I mean shit both ways:
1. Holy shit I can't believe they just killed four major Lost characters in the span of ten minutes.
2. The shit is really hitting the fan. I guess we're playing for keeps from here on out.
All you people who were trying to argue that SmokeLocke could have been the "good guy" all season, the deaths of Sun, Jin, Frank, and Sayid are on your heads. I hope you're happy with yourselves.
In actuality it looks like Sawyer is the poor guy who is actually responsible for their deaths. I think Jack was right - SmokeLocke couldn't kill any of the Candidates on his own, but once Sawyer intervened and messed with the explosive device, well then it was his fault, not SmokeLocke's... a nice little mini-loophole.
A few moments of the episode were pretty well telegraphed (SmokeLocke stealing the watch, locating the C-4, swapping backpacks with Jack) - but I was thinking that in the end, it would be Jack winning out, convincing Sawyer to trust the Island... but if that happened, I have to think that only Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid and Sun (or Jin) would have magically survived, as they were Candidates and the others (Frank, Kate, Sun or Jin) were not. In the end, I guess we can't blame Sawyer too much - the net result of his decision was that Kate lives rather than Sun / Jin and Sayid. Frank was screwed either way. Given the chance between saving Kate or Sayid - I probably would have gone with Kate as well. Sorry Sayid - you're cute... but not my type.
I must say, I'm pretty shocked that the writers killed BOTH Sun and Jin - the two characters left on the Island who actually had a chance for a happy ending, and two of the few characters who actually had someone to get back to off-Island in Reality #1 (Ji-Yeon). But honestly, their fate was sealed when Jin got sappy during their reunion.
As for Frank, part of me is holding out hope that he somehow survives. After all, we didn't see any evidence of him dying - just getting knocked out and going under water. Who's to say that he didn't wake up and swim out? I have to think that the writers would have given us at least a brief shot of his dead body in the submarine if he actually died - his character deserves more than an off-camera death, doesn't he? Yep, I'm sad that Frank is gone - but would probably bet money that he's not actually dead.
Sayid got the happy death that we (or at least, I) was hoping for - redemption. Saving his friends, revealing to Jack where Desmond was trapped (critical!), and getting blown to bits. In the end, the fact that Sayid both attempted to save the Survivors, and then sacrificed himself for them, makes me think that he did reclaim a little bit of his soul, and at least died in a way that would make Nadia proud.
So now what?
Well, it seems as though next week is our "Jacob and Anti-Jacob Flashback Episode", you know, the one that is rumored to not feature ANY of the main characters on Lost? If the rumors are true, it means we have two weeks before the action on the Island will again move forward, meaning we have plenty of time to ponder the answers to these questions before the final three hours of On-Island action of Lost...
Candidates. It looks like we're down to the final three - Jack, Sawyer, and Hurley. Kate is in really bad shape right now (truth be told, I thought she died earlier in this week's episode when she was shot). Widmore and Sawyer are right - she's not a Candidate, so she's expendable. That's not a good thing. There's also this little rushed conversation between Sayid and Jack before everything went to hell:
SAYID: "There's a well on the main Island, half a mile south from the camp we just left. Desmond's inside. Locke wants him dead. Which means you're going to need him."
JACK: "Why are you telling me this?"
SAYID: "Because it's going to be you, Jack."
Did Sayid mean that Jack was going to be "The Candidate" (like the episode title), as if he knows that Jack is the one that is destined to be the next Jacob? Or does this mean that he just knows that Jack is going to be the one to defeat SmokeLocke, and that Desmond is the key?
Non-Candidates. Speaking of Desmond, outside of the Candidates, there are a few remaining players in the final act of Lost - Widmore, Zoe, Alpert, Ben, and Miles - not to mention any other random Others / members of Widmore's crew who will most certainly die the next time they appear on screen.
Now the action will shift back to the Main Island (damn, we didn't get the resolution to the Juliet Outrigger scene... yet) with Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Hurley reuniting with Desmond - who will hopefully enlighten them to their mission, and where they go from here. But now that our remaining Survivors know SmokeLocke's true intentions, how is he going to kill the remaining Candidates? He can still use Kate as a pawn in his game - but I don't see how he'll be able to take out all three of them... unless he doesn't have to.
I have this sneaking suspicion that Team Alpert is going to show up in an attempt to blow up SmokeLocke... and may inadvertently put the lives of the remaining Candidates in danger in the process - at least that's probably what SmokeLocke is hoping for... or playing on Claire's abandonment fears to have her shoot them all out of anger.
Flash Sideways. I have to admit, the Flash Sideways were super enjoyable this week, mostly due to all the ironic callbacks to previous episodes (both in action and words) and Jack's slow realization that it's a little weird that everyone is so connected to Oceanic 815. Also, did Bernard somehow know exactly what was going on in Reality #2? The way that he said "of course I remember" Anthony Cooper's name makes one wonder if he's already had his epiphany - or if the writers just meant that he could never forget someone who was in such a horrific accident. Ironically, a plane crash.
In other news, there were plenty of chances for Jack and Locke to have their epiphanies - but it wasn't obvious that either had one, which makes you wonder what it's going to take for them to wake up - or if they ever will. I really don't see Jack performing the surgery on Locke at this point (he's now turned him down multiple times, and we understand WHY he's doing it - to remind him of the pain he caused his father). I'm almost to the point where I don't want Jack to perform the surgery - he's approaching Desmond-esque Flash Sideways creepiness with his insistence.
Although I hate it, with all the death and sadness this episode - and the prospect of more to come - you almost wonder if Reality #2 is going to be the end game for at least some of our Survivors - perhaps the ones who haven't had the epiphany? Could that explain why those who are dead realize it's fake (they don't get a second chance at life), and that the other ones are those whose consciousness will remain in Reality #1? That would mean Desmond and Hurley (so far) in Reality #1 - but that there's still a chance for Sun and Jin to live happily ever after in Reality #2. Yeah, there was a little bit of sideways bleeding from Sun while being wheeled into the hospital - and a little from Locke this week ("Push the button" and "I wish you believed in me") - but neither was the eye opening epiphanies that the others have had.
