I’ve had a couple days to absorb Tuesday’s episode of “Lost,” titled “Dr. Linus.” Here are the big issues I was left with (and there are nothing but spoilers ahead:
1. When did the flash-sideways timeline start? In the 1977 where the Losties detonated the nuke, Ben and his father were still on the island. So presumably they would have died. But in the parallel 2004, they’re alive and left the island (presumably) on their own free will. So what did the nuke do? It must’ve rebooted time way past 1977, maybe all the way back to erasing all traces of Jacob and everyone he’d ever touched. But just how far back did it go?
2. What powers does Jacob give with his touch? Richard got eternal life (or immortality? Are the two different?). Is that the default “gift,” or is it different for each person? Locke and Sayid were touched, but still died. On the other hand, Michael and Jack tried to kill themselves off the island and couldn’t. Is it like some kind of game, where once you’re playing, you can’t concede or back out on your own? And maybe only another player can take you out? Or maybe it’s some kind of “greatest wish” thing – Richard wanted to live forever, Dogen wanted his son to live, Hurley didn’t want to be jinxed, etc.
Speaking of Richard, I almost threw my remote through the TV when Jack said “Now let’s talk” to Richard after he lit the fuse on the dynamite. Geez Jack, whatever happened to asking questions when they have time to be answered? I feel like we had a chance to learn a great deal about Richard and how Jacob works, but got cheated out of it. Still, it was was a gripping, tense scene and it’s interesting to see Jack become a man of unflappable faith – like Locke of old – and start to embrace his place in the island’s destiny. Especially juxtaposed against the utter collapse of Richard’s faith in Jacob.
3. Who is Kwon? Everyone seems to think the candidate named Kwon is Jin or Sun, or both. But what about their daughter? Wouldn’t someone conceived on the island be some sort of special “gift”? And children have played crucial roles before – Walt, Aaron, Alex . . . . why not Baby Kwon? (And speaking of Alex, could she have been the candidate named Rousseau on the wall? And since candidates aren’t supposed to die, is that why Ben was so shocked when Keamy killed her?)
4. Ben is such a great character. The guy’s evil. We’ve seen that. He murdered his own father, helped the mass murder of the Dharma Initiative, has given us five seasons of lies and deceptions and did countless other nasty things. And yet we still feel sorry for the guy! Just goes to show what fantastic writing and even more fantastic acting by Michael Emerson can do. I loved the parallels in this episode, with both Bens being power hungry and scheming and trying to control their little kingdoms, yet both choosing the path of redemption at the end. Ben sacrificing his ambitions for Alex’s sake must provide some kind of karmic payback for letting her die on the island. I loved how in the parallel world, he was changing oxygen tanks to help his father breathe, when in the original timeline he gassed his father to death in the van. It’s the little details like that that really wow me. Loved the reappearance of Arzt (the science teacher) too. Still, even after the redemption arc, as Ben spilled his guts and Ilana let him live, a little part of me expected him to shoot her in the back. I still don’t trust the guy. He’s such a great bad guy.
5. Widmore! Huh, there must be a pretty steep dropoff in the seabed for a sub to operate so close to shore. Oh wait, wait, suspension of disbelief, I’ve gotta readjust my brain. So anyway . . . . Widmore! How did he find the island, and what’s he going to do? Is he the Wallace who Jack and Hurley were supposed to signal through the lighthouse? Is he the coming evil, who’ll take UnLocke off the island? Or is he actually good, and will fight UnLocke? That’s what I love about this show – six years in, and we still don’t know exactly who the good guys are.
6. Back to Hydra Island. So UnLocke and his followers, including Kate and Sayid (and Sawyer and Jin?), are headed to the former Dharma base. And remember, that’s where the survivors of the Ajira flight are (geez, we haven’t seen them in a looooong time). Think the reunited Losties will head there as well, thinking it’s a safe spot? (Ben knows UnLocke is going there though, so maybe he’ll warn them.) Should be interesting times at Hydra Station.
7. Who’s the sixth candidate? Ilana said there are six candidates left. We saw Jacob touch eight people off the island: Jack, Kate, Locke, Sawyer, Sun, Jin, Hurley and Sayid. Actually, a ninth – Ilana – but she sounds more like a bodyguard of candidates rather than a candidate herself. Can we cross out Locke and Sayid now that they’re dead and infected, respectively? But Kate’s name was crossed out in the cave too. So that leaves three open spots? Or, there’s the Oceanic Six: Jack, Hurley, Kate, Sun, Sayid and Aaron. Knock off Sayid, Kate and Aaron (because shouldn’t the candidate be on the island?) and that leaves three open spots as well. So who’s a candidate? I think it’s safe to say Jack and Hurley, and at least one Kwon. Who else? Sawyer? Lapidus (who was supposed to fly Oceanic 815)? Any other ideas?
What are you thinking? Any ideas or crackpot theories? Are you as blown away as I am at how each episode this season keeps getting better and better?
