Wow, I'm getting really bad about getting these things in on time. I'll do a better job with it next year, sometime in June. I promise.
(really shouldn't be making promises I probably can't keep)
Anyway, to recap, this is the 6th year (holy crap!) that I've been giving this award. The rest are all on this blog, and you can find them by using the JCFBNSOTS label at the bottom of this post. So that's cool.
But, if you'd rather, I can just recap the winners real quick right here.
5th Annual- Dollhouse
4th Annual- Journeyman
3rd Annual-Friday Night Lights
2nd Annual- Invasion
1st Annual- LOST
What does it say about the state of television that only one of those (Friday Night Lights) will be on the air next season?
I don't know. You tell me.
At any rate, let's see if this years winner will return, or if like Invasion and Journeyman it will be one and done.
First, the honorable mention
GLEE
If it had only had 13 episodes this would have made the final five without a doubt. However, do to the popularity that the show had in its initial run, the producers (or the network) got a little crazy and turned the show into a spectacle, instead of the character driven show that it started out as. The characters, in fact, would often act completely out of character if it would serve the spectacle or some outrageous moment to fit in the episodes theme of the week. On top of that, most of the musical numbers were still overproduced, and Mr. Schuester was still unwatchable (the only problems I had with the show during its initial run). It is a shame. I have no doubt that many of you who love the show will continue to watch it, despite its departure from the show that it began as, and that is fine. I am done, and probably won't miss it, although I will always miss the show that it started as and the show that it could have been if they had left well enough alone.
Okay, onto the shows that placed in this years competition...
As always, counting down because it is so much more fun that way!
5. Community
This show finished very strong, with some fantastic episodes towards the end (Paintball for instance). This show probably has a very bright future, and I can't wait to see where it goes next. It would have finished higher if it didn't spend a little too much time finding its way early in the season.
4. Modern Family
Which this show did not. This show was fully formed right out of the gates. Such a great comedy with such amazing characters. The writing is spectacular, and the comedy comes out of the well written characters, making the situations that they find themselves in completely believable. Other television shows could learn a lot from Modern Family, you don't have to sacrifice character for spectacle.
3. Mercy
Such a good show, I really hope it returns, although I'm doubting it. I don't know why more people didn't give this show a better chance. Some people complained that it was a little too reliant on the emotional stuff, but it did the emotional really well, and unlike another super soapy medical drama (looking at you Grey's) the characters are smart and believable and so are the situations that they find themselves in. I'm much more willing to buy into the dramatic and emotional stuff when I can believe and connect to the characters, and I definitely can with Mercy. I never could with Grey's and that is why this, in my opinion, is the far superior show. Sadly, the ratings follow Grey's Anatomy.
2. FlashForward
This show was really hurt by the huge hiatus that it went through. It was still a smart sci-fi show, and worth watching, but the way the break was handled probably killed any chance it could've had at being renewed. It is probably going to be hard for a few years for any show cast in the LOST mode (even though because of the success of LOST there will probably be quite a few of them) because it will be such a hard label to live up to and because there quite honestly is probably some LOST fatigue. (Not from me. I could have watched another ten or twenty years of LOST, but then I also kept watching this, so, what are you going to do).
And the winner of Josh's Choice for Best New Show of the Season is...
For the first time ever from CBS (although Jericho almost won one year)....
1. The Good Wife
Such a terrific show. Much like Eli Stone the last couple of years, this is a court room drama that sets itself apart from all of the other court room dramas, and all of the court room dramas of the past. This one does it because of the fact that it is also an outstanding family drama and has an outstanding season long mystery/case as well as the good weekly cases. The cast is spectacular, and taking its cue from family dramas like the lone remaining JCFBNSOTS winner other than this one, FNL, it has a very believable and realistic family dynamic. That really is, for some reason, very rare for television these days.
Well, there you have it. TV will be a lot different next year, without LOST and 24, but this years winner will be getting a season 2, so at least there is that.
Until Next Time, I'm still really, really, really missing LOST.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
LOST The End, first thoughts
Perfect. Just perfect.
All questions that needed to be answered were answered, I was completely at ease with where everyone (including those who have died throughout the series) ended up, and the message of the show was so beautiful.
I honestly wouldn't change a thing.
Jack finally knew what it was that he was supposed to do, why he was on the Island in the first place, and he did it because he wanted to, not because he felt like he had to or was destined to, but because he made the choice.
Desmond was a true hero in both realities, allowing the Smoke Monster to be defeated so that the Island would finally be safe again, making the faith that Jacob had in humanity a reality and allowing his mistake to finally be made up for, much as Jacob gave all of the LOSTies the opportunities to make up for their mistakes.
I actually think that the Smoke Monster could have been redeemed as well, since we saw both Sayid and Claire redeemed, but he made the decision to work against humanity and actually against life itself.
Had the light gone out permanately, then I doubt life could have continued at all, we were told that there is a little of that light in everyone, and so I think that we can infer what the Island actually is. The Island is the source of whatever it is that makes us human, makes us special, because each of us are special, and can make choices to accentuate that light inside of us (or make choices that dim that light, perhaps allowing there to be the Darkness that was spoken of, and that was so literally shown in the Smoke Monster). Some people have gifts that make them even more special, and I think that is why Hurley was such a perfect choice to ultimately replace Jacob. He had the special ability to see and speak to the dead, and while it isn't necessary to have such a special gift in order to protect the Island, I think that it helps.
Walt would have been a perfect choice to replace Jacob, but he was allowed to leave the Island, and moved on beyond it. I buy that explanation completely and fully, even though I know that the real reason he wasn't brought back into the show is because he went through his growth spurt and pretty much grew out of the character. I'm okay with how it all turned out though concerning Walt, by giving us other characters that were special, and by making it clear that there were many people eligible to become Jacob's replacement, the importance of Walt overall is lessened and the show was able to move on without him.
And by getting the back story of the Locke-less Monster, we learned that merely being special isn't enough to make you right for the leadership of the Island. The Locke-less Monster was able to commune with the dead just like Hurley, and yet he made choices that kept him from being able to protect the Island, meaning that it was up to Jacob instead.
I really loved the explanation of the Sideways World.
The moment that Jack entered into the room in the church that was decorated with every religious symbol imaginable (far beyond Christianity) I realized that the Sideways world was the afterlife.
Not necessarily a purgatory, although it could certainly be viewed as such, but I think that it was a place that the LOSTies created together in order to make sure that they could reconnect in another world (brotha), so not everyone in that world was truly there, for instance, David Shephard isn't real, but part of the creation of this world. Locke says to Jack after being awoken, "You don't have a son, Jack."
So this world, the LA X reality, isn't purgatory insofar as that is the reality that everyone goes to before "moving on", but it is the place that the LOSTies created for themselves to be able to move on.
The ending itself was so very fitting, coming full circle. A plane crash that gave us an opening eye amidst bamboo, ended with a plane traveling away safely and an eye closing amidst bamboo. Such a perfect close to the series.
The many themes of this television show were highlighted in this finale as well. The matter of choice verse free will was played out so beautifully throughout the episode both on the Island and in the sideways reality. Jack made the choice to take on the role of Jacob and sacrifice himself to save the Island. Hurley offers Sayid a choice before he is awakened by Shannon. While so much of the show seemed to hinge on destiny or on things that were meant to be, ultimately, the show was about the characters making choices that proved Jacob's view of humanity correct.
The show has also always been about the connections that these characters had, connections that were so strong that they literally created a world, a reality, in order to reconnect before moving on to whatever is next. The love that these characters had for each other was so plain as they reconnected in the church, ready to move on.
I loved the moments throughout the finale when various characters were awakened, especially the reconnection of Jin and Sun and their ability to speak English, and the moment of Claire giving birth to Aaron, awakening herself, Charlie, and Kate. Knowing now what the sideways world is will probably give those moments (as well as the ones from previous episodes) even more heft upon rewatching.
Ultimately, this entire show is going to be amazing upon rewatch. I will post my thoughts on the events that catch my imagination as I begin my epic LOST-Re-Watch this summer.
Thank you all for your desire to read my thoughts on this show over the last few years, and I look forward to continuing the conversation as the episode continues to sink in with us.
And thank you to all who worked on this incredible and amazing show, thank you for giving us something that allows such deep viewing and for keeping us challenged as well as entertained.
It could not have ended more perfectly.
Josh Man
All questions that needed to be answered were answered, I was completely at ease with where everyone (including those who have died throughout the series) ended up, and the message of the show was so beautiful.
I honestly wouldn't change a thing.
Jack finally knew what it was that he was supposed to do, why he was on the Island in the first place, and he did it because he wanted to, not because he felt like he had to or was destined to, but because he made the choice.
Desmond was a true hero in both realities, allowing the Smoke Monster to be defeated so that the Island would finally be safe again, making the faith that Jacob had in humanity a reality and allowing his mistake to finally be made up for, much as Jacob gave all of the LOSTies the opportunities to make up for their mistakes.
I actually think that the Smoke Monster could have been redeemed as well, since we saw both Sayid and Claire redeemed, but he made the decision to work against humanity and actually against life itself.
Had the light gone out permanately, then I doubt life could have continued at all, we were told that there is a little of that light in everyone, and so I think that we can infer what the Island actually is. The Island is the source of whatever it is that makes us human, makes us special, because each of us are special, and can make choices to accentuate that light inside of us (or make choices that dim that light, perhaps allowing there to be the Darkness that was spoken of, and that was so literally shown in the Smoke Monster). Some people have gifts that make them even more special, and I think that is why Hurley was such a perfect choice to ultimately replace Jacob. He had the special ability to see and speak to the dead, and while it isn't necessary to have such a special gift in order to protect the Island, I think that it helps.
Walt would have been a perfect choice to replace Jacob, but he was allowed to leave the Island, and moved on beyond it. I buy that explanation completely and fully, even though I know that the real reason he wasn't brought back into the show is because he went through his growth spurt and pretty much grew out of the character. I'm okay with how it all turned out though concerning Walt, by giving us other characters that were special, and by making it clear that there were many people eligible to become Jacob's replacement, the importance of Walt overall is lessened and the show was able to move on without him.
And by getting the back story of the Locke-less Monster, we learned that merely being special isn't enough to make you right for the leadership of the Island. The Locke-less Monster was able to commune with the dead just like Hurley, and yet he made choices that kept him from being able to protect the Island, meaning that it was up to Jacob instead.