If this is the case, it would explain why we haven't seen the epiphanies for the other characters in the Flash Sideways - the writers don't want to tip their hands at their fate.
With that, my thoughts are turning to gibberish, so we'll call it a wrap. Mourn death, celebrate life, and get rip-roaring drunk in the Comments section below!
Oh - and if you're really depressed, this will cheer you up. They just announced that the Lost Series Finale will now be TWO AND A HALF HOURS LONG - running from 9:00 - 11:30, pre-empting local news! That means Lost will be on ABC from 7:00 - 9:00 (Recap Show), 9:00 - 11:30 (Series Finale), and 11:30 - 12:30 (Jimmy Kimmel Special). That means there will be FIVE AND A HALF HOURS OF LOST on Sunday, May 23.
Chances of Brian going to work on Monday, May 24th? Slim.
97 comments:
when Jin was struggling with Sun in the sub, my wife & I said the same thing simultaneously - "Poseiden Adventure."
I never believed FLocke was good - he did too many evil things over the course of this season.
I guess Lapidus was just there to give the illusion that they were going to try to fly away. I hope Brian is right, and he is still alive.
Isn't it time for Jacob to talk to Hurley again? Or, he just wants them to figure it out themselves, like he told Ricardus so many years ago.
Great episode!! I actually cried with the Kate, Hurley and Jack in the last scene.
I think the writers are going to drop the ball on the ending. They've wasted too much time this season.
Hi Brian!
Just have to say HOLY CRAP..I still can't stop thinking about that episode and still feel "affected" by it! How could the writers just kill off 4 characters so quickly? Crazy! Man, I actually feel super sad from this episode...sucks! I also thought that during the whole Jin/Sun scene Sun was going to say "go, you have to raise our child" but no go. Also, so did Flocke lie about there being C4 wired in the plane? I was wondering if Richard did that. Or maybe he didn't lie and just took it for his own use?
It appeared as though Locke may have had his epiphany near the end when wheeling away from Jack. Jack said something like, "I wish you would have believed me." which is what John's suicide letter to Jack said. John had a look of deja vu.
Possibility that Widmore is working with Fake Locke?
i was questioning sayid's final words to jack as well, wondering if there was a double meaning. i think sayid recognizes that it's going to come down to just jack to stop locke. and the instant sayid took the bomb though, i knew what was going to happen..
it reminds me of the season 3 finale, where sayid was willing to sacrifice himself for his friends...
rest in peace sayid. you were one of my favorite characters on LOST from the very beginning. yes, he made some mistakes and his story took a dark turn in the final lap, but in the end he was a man who tried to do what was right, who followed his heart, and who was always willing to put himself on the line for his friends.
i wonder if locke realizes that jack and the others now know that he can't kill them directly.
and how do one of the candidates decide if they want to be the next jacob? and would any of them want to do that, since that could remove the protection off the other candidates?
I think we're getting the "Joss Whedon" ending - no 'couple' ever gets to live happily ever after.
Yes, Sawyer is responsible for their deaths.
Love the redemption arc of Jack as a leader: He went from the "fix-it" addict, to this season willingly sacrificing himself several times (popping Dogen's poison pill/sitting down with the dynamite & Alpert), finally qualifying himself to be a true servant-leader.
Starting to doubt the writers are really going to answer a lot of the key questions of past seasons...
I'm kind of dissatisfied with Sayid's ending. So were the writer's just blowing smoke with the whole, "he's been taken over by evil" thing? Was there any meaning at all to the whole, "Sayid is dead/just kidding, he's not/just kidding, he's evil now" storyline?
As for the episode itself...damn, it must have been really dusty in my house during the Jin/Sun scene. Christ that was heartbreaking. And then Hurley/Jack on the beach almost got to me again. I was really excited when Kate was shot, but alas. I cannot stand her. If the rumors about next week's episode are true, it should be interesting...
Sad sad sad. I bawled like a baby. I also was waiting for Sun to tell Jin to go so he could take raise their daughter. :( I loved that Sayid went out the way he did. It was good seeing him as himself and not the soul less zombie we've had. I can't think of anything beyond the loss of characters we've seen grow over the years.
Next week I hope we get to see how smokey's mom messed him up the way she did.
did anyone notice the look Jack gave Jin when he saw him in the hospital in reality #2? Jack gave Jin a "Hey, I know him.... but I'm not sure how I know him..." look.
I hate to complain, but LOST should be on earlier! It's almost midnight and I'm still shaken up...haha. Dam, I love this show.
sorry tim, but i have to disagree.
i don't think anyone can realistically hold sawyer responsible for what happened. sawyer didn't plant the bomb on jack, and there was no way to prove what jack was saying was true. (although i think we all believe it)
and really, the last time he believed jack and went against his better judgment juliet died. and while that seems like a long time ago, for sawyer that's probably not even been a week ago. and this time, if jack was wrong, everyone else would have died.
yes, he made the wrong call, but i think we can all understand and forgive him for it.
i'm just wondering if the writers are setting up sawyer to sacrifice himself to make up for his mistake...
and tim, what questions are you afraid are going to be left unanswered? just curious.
Also,
I thought Smokelocke could not be in his "Smoke" avatar outside the main Island. How come he was able to get smokey and kill all widmore's men on Hydra island today?
@Vidya He just couldn't use his Smokey form to travel across water, that's why he used the outrigger.
oh and i'm with brian on the whole question of "what happened to frank?"
i really hope he's not dead. he deserved a better ending scene then the door exploding and hitting him in the face.
ok, i'm done. i'm going to bed now. really.
Mark,
I think if Sawyer is going to blame Jack for Juliet's death, he has to be held to the same standard in this case. He laid a major guilt trip on Jack. If nothing else, they could have put the bomb in the farthest corner of the sub and waited for it to blow up. Then nobody dies.
