Note: If you have not watched the episode yet, there are spoilers ahead!
So, I am already ready to anoint this alternate universe(?) enhanced season premiere of LOST into my top five favorite episodes and am incredibly intrigued at the possibilities of this new thematic device being introduced to show.
The big cliffhanger of the previous season was Jack wanted to detonate a nuclear bomb at the swan site and in the process negating the incident that led to Oceanic 815 crashing on the island and erasing all of the castaways experiences that led them up to that point since crashing. The other school of thought, the nuke is the incident that causes the need for the button and Jake was always supposed to blow up the bomb. So what was the result?
Apparently both, and we spent the first two hours of the season jumping back and forth between Flight 815 safely making the trip to LAX and the castaways on the island sent forward in time to the island present of the show, which is 2007, and dealing with the consequences that were unfolding around Jacob and the Man in Black. If this doesn’t make sense to you, you shouldn’t be reading this or jumping into LOST right now, go get caught up on Blu-ray!
Now the first major clue that the show gives us that things aren’t quite the same in the 815 timeline as they were in Season 1 is the fact that the island is under water and and this happened at some point after the Dharma Initiative showed up on the island. Now what does that mean, we obviously will have to wait to find out, but we quickly learn from some clues on the plane that this isn’t playing out like it did when they first crashed. Join me in some bullet points:
-Desmond is on the plane, well maybe, he was very illusive. And oh yeah, what the f*** is up with that? Is he skipping through time? (oh, I like this idea)
-Shannon does not come back with boone
-Charlie is choking on drugs not doing them
-Cindy “the flight attendant” only gives Jack one bottle of liquor
-And there are a lot of faces we do not see on the plane that should be, and might be and just haven’t seen yet but in the instance of Shannon it was made very clear.
I can’t wait to see where they take this plot line, from Jack possibly curing Locke, whether Claire and Kate get into trouble and whether Aaron is in Claire’s womb as I think them not showing Claire below the neck was is a deliberate tease. What kind of trouble are Jin and Charlie going to be in, did Sun never learn English in this plot line, and the countless of other encounters are destined to have with a bunch of friendly faces from throughout the show. (My not so bold prediction, Faraday will end up being a great musician whenever we eventually run into him.)
These little bits are incredibly intriguing and once we get around the whole WTF of it all, this plot line of what would happened if they never crashed becomes very intriguing and almost as engaging as the on island coming and goings and I am really excited at the prospects of this bifurcated universes unfolding simultaneously as the show moves towards its end and can’t wait to see how the two compliment each other, the interactions these seemingly random individuals end up still having, and whether or not the pre-existing timeline and this alternative ever end up running together. (And the ramblings of a dying Juliet seem to lend themselves to the idea they are connected and she at the moment is caught in between the two).
Now all this alternative storyline stuff was incredibly intriguing and exciting and enjoyable to watch, but the drama unfolding around the events on the island quickly dives into the ongoing battle of Man in Black vs. Jacob and oh what a battle it looks to be. After a touching moment between Sawyer and Juliet as she passes we come across the aftermath of Ben stabbing Jacob under the guidance of Locke/Man in Black and Jacob’s loyalists who showed up on Ajira 316 storming into Jacob’s abode under the four toed statue. Well we quickly get one of our first big questions answered when Black Locke turns into the Smoke Monster and laying to rest the mystery behind the terror that has caused countless problems for the island for the last five seasons.
A dead Jacob also comes to Hurley, he can see dead people, and tells Hurley that he and his friends need to get dying Sayid (shot in Season 5 finale in the gut) to the long mentioned Temple of The Others if they want to have any chance at saving him. The castaways, minus Sawyer and Miles who bury their friend Juliet, head to the wall surrounding the Temple and into the ancient tunnels that run under the island. Ambushed by The Others the castaways and us are introduced to a pair of top Others lieutenants that decide to kill them before some fast talking by Hurley proving their connection to Jacob. The Others try to save Sayid but find that their spring has changed and the healing powers seem to not be working leading to them being unable to bring back our favorite assassin. Following the failed attempt, Hurley lets the Others know that Jacob is dead and the group is sent into a defensive frenzy as the fear of the Man in Black finally finding his loophole poses a serious threat to the Others apparently. Follow to some more exciting bullet points:
-I love the Temple, glad we finally go to see it
-Cindy and the kids, glad to see them again
-John Hawkes as a Lennon-esque interpretor, great actor and expecting great stuff
-The Asian leader Other, I am quickly a big fan of
-Loved seeing Richard Alpert desperately trying to grasp what the hell just happened
-Man in Black is already demeaning Ben, you just saw what he did to Jacob after being marginalized, not smart Man in Black
-All the mystery and unveiling of the Temple area in general was fantastic
-Smoke monster going crazy was incredible
-The explanation of the Ash’s need around the cabin is explained and I like it, but I want to know why it keeps the Man In Black away.
-Jack going back into “must save” mode again, don’t know how to take that
-Sawyer and Juliet’s relationship is so cemented I can’t imagine why nor do I wan’t them to dangle Kate in front of Sawyer because I can’t believe Sawyer can ever love Kate as much as Juliet
-Why was Juliet so pissed that Sawyer was still there and wanted him to never come? So she