I really loved the explanation of the Sideways World.
The moment that Jack entered into the room in the church that was decorated with every religious symbol imaginable (far beyond Christianity) I realized that the Sideways world was the afterlife.
Not necessarily a purgatory, although it could certainly be viewed as such, but I think that it was a place that the LOSTies created together in order to make sure that they could reconnect in another world (brotha), so not everyone in that world was truly there, for instance, David Shephard isn't real, but part of the creation of this world. Locke says to Jack after being awoken, "You don't have a son, Jack."
So this world, the LA X reality, isn't purgatory insofar as that is the reality that everyone goes to before "moving on", but it is the place that the LOSTies created for themselves to be able to move on.
The ending itself was so very fitting, coming full circle. A plane crash that gave us an opening eye amidst bamboo, ended with a plane traveling away safely and an eye closing amidst bamboo. Such a perfect close to the series.
The many themes of this television show were highlighted in this finale as well. The matter of choice verse free will was played out so beautifully throughout the episode both on the Island and in the sideways reality. Jack made the choice to take on the role of Jacob and sacrifice himself to save the Island. Hurley offers Sayid a choice before he is awakened by Shannon. While so much of the show seemed to hinge on destiny or on things that were meant to be, ultimately, the show was about the characters making choices that proved Jacob's view of humanity correct.
The show has also always been about the connections that these characters had, connections that were so strong that they literally created a world, a reality, in order to reconnect before moving on to whatever is next. The love that these characters had for each other was so plain as they reconnected in the church, ready to move on.
I loved the moments throughout the finale when various characters were awakened, especially the reconnection of Jin and Sun and their ability to speak English, and the moment of Claire giving birth to Aaron, awakening herself, Charlie, and Kate. Knowing now what the sideways world is will probably give those moments (as well as the ones from previous episodes) even more heft upon rewatching.
Ultimately, this entire show is going to be amazing upon rewatch. I will post my thoughts on the events that catch my imagination as I begin my epic LOST-Re-Watch this summer.
Thank you all for your desire to read my thoughts on this show over the last few years, and I look forward to continuing the conversation as the episode continues to sink in with us.
And thank you to all who worked on this incredible and amazing show, thank you for giving us something that allows such deep viewing and for keeping us challenged as well as entertained.
It could not have ended more perfectly.
Josh Man
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
LOST What They Died For, first thoughts
The Penultimate episode of LOST.
Sunday will bring us the finale of one of network television's greatest shows appropriately titled, The End.
The question, of course, is what The End will entail.
Last night's episode told us what the series has been about all along.
Jacob has been trying to atone for his mistake of creating the Smoke Monster, for what he did to his brother.
He's known that his brother would at some point succeed in killing him, the same way that Esau ultimately killed their "mother".
So it hasn't been about trying to prove to Esau that humanity is ultimately good (although I still think that Jacob does believe in the good of humanity) but trying to find the person to replace him when his brother ultimately succeeded.
Every person that Jacob has brought to the Island has been someone whose life is lacking. Jacob offered the LOSTies the second chance that he wanted himself.
Ultimately, one of the main themes is that of destiny verse free will. While much of what the LOSTies have been through have felt like it was destined, Jacob has done what he has done to try and better the lives of our LOSTies (as well as trying to make up for his mistake).
While it might have been easier to find someone who was perfectly ready and able to protect the Island, Jacob found damaged people that could be given the choice to protect the Island as well as try and better their situations. "You needed the Island as much as it needed you."
The title of the episode, What They Died For, refers to all of those that have lost their lives on the Island, implying that what is happening on the Island is truly important.
So, what do we make of the Sideways universe? After all, if there is importance in the deaths that our LOSTies have suffered, what does it mean that they are still alive in the other reality?
And is Desmond trying to do anything other than destroy the Island?
The Locke-less Monster plans on using Desmond for that very purpose, but I can't imagine that Desmond can be conned by Locke.
Speaking of cons, Ben is, of course, the best at cons (with the possible exception of Sawyer) and I don't for a moment believe that Ben is falling for Locke's plan.
Ben had reason to hate Widmore, especially coming right after Miles heard from Alex, so Ben shooting Widmore doesn't necessarily mean he is evil again, rather I think that Ben is playing Locke, and still working for our LOSTies.
Ultimately I think that Desmond is after more than just destroying the Island. He might be a fail safe, but he is also able to be more than that. I think that Desmond is setting up the only way to kill the Locke-less Monster and still keep the Island, and it's precious light, safe.
Until Next Time, I will see you Sunday night.
Josh Man
Sunday will bring us the finale of one of network television's greatest shows appropriately titled, The End.
The question, of course, is what The End will entail.
Last night's episode told us what the series has been about all along.
Jacob has been trying to atone for his mistake of creating the Smoke Monster, for what he did to his brother.
He's known that his brother would at some point succeed in killing him, the same way that Esau ultimately killed their "mother".
So it hasn't been about trying to prove to Esau that humanity is ultimately good (although I still think that Jacob does believe in the good of humanity) but trying to find the person to replace him when his brother ultimately succeeded.
Every person that Jacob has brought to the Island has been someone whose life is lacking. Jacob offered the LOSTies the second chance that he wanted himself.
Ultimately, one of the main themes is that of destiny verse free will. While much of what the LOSTies have been through have felt like it was destined, Jacob has done what he has done to try and better the lives of our LOSTies (as well as trying to make up for his mistake).
While it might have been easier to find someone who was perfectly ready and able to protect the Island, Jacob found damaged people that could be given the choice to protect the Island as well as try and better their situations. "You needed the Island as much as it needed you."
The title of the episode, What They Died For, refers to all of those that have lost their lives on the Island, implying that what is happening on the Island is truly important.
So, what do we make of the Sideways universe? After all, if there is importance in the deaths that our LOSTies have suffered, what does it mean that they are still alive in the other reality?
And is Desmond trying to do anything other than destroy the Island?
The Locke-less Monster plans on using Desmond for that very purpose, but I can't imagine that Desmond can be conned by Locke.
Speaking of cons, Ben is, of course, the best at cons (with the possible exception of Sawyer) and I don't for a moment believe that Ben is falling for Locke's plan.
Ben had reason to hate Widmore, especially coming right after Miles heard from Alex, so Ben shooting Widmore doesn't necessarily mean he is evil again, rather I think that Ben is playing Locke, and still working for our LOSTies.
Ultimately I think that Desmond is after more than just destroying the Island. He might be a fail safe, but he is also able to be more than that. I think that Desmond is setting up the only way to kill the Locke-less Monster and still keep the Island, and it's precious light, safe.
Until Next Time, I will see you Sunday night.
Josh Man
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
LOST Across the Sea, first thoughts
Well, the mystery of Adam and Eve has been solved, and I think that all of us were probably thrown by the red herrings that the show had thrown our way regarding this issue, including earlier this season when Hugo brought up the popular theory that Adam and Eve would be two of the main characters on the show that have been with us since season one.
Instead, it is Jacob's "mother" and his twin brother, who apparently has no name, and I will continue to call Esau because of the fact that they are twins just like Jacob and Esau in the Bible.
Whereas the last episode showed that Esau isn't the hero for this show, since it placed him directly in opposition to our LOSTies, this episode gives us the motivation for why he is acting against our main characters, and, I felt anyway, made him much more sympathetic. However, I still feel that it is Jacob who had the best intentions for our characters, and that it is still Jacob's side that we should be on.
I think that we should be on Jacob's side even over and above the side of the Island.
With the woman who stole Jacob and Esau away from their mother (killing her in the process), we see many of the qualities that we have also seen in Ben, Widmore, and Esau himself. In fact, she makes the point to Esau himself. Esau asks if Jacob told her about the game and she answers that of course he did, Jacob isn't like Esau and herself, Jacob cannot lie.
We soon see another difference between Jacob and his brother and supposed mother. Jacob, for some reason, wants to see the good in people, to believe in their ability to be good, like he himself is. Neither Jacob's "mother", nor Esau, shares this optimistic view of humanity.
Jacob goes out of his way to bring people to the Island, ostensibly to prove to Esau that there is good in humanity, which actually endangers his job and responsibility as the protector of the Source (described by the "Mother" as being the source of "life, death, and rebirth" and that there is a little of it in each of us, making it perhaps the source of humanity itself). But by trying to get more of it (which is supposedly impossible despite our unstoppable desire to try anyway) the light can go out. "And if it goes out here... it goes out everywhere."
By actively bring humanity to the Island, Jacob is risking his job and really, risking life everywhere. It reminded me of the incident that caused the button to be pushed every 108 minutes, there is a risk to life everywhere and a job held by someone (not necessarily an envious job, perhaps one that is completely unappealing and with no reward whatsoever). Jacob, like Desmond towards the end of his time as the pusher of the button, is risking everything in order to satisfy some personal curiosity.
Does this make Jacob evil, or does this make human?
I want to say that it makes Jacob human, because I cannot characterize Jacob as evil. As innocent, yes. As, perhaps, the wrong person for the job, yes. But not as evil. So, it seems prudent to simply describe Jacob as human.
And yet, we cannot actually characterize Jacob as human, regardless of the fact that he began his life as a human. He lived his life separate from humanity, with beings different from normal humans, and has continued to live separate from humanity throughout his unnaturally long life.
We know that this wasn't the case for Esau, who it seems clear to me was the better choice for Island protector, and we can probably believe that this wasn't the case for the "mother" as well, and both of them have a very negative and pessimistic view of humanity.
So, is Jacob's view of humanity so positive and optimistic simply because he has not lived among humans. Would his view of humanity be different if he had lived among humanity?
It seems that LOST is making an argument for a view of a very Transcendental view of God. If we want to believe that God has a positive view of us as humanity, LOST seems to be saying, God must not be immanent, must not be an active part of human life. Although Jacob is still very active, at least in the lives of our LOSTies, I think we can safely say that he remains remote from the lives of humanity, while remaining active in humanity.
I definitely think that the "mother" felt that Esau was the better choice for guarding the Source and the Island. It seems that the Island would rather have someone like Esau or the "mother" not someone who is innocent and good like Jacob. It is Esau that the Island gave the gift of communing with the dead, and the secrets of the Island, allowing him to construct the Donkey wheel (or have others construct it for him after he goes all Smokey).
