Yawwwn!!! Good morning, Lostophiles. I'm a bit groggy after hibernating since May (actually, "hiber" refers to winter - anyone know the prefex for summer?) but good news! Lost is only about 6 weeks away. As we approach Season 5, I thought I'd run through a preview of the information that has been unearthed. I'm not going to bother using the spoiler blog for this one, but be warned, there may be glimmers of spoilesque information here (don't worry, I'm not about to tell you any answers. Just developments). So, since forewarned is forearmed, consider yourself prepared.
The Poster
This is ABC's first promo poster for Season 5. A few observations:
Clean-shaven Jack. I guess the beard gets shaved now that Jack knows his purpose.
Desmond standing with the Oceanic Six. Although Des and Penny went into hiding and are not ostensibly among those who must return to the island, his appearance in the poster makes clear that the good Mr. Hume is still in the cast.
The empty space on the island side. To the right of the frame, it's almost as though someone's missing (i.e., there' room for one more person). Could that be for Jin? Claire? Jacob? I don't think it's an error in composition.
Cast information
Take what cues you want fromt his information: Emilie de Ravin (Claire Littleton) will not appear in any episodes in Season 5. However, she is supposed to return in Season 6. What does this mean for the character of Claire? Is she, indeed, dead (and walking around as one of several island phantoms)?
Meanwhile, Daniel Dae Kim (Jin Kwon) has been filming in Hawaii. Supposedly, he will not appear until episode 4, but when he does, Jin's fate will be revealed (for those of you who forgot, Jin was last seen running towards the edge of the deck on the freighter when it blew up, and Sun believes him to be dead).
Of the three new characters left on the island in the season finale, two have joined the cast as series regulars this year - Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) and Miles Straum (Ken Leung). What does the omission mean for Charlotte Staples Lewis (Rebecca Mader)? Is the mysterious Brit not long for this world? Or just a more minor presence?
Also joining the cast for a planned 4 episodes is Reiko Aylsworth (best known as the late Michelle Dessler on 24). Rumor has it Reiko will be playing someone from the Dharma Initiative - during their 70s/80s heyday on the island.
Promo
Here's the first promo that ABC ran for the new season (which some of you have emailed me you saw in movie theaters, as well)...
Did you see either of these things in the video ('cause I'm sure I did). 1) Charlotte digging up the Swan hatch, and 2) Someone in a DHARMA hazmat suit opening the door to the Swan station and holding Daniel at gunpoint? These are noteworthy for one very important reason - the Swan station was completely destroyed before Daniel and Charlotte arrived on the island.
The obvious implication is that the island (and everyone on it) traveled back in time to its own past. But then why did the island itself disappear? Are there two islands occupying the same space? How does that work? And is that in some way the explanation for how the Black Rock ended up in the middle of a jungle?
Finally, there is the clue from the launch video to the "DHARMA Wants You" online game. Although ABC canceled the ill-conceived game abruptly this fall, the opening video revealed that the scientist we've seen as Candle/ Wickmund/ Halliwax was, in fact, named Chang. He had a young child, and was able to communicate to the year 2008 that he knew that DHARMA was going to be wiped out. More interestingly, the cameraman (who could be heard but not seen) who sent Chang's message to the future sounded exactly like Daniel Faraday. Coupled with the images from the trailer above, the implication is quite clearly that Sawyer, Juliet, Locke, and the others on the island when it disappeared went back in time to DHARMA days. Time will tell...
Cool Title I can tell you the most intriguing episode title I can remember is attched to the sixth episode of Season 5 - "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham." As this is the pseudonym John Locke chose before returning to the U.S. (and dying), this episode figures to be very, very interesting.
Premiere Date Finally, when will Lost be back on the air? Wednesday (its original day), January 21 at 9:00 pm. This was its Season 2 timeslot, and probably the best place for the show.
That's all for now, Lostophiles. Until Season 5 begins to air (17 episodes without interruption), Namaste.
Yawn! Wake up from your summer hybernation (ok, so, technically, hybernation means sleeping through the Winter, but cut me some slack)...The Powers That Be, as promised, surfaced from their media blackout at the San Diego Comic Con last weekend, and provided a bevy of Lost scoop, clarifications, and fun. And, as has been the case in the past, they used Comic Con to launch a new online game centered around reconstituting the DHARMA Initiative (more on that below).
(Don't worry - written spoilers will, as always, be placed on the spoiler blog, which you can access by clicking here.)
First off, a fun little preview of the flashforwards (in order) special feature on the Season 4 DVD/ Blu-ray release, coming later this year. The producers have a lot of fun with the idea of time travel here, so please watch this short clip and enjoy:
They also previewed a "True Hollywood Story" special about the Oceanic 6, showing the outside world trying to see behind the wacky story of their rescue:
(Thanks to "Watch With Kristen" from E! Online for both of those clips).
What follows is the entire live Comic Con panel. It's fun, but a little lengthy. Warning - these videos contain spoilers, which will be revealed if you watch. The major spoilery reveals are written as highlights over on the spoilers blog, or you can just sit back and watch. But if you don't want to watch all of these clips, at least scroll down and check out the last one - this year's special appearance of Dr. Marvin Candle (who reveals that his real name is Pierre Chang).
This DHARMA film is pretty interesting for several reasons. First, Chang/Candle/Wickmund/Hollowax, through time travel (or time traveling consciousness, or transmission, or whatever is going on) has suddenly injected himself into the primary time period on Lost. In the past, we only knew about him/them through archived footage. So this is a change.
Second, we've learned that this recurring fan favorite did in fact die in the purge.
Third, we've learned that, scary as this sounds, he knew about his death from the purge. Not only that, but if you look at the way he paused to contemplate his left arm, he also apparently learned he would eventually lose it (the Candle persona).
Fourth, by learning that Chang has travelled through time in some capacity, we've learned how it was that "Wickmund" had two arms in the early-80s Pearl video, while "Candle" had only one arm in the mid-70s Swan film.
And finally, and this is truly subtle, but did you notice the voice of the camera man? To me (and to others online), it sure sounds like Daniel Farraday. We already know Farraday experimented with time travel and has an eerie awareness of things on the island (told to him through his own journal). Now there is evidence that he was on the island, interacting with DHARMA, more than 30 years before he arrived on the freighter... Very interesting.
Finally, a new alternate reality game has launched, in which the DHARMA Initiative is seeking recruits for a relaunch. So far, only the personality/ aptitude test are up and running, which you can access at the link below:
That's all for now, Lostophiles. With no new episodes between now and February, I'm sure I'll have the chance to check in from time to time. Do bounce over to http://lllspoilers.blogspot.com/ for the highlights of the Comic Con panel. Until next time, Namaste.
This just in - Michael Aussielo and Doc Jensen have collaborated on some spoilerish scoopage stemming from renewal contracts from the actors who play two lesser but recurring roles on Lost. Click on the title of this post to be whisked away to the spoilers blog for details.
First, a brief word to my readers. Sorry for the delay in posting this recap. A new job, a sick baby girl (don't worry, she's doing fine now) and the longest, densest recap I've ever done took longer than normal. Of course, we have 8 months until the next episode of Lost airs, so I guess there was no hurry....but in any case, enjoy!
Catching Up On Where We've Been
Before we recap the finale to this most amazing fourth seson of Lost, which featured many out-of-order flashforwards, I thought I'd show you all a recap somebody else put together by editing highlights of all the flashforwards into what appears to be their "correct" order. Now, I have a few points where I disagree with this ordering, but it's generally how I understand things, and it serves as a great launching point to the recap proper...
Re-Recap
Before the two hour second part of the finale, ABC re-aired the first hour, but with extra footage added to the press conference scene. Here's what was added:
Jack identified the three people who, according to their lie, survived the crash but died before rescue - Boone, Libby and Charlie - then said he had no real plans other than to bury his father. Sayid said there was nothing for him in Iraq, so he wouldn't return there. So, not much on the "new" front, but worth adding for completeness sake.
And Away We Go...
One major mystery solved! Two big bangs!! Three (apparently) dead castaways!!! Four Seasons in the bag!!!! Five disparate locales to start next season!!!!! And Six Oceanic 815 Survivors concoct their lies!!!!!!! All this, plus the "frozen donkey wheel" in the action-packed fourth season finale, "There's No Place Like Home, Part II."
The final installment of Lost's fourth season picks up at the very moment where Season 3 left off. After Jack shouted "we have to go baaaaack" as Kate started to drive away, she stopped, and reversed back to Jack's position.
She's not at all pleased that she's had to explain to Aaron why Jack stopped reading to him at night, only to suddenly have Jack call her for two days about the obituary of Jeremy Bentham.
Well, we were promised an answer to the question of who was in the coffin. But few of us expected a name we had not heard on the show before. My guess had always been Michael, given his suicidal tendencies and two aliases. But then Kate went and said "Jeremy Bentham," the name that was hinted at in the partial view we got last season of the actual obituary. Anyone who studied English philosphers in college probably guessed immediately who Mr. Bentham was. I, of course, did not, so I got no clue from the name. For those of you who would like a quick background course in who the "real" Jeremy Bentham was, click here.
Jack tells Kate that Bentham said returning to the island is the only way to keep Kate and Aaron safe, and Kate slaps him for even mentioning Aaron's name. Kate says she spent three years trying to forget the horrible things they had to do the day they left, so "how dare you ask me to go back."Hello, foreshadow much?
A Note On Structure
Although I normally consolidate story lines, I think it's best to more or less stick to the order in which things occurred in this thoroughly complex episode. 'Nuff said.
Don't I Know You From Some Place?