You asked what mysteries I'm afraid won't get answered:
Why were Aaron & Walt special? Who is Dogen and why should I care? How was Dogen keeping Smokey out of the Temple? What is the Temple? What is the magic pool? Why did Smokey kill the pilot?
And overall... it's not so much the "big" questions I'm worried about, but the dozens of little things that when I go back & watch past episodes after it's all over, I'll be like, "Hm... I guess the writers were just making crap up with no intention of answering it", like, "um, we need Ethan to kidnap Aaron, to inject him with medicine, because, um, who knows, just because."
Could be wrong. Hope I'm wrong.
Two things - I was less optimistic than Brian about the fate of Sun and Jin, simply because I recall one of the DVD extras mentioned that Sun's character was created after the producers loved Yunjin Kim when she tried out for Kate and decided to make a character for her. If there wasn't a clear spot for the character in the beginning, would there be a clear spot for her in the end? Since Jin and Sun are a package deal, I didn't think that would bode well for them. I'm somewhat afraid that Hurley may be in danger for similar reasons.
Second, we're running out of candidates for Adam and Eve... especially Eve. We've got Zoe. We've got Kate, maybe. Claire. Rose? I mean, unless Penny or Eloise show up, there just aren't a whole lot of options left for who that is going to be. Am I forgetting anyone?
I think there are some mysteries that will not be explained in any satisfactory way. For one, why was Aaron so important? Two, what was up with all of Walt's weirdness, and Bea Klugh's question about if Walt had ever been seen some place he shouldn't have been? Three, what was up with the dharma food drop? Four, Daniel crying? Five, why was Ben running around in the jungle when Rousseau caught him? There are a bunch of others that are things of lesser importance that I'm curious about, but I think there's going to be a lot of unexplained fiction. I'm trying to believe, but I'm prepared to be disappointed.
Last random scattered thought - SmokeLocke can't kill candidates, and I think we've seen that some people can lose their, uhm, candidacy(?), although it's not yet clear why. I contend that this could explain Eko's death, as he had two encounters with Smokey - he lived through the first as a candidate, and died in the second after losing his candidacy.
You know, that and apparently there were some difficulties keeping the actor in play, but the above would explain the story much better.
wow.
Right now i think everyone is so shook up by the deaths that we forgot about the rest of the episode. Something tells me that this coming weeks episode about smokey and jacob is going to be the explanation for a lot of island mystery stuff in a lost way (not actually saying it but implying it) that way the last 3 1/2 hours can just be the playing out what we know needs to be done.
I had my body count guess at 6, and we had either 4 (frank dead) or 30 will all the extras that were killed. Loved the scene of Locke walking up to the plane and taking out the guards. BTW... where is widmore? not on sub, not near plane, not near cages?
Finally, my wife just wants to note that she is glad that Sun and Jin get to be together.
Is anyone else wondering what Sawyer's plan was when he told Jack to "just get him in the water?" It didn't seem to do much--although it was fun to see the astonished expressions on everyone else's face... for about two seconds.
It occurs to me that if they're finished with all the time travel, then Adam and Eve couldn't be any of the main characters. In that case, maybe we'll be finding that out next week? :D
And I do really hope they don't just push Walt under the rug. Enduring Harold Perrineau shouting for an entire season must not have been in vain...
One last thing: Where the hell did Ben go?
What was up with the music box?
Jin & Sun's ending just left me feeling disappointed... don't get me wrong... I almost cried with everyone else on the beach... but it really just felt very rushed and unneccesary for Jin & Sun to die out of nowhere like that, especially after Sayid just blew up.
It just kept having this tinge of a swerve coming, like the writer's were tricking us into thinking they would die, setting us up for that (Hanging From The Tree)Charlie-esque out of nowhere survival, giving us a memorably happy moment in the chaos, and some (in a strange way)redemption for the fans for Charlie's death.... but instead I was sitting there waiting for the big twist at the end, only for them to just die, with no build-up or really any time spent on them before hand. We got one convo about the kid and then dead. Disappointing if ya ask me.
about frank's death . i have an optimistic oppinion. first of all noone asked about him (kate at the beach) so this makes me think that the writers were very careful about it so they can make him appear at the end.
WHY?
HE ES THE ONLY PILOT AND THE ONLY WAY LEFT TO LEAVE THE ISLAND ITS THE PLANE!!!!...
unless they all die and only the candidate stays this could be interesting abouy frank.
also i think that jack and sawyer will going to be the only ones that survive. becoming the new JACOB AND "FAKELOCKE"..jack wanting to stay(jacob) sawyer the one that wants to leave ("fakelocke")..
Huge game of backgammon...
At the end of the best mini-series ever, "Lonesome Dove", Call is one of the few remaining characters left alive. As he returns home, he's thinking of all the people he's loved and lost, and images of them float by on the screen. I have a feeling we'll be seeing the same thing in the last few minutes of Lost: Sayid, Juliet, Sun and Jin, Charlie, John Locke, Shannon and Boone, Michael, Eko, Rousseau - the list is getting long.
Brian, I love your blog! Your witty commentary is a joy to read.
Regarding the episode, I was very sad to see Sayid die. I was holding out that he would become his "old island self" again and make it to the end. Also, I think the writers have done a great job (along with Matthew Fox) bringing Jack's character 180 degrees from when the series first started.
I love LOST, it will be sad to see it go!
A few random thoughts:
I thought Sayid said "It's good to be you Jack" - rather than "going...." - hmmm, think I project much? Or need a hearing aid? LOL
Has the show really has been the Jack Shephard show all along? From the opening scene (eye in the jungle) to Sayid's coment?
I still find the whole "fly the plane out" plan/theory to be ridiculous - have you looked at the condition and location of the plane? What, the ground crew is going to fix it up, turn it around, extend the runway (do you need more runway to take off than land?) and send them on their way, with the (maybe dead?) Lapidus at the controls solo?