That makes me wonder what Jacob intends from his chosen candidates. Is he looking for someone like himself, different from his "mother" and the person she would have chosen to replace her if she could have, or is the Island looking to replace Jacob with someone of the type that will once again focus on the task at hand and not worry about the possible goodness of humanity?
Personally, I think that in becoming Jacob's replacement, Jacob's faith in humanity will finally be rewarded. Somehow, in replacing Jacob, and reconciling the two realities, the belief that Jacob has in the inherit goodness of humanity will be proven.
How that will happen, I have no idea, but we are under 3 and a half hours away from finding out.
Until next time, thanks for the patience that most of you showed in waiting for this post. Being in class from 9-5 every day this week takes away from the free time a little bit. Next week, the post should be on time! See you then!
Josh Man
Instead, it is Jacob's "mother" and his twin brother, who apparently has no name, and I will continue to call Esau because of the fact that they are twins just like Jacob and Esau in the Bible.
Whereas the last episode showed that Esau isn't the hero for this show, since it placed him directly in opposition to our LOSTies, this episode gives us the motivation for why he is acting against our main characters, and, I felt anyway, made him much more sympathetic. However, I still feel that it is Jacob who had the best intentions for our characters, and that it is still Jacob's side that we should be on.
I think that we should be on Jacob's side even over and above the side of the Island.
With the woman who stole Jacob and Esau away from their mother (killing her in the process), we see many of the qualities that we have also seen in Ben, Widmore, and Esau himself. In fact, she makes the point to Esau himself. Esau asks if Jacob told her about the game and she answers that of course he did, Jacob isn't like Esau and herself, Jacob cannot lie.
We soon see another difference between Jacob and his brother and supposed mother. Jacob, for some reason, wants to see the good in people, to believe in their ability to be good, like he himself is. Neither Jacob's "mother", nor Esau, shares this optimistic view of humanity.
Jacob goes out of his way to bring people to the Island, ostensibly to prove to Esau that there is good in humanity, which actually endangers his job and responsibility as the protector of the Source (described by the "Mother" as being the source of "life, death, and rebirth" and that there is a little of it in each of us, making it perhaps the source of humanity itself). But by trying to get more of it (which is supposedly impossible despite our unstoppable desire to try anyway) the light can go out. "And if it goes out here... it goes out everywhere."
By actively bring humanity to the Island, Jacob is risking his job and really, risking life everywhere. It reminded me of the incident that caused the button to be pushed every 108 minutes, there is a risk to life everywhere and a job held by someone (not necessarily an envious job, perhaps one that is completely unappealing and with no reward whatsoever). Jacob, like Desmond towards the end of his time as the pusher of the button, is risking everything in order to satisfy some personal curiosity.
Does this make Jacob evil, or does this make human?
I want to say that it makes Jacob human, because I cannot characterize Jacob as evil. As innocent, yes. As, perhaps, the wrong person for the job, yes. But not as evil. So, it seems prudent to simply describe Jacob as human.
And yet, we cannot actually characterize Jacob as human, regardless of the fact that he began his life as a human. He lived his life separate from humanity, with beings different from normal humans, and has continued to live separate from humanity throughout his unnaturally long life.
We know that this wasn't the case for Esau, who it seems clear to me was the better choice for Island protector, and we can probably believe that this wasn't the case for the "mother" as well, and both of them have a very negative and pessimistic view of humanity.
So, is Jacob's view of humanity so positive and optimistic simply because he has not lived among humans. Would his view of humanity be different if he had lived among humanity?
It seems that LOST is making an argument for a view of a very Transcendental view of God. If we want to believe that God has a positive view of us as humanity, LOST seems to be saying, God must not be immanent, must not be an active part of human life. Although Jacob is still very active, at least in the lives of our LOSTies, I think we can safely say that he remains remote from the lives of humanity, while remaining active in humanity.
I definitely think that the "mother" felt that Esau was the better choice for guarding the Source and the Island. It seems that the Island would rather have someone like Esau or the "mother" not someone who is innocent and good like Jacob. It is Esau that the Island gave the gift of communing with the dead, and the secrets of the Island, allowing him to construct the Donkey wheel (or have others construct it for him after he goes all Smokey).
That makes me wonder what Jacob intends from his chosen candidates. Is he looking for someone like himself, different from his "mother" and the person she would have chosen to replace her if she could have, or is the Island looking to replace Jacob with someone of the type that will once again focus on the task at hand and not worry about the possible goodness of humanity?
Personally, I think that in becoming Jacob's replacement, Jacob's faith in humanity will finally be rewarded. Somehow, in replacing Jacob, and reconciling the two realities, the belief that Jacob has in the inherit goodness of humanity will be proven.
How that will happen, I have no idea, but we are under 3 and a half hours away from finding out.
Until next time, thanks for the patience that most of you showed in waiting for this post. Being in class from 9-5 every day this week takes away from the free time a little bit. Next week, the post should be on time! See you then!
Josh Man
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
LOST The Candidate, first thoughts
Happy Star Wars Day!
As I'm sure that you're aware, Star Wars is a major influence on LOST, including tons of references throughout the series (Some Like it Hoth for instance).
Since it is May the Fourth (be with you), I'll sprinkle some Star Wars references throughout the post...
THESE AREN'T THE DROIDS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR
I'm starting to think that Desmond isn't attempting to wake the LOSTies up to the original timeline as I originally thought. Like Esau was attempting to do on the Island, I think Desmond in the LA X timeline is attempting to get everyone together. That is what he accomplished with running over Locke in the car. As a bonus, he also opened Jack's eyes (whoa, flash back to the opening shot of the series, creepy) to the weird interconnectedness of Flight 815. Had Jack just met Locke on the plane and then operated on him, not a huge coincidence, but meeting Locke and having to operate on him led him to Bernard who was also on the plane. Then he discovers the sister, that he didn't even know he had.... (at least they never kissed, even for luck), was also on that plane. Jack is suddenly much more willing to listen to something crazy, which I'm sure he will hear when he meets Desmond, than he would have been otherwise, whether he has been woken up to the other reality or not.
And as we all know, it is hard to see other realities, it is like looking into the future. "Difficult to see. Always in motion the future is."
So I don't think that it is as important that the LA X timeline LOSTies are fully awakened to the other reality. It is more important that they are together and awakened to the connections that they share.
Speaking of Jack, it was a great moment when he released his friends from the cage, although it would have been awesome if Kate had said, "Aren't you a little short to be a stormtrooper?"
I AM YOUR FATHER
Anthony Cooper.
Whereas in the original timeline it is Anthony Cooper that causes Locke to be paralyzed, in the LA X timeline, it is Locke's fault and his father is brain dead because of it.
I really think Locke will play an important role in finishing off whatever needs to happen in the LA X timeline and save everyone in the Island timeline.
The understanding of who Anthony Cooper was and what he did to him in the original timeline will probably give Locke the courage he needs to allow Jack to help him. Or for Locke to help Jack do whatever Desmond needs him to do.
Despite the fact that Locke and his father appear to have a healthier relationship in the LA X timeline, remember that Sawyer is still looking for the man who caused his father to kill his mother and himself and as in the original timeline, that person was Anthony Cooper.
I'VE GOT A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS
Jin and Sun stole the show with their emotional Island ending. I knew that there was no way that Jin would leave Sun again, and I am completely okay with how their story ended on Island, and anyway, we saw Jin taking Sun flowers in the Sideways timeline, so we haven't seen the end of them yet, I suppose.
I knew, however, that when the show reunited them before the finale, that we were going to be losing them soon. Wish I wasn't right, but damn, the show did their death well. Very emotional.
IT'S A TRAP!
All those that wanted to argue against Jacob being the good guy and the Locke-less Monster being the bad guy, I will now accept the admission that you were wrong. Esau couldn't kill them himself, it would have been against the rules, but like he did with Jacob, he could manipulate others into doing his dirty work for him, in this case, the LOSTies themselves.
However, Sayid sacrificed himself to save the others...
I FEEL THE CONFLICT WITHIN YOU. LET GO OF YOUR HATE
So, apparently there is hope for Creepy Claire yet, since Sayid had his Vader redemption moment (Luke: I've got to save you! Anakin: You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister, you were right.) I'm sure that Jack will realize that this means he can tell his sister and save her as well.
THAT BOY IS OUR LAST HOPE
The show was entitled The Candidate, and I think that it is now pretty clear that Jack is the one that is meant to take Jacob's place. At least it seems that that is what Desmond told Sayid, which led Sayid to this redemptive situation. And I think that Desmond somehow is aware of exactly what is going on and what needs to be done to fix the situation created when Esau killed Jacob.
Of course, when the above bold quote was told to Yoda, Yoda replied "No. There is another." So, I suppose there could still be a twist to come there.
Until Next Time, you can tell we're getting to the end with the very emotional deaths of Jin and Sun and Sayid. I think that somehow Frank is going to make it to shore safely. After all, if Jack decides to stay and become the new Jacob, everyone else who survives the next few weeks will be able to fly away safely, and they'll need a pilot to get them there. The Island isn't done with you yet, Frank Lapidus. The Force is strong with this one. May the 4th be with you... always...
Josh Man
As I'm sure that you're aware, Star Wars is a major influence on LOST, including tons of references throughout the series (Some Like it Hoth for instance).
Since it is May the Fourth (be with you), I'll sprinkle some Star Wars references throughout the post...
THESE AREN'T THE DROIDS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR
I'm starting to think that Desmond isn't attempting to wake the LOSTies up to the original timeline as I originally thought. Like Esau was attempting to do on the Island, I think Desmond in the LA X timeline is attempting to get everyone together. That is what he accomplished with running over Locke in the car. As a bonus, he also opened Jack's eyes (whoa, flash back to the opening shot of the series, creepy) to the weird interconnectedness of Flight 815. Had Jack just met Locke on the plane and then operated on him, not a huge coincidence, but meeting Locke and having to operate on him led him to Bernard who was also on the plane. Then he discovers the sister, that he didn't even know he had.... (at least they never kissed, even for luck), was also on that plane. Jack is suddenly much more willing to listen to something crazy, which I'm sure he will hear when he meets Desmond, than he would have been otherwise, whether he has been woken up to the other reality or not.
And as we all know, it is hard to see other realities, it is like looking into the future. "Difficult to see. Always in motion the future is."
So I don't think that it is as important that the LA X timeline LOSTies are fully awakened to the other reality. It is more important that they are together and awakened to the connections that they share.
