The night actually started out with an hour-long special/recap: Destiny Calls.
It was actually much more like a beefed-up version of the Official Lost Video Podcast which also features Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. They were at their goofy, snarky best tonight dropping, in my opinion, two nuggets:
- Richard Alpert as “the guy behind the guy” per Damon
- Sun being described as “believing her husband is dead” per Carlton
I think the latter is a little more revealing, but that wasn’t/isn’t entirely apparent until we got to tonight’s two-fer of episodes, beginning with Because You Left.
Here are the talking points:
- Time travel rears it’s ugly head
- Lost as Quantum Leap
- How are The Others/Hostiles & Desmond tied to the Island?
- Who is behind the papers served to Kate?
It has ruined other shows – *cough* Heroes *cough* – but Lost’s very specific flavor of time travel is laid out quite well in Season 4 by Daniel Faraday and in the second episode of the night, The Lie, again by Faraday.
Here, though, we get yet another alias for our Dharma Station/Initiation video guy, this time Dr. Chang – presumably his real name, as well as a shot of the aforementioned Faraday in the past.
There’s also the use of music in the form of a record on a turn table, harkening back to the first episode of Season 2 when Desmond played Mama Cass’ Make Your Own Kind Of Music. This time around it’s Willie Nelson’s Shotgun Willie from the album of the same name. The record skipping in that opening scene is then referenced by Faraday – well, records anyhow – as an explanation for how the Island interacts with space/time.
Locke == Sam
Alpert == Al
Just thinking out loud here but it was an effect of all the flashing and time-shifts that had Jenn and I both mentioning it out loud.
Not at all un-Lost to throw a bone to other series/creative works, but maybe I’m just lazy and out of practice at these blog posts.
Alpert seems able to traverse space/time in a manner that is inconsistent with the “scientific” explanations offered by the creators of the series and Faraday.
What makes Desmond special?
How did The Others come to have such a special/close relationship with the Island?
How long have The Others been on the Island and just how old are they?
Do the circumstances of one’s arrival to the island (shipwreck, plane crash, willful entry via submarine) make a difference to how things “work”?
This issue bleeds into the second episode, but do we believe it is Widmore? Ben? Maybe even Sun, who played the bit about Jin and “choices” so well in The Lie?
Curious to hear your theories.
On to the second episode, The Lie:
- Who is after Hurley/Sayid?
- Ana Lucia
- Did someone want Hurley to get caught?
- Ms. Hawking
Again, is it Widmore or Ben or some other force trying to force the hand of the Oceanic Six? Maybe even Alpert or the plans coming to fruition of Dead Locke?
Also, does anyone else find Ben’s statements to Jack about Locke in the van a tad too ambiguous? Does the time travel mean there is the potential for Locke to somehow be reborn?
Nice to see her back, if only in ghost form. Anybody else convinced that the “power” Hurley has is different than the one Miles Straum has? Because I think they’re different. I think Hurley is a unique individual in a similar way to Desmond.
Hurley’s only real transgression in the past was using the numbers to win the lottery. He’s not like the other members of the Oceanic Six and I think this fact saves him in some way and also dooms him in another.
Which brings me to:
Clearly it’s not Ben, or at least he says it’s not, but someone must have. Does Sayid have reservations about returning? Enough of them to botch his own rescue and nearly get himself killed?
I don’t think it’s that easy, but something else is at play here (there always is). I don’t think it’s as simple as just Hurley taking Sayid’s advice and doing the opposite of what Ben says.
But I could be totally wrong. Maybe Ben planned the whole thing as yet another exercise in reverse psychology, but that’s not how he described it to:
I’m not sure where the church/lab was that Ms. Hawking met Ben Linus, but I’m thinking maybe it was somehow in Oxford.
I also think Ms. Hawking is Daniel Faraday’s mother, whom Desmond has met previously and who he’s trying to meet in future episodes.
No proof or clues, just happenstance and guess/hunch.
Other nice little touches:
- 8:14 & 8:15 on the clock in Dr. Chang’s bedroom
- Neal/Frogurt wearing an “away team” red shirt (Star Trek) and getting killed.
- Hurley’s “recap” to his mom
That’s it for me tonight, save for some links. I’m sure I’ll both update this post and get better in subsequent weeks.
Thanks for reading. Please comment.
Links:
Lost Preview: Will Hurley Sink the Oceanic 6’s Return Trip?
The Man Who Makes Sense of ‘Lost’ – great article and it does make you wonder how they do it without relational databases.
Nine ‘Lost’ Questions We Need Answered – RE: #4: No. Ben didn’t know Desmond had a boat.