To tim re: Sayid. My takeaway from these last couple of episodes with Claire and Sayid's "redemption" is that this sickness isn't the whole "Smokey turns you into a souless zombie" scenario that's been presented but, rather, Smokey can bring you back to life and is so good at manipulating you that you follow his every demand without question. However, there is still a chance at redemption if the stakes are high enough (for Sayid it's Desmond forcing him to think about Nadia). Similar thing with Claire.
Anyway, this episode was just insane. I couldn't get to sleep for a long time after because of all that happened and the Flash Sideways were really well done too.
I also wondered what Bernard knew and I'm curious if Frank was just a plot device for the plane escape or if there's more to him. The preview for next week has been REALLY excited. Looks like a good one.
If this season continues like this, I think Brian will seriously have to revamp his list.
Does anyone else think that Widmore & Flocke are working together (unbeknownst - first time I ever wrote that word - to Widmore's people)?
Flocke grabbed the watch before he entered the plane so he must have known there were explosives on it, and then seemed to know to look for the C4 immediately. How did he know?
Also, remember when Sawyer met Widmore in the sub, and negotiated the deal to leave on the sub? Then Widmore gave a wry smile, like, "This guy doesn't know what he is getting into."
Why else would Widmore move the fence? There was no need for that. By Widmore's clan not knowing the plan, it explains why they were shooting at FLocke, and gave Flocke an excuse to not get on the sub. B/c I am not sure how he would have not gone in the sub without a distraction.
It also makes me think that Widmore & Flocke both want Desmond, and just needed him to stay away from the carnage, which is why Flocke threw him down the well. I think Flocke knew Sayid would not kill Des.
after watching the previews for next weeks episode (black/white) i could help but picturing Jack and Sawyer as the two new candidates to replace both Jacob and SmokeLocke. i can see the show ending with Jack and Sawyer sitting on the beach and Sawying looking at Jack and saying "do you know how much i want to kill you doc?"........
I think it is possible that Richard rigged the plane - not Widmore.
Hard to tell, but I think Widmore really is trying to save the candidates. He is just doing a very poor job of convincing them of that. But he did have the "list". Sounds like a team Jacob type of thing.
We still need to hear from Richard, Miles and Ben
Brian..
Why do you think Locke is keeping Claire alive? She is not a candidate, he can kill her anytime he wants. What's her purpose? He almost protects her like a kid sister or something.
It wouldn't surprise me at all if Flocke and Widmore cut a deal during their first meeting. Flocke could've offered Widmore the same deal he offered to Ben: Widmore gets the island after Flocke leaves, if Widmore does a few things for Flocke.
My only thought about the alt-universe: this isn't Flocke's creation -- this isn't Flocke tempting the candidates with some sort of fake life. I'm still not sure how the alt fits in with the overall Lost story.
Sam -- I concur that it is a strong possibility that Widmore and Flocke are working together. Widmore's agenda vis a vis the island has never been clear to me (profit? true believer? misses the place and wanted to come "home"? other?) so I think that he "sold his soul to the devil to get something" is increasingly likely.
On Flocke, I thought it odd that he assumed Smokey form for the initial attack at the cages (and as others have commented it was baffling that Widmore moved the fence, and that Sayid could so easily turn off the power - wouldn't the power switch have been inside the fence?) but then Flocke was in "regular Locke" form for the brief gun battles at the cages and plane, and the longer gun battle at the submarine. Couldn't Jack or Sawyer have said something like "sic 'em, Smokey" to get him to go all black smoke on the "sharpshooters" (LOL) in the trees? And I also find it interesting that bullets seem to vaporize when near him - they don't seem to bounce off him or go through him, just vaporize. OK, now I'm really starting to overthink this show.
Great show, best ever I think. I liked Sayid’s death, nice cover-up of the fumble, truly taking one for the team.
Brian, not sure why you or many others are so darn hung up on the outrigger deal? I wouldn't surprise me if we ever see any tie-up on that little situation. It's not a main question to be answered and probably ties one time line together. The original outrigger scene was only about 3 minutes anyway, in-between a bunch of time jumping. The writers haven't really taken any interest in tying other time jump time lines together (say that 10 times), why this one? Why now?
Is this all some big game between Jacob and MLB? Next week we'll find out the two have this weird, sick little game going on?
I think in any past season, I would have been shocked at the deaths and the significant deaths of main characters. But now, I say bring it on! We are so close to the end, show me something I’ve never seen before and keep me guessing and speculating for the next 5 years.
Sad to see it so close, this show is a monster in itself.
Why does there need to be a new AJ/MIB/Smoke Monster? Does the universe need that entity to stay in balance? And who wants that job anyway?
Also, from what I read the 2 1/2 hour finale will push back the start of Jimmy Fallon to 12:05, keeping the local news between the two shows.
There isn't a replacement for SmokeMan. The goal for everone is to KEEP HIM ON THE ISLAND not KILL HIM...
It could end with Jack and him on the beach but wouldn't that leave the story going? I thought the producers said there will be a definitive ending.
Also, in backgammon (an earlier theory that is pushing forward now) there is a "Jacoby rule" which allows a player (with no chance to win) to keep the game going for eternity. HMMMM
Why wasn't Jack on Widmore's list and where did Widmore get the list?
Have they killed off Karl and Emma? When someone here mentioned Adam and Eve it struck me that the 2 kids who everyone seems to forget including the creators, could somehow end up becoming A & E.
And bad Sun not telling Jin that he had to leave her so that he might survive to take care of their daughter.
Apparently there are so many unanswered questions that we're getting a 1/2 added to the 2-hour season finale.
Sorry. Loved and hated it. Like all the new info and ending of story lines but lot of specific I found lacking.
With sun and jin, my wife was balling. She actually said "if that happened to us I would want you to leave me". I wanted to say (but didn't) "ok if we are in a sinking sub which has been bombed by an evil being off of a mystical island and you are stuck, I will leave you." Didn't think appropriate.