Speaking of Jack, it was a great moment when he released his friends from the cage, although it would have been awesome if Kate had said, "Aren't you a little short to be a stormtrooper?"
I AM YOUR FATHER
Anthony Cooper.
Whereas in the original timeline it is Anthony Cooper that causes Locke to be paralyzed, in the LA X timeline, it is Locke's fault and his father is brain dead because of it.
I really think Locke will play an important role in finishing off whatever needs to happen in the LA X timeline and save everyone in the Island timeline.
The understanding of who Anthony Cooper was and what he did to him in the original timeline will probably give Locke the courage he needs to allow Jack to help him. Or for Locke to help Jack do whatever Desmond needs him to do.
Despite the fact that Locke and his father appear to have a healthier relationship in the LA X timeline, remember that Sawyer is still looking for the man who caused his father to kill his mother and himself and as in the original timeline, that person was Anthony Cooper.
I'VE GOT A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS
Jin and Sun stole the show with their emotional Island ending. I knew that there was no way that Jin would leave Sun again, and I am completely okay with how their story ended on Island, and anyway, we saw Jin taking Sun flowers in the Sideways timeline, so we haven't seen the end of them yet, I suppose.
I knew, however, that when the show reunited them before the finale, that we were going to be losing them soon. Wish I wasn't right, but damn, the show did their death well. Very emotional.
IT'S A TRAP!
All those that wanted to argue against Jacob being the good guy and the Locke-less Monster being the bad guy, I will now accept the admission that you were wrong. Esau couldn't kill them himself, it would have been against the rules, but like he did with Jacob, he could manipulate others into doing his dirty work for him, in this case, the LOSTies themselves.
However, Sayid sacrificed himself to save the others...
I FEEL THE CONFLICT WITHIN YOU. LET GO OF YOUR HATE
So, apparently there is hope for Creepy Claire yet, since Sayid had his Vader redemption moment (Luke: I've got to save you! Anakin: You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister, you were right.) I'm sure that Jack will realize that this means he can tell his sister and save her as well.
THAT BOY IS OUR LAST HOPE
The show was entitled The Candidate, and I think that it is now pretty clear that Jack is the one that is meant to take Jacob's place. At least it seems that that is what Desmond told Sayid, which led Sayid to this redemptive situation. And I think that Desmond somehow is aware of exactly what is going on and what needs to be done to fix the situation created when Esau killed Jacob.
Of course, when the above bold quote was told to Yoda, Yoda replied "No. There is another." So, I suppose there could still be a twist to come there.
Until Next Time, you can tell we're getting to the end with the very emotional deaths of Jin and Sun and Sayid. I think that somehow Frank is going to make it to shore safely. After all, if Jack decides to stay and become the new Jacob, everyone else who survives the next few weeks will be able to fly away safely, and they'll need a pilot to get them there. The Island isn't done with you yet, Frank Lapidus. The Force is strong with this one. May the 4th be with you... always...
Josh Man
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
LOST The Last Recruit, first thoughts
We'll start with the title, which I think refers to the last moments of the episode, and it just seems LOSTian to start at the end, especially in an episode with so much going on, which I have to guess is how the rest of the season will be from here on out, so I hope you can handle the suspense...
(that's a shout out to you, Emily!)
My friend Justin has said for weeks that he believed the title referred to Locke trying to get the last possible recruit (Jin), and it seemed like a fine theory especially when last week all of the other recruits found their way to the Locke-less Monster.
But it turns out that the last recruit seems to refer to the only one that is still with the Man in Black. Jack is the last recruit.
Jack is the only one that doesn't want to leave the Island, and therefore is probably the one currently best suited to replace Jacob. He and (pseudo)Locke seem to have switched spots, no longer is Jack the Man of Science, he is the Man of Faith and vice versa.
And Jack was so awesome when he jumped off of Sawyer's boat. It has been years since I felt good about Jack as a character, but I loved him in that moment.
So, did you believe Locke when he said that he pretended to be Christian? Because I didn't. Like Sayid and Claire, Christian's body was gone. Locke's body was not gone. I don't think that Locke was Christian. Of course I could be wrong, but it felt like a lie to me.
Speaking about Esau's lies, he offered Sayid Nadia back which is impossible, but Nadia is still alive in the alternate timeline, so if Locke is offering that life, Sayid probably doesn't want that life. What Esau offers are lies.
I still wonder what is going on with Sayid, Claire, and possibly Christian... It struck me as strange that Jack didn't try to bring Claire along on Sawyer's boat. I guess he truly believed Dogen when he tried to tell Jack about the darkness.
I also am surprised that Claire didn't wake up in the alternate timeline, since she had an encounter with Desmond. But he did put her in contact with Jack. Is it possible that whatever Christian left her in the will is going to make her aware of the real reality?
Things in the LA X reality certainly seem to be collapsing quickly. Is there any question that Sawyer and Miles will be the ones that question both Sun and Jin about Sayid's role in the murders and Ben about the hit and run? Plus Locke is now with Jack and Sun is just down the hall.
Justin also theorized that Jack would have to choose on who to save between Sun and Locke, but this actually makes more sense. Locke's injury is spinal related, Sun's was not, it was however baby related, which makes me think that a different doctor we know might have been involved. Perhaps Juliet, who Sawyer can meet when questioning Sun and Jin. Another fun guess... Juliet is also David Shephard's mother and Jack's ex-wife in the LA X timeline.
Speaking of Sun and Jin, I was really not expecting them to be united with four episodes left. I really thought it would be in the finale. I have a bad feeling about their being reunited so early, I'm worried one of them won't survive.
I hope I'm wrong.
Until Next Time, pretty sure that Desmond is still alive, and I hate worrying about Sawyer and his crew until next week. On the plus side, I can watch it live next week and through the finale!
Josh Man
(that's a shout out to you, Emily!)
My friend Justin has said for weeks that he believed the title referred to Locke trying to get the last possible recruit (Jin), and it seemed like a fine theory especially when last week all of the other recruits found their way to the Locke-less Monster.
But it turns out that the last recruit seems to refer to the only one that is still with the Man in Black. Jack is the last recruit.
Jack is the only one that doesn't want to leave the Island, and therefore is probably the one currently best suited to replace Jacob. He and (pseudo)Locke seem to have switched spots, no longer is Jack the Man of Science, he is the Man of Faith and vice versa.
And Jack was so awesome when he jumped off of Sawyer's boat. It has been years since I felt good about Jack as a character, but I loved him in that moment.
So, did you believe Locke when he said that he pretended to be Christian? Because I didn't. Like Sayid and Claire, Christian's body was gone. Locke's body was not gone. I don't think that Locke was Christian. Of course I could be wrong, but it felt like a lie to me.
Speaking about Esau's lies, he offered Sayid Nadia back which is impossible, but Nadia is still alive in the alternate timeline, so if Locke is offering that life, Sayid probably doesn't want that life. What Esau offers are lies.
I still wonder what is going on with Sayid, Claire, and possibly Christian... It struck me as strange that Jack didn't try to bring Claire along on Sawyer's boat. I guess he truly believed Dogen when he tried to tell Jack about the darkness.
I also am surprised that Claire didn't wake up in the alternate timeline, since she had an encounter with Desmond. But he did put her in contact with Jack. Is it possible that whatever Christian left her in the will is going to make her aware of the real reality?
Things in the LA X reality certainly seem to be collapsing quickly. Is there any question that Sawyer and Miles will be the ones that question both Sun and Jin about Sayid's role in the murders and Ben about the hit and run? Plus Locke is now with Jack and Sun is just down the hall.
Justin also theorized that Jack would have to choose on who to save between Sun and Locke, but this actually makes more sense. Locke's injury is spinal related, Sun's was not, it was however baby related, which makes me think that a different doctor we know might have been involved. Perhaps Juliet, who Sawyer can meet when questioning Sun and Jin. Another fun guess... Juliet is also David Shephard's mother and Jack's ex-wife in the LA X timeline.
Speaking of Sun and Jin, I was really not expecting them to be united with four episodes left. I really thought it would be in the finale. I have a bad feeling about their being reunited so early, I'm worried one of them won't survive.
I hope I'm wrong.
Until Next Time, pretty sure that Desmond is still alive, and I hate worrying about Sawyer and his crew until next week. On the plus side, I can watch it live next week and through the finale!
Josh Man
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
LOST Everyone Loves Hugo, first thoughts
Really only a few of things I feel like we have to talk about this week.
Don't get me wrong, a lot took place in the episode, there was a lot going on, but I feel like there are only a few things that really stand out as taking some time to look at.
First off...
LIBBY!!!!
It was so, so, so great to see Libby again.
Something that I found interesting was that while Charlie required a near death experience, Desmond had the deja vu moment underwater and the touch of his constant (as well as having his original timeline self blasted with electromagnatism), but Libby seems to have recognized the truth based on just a commercial.
It makes you wonder.
It was her realization of another timeline that caused her to put herself into Santa Rosa in the LA X timeline, what do you think caused her to be there in the original timeline? Did she have a similar experience in the original timeline? Was she aware of something that made her seem crazy? Does she have some sort of natural ability to pierce through to other realities, making it easier for her to connect herself to the Island timeline?
It would make sense, and be an awesome answer to the question of why she was in the mental institution in the original timeline.
Speaking of answers, what did you think of the answer for the whispers?
I kind of like it, the souls that are unable to escape the Island, those that die on the Island still burdened with the guilt of their actions are unable to leave the Island even in death. Redemption is definitely a main theme of the show and perhaps the redemption of those who died unable to find it is still possible. I certainly find the possibility intriguing.
The question I still have is why the whispers seem to focus on the Others. Perhaps because the Others have been on the Island the longest, the spirits that make up the whispers are most closely connected to them.
The other main thing that I wanted to discuss was the fate of Ilana (you got a little Ilana on you), not so much the way she died, which was very reminiscent to the death of Artz, but what Ben said afterwords. The Island no longer needed her.
I can't help but admit that there is a possibility that we have been deceived all along and Jacob isn't the good guy. It definitely doesn't seem fair that Ilana did so much for Jacob, gathered most of the candidates together, then blew up like a minor character from season one.
I'm honestly not sure what to make of Ilana's death.
I would like to point out the similarity not only to Artz's death, but also to Frogurt's death, he of the flaming arrow end. It was in the midst of indecision and argument and it was followed immediately by action.
In this case, the action of Hurley to destroy the rest of the dynamite.
