreckage, then – and this is significant to me – after the Purge, Ben made/kept some very powerful allies. Which brings me to…
If Widmore is at odds with Ben, was he at odds with the original Dharma? Or the reverse?
Did Dharma off the island make an arrangement with Ben after the purge to keep the Island going/safe?
They can’t possible NOT know, right?
Then WTF happened to them? (I can do this thread for months, so I’ll stop).
Furthermore…
Does the world believe Aaron is ACTUALLY Kate’s?
How does that work time-wise…a few month old Kate baby AND Sun giving birth after returning? And I mean, how does the press (the O6 are famous y’all…all up on OK Magazine and Us Weekly) reconcile a clearly not showing Kate when captured (compared to a very pregnant Claire on that same day) to a baby of Aaron’s age AND Jin’s death and the length of time for Sun to have a baby in the same time universe?
How!!!!!!
I echo the need for a visual timeline, and Hunter’s question of who’s the bigger Big Bad. But this makes me wonder:
The final tally (in revelatory order):
1. Jack
2. Hurley
3. Sayid
4. Kate
5. Aaron
6. Sun
If that’s the “final” Oceanic Six…then who’s in the coffin? Would the coffin occupant be considered to be one of the O6? And if we’re being shown that the O6 are uber-celebrities, then why was no one at the funeral? Does that mean that the coffin may not be in the present? Or is it a secret funeral?
So many questions…
Here’s another thought: the ep previews teased us on “THE FINAL MEMBER OF THE O6” and we all bought that crap…and conveniently forgot about Jack’s line from earlier this season at Kate’s trial: “There were 8 survivors of the crash.” And only 6 made it off the island alive.
So who were the other 2? Did they come home in body bags?
Anybody considered that it might have been Michael/Kevin Johnson in the coffin? Being a spy on the ship and under an assumed name, he probably wouldn’t have been considered one of the O6. Plus if he was buried as Kevin Johnson, that would account for no one being at the funeral. Just had that thought pop in my head.
The producers have said in a podcast that the eight who survived aren’t especially important.
I’m starting to think that Hurley’s in the coffin, because he’s the one who says they should go back. And maybe it’s Hurley’s death that finally pushed Jack into deciding that going back is the right thing to do.
Michael’s not a bad guess, though.
Did anyone notice in this episode the exchange between Sayid and the doctor when he was escorting them to their room on the ship:
Doc: “At least you’re on the quiet part of the ship”
Sayid: “But the ship isn’t moving?”
Doc: “If you say so”
Maybe I’m being overly analytical, but that seems to possibly suggest something about “where” they are or “when” they are. I dunno. Maybe I should stop reading into every little thing they say ;)
Again, great synopsis. I love it.
Please continue over-analyzing! A few weeks ago, i was unaware of the existence of Losties or episode transcripts. Now i’ve been eagerly reading everyone’s input here combined with transcipts at lost.about.com/od/season4recaps. We aren’t much different from avid readers of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who pieced together the tiniest of clues and probably whispered their suspicions into the pages hoping Sherlock or Watson could hear — much like some of us talking to the tv telling characters not to trust Juliette and exclaiming “YES!!!” when it turned out Sun had heard us and voiced her (our) opinion this week. (Vulcan mindmelds with the tv DO work! BZZZZT!!! ZAP!!)
I agree, this show should be savoured. When Prison Break Season 1 came out on DVD, I gorged it all within a few days. I no longer have appetite for seasons 2 or 3. When Dexter Season 1 came out, i throttled back and took in the scenery one episode every few days. A most satisfying experience, like coffee sipped rather than chugged. Likewise, Lost. To help those of us who love the mystery, perhaps the producers can stage a heist. Like Dallas, the script gets stolen and we are left on the edge of our seats wondering “Who shot JR?”
Lost: Meet Kevin Johnson…
Like last week’s episode Ji Yeon [BONUS LINK: Powell’s discussion of that episode], we started out with some misdirection concerning flashbacks and flashforwards, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Meet Kevin Johnson:
Questions answere…