Btw no parent would leave their child an orphan for a stupid jester of love.
Didn't like franks death. stupid quip.
Thought jack undermined sayid's heroic act bc I wasn't sure it would actually blow given his monolog and it was just stupid how much time they wasted discussing.
Thought it was a bit too frantic. How could they be sinking that deep in like 5 mins in a lagoon/bay?
Thought flashes were great. Like how people are starting to wonder WTF?
I was very surprised when Jin and Sun did the Charlie, but not surprised at all when Sayid did the Charlie.
Now things are back in "order"; Sawyer is now second to Jack, as things were before. What would have happened if Sawyer listened to Jack? I think it is clear that somehow the bomb would not have gone off; Jack is right, finally. They have some plan, some destiny with the island.
I also think it will come out that Widmore and Smokey are in cahoots. Clearly, Smoke Locke is not a good guy; and I just don't see Widmore as the knight in shining armour type. Also, where was Widmore when all this sub attack happened? Where was Widmore when Smoke Locke and Claire are waiting on the Dock for who knows how long to see if that sub sinks or explodes? No, Widmore allowed Smoke Locke to to blow the sub up as part of his plan to supplant Smoke Locke or Jacob himself.
Jack knows that they had to come back to the island for a still yet unknown reason. Who else wanted them to come back? Well Jacob did, Smoke locke (through Christian Shepard, who helped Locke leave the island), and Widmore, who helped Locke find and recruit the six survivors. Let's not forgot Ben either, who also wanted them to come back to the island, and Eloise. But when they got back, the time was all screwed up, so the only way to correct that was to detonate a nuke, which got them back to the present on the island, but also seemed to uncork a different reality off the island.
So we are still left with the Good vs. Evil. I was watching the first season a few days ago, and the episode "Walkabout" that introduces us to Locke. At the beginning he is playing backgammon and tries to explain to Walt how to play, and he holds up the white and black pieces. I told my wife how important that is, and then we saw the preview for next week and it was that same scene in the preview!
Wow, this is confusing, but awesome at the same time!
Surprised no one has mentioned the irony of Flash Sideways John Locke being a "candidate" for the experimental surgery that may allow him to walk again.
Could Adam and Eve be Jacob and MiB's father and mother (assuming they are brothers...and we know what assuming does on this show)? Maybe we'll find out next week!
Hey, what happened to my comment?!?!? I spent a lotta time writing that...
So they had to push Flocke in the water so he couldn't turn into Smokey? Really? That is all that is needed to disable him? What is he, a Gremlin or the Wicked Witch of the West?!
Leadfoot - I had similar thoughts about "push him in the water" - and if Sawyer had some plan that just didn't get to unfold once the gunfire started, why waste valuable screen time with that line -- unless it's going to come up again later?
After reading more on the backgammon game and how it relates to LOST...I think Jacobs ultimate goal was to keep people coming to the island so that MIB's end game of not having anyone to keep him there would be impossible. This gives credeance to LOST ending with kindof a loop where MIB is talking to Jack/Desmond/Sawyer (one of them,most likely jack) and saying "you know, I am going to find a loophole again" and then that person going out into the world to find and "touch" candidates. What do you think?
Do you think that when Jack woke up in the outrigger in the beginning of the episode, that he had been seeing what was happening in the alternate reality at all? I thought with the way they shifted from the alt-timeline back to the island, it was almost as if Jack had been dreaming.
I'm sure Bernard knows what's going on. Practically every remark he made to Jack was freighted with subtext.
And did anyone notice that at the end of their conversation, Bernard called Jack "Doc"?
I'm with the water crowd on it being important. I'm assuming that's the key reason the island will sink. If the man in black can't go smokey in water then sinking the island will seal him back in essentially conceding/winning the backgammon game meant to convince the man in black that people are good.
Desmond gives himself up proving mankind is good, sinks the island to keep the man in black sunk out of smoke form with it and forced to wait for mer-people to come along and be tricked into raising the island again.
I have a questions for anyone who can answer - who is the sixth candidate?? Ilana said there were six left (after Flocke emerged), and we know who the other five were (Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley, Jin/Sun). Have we ever found out who the sixth is??
PAlthough it seems to be a popular theory I really don't think the island will be sunk in the end. I think a new Jacob will be picked and the cycle goes on. Sinking the island would be a very... final answer, and one that I think is far more definitive than the show would give. It seems very out of character for the writers to do something like that.
As for some of the unanswered mysteries, specifically the Aaron and Walt kidnapping, I think based on the first ARG the writers had some other ideas in mind. The first ARG hinted at a virus and the Valenzetti equation and that Dharma was formed to prevent the end of the world. I don't think they figured out what the end game would be until sometime in Season 3. The whole explanation of the "sickness" seemed to be to be more coming up with an answer for the sake of an answer than anything genuinely planned.
I do think the non-candidate survivors will leave the island. If not one the plane with Widmore. I don't think Widmore and Smokey are working together. Widmore has gone through a lot of trouble to stop Flockes plans, and most importantly Desmond seems to trust him. I wonder if Desmond becomes the new Jacob, and that's the sacrifice?
I don't know.... there's been a lot I haven't had any clue about this season which is nice.
I have to agree with many others...the first half, or 3/4 of this season we had barely anything happen from episode to episode. But now everything is feeling very rushed. And I think the pacing is what's made previous seasons so good. With this being the finale season you'd think they would try to make it all as meaningful as possible instead of, "Oh shit, we need to get this, this, and this done as soon as possible!"
One thing I'm concerned about: we still don't know the significance of the Flash Sideways. I kept hoping the Jack/Locke interaction would trigger something big, and then.... "I wish you had believed me." Ok. Nice and subtle and all, but time is running out.
I have no doubt that Jack and Locke are the new Jacob/MiB. As someone mentioned above, the MiB can only be trapped, he can't be killed. Someone will have to remain behind to keep him in check, and that will be Jack.
