Let’s get cracking.
Desmond. So Desmond’s real name is “Desmond David Hume“… as in the philosopher David Hume? Looks like it’s time for another philosophy lesson!
Historians most famously see Humean philosophy as a thoroughgoing form of skepticim - the limitations of knowledge, obtaining knowledge through systematic doubt and continual testing, the arbitrariness, relativity, or subjectivity of moral values, a method of intellectual caution and suspended judgment, and a lack of confidence in positive motives for human conduct or positive outcomes for human enterprises. He was largely influenced by the philosophies of John Locke.
Whoa. What does that mean?
Basically, his philosophy is one of doubt and testing to prove anything, rather than making assumptions about things and believing them.
Deep, huh?
At first it might seem ironic that Desmond became a puppet in the Swan Hatch, blindly entering the numbers since his namesake is that of a skeptic… but look at his experiences.
He saw what happened when the Numbers weren’t entered, and it sure looked like all hell was breaking lose – that would be all the information I would need to continue pressing the buttons for as long as possible.
But after a while, this confined lifestyle would make you absolutely insane. However, through his confrontation with Kelvin, Desmond learned that there was no sort of “sickness” outside the Hatch – the biological suit wasn’t necessary. So wouldn’t Desmond continue to make trips outside the Hatch to explore the Island (and run into our Survivors)? Although, maybe he did when the Periodic Ration Drops occurred, every 6-8 months.
Yet he still continued to take the 4815162342 Medicine (and this was the first and only thing he grabbed when he fled the Swan), perhaps thinking that this is what allowed you to travel outside the Hatch without fear of being “infected”.
Now that he’s spent some time outside the Hatch, he seems to have given up on the Medicine (as evidenced by his discussions with Claire about not giving it to baby Aaron). Did he run out and see that nothing happened to him? Or did he simply become so disgusted with life on the Island that he was willing to take the risk?
It’s interesting that Ethan, Tom (formerly Zeke), and CFL all seem to be believers of this “sickness” – they were all inside the Staff Hatch, injecting Claire and Aaron with it - but Desmond and our Survivors think nothing of it, who are going on 65 days without any Medicine. Per CFL, the “sickness” should have started showing itself at this point – but I’ve seen no evidence of infection in any of our Survivors. (If anything, I think the strange activity is coming from people who have injected themselves with the medicine. Case in point – how strange Charlie – the only Survivor who has injected himself – acted at the end of the episode, like “Oh? Locke and Eko aren’t back? That’s weird…” Does the medicine somehow sedate you / keep you from going crazy given the wackiness of the Island? Does it keep you from questioning what is going on around you?)
So what does this all mean? Aside from “CFL is living up to her namesake, and is really CRAZY”, it means that “The Others” are believing a lie. It means that The Others aren’t “all knowing” (read: in charge) of things on the Island.
More on this later. Back to our boy Desmond:
So he apparently was in “Her Majesty's Army” – crazy British term for their military – but was dishonorably discharged for “refusing to follow orders”. I think we are to assume this disobedience led to the prison sentence he was wrapping up as the episode began. But I wouldn’t rule out him being setup for some “crime” by Charles Widmore (more on him later).
What about his book?
Dickens. “Our Mutual Friend” by Charles Dickens is about a young man who is about to receive a large inheritance of money… if he marries a stranger. I actually hear it’s a terrible book, but the base theme sounds like a classic tale of money vs. love. We all know who wins that battle (“With $1,000, we’d be millionaires! We could buy all sorts of useful things – like love!”).
See the symbolism? Desmond is basically faced with a similar situation. Fresh out of jail without a future, he’s offered a large sum of money to turn away from the woman he loves… and he takes it, convinced by Widmore that his daughter is better off without him.
The other funny thing is that in the book, the young man doesn’t end up getting the money because the authorities find a body in a river that looks just like him – and everyone assumes he is dead.
Seriously, if this “Bad Twin / Clone” theory is all just a red herring, they’re pitching it pretty hard.
Kelvin. Did you recognize Kelvin?
That’s right – it’s the same military person who taught Sayid how to torture people, and left him with the mysterious “You’re going to need this skill in the future” speech. However, back in Iraq his name was Joe Inman. On the Island, he’s going by Kelvin Inman… just like Dr. Marvin Candle / Dr. Mark Wickman – what is going on?!
Are they twins? Clones? Or does Dharma simply require that you assume a “new name” that has some internal meaning to them when you join their organziation (like some freaky religion)?
In this case, it seems that it’s none of the above. In listening to the podcast, Damon and Carlton mention that they were required to give the character a name during the “One of Them” episode since it’s printed in previews and credits. Since calling him “Kelvin” at that point would have given the secret away, they just named him “Tom”. Officially, his name is “Kelvin Joe Inman”. (However, this still doesn’t explain the Candle / Wickman stuff – the clone / twin theories linger!)
Kelvin references that he used to be in the military but quit (“because men followed my orders”) and joined Dharma (mocking their “Namaste” greeting – way to stick it to the man!). The strange thing about Kelvin is that he seems “outside” the Others’ circle of trust. Unlike all the rest of the Others (who clearly have access to at least one boat / ferry and are not attempting to leave the Island), Kelvin is trying to get off the Island by repairing Desmond’s boat. This makes it seem like Kelvin was a “Low Level Dharmite” – he’s been told enough to keep injecting himself with the 4815162342 Medicine (and believe it’s doing something), but not enough to know the full story about the Island…which would explain why he (and the Swan Hatch test subjects before him) began painting the Blast Door Map.
Blast Door. So my original theory was that the Blast Door Map was created by “Rebel Dharmites”, but after what we learned in the Season Finale, I think it’s time to revisit this theory. (Brush up on my original views here: http://lost-and-gone-forever.blogspot.com/2006/03/insane-lockdown-analysis.html )
I originally envisioned these “Low Level Dharmites” as knowing a piece of the Island puzzle, but not the whole thing – which leads to their frustrations and propencity to going crazy. However, it might be that there isn’t some huge group of “Rebel Dharmites”, but it only consists of those who have been inside the Swan Hatch.
This explains why portions of the Blast Door Map noted things like “incompatable with 108 Timer” – as the Swan Hatcher would only have so long to “explore” before he had to rush back to his duty of entering the Numbers. There also must have been some periods in the past (in addition to when both Desmond and Kelvin were in the Hatch) where multiple people were there, so that one could travel farther away and document the other Hatches.
The only thing that contradicts this theory is the amount of knowledge on the Blast Door. If it really has only been worked on by people inside the Swan Hatch, how did they get such vast knowledge of the various projects going on and their history? It seems to indicate not only knowledge of what is going on, but why it is going on, and why other experiments failed. I find it very hard to believe wandering around the Island (even if they made it to all six hatches – doubtful) would have given this information. Think about how little information (or none) is given in the Swan, the Pearl, the Arrow, and the Staff. How could they be commenting on things that actually don’t even exist (such as certain sites being unsuitable for certain experiments) unless they were somehow a part of the master planning of the Island Experiments?
Think back to the Orientation video for the Swan. Remember all the weird cuts and jumps in the video? Remember when it was spliced back together, it turned out the missing portions were emphasizing to NOT use the computer for any other purpose?
Enter Radzinski.
Radzinski. Or some spelling like that. I’m thinking Radzinski was the original Dharmite tasked with working the Swan Hatch (post incident – roughly 1980). Per protocol, he probably had a partner – but based on Kelvin never mentioning him, I’m assuming his partner put a gun to his head long before Radzinski did due to the insanity of the mission.
Per Kelvin, the Blast Door Map was “his brainchild”.
Radzinski was a smart dude. He was probably military, like Kelvin (brought in and tasked with this mission because he would blindly follow orders without questioning) – only Radzinski did question.
If you’re doing experiments on the “unique electromagnetic properties”, you would probably have a computer. In order to transfer this information from the Swan Hatch to your fellow scientists, you’d need to be networked up, don’t you think?
We’ve seen that Radzinski was smart enough to know how to trigger Lockdowns – I’m thinking he was also smart enough to use that 108 Computer to hack into the Dharma computer network… and learned the full story of what was going on the Island.
This is how he had such knowledge for the Blast Door. He was documenting what he found. Why paint it invisibly on the door? He probably found the cameras in the Hatch, watching his every move. Post-Dharmatel Network Hack, he probably knew he was being watched very closely – and any “Rebel” actions might lead to punishment / death.
This is why he spliced the Orientation video (removing the parts about “not using the computer for any other purpose”). He wanted future Swan Hatchers to do the same.
Everything on that door is written by two people – Radzinski and Kelvin. Our “Rebel Dharmites” if you will.
Magnetism. The Orientation video states that the original aim of the Swan Hatch was to study the unique electromagnetic properties of the Island, then “the Incident” occurred. Okay. Stop right there.
So the Island already had these “unique magnetic properties”. Dharma scientists did something to cause an “incident”. Based on what we’ve seen in the Hatch, it looks like they dug a little too close to the source of these magnetic powers and punched a whole through the rock layer that prevented the magnetism from being too strong.
It looks like when that happened, they boarded up the hole they made (with the huge metal door we saw everything flying towards once the timer expired). But apparently that wasn’t enough. The magnetism was still too strong. So they implemented the 108 Timer to somehow let the magnetic energy build up, then slowly release it – or something along those lines, and thus started the new, never-ending mission of the Swan Hatch.
The intriguing thing is that they added the failsafe. Why? If they could “neutralize” the uber-magnet, why not just do it now and play it safe?