I'm not sure that Hurley is doing the right thing, but I definitely enjoy him taking a leadership role. I think that leadership fits him nicely.
The final point I want to make is the interesting dichotomy of Island Locke throwing Island Desmond down a hole matched with LA X Desmond hitting LA X Locke with a car.
Is it petty revenge for Desmond (assuming as I do that he is aware of what is happening on the Island as well as what is happening in the sideways timeline) or is it a necessary action in order to wake Locke up?
How does Desmond know what will wake up the LOSTies? How did he know that Hurley just needed to kiss Libby whereas Locke apparently needed to get hit by a car? Guess we'll have to keep watching in order to find out.
Desmond off Island seems to have a lot of Jacob like qualities though, doesn't he? It is very much like Jacob's bit going around to each of the LOSTies in last season's finale.
Just wanted to point that out.
Until Next Time, things are clearly leading to an end. I'm trying not to think too much about that fact.
Josh Man
Don't get me wrong, a lot took place in the episode, there was a lot going on, but I feel like there are only a few things that really stand out as taking some time to look at.
First off...
LIBBY!!!!
It was so, so, so great to see Libby again.
Something that I found interesting was that while Charlie required a near death experience, Desmond had the deja vu moment underwater and the touch of his constant (as well as having his original timeline self blasted with electromagnatism), but Libby seems to have recognized the truth based on just a commercial.
It makes you wonder.
It was her realization of another timeline that caused her to put herself into Santa Rosa in the LA X timeline, what do you think caused her to be there in the original timeline? Did she have a similar experience in the original timeline? Was she aware of something that made her seem crazy? Does she have some sort of natural ability to pierce through to other realities, making it easier for her to connect herself to the Island timeline?
It would make sense, and be an awesome answer to the question of why she was in the mental institution in the original timeline.
Speaking of answers, what did you think of the answer for the whispers?
I kind of like it, the souls that are unable to escape the Island, those that die on the Island still burdened with the guilt of their actions are unable to leave the Island even in death. Redemption is definitely a main theme of the show and perhaps the redemption of those who died unable to find it is still possible. I certainly find the possibility intriguing.
The question I still have is why the whispers seem to focus on the Others. Perhaps because the Others have been on the Island the longest, the spirits that make up the whispers are most closely connected to them.
The other main thing that I wanted to discuss was the fate of Ilana (you got a little Ilana on you), not so much the way she died, which was very reminiscent to the death of Artz, but what Ben said afterwords. The Island no longer needed her.
I can't help but admit that there is a possibility that we have been deceived all along and Jacob isn't the good guy. It definitely doesn't seem fair that Ilana did so much for Jacob, gathered most of the candidates together, then blew up like a minor character from season one.
I'm honestly not sure what to make of Ilana's death.
I would like to point out the similarity not only to Artz's death, but also to Frogurt's death, he of the flaming arrow end. It was in the midst of indecision and argument and it was followed immediately by action.
In this case, the action of Hurley to destroy the rest of the dynamite.
I'm not sure that Hurley is doing the right thing, but I definitely enjoy him taking a leadership role. I think that leadership fits him nicely.
The final point I want to make is the interesting dichotomy of Island Locke throwing Island Desmond down a hole matched with LA X Desmond hitting LA X Locke with a car.
Is it petty revenge for Desmond (assuming as I do that he is aware of what is happening on the Island as well as what is happening in the sideways timeline) or is it a necessary action in order to wake Locke up?
How does Desmond know what will wake up the LOSTies? How did he know that Hurley just needed to kiss Libby whereas Locke apparently needed to get hit by a car? Guess we'll have to keep watching in order to find out.
Desmond off Island seems to have a lot of Jacob like qualities though, doesn't he? It is very much like Jacob's bit going around to each of the LOSTies in last season's finale.
Just wanted to point that out.
Until Next Time, things are clearly leading to an end. I'm trying not to think too much about that fact.
Josh Man
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
LOST Happily Ever After, first thoughts
After watching this phenomenal episode, only one sentence comes into my head.
Only one thing that I want to shout about in exultation, one thing that I want to say excitedly to my friends in the know about this phenomenal show...
I want to go up to people, look them in the eye, and smile when I say...
Desmond knows! Desmond knows everything! In both realities!
Of course, did you really expect anything else?
Faraday sets him up to learn what he needs to know. Daniel puts in motion (after seeing Charlotte) the events that will lead his Constant back to him ("If anything goes wrong, Desmond is your constant") and then sends Desmond to his Constant, Penny, setting up the first true connection between the realities, between the Sideways Dimension aka the LA X Dimension and the Original timeline on the Island.
Sure, Daniel knows that they shouldn't be where they are that something he did forced this change, and Charlie knows that there is another reality, a woman he loved (Claire) that he has memories of and that makes this reality where his dream of rock stardom is realized completely pointless.
And really, that's the point for everyone. This reality seems to offer them what they want, but truly, what people want and what people need are rarely the same thing.
I mentioned this briefly in an earlier post this season, speaking about Jacob and Esau/The Man in Black, Esau offers whatever he thinks the person that he is speaking to wants, regardless of whether it is good for the person or not, regardless of whether it will ultimately be harmful for the person or not, all that matters for Esau is that Esau gets what he wants and needs, and the other persons well being doesn't really seem to be that important at all.
Jacob, on the other hand, seems to want what is best for people. I know there are some people out there who have been under the belief that Jacob isn't really the good guy, but I think that what we've been told regarding Jacob and Esau is true, and so I think that my theory from a couple of weeks ago is true as well...
The LA X Timeline is Hell, not as in the stereotypical flames and eternal punishment sense, but in the way that Jacob described it to Richard a couple of weeks ago, "There are many other names for it, too. Malevolence. Evil. Darkness." It is the sin of being given what you want instead of working towards what you need. So far in the Sideways Universe, we know that Faraday, Charlie, and now Desmond are aware of what they are supposed to have (what they worked for in the original timeline) and are working towards it again.
But it brings up a bit of a question... In Dr. Linus, Ben worked towards redemption on the Island, finally facing the mistakes he has made, the poor decisions he has made because of his thirst for power. In the sideways universe, he made a different decision, didn't sacrifice Alex for power, so the question is, did that occur because it was what he wanted, what he wished he could have done and so he achieved it in the LA X timeline without sacrificing for it, without truly learning what he needed to be able to take that step like he did in the Island timeline, or was he able to make that choice in the Sideways Universe because of what he had learned in the Island universe? That's one of the few questions I still have after this episode.
I think that it is clear now that the LA X Timeline is a timeline where Smokey is out in the world and that it is a bad thing and a reality that needs to not exist, but it is in this sideways world that we get Ben's redemption, Ben's making the right choice instead of a choice for power, and it is in this sideways world that we get a Jack that is finally able to overcome his daddy issues and become a great dad himself.
This brings me to a bit of theorizing. It will be necessary for some sacrifices to be made to bring to a close the LA X timeline, Widmore said as much tonight, and I think that it will be Jack and Ben who have to make the hardest sacrifices.
Another question is Eloise.
She clearly knows what is going on (she always has), did she somehow manipulate Faraday into his Jughead plan in order to break herself and her son out of the cycle they had been trapped in, mother killing son. finding out it was her son, then being forced to set into motion the actions that would send her son back in time so that she would kill him. This would, of course, be full of irony, something that LOST loves, considering she told Desmond in Flashes Before Your Eyes that he couldn't change things, even if he wanted to, because it was his destiny to push that button, it was his destiny to be on the Island. Now that she's found a way to change her destiny, change the fact that she killed her son unknowingly then knowingly sent him on a crash course with the Island to be killed by her in the past, she is trying to keep that past changed, regardless of what that might mean. (And according to Jacob it means malevolence, evil, darkness, in short "Hell") What LOST has done is turn Widmore into one of the good guys and Eloise into one of the bad guys, and yet it is completely believable and makes perfect and total sense. That is why I love this show.
So, as to what is going on overall, it seems to me that with the death of Jacob and the explosion of Jughead (and I think now that both were necessary to create the LA X timeline), this possible reality of Esau's fashioning has been created. Currently it exists in concert with the Island timeline, but ultimately only one of them can survive (back to Donnie Darko). If Locke-less Monster is able to succeed and get all of the candidates to attempt to leave the Island with him and escape his prison, then the LA X timeline becomes reality and the Island sinks under the ocean and the Island timeline ceases to exist. Therefore, in order to make the candidates want to escape, Esau is promising them what they want (but not what they need).
So Desmond's task is to show the LOSTies the reality that they were supposed to live, show them that what they need, that which the Island provided them, is better than what they think they want, so that when Esau tempts them with the LA X reality, they will be able to turn it down with the knowledge that it really is too good to be true.
And that brings me to the title of the episode tonight, Happily Ever After.
What Esau promises is "Happily Ever After", except we know that that saying is related to fairy tales, fantasy, and ultimately, that is what Esau is really offering, a fairy tale, a fantasy. There is no such thing as an easy fix, no such thing as a blanket Happily Ever After. Any redemption earned by our LOSTies has been earned the hard way, and therefore has been truly rewarding, not fleeting as so many quick fixes often are.
I'm reminded of the ending of The Graduate. One of my favorite movies of all time. With the fairy tale ending of Dustin Hoffman's character running into the wedding of the woman he loves, stopping her from marrying the man she's about to marry, and they run out together, breathless with laughter, getting on a bus to start their happily ever after, and that is where a fairy tale would end, but The Graduate keeps the camera on the two of them. Slowly, the implications of what they've done dawns on them. Their faces grow more and more somber as they try and decide what comes next for them in their strange and disturbing relationship. It is a powerful ending and completely destroys the image of happily ever after that they so strongly felt just moments before.
LOST has always been about a number of interesting topics, one of the main ones being the idea of destiny verses free will, and while it seems that there is a lot of destiny for these characters, the connections that they have to each other throughout time and alternate dimensions, seem to make you believe they don't have much choice in the matter, but ultimately I think that the characters do have free will, and while they have been manipulated into place (by Jacob, Esau, Widmore, Hawking, Richard, Ben, and many others, no pun intended) ultimately they have been put in place to exercise their free will, exercise their ability to choose. Their ability to choose the hard road, which doesn't always seem as rewarding, but which strengthens who they are and ultimately makes them better people and arguably the world a better place, and the easy road where they seemingly will have whatever they think they want, but will have lost (again, no pun intended) all that makes them who they are, all that they have accomplished over the past five years, all that they have learned about themselves and each other.