Hurley, at Santa Rosa, gets a visit from Walt (not taller, ghost Walt, but actual taller 'cause he's three years older Walt). Walt tells him point-blank, "you know, when you came back, I was waiting for one of you to come see me, but none of you did. But you know who did come see me? Jeremy Bentham. I don't understand why you're all lying."
Hurley, who has still been having conversations with people who died on the island, leans in and tells Walt, "we're lying, because it's the only way to protect every one who didn't come back." "Like my dad?" asks Walt, hoping to be reunited with his father. Hurley pauses, looks down, then says, "like your dad. Yeah."
The writers clearly knew many of us suspected Michael would be in the coffin, so this scene served to cross him off the list of possibilities. After all, it's hard to imagine Michael would return and not try again to see his son. So it would seem he got left behind, after all...
Save Hurley! Jack and Sawyer, in the jungle, find the Orchid, with Hurley peeing nonchalantly in the bushes outside. Hurley seems to have mixed emotions over Jack's presence. The mercenaries and Ben are conspicously absent as they approach John Locke in the greenhouse portion of the station. John, who seems strangely happy to see Jack, says he's looking for a way in, then asks for a word with Jack alone. Sawyer is about to lead Hurley to the chopper, but Hurley says they can't go there because the mercs are taking Ben there now.
Keamy, leading a cuffed Ben through the jungle, asks his prisoner why he's so important to Widmore. Ben asks if Widmore told him to kill Alex, but Keamy doesn't answer, as he sees Frank has gotten hold of the toolbox and is trying to free himself. Suddenly, Kate comes running from behind a bush. She says she's running because she's being chased by Ben's people, so Keamy deploys his men in a search pattern. Kate and Ben exchange an interesting look before the Others' attack kills first one, then two of Keamy's men. A firefight ensues. Another merc gets hit with a tranq dart (hello, Season 2 flashback!) Kate saves Ben, and it's clear she and the Others are in cahoots. Keamy accidentally kills Omar by kicking a grenade towards him, then chases after Kate and Ben, but Sayid is there and seriously kicks Keamy's ass (and takes a few tough hits himself) before stabbing him in the side with Keamy's knife. Keamy gets the upper hand, however, but Richard emerges and shoots the badass merc several times in the back.
More Others emerge, followed by Kate and Ben. In a tense moment between allies who are not really friends, Ben thanks Richard for coming, and Richard responds, "my pleasure." Apparently, the Others had agreed that if Kate and Sayid helped them free Ben, they would get safe passage off the island. Kate, incredulous, asks Ben if that's really it, and they can actually leave, and Ben says, "that's it."
Man Of Science/ Man Of Faith (Revisited) As Sawyer and Hurley hang back and watch Locke and Jack discuss "leader stuff," Sawyer doesn't answer when Hurley asks if Claire and the baby are ok.
Locke asks Jack to reconsider leaving the island. They compare faults, and John proposes letting bygones be bygones. He insists, "but you're not supposed to go home," and that Jack knows he's there for a reason, knowledge that will eat him alive if he leaves.
Since Jack won't relent, Locke insists those who leave should lie about their story to protect the island, "a place where miracles happen. And if you don't believe that, just wait until you see what I'm about to do." Ben returns, and shows John the secret entrance (he had instructed Locke which type of flower marked the door, and seemed to delight in Locke's inability to identify the particular type of fauna on his own). Ben encourages Jack, Hugo and Sawyer to get on the boat within the hour, then ducks inside an elevator with Locke. "Lie to them, Jack," repeats Locke. "If you do it half as well as you do it to yourself, you should have no trouble."
Ben and John continue the long descent into the Orchid, station, proper. John asks if this is the magic box, but Ben says no as if what he means to say is, "stupid rookie." John asks what all the equipment is for, and Ben responds with obvious contempt for both his origins and his anointed successor - "same thing that all the DHARMA stations are for - silly experiments." Ben patronizingly gives John the final cut of the Halliwax video to watch, which I have here for you courtesy of E! Online...
Even as the playback features Halliwax warning, "now for your own safety, and the saftey of those around you, metallic objects must never be placed inside the vault," Ben loads the Vault with all the metal he can find.
"In our first deomstration, we will attempt to shift the subject 100 milliseconds ahead in four-demensional space. For the briefest of moments, the animal will disappear, but in reality..." The tape mysteriously starts to rewind itself, and John can't stop it. Stupid DHARMA tapes - we never really get a full answer out of them, do we? As John asks Ben if Halliwax was actually talking about... Ben amusingly finishes the thought - "time travelling bunnies? Yes." Suddenly, the elevator closes and starts to rise again.
Back on The Freighter...
I can dispense with all the action on the freighter in one quick burst. In several scenes intercut with the rest of the action, Jin, Desmond and Michael wrack their brains over what to do with the big bomb. Unable to find a safe way to move it or dismantle it, they decide to freeze the battery with the last remaining can of liquid nitrogen from the freezing unit, which would delay detonation even when the signal to blow comes in. Of course, there's only so much of the stuff in the can, and they have to freeze in advance, since a red light means instant boom!
Liftoff!
Hurley, Sawyer and Jack return to the helicopter, where Frank is still freeing himself. Sawyer saws off the cuff, and, after Sayid assures Jack it's safe on the freighter now (given the dead mercs), they take off. Hurley gets Jack's assurance they'll come back and look for Claire after dropping people off on the boat. And the chopper leaves, and, at last, the rest of the Oceanic Six seem poised to join Sun and Aaron...with Lapidus and Sawyer on board as well.
The elevator returns, and it's Keamy. Stagging, but still alive, he draws another knife from his boot. He tries to bait Ben into coming out, talking about how his armor saved him from Richard's bullets. Keamy confirms our suspicions - the device on his arm is a heart-rate monitor, a dead-man's trigger that will blow the explosives on the freighter. "If I'm bluffing, need I remind you of how your daughter looked when she bled out, face-down on the grass." Locke comes out, and says he has no conflict with Keamy, and neither do the people on the boat. But before he can respond, Ben charges, shouting, "you killed my daughter," repeatedly, and stabs Keamy multiple times. John, shocked, says, "you just killed everyone on that boat," and Ben, like a petulant child who would have paid any price for his revenge, responds, "so?"
These moments truly allow Michael Emerson to shine. Please, please Emmy voters. Please give him a damn statue this year!
Rose confronts Miles, who is eating DHARMA peanuts without permission. She warns him, "I'm keeping an eye on you, shorty."
Dan asks Miles to follow him. He tries to convince Miles and Charlotte to leave with him on the next Zodiac trip, but Miles insists he wants to stay, no matter how "dire" Daniel says the situation. Miles says he's surprised Charlotte wants to leave, "after all the time you spent trying to get back here." Charlotte asks what he means, and Miles grins, "what do I mean?" So Charlotte decides to stay, and tells Daniel she's still looking for where she was born.
The one thing we truly seemed to have missed out on due to the writers' strike seems to be more on these fascinating new characters. Fortunately, this finale did plenty to cue up some great storylines (and backstories) next season.
Juliet also doesn't go along with Daniel, because she promised she would only leave when everyone else is safe, and there are still more people to ferry out to Kahana. They can see the freighter on the horizon.
On the chopper, Frank notices the fuel is dropping. The chopper took a bullet to the fuel tank during the Others' fight with the mercs. Jack says not to land, because there's no fuel on the island, so they have to get to the boat, but Frank can't see the boat. He tells them to toss all the extra weight off the chopper, and they start to empty out everything. "I'd feel a hell of a lot better if we were a few hundred pounds lighter."
This brief, throwaway shot of Hurley was the kind of thing that makes Lost so rewarding to dedicated viewers. A casual viewer will hear Frank's line and think, "uh-oh, fat guy on board" and that will be that. But Lostophiles like us realize that Hurley's whole "cursed" life just came back to him. Remember, the first time he was institutionalized at Santa Rosa was because he stepped on a balcony at a party, causing it to collapse and kill several friends. While there, he learned "the numbers," which he played in the lottery, becoming a multi-millionaire, but soon coming to feel his winnings were cursed, and he was a jinx to those he cared about. Now, convinced that leaving the island to a world where his lottery money was now gone would mean he was at last free of his curse, he suddenly realizes that, once again, his weight was going to kill his friends, and you can see how he reacted. And Lost brought all this to our attention with one quick shot that lasted only seconds! Brilliant!
Sawyer whispers something to Kate, then plants a massive kiss on her, bigger than any kiss to date in the Skater or Jater relationships.
She asks why he told her whatever it was he just told her, and he says "just do it, Freckles," then jumps out of the helicopter, into the ocean.
If it weren't obvious, this was the beginning of the secret favor Kate would try to perform for Sawyer that ultimately led Jack into a jealous, parnoid downward spiral of booze and pills. Moreover, this courageous act of self-sacrifice culminated the brilliant arc that Sawyer has been following all year. It seems that having killed the real Sawyer actually did redeem him, and his paternalistic caring for Claire and Hurley, and his acting so romantically towards Kate, reveal the man James Ford may have been had he not been traumatized in his childhood.
Sawyer swims to the surface, and the helicopter flies off as he starts to swim back to the shore. Jack assures Kate they'll go back for him after they land. Hurley spots the freighter, and they turn to land on board...
Reunion In Blood
Sayid assasinates a man sitting in a car outside Santa Rosa (monitoring Hurley?) He goes into Hurley's room, where Hugo is playing chess, alone. Hurley comments that visiting hours are over. "This isn't a visit. I want you to come with me."