The magnetic powers must be providing some benefit (making crippled people walk, curing cancer and infertility, for example?) that they needed it to stay magnetized.
Now that Desmond has flipped the switch, it will be interesting to see if Locke suddenly can’t walk or if Rose’s cancer starts to return. I can’t even imagine what “experiments” might have been affected by this action. Will the Island no longer be cloaked in the Harry Potter invisibility cape? Will it no longer pull hot air balloons, boats, and airplanes to it?
Out of everyone who had “worked” in the Swan Hatch, Desmond was the first to have the courage to pull his finger out of the damn and see what happens. (This is a reference to “The Legend of Hans Brinker” – the little Dutch boy who put his finger in the damn to prevent a small hole from becoming bigger and flooding his city – also referenced quite hilariously back in the day on Buffy where she quips “I’m like the little boy with his finger in the dike.”)
This also finally explains why HGI lied to Locke during the Lockdown. He wanted the torturous experiment to end, but didn’t have the courage to do it himself. So he enters the Numbers and tells Locke that he didn’t, hoping that will cause Locke to stop pushing the button in the future (after he’s escaped, I’m sure HGI hoped) – that Locke will perform the action that he couldn’t.
So with that, the central story of Season Two – The Swan Hatch – is complete. Yes, I think the Hatch will still be there at the start of Season Three. But it will be in shambles. It will no longer be the luxury resort to our Survivors… and the 108 Numbers are done.
Hostiles. So if our “Rebel Dharmites” merely consist of Radzinski and Kelvin, who are HGI, Alex, and “The Others”? Loyal Dharmite followers? Hardly. They’re not Dharma at all.
Kelvin was Dharma and he called them “Hostiles”. Also (and this is something I can’t believe I missed up until this point) check out the utter lack of anything Dharma on everything The Others wear and have – a stark contrast to the Dharma logo infested Swan Hatch. Kelvin and Desmond had Dharma ghostbuster suits. When Claire was taken to the Staff Hatch, Ethan and the other “scientists” wore plain white, Dharma-free coats.
(Note: there have been a few things – such as Ethan’s cannister of "water" – that did have the Dharma logo on them, but I’m assuming this is simply a product of the Others needing the object and stealing it from a Dharma facility.)
This explains why they would build a Dharma door leading to a wall.
They wanted our Survivors to think they were Dharma – when in reality they’re not. Just like Walt warned us – “they’re not who they say they are.”
So who are they?
They’re “the good guys”. They’re either a band of misfit toys who all ended up on the Island through various means (crashes) and chose to “Live Together” rather than “Die Alone”, or (more likely) a combination of these people and former Dharma test subjects / employees. They are working against Dharma.
But clearly they have a boat – so why don’t they just leave? Either they feel some superhero duty to take down Dharma or they’ve tried and discovered that they can’t. Desmond noted that “we’re all in a bloody snowglobe”, but one wonders if this is just because compasses don’t work because of the magnetic mojo (which, ironically, is now gone – just as Michael is trying to leave – intrigue!).
Why didn’t they just come out and tell our Survivors about who they were in the beginning? I’m not sure. There’s still some pretty big weirdness going on with The Others. They clearly are doing some sort of experiments (stealing kids, performing tests on them) in hopes of finding a way off the Island. They also only seem concerned with saving “the good ones” out of all our Survivors – so they’re clearly not humanitarians. (I guess the fact that they’ve killed some people would also tip you off to this fact). I think we all assume that “good one” is not referring to morally upright or not at this point – but what it actually does mean is yet to be seen. Whatever it is – Kate, Jack, and Sawyer apparently fit the bill… which is why they were taken.
What about the disguises? Well – if you think about it, only Tom seems to have one. This seems to indicate that he was a former Dharmite and is using it to “disguise” himself from their watchful eye. (Oh yes, they’re all being watched). My favorite “tie it all together without being too out there” theory is that he, and he alone, was part of some Dharma cloning experiment – and uses the beard to distinguish himself from his evil Dharma twin.
I can’t wait to see The Others’ true camp (which should be Act 1, Scene 1 of Season Three).
Libby. JJ Abrams clearly likes his girls in a variety of wigs. First Alias, now Libby – who has now been in three different flashbacks, with three different hair styles. So what gives with this girl?
The timeline seems to be Married to “David” à David dies à Libby goes crazy à Libby gets out of mental institution à Libby gives Desmond David’s boat.
Did David ever exist? It’s a bit odd that he has the same name as Hurley’s imaginary friend. But it would explain what could have put her in the Mental Institution in the first place.
A very popular theory puts Libby as a member of Hanso, which carries some bit of weight. For starters, there is one member of the Board of Directors on the Hanso website that doesn’t have a picture – a “Liddy Wales”, which is just tantalizingly close enough to “Libby” that it makes you wonder. People have gone so far to say she was never on Flight 815, was on the Island all along, and masterminded putting both Desmond and Hurley on that Island.
I’m not sold on it. Why? Well first, Libby was supposed to have a flashback this year. Her death wasn’t originally planned. I guess they always could have shown us a lame Charlie’s-band-making-diaper-commericals-esque flashback, but I think if she was Hanso, her flashback would have tipped the cards big time. I also think if she was Hanso, she’s far too important to the storyline to just kill off to “add emotional impact to Ana-Lucia’s death”, as the writers put it.
I could buy that she was a pawn in the Hanso game, instructed to meet Desmond and give him her boat, for example – or to monitor Hurley in the mental institution to see how far the Numbers had spread. This might help explain how she ended up on Flight 815 in the first place. Hanso used her, and then wanted to eliminate her, so they put her on that particular flight.
Or I could simply go with the easy explanation of “she was following Hurley because he was responsible for her husband David’s death” (thus the evil look she gave him at the end of “Dave” and her obsessive angry look in the Mental Institution) – and her chance meeting with Desmond was another of Lost’s wacky flashback character interactions.
Either way, it’s clear we’ve still got a lot to learn about this chica – and since flashbacks are the only way we’ll learn – she had some interaction with some other people on the Island in the past.
Penny. Speaking of chicas on the show, we were introduced to what seems to be our first “main character not on the Island”, that being Penelope Widmore. (She's kinda a hottie!)
As she told Desmond in the past, when she met him at the stadium Jack was running at, “if you have enough money, you can find anybody.” She clearly loves her “Des” and has been frantically searching for him since he disappeared years ago. She’s dropping the coin to put two Brazillians (speaking Brazillian Portuguese) in the Antarctic (an assumption on my part) – neither of whom are Matthew Fox or Lenny from Hurley’s Mental Institution, by the way – sorry clone theorists - listening for electromagnetic anomalies, after all!
The real question is – how did she know to be looking for electromagnetic anomalies in the first place? How could she know that would lead her to Desmond? Cue daddy dearest…
Charles Widmore. Whoa whoa whoa – Caleb Nichols is behind this all?! Talk about a shocker (that’s an “O.C.” reference for those of you who don’t enjoy teenage dramas acted out by people in their mid-thirties). Finally an explanation for the whole “Widmore” thing that’s been lurking in the background this season (billboard in Charlie’s flashback, Sun’s pregnancy test) and referenced in “Bad Twin”, or so I’ve heard. (I start reading “Bad Twin” TODAY!)
Widmore seems to have some connection to Hanso – a corporate partner or sponsor perhaps? Clearly he has the money for it. While the Widmore role in the whole “Lost storyline” is unclear at this point – it could be as small as being referenced a few times and providing the impetus for the “Penny searching for Desmond” storyline or as big as being the criminal mastermind behind the whole thing! – I think it’s clear how Penny found out how to search for Desmond.
She asked / forced it out of her dad. I’m thinking that Widmore has knowledge of the Island, even if it’s just a general “Hanso has an Island with weird magnetic mojo”, and that when Desmond went missing, Penny forced knowledge about this Island out her dad.
However, due to these weird magnetic properties, you can’t find the Island (“once you leave, you’ll never be able to get back here”, as HGI puts it). In a beautiful love-story twist on everything, Desmond having the courage to use the failsafe (because he’s loved by Penny!) is the very thing that could lead her to him (oh, and save everyone else on the Island… and maybe bring down Dharma – but whatever, it’s a love story!).
Did Charles orchestrate Desmond’s crash on the Island? Perhaps. That would explain how Charles would know that’s where he “crashed” to tell Penny about how to search for him. After all, it was his boat race that he was in. He probably created some sort of race route for it (coordinated by Dharma to swing by their Island so they could pick off fresh meat if need be?).
Now we just need the introduction of “Paik-Heavy Industries” and we’ll be able to put a face on all the corporate players in the story.
Resolution. Switching gears, we finally got our promised “resolution” to the Walt / Michael storyline… kinda. Father and son reunited, sailing off in the sunset as happy music plays. But sailing where? It’s very open-ended. Michael could come riding in with the calvary (and Penny!) at the end of Season Seven, saving everyone and redeeming himself for the murders of Ana-Lucia and Libby. Or they could end up right back on the Island next season, confirming that Desmond was right – they are in a snow globe.
However, based on HGI’s comments, they could find a way out by following bearing 325 – a critical piece of information Desmond lacked. Of course, HGI could be lying. After all, his name isn’t Henry Gale, and he did enter the Numbers in the Hatch, despite what he says.
My gut is that the writers leave this hanging. It’s a potential storyline in the future, but if they never touch it again – it’s wrapped up pretty cleanly. Either way, I think it will be quite some time before we see Michael or Walt again (aside from in flashbacks, of course…)
Ancient. That’s the best word I could come up with to describe the Hurelybird and Four-Toed Foot this episode.
