Sorry it’s been so long, folks. Let’s take a hot minute to catch up on the crucial moments of the past three eps…
Episode 6, “316:” Hawking explains island time travel stuff and how the O6 can make it back the island. Jack gets Locke’s suicide note. Jack’s grandpa. Kate’s onboard but Aaron’s gone and we can’t ask why. The O6, plus two mystery guests, board the plane that Lepidus is flying. Jack, Kate, and Hurley land on the island and are greeted by Jin.
Episode 7, “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham:” Caesar and Alanna. Locke’s alive! Ben kicked Widmore off the island. Locke tries to get the O6 to come back with him (besides Sun, he planned on keeping his promise to Jin). A visit from gigantor Walt. Locke attempts suicide, Ben rushes in to save him, then strangles him after getting key info (Jin’s ring, Hawking).
Episode 8, “LaFleur:” Four-toed statue! Sawyer takes charge. Left-behinders join Dharma. A drunk and jealous Horace Goodspeed. Baby Charlotte. Sawyer and Juliet knock boots. Kate, Hurley, and Jack meet Sawyer again.
Now on to the theories…
I’ve mentioned this before, but LOST repeatedly invokes Christianity in this fifth season. This continues in episode seven with the Locke’s Jesus-like death to save his friends and then subsequent resurrection on the island. Also, many of the O6 were in regions that invoked sainthood. Hurley’s at SANTA Rosa Mental Institution, Helen is buried in SANTA Monica, and Sayid, perhaps the most saintly of them all at this point, is building a school in SANTO Domingo. And episode 6’s title, “316,” evokes the “Gospel in a Nutshell,” John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Similarly, Locke died so his friends could live, and expressed his wish that Jack had believed him in his suicide not. Interestingly, as the show gets increasingly more sci-fi, it also amps up the religion, bringing viewers back to the science versus faith tensions that characterized the first and second seasons.
Faith appeared in episode eight as well, in the form of Paul’s Ankh necklace. That cross with a loop on top stood for “eternal life” in Egyptian hieroglyphics. As interesting and relevant as that is, I’m more interested in the Egyptian element. Could there be a link between Paul’s necklace and the hieroglyphics we’ve seen at the Temple and in the Swan Dharma Station? Obviously there is. Now we just need to figure it out.
We’ve also learned more about Widmore and his relationship with Ben Linus. Neither of them appears very good, but who is better? In episode seven, they claimed to strive for the same ends: the return of the O6 to the island to help Locke secure his position as leader. But why do they want to help Locke so much when they both want to be leader of the Others? I hate Ben, but I think he might be working in the better interest of the O6 here. He’s already been leader for a long time, so I think he really just wants to put the island in its right place and time and retire in paradise. On the other hand, Widmore, who was overthrown and forced off the island by Ben, has the drive to return to take back his title as leader of the Others. Regardless, they are both operating with clandestine motives so neither can be trusted. And when and where is this war Widmore mentioned going down? Probably in the last few episodes of the final season next year.
I’m wondering about the relationship between Matthew Abaddon and the island. The man who has been linked to the Smoke Monster for his wispy movements, said to Locke “Maybe you wanna step up your game, Mr. Locke. Or we’re all in serious trouble.” Why we? What does he have to do with any of this? Isn’t he just Widmore’s crony, putting people where Widmore wants them to be. But, he also serves to undermine Locke’s self esteem, constantly berating him for failing to convince the O6 to return. So perhaps he had a greater purpose and connection to the island. How will we find out if he’s dead?
I can’t wait to find out the identity of Amy and Horace’s baby. In Ben’s flashback from season 3, we see Horace pull over to help Ben’s parents as his mom goes into labor with him. If flashbacks had lied to us before, I’d be quick to speculate that Amy’s newborn grows up to be Ben. But there is no precedence that would lead us to distrust the information in a flashback or a flashforward. Even if it is coming from the root of all evil, Ben Linus.
I have yet to form a theory on this…but has anyone else noticed that all of the Dharma vehicles we’ve seen thus far have been robin’s egg blue? I’m sure there’s a reason, I just have not figured it out yet.
And my big questions of the moment…
What time period are the left-behinders living in and how long have they been there?
Where did Lepidus go and which girl did he sail away with?
Anyone else think Faraday was checking out baby Charlotte a little too hard? Creeper…
See ya in another week, brotha.