And that is what I believe the show boils down to. And I love it.
Until Next Time, I'm glad tonight's episode was the game changer that we anticipated, we finally seem to have direction for the end of the show. Should be a hell of a ride.
Josh Man
Only one thing that I want to shout about in exultation, one thing that I want to say excitedly to my friends in the know about this phenomenal show...
I want to go up to people, look them in the eye, and smile when I say...
Desmond knows! Desmond knows everything! In both realities!
Of course, did you really expect anything else?
Faraday sets him up to learn what he needs to know. Daniel puts in motion (after seeing Charlotte) the events that will lead his Constant back to him ("If anything goes wrong, Desmond is your constant") and then sends Desmond to his Constant, Penny, setting up the first true connection between the realities, between the Sideways Dimension aka the LA X Dimension and the Original timeline on the Island.
Sure, Daniel knows that they shouldn't be where they are that something he did forced this change, and Charlie knows that there is another reality, a woman he loved (Claire) that he has memories of and that makes this reality where his dream of rock stardom is realized completely pointless.
And really, that's the point for everyone. This reality seems to offer them what they want, but truly, what people want and what people need are rarely the same thing.
I mentioned this briefly in an earlier post this season, speaking about Jacob and Esau/The Man in Black, Esau offers whatever he thinks the person that he is speaking to wants, regardless of whether it is good for the person or not, regardless of whether it will ultimately be harmful for the person or not, all that matters for Esau is that Esau gets what he wants and needs, and the other persons well being doesn't really seem to be that important at all.
Jacob, on the other hand, seems to want what is best for people. I know there are some people out there who have been under the belief that Jacob isn't really the good guy, but I think that what we've been told regarding Jacob and Esau is true, and so I think that my theory from a couple of weeks ago is true as well...
The LA X Timeline is Hell, not as in the stereotypical flames and eternal punishment sense, but in the way that Jacob described it to Richard a couple of weeks ago, "There are many other names for it, too. Malevolence. Evil. Darkness." It is the sin of being given what you want instead of working towards what you need. So far in the Sideways Universe, we know that Faraday, Charlie, and now Desmond are aware of what they are supposed to have (what they worked for in the original timeline) and are working towards it again.
But it brings up a bit of a question... In Dr. Linus, Ben worked towards redemption on the Island, finally facing the mistakes he has made, the poor decisions he has made because of his thirst for power. In the sideways universe, he made a different decision, didn't sacrifice Alex for power, so the question is, did that occur because it was what he wanted, what he wished he could have done and so he achieved it in the LA X timeline without sacrificing for it, without truly learning what he needed to be able to take that step like he did in the Island timeline, or was he able to make that choice in the Sideways Universe because of what he had learned in the Island universe? That's one of the few questions I still have after this episode.
I think that it is clear now that the LA X Timeline is a timeline where Smokey is out in the world and that it is a bad thing and a reality that needs to not exist, but it is in this sideways world that we get Ben's redemption, Ben's making the right choice instead of a choice for power, and it is in this sideways world that we get a Jack that is finally able to overcome his daddy issues and become a great dad himself.
This brings me to a bit of theorizing. It will be necessary for some sacrifices to be made to bring to a close the LA X timeline, Widmore said as much tonight, and I think that it will be Jack and Ben who have to make the hardest sacrifices.
Another question is Eloise.
She clearly knows what is going on (she always has), did she somehow manipulate Faraday into his Jughead plan in order to break herself and her son out of the cycle they had been trapped in, mother killing son. finding out it was her son, then being forced to set into motion the actions that would send her son back in time so that she would kill him. This would, of course, be full of irony, something that LOST loves, considering she told Desmond in Flashes Before Your Eyes that he couldn't change things, even if he wanted to, because it was his destiny to push that button, it was his destiny to be on the Island. Now that she's found a way to change her destiny, change the fact that she killed her son unknowingly then knowingly sent him on a crash course with the Island to be killed by her in the past, she is trying to keep that past changed, regardless of what that might mean. (And according to Jacob it means malevolence, evil, darkness, in short "Hell") What LOST has done is turn Widmore into one of the good guys and Eloise into one of the bad guys, and yet it is completely believable and makes perfect and total sense. That is why I love this show.
So, as to what is going on overall, it seems to me that with the death of Jacob and the explosion of Jughead (and I think now that both were necessary to create the LA X timeline), this possible reality of Esau's fashioning has been created. Currently it exists in concert with the Island timeline, but ultimately only one of them can survive (back to Donnie Darko). If Locke-less Monster is able to succeed and get all of the candidates to attempt to leave the Island with him and escape his prison, then the LA X timeline becomes reality and the Island sinks under the ocean and the Island timeline ceases to exist. Therefore, in order to make the candidates want to escape, Esau is promising them what they want (but not what they need).
So Desmond's task is to show the LOSTies the reality that they were supposed to live, show them that what they need, that which the Island provided them, is better than what they think they want, so that when Esau tempts them with the LA X reality, they will be able to turn it down with the knowledge that it really is too good to be true.
And that brings me to the title of the episode tonight, Happily Ever After.
What Esau promises is "Happily Ever After", except we know that that saying is related to fairy tales, fantasy, and ultimately, that is what Esau is really offering, a fairy tale, a fantasy. There is no such thing as an easy fix, no such thing as a blanket Happily Ever After. Any redemption earned by our LOSTies has been earned the hard way, and therefore has been truly rewarding, not fleeting as so many quick fixes often are.
I'm reminded of the ending of The Graduate. One of my favorite movies of all time. With the fairy tale ending of Dustin Hoffman's character running into the wedding of the woman he loves, stopping her from marrying the man she's about to marry, and they run out together, breathless with laughter, getting on a bus to start their happily ever after, and that is where a fairy tale would end, but The Graduate keeps the camera on the two of them. Slowly, the implications of what they've done dawns on them. Their faces grow more and more somber as they try and decide what comes next for them in their strange and disturbing relationship. It is a powerful ending and completely destroys the image of happily ever after that they so strongly felt just moments before.
LOST has always been about a number of interesting topics, one of the main ones being the idea of destiny verses free will, and while it seems that there is a lot of destiny for these characters, the connections that they have to each other throughout time and alternate dimensions, seem to make you believe they don't have much choice in the matter, but ultimately I think that the characters do have free will, and while they have been manipulated into place (by Jacob, Esau, Widmore, Hawking, Richard, Ben, and many others, no pun intended) ultimately they have been put in place to exercise their free will, exercise their ability to choose. Their ability to choose the hard road, which doesn't always seem as rewarding, but which strengthens who they are and ultimately makes them better people and arguably the world a better place, and the easy road where they seemingly will have whatever they think they want, but will have lost (again, no pun intended) all that makes them who they are, all that they have accomplished over the past five years, all that they have learned about themselves and each other.
And that is what I believe the show boils down to. And I love it.
Until Next Time, I'm glad tonight's episode was the game changer that we anticipated, we finally seem to have direction for the end of the show. Should be a hell of a ride.
Josh Man
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
LOST The Package, first thoughts
Only 6 episodes left. Can you believe it? I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when this show is over. It has been an awesome ride, and I really don't want it to end, but I suppose I had better start preparing myself.
Anyway, on to last night's episode...
Although it wasn't a surprise, as I was pretty certain ever since we saw that locked room two episodes ago, it is always nice to see familiar faces again.
The reveal of an injured and drugged Desmond brought up an interesting dichotomy. If we decide that the Man in Black/Smokey/Locke-less Monster is the bad guy (and a lot of people are not too sure of that, thinking that perhaps Jacob is actually the bad guy, I disagree, but admit it is a possibility), than Widmore wants the same thing that we do... Locke left on the Island.
I find it hard to root for Widmore, especially when he drugged my favorite LOSTie and brought him back to the Island that he swore he would never come to again. It definitely makes me wonder if Penny knows where her husband has gone.
But I did love that he gave Jin the camera with the pictures of Sun and Ji Yeon, although I have no doubt that there was ulterior motive to being that "generous" to Jin.
We talked a couple of weeks ago about the theory making the rounds that the Flash Sideways were an epilogue world where our LOSTies would live happily ever after after finishing whatever they were supposed to do on the Island. I have always thought that that theory was bull, and I hope that after this episode it finally goes away. It certainly has to at least lose some traction considering that Sun is shot in the abdomen where she is carrying Sideways Ji Yeon. Doesn't seem like an epilogue Jin and Sun would hope for.
Some things that were interesting in the Sideways world where the fact that Krazy Keamy is apparently as hard to kill in the Sideways timeline as he is on the Island, and it wouldn't surprise me if Mikhail isn't dead either, took him forever to die on the Island to. You know, I totally didn't recognize him until Jin shot his eye out (You'll shoot your eye out, You'll shoot your eye out!), then I was all, "Mikhail!"
Over on the main Island, Sayid reveals he feels absolutely nothing, and Locke-less Monster doesn't seem all that surprised. Just something to keep an eye on as we learn more about the dead inhabited by darkness.
Also, we learn from the Locke-less Monster that he can only escape the Island if all of the candidates go with him, so any thoughts that Richard and Ilana have about destroying planes and subs aren't necessary, they just need one of the candidates to remain.
My theory, that candidate will be Jack, who stays along with Kate, and as I have said since we met them in season 1, they will become the Adam and Eve skeletons.
Until Next Time, Looks like next week might be Desmond centric, which should be outstanding!
Anyway, on to last night's episode...
Although it wasn't a surprise, as I was pretty certain ever since we saw that locked room two episodes ago, it is always nice to see familiar faces again.
The reveal of an injured and drugged Desmond brought up an interesting dichotomy. If we decide that the Man in Black/Smokey/Locke-less Monster is the bad guy (and a lot of people are not too sure of that, thinking that perhaps Jacob is actually the bad guy, I disagree, but admit it is a possibility), than Widmore wants the same thing that we do... Locke left on the Island.
I find it hard to root for Widmore, especially when he drugged my favorite LOSTie and brought him back to the Island that he swore he would never come to again. It definitely makes me wonder if Penny knows where her husband has gone.
But I did love that he gave Jin the camera with the pictures of Sun and Ji Yeon, although I have no doubt that there was ulterior motive to being that "generous" to Jin.