They existed to remind us that this Island existed prior to Dharma landing there (circa the 1970’s). There are crazy animals here that are either extinct on the rest of the planet or have evolved wackily due to the Island’s magic – such as the Hurleybird. No, I don’t think it actually said Hurley’s name. It appears to just be a running gag after crazy Internet Lost fans (of the non-blogging variety, of course – because I’m not crazy) swore that this bird in the first season said Hurley’s name:
What about the foot? The first thing I thought of was the “Colossus of Rhodes”, allegedly this giant statue that the ancient Greeks built to worship their god de jour following some war. It straddled an inlet and was one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. The Lost Foot could be the same sort of deal. Ancient Island-dwellers built it to honor their non-Christian god.
What about the four toes? I can’t believe people are going so crazy about this without looking at the obvious. Hi, I’m the TV Show Lost – everything here is in Numbers of 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, or 42 – have we met? Having an 8 toed statue is crazy – because it’s twice as much work as a 4 toed statue. Don’t even get me started on using any of the other Numbers.
This just goes to reinforce that the Numbers and the Island have always been tied together, even before Hanso, the Swan Hatch, or the radio transmission CFL heard. They’re like peanut butter and jelly.
Dates. Speaking of ancient history, a quick look at the Lost history shows some glaring errors on the part of the show’s creators. Now that we finally have a firm date for when the plane crashed (September 22nd, 2004 at 4:16 – the day Lost originally aired!), we can view other dates with a cricical eye and try and get a timeline together… or at least we can try to, and then find discrepancies that will drive us mad.
For example, one of Jack’s flashbacks showed an x-ray with a date of November 2005… after the plane crashed. That’s unpossible.
There are dates on the Blast Door Map that seem to reference past incidents in 2001 and January 2005. Huh? Unless Kelvin was predicting the future (which might be cool, since that would be about Season 5, by my count), it doesn’t make sense.
I guess we can chalk these up to production team error, or intentional red herrings to keep the “they’re in the future and the rest of the world is gone!” theorists happy, but now that we’ve got a date and seen the outside world, a lot of the wackier theories about the very nature of Lost are put to rest (purgatory, all inside someone’s head, time warp).
Deaths. So the burning question in the hearts and minds of Desmond, Locke, and Eko fans everywhere has to be – “Whoa whoa whoa - did they all just die?”
Not likely. Although some have argued (quite convincingly) about their storylines finding completion (Locke finding fault in his ways and saying “I’m sorry”, Eko “sacrificing” himself to try and continue his religious penance of pushing the Button, Desmond being a hero and saying “see you in another lifetime, brother” again), from a storytelling perspective, it doesn’t make sense.
We now have Penny on the outside looking for Desmond on the Island. How anti-climatic would that whole search be if Desmond is already dead? Also, as mentioned in the Podcast, they basically brought Desmond back and put the very important Season Finale on his shoulders and dedicated two hours to telling his story and developing his backstory – only to immediately kill him? Locke and Eko’s relationship just got interesting with the conflict between them and you kill them? We never find out about Eko’s encounter with Smokey or how Locke lost his ability to walk?
Nope. Breath deeply everyone! Even on the Podcast, Damon mentions that some of the flashbacks for next season include “how Locke ended up in a wheelchair” (along with “the meaning behind Jack’s tattoo” and “Kate’s marriage”). Libby aside, you can’t do a “how Locke ended up in a wheelchair” flashback if he’s dead. If Locke survived, it goes to reason that Eko and Desmond also survived.
Remember, it looks like the Failsafe just switched the magnetism of the Hatch. Instead of pulling things towards the metal door, it pushed them away (like the Hatch door, that landed on the beach). This really only affects things made of metal. Granted, there’s a high potential for sharp or heavy things to hit you, but you should be able to make it out of there alive.
(Plus, with Jack, Sawyer, and Kate gone – who is going to lead our Survivors? Obviously Locke, Eko and Desmond!)
Future. So what’s next? Well, first the good news. ABC has finally taken a cue from Fox and learned its lesson. Having nonstop seasons of a show is the way to go! Next season we’re going to get six episodes in the fall (late September – early November would be my guess) and then seventeen episodes in the spring (January – May). NO REPEATS (just a two and a half month hiatus over the holidays – honestly, you should be spending time with your family anyways).
So we’re looking at two mini-seasons. The first six episodes should deal with The Others. Where is their camp? What is their mission? Who are they? Why did they take Jack, Kate, and Sawyer? Then we’re due for a cliffhanger – finally meeting “the enemy”, Hanso / Dharma People on the Island in the ? on the Blast Door Map, perhaps?
I’m pretty excited. I think it’s fascinating (and unprecedented) to have a show like Lost, which is a critical and fan favorite, yet we have no freaking clue what the show is even about yet. I mean, fundamentally, we don’t know if this is going to end up being an action show, a sci-fi show, or a procedural crime drama (kidding – because there aren’t enough of those on TV already).
Season One we were trying to make sense of this mysterious Island full of weirdness.
Season Two we were trying to make sense of the mysterious Hanso Foundation and Dharma Initiative, and what role our Survivors played in it all.
Season Three, we’ll probably finally get some answers about both of the above, in addition to learning about the Others and what the “end game” of the show is going to be. Escaping off the Island? Bringing down Dharma? Achieving eternal life through Rambaldi?
I can’t wait.
(Footnote: I totally forgot to mention one important fact in the lengthly blabbering above - THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 815 WAS AN ACCIDENT. It wasn't planned by Dharma, our Survivors weren't hand-picked and placed on the Flight (unless you want to play the "psychic could see that the plane was going to crash card" for Claire / Eko). It happened as a result of Desmond deciding, randomly one day, to follow Kelvin out of the Hatch. Totally random that Flight 815 happened to be off course and passing by. So, looking back at all the character interactions in the flashbacks - they seem to just be chance encounters. JJ Abram's new show "Six Degrees" seems to carry this theme a bit further, about "how six New Yorkers' lives interact without them knowing it".
Now, this isn't ruling out the whole "fate" element of things. Maybe our Survivors were "destined" to be there, but it wasn't carried out by Dharma Plan. Desmond? You could argue that he was intentionally brought there by Hanso / Widmore. But for our Survivors, we need to re-examine things like Eko's plane and Kate's horse being on that Island. Because they were not part of some master plan.)
101 comments:
YAY ive been waitin for this since lost finished. you make it all seem so much clearer brian. till next season :D
thanks Brian i loved the comments that made me laugh "Granted, there’s a high potential for sharp or heavy things to hit you, but you should be able to make it out of there alive."and put a smile on my face :D
A well organized and comprehensive analysis of the season finale; however, I'm afraid you might be disappointed at the series conclusion. It is unlikely that TPTB will be able to converge all the threads and plot lines into a coherent ending. While the ending will answer the major questions, many threads will be left dangling or as we call then, "macguffins."
Good stuff! One thing I need to point out though - you mention that Desmond takes Widmore's money. This isn't true, as far as I could tell. Desmond refuses the money. That's why he can't afford to buy a boat...
I don't think Libby is related to Dharma or the Others in any way.
The producers have said that some of the coincidences and overlaps between the characters are just that, coincidences. They are winks to the hardcore fans that may never get explained. Cuse and Lindelhoff have said that there are not necessarily deeper connections between these people's backgrounds. They use them as rewards for loyal viewers, more or less.
Simplest explanation? Libby's husband died of cancer or something like it and that sent her into a tailspin and straight into a hospital that only coincidentally housed Hurley and Lenny. (Of course, there is a slight possibility that her husband's sickness ties into the Hanso Foundation's work, but I doubt it.)
Her meeting with Desmond is also just a coincidence, not set up by Widmore. (If you are as rich as Widmore and needed to get rid of Desmond, there have to be easier ways to do it than arranging for him to enter a sailing contest, hope that he decides to do it, and then crashing his boat, especially since it seemed like Desmond was accidentally knocked out during the storm.) The producers needed to get Desmond on a boat and crashed on the island. But how would someone right out of prison find himself able to buy a boat? How do you do that? Do you invent yet another character or do you just throw in Libby and make a cool connection that will remain unknown by other survivors. (My bet is that Hurley will never figure out that the Elizabeth boat was named for his love, Libby.) So, yes, it may seem far-fetched for Libby to just give a stranger her boat, but it needed to happen and, in a world where she later snaps and is institutionalized, is not so far fetched after all.
Thanks for sharing your insights with us. There's only one point I don't understand. You wrote:
"This might help explain how she [Libby] ended up on Flight 815 in the first place. Hanso used her, and then wanted to eliminate her, so they put her on that particular flight."
We learned that flight 815 crashed by accident, there was no way Hanso could have known that Desmond would be late on that particular day and time. So to me it is not clear that Hanso knew our survivors before they arrived on the island.
This would explain to me why the Others always talk about "making lists" and sending Goodwin and Ethan to them: They first had to find out the survivors identities, so they could do a little research about them. Afterwards they were able to divide them into "good" and "bad".
I think Mr. Friendly said to Ethan "You were supposed to first make a list and then bring her here." Fits nicely, I think.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Looking forward to reading your blog next season!
Gniss
I agree that the Libby/Desmond boat thing may be part of a larger conspiracy... though the boat IS named Elizabeth.