Hurley refuses to go anywhere with a friend he thought had abandoned him (as we all know, he never stopped by because he was out killing people for Ben). Sayid tells Hurley circumstances have changed - Bentham is dead. Sayid supresses a bit of a Ben-esque smile when he says it was apparently a suicide. Hurley asks why Sayid is calling him "Bentham," but Sayid stops him from saying the real name since they're being watched. Concerned about what following Sayid will mean, Hurley asks, "we're not going back, are we?" Sayid assures him, "no, just somewhere safe." As they leave, Hurley turns around, makes one final move in his chess match, and says, "checkmate, Mr. Eko."
Did Sayid kill Bentham? Did he do so on Ben's orders? More on this later. And how sneaky of the writers to inform us that "Bentham" was an alias for someone we already know, but prevent us from hearing who he really is!
Keamy slowly dies, and John scrambles to keep him alive. Ben says it's not his problem. Keamy assures Ben Widmore will find him, but Ben responds, "not if I find him first." As Keamy dies, the light on his device turns red...then so does the other one, on the freighter. Michael tells Desmond and Jin to get everyone off the boat, there are five minutes left in the tank, but Jin says he'll stay to try to defuse the bomb.
The copter approaches, even as Des scrambles to the deck. He tries to wave the chopper off, but Frank has to land. They scramble to refill the tank and patch the holes. Kate tells Sun to board, and she'll get to Jin. Michael convinces Jin to leave while he buys as much time as he can. Jack grabs Kate and won't let her return for Jin. The chopper lifts off, as Jin comes running, but it's too late. Jack and Hurley restrain Sun.
I've never been the biggest fan of the Jin-Sun story line, but in this moment of profound anguish and desparatin, Yunjin Kim demonstrated some incredible acting chops!
Michael's nozzle runs out of gas. Suddenly Christian shows up, and says, "you can go now Michael."
Why is Christian Shephard the designated spokesman for Jacob and the island? It's not as though anybody but Jack or Claire knows who he is. Is this just to keep us from actually seeing Jacob? Is there a Jacob to see? Also, it would seem the island is now done with Michael, and will "let" him die as he wanted to. So what exactly was his purpose? He didn't stop the mercenaries from getting to the island. He didn't manage to rescue anyone from the island, since the freighter is about to blow up. Yet now the island is done with him? Talk about phoning in your "assistance to mystical islands" efforts...
The boat blows, up, with most of the rescuees, including Jin, apparently still on board.
Sun is hysterical, but they can't go back with the fuel they have. They have to return to the island. So is Jin really dead? Ever the optimist, I hope not. He was, after all, running towards the front of the freighter, and the explosion happened in the middle of it. And there was no shot of his body getting consumed by flame or floating by. Still, it appears at the moment as though the only lie on Jin's gravestone was the actual date of his death. Which is too bad. As disinterested as I was in the Jin-Sun dynamic, Daniel Dae Kim was tremendously charismatic, and Jin's personal journey towards redemption has been almost as amazing as Sawyer's. Also, if some sign that he is alive were to present itself, that may eventually lead Sun back to the island...
Now, about the death of Michael. Many of you probably remember his cold-blooded killing of Ana Lucia and his surprise killing of Libby, and thought to yourselves, "good!" One person who unabashedly is not happy with the way Michael was brought back only to be killed is Harold Perrineau, the actor who plays him. Check out his scathing comments in TV Guide by clicking here.
Sun, in London, approaches Charles Widmore and introduces herself as Mr. Paik's daughter. Widmore calls Paik quite the golfer. "Are you really going to pretend you don't know who I am?" She knows he knows her story. She says they have "common interests," and they're not the only ones who left the island. Widmore asks why she would help him, but she walks off.
Does this mean Ben is the "other" man Sun blames for Jin's death, besides her father? Or is it Widmore, and this is all just a ruse to get close to him? I can't wait to find out what game she's playing here...
Ben insists to Locke that sometimes good command decisions are compromised by strong emotional responses, but he trusts John will do better. Ben fires up the vault, which causes a bit of an explosion inside, then says he better change.
Juliet sees Sawyer swimming to shore, shirtless. How "Charlie's Angels" for the ladies! He smiles and guesses she's celebrating, since she has a bottle of rum, but she says she's not celebrating, and he turns and sees the smoke from the ex-freighter. He asks if that's their boat, and Juliet responds, "it was."
Ben puts on the same DHARMA Halliwax parka we saw him wearing when he materialized in Tunisia. He says he's going somewhere cold, but John's not going. Ben has to suffer the consequences for what Jacob wants, and whoever moves the island can never come back. The Others will be waiting for John to share what they know, and to follow John's every word. "Sorry I made your life so miserable," says Ben, and I, for one, believe he actually means it. John asks what to tell the Others to do, but Ben says, "you'll find your way, John. You always do." John finds the Others in the jungle, where they've set up a camp. Richard is particularly pleased to see him, and welcomes John "home." Meanhile, Ben removes the metal from the Vault, then steps through the blasted back wall into a narrow tunnell. He makes his way through to a ladder, which leads down to a purple glowing ice portal. The ladder gives way, and Ben falls into a cave, where he lights a lantern. The fall cut his arm through the parka.
In other words, we just learned that this scene immediately precedes Ben's appearance in Tunisia. Now as for what Ben finds in this cave, the producers have teased for months that the big surprise reveal in this season's finale was codenamed the "Frozen Donkey Wheel," but they refused to decode what that meant. Now, at long last, we see, it was literally a frozen donkey wheel...
"I hope you're happy now, Jacob," Ben says as he tries to budge the wheel.
It starts to turn, and, as Ben dons an expression of utter anguish, suddenly, we hear the same sound we heard just before the Swan imploded. Light and heat start to radiate out from the wheel housing. Suddenly, first Ben, then the entire island, and its surroundings, are engulfed in purple light, and then they're gone, and the ocean rushes in to fill the spot where the island was.
Now there's no place for Frank to land. Jack suggests they go to the Hydra island, but it's gone, too. They're out of fuel, and start going down. Frank tells them to get life vests on. Sayid opens a life raft and tosses it out. They hit, and the chopper goes under. As it sinks, Jack hears shouts above water. He swims and finds Hurley helping the baby into the raft. Frank finds Desmond passed out in the water. They swim him to the raft. Once aboard, Jack performs CPR and revives Desmond. So now we have...the oceanic six, plus freighter one, plus sailboat one? Jack is relieved they're alive, but everyone else is freaked.
Holy parallelisms! The first season also ended with an unlikely group of survivors on a raft desperately hoping for rescue...
In a flash forward, Kate looks around. Her phone rings, but first there's nobody on the line. Then she hears island-like whispers, which someone online reversed and posted. Take a listen to what the voice actually said...
Kate grabs a gun and rushes to Aaron's room, where she finds... Claire?!
Suddenly, Kate's pleea of "don't you touch my son" seems hollow. Claire warns, "don't bring him back, Kate. Don't you dare bring him back." But it was just a dream, and Kate awakes (for real) to find Aaron safe in bed. She apologizes to the sleeping boy, and breaks down in tears.
So in one dream, a mysterious backwards voice urges Kate and Aaron to return to the island, but Claire warns her not to bring the baby back. What's with the mixed signals, Mr. Island?
On the raft, Kate notes that it's a miracle that Aaron's fine. Hurley says he can't believe Locke did it - he moved the island. Jack tries to disagree, but Hurley, tired of Jack's doubting Thomas routine, demands that, if he has another explanation for how the island was there, and then it wasn't, to please share . Frank sees a boat on the horizon. Anyone else thinking back to the Others tugboat that found Michael's raft? As the boat trains a spotlight on them. Jack suddenly realizes...they have to lie. Jack points out they were all to be killed by the mercs, and someone went to a lot of trouble to fake their deaths in the bogus crash. Kate doubts they can pull it off, but Jack says to let him do the talking.
The boat is the Searcher, and despite its Portuguese-speaking crew, it belongs to ...Penny! Desmond sees her and scales the rigging like Errol Flynn to climb to his lost love. Their kiss is phenomonal, like total "Princess Bride" quality.
Desmond asks how he found her. She says his phone call, and, oh, she has a tracking station. He promises to never leave her again. Penny's people help the survivors aboard. Desmond introduces them all to Penny. Jack says they need to talk.
On the one hand, it would appear Desmond's story is now over. After all, his one goal in life was to find and get back to his Penelope, and it would appear Lost's version of Odysseus has done just that. However, given Ben's pledge to Charles Widmore that he would get revenge by killing Penny, I'd say these two are bound to turn up again as the show progresses.
One week later, Hurley and Sayid rehearse the story. Jack and Frank prepare the boat that will take the Oceanic Six to their "real" rescue. They dress all dishevelled. "As long as I've got Penny, I'll be fine." insists Desmond Jack warns Desmond not to let them find him, then repeats, the line Desmond said to him more than three years earlier, "I'll see you in another life, brother." Jack rounds up his troops, and they row off using driftwood, to the fishing village from the Oceanic press conference photos.
Hurley looks relieved, Sun tired, Kate, lost. Jack goes to her, and together they walk off.
Finally, Moving Beyond Last Season's Finale Jack returns to the Hoffs/ Drawlar funeral home the night after he was the only person to show for Bentham's funeral. He looks pretty strung out as he breaks the doorknob and kicks in the door. He grabs his head and paces around, then opens the coffin and looks inside...but is surprised to see Ben behind him.
Scratch the second most popular theory - that Ben was in the coffin. Indeed, once we learned earlier this year that Ben had left the island, he was my fallback if Michael didn't pan out.