Lost’s “Ben” says the new season changes everything
|
You Are Jack |
 You are a natural but reluctant leader. People are drawn to you in times of crisis. And while the role of leader is not something you’re totally comfortable with, you will fight hard to keep it. You are obsessed with fixing things and people. You can’t rest until everything is better. You are concerned with maintaining your stoic image. It hurts when other people see you suffer. |
Good night!
Glad to see these posts came back with the new season. I’m still chewing on this episode, myself, but will write about it later.
The biggest mind screw was when Daniel talked to Desmond, as he hadn’t met him yet, but he had, but he hadn’t… if you know what I mean?
Sorry for the e-stalking. I just did a quick google and came across your blog and LOST love! Couldn’t help but reply with my own love of lost.
A few things:
“Alpert seems able to traverse space/time in a manner that is inconsistent with the “scientific†explanations offered by the creators of the series and Faraday.”
I don’t think he travels through time. I just think that the original others know how to use the island to not age. And they’re not “skipping” because of how they’re tied to the island and how long they’ve been there.
“What makes Desmond special?”
I’m guessing because he got a full blast close range shot of the Island’s energy when he turned the key at the Swan.
“I’m not sure where the church/lab was that Ms. Hawking met Ben Linus, but I’m thinking maybe it was somehow in Oxford.
I also think Ms. Hawking is Daniel Faraday’s mother, whom Desmond has met previously and who he’s trying to meet in future episodes.”
I had this same thought.
“I think Hurley is a unique individual in a similar way to Desmond.”
I think you’re right or at least partially right. I think whatever it is it has to do with Hurley being the only one of the 6 to see “Jacob.”
I say “partially” because I’m not sure it’s something special with Hurley… specifically. I think that part of the smoke monster or the island’s essence or Jacob escaped/traveled with Hurley and that’s what’s manifesting. It seems like both the smoke monster and Jacob can appear as the dead – the only exception has been Walt – which could be because he’s special, or maybe Jacob can appear as whoever Jacob wants.
That last paragraph is full of speculation, but there definitely seem to be two forces at work here. We’ve seen smokey appear as the dead to manipulate people.
But when the dead/people appear when Smokey’s NOT around… it’s usually to help/offer advice.
Anyway – I’ve rambled enough – gotta get back to job searching!
Have a great day, sir!
Andy Floyd
1 quick note for now…need to watch it again before more:
Alpert isn’t unstuck in time. Quite the opposite. Separate from why he doesn’t age (another issue)…all that happened there was Alpert comes at a later when in linear time to “rescue” Locke…but later in Locke’s experienced time (his line despite the shifting around him) AND earlier in Alpert’s line (Actually a time prior to Locke EVER meeting Alpert before we get unstuck), Locke meets Alpert “again”, gives him the compass (which I presume Alpert already has) and explains…so Alpert can got and rescue him (in his experienced) later.
Wow, mouthful…think about the ridiculousness at the end of Bill & Ted’s where they “remember” to go back in time and set up the materials they need to be successful in the il break sequence.
Yes, Bill & Ted’s…deal with it.
concur that Hawking is likely Faraday’s mom.
Personally, I am very worried about Sun. She might blame Ben most, but she clearly blames Kate and Jack too.
Could Claire’s mum be behind the maternity test? Long shot, but the motivation is there.
As always…to soon to tell.
Happy to be back, happy Lost is back, good to see you are back too.
I’m about to watch the episode again, but did we ever see the face of Chang’s baby? Even though I lean towards the Chang’s baby is Daniel theory, I wonder if the baby could be Charlotte.
The original others…. Except for Alpert, we don’t really know any of the other Others. The ones we did are dead and we never saw them outside of their normal time line. So, all of them could be just like Alpert and not aging.
Part of me thinks that Ms. Hawking is Daniel’s mother, but wouldn’t that be too easy?
I think the lawyer’s at Kate’s house were sent by the new vindictive Sun.
[…] and well recognized Lostpedia after new episodes, and fortunately Seth Miller has started up his post-show reviews again at Mostly […]
I think the general consensus leans towards believing Ms. Hawking to be Daniel’s mother, some concerns about Sun, which I share and some good recapping of what’s going on with space/time re: Alpert.
I’m interested in thinking about the baby in Dr. Chang’s room and his wife.
Will watch again tonight to see if I can glean anything from a bigger HD tv.
Thanks for playing, y’all.
Also, not sure we all caught this, but Locke’s injury while climbing the vines to get to the plane are consistent from a space/time perspective with him being unable to walk in Season 1 when Boone must go and inspect the plane.
Glad to see everyone back here. I know want to know who Ben’s really reporting to…is it something like the DaVinci Code secret society? And if that’s so, Widmore’s … ?