Why would you walk up to a complete stranger, and give them such a boat. He was wanted on that island by someone. I don't beleive that Libby knew of the details or the island, , but I think it's possible that Widmore may have set this up. Putting him on the island is a way to remove him from his daughter.. but why not just kill him?
It seems to me that if Libby was working for anyone, she was working for Widmore's interests, not Hanso.
How in the world did I forget to write about the fact that this episode proved that none of our characters were "destined" to reach the Island? That's my bad. This is what happens when you have to write about two full hours instead of one!
Volker K - you are absolutely correct. Flight 815 was not intentionally crashed, (although you could argue something about "fate" or "destiny" here) it wasn't orchestrated by Dharma or Hanso, and the same goes for Desmond.
Here's food for thought: so if we assume that Hanso didn't arrange the crash, what are we to think of things like Eko's plane or Kate's horse being on the Island? All the sudden all the more logical theories about those are out the window...
I don't think HGI wanted Locke to stop hitting the button to fight Dharma, I think he just wanted to mess up the survivors.
I still believe that The Others are the subject of the experiments.
I agree that Desmond did not take the money. But you never address comments like that. Ever.
I believe Desmond is dead, because he seems to believe it was the end. They weren't specific enough about what the switch does though. This whole episode was too vague for a season finale.
Also, you cannot shield a magnet with a rock. Magnetic waves pass through most materials as if they didn't exist. I don't think the incident was caused by Dharma, I think it was some low-level guy messing things up.
I also believe that Locke will still be able to walk because the healing powers of the Island exist independently of Dharma. I think that's why Dharma chose the island, not the other way around.
"I agree that Desmond did not take the money. But you never address comments like that. Ever."
That makes sense... although it does seem that Desmond stopped seeing Penny, doesn't it? She had to track down him (probably since he needed to "prove himself" before going back to her) - but you're right, Desmond doesn't seem like the type to take the bribe.
Great thoughts! Re: timeline, the producers said the date on the x-ray was a mistake.
I've been wondering about a new theory: what if the show is shifting to be all about Desmond? I welcome your thoughts on my blog's lost category.
I'm not sure if the Hanso Foundation people put those certain people on that certain flight so they could crash it into the island on purpose. As we saw, it seems like it was an accident when Desmond left the post to follow Kelvin. How would the Hanso Foundation have known that would happen that way?
Rob - amen to that. All great stories end up being about love, right?
I kinda see the Desmond / Penny storyline playing out as the undercurrent to the more "upfront" stories about Hanso, the Others, etc. - but in the end being the story that matters - the one that could eventually lead to getting off the Island.
Yeah, that makes sense too, Brian. It was a crazy thought I had, blogged it, then found an article from EW saying the same thing! Freaked me out a bit, actually.
All i can say is I love your analysis and love the show. Maybe this summer I'll break open the Season 1 DVDs for a little re-capping of my own!
At first, im like yes, it was all just a coincidence, that the plane crashed, but something just feels wrong....
Neway, did the Others not see Sayid's black smoke? and someone else made this point before, im ont sure if it was you Brian, but at the end, Jack and Kate seem to look at each other like they have a plan, and then it looks like Michael was in on it too, by the look he gave them when he was leaving. I dunno if the Michael thing was true, but Kate and Jack definitely looked like they had sumthing up thier sleaves. I expect season 3 start off with Hurley getting back to camp, telling everyone wat happen, and Sayid and Jin trying to follow Jack and Co.
Speaking of camp, did no one else realize that Eko and Locke never came back. They might just assume their at the hatch, but a piece of the Hatch just came flying through the air!! And whats with Charlie?? "I got Claire back, screw Locke and Eko" seems to be his sentiment....
Neway, great post man, cant wait till next season, and ill be back here!
P.S - r u gonna be updating the Hanso ARG thing?
according to the timeline, the time that Jack kept Locke from pushing the button until the red characters appeared was roughly when Desmond was halfway between leaving and his arrival. Maybe the effects of the few seconds Locke was late were enough to bring little Elizabeth back, not a plane, but maybe a boat.
Great1 - yes, I'll be updating on the Lost Experience... but more from a "what is the storyline and what does it mean to the show" perspective.
If you want the nuts and bolts of what's going on, this site: The Lost Experience . They seem to have it all covered in a very concise fashion.
Jack announced to the "commando" group that he had a plan. That plan was never revealed to us viewers -- for a reason. The glances between the commandos at the end of the episode indicate that the plan is moving forward as intended.
Have we seen the end of Clancy Brown? Too big a star to waste on just a couple of episodes? Does a bloody head = death? Is he being held by the others or CFL? Did Sayid come upon him in the camp? Will they be reunited to perform an ass-kicking exercise to save the commandos?
It was great reading one of your final blogs for the season, I hope you continue to futher your theories in future posts, it would be dissapointing to know your done for now :)
I must say your theories, almost all turned out correct, and even though some claim they spoil things. In this crammed pack 2 hour finale-it really lessen the confusion. Yes the surprise factor is always great, but for the Finale I think we all wanted answers, I found myself going "huh?" several times, so it was refreshing to just be able to watch this episode, with theories already in mind.
Anyways, great review as always, keep up the great work, and don't forget the new Sublymonal.com website, it seems they have changed again...
Hurleybird(Love it).
Honorest Out.
Who's CFL? I can't decode that one!
CFL is "Crazy Frech Lady" i.e. Rousseau (or however you spell it)
Anyway, that's not why I'm posting...
Bear with me, this sunds far too convoluted even to me, just throwing in another possibility.
The day Desmond followed Kelvin, Kelvin had just said "goodbye" to Desmond, thereby making Des look at him askew, probably very paranoid (enough to watch hi leaving the hatch, and notice the BLATANT tear in his suit.)
He then leads him waaay across the island before letting turning up behind him - he knew he was there the whole time.
As unlikely as this sounds (and I don't buy it myself mind you) is it possible that Kelvinh knew Desmond would never make it back to the hatch in time to push the button, thereby INTENTIONALLY causing the plane top crash?
As it is, I think the timing for this is much too precise for it to have been orchestrated, but still, a very obscure possibilty.
On the Jack/Kate/Sawyer issue, I posted a theory on the 'Three Minutes' comments section on that (based on vivions), but Hurley didn't fit (he had Dave before he came to the island).
Obviously, Hurley was just a messenger - so the theory stands, so long as no-one else ever saw one of their visions (I'm not sure who saw them in total, so I guess this merits re-watching those eposodes. I have a sneaking suspicion more survivors besides Kate and Sawyer saw the boar, which throws this whole theory out the window.)
One other point to make though - I'm not convinced that in season 1 the witers knew how huge this would be, and since the show took off, i think they've re-written a lot of the major ideas - hence the 'mistake' on the x-ray (remember how much of a big deal they made about 'we never said the show was set in 2004'? I say there are probably going to be a few more discrepancies like this one popping up.
Bear with me ... I think this show makes you see or hear things that aren't there as part of its appeal. In the next-to-last show of the season, I could have sworn that Walt whispered to Michael, "Help the priest." I don't know if that happened.
But I think the overlooked storyline involves what happened to Charlie in the hatch. If he's been taking the medicine, does that explain why he was relatively unaffected by the "blast"? He shows no shock at all from the events involving Eko and Desmond and Locke. And for argument's sake, if Claire began taking the medicine to test its results before using it on Aaron, that may explain why she wanted to reunite with Charlie, holding his hand during the funeral and kissing him in the finale. I think Charlie has been "compromised" in some way ... heck, maybe he still has lingering resentment over how he was treated and dismissed by the other survivors after his incident with Aaron.
Also, I agree with the poster who said that he doesn't think that all the storylines will tie up neatly. I think the story follows more along the lines of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" -- King admitted that he had no idea where he would end up when he began the series, and I think that's how "Lost" is developing. In many ways, it is being developed as it is written ... unlike Chaucer, who had a clear structure and format for his "Canterbury Tales," but died before completing the full set.
I expect that Jin and Sayid will be the key characters early next season in tracking down Kate, Sawyer and Jack. I expect Charlie to take on Michael's role as the double agent ... and I expect that Sun's child will make an impact as well.
For what it's all worth ;) Great analysis, btw. Great site.
Okay, I am so very glad youpsted Brian! I took the print out of you post, 16 pages mind you! and with highlighters and pencils sharpened I began my interpretations of what I saw and read. This is in NO way meant to slam, just want to help with the theories. I will admit though, I am only on page 6 so far! :)
FIRST, I think I missed something a long time ago about John Locke. Am I to understand he was a philosopher and a character in our story is named this too? Wow! That is news to me, but I never took that class in college!
SECONDLY and the rest..."Desmond learned there was no sort of sickness outside the hatch" Actually I believe what he learned is that Kelvin had lied to him to keep him pressing the button while Kelvin LEFT! I am not sure the sickness is not there, but something about it seems...odd. My theory on the MEDS, they (the writers) forgot that Des grabbed the meds on the way out earlier this season. WHY? Well, I think it was crucial to MANY episodes this season that we (the viewers) believe in the sickness. They wanted us to "think" more than once someone had been effected by it. That is why he grabbed it on the way out and then they conveniently forgot about that in the season wrap up. That is why he says he took it faithfully "for three years", not "up until I ran out of my supply" which by the way, he waould still have some! He was out on the water for two weeks and the stuff is taken every 9 days. How many viles did he grab??? Anyway, more on the meds....the #s on the stuff indidcate it is supposed to go with the Swan Hatch. It is delivered with the "drop" as well. I believe IMO, that the meds were for the people IN the hatch...that is why Des is taking it over and over and Kelvin is not. He found the boat and is ready to leave. It must have something to do with the electromagnetic mumbo jumbo, I am not up to that level of knowledge yet! How did the others get any of it? Good question I asked there! I wonder....I will revisit this in a bit. Could it be, that the meds are a protection from the possibility of a magnet overload...maybe this is why Charlie seems uneffected? Not a small point to be over looked I am sure! CFL point (crazy french lady-although my son and I call her CFC, crazy french chic!) what if she saw her "people" shot witht hose blow darts and figured the sickness had gotten them! I will admit when the first dart hit and the violent shakes followed I thought "sickness" had wacked them for sure!