Ben asks if Bentham told Jack that he was off the island, and Jack says, "yes." Jack says he spoke to Bentham a month ago, and Bentham saw Kate, too. Bentham told Jack that after he left the island, some very bad things happened, which were his fault for leaving, and Bentham said he had to go back. Ben tells Jack the island won't let him come alone. All of them have to go back. Jack says Sun blames him for Jin, Hurley's insane, Sayid can't be found, and Kate won't talk to him. Ben says he has a few ideas how they can do it - together. But they have to bring the body, too. The body of....John Locke!
Which again brings up the name Jeremy Bentham. If you followed the link I posted at the beginning of this recap, or if you otherwise know a bit about dead philosophers, you would know that Bentham and Locke were polar opposites, with Bentham following a Machiavellian worldview and Locke championing natural rights. What does this portend for what happened on the island after Jack left? How will leadership change Locke, and what would Jack's presence have made different? How and why did Locke leave, and did Sayid actually kill him? How will Ben and Jack function as allies? Some great questions to set up the next season.
Meanwhile, the producers went to some great lengths to preserve the secrecy of who Jeremy Bentham really was. In fact, they shot three alternate endings so that even the cast wouldn't know until they saw the final cut. Good Morning America showed these other endings the morning after the episode aired, and you can check them out here.
Where Does This Leave Us?
So now we've got the island, wherever (or whenever) it may be, where Locke leads the Others (oy, that won't go well), Sawyer, Juliet, Rose, Bernard, Miles, Charlotte and some scattered extras are still on the beach, Daniel probably got transported on the Zodiac with the island, Desmond and Penny are in hiding, from both her father and Ben, Sun has formed some sort of alliance with Widmore, Jack is working with Ben, who may or may not still be working with Sayid, who has secreted away with Hurley, who sees dead people. Meanwhile, Walt seems to want back into the story, and Kate is getting very conflicting dream messages telling her simultaneously to return to the island with Aaron, and not to. Finally, Claire may or may not be dead, but is on the island no matter what state of life she's in. For what it's worth, we will not see Claire next year, as whatever has happened to her will not be addressed in Season Five. However, she supposedly will be back in Season Six.
A Parting Theory
I came up with this take on the frozen donkey wheel on the fly, (a theory I've already posted on lostusers.com) and would love to hear your thoughts on it...
1) It is the fate of each and every Others leader to one day have to sacrifice his place on the island by moving it the way Ben did. This is what happened to the prior leader Ben alluded to at the DHARMA pit. And it's what will one day happen to Locke/ Bentham after the "terrible things" alluded to in the last scene last night.
2) When the island moves, it's in time, not space (much like the bunnies in the Orchid, who appear to disappear).
3) Each time the island moves forward in time this way, the Others must begin the search for a new leader. This explains the multiple times Richard sought out Locke. It also explains why he doesn't seem to age - the island jumps forward in time (not sure why he didn't age relative to young Ben, but hey, it's a new theory, and we'll work this out!)
4) This is Richard's role - to find the next leader. It's why he is not the leader, and, even when disenchanted with Ben, didn't stage a coup himself.
5) Many such leaders still try to act as agents of the island once they've been banished. Some of these include Brother Campbell, Ms. Hawking and...wait for it...Christian Shephard! (Ok, maybe the last one is a bit of a reach...or not!)
6) At one such jump in time that occurred in the past, the island materialized right under the Black Rock. I bet Magnus Hanso was searching for the island, and was in the right place, but not quite the right time. So it's not that the ship was carried to the middle of the island. It's that the island suddenly appeared under the ship.
7) It will take three years for the island to reappear this time. That's why Jack's plan to fly willy-nilly and hope for a crash hasn't worked. The island isn't back in the world yet.
8 ) The island's disappearance is never complete, and neither is its re-appearance. That's how "taller ghost Walt" could project himself to Locke (from the future) and why there is such a floating time discrepancy between on-and-off island areas.
That's It For Now...Or Is It? So, even as we prepared to say farewell to Lost for the next 8 months, it would seem the Powers That Be threw us another little something to keep us busy. This print ad appeared just after the finale aired.
Meanwhile, during the finale, in the commercial break after Penny's boat found the raft, a "fake" spot ran. You can see the ad, and the website it directed viewers to, by clicking here.
Incidentally, the dates on which the website points viewers to San Diego coincide with the San Diego Comic Con. In past years, the Comic Con was where the climactic act of The Lost Experience launched, where the return of Michael was announced, and where the Orchid station was teased nine months before it appeared on the show. What will this year entail? Only time will tell. Until then...
...to tide you over. By far the best of several fan videos posted today on eonline.com, this one highlights the many off-island coincidental (?) connections between Lost's characters. Enjoy!
As for the Doc, his insightful place-holder column can be reached by clicking on the title of this post.
Some highlights:
1) The Doc asked Executive Producer Carlton Cuse about why, at the press conference, nobody asked the Oceanic Six about how far off-course the plane was when crashed in the Indian Ocean. Rather than an obvious answer, like "the wreckage was already found so it wasn't news" or "dude, we were in the cabin, so we have no idea why the plane was off course," Cuse responded that this issue will be addressed next season. Interesting...
2) Jensen also observed how post-rescue life for the adult Oceanic Sixers marks a return to the same state of being figuratively "lost" that these characters endured before the crash. Here's what he has to say about this:
Indeed, what we've seen so far is that the castaways are living new versions of their old lives:
JACK: workaholic surgeon; drives away woman he loves; father issues SAYID: loses true love Nadia during war; manipulated into becoming a hideous kind of soldier by his former enemy HURLEY: food; Numbers; mental institution; dead people guilt; seeing people who shouldn't exist We're still getting to understand the flash-forward lives of Sun and Kate, but the seeds have been planted for old unhappiness to grow anew. Before the crash, Sun felt trapped by a corrupt, unfulfilling life, not to mention her own secrets and lies. Once again, she's bargaining dangerously with her father for respect. Remember what happened when she came to her senses last time? She tried to run away. Similarly, Kate seems to have finally gotten what she's always wanted: a secure, stable home life. But like her fleeting marriage to that nice-guy cop, this idyllic life is built on a lie. It's only a matter of time before the Aaron deception gets smoked out. I have a hunch it won't be long before Kate is on the run again, pursued by a new iteration of that dogged dead marshal — her ex-husband.
3) Also, Jensen returns to the oft-cited parallels between Lost and The Wizard of Oz and predicts what will happen next.
In any case, we're only six days away from the "shock" ending that the producers have nicknamed the "Frozen Donkey Wheel." To put this in context, every season finale has had a "WTF" moment, which the writers gave a codename before it aired. In Season 1, the "Bagel" was Walt's abduction at sea by the Others. In Season 2, the "Challah" was the implosion of the hatch with Locke, Eko and Desmond still inside. In Season 3, eschewing the theme of Jewish bread products (and really, wouldn't "Matzoh" have seemed a bit flat?), the producers nick-named the revelation that Jack's flashbacks were actually flashforwards the "Snake in the Mailbox," i.e., something really shocking that you'd never expect. So for Season 4, we will get "Frozen Donkey Wheel," something that will occur before the final scene of the finale. They have declined to explain what the nickname means, because to do so would partially ruin the surprise, but they have promised that we would know it when we see it.
That's all for this week, Lostophiles. I look forward to checking in with you next weekend for my recap of the finale. Until then, Namaste.
This week, Lost Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse put out their final podcast of the season (which you can hear in its entirety by clicking on the title of this post). In the podcast, they clarified a couple of things we have seen in recent weeks:
1) The island won't let Ben or Charles die at this stage in the game. When Ben told Widmore that they both know he couldn't kill the old man, this was another example of a phenomenon we've seen a few other times. In other words, when the island needs you to do something, it will protect you, even from yourself. Thus, just as Michael failed twice to kill himself, and was saved from execution by the timely jamming of Keamy's gun, and just as Jack's near-suicide was thwarted by the car crash that conveniently launched him into hero mode, so, too, are Ben and Charles prevented from killing each other. (Perhaps this is also why Ben is so willing to take so many beatings and put himself in harm's way so often).
2) Abaddon's employer is meant to be a mystery. We are also meant to wonder, based on the clear disconnect between his three appearances (science team recruiter; Oceanic attorney; orderly) just who Matthew Abaddon (Lance Reddick) is working for. Is it Ben or the Others? Is it Widmore? Is it someone we have not even met? The point is, at this time, we're not supposed to know...
Finally, I bring you a spoiler from E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos regarding an apparent cast member departure, which of course I will not post here. If you want to see what I'm talking about, head on over to the Spoilers blog by clicking here.
Dramatic irony resolved! Sun's big power grab!! Keamy's device explained (or at least suggested)!!! The Others' return!!!! All this, and we're only 1/3 of the way through the fourth season finale!
Prologue
How does one recap a third of an episode? Gingerly. The Powers That Be have done a pretty good job this year of making each episode somewhat self-contained...a job that ended last night with the episode fittingly entitled "There's No Place Like Home - Part I." As such, I'll reserve most of the heady commentary on what we saw until the rest of the finale airs in two weeks, and just (for the most part) stick to the facts this time around. But don't worry - when the whole finale has come and gone, I will refer back to this initial piece in all my pontification...
