Tag: lost

It’s the day after, and it’s hard watching TV when it’s actually on TV. Am I really going to have to wait 6 days to watch the next episode of Lost?

So, let’s get down to business.

Hints of the Other Timeline: Let’s assume that the two timelines are both real and co-exist. This season seems set up to potentially culminate in a clever and mind-bending intersection between the two timelines. Maybe the 2003 non-crash timeline may even turn into the on-Island 2007 timeline? Either way, there are hints that the timelines are connected. First and foremost, Juliet’s final few words seem to indicate that she sees something. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear her ask Sawyer out to tea later this season in the non-crash timeline.

And of course, there’s all the small changes in the non-crash timeline. Jack freaking out during the turbulence. His inexplicable cut on his neck. His remembrance of Desmond. It all seems to say that Jack somehow remembers or has a primal connection to his Island self.

Sayid: is not quite Sayid. Initially, I was tempted to say that maybe Jacob has chosen him as his new vessel. But that doesn’t quite make sense, as we don’t know that Jacob uses the same methods as the Man in Black. Also, we see Jacob after he’s died as himself. And lastly, Sayid says, “What happened?” upon waking up. It seems like Jacob would know what happened.

But…something is different. Sayid drowns in front of our eyes in the magical healing pool of the Island (I’d guess, the same pool that saved young Ben Linus when Sayid shot him), which may not be completely magical anymore. He has no pulse. And then he wakes up. Much like Ben would never be the same, Sayid can’t ever be the same again either. Will he always be an Other now?

The Sunken Island: Another big mystery this season is how the island got to be at the bottom of the ocean in the non-crash timeline. While it’d be easy to assume that the bomb exploded the entire island and somehow sunk it (the electromagnetic field was holding it up?), I’m not sure that’s a safe assumption. The brief sketchtastic CGI shot we saw revealed that the island looked somewhat intact. The main Dharma village wasn’t pulverized. Just…underwater. When exactly does the island sink in the non-crash timeline? What is the status of the Others who were on it? These answers are part of the non-crash timeline and I’m confident will be revealed.

That said, based the ABC promo for next week and the press blitz that Damon and Carlton did last night (an interview posted to Entertainment Weekly’s site before midnight and their appearance on Jimmy Kimmel), it seems like the writers are going to spreading answers liberally throughout this entire season. If this weren’t the final season, I’d kind of expect things to take a while and culminate in a finale that answers half of the questions I raise. Instead, I think we’ll only need to wait half a season before most of our questions are answered and only one main question remains: how will the two timelines converge?

8:40 PM: we managed to fix an almost devastating HD channel audio sync issue and now we only have to wait for the rest of season 5 to play out in the last 20 minutes. Come on, Jacob! Less talky talky, more stabby stabby!

8:41 PM: Katie has some kind of elaborate fate vs free will theory on Jacob and his enemy and the whole show, and wants to get that out there before it either becomes extremely obvious or completely wrong.

9:01 PM: Katie pours some sparkling cider as the Previously On plays.

9:05 PM: So he has an inexplicable wound, but doesn’t remember anything? What is going to happen?

9:06 PM: SHARK!

9:08 PM: Me: The island’s underwater! And dilapidated!
Katie: Well, I don’t think it’d be underwater and not dilapidated.

9:12 PM: If that was Jack’s dream, that’s weak. Also, Sawyer…PUNCH!

9:16 PM: It can’t be a dream. Alternate reality? I have faith that this will be explained later this episode.

9:24 PM: The little cameos are great. Arzt? Frogurt? Boone!

9:35 PM: Oh, Sayid. Isn’t kicking down an airplane bathroom door a little bit…suspicious?

9:47 PM: The ash will save you! Wait…nope. Maybe against a dumber smoke monster.

10 PM: So is one of the main storylines this season going to be about Sawyer conning Hurley out of his lottery money? What an intriguing and bizarre idea.

10:05 PM: As Katie puts it, why not take Juliet to the temple as well? Will the magic French heals not work for her? Also, what is in that guitar case? Could it be Charlie in a contortionist pose?

10:25 PM: It’s an ankh! With a message inside! Thanks, modern-day samurai other-other and hippie translator.

11 PM: It’s over!

OK, I’ll admit…I’m a bit confused. The promo for next week says that the time for questions is over, but this episode raised a lot of questions.

First and foremost, what’s with the alternate realities? Is one real and the other not? Are both real? Will Fake Locke ever get a real name? Who are these other others? Why is Fake Locke disappointed in everyone? Where is he taking Richard?

I’m intrigued by the possibilities of a 815-lands-in-LAX world. Kate on the run again, Sawyer conning Hurley, Jack fixing Locke. These possibilities are fresh ways to tell stories about some of our favorite characters. But how does that tie in to island life?

Juliet clearly has some kind of knowledge on the plan working. How much did she know or realize before she died?

I have a few ideas and theories bouncing around in my head, but I’ll need some time to digest and process them into something coherent. It was an enjoyable episode and I’m both really glad that Lost is back and undeniably sad that this is the last season. I can’t wait to see what happens the rest of this season.