OKAY, now to Desmond...in the issue of prison and the army. You said, "being setup for some crime", Actually in this sequence we see him being released and it is DIRECTLY related to his disobedience...A stamped DISHONERABLY DISCHARGED and the "You are here by dishonerably discharged from Her Majesty's Army" blah blah blah!
Also, as someone else pointed out, HE DOES NOT TAKE THE MONEY from Widmore. We watched that several times and if you watch the part with Libby he states he was offered the money and didn't take it. His words, "He tried to buy me off, and when I didn't take his money, he took away the only thing in the world that I ever truly carde about." Sorry to debunk that for you, I wanted that book's meaning to have some play in this!
On to the blast door. When Locke was under the door the black lights came on. BUT not until AFTER HGI was involved. Hmmmm, makes me wonder there. When we see in the flashbacks per Des, we see that Kelvin draws withOUT the lights. Why is this? DES: "How do you remember where you left off from?" KELVIN: "Slowly, Des, very very slowly" Okay, if I knew I could switch on a "light" and see it all for myself, well there would be NO WAY I would do it the way Kelvin does. (Just a side question here, anyone try to use detergent to make a picture yet?)
Somethings to think about there!
Okay, now to the points you made regarding the knowledge of those that drew and so on. You were stating that it was doubtful that the two men found all that out on their own. I know the computer is a huge part of their knowledge. That was WHY he spliced the film as you said. However you seemed to forget the issue with Eko finding the parts in the ARROW hatch. Hmmmm, perhaps he is scouting, finds the hatch and it has more in it than we know. Perhaps he uses what ever is in there to find out more and eventually leaves the pieces there to be found again. OR...some how the connection between the others and the Swan Hatch guys are more than we have begun to imagine. Up until now what we know and what we guess has been without fact. BUT, if you look at the fact that HGI was seemingly involved in the "black lights" and that they had the "4815162342 Meds" plus you did make a keen observation about the LOGO issue. I believe the LOGO is inplay anytime they (HF -Hanso Foundation- People) try to trick people or make them believe in the Dharma Initiative. Here is my point. When they had Claire at the medical facility it was clear they were keeping the baby and probably cared very little about if she lived or not, so why try to fake her out? Then you have the canteen. Well, I must say that he was taking her outside when he wasn't supposed to so maybe he and Alex planned to let her go eventually. Okay, that is a stretch but anyway let's move on!
I wanted to make a couple side notes here that IMO I think it is better to refer to the "Rebel Dharmites" as Hanso Foundation People. Only because we are not sure if they are rebels persay but they are definately with the "group" - for or against, we will wait to see. Did you notice how HGI looked at the sky when the noise and light happened? It was like he KNEW! Also, when did Kelvin join? When did Sayid have his "time" with Joe/Kelvin? How does that fit in witht he blast door dates? Any thoughts there? And when did Hugh McIntyre say they dismantled the project? Which they obviously did not, hence the "drops" of supplies!
Okay...I have gotten as far as MAGNETISM on your post. I had been working on a few thoughts when you posted and this is them...1) When Sayid comes to the Swan Hatch the first time he remarks about Churnoble (Okay that is not how you spell it but but SOUNDS right!) and that he had not seen concrete in this manner other than in a situation like that. I picked up on this but never had a use for it until I read a synopsis of the BAD TWIN book. 2) Int he book, it is mentioned that Widmore Corp has been developing a special type of reinforced concrete...can't remember the exact wording at this point, but it sounds interesting. 3) Also in the book, Charles Widmore is specifically interested in Scottish Heritage and isn't our friend Des scottish? Remember when he tells Libby, "I was unsuitable on several levels?"
Well, I will continue to see what else you have posted and will continue my own thoughts on my blog. I hate LONG comments like this but how else should I do it? :) Thanks Brian...you have given us a LOT to discuss this summer! The game over at the The Lost Experience is interesting...can't wait to hear more from the book!
Best guess at dates:
1970's - Hanso Foundation formed
1980 - "The Incident", Radzinkski starts work inside the Swan Hatch
1991 - Kelvin joins Radzinski inside the Swan Hatch (flashbacks with Sayid were Desert Storm - 1990-1991)
2001 - Kelvin finds Desmond
2004 - Flight 815 crashes.
Note the nice "10 year cycle" in people working in the Hatch.
Also - it almost works out where you could argue that once they started slowly releasing the electromagnetic powers, "The Sickness" stopped - thus, none of our Survivors have been affected, but CFL's crew might have been (about 24 years ago - she changed the radio signal 16 years ago - it's close, but not quite).
PS - Heather's Brain, how dare you question my theories - they are all perfect! Remember, I work for ABC?
Just kidding :) Thanks for letting me know how long they print out to, I always kinda wondered about that...
Blast door questions:
Why did Kelvin lower the blast door? So cameras couldn't see them?
And why doesn't the black light turn on?
OK, two things:
Penn's guys are not Brazilian, they're definitely from Portugal and are speaking regular european Portuguese.
Second, one thing that surprised me was Desmond's timeline in the hatch: he had been alone in there since the day the plane crashed, only. Not a long time if you compare to the three years he was with Kelvin.
Leonel,
I'm sorry, but the guys in the Artic aren't portuguese. I'm portuguese and there's no way they're talking portuguese from Portugal. They're definitely brazillian.
Rute: Lol. Well, I'm Brazilian, and I stand to my comment: it's not Brazilian Portuguese.
A few disgruntled employees;
Rebels they do not make.
well maybe it's Dharma Portuguese
I think scene 1 in Act 1 of season 3, will back up a couple hours from where we leave off and look at it from a different perspective ala the hatch from Desmond's perspective or the other 48 days. Maybe we'll see what Locke, Eko and Des experienced during the "phenomenon." Maybe we'll see it through Henry's perspective before and as he shows up at the ferry terminal...something that will tip us off to at least what the 6 episode mini season's main theme or setting will be. That's all if the writers were setting a standard with Man of Science/Faith.
Great stuff Brian,i am portuguese and i recently discovered this blog,i have to say that you have some really great thoughts on lost...
I am loving to read your blog,looking forward to some new articles,keep up the good work :D
What Brian said, at the end of his analysis, is one of the real headlines from this last episode....flight #815 crashing was a chance incident and NOT planned....it happened as a result of Desmond leaving the hatch and NOT pressing the #'s. That said, evidently, it seems likely to be a big red herring in the writting and nothing more than simple (or complex) coincedences in the lives of these characters. Wow.
I'm loving the blog!
I posted this in the previous post's comments, but I think it got lost in the shuffle (no pun there!)
I'm thinking the 'Others' are meant to be there on the Island. In the Orientation film for The Swan, mention was made of the DeGroots intending for a kind of 'utopian' scientific community. Being psychologists, I don't wonder if they planned in some kind of 'conflict' into their utopian plans to keep everything from going stagnant? This would then posit two groups, the 'Dharmites' & the 'Hostiles' - perhaps the hostiles simply took it a little too far? Maybe the Dharmites have gone into hiding - or been defeated altogether?
Great blog! I just discovered you recently, but I really like your recaps and look forward to season 3!
first of all, thanks for your analysis, brian. it certainly gives me a lot to think about....
i have some questions and maybe you or the other commenters can help me....
1. what's with the gorilla on the hansofoundation website? i know that they list it as one of the 'projects' and as the world's oldest orangutan. but is this just extraneous b.s., or do you think it has anything to do with anything?
2. also, it seems like we can make some parallels between the des/penny story and greek mythology. in homer's 'odyssey,' odysseus leaves his wife (PENELOPE) for a long time to sail around seeking various adventures. she waits a long time for him to come home.
3. do we know if there's a loose translation for the hieroglyphic characters? i have the screen captures and the symbols themselves, but can't seem to find a translation that makes any sense.
any ideas?
You know, another thought occured to me. Actually two:
1. When Eko climbed out of the hatch, the Quarentine door was off to the side. He left it there on the side, on the ground. How could it be projected in the air like that? Seems like it should have been over the hatch for it to blast like that.
2. From which direction did the Henry Gale boat come? Reason I ask is becuase it's possible he passed the other boat beached with Jin et al on it or nearby.
Brian, about your vaccine theory:
If the medicine sedates people and gets them to accept things without questioning them (like you explained is what happened to Charlie), what about Kelvin? He was using the injections, and he was clearly not accepting Dharma (mocking "Namaste," and trying to get off the island).
Rob -- I agree with Brian's anti-magnet theory... one of the few metal objects outside of the hatch was the quarantine door, and as someone mentioned before, magnet "waves" can pass through anything... so it doesn't have to be right on the hatch opening to get thrust because of an anti-magnetic power. If anything, that proves that it wasn't an explosion -- if it was an explosion, the quarantine door should have been on the hatch to get thrown because of the smoke/air bursting out of the hatch. As you mentioned, the quarantine door wasn't on the hatch to fly off if there was an explosion.