We talked a couple of weeks ago about the theory making the rounds that the Flash Sideways were an epilogue world where our LOSTies would live happily ever after after finishing whatever they were supposed to do on the Island. I have always thought that that theory was bull, and I hope that after this episode it finally goes away. It certainly has to at least lose some traction considering that Sun is shot in the abdomen where she is carrying Sideways Ji Yeon. Doesn't seem like an epilogue Jin and Sun would hope for.
Some things that were interesting in the Sideways world where the fact that Krazy Keamy is apparently as hard to kill in the Sideways timeline as he is on the Island, and it wouldn't surprise me if Mikhail isn't dead either, took him forever to die on the Island to. You know, I totally didn't recognize him until Jin shot his eye out (You'll shoot your eye out, You'll shoot your eye out!), then I was all, "Mikhail!"
Over on the main Island, Sayid reveals he feels absolutely nothing, and Locke-less Monster doesn't seem all that surprised. Just something to keep an eye on as we learn more about the dead inhabited by darkness.
Also, we learn from the Locke-less Monster that he can only escape the Island if all of the candidates go with him, so any thoughts that Richard and Ilana have about destroying planes and subs aren't necessary, they just need one of the candidates to remain.
My theory, that candidate will be Jack, who stays along with Kate, and as I have said since we met them in season 1, they will become the Adam and Eve skeletons.
Until Next Time, Looks like next week might be Desmond centric, which should be outstanding!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
LOST Ab Aerterno, first thoughts
Looks like my thoughts from last week gained some traction this week.
We'll start there after this epic, epic episode.
Perhaps Jughead does play a role in the split, but I maintain that the split doesn't happen unless Jacob is dead. Remember, Jughead didn't go off until after Jacob was killed.
Jacob tells Richard that the Island is a cork keeping evil inside. When Jacob gives the bottle to Esau/The Man in Black, Esau doesn't remove the cork to free the wine that represents himself (and interesting that wine is used to represent him, considering that wine in Christianity represents the blood of Christ), but instead breaks the bottle. Making Jacob the bottle in this analogy.
The Island is the cork, but Jacob is the bottle, and Esau frees himself by destroying the bottle, by killing Jacob.
The implications of this is rather huge.
At the end of the episode, Hurley tells Richard that his wife said one more thing. "You have to stop the Man in Black. Stop him from leaving the Island. Cause if you don't... We all go to Hell."
My friend Kristen tweeted a few things during the episode that I found interesting, especially since I was in class and had no idea what she was referencing. Well, I felt pretty good about the last thing she tweeted as the show was ending and as I was on my way home to watch it...
"OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG #LOST"
But what interested me was this tweet...
"I'm gonna be REALLY ticked off if #LOST is going where it seems to be going...."
As soon as the episode ended, I called her to see if what I assumed she meant from that tweet (not knowing exactly where it occurred within the episode) was what she meant from that tweet.
It was.
She sent it after Esau told Richard that they were in Hell and that he was dead, confirming what Richard believed he had been told by his deceased wife.
Of course, the episode continued, presumably moving on from this explanation (which at this point would seem unfair), and Kristen would be able to send her OMGOMG tweet.
Now, here's the thing.
I think that this explanation is actually a true one.
I think that the show with this line actually gave us an answer.
Yep.
Just not for the Island.
I think that the answer provided is for the LA X Timeline, for the Flash Sideways world.
If LA X is of a world without Jacob, a world where the cork is at the bottom of the ocean, then it is a world where the evil has escaped into the real world. It is, as Hurley described it, Hell.
So, while many people have been theorizing that Sideways World, LA X Timeline, is an epilogue post-Island, I now say to them that I believe it is the exact opposite. It is Hell, that which our LOSTies must try to avoid, try to keep from becoming the true reality. That is what the show is now about, keeping the cork in the bottle, keeping the monster trapped on the Island.
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOM as my friend Kristen would say.
There is more to get to from this episode.
We got some answers,specifically how and why Richard was brought to the Island, how the Statue was destroyed, and how the Black Rock got to the middle of the Island (which by the way was waaaaaay simpler than I think anyone theorized, and while some people might be disappointed by that, I think it is pretty funny, good job LOST).
There was some interesting Smokey stuff in this episode as well, and even though we know a whole hell of a lot more about Ol' Smokey than we did prior to this season, it seems to me that Darlton are holding to their promise that we will learn something new each and every time Smokey makes an appearance. I now think that it is safe to say that dead people appearing to their loved ones on the Island when they aren't really on the Island are definitively courtesy of Smokey.
When Smokey does his whole Photography Flash thing, he is somehow getting into the mind of the person he's flashing so that he is able to project back to them someone from their past.
I will reference Eko and Smokey presenting him with his brother Yemi after Eko confronted the Smoke Monster earlier without getting killed.
Pretty much the exact same thing happens in this episode to Richard.
There are more similarities as well. Eko felt guilt for Yemi's death, Richard felt guilt for Isabella's. I think that that is important for a few reasons.
One, the show is clearly on some level about redemption. I don't think anyone would argue that redemption is not an important theme in the show.
Jacob and Richard have a talk about redemption. When Richard is offered the job, Jacob asks what he wants, he says he wants his wife back, Jacob says he can't do that, then he asks if he can be forgiven of his sins so that when he dies he doesn't go to hell, Jacob says he can't do that either.
But just before this part of the conversation, Jacob has something else to say about redemption. He says that he brings people here because Esau "believes that everyone is corruptible because it is in their very nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong. And when I bring them here... their past doesn't matter."
Although Richard doesn't hear it, Jacob is saying that regardless of what sin occurs, or has occurred in the past, he believes that people are capable and ready to do what is right, "to help themselves, to know the difference between right and wrong without me having to tell them". Why should Jacob have to step in? In other words, Jacob is saying that he has given humanity the access to free will, in order for them to prove Esau wrong, he believes that they should do it without his interference.
Later, of course, we see Jacob taking a slightly different path. He still is big on free will, but he definitely does some stepping in.
However, he never does so with coercive power.
I'm not sure how many of my readers are familiar with Alfred North Whitehead and Process Theology, and it might just be because we spent a majority of my Kazantzakis class tonight discussing Whitehead and Process Thought, but it seems to me that Jacob is definitely in the mold of the Process view of God. There is also a lot of other stuff going on, including a very Dualistic thing happening, that whole Good and Evil aspect which doesn't really fit with Process Theology or most modern Christian theology at all, but as for the core of who Jacob is and how he acts, I think that Process Theology might have some interesting things to say.
Process thought in a nutshell is responding to and arguing against the idea of God as the Unmoved Mover, the idea put forth famously by Aristotle, the idea that God causes motion and change, but is unmoved and unchanged by anything.
In Process thought, God is very present with us, God changes with us, God is active with us.
However, God is not the omnipotent God of classical theism. Alfred North Whitehead says in his book Process and Reality that God does not have coercive power, but instead has persuasive power.
Whitehead explains the issue of our understanding of God’s power as being related to the power of Caesar. “When the Western world accepted Christianity, Caesar conquered; and the received text of Western theology was edited by his lawyers.” Whitehead argues, “The Church gave unto God the attributes which belonged exclusively to Caesar.” Because Caesar’s unlimited power was of a coercive nature, the belief became that God’s power must also be coercive, and unlimitedly so. However, Whitehead argues that this is incongruent with God. Instead, God's power is persuasive.
So, we've seen Jacob change, like the God of Process thought, and we've seen Jacob persuade those he has chosen as opposed to forcing them to follow through with his plans, and he has repeatedly talked about his belief in the free will of those that he has chosen.
What I guess I'm saying is that I am now fully on board with Jacob being the God-type character of the show. What his having been killed says about that... well, in this post I've already quoted Whitehead, I suppose we'll leave Nietzsche for another time.
What is interesting, however, is how Richard falls into this. Jacob and Richard in their talk discuss how Jacob doesn't want to step in to which Richard replies that Esau therefore will. Jacob asks Richard to do that for him, be his representative to Jacob's chosen people. If Jacob in this scenario is God, does that make Richard the Jesus-type?
I certainly think that that argument can be made.
After all, Jacob literally baptizes Richard just before this discussion, he says that he is unable to redeem people of their sins perhaps intimating that Richard will be able to do that in Jacob's place, and then he gifts Jacob with everlasting life.
Seems like a fit to me.
I don't think that LOST is strictly, however, a Christian show. I think that there are a lot of Christian themes throughout the show, but there are also a lot of Hindu, Buddhist, and classic mythic themes being played out as well (including a lot of the Egyptian myth, such as the statue, the hieroglyphics, and Richard's home, the Canary Islands, named after the original inhabitants who worshiped dogs and mummified them, something that has distinct ties to the Egyptian god with a dog's head, Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, who was replaced by Osiris, and if power struggles between leaders of a place that is often tied to the afterlife isn't LOSTian, I don't know what is). The point is that there is a lot more than just Christian themes going on here, so I don't think that we can take the Jacob is God and Richard is Jesus comparison too far, but I definitely think that the show wants to make the case that those archetypes work for Jacob and Richard at least to some extent.
Another thing that really struck me about this episode is the fact that it greatly resembles the Darren Aronofsky film The Fountain. You probably know Darren Aronofsky from the films The Wrestler or Requiem for a Dream or maybe even Pi (which also has a lot of themes in common with LOST), but chances are good you haven't seen or even heard of The Fountain which is a shame, because it is one of my favorite movies of all time.
Without giving too much away, The Fountain is about a character named Thomas (played by Hugh Jackman) and his wife Isabel (yes, Isabel, played in the movie by Rachel Weisz who bears a bit of a resemblance to Mirelle Taylor who plays Isabella in this episode). In the movie, the two characters are together in three distinct time periods, the year 1500, the year 2000, and the year 2500. In 1500, the characters are (like Richard and Isabella) in Spain. In the year 2000, Isabel is dying and Thomas is trying with all his might to cure her (like Richard and Isabella). And in 2500, Thomas is attempting to reunite himself with Isabel and has found a way to have everlasting life (like Richard, still searching for Isabella). It is too big a coincidence to ignore, so I will share with you the themes of the film and let you make of that what you will.
The idea of the movie is that death is an important part of life. That ultimately it is death that makes us as humans special. Jackman said of the movie, "The moment Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge, of good and evil, humans started to experience life as we all experience it now, which is life and death, poor and wealthy, pain and pleasure, good and evil. We live in a world of duality. Husband, wife, we relate everything. And much of our lives are spent not wanting to die, be poor, experience pain. It's what the movie's about." The same could be argued about LOST.