There's still a chance that they sink the Island, I guess, assuming Smoke Monster + underwater = neutralized... but if that happens I won't be happy. All indications are that the Island Reality is the "true" reality - that's where things actually matter. Sideways Reality is a charade of some kind.
I really have no idea how they're going to tie the two worlds together. Hoping it blows my mind.
One last thing: I think the way Jack finally assumes the Jacob role is by confronting Locke with the full knowledge that Locke can't kill him. They've twice now highlighted Jack assuming himself un-killable, it seems crucial. Perhaps in a confrontation with Locke, the "rules" are put into play and Jack fully becomes a player in the game, i.e. the new Jacob.
How? Don't ask me!
I don't think Widmore is working with Flocke either. He's been protecting the candidates because he knows how things work.
I'm not sure that the flash sideways was created by the jughead explosion, or if it was always there (parallel universe) and that the explosion just created a huge change in the similarities of the timelines. Either way, i think Widmore and Heloise are using their knowlege of it to close up the loophole that Flocke created and Desmond is the Key in doing so. He is the only one that can sustain the intense EM frequencies.
Eventhough the 2 Realities are like 3 years apart (and this may be of great benefit somehow), i think they will be brought together. We may even see those who are now dead on the island being brought to the island from Reality #2. It could happen...anything is possible!
I see this this show like an analogy/metaphor, whatever, of our lives here on Earth. Yes, it's like a big game....and much more. Simple, but not easy. And as Bill Hicks says: "Life is just a ride". If you haven't seen his clip on YouTube, look it up, it's worth the watch.
My least favorite episode of the season. Had nothing to do with the deaths which really felt more like the writers were just tying up loose ends because they had nothing left to do with those characters. Totally blah episode for me. The highlight was the flash sideways with Jack and Locke. The island stuff got tired real quick. Also, how many times can the same person die on the show and we're still supposed to feel sad. I felt nothing when they died.
Oh, forgot to mention, i think Flocke's original plan was to explode the plane and when Jack refused to get on the plane, he had to change plans. He may have been the one that shot Kate, since she's not a candidate, and knew that Jack would come to her aid. He knew the C4 was on the plane, he grabbed the watch off of the guy he knocked out BEFORE he got onto the plane. I don't know if HE put the C4 on the plane or if Ben and his crew did and he just knew what their plan was....that was their plan, right? Weren't they gonna blow up the plane so that no one could leave?
I don't know where Widmore was, maybe taking a dump in the bushes....maybe going to fetch Desmond? Who knows...guess we'll have to wait til next week for that one too. ;o)
I think we're overlooking an important part of this episode, and that is Anthony Cooper in a catatonic state. This is similar to the catatonic state that Theresa, Daniel's English girlfriend, is in. With Theresa, it was because Daniel did some experiments which sent her consciousness to another reality. Is it possible that the Anthony Cooper that arrived in the 'magic box' on the island, is actually the Anthony Cooper from reality #2? leaving the body of reality #2 in a catatonic state?
*I am a different Ryan from the post above*
Suprised nobody has mentioned this yet..
Why was Sawyer able to activate the bomb?? The whole Alpert and Jack scene made is known that the candidates aren't able to kill themselves. The last time I checked Sawyer was a candidate so why would he be able to do something that would result in his death??
Does this mean that during this scene Sawyer is no longer a candidate because he was able to activate the bomb?
@ Ryan #2 (Does this make you the flash-sideways Ryan? LOL)
I puzzled over the same thing about Sawyer and the bomb. My best guess is that candidates can't intentionally kill themselves, ie, commit suicide, but they can accidentally kill themselves.
Still, since Lost likes to invoke rules without fully explaining them, there's a range of possible answers. Did Sawyer stop being a candidate when he decided he *really* wanted to leave the island? It's possible.
Oh maybe you're right. Maybe Jack could kill himself. He just couldn't kill Alpert. We just thought he couldn't kill himself based on his attitude. Its really impossible to know either way.
Could it be that the music box had the same song that Clair sang to Aaron? My wife seems to remember that song.
Thanks Brian for the years of blogging goodness.
smoke locke knew there were explosives on the plane - why else would he have taken the watch from one of the guards before boarding the plane.
him and widmore must be working together
I thought at the first the musicbox might have been CFLs but I've looked it up and they're not. Claire's musicbox plays "Catch A Falling Star" which is the song she asked Aaron almost-adoptive parents to sing to him as her dad had sung it to her as a kid, but in reality 2 she says she'd never met her dad...
One thing I am confused about, when Jack lit the dynamite when he was with Richard, it didn't go off, because "candidate can't kill themselves". So why then, in almost the exact same set up, was the bomb on the submarine able to kill them. Would not at least Sawyer have been "killing himself" and also didn't Sayid, a candidate also "kill himself"? That doesn't line up for me?
Or if nothing else, why didn't Jack just remove the wires to detonate the bomb just like he did with Richard, and then for the same reason it didn't go off when it was him and Richard, the bomb would not have gone off on the sub?
Lost news...
ABC's "Lost" is hitting the big screen...sorta...as a live interview with "Lost" co-executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse is broadcast to select movie theaters on May 20.
The two "Lost" EPs will sit down with New York Times entertainment editor Lorne Manly and discuss the challenges of creating a compelling finale that will appeal to fans but also craft a solid story.
The event is through Fathom, and will occur on May 20 at 8 p.m. EST, 7 p.m. Central and 6 p.m. Mountain, with a tape-delay broadcast for the West Coast at 8 p.m. PT.
Joani, I don't think ANYONE can kill Richard Alpert. His gift from Jacob was/is eternal life. He wanted to live forever. Therefore, Jack was NOT able to kill him. Jack would've been killed too had the dynamite gone off, but that's beside the point and people are assuming that the candidates can't kill themselves. Only Flocke (and probably Jacob, not that he'd want to) can't kill the candidates...this is the only rule we know for sure about killing candidates.