Also I don't think the Others passed by Jin & Sun on the boat... nothing shows that happened, so i think we're supposed to assume that they came from the opposite direction.
Dave -- I don't think the Dharmites have been "defeated"... that removes the purpose of the hostiles/rebels staying on the island.
Also about the four-toed statue, it's too weird that it has 4 toes. So far, I think a lot of these incidents being related to the numbers were coincidences (whenever the writers had to pick a number, they naturally picked either 4 8 15 16 23 or 42), but changing the number of toes is just plain weird to do for the heck of it. Also I stand by my theory that it's not ancient... it looks way too new to be ancient -- it's sitting on the beach in good condition, even though it's in the direct sunlight and probably had ocean water splashing on it often. I can't explain its presence, but it doesn't seem to fit (or maybe the props person screwed up!).
Question......After Desmond followed Kelvin outside, he discovered that there was no problem with germs, etc and could feel free to wonder outside the hatch. That said, why is it that after he killed Kelvin, he continued to lock himself in the hatch and NEVER appeared to venture out (in between the 108 minutes to push the button)? He would have seen the Lostees, etc. This does not seem to add up. Comments?
A few good points were made in the last few comments. One thing I wanted to ask has been addressed! I went back and watched the orientation videos again (by the way I found some strange things on YouTube that made me wonder about what is real with this show and what "fans" create!) after viewing it SEVERAL times I was still wondering what was said about Utopia....thanks to the one that said that because I was going there in my thoughts. THAT IS WHY THEY DON'T GET OFF THE ISLAND! They have the capability to do so, but when you live in Paradise why leave? My thoughts are they created this community and those that are sent to the Swan Hatch are told there are Hostiles on the island...or they were FOUND when Radzinsky went "exploring" and he told Kelvin they are Hostile! I think the island had these magnetic powers that helped with all their experiments and now HGI is freaking out because he KNOWS the key was turned (see my blog for that explanation!)
Anyway, Des never went outside again because two things...1) he still thought about the sickness, see the first episode of this season and see him taking his shot before the blast of dynomite. 2) after the last time he went out, why would you risk THAT again? Hell no! Kelvin said "I needed a sucker to save the world after I left!" He was that sucker! for at least a month and a half!
Brian, if I honestly thought you worked for ABC, I don't think I would read this! For that you can go to the ABC sponsored blogs and read what they want us to read! By the way, I think this is all very funny how we are all wrapped up in this just like the losties and all that have come before! THANKS A LOT ALVAR HANSO!
Eyeball, I think the translation was "to die" or something along those lines.
First, thanks for all the hard work. I love the page.
My theory on the Geo-EM device is it is now going back to its natural state. Dharma modified it to study it and that caused the incident. They then generated the numbers to prevent the incident and discharge the studing EM device. The just turned off the device that dharma used to study the Geo-EM weirdness.
As many have mentioned the mystery on the island was here before dharma we are slowing removing dharma's secrects to reveal the true secrets of the island.
For questions of fate and coincidence I suggest folks read Kurt Vonnegut. The story to this point reminds me alot of his writings.
hey Heather's Brain....what do you mean by ........"....after the last time he went out, why would you risk THAT again? "
If Des ventured out, which would show normal curiosity, insure he is back long before the 108 minutes are up.
Anyway, great analysis by Brian and all - gonna be strung out till Lost is back on the air.
When Kate was reading the entry from one of the notebooks in the PTP (pneumatic tube pile), the author had written down an identifier for whomever he/she was watching. What did they call the person they were watching? "S.R."? I couldn't quite figure it out. Who is that? One of our survivors?
I'm starting to agree with you Brian (and part of me always has), that all these little coincidences and connections are just that - coincidences. It also fits with the "everything on the island has a logical explanation", that the producers have said. However, it would leave me grossly unsatisfied!
It would just seem silly to write off all these meetings and connections to conicidence, and a real let down when I'm told that the writers have a plan for everything that happens. Even if the explanation for them was magic, it'd be better than not explaining them at all.
Don't agree? Well let me talk about the best example - the numbers. Come on, that Hurley's friend heard the numbers being broadcast from an island, the numbers are used to win the lottery but bring Hurley bad luck, so he goes to Australia. Then on his way back from Australia, he ends up on the island where the numbers are being broadcast because someone called Desmond forgot to enter them into a computer?! If the show writes all that off to conicidence, it would be ridiculous. There must be something more behind (I hope)!
Hey Losties
First CFL, I hate the fact the producers and the casting didn't choose a real French Lady, I am not French but a french canadian and well I do notice the difference, but anyway the things is... WHERE IS SHE??? It has been quite a time now that we have spotted her.. there was a trap though in the last episod but.. no sign of her...
2nd thing, here is what I believe for the 'reaction' of Charlie back at the camp, which would fit Brian's belief that they are not dead... Eko, Locke, Desmond and of course Charlie, all made it back on the surface, and started to... argue, talk, whatever.. and.. they all left (not together) and Charlie reached the camp first ... there LOL
Hello here's something...someone has speculated that Libby might be Hanso, aka "Liddy Wales." Let me add to that (unless it's already been said), but what if Hugo Hurley was the missing "Hugh MacIntyre"? Any thoughts??
Looking for Consistency.
I've been looking at the numbers on the Pearl print out. Comparing the numbers we saw when Locke and Eko were looking at it, to the ones that Desmond determined the day of Flt 815 crash as the same day of his system failure.
If you look at 922044:16 it's easy to see Desmond's reasoning in the format.
9 = Month
22 = Day
04 = Year
4:16 = Time of Day
Simple Right? Or is it? I am not so sure. First off did they crash at 4:16 in the morning? If not and they crash in the afternoon then would the time then read 16:16 (24hour clock)?
I tried using the same format looking at the previous numbers we've seen on the print out and noticed more irregularities to the format Desmond used.
For example if we look at one row (from when Locke and Eko looked at it) we see the umbers "41602072:05 accepted" and "41602078:58 accepted" etc...
So let's try that format again:
41602072:05
4 = Month
16 = Day
02 = Year
07 = ?
2:05 = ? Time?
I don't see it, Desmond's format doesn't seem to work with extra digits in this case. Any thoughts as to why the discrepancy?
Liz: I think S.R. can be Radzinsky, Kelvin's partner in the hatch.
By the way, we say Sawyer reading almost all of Bad Twin, isn't in the book a lot of references to the Hanso Foundation and Dharma? If so, what information could he learn from it?
In the spirit of Memorial Day, I watched Band of Brothers...stay with me here. While in England our boys are doing drills and drops, but the plans of the D-Day invasion are still very guarded. Lt. Winters walks into his CO's tent and says, "on the last drop, I had a compass." The two use the compass and times to figure out that based on where they've been dropping in England, they will be dropping in Normandy. This is kind of what I see with Kelvin and Radzinsky making the map on the wall. Not that they are necessarily disgruntled or rebels, but they are curious about the bigger picture beyond pushing the button. I know it puts a hole in your rebel vs. dharma vs. clones vs. aliens theories, but I'm still having a hard time seeing the writers be able to explain the evil twin ideas in the hour a week they have. Look at how little we know in 40 something episodes.
good analysis Brian, only 1 nitpick.
I still think that flight 815 was ment to crash were and when it crashed.
1. Kelvin knew that Desmond wanted to go outside, and I think he intentionaly ripped his coat, and made it obvious to Desmond so that he would follow him out.
2. Correct me if I'm wrong but the others already had a list of people they wanted on the tail end of the plaine on the first night.
I dont know it just seems tOo Orchestrated to me, and how could the others possibly know whos "good" and whos "Bad" without haveing done research on the outside world.
I agree with you--I'm not entirely sure whether I'm absolutely and utterly amazed by this season finale or if I'm totally confused. In fact, I'm even considering a "not-too-pleased" approach on the whole thing. But overall, I'm just so unsure about how I feel! It's just weird! (Like LOST.)
But there was one thing I was a little disappointed about...did you ever manage to guess that it was because Desmond didn't push the button that the plane crashed? Because I was telling my entire family that story as soon as we first found out about the button. It just seemed a little too predictable...or maybe I just have too much time on my hands.
Brian,
I've been checking your blog all weekend! Thanks for the pointers. I think you should go on Jeopardy. How do you know this stuff?
You're Good!
Something to give you people to chew over...
Sawyer was not reading a pblished volume of Bat Twin - he was reading the MANUSCRIPT. That means either the author/someone in publishing WAS PROBABLY ON THE PLANE TOO.
Hanso aren't happy about the book, and the manuscript gets put on THIS plane somehow. Coincidence? Perhaps somehow the crash WAS orchestrated (as unlikely as I find that - but then I was convinced the numbers were phoney right up until that las episode!)
Eyeball - the translation for the Heiroglyphics seen in the hatch (assuming the intended language is Middle Egyptian!) is the causitive form of the verb 'to die'. This is important, as many people have translated it as 'cause to die' (because they don't know how to read the Egyptian Heiroglyphic dictionary the entry came from) A more precise translation would be: [You] caused [everything/everyone] to die. Note that I used the past tense, but this is not implied in the verb form.
Hope this helps.
Heather's brain - thanks for picking up on the utopian comment - I haven't seen it developed much in discussions.
