This was another runaway freight train episode where all the action was breakneck and just had to happen in the exact order at exactly the right time (quickly) or things wouldn’t/won’t work out right.
Rather than try to recap or bullet everything, I’m just asking questions.
- Per Jenn, why are the hostiles so hostile?
- Who do you think is successful in their attempts to “change” things? Locke killing Jacob? Ben (and Richard?) trying to stop him? Jack and Eloise detonating the bomb? Kate, Sawyer & Juliet trying to stop them? How will Ilana/Bram figure into the big season finale next week? How much of a wildcard is Sayid?
- Do you think the map that Sawyer drew for Radzinsky is the map that keeps being used throughout other points in the island’s history?
- If Richard is to be believed when he tells Sun that he “saw them die” in reference to Jin/Hurley/Kate/Jack/Sawyer/Juliet, is that an indication that both “sides” of the fight over the hydrogen bomb/Swan argument fail, OR is it an indication that their success doesn’t make any difference? Timetravel discussion is hard!
- Is Eloise’s motivation anti-Dharma or pro-Farraday?
- Why is Radzinsky so concerned about the timeframe for The Swan?
- What is Richard Alpert’s official role within the Others? Why hasn’t he had more control/input/guidance/direction for the “leaders” over the decades?
- Would you attempt to change the past/get rid of any pain in the future if you could (or thought you could)?
I’ll leave you with one this thought: I really liked the Black Rock as ship-in-a-bottle moment. Subtle, but welcomed.
I also really dig the casting of all the “younger” versions of all the Others, specifically Widmore & Eloise who are spot-on.
Lastly, I continue to be impressed by all the ways the show illustrates how much people can change and yet still be the same and vice versa. In an episode on leadership, it was nice to see Locke, Jack, Sawyer, Ben & Richard all act in ways both familiar and new. Makes me think I’d like to be a real writer when I grow up one day.
Sleep-deprived and ready for this year’s cliffhanger. Hoping we don’t get too much information and really wishing these seasons were 22-24 episodes, if only so the storytelling didn’t seemed rushed sometimes.
Add your questions, answers and annotations in the comments.
G’night!
Man, I’ve got like allll the same questions and then some! I liked that you brought up Radzinsky’s rush to see the Swan started, that’s one that I haven’t heard many people point out but it is rather mystifying… As for Eloise’s motivation, I’d call her pro-Faraday at this point. After all, blowing up the hydrogen bomb would be as much anti-Others as anti-Dharma, right? So the new developments have to be carrying a good bit of weight at this point. It is funny about Alpert being so often disregarded, isn’t it? You’d think an immortal dude would have more to do than play sidekick perpetually… Some people are suggesting that he’s secretly puppeteering, but why would he bother being subtle? It also seemed pretty clear that Locke was 100% orchestrating his own run-in with Richard during the flashes… whatever that means.
My favorite moment was without question when Locke dropped the casual, “Hi ho, it’s off to kill Jacob we go.” WTF?? I’m debating everything from Jacob being the island’s king/god and Locke wanting to stage a coop, to Jacob being a man trapped between dimensions, or at least between death and life, and trying to manipulate those around him into freeing him. Hehehe, have you heard the theory that Jacob is actually Jack, caught in a time loop??
Thanks for the comment, Sarah.
I really think we’ll know more about Richard & Ilana soon, but the question of who is pulling strings, who knew what (and when) and what the whole point *is* are Season 6 questions.