I don't think Widmore is working with Flocke. He put the candidates in the cage to protect them. He knew that Flocke needed them together (to die) to get off of the island. He made a comment to them that they don't know it, but it is for their own good. I think he knows what's going on and is trying to keep Flocke from leaving the island and also doing what needs to be done to bring the 2 realities together (via Desmond).
I agree with Lisa. Widmore's pretty ruthless and always has been -- but he's intent on protecting the candidates and defeating Smokey at all costs. Even if that means a lot of other people die and even if Penny hates her dad forever for taking Des away from her and little Charlie.
I believe Widmore also is willing to sacrifice everything in the Island reality because he knows that in Sideways reality, life is good --if not perfect -- for everyone. And I suspect that Smokey must be killed, the Island must be sunk and all the Losties including Desmond may have to die for the Sideways reality to become their true world.
But by then the Losties will have been enlightened by their Island memories and they will know what it means to be redeemed through love and sacrifice. And thus they will be able to be better people, because they will know this new life is the second chance to get things right and to let go of the past.
I think Widmore and Smokey have a deal . . . Smokes gets the world - Widmore gets the island. Imagine what he could do with the last safe place on Earth that allows time travel. He would be the ruler of his own little world. Remember, Benjamin Linus did say that Widmore would exploit the island for all it's worth.
I think i remember Widmore saying that if Smokey is freed, everything ceases to exist.
In any duality (universe/creation), there are polarities. Good/Bad, white/black, etc., both have to be in place for duality to remain. If one is gone, there is no more duality, therefore, no more of that universe. That universe would cease to exist. At least in theory, that universe as they know it...duality.
I think some of the people wondering about how Sawyer couldn't kill himself missed what actually happened in the episode. Sawyer pulled the wires, the bomb went off, he didn't die. Sure, Sayid intervened, but it still worked, Sawyer was unable to kill himself. As others have said he could still kill other candidates.
I guess that makes the question, how did Locke think his plan was going to work if one of the people would have to pull the wires in order for the bomb to go off (because I think Jack was right, nothing would have happened otherwise), so that would always leave at least one alive? Unless he was hoping a non-candidate was going to pull the wires?
I've lost faith in any consistency to "the rules". Alpert can't kill himself, nor (apparently) can Jack. But Jack's argument on the sub was about LOCKE not being able to kill them, not that they couldn't kill themselves. Whatever.
Also, character inconsistencies from episode to episode: In "The substitute", Locke was trying to get over his obsession with NOT being handicapped; In "The Candidate" he's obsessed with STAYING handicapped. The writers of the diff. episodes should have done a conference call.
PREDICTION: in a couple weeks, we see the end of Locke & Jack's conversation in the hospital: Jack says, "I wish you believed me"// Locke wheels away //... and then 10 seconds later he comes back and says, "OK, do the surgery!"
Lisa, you are correct about what Widmore said, although I think he said it to Jin first. Jin, like Desmond, had a wife and child to consider and to sacrifice for. Widmore let both men know their loved ones would "cease to be" unless Smokey could be stopped. I think he's telling the truth. If Smokey finds a way to kill all Jacob's candidates, or to have them kill each other, then this reality ceases to exist and MiB escapes: He will have won "the game."
I think Widmore possibly also knows about Sideways world and realizes that even if he himself dies, as long as MiB is defeated, all is not lost. If the candidate is the last man standing and can discover how to sink the Island, Smokey is killed.
Our Losties' Sideways world then becomes their only remaining reality -- but by then they will all have been "enlightened" and will be aware that they each have been redeemed and given a second chance via love and sacrifice.
That's my theory this week, anyhow...
I haven't said much lately, but I have to comment on that bomb.
That may be the lamest thing I've seen on lost. Really? MIB rigs a cheap casio wristwatch into a timer on C4? How the hell did he do that? He's a demolishions expert? He can reprogram random digital watches into countdown detonators? Who the hell is he? MacGyver?
This may have been for me.. one of the worst episodes logically in the series.
Besides the bomb... The whole generator deal.. 'send sayid to deativate'. Really? What's the point of having those smokey repellents if you aren't going to guard the generator... but you guard the plane, but apparently not the Sub? And even if MIB doesn't bleed, wouldn't having his clothing being tattered by bullets be a decent effect?
It's almost as if the writers didn't know what to do with this? Fly the plane? Really? And if MIB was going to blow them all up anyway, why not just get on the plane in the first place?
And the people on the beach.. fled into the woods? Convenient.. except that Smokey needs EVERYONE dead.. not just the canidates.
OK. I need to get over this and get on with the story. I REALLY hope that the finale is better than this. The whole 'island for the plane' plot device seemed like a very poorly written arc.. they didn't know what to do with it.
I still have hope, but being that close to the end.. I just don't know.
I will say this.. it moved QUICKLY..
I do get how Sawyer and the bomb issue works.
MIB Can't kill the canidates... the bomb cannot go off. The canidates CAN kill each other.. So the bomb could not go off until someone messed with it, overriding the standard timer.
Now.. this doesn't make much sense. As we saw with Michael, the Island won't let you die until you're ready to die. Apparently, Jack can handle Dynamite because he's 'on a mission for the island'... but he still is needed by the island(unlike Michael and Illana). So just because Sawyer messes with it, it's suddenly OK for people to die? I am honestly at a loss on this one, and another really bad writing.
Again, I really hope the Finale suprised me because this episode was a trainwreck. I think it's the worst of the entire series.
I do NOT think Widmore is working with MIB. Makes very little sense.. but I do understand why some of you think that.. because if he's NOT working with MIB, then there are a lot of big plot holes..
Hmmm.. so Widmore put all the canidates in one cage so that MIB couldnt get them all in one place?
When did Widmore become one of the 3 stooges? Please surprise me writers! Why would he wire up the Ajira to kill the same people he's protecting in the cage? Please please give us a plausible answer!
