May 12, 2007

Over The River And Through The Woods

So...Lost this week. Can we talk?

I felt very confused because it was like I was watching a different show. What is this program that keeps giving me background and answers?

In all seriousness, we finally got a bit of Ben's background, as well as what happened to the Dharma Initiative. We learned that the man who died in the VW van was Ben's father, Roger. And Locke got to meet Jacob. Well, sort of.

Meanwhile, back at the beach, Juliet was exposed. Well, sort of.

As is the tradition of Lost, we are still left with a number of questions as we barrel towards the finale:

1. What ever happened to Ben's childhood girlfriend?

2. Is it possible that Richard (played by Nestor Carbonell, who has come a long way since Suddenly Susan - Brooke Shields must be so proud) could still look the same today as he did when Ben was a child?

3. Who are the natives, and how do they speak such good English? Are they somehow related to the Black Rock?

4. What exactly is Jacob - a ghost? The smoke monster? And why could Locke hear him but not see him, while Ben could see him but not hear him? Or is Ben lying as usual?

5. Why on earth would Ben shoot Locke - jealousy? Revenge? And can John survive it? (My guess is yes.) And did Ben bring his own gun, or did he somehow take the one John had? Speaking of which - why did Alex bring John a gun in the first place? Has she ever seen Jacob?

6. Who's side is Juliet really on? Or is she playing both sides against each other?

7. What does Jack know that he hasn't told everyone else? And why is he still acting like such an arrogant prick?

All this and more - next week!

3 comments:

Stef said...

1. I think she died in childbirth, like Ben's mom and all the Other women since. There are fun theories out there that Ben has somehow "imprinted" himself on the Island, and that the fact that his mom died in childbirth at 7 months, and the tragic memory of that, is what is now causing women to die. Some kind of psychic effect, not anything medical, which is why Juliet can't fix it. So my guess is Annie is the first of the Island women who dies that way. And that's why Ben is so adamant on trying to get the problem figured out - but it's *his* problem in the first place.

2. Yes, HOT and HOT.

3. The Black Rock connection makes some sense -- but then I wonder how Richard and the other native/hostiles have become so technologically advanced. If they were survivors from an 1800's slave ship, and Dharma only came to the island 30 years ago, that's a lot of technological/cultural catching up to do. But it would explain why Jacob hates technology...

4. Have you seen the screen caps? People are theorizing that Jacob = Locke, in some time-twisty way. Crazy! I think he could be a Black Rock descendant, too. There are countless possibilities at this point, until we learn more.

5. Yep, I think jealousy. And I def. think Locke lives.

6. Juliet is on her own side, only.

7. Jack sucks. But I think he thinks he's on the side of getting them all off the island - I'm just not sure how far he's willing to go to do it. J&J have some plan, explosions and such, but at this point I think Naomi is the 815ers' best bet on rescue - and J&J have nothing to do with her.

Anonymous said...

(I'm quoting the questions so I don't have to back and forth. :) )

1. What ever happened to Ben's childhood girlfriend?
Good question. It's the kind of thing I wouldn't consider as a mystery, until it got brought up again.

2. Is it possible that Richard could still look the same today as he did when Ben was a child?
It's deliberate, IMO, for him appearing as not aging. The why is the mystery.

3. a. Who are the natives, and how do they speak such good English? b. Are they somehow related to the Black Rock?
a. I expect this will be revealed sooner, rather than later. b. I doubt it, just because, really.

4. What exactly is Jacob - a ghost? The smoke monster? And why could Locke hear him but not see him, while Ben could see him but not hear him? Or is Ben lying as usual?
Ben is lying, so that makes the other questions harder to answer.

5. Why on earth would Ben shoot Locke - jealousy? Revenge? And can John survive it? (My guess is yes.) And did Ben bring his own gun, or did he somehow take the one John had? Speaking of which - why did Alex bring John a gun in the first place? Has she ever seen Jacob?
Ben is lying, so that makes the other questions harder to answer. :) John will survive. Alex was doing it to aggravate Ben.

6. Who's side is Juliet really on? Or is she playing both sides against each other?
It's exactly as Stef said, she's on her own.

7. What does Jack know that he hasn't told everyone else? And why is he still acting like such an arrogant prick?
Jack is on his own now, ever since he decided to accept the offer that he get to leave. (Whether or not that would have happened is beside the point.) Jack is an arrogant prick, he won't change. Not that it causes Jack-hate in me like it does so many others. I save all my hate for Kate.

Anonymous said...

played by Nestor Carbonell, who has come a long way since Suddenly Susan - Brooke Shields must be so proud

Whereas to me, he will always be Batmanuel from The Tick. *grin*

My theory is that there's some kind of consciousness at work on the island that is desperate to expand its influence. It has the power to influence the perceptions of people on the island (witness the frequent hallucination of dead loved ones and so forth) and perhaps is responsible for physically changing them as well, such as healing them in various ways (Locke, Rose, Jin, and other numerous lesser examples).

Locke also seems to believe that the island wants something from them... a give-and-take, a sign of commitment, something. It's vague whether he thinks the island wants them beholden to its interests, or whether he thinks the island is choosy and will favor those it deems worthy.

It also seems that Ben and the Others are obsessed with finding Someone Very Special, though of course we have no idea why or what they want Special Person for... a new leader? A sacrifice? A cosmic cog that fits whatever secret project has been waiting for so long? We have no way of knowing.

Ben's recent mindgames with Locke vis-a-vis Locke's dad included Ben mocking Locke as not so special after all, but after the visit to Jacob and the shooting and all, I think Ben's actually afraid that Locke is the one they've been waiting for, and that Ben himself has become superfluous to the island's will. His attempt to kill Locke is a desperate effort to maintain relevance and his position.

As for the pregnancy problems... I think whatever force manipulates bodies and minds on the island craves an opportunity to experience life in a more direct manner... it wants to incarnate in a human host. Apparently, these attempts have been ultimately unsuccessful and have cost the lives of the women and children involved, but it keeps trying anyway. Such is its need.

Perhaps that's the real role of the Very Special Person whom the Others seek... as a sort of catalyst that will make the birth possible at long last.

There were hints during Season 2 that Walt was Very Special and that therefore the Others wouldn't give him up... but then Michael and Walt were (supposedly) allowed to leave. Was Walt a red herring all along? Or could it be that Ben's desperate need to acquire Jack's services made him willing to throw away the Others' chosen one? Or, more disturbing yet... perhaps Ben is actively trying to sabotage the Other's mission and/or the will of the island itself? But if so, why?