I've been basing the idea on the (somewhat) well known fact that utopian societies suffer from eventual stagnation - without the introduction on conflict the society eventually falls apart. Since the DeGroots were graduate psychology(?) students, they would have known the importance having a conflicting element would play - I'm thinking this is where the HGI group comes in...
senor feesh - the "Bad Twin" book has a blurb on the jacket that explains that the author, Gary Troup (by the way, that is an anagram for purgatory), was on flight 815 that went missing and is presumed dead.
There is a blurb on the inside that said, as is typically said of novels, that all characters are fictional. In this case it says that the author is fictional too.
I think the idea is to create a tie-in to the popular show that can sell books (worked with me!) and that gives a loose tie-in to the show. I found it a fun read and it did make references to things found in the show (Widmore, Hanso) but I did not read it with the expectation that I would get answers to any show-related questions.
Senor Freech makes a good point...Sawyer was NOT reading Bad Twins itself but the manuscript. This detail must have meaning no doubt, however small the meaning may in fact be.
Time format could be Greenwich time... Eastern Austrialia is +10 greenwich... so this might be +11.
+11 would make the crash at 3:16pm.
This would make sense as it's an international standard.
However, I don't know if it goes that far, I think they were just trying to fit the numbers in with 4:16
I'm also not sure that the printouts that Desmond looked at match up....
The original printout in ? was 41602117:05 and 41602118:05
I tried to figure out a date code, but I didn't get anything out of it. Because most the the seconds were 05 or 29, the clock didn't make sense.
(usually, the year would come first, and based on an international standard, the day would come before the month.. but that's beside the point).
If we assume this is a log of the numbers, this was 1 minute apart.. not 108.
Were they trying to throw us off?
I think it's a stretch to say Sawyer would make the connection between the book and what's happened on the island. But you can see him questioning things when he asks about Others/Dharma. Does the book delve into Dharma or just Hanso. Can we assume that Sawyer has or that he hasn't seen the Swan film?
wouldn't you figure that everyone has seen the Swan film? However, many secrets seem to be kept on the Island so it could be consistent in the writting if he (or other Lostees) were not made privey to the film.
I don't think Desmond crashed the plane. I think they want us to think that his theory of why is the real why - but this is only Desmond's reasoning. I still think they were hand picked. As for the gal at the end - they found "him" because his boat has a tracking device and with the electo portion of the island down they can finally pick up the signal.
Doesn't "Electromagnetic Anomaly Detected" (as it said on the computer monitor at the end) indicate that they sensed the white flash of electromagnetic shock at the end, not that they suddenly were able to pick up a tracker on Desmond's boat?
If they just picked up the tracker on his boat, it would have said "Tracker Detected" or something like that.
After seeing tonights rerun, I think Jack is an Other. Realizing how talented Jack was at medicine, it makes me think he would be a prime recruit candidate for Dharma. Maybe he was then brainwashed/memory-cleared/whatever and put into this whole mess. Or not, now that I think about it for another minute.
I just love all this! I am so grateful and equally ungrateful to JJ Abrams for giving us a wonderful way to spend our summer. Today was the first day I actually WENT OUTSIDE in about a week! Okay, that said...I wanted to comment in response to the anonymous person who asked about this comment I made... "after the last time he went out, why would you risk THAT again? "
THAT was referring to the major shaking, rock n roll magnet crazy stuff he experienced when the screen read system failure. I know he could venture a little between button pushes and maybe he did once or twice but I doubt and here is why. For the next 45 days or so he ALONE had button duty! He ALONE had 108 minutes between to rest, shower, eat, whatever you do in life...for approx. 45 days! Now, do you think you could do it without the seemingly crazy magnet thing breathing down YOUR neck?
Doubtful
Can we delve into this utopian community? People with more knowledge than I, please comment here. I would like to know more about this. If these people were given the "opportunity of a life time" to live in PARADISE and given scientific jobs in a research compound to study their most favorite thing in the world...let me just quote the orientation film from the swan hatch. "Gerald & Karen DeGroot......imagined a large scale communal research compound where scientists & free thinkers from around the globe could pursue research in meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, and electromagnetism." Following this it is a little incohearant to me so help out. Here is what it says to me..."an utopian social reclusive? danish industrialis an ammunitions magnate...Alvar" blah blah blah
Okay, help out will ya. I know this is important! It leads to what we will see in the next season and why they want the three on the list. I believe the love triangle is a good thing to "study" and so they have been and will continue UP CLOSE.
Hey Brian, why haven't you touched on this communal theory? You still stuck on clones? C'mon, I know you are smarter than that! :)
heather's brain, you clearly have a lot to say. Why don't you start your own blog? Oh you have? I'm sure you will build up traffic if you post your crazy ideas on your own blog. Good luck with that!
Quick point: I do not think that you can now take for granted that the plane brought down was an accident. There is circumstantial evidence that it was intentional.
1) The pilot 'loses' contact with air traffic control, and changes course (to happen to fly over the island). He subsequently 'disappears' (maybe not dead as Locke believed he would not die when he was almost taken by the monster).
2) The psychic ensuring the Claire gets on that particular flight.
3) Kelvin's poignant 'Goodbye' and other gestures all seem to manipulate Desmond into following him. Kelvin knew that he was being followed, so why lead Desmond to the boat? Finally their confrontation and struggle only lasted a few minutes. Desmond raced back to the hatch and the timer had already expired. If Kelvin DID want the button pushed, he would've confronted Desmond earlier so they could get back to the hatch in time. He chose not to.
Thus, I conclude that Kelvin did not want the button pressed at this time. I believe his death was accidental, but that he completed his mission.
P.S. It's not really for me to say; this is Brian's blog. But he spends a lot of time and effort into crafting his posts. I think it would be respectful if readers leaving comments exercised at least some due care and judgement when posting. Let's not spoil this blog with comments that haven't been thought through or random brain droppings.
Is it possible there was some sort of coordinates tracking device put on Desmond's boat to make him crash on the island? That could explain why he couldn't sail away from it when he tried to leave...
BTW, Brian...Are you going to see DMB next Wednesday? I'm going to visit my brother in Ohio and that show is my birthday present. woo hoo!
robin said...
Is it possible there was some sort of coordinates tracking device put on Desmond's boat to make him crash on the island? That could explain why he couldn't sail away from it when he tried to leave...
Possible but unlikely. The tracking device would have had to survive the boat being damaged by the storm (recall that Kelvin was fixing it up). By Occam's razor, any idea involving an unseen tracking device should be discarded. Either the boat was re-attracted when John failed to press the button in time the first time OR a certain angle is required to escape the island's sphere of influence (325 degrees).
Robin - I'm actually going to the DMB shows at Deer Creek this weekend (camping out!), but won't be attending the Columbus or Cleveland shows this year (sad). I'll also be at Alpine over 4th of July, Cincinnati in August, and Charlottesville in September.
Have fun! Sets have been fantastic so far.
Who wants to be freaked out? You think I know a lot about Lost? I know about ten times that much about the Dave Matthews Band...
Andi - thanks for the comments. I will say that 90% of you are fantastic and post things that make me question my own thoughts and provide insights and knowledge that I simply don't have.
I think with anything on the Internet, you're bound to have the other 10% who either haven't gone through and read previous posts or simply don't have the time to keep up with everything.
We can't fault them for this, but I understand it can be frustrating to the die-hards out there. Just remember to play nice with the newbies :)
On a random thread...
I was thinking about Walt and his superpowers and it reminded me how at the end of the episode, HGI says he isn't happy with the trade-off, even after admitting they had gotten more than they bargained for.
That, plus his absence at the fake campground (aside from the producers probably wanting to keep his "Other" seniority a secret until the finale) shows that not only was he not around at the time the deal with Michael went down, but he also didn't orchestrate it! Seem strange for the guy who's supposedly in charge? Either he was circumvented or that order came from higher up.
Maybe season 3 will give us some answers to where HGI was and what happened to Walt. He is looking older though...
Also, I'm working on my own timeline and was confused by your mention of a 1980 incident since the one I noticed at first glance on the blast door map is 1985. I'm having a brain fart, but how many were there? Did the 1980 come from the orientation video?
One other related thought. Didn't the orientation video say something about "you and your partner"? So why was Radzinski alone for so long? And why didn't anyone join Kelvin after Radzinski killed himself? I'm just wondering how anyone can never sleep for more than one hour at a time and not go absolutely crazy. I apologize if I'm asking about old information. Just trying to splice it together and my memory seems to be going.
My 1980 date comes from the Orientation Video. Since it basically instructs how to prevent another "Incident" occuring, I'm assuming it must have been made (or possibly "updated") right after the Incident.
As for Radzinski, something tells me that Dharma fell apart during his time down there, preventing any "backups" from coming after Kelvin (early 1990's?).
I'd bet his original partner suffered the same fate as he did (killed themselves / went crazy)
Brian...camping out...I'm jealous! It would be a dream come true for me to be able to take a summer off of work and follow the band around and camp out with other DMB fans. But for now, I'll have to sit pretty with my ohio show and two west palm shows...
Liz: "That, plus his absence at the fake campground (aside from the producers probably wanting to keep his "Other" seniority a secret until the finale) shows that not only was he not around at the time the deal with Michael went down, but he also didn't orchestrate it! Seem strange for the guy who's supposedly in charge? Either he was circumvented or that order came from higher up."
Wasn't the deal with Michael made as a way to get HGI back in the first place? He was still in the hatch under lock and key at that point...