Aronofsky says of the film, "If [Adam and Eve] had drank from the tree of life [instead of the tree of knowledge] what would have separated them from their maker? So what makes us human is actually death. It's what makes us special."
Pretty interesting stuff when you compare it LOST. And anyway, it is a fantastic film and very worth seeing if you haven't seen it before.
One last point that I'd like to make, although you probably noticed it yourself, when Esau sent Richard to kill Jacob, he did so with the exact words and actions that Dogen used when he sent Sayid to kill Esau. Interesting.
Until Next Time, thanks for sticking with me through this massive post. I wonder what we're all going to do when LOST ends? Probably better not to think about it.
We'll start there after this epic, epic episode.
Perhaps Jughead does play a role in the split, but I maintain that the split doesn't happen unless Jacob is dead. Remember, Jughead didn't go off until after Jacob was killed.
Jacob tells Richard that the Island is a cork keeping evil inside. When Jacob gives the bottle to Esau/The Man in Black, Esau doesn't remove the cork to free the wine that represents himself (and interesting that wine is used to represent him, considering that wine in Christianity represents the blood of Christ), but instead breaks the bottle. Making Jacob the bottle in this analogy.
The Island is the cork, but Jacob is the bottle, and Esau frees himself by destroying the bottle, by killing Jacob.
The implications of this is rather huge.
At the end of the episode, Hurley tells Richard that his wife said one more thing. "You have to stop the Man in Black. Stop him from leaving the Island. Cause if you don't... We all go to Hell."
My friend Kristen tweeted a few things during the episode that I found interesting, especially since I was in class and had no idea what she was referencing. Well, I felt pretty good about the last thing she tweeted as the show was ending and as I was on my way home to watch it...
"OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG #LOST"
But what interested me was this tweet...
"I'm gonna be REALLY ticked off if #LOST is going where it seems to be going...."
As soon as the episode ended, I called her to see if what I assumed she meant from that tweet (not knowing exactly where it occurred within the episode) was what she meant from that tweet.
It was.
She sent it after Esau told Richard that they were in Hell and that he was dead, confirming what Richard believed he had been told by his deceased wife.
Of course, the episode continued, presumably moving on from this explanation (which at this point would seem unfair), and Kristen would be able to send her OMGOMG tweet.
Now, here's the thing.
I think that this explanation is actually a true one.
I think that the show with this line actually gave us an answer.
Yep.
Just not for the Island.
I think that the answer provided is for the LA X Timeline, for the Flash Sideways world.
If LA X is of a world without Jacob, a world where the cork is at the bottom of the ocean, then it is a world where the evil has escaped into the real world. It is, as Hurley described it, Hell.
So, while many people have been theorizing that Sideways World, LA X Timeline, is an epilogue post-Island, I now say to them that I believe it is the exact opposite. It is Hell, that which our LOSTies must try to avoid, try to keep from becoming the true reality. That is what the show is now about, keeping the cork in the bottle, keeping the monster trapped on the Island.
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOM as my friend Kristen would say.
There is more to get to from this episode.
We got some answers,specifically how and why Richard was brought to the Island, how the Statue was destroyed, and how the Black Rock got to the middle of the Island (which by the way was waaaaaay simpler than I think anyone theorized, and while some people might be disappointed by that, I think it is pretty funny, good job LOST).
There was some interesting Smokey stuff in this episode as well, and even though we know a whole hell of a lot more about Ol' Smokey than we did prior to this season, it seems to me that Darlton are holding to their promise that we will learn something new each and every time Smokey makes an appearance. I now think that it is safe to say that dead people appearing to their loved ones on the Island when they aren't really on the Island are definitively courtesy of Smokey.
When Smokey does his whole Photography Flash thing, he is somehow getting into the mind of the person he's flashing so that he is able to project back to them someone from their past.
I will reference Eko and Smokey presenting him with his brother Yemi after Eko confronted the Smoke Monster earlier without getting killed.
Pretty much the exact same thing happens in this episode to Richard.
There are more similarities as well. Eko felt guilt for Yemi's death, Richard felt guilt for Isabella's. I think that that is important for a few reasons.
One, the show is clearly on some level about redemption. I don't think anyone would argue that redemption is not an important theme in the show.
Jacob and Richard have a talk about redemption. When Richard is offered the job, Jacob asks what he wants, he says he wants his wife back, Jacob says he can't do that, then he asks if he can be forgiven of his sins so that when he dies he doesn't go to hell, Jacob says he can't do that either.
But just before this part of the conversation, Jacob has something else to say about redemption. He says that he brings people here because Esau "believes that everyone is corruptible because it is in their very nature to sin. I bring people here to prove him wrong. And when I bring them here... their past doesn't matter."
Although Richard doesn't hear it, Jacob is saying that regardless of what sin occurs, or has occurred in the past, he believes that people are capable and ready to do what is right, "to help themselves, to know the difference between right and wrong without me having to tell them". Why should Jacob have to step in? In other words, Jacob is saying that he has given humanity the access to free will, in order for them to prove Esau wrong, he believes that they should do it without his interference.
Later, of course, we see Jacob taking a slightly different path. He still is big on free will, but he definitely does some stepping in.
However, he never does so with coercive power.
I'm not sure how many of my readers are familiar with Alfred North Whitehead and Process Theology, and it might just be because we spent a majority of my Kazantzakis class tonight discussing Whitehead and Process Thought, but it seems to me that Jacob is definitely in the mold of the Process view of God. There is also a lot of other stuff going on, including a very Dualistic thing happening, that whole Good and Evil aspect which doesn't really fit with Process Theology or most modern Christian theology at all, but as for the core of who Jacob is and how he acts, I think that Process Theology might have some interesting things to say.
Process thought in a nutshell is responding to and arguing against the idea of God as the Unmoved Mover, the idea put forth famously by Aristotle, the idea that God causes motion and change, but is unmoved and unchanged by anything.
In Process thought, God is very present with us, God changes with us, God is active with us.
However, God is not the omnipotent God of classical theism. Alfred North Whitehead says in his book Process and Reality that God does not have coercive power, but instead has persuasive power.
Whitehead explains the issue of our understanding of God’s power as being related to the power of Caesar. “When the Western world accepted Christianity, Caesar conquered; and the received text of Western theology was edited by his lawyers.” Whitehead argues, “The Church gave unto God the attributes which belonged exclusively to Caesar.” Because Caesar’s unlimited power was of a coercive nature, the belief became that God’s power must also be coercive, and unlimitedly so. However, Whitehead argues that this is incongruent with God. Instead, God's power is persuasive.
So, we've seen Jacob change, like the God of Process thought, and we've seen Jacob persuade those he has chosen as opposed to forcing them to follow through with his plans, and he has repeatedly talked about his belief in the free will of those that he has chosen.
What I guess I'm saying is that I am now fully on board with Jacob being the God-type character of the show. What his having been killed says about that... well, in this post I've already quoted Whitehead, I suppose we'll leave Nietzsche for another time.
What is interesting, however, is how Richard falls into this. Jacob and Richard in their talk discuss how Jacob doesn't want to step in to which Richard replies that Esau therefore will. Jacob asks Richard to do that for him, be his representative to Jacob's chosen people. If Jacob in this scenario is God, does that make Richard the Jesus-type?
I certainly think that that argument can be made.
After all, Jacob literally baptizes Richard just before this discussion, he says that he is unable to redeem people of their sins perhaps intimating that Richard will be able to do that in Jacob's place, and then he gifts Jacob with everlasting life.
Seems like a fit to me.
I don't think that LOST is strictly, however, a Christian show. I think that there are a lot of Christian themes throughout the show, but there are also a lot of Hindu, Buddhist, and classic mythic themes being played out as well (including a lot of the Egyptian myth, such as the statue, the hieroglyphics, and Richard's home, the Canary Islands, named after the original inhabitants who worshiped dogs and mummified them, something that has distinct ties to the Egyptian god with a dog's head, Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, who was replaced by Osiris, and if power struggles between leaders of a place that is often tied to the afterlife isn't LOSTian, I don't know what is). The point is that there is a lot more than just Christian themes going on here, so I don't think that we can take the Jacob is God and Richard is Jesus comparison too far, but I definitely think that the show wants to make the case that those archetypes work for Jacob and Richard at least to some extent.
Another thing that really struck me about this episode is the fact that it greatly resembles the Darren Aronofsky film The Fountain. You probably know Darren Aronofsky from the films The Wrestler or Requiem for a Dream or maybe even Pi (which also has a lot of themes in common with LOST), but chances are good you haven't seen or even heard of The Fountain which is a shame, because it is one of my favorite movies of all time.
Without giving too much away, The Fountain is about a character named Thomas (played by Hugh Jackman) and his wife Isabel (yes, Isabel, played in the movie by Rachel Weisz who bears a bit of a resemblance to Mirelle Taylor who plays Isabella in this episode). In the movie, the two characters are together in three distinct time periods, the year 1500, the year 2000, and the year 2500. In 1500, the characters are (like Richard and Isabella) in Spain. In the year 2000, Isabel is dying and Thomas is trying with all his might to cure her (like Richard and Isabella). And in 2500, Thomas is attempting to reunite himself with Isabel and has found a way to have everlasting life (like Richard, still searching for Isabella). It is too big a coincidence to ignore, so I will share with you the themes of the film and let you make of that what you will.
The idea of the movie is that death is an important part of life. That ultimately it is death that makes us as humans special. Jackman said of the movie, "The moment Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge, of good and evil, humans started to experience life as we all experience it now, which is life and death, poor and wealthy, pain and pleasure, good and evil. We live in a world of duality. Husband, wife, we relate everything. And much of our lives are spent not wanting to die, be poor, experience pain. It's what the movie's about." The same could be argued about LOST.
Aronofsky says of the film, "If [Adam and Eve] had drank from the tree of life [instead of the tree of knowledge] what would have separated them from their maker? So what makes us human is actually death. It's what makes us special."
Pretty interesting stuff when you compare it LOST. And anyway, it is a fantastic film and very worth seeing if you haven't seen it before.
One last point that I'd like to make, although you probably noticed it yourself, when Esau sent Richard to kill Jacob, he did so with the exact words and actions that Dogen used when he sent Sayid to kill Esau. Interesting.
Until Next Time, thanks for sticking with me through this massive post. I wonder what we're all going to do when LOST ends? Probably better not to think about it.
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