Flashforward - Oceanic Six
We open on a Cargo plane, where the Oceanic Six, presumably assembled for the first time, are being flown to their reunion with their families. Jack is still their presumptive leader, but his hold over them is tenuous, and where he once provided comfort and inspiration ("live together, die alone," etc. etc.), he's now all about spin control. He reminds his peeps - if they get a question they can't or don't want to answer, just stay quiet, and people will think they're in shock. Sun reminds him, "we are in shock, Jack." Kate is already holding Aaron, having assumed the role of mother. Karen Decker of Oceanic Airlines (more on her later) comes back and informs the group they've been dubbed the "Oceanic Six." They land at a military airport West of Honolulu, with a gahering outside that includes Hurley's parents, Sun's parents, and Jack's mother. Mr. Paik gives Sun an odd look, and Sun barely registers his presence. Kate has...nobody, and neither does Sayid, but Hurley introduces Sayid to the Reyeses.
After the reunions, the group gives a press conference, which Decker moderates. She relates the "official" story, which Doc Jensen recapped as follows:
Oceanic 815 crashed in the Indian Ocean south of Indonesia. Eight people survived and made it to an uninhabited island called Membata. According to one online dictionary, ''membata-bata'' in Indonesian means “ambivalent.” As in The post-rescue demeanor of the Oceanic 6—profoundly conflicted; hearts divided — is a compelling definition of ambivalence. [Left out by Jensen - they survived this initial period because a derelict fishing boat washed ashore, giving them supplies. How convenient]. On day 108, six of them made it to the inhabited island of Sumba. And that was that. Not one word of ghosts, polar bears, or smoke monsters. (Interesting fact about the inhabitants of Sumba: They're known for their megalithic burials, in giant stone crypts. Megaliths usually bear symbols called ''cup and ring marks,'' pervasive throughout prehistoric cultures; they resemble a series of concentric circles, just like the Oceanic Airways logo, or a spiral, just like the Orchid logo, spotted in Faraday's notebook. These symbols reflect the belief of earlier cultures that there is spirit inside earthly substance, that all is connected, that time is eternally recurring. Or these markings could be some early Martha Stewart's good idea of sprucing up a crypt.)
The Oceanic 6 had some curious things to share personally, too. Jack embellished the cover story with some survival-at-sea detail. Hurley defused a question about their healthy appearance by humorously accusing the reporter of commenting on his weight. (He also boldly announced he was giving up his restored lotto winnings.) Sayid flatly denied that any of the other castaways had survived. Sun seemed to struggle the most as she reluctantly, bitterly claimed that Jin never made it off the plane. But Kate's lie had the most readily apparent implications. She claimed Aaron was her child — and tacitly confirmed a reporter's conclusion that she was five or six months pregnant when she got on the plane. One would think that this claim could be easily disproved; time will tell if anyone investigates.
Aside: Jensen goes on to state he's virtually heart-broken over how this seems to dash his out-there theory that the 6 escaped through some time-space anomaly. I don't think Lost has ever gone to such a place - sure, by now we know time travel is part of the show. But Lost has never been that big into Star Trek-style sci-fi whoppers like altering the time stream or parallel universes (as much as some imaginative viewers like to impose such concepts on the show). Rather, the sci-fi element in Lost is more akin to my second favorite show of all time, Battlestar Galactica, in which sci-fi merely sets the stage and lets character-driven story-telling do the rest.
On this point I add one interesting observation - the introduction in this episode of a new character (who may or may not play a bigger part down the line): Karen Decker, played by the inimitable Michelle Forbes. The casting of Forbes is notable because she has also appeared in each of the polar opposites of sci-fi fanboy favorites: she played Ro Laren, an anti-authority (and ultimately treasonous) character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and she played Admiral Caine, the uber-authoritarian/ Machiavellian fleet commander in Battlestar Galactica. I don't know if the producers had these two series' conflicting uses of science fiction, or these two characters' conflicting views on authority, in mind when they cast Forbes as an apparent corporate mouthpiece for Oceanic Airlines, but if they did, then bravo!
After the press conference, Nadia awaits Sayid.
Their reunion is bittersweet - sweet for them, but tinged with sadness for us, as we know of Nadia's fate in the months to come.
Later, Sun, now visibly pregnant, scales the stairs to her father's office. Mr. Paik is mad about something involving 5 different banks. He dismissively tells Sun she wouldn't understand. Sun says not to pretend to be interested in the pregnancy, and that she knows her father hated Jin. She then tells him she bought a controlling interest in the company with the Oceanic settlement money.
Seriously? 1/6 of the money Oceanic paid out in settlement is enough to buy a controlling share in Paik Heavy Industries? Did Hurley kick in his share, since he doesn't want any money relating to his lottery winnings (and, really, he was on the plane because of those numbers)? And if he did, would 1/3 be enough to buy the company? Maybe Paik isn't all that powerful, after all.
She blames her dad (and one other unnamed person) for Jin's death. "I am going to have my baby, and then we are going to discuss the future of this company. Our company."
Hurley returns to his parents' mcmansion, in an old jalopy, carrying some Mr. Clucks. The door is open. There's a coconut on the floor. Whispers are audible. Hurley grabs a Jesus statue, opens a door, questions why he's doing this, and finds ... a surprise party! "Jesus Christ is not a weapon," cajoles his mother. Kate and Aaron are there. She says Jack's running late. Sayid and Nadia are there too. Dad made it an island theme (oops). His dad gives him the old red camaro (the one that started the season). "When I was fixing that, it was almost like I was with you." Hurley sees the odomoter - 4815162342....Hurley doesn't want any part of it, and runs away.
Jack finally gives Christian a eulogy, written ten months earlier on a cocktail napkin. A woman approaches. She's Australian...and she tells Jack she was the reason Christian was in Australia...it's Claire's mom.
So, somehow, between the time Claire got on the plane and the time the O6 got home, Claire's mother awoke from her coma. Interesting... "He came to see his daughter...my daughter, Mr. Shephard." "My father didn't have a daughter." "Yes, he did...would you like to know the strangest thing about this, Mr. Shephard? My daughter was on the plane,...and you never even knew she was your sister. ...Her name was Claire. I didn't mean to burden you with this, but you needed to know. I am sorry for your loss." She tells Kate, "your son is beautiful."
Finally, at long last, Jack knows that which we've known for so long. Claire, whom he apparently left behind, was his sister. He left his sister behind, but saved her baby. Like I surmised ('cause I'm that good), this seems to be why Jack would go on to avoid Aaron, and explains just how pointed was his comment to Kate about Aaron not being related to her.
Island Time Unlike most weeks, I won't just pick one group at a time and follow them through their story, primarily because the groups kept mixing and matching this episode.
On the island, Rose speculates that Sayid and Desmond were in the chopper that had flown overhead. Sun suggests calling with the phone, so Jack hands it to Daniel, who sets it to "monitor only." They hear Keamy order the people to the Orchid - which Juliet doesn't know about.
Really? She knew about the Looking Glass, even while the Others didn't know it was used for jamming. But she didn't know about the Orchid? Was Ben being ultra-careful, even at the expense of his feelings for Juliet? Or is she just lying at a really inopportune moment?
Jack has Kate get guns and water - and Juliet tries to stop Jack, but Jack says he has to go, "because I promised those people I would get them off this island." "Don't bleed to death, Jack," says Juliet, in a bit of a huff, and walks off.
Daniel knows about the secondary protocol, and tells Charlotte, "We have to get off this island...right now." Daniel knows about it? Not even the captain knew what was in that folder. Just what is the "science" team's mission?
The next morning, Jack follows the signal on the phone, surmising that the chopper landed (since they're gaining on it). Kate sees he's bleeding. Jack says it separation, not bleeding. Kate calls him on the lie. Suddenly, Miles appears, followed by Sawyer and Aaron. Sawyer can't look them in the eye when he says they lost Claire. He had hoped she went back to the beach. Sawyer tells them they better hope Sayid is not with the chopper full of guys who just blew the hell out of New Otherton. "Just like Locke said they would," Sawyer (intentionally) hits a nerve with this one, a sort of "we told you so." Jack starts to goes off on his own, entrusting the baby to the others, but Sawyer goes with him, muttering, "you don't get to die alone."
Sayid lands with the Zodiac boat. He will start taking people back six at a time, because the chopper people will kill them all... and Juliet tells him Jack and Kate went running after the chopper.
Just when you thought we'd finally figure out how they became the Oceanic 6 - at one moment, Jack, Kate and Sun were on the beach, Aaron (carried by Sawyer) was on the way there, and Sayid was returning with a six-person boat. At that same time, Hurley no longer seemed to need to be with Ben and Locke, so Oceanic Six, right? Wrong! Watch how these six people keep moving around in various groups...
Ben leads Locke and Hurley to a "greenhouse" called the Orchid.
Remember last summer's Orchid video (if not, for the last time people, check it out in my July 2007 post by clicking here)? Edgar Halliwax said the Orchid was masquerading as a botanical station to hide its true purpose. Apparently, the masquerade was so complete, they actually built a greenhouse on top of the thing...
Hurley asks how they're going to move the island. Ben responds, as only he can"...very carefully." He says they didn't move the island before the mercs arrived because it's "dangerous and unpredictable - a measure of last resort." Ben uncovers a buried case, but Locke opens it, himself. Inside is a tin of 15-year-old DHARMA saltines, a mirror, binocs, rope, etc. Ben uses the mirror to communicate with "who do you think?" He gets a flash back at him, and says they can go now, but insists what he said is none of their business.
Daniel starts ferrying people on the raft. Juliet insists Sun go first. Kate returns, but says she needs to track Jack for Sayid to be able to find him. Sun takes Aaron, and they leave with Daniel, Jin, and a few extras. Jin watches Sun with Aaron, then reminds her with a smile that he had promised to get her off the island. In the jungle, Hurley asks about the fact that moving the island will take the mercs with them (i.e. not saving them from Keamy's goons). Ben says he's working on it. John tells Hurley it's too late to get off the island. Ben warns them to get down, and asks for the binocs, since they're at the Orchid. "We're waiting, John, because Charles Widmore...knows about this station and knows why we're here." Ben admits he "wasn't entirely truthful" when he said he had no idea what Widmore wanted with the island, and dodges Locke's well-timed response by noting the mercs are already here.