I am now convinced that we are reading way too much into too many minor details. I think they are throwing the hard core fans some bones (like the Bad Twin manuscript on the island). I am thinking that most of the connections in the flashbacks won't mean anything. They can't make it too complicated because then they will lose viewers. I think there is a master plan/idea and a lot of the other stuff is just fluff and filler that we are reading too much into. I am doing my brain a favour and stop thinking about the show all summer. Then I'll rent season 1 and 2 and watch them both before the start of 3 to refresh myself.
Brian, when are the updated coming? I half-assed watched the finale of Alias (never really watched the show ever). It seemed to be a week ending. Did anything become revealed in the end like we hope Lost secrets become revealed at the series finale of Lost?
I thought 24 was good, but predictable. I knew right away he would plant a bug on the Pres and hope for the best. And Jack Bauer must be losing some of his skills. Come on, why would your daughter call you at a random phone line in a shady warehouse type building. Come on Bauer, I even saw that one coming. I really want whatever PDA Jack has. That thing has super powers and the battery never dies.
Pdiddy - I'm giving my brain a much needed rest for a few days after running it pretty hard during the past few weeks leading up to and following the Lost finale.
I should have some new stuff up next week, but in short...
Alias Finale - good, not great. Answered some stuff, didn't really go anywhere with it, a lot felt forced. Left the door open for the future. In truth, the Alias storyline had become so convuluted, I don't think any finale could have been satisfactory. But it had a happy ending, which I liked.
24 Finale - Again, good but not great. I think I just know what to expect from 24 and some of the shock value has been lost on me. I truly hope they work the Chinese storyline next year, which would be something different than the standard "Jack saves L.A." storyline.
Top 3 Season Finales = Lost, Grey's Anatomy, The Office
Locke lost his faith after seeing the video tape in the pearl hatch. In the finale episode he said that "He was never so sure about anything else in his life" when him and desmond locked Eko out of the computer room. Will this bring a return of Locke's faith in the island next season? What will Eko's purpose be now that the hatch has been destroyed?
I find it absolutely hilarious that out of 80 some comments on here that I am singled out as having crazy ideas that should not be discussed on "Brian's Blog" My appologies Brian, I thought this was to discuss theories as I have read other comments and although I don't agree with ALL of them, I find it intriging to delve into them. My mistake I guess in asking questions and making comments. By the way, andi, I think you may have my comments confused some of the other comments on here. Your "points" as they were stated didn't really pertain to anything I had said.
I guess I can just read and not comment from now on.
heather's brain, I wasn't singling you out. I meant crazy in the good way :) Nor were my comments related to yours in any way. Sorry if you took offence.
Would waking up every 108 minutes drive you crazy? I don't believe so. If I were in that situation, I'd make a bed right next to the computer. I'd pre-type the numbers at the cursor. When the alarm goes off, I'd simply roll out of bed, hit execute and roll back. It's not perfect sleep, but my partner pretty much wakes me up every night anyway (apparently I snore).
However, solitary confinement for a sustained period of time? Now THAT would make me crazy...
senor feesh: Yeah, I pretty much realized that last night when my boyfriend pointed it out to me. Duh, I don't know what I was thinking. Thanks.
To the 108 minutes of sleep=craziness, remember, there is suppossed to be a partner, so theorhetically you could get your doctor reccomended 8 hours o' sleep.
Has anyone suggested that Sam Toomey (the guy who originally heard the numbers with Lenny) might be Radzinski? Kind of like how Kelvin Inman turned out to be Joe Inman from before? I'm watching the first season over and Sam Toomey died by putting a shotgun in his mouth because he thought the numbers were cursed. Coincidence?
I think after final episode of season two it is nearly impossible to find a logical and satisfying end for the show. If it proves that the plane crash and the chance encounters in the flashbacks only coincidences then the show is boring from now on and the writer of the show are not as smart as they seems to be.
I agree with Anonymous (above) that if the writters conclude that the encounters in the characters back-stories were 'chance encounters' with no solid relevance to the shows plot, this would be a terrible cop-out and piss many fans off. Also, very hard to imagine ANY plausible exlamination as to how the plane crash could have been more than a random accident and not part of some larger, master Dharma plan.
Ok, against my last post regarding no more posting. (I understand Andi...it is hard to see your smiling face on this box!)
I have a thought about the connections and so on that have been mentioned. Have you ever watched that Kevin Bacon movie? 6 Degrees of Seperation? I vaguely remember the idea of being intertwined in other's life without knowledge of it...sound like the losties? I think it is a statement on life in general. I mean...when my husband and I met we found out we lived three years prior almost next door to eachother without ever knowing it. Never met, maybe we could have flashbacks and see the other at the grocery store!!
Think about it this way...you are at Walmart and your cart bumps into a guy that you never saw before. You may exchange words or even a OOPS! Sorry 'bout that! what ever....then find out three months later it was BRIAN! The guy who is writing this column. Woudl you find out even? Who knows.
I know it sounds like a let down, but I know the last two years have been nothing but twists and turns so I doubt this will be any different! Get ready for the ride and enjoy the summer...it will be September soon enough!
it would be a letdown indeed if these back-stories are a series of 'six degrees of seperation' scenarios. Plus, how would Hurley's #'s be explained?? A coincedence???? If these are all simple coincedences, that would be akin to a 'dream sequence' whereby this never happened and its' all in someones self conscious....!!
Hard to predict where the writters are going in explaining if the plane crash was a random occurrence or somehow a planned event.
Anyway, let's hope JJ et al has more on the ball that that!
Heather's Brain - you're right on... and I'm sorry for bumping into you at the store that one day - I was being careless.
Coincidence that JJ Abrams next show is called "Six Degrees" and is about how the lives of six people in NYC inter-connect without them knowing it? I think not.
Sounds like taking the idea from Lost's flashbacks and fleshing it out a little bit.
Six degrees reminds me of Seven Degress of Kevin Bacon, but that could just be because I just watched the episode of Will and Grace where bacon guest stars.! Ahh look what no lost does to me! The ARG seems to be slowing down as well.
OK, just a thought.
And if the "magnetic" thing isn't magnetic at all?
I see on many movies that nuclear explosions can cause magnetic waves. Something call EMP, like Matrix's Ships. Well, this explains the "sickening" and the computer is to release a safe energy.
What I must think more is how to fit this "nuclear" thing on the explosions and other events related to the magnetic waves.
But this could explain the "cure" of Locke and Rose. This could explain the sickness. And I know from incidents around the world that nuclear material can be found. This could explain the radio waves from "anywhere or anytime".
Well, is how i said, just a thought.
By the way, great blog Brian.
Can I ask a question about VACUUM laws? I am not referring to the household unit I am supposed to use instead of typing here...I mean the numatic tube that sucked the notebooks up. Could it possibly work? I mean, I know it works at the bank teller drive through but they have a closed tube. Not an open ended tube ending in a pile on an island! Would that work that way? My experience with vacuum lines both at work in Motorola and my car, when it is open even a little it loses suction! Just a thought. I am trying to stick to lost as much as possible! :)
Brian, no biggie about the cart but I wish you wouldn't have taken my Cherrios! HEE HEE!
Anonymous said: "I see on many movies that nuclear explosions can cause magnetic waves. Something call EMP, like Matrix's Ships. Well, this explains the "sickening" and the computer is to release a safe energy.
What I must think more is how to fit this "nuclear" thing on the explosions and other events related to the magnetic waves."
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a winner!
Didn't Sayid once say that he'd seen concrete piled that thick at Chernobyl? So the concrete, whilst keeping people safe from the radioactive material doesn't stop the electromagnetic waves passing through.
And perhaps the original 'incident' may not have been failing to push the button, but rather a nuclear explosion, or at the very least a radiation leak (as anonymous said, this would explain the sickness). Anyone know how long it takes for radiatiton to dissapate? I assume it depends on the quantity as well.
I've been thinking about the Door Hatch and why it was being guarded becuase when Sayid opened it, it was just an empty room. So perhaps it is not the Door hatch but rather the Room. The Room that perhaps Mrs. Klugh was referring to with Walt. Perhaps this room is used for the parapsychology expirements. Any takers?
On the subject of who initiated the lockdown that allowed Locke to see the map. The food drop was discovered at the end of this episode. Is it possible that the facility is locked down during a food drop to prevent button pushers seeing\signalling the plane that 'delivers' the food?
How does the supply plane even find the island if its cloaked? Can we assume that if you know where the island is you can find it or was the 'cloak' dropped (causing the lockdown) to allow the supply plane to enter its airspace?
i have the impression that the guys in antartica are suposed to be brazilian, but are actually two north americans tring to speak portuguese, because my first reaction to they speaking was that was dubbed, i am brazilian and found more easy to read the subtitles than hear they speaking!
Ok, I haven't had time to read every comment, so if I'm repeating someone else then I apologize. I just want to get this off my chest before I forget it.
1. I was watching the DVD with the subtitles on, and the subtitles have the bird saying "Hurley". They COULD have done it so that a hearing impaired viewer would understand why Sawyer asked, "Did that bird just say your name?" (not an accurate quote). But it's obvious that the creators wanted us to think the bird said Hurley. And considering this is "Lost", I think there may be more to that. I mean, what was the point of having the bird in the first place if not to add more questions, y'know?
2. Here's my theory on Libby and the boat: I think that Libby married Hurley while he thought he was David. When Hurley was "cured", David "died". Hurley won the lottery, so he would have the money for a boat. This would also explain why Libby was into "a guy like him" while on the island. I mean, it CAN'T be a coincidence that Hurley's alter ego was named David--same as Libby's husband.
: )
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