OK. I am very much looking forward to the next episode. I expect to find out how Jacob and MIB came to the island, who was already there, and if there was a 'Jacob' before 'Jacob'. I espect to find out who Adam and Eve are, and how the Smoke Monster was created!
Now.. this.. sounds like good stuff!
Tim.. I'm with you on that.. but the substitute contradicted itself. Think about it.. he's trying to come to grips with being limited to his handicap, but he DOES turn down the chance to call Jack for an appointment. At the time, it seems that his fiance wanted him to pursue it.
Now.. if I were her, and knew the option was viable, I would be working to get John to get the surgery, not telling jack to leave him along. Oh.. one more thing.. his fiance didn't meet him as he was bring discharged from the hospital? Guess that was so they could have a one on one.
But Sayid and Kwan are dead.. or at least I think they are.. right? Both canidates last I checked. Kate made it out and she's not a canidate. Sounds like a SYOA(Save your own ass), not magic here.
I will say this, it's a miracle that Hurley escaped.
Mr negative again:
So the sub is underwater and pressurized...right? The people have to swim out. I'm assuming that they were at least 50 feet under water. Wouldn't they get the bends from their swim to the surface? Did the writers from 'The A Team' do this episode? OK.. people died... but still..
I'm hoping my understanding of the rules is correct and this explains the bomb commotion here.
The key is intent. Richard intended to kill himself. Jack lighting the fuse would be Jack kiling himself. Sawyer was trying to stop a bomb accidentally triggering it. He wasn't, therefore, killing himself intentionally. Michael may have sacrificed himself by staying on the freighter, but he was trying to stop the explosion the whole time. I don't think candidates can knowingly kill themselves (and Michael may not have been a candidate, only a means to an end involving the freighter), but they can unwittingly kill themselves and the other candidates. Sayid was no longer a candidate after the smokey CPR.
That's my 1 cent. 2 cents involves more thought than I'm willing on this.
Regarding Locke not wanting the surgery. Didn't he insinuate that he was responsible for his father's accident. He is feeling guilty and deservant of the punishment he got. I think.
AND..the whole can't kill each other thing. Alpert can't get killed coz he has eternal life, a candidate can't kill himself but other candidates. So Sawyer could in essence kill everyone on that sub but himself by messing with the bomb. Unless Kwan has been crossed out, he DID manage to kill candidates.
Steve-
Who's to say they didn't have people guarding the generator? They didn't show the scene at all. Sayid very well could have went in there and killed 10 guards ninja style for all you know.
Why don't bullet holes go into Flocke's shirt? The same reason they don't enter him. He is a smoke monster. If they don't harm him.. they won't harm his shirt. His shirt is of the same nano particles that he's made of.
If Locke was going to blow them up why wouldn't he just get them on the plane in the 1st place? Well how exactly would he get Jack on the plane? Getting Jack on the sub to help save Kate was a better plan for Locke. The sub was able to dive right away to get them out of harms way. Does this mean Jack HASS to leave? No. If the same thing happened on the airplane they couldn't just take off instantly.
About killing the candidates.. who's to say that the bomb wouldn't have gone off if they all just stood around it?? Once it was out of the main room the remaining candidates were safe. For all we know both the Kwons were no longer candidates and the island was done with them. And from the episode title "The Candidate" I think we are to believe that its decided that Jack alone is the candidate.
What if Jacob found a loophole and the last canidate is actually flocke? He wouldn't be able to kill himself and he would still be MiB and unable to leave the island until the last canidate is dead. Didn't Jacob touch him when he gave him the bottle of wine? Just a thought - otherwise, i'm on board with Desmond sinking the island theory.
Also, regarding unanswered questions- isn't that part of life (which the writers have said is the basis of LOST)? A bit of a letdown for the show to not answer all the questions they've put out there - but in life we don't get all the answers to why things are or how things work. All we can do is try to figure it out through science and faith, and try to figure out what our own role is in it all along the way.
People are misunderstanding the "candidates being killed" rules.
Alpert and Jack didn't die from the dynamite because Alpert has ETERNAL life. Jack knew this. If Alpert would have ran out of the blast radius, Jack would have died. But Jack knew that Alpert couldn't die, so he knew that he couldn't die either.
The candidates can all be killed, or kill themselves. They just can't be killed by SmokeLocke or Jacob.
Jack knew that in the sub, SmockeLock's bomb couldn't kill them, because it was against the rules. He recognized that SmokeLocke's plan was to have one of the candidates intervene out of fear and try to disable the bomb, which would trigger a loophole and pass blame for their death's from SmokeLocke to (in this case) Sawyer.
So if Sayid hadn't sacrificed himself, it's pretty safe to say that all the candidates would have died in the explosion, because it would be Sawyer killing them and not SmokeLocke.
Just to clarify, if flocke was the canidate, he wouldn't be able to kill himself because he'd have the dual roles. MIB can't kill the canidates so if he were one he couldn't kill himself. That leaves it open to someone killing him and ending reality #1 - enter Desmond or Jack.
@Bob
For what it's worth, that's my understanding of the candidate killing themselves rule too. But I have to say, since there's so much disagreement here about the rule, the Lost writers have done a poor job in presenting it clearly.
I also agree that once Sayid was claimed by MIB, he's no longer a candidate to be Jacob's replacement (makes sense when you think about it.) This is important because technically, Sayid intentionally killed himself in the sub when he grabbed the bomb and sacrificed himself to save the others. If Sayid was still a candidate, the bomb should never have gone off.
knee_scrape911 hit the nail on the head, I think. That was also my understanding of the rules, and I'm glad he or she was able to explain them in a more concise manner than I would have been able.
Love the redemption arc of Jack as a leader
Why is it so damn important that Jack or any of the other characters be a "great leader" or a "hero/heroine"? Why is that important? One should be concerned with them learning to overcome most of their flaws and find some kind of peace within themselves.
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