On the Zodiac, Daniel signals to Desmond and two deckhands. Des asks about Sayid, and Daniel says he went after Jack. Daniel heads back for the next group. Jin and Sun see Michael, who said the engines should be working. They start them up, but there's a problem - some RF interference on the boat is blocking the bearing reader gizmo (preventing their safe passage to the island), which is odd, since the radio room was trashed...
Jack tells Sawyer about the appendix, earning a surprised look as they find the chopper, where Frank is handcuffed inside. Frank says he dropped the phone so they could help him escape, enabling him to fly them back. Frank assures them they want to be nowhere near the area when Keamy returns from his Ben-grabbing mission (which would likely involving "nothing good" happening to anyone with Ben). Sawyer shakes his head, and tells Jack Hurley is with Ben. So they know what they have to do - save Hugo.
Which will get Jack and Hurley together as two of the O6...but what about Sawyer? Jensen's terrific take on the Jack-Sawyer scenes: "I dug the Jack-Sawyer tension as much as anyone. How about Sawyer rubbing it in Jack's face about how Locke was right concerning the freighter people? And how about Jack striking back by accusing the rogue of running away? But I dug it even more when these two put the sniping aside, find common ground, and play Superman and Batman together — in this case, saving Hurley from mad Island mystics Ben and Locke. I've always been a sucker for the rivals-who-become-allies arc in any kind of story. Rushing off to help Jack, Sawyer quipped, 'You don't get to die alone.' Perfect."
My own personal observation - it's odd that in a season that has not had a Sawyer-centered episode, he has truly matured as a hero in his own right. After his seemingly selfish decision to join Team Locke, Sawyer has risked his life twice for his fellow survivors - once to save Claire from the mercs' assault, and now to save Hurley. Please, Powers That Be, let Sawyer still be alive on the island after the Oceanic Six return...
Sun asks Michael how they got back to NY. They found an island, he says, and sold the boat, then hopped a cargo ferry. "I do not work for Ben." he insists. "I'm trying to help you guys out." Desmond shouts for Michael, and it's urgent. They have found the source of the interference - a massive amount of explosives, with a remote detonator. The implication is clear - the bomb is wired to Keamy's vitals, and if anything happens to him, boom! Captain Gault clearly knew this when he (fatally) didn't shoot Keamy last episode.
Kate finds different tracks than Jack's and Sawyer's, and the tracks are doubling back behind them. The man who left them steps out from the bushes. It's Richard Alpert. He insists they drop their guns, and before you can say "finally, the Others are back," they are surrounded by Others with guns. Richard disarms Kate and Sayid.
Ben gives John detailed instructions of what to do when he gets into the Orchid. Ben says he'll take care of the armed men. "How many times do I have to tell you, John? I always have a plan." Then Ben just walks off into the jungle, towards the Orchid.
Ben. Freakin'. Rocks.
So the pieces are now in place for the endgame: Sun and Aaron walk away from the freighter's bomb-laden cabin; Jack and Sawyer head for the Orchid; and, as the Others march Kate and Sayid to who-knows-where;Hurley and John watch Ben approach the greenhouse, hands up. Omar and others, including Keamy, come out to find Ben. "My name is Benjamin Linus. I believe you're looking for me." Keamy puts a gun to his head, then smacks Ben, knocking him out.
And that's that for two weeks, when we'll return with the final two hours of the finale. Some questions I think/ hope will be answered:
1. What makes those six people the Oceanic Six? 2. What happens to the rest of the survivors? 3. How does one move an island from an Orchid station? 4. How will Ben end up in the Sahara? 5. Who was in that coffin? 6. Why does Jack come to think the Oceanic Six need to get back to the island? 7. Will Keamy's bomb blow up the freighter?
So, folks, enjoy the 2-hour Grey's Anatomy finale next week, and we'll be back for Lost's last two hours in two weeks.
Whoah. I mean, full-on, Neo-from-The Matrix Whoah. The return of Richard Alpert! The return of Matthew Abbadon!! The pre-ordained death of Doctor Ray!!! And the return of...Horace Goodspeed???!!! All this and so, so much more, in "Cabin Fever."
This Week's Motif - Avoiding Being "Boxed In." I'm sure we Lostophiles all remember Locke's enraged scream to the tour company head in Season 1's brilliantly-executed "Walkabout," in which John, as it was revealed to us that he was wheelchair-bound, demanded not to be told what he could and could not do or be. This theme, of being boxed in, but not wanting to be kept to these limiting boxes, surrounded this week's brilliant, brilliant episode.
Borrowing Heavily From the Good Doc Since I don't believe in passing others' work off as my own, I'll be frank with you. Doc Jensen said a bunch of stuff in his recap that is far superior to anthing I could come up with. So I'll borrow heavily from his massive posting (Jensen's words appear in blue text). Much of what he had to say I am not too sure I want to agree with, but if you want to read the entirety of his column, please click on the title of this post. (And, to answer my friend, Joe's question from last week, I only link to Doc Jensen's column where, as here, I think it adds enough to my own post to warrant separate reading...). I begin with an excerpt from the Doc's initial sum-up of the episode:
Last night was for us. The cultists. The obsessives. The crazies who have committed to this long, strange trip and gotten lost in it. Like the candy bar Hurley generously shared with Ben while Locke was chatting with the spectral squatters inside Jacob's shack (a nod to the Neo-Oracle-cookie scene in The Matrix?), ''Cabin Fever'' was an episode packed with a chunky abundance of brain-fattening cryptonuggets to nourish our fevered theory making and message-board blustering. Comic-book references. Biblical allusions. Mythological connections. Double meanings to scores of lines. I loved Hurley's ''theory'' that he, Ben, and Locke were chosen for this vision quest because they were the craziest ones on the Island. ... Amid the clues, red herrings, and tomfoolery, I saw in the episode a fiendishly clever love letter to those of us who've become so locked up inside Lost that they've been somewhat deliriously messed up by it.
Flashback - John Locke I have to admit, when I first read that this week's episode would be a Locke flashback, I truly wondered why the producers would even bother delving back into a backstory that seems to have been fully realized already. Silly, silly boy - we learned so much in Cabin Fever, it's overstuffing my brain...
We learned that John Locke was born prematurely to a rebellious 16-year-old named Emily (she would not be put into that "good girl" box), who had hidden her pregnancy (by a man - presumably, Anthony Cooper - who was twice her age) until she was hit by a car on her way to a forbidden date with, we assume, Cooper. Though prior accounts had Locke born in 1956, Emily was listening to Buddy Holly's 1957 song, "Everyday," immediately before the accident.
After John was born, and spent a few months in an incubator (another box), the nurses told Emily and her mother that John was the youngest premie ever to survive in that hospital, despite numerous maladies, a real "miracle baby." As they prepared to take him out of the incubator so Emily could hold him for the first time, she fled the room, and her mother asked who to talk to about adoption. A strange figure watched from outside the room - Richard Alpert, looking pretty much exactly the same as he did the day 48 years later when he told John that Sawyer would kill Cooper for him.
Aside Number 1 - based on a Jensen passage I'll provide below, it seems this scene also took place about 16 years before young Ben encountered Richard for the first time in the jungle. That iteration of Richard was only different in the sense of wearing hippie clothes and long hair. Query - was that just a look Richard adopted some time between his John encounters, or was it a look designed to appeal to Ben at that moment in time?
Aside Number 2 - not that I like to revel in others' misfortune, but thank goodness Cane got cancelled, freeing Nestor Carbonnel to return to the role of the ever-mystifying Richard Alpert.
Aside Number 3 - you may recall that Benjamin Linus, too, was born earlier than expected, also to a woman named Emily, though this would occur roughly five years later. Could Ben and John be brothers, (unlikely, given John's adult visit with his biological mother, played by Swoozie Kurtz, and the death of Emily Linus in childbirth), or is "premature birth to Emily" the criteria for would-be island saviors?
About five years later, John, living with his adopted family, received a visit from Richard as John was playing backgammon. Richard said he ran a school for "extremely special" kids, and had reason to believe John may be one of them. John had drawn a picture that looked suspiciously like a child's rendering of an attack by the smoke monster, which Richard stopped to observe. Alpert gave Locke a test, and with that, Lost gave us a scene so dense with (potential) subtext it just might take all of the forthcoming eight-month hiatus to unravel it. The test was to determine which of these objects that Richard laid out before him was already John's: a mitt, a book entitled Book of Laws, a compass, a knife, a mystery comic book (see below for the rather humorous cover - observations are too obvious to note here), or a vial of powder.
Locke seemed to fail the test. He slid the vial toward him and off to the side. Then he picked up the compass and set it down. Both of these actions seemed to please Alpert. But then Locke chose the knife and held on to it, and even seemed to enjoy holding on to it, like a knight getting the feel of his sword. Alpert was not only crestfallen but vaguely pissed. ''I'm afraid John isn't ready for our school,'' he said as he left in a huff, and raced out to...catch the next time machine back to the Island?
Aside number 4: I'm not ready to explain everything by way of time travel, as the good Doc does here. But I share his interpretation of the events we saw, and add this note: What if John somehow sensed what the correct answer to the test was (and I'm open to suggestions on that score), but this was the first instance of young Johnny Locke not wanting to be put in a box? He wants to be action-jungle guy, the survivalist who intrigued us in the first season, and not whatever Richard wants him to be...
Eleven years later, a teacher freed 16-year-old John from a locker that contained a Geronimo Jackson (Hurley's favorite band) poster inside. The teacher relayed to John a private inviation from a Dr. Alpert (!) to spend the summer at a science camp run by Mittleos Labs in Portland (or, as we learned last season, "not exactly in Portland.") John denied that he was a scientist, and when the teacher said he couldn't be a superhero or quarterback, John belted out his familiar refrain, "don't tell me what I can't do" (more of that not being boxed-in thing).
Years later, we revisited the more familiar, wheelchair-bound and balding adult Locke, following a frustrating round of physical therapy. The orderly that wheeled then-despondent John away told him not to give up, because anything was possible. The orderly, once his face was revealed, turned out to be none other than Matthew Abbaddon, who reasured John that his survival was enough of a miracle to allow him to believe he might one day walk again. As Abbaddon menacingly pushed John to the precipice of a staircase, he obliquely mentioned that a miracle happened to him, too (but of course did not elaborate). He then suggested that John go on a walkabout (which of course we know he eventually tried to do). John, however, resisted, saying he was a cripple. "Is that what you are, Mr. Locke?" asked Abbaddon. "I went on my walkabout convinced I was one thing, and found out I was something else. Oh, I'm not just an orderly John." Abbaddon concluded this exchange by noting that, after walkabout, John would owe him one.
Aside number 5: It's great that one episode gave us glimpses of so many of Lost's sporadically-appearing but thoroughly perplexing figures. But none fits the bill more than Matthew Abbaddon (if that is indeed his name). We've seen him three times: first (in time, not on the show), he was a conveniently-placed orderly who planted an idea in Locke's mind that would eventually lead him to the island, by way of a foiled attempt to go on walkabout and an early departure from Australia on flight 815. Then, he recruited Naomi Dorritt and the freighter science team, we presume on behalf of Charles Widmore - though note the disconnect made ever clearer in this very episode, between discrete groups of Widmore's employees. Finally, after the Oceanic 6 returned home, he claimed to be an attorney for Oceanic Airlines when he visited Hurley at Santa Rosa and asked "if they're still alive." So who the frak is this guy, really, and what was the miracle he claimed to have experienced?
Finally, I'll let Doc Jensen take a stab at recapping the flashback as a whole, because he pieced this next passage together absolutely brilliantly...
Now, do the timeline math.
Locke is born early. At age 5, he takes a test that most likely would have taken him to the Island if he had passed. He didn't. That same year, Benjamin Linus is born.
At age 16, Locke is invited to go to a science camp that again would have taken him to the Island. He refused. About that same time, Benjamin Linus and his father joined the Dharma Initiative.
The implication, it seems, is that Ben has been walking the path that was originally meant for Locke. Ben was the contingency plan — the course correction — for Locke's altered destiny. But Ben is his own person, of course, and he has done things differently from what Locke would have done, and this, in turn, has created further changes in the original order of things — changes that I think a certain ticked-off, Island-deprived billionaire named Charles Widmore is trying to reverse. The scene at the rehab center between paralyzed adult Locke and his wheelchair pusher, the creepy Matthew Abbaddon — who accepted the description of ''orderly'' with knowing irony — was meant to suggest one way Widmore is scheming to restore the original order: by getting Locke on that Island and taking back the birthright that was supposed to be his.
(Unless I’m getting this reversed: What if Ben was the man of destiny, but for decades, various forces — including Alpert and Widmore-Abbaddon — have been vainly trying to change destiny by getting Locke to the Island to supplant the über-Other?)
To this I add something the producers revealed in this week's podcast - in writing this episode, they heavily researched the process undertaken by Bhuddists to seek out and find their next Dalai Lama... Freighter Time ...which, as we confirmed again this episode, is ever-so-slightly distinct from "island time."
Sayid wakes Desmond as the helicopter returns. Dr. Ray - still alive, despite having washed up on the beach - helps unload the wounded merc. "What did this to him?" Ray asks. Keamy responds, "Black pillar of smoke threw him fifty feet in the air, and ripped his guts out." Keamy demands that Sayid tell him the locations of everyone on the island (as if!). Keamy then holds Captain Gault at gunpoint, and demands to know who gave him up to Ben. The captain leads him to Michael. Michael admits giving Ben his name. Keamy points his gun and pulls the trigger - but his gun misfires (I guess suicide isn’t the only thing the island won’t allow for its pawns). The captain, who really seemed likeable in this episode, says not to kill Michael, since, as the saboteur, he is the only one who can fix the engines. So Keamy just knocks Michael out.
Keamy's man dies, and Keamy demands that Frank gas up the chopper for a return trip. He then rips a key off the captain's neck, and uses it to open a safe, from which he retrieves his “secondary protocol,” a folder, which the captain has never seen, bearing a somewhat familiar DHARMA logo (see photo for where we’ve seen this image before).
He says that if he’s going to “torch the island,” there's only one place Ben can go (according to Widmore; and, based on the logo, I’d say that’s the Orchid station). Gault says torching the island was not what he agreed to do on this mission. Realizing Keamy can’t be reasoned with, the captain finagles some alone time with Desmond and Sayid (by sending Omar below deck), and tells them to hide as soon as Keamy leaves. (Note -as Omar left the deck, he finally received the Morse Code message we saw Daniel send two weeks ago). Sayid demands a bearing to the island and says getting his people off is the only way to save them, and Gault agrees to meet them behind a container in ten minutes to take the Zodiac boat.
Frank awakens Michael, and asks why he never told him he was an 815 survivor. Michael says Frank can't fly Keamy back, because he's going to kill everyone on the island. As Frank leaves, he sees Omar attach some kind of device to Keamy's arm (an anti-smokey thingee? If they had these, why not bring them the first time?)
The captain gives Desmond and Sayid the small Zodiac raft and a device that will provide the only safe bearing to the island. But Desmond says he can't go - he's been on the island for three years, and can never set foot on it again, since he knows Penny's coming for him. So Sayid leaves on his own, ready to start ferrying his fellow survivors back to the freighter (any guesses who will join him on the first jaunt?).
That evening, the mercs load ammo into the helicopter for battle. Omar tells Ray about the Morse code message saying he was dead. Frank refuses to fly them to the island, and, since Keamy can’t kill the only pilot, he makes his point a different way - by slitting the doctor's throat and throwing him overboard, menacingly asking, “does that change anything?” Gault appears with two men and shoots a warning shot. Keamy hands his knife to Omar, then shoots Gault with a hidden gun (so much for liking the captain). Frank has no more resistance, and says, “we're flying.” He boots up his sat phone, and conspicuously tucks it into a pack that sits on his copilot seat. Keamy retrieves his gun from the captain's body, and the mercs board the now heavily-armed chopper, as hidden Desmond looks on.
Keamy's sarcastic line after dumping the doc overboard was interesting: ''Did that change anything?'' It changed more than Keamy could imagine. As we saw in ''The Shape of Things to Come,'' the doc's corpse traveled through the offshore anomaly and washed up on the beach in the past. As a result, Jack and company confronted Faraday and Charlotte and finally confirmed that the freighter folk aren't there to save them. This is all to say that, thanks to the doc's death, Jack's camp knows to either avoid that helicopter or, if they follow after it, do so cautiously, and with a battle plan in their back pocket, just in case.
Island Time - The Beach
Juliet chides Jack for leaving his tent, for fear of tearing his stitches. Suddenly, the whole camp sees and hears the helicopter's return. As it passes overhead, a pack is dropped. It's Frank's, and it contains his phone, which shows the helicopter moving further away. Jack, of course, assumes they're to follow the signal.
Aside number 6 - Seriously, Jack? Haven't you figured out that it's time to stay away from those guys? Hopefully you're not as dumb as you look (and I don't just mean when you're wearing your Racer X costume from Speed Racer). But, and I've said it before, I love me some Frank.
Island Time - The Jungle
Of the myriad aspects of this week's episode, though, it was the quest for Jacob carried out by Locke, Ben and Hurley - the Holy Trinity of Weird - that proved most interesting.
Hurley wants to know why they're cabin-hunting, and where they're going. Ben says he's been following Hurley, since he's the last one who saw the cabin. Following a bit of panicky confusion over this little Three Stooges routine, Locke insists they make camp, over Hurley's objection that the smoke monster is out there. "Dude," emphasizes Hurley, "what's going to happen when those freighter guys come back?" Locke pats him on the back and says, smiling (unconvincingly), "I don't know - yet."
Locke awakens - that eyeball closeup again - and hears what sounds like the chopping down of a tree. Ben and Hurley are still asleep, so John investigates and finds...Horace Goodspeed? Clearing some small trees? Horace says he's building a place for himself and the Missus. A place to take a break from the DHARMA Initiative. Blood trickles from his nose, and he says he's been dead for 12 years. "You gotta find me, John, you gotta find me, and when you do, you'll find him...Jacob. He's been waiting for you a real long time, man." Horace then rechops the same tree. It was a dream, and when John awakens, Ben is already up, and watching. Ben says, "I used to have dreams," and then nods.
So...who all thought they'd see Horace Goodspeed again? And that he would have been the guy who built Jacob'the s shack? Now, this was not the first time Locke had such a dream vision - remember the crashing drug plane? The pow-wow with Eko's brother, Yemi? And what did Ben mean, he used to have dreams? Is this tied to the start of Widmore's nightmares? Also, now we know when the purge took place - in 1992, 12 years before the crash.
Hurley theorizes only the craziest can see the cabin - hence he, Ben and John. They stop at the DHARMA gravesite, and John explains to Hurley how DHARMA suddenly disappeared after making all that ranch dressing he likes so much. Ben has an eerie look on his face. Hurley looks in, "whoah - what happened to them?" "He did," says John, indicating Ben.
John digs through the pit, looking for Horace. Ben muses that he should have realized shooting John wouldn't do anything, but he wasn't really thinking clearly. Ben says it wasn't his decision to kill DHARMA - it was the Others' prior leader.
The whosiwhatsit?
John finds Horace, and sees blueprints for the cabin, and a map to get there, in the dead mathematician's pocket.
John offers to send Hurley back to the beach, but being alone at night in the jungle doesn't thrill him, so he decides to stay. "He actually thinks staying was his idea," smiles Ben. "Not bad, John, not bad." "I'm not you," replies John. "You're certainly not."
Ben and Locke debate how certain the location of the cabin is. John says it won't have moved because he was told this was where it would be. Ben says he was told things, too, how special he was. But then he got a tumor and had his daughter's blood on his hands. There was going to be consequences to John's being chosen, because "destiny is a fickle bitch." Hugo points it out - they found the cabin. Ben refuses to enter - the island wanted him to get sick, and John to get well. He declares his time is over, and the island is Locke's now.
It would appear Ben's attempt to shoot Locke was his last desperate attempt to hold on to his special spot as the island's go-to guy. And if he hadn't changed his priorities before, the death of Alex has certainly made him less interested in the island's well-being, and more interested in revenge on Charles Widmore. But I wonder - Is the island but a pawn in the larger Ben/Charles game, or is Charles part of Ben's gambit for the island?
Hurley also is not thrilled to go in, so Locke goes by himself. Ben wishes him luck. Locke lights the lantern, then enters. Jacob is sitting right where we last saw him...only...it's not Jacob, but the figure says he can speak on his behalf. It's Christian! John sits down. "You know why I'm here?" "Yeah, sure, do you?" "I'm here because I was chosen to be." "That's absolutely right." And in the corner, there's Claire! "Hi, John," she says, with the same knowing smile her father has been sporting. "What are you doing here?" "Don't worry, I'm fine, I'm with him." "Where's the baby?" "The baby's where he's supposed to be, and that's not here. It's probably best that you don't tell anyone that you saw her." "Why?" "We don't have time for this. The people from the boat are already on their way back, and once they get there, none of these questions will matter one bit, so why don't you ask the one question that does matter? "How do I save the island?" Christian and Claire smile.
Penultimate Aside: Does that smile mean he asked the right question? Now, to unpack this whole scene...Christian has now appeared to both of his children, a dog, Hurley (briefly) and Locke. Locke has received appearances from Christian, Yemi and Boone. I hope somewhere there's a book of rules as to how this all works, because I'm confused. But one thing I'm getting less confused about is the likelihood that Claire Littleton is dead. It would seem she died in the explosion of her New Otherton bungalow, and was reborn as whatever it is that Christian has been since Jack first saw him shortly after the crash. Only for some reason, Claire seemed to need Christian to tell her what she is. But if Claire is dead, that what of the prophecy that she and she alone must raise Aaron, or Charlie's message that Jack is not supposed to raise him? And is Claire the only dead one? My wife has theorized that a number or our characters actually died way back in the crash - among them, Locke and Rose (which explains their healing). Does this also explain the "fake" flight 815, i.e., perhaps it's not a hoax, but the "survivors" are actually nothing of the sort? Ouch. My head hurts.
Outside, Hurley and Ben sit quietly. In one of those brilliant character moments that takes place without a line of dialog, Hurley pulls out a candy bar, sees Ben eyeing it, breaks off a small piece and offers the rest to Ben. John emerges. Ben asks, "Did he tell you what we're supposed to do?" "Yes, he did," says John, a little dazed. "Well?" "He wants us to move the island."
Final Aside - move the what now? That does not seem like an easy task. And yet, it is one I believe will be successful. If I'm not mistaken, as early as next week, the following will transpire: Sayid will return to the beach with a boat that fits himself and five others (Hurley and Aaron will average out to two people). The first group to leave will be Sayid, Hurley, Aaron, Sun, Jack and Kate (as for why they're each chosen, I have no idea). Sayid will attempt to return on the same bearing, but Locke will have successfully "moved" the island, making it impossible to find anyone else. This will also make it impossible for Frank, Keamy, or the rest of the freighterites to return to Kahana. Thus, the freighter, all but empty now that the science team and the mercs are on the island and the captain and doctor have been killed, will return to port with the O6, as well as Desmond and Michael. Desmond was not on flight 815, and Michael was under two layers of assumed names, so nobody will associate him with the flight - hence "Oceanic Six." Michael's real task - returning these six people to the real world - will be complete, and he will, at last, be free to kill himself, ending up in that coffin in L.A. from last season's finale. Or not.
Next week, lostophiles, the first part of the three-hour finale. Until then, Namaste!
Born in New Jersey in 1973, I've lived in Northern California, Hong Kong and, since 1996, Los Angeles. B.A. from U. Penn, M.S. (TV/ Radio/ Film Production) from Syracuse, J.D. from UCLA.
This is ABC's first promo poster for Season 5. A few observations:
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Jack is still their presumptive leader, but his hold over them is tenuous, and where he once provided comfort and inspiration ("live together, die alone," etc. etc.), he's now all about spin control. He reminds his peeps - if they get a question they can't or don't want to answer, just stay quiet, and people will think they're in shock. Sun reminds him, "we are in shock, Jack." Kate is already holding Aaron, having assumed the role of mother. Karen Decker of Oceanic Airlines (more on her later) comes back and informs the group they've been dubbed the "Oceanic Six." They land at a military airport West of Honolulu, with a gahering outside that includes Hurley's parents, Sun's parents, and Jack's mother. Mr. Paik gives Sun an odd look, and Sun barely registers his presence. Kate has...nobody, and neither does Sayid, but Hurley introduces Sayid to the Reyeses.
The casting of Forbes is notable because she has also appeared in each of the polar opposites of sci-fi fanboy favorites: she played Ro Laren, an anti-authority (and ultimately treasonous) character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and she played Admiral Caine, the uber-authoritarian/ Machiavellian fleet commander in Battlestar Galactica. I don't know if the producers had these two series' conflicting uses of science fiction, or these two characters' conflicting views on authority, in mind when they cast Forbes as an apparent corporate mouthpiece for Oceanic Airlines, but if they did, then bravo!
Their reunion is bittersweet - sweet for them, but tinged with sadness for us, as we know of Nadia's fate in the months to come.
4815162342....Hurley doesn't want any part of it, and runs away.
Jack starts to goes off on his own, entrusting the baby to the others, but Sawyer goes with him, muttering, "you don't get to die alone."
He gets a flash back at him, and says they can go now, but insists what he said is none of their business.
He insists they drop their guns, and before you can say "finally, the Others are back," they are surrounded by Others with guns. Richard disarms Kate and Sayid.
Jack and Sawyer head for the Orchid; 
and, as the Others march Kate and Sayid to who-knows-where;
Hurley and John watch Ben approach the greenhouse, hands up. 
Omar and others, including Keamy, come out to find Ben. "My name is Benjamin Linus. I believe you're looking for me." Keamy puts a gun to his head, then smacks Ben, knocking him out.
John denied that he was a scientist, and when the teacher said he couldn't be a superhero or quarterback, John belted out his familiar refrain, "don't tell me what I can't do" (more of that not being boxed-in thing).
As Abbaddon menacingly pushed John to the precipice of a staircase, he obliquely mentioned that a miracle happened to him, too (but of course did not elaborate). He then suggested that John go on a walkabout (which of course we know he eventually tried to do). John, however, resisted, saying he was a cripple. "Is that what you are, Mr. Locke?" asked Abbaddon. "I went on my walkabout convinced I was one thing, and found out I was something else. Oh, I'm not just an orderly John." Abbaddon concluded this exchange by noting that, after walkabout, John would owe him one.
He says that if he’s going to “torch the island,” there's only one place Ben can go (according to Widmore; and, based on the logo, I’d say that’s the Orchid station). Gault says torching the island was not what he agreed to do on this mission. Realizing Keamy can’t be reasoned with, the captain finagles some alone time with Desmond and Sayid (by sending Omar below deck), and tells them to hide as soon as Keamy leaves. (Note -as Omar left the deck, he finally received the Morse Code message we saw Daniel send two weeks ago). Sayid demands a bearing to the island and says getting his people off is the only way to save them, and Gault agrees to meet them behind a container in ten minutes to take the Zodiac boat.
As it passes overhead, a pack is dropped. It's Frank's, and it contains his phone, which shows the helicopter moving further away. Jack, of course, assumes they're to follow the signal.
John sits down. "You know why I'm here?" "Yeah, sure, do you?" "I'm here because I was chosen to be." "That's absolutely right." And in the corner, there's Claire! 
"Hi, John," she says, with the same knowing smile her father has been sporting. "What are you doing here?" "Don't worry, I'm fine, I'm with him." "Where's the baby?" "The baby's where he's supposed to be, and that's not here. It's probably best that you don't tell anyone that you saw her." "Why?" "We don't have time for this. The people from the boat are already on their way back, and once they get there, none of these questions will matter one bit, so why don't you ask the one question that does matter? "How do I save the island?" Christian and Claire smile.
John emerges. Ben asks, "Did he tell you what we're supposed to do?" "Yes, he did," says John, a little dazed. "Well?" "He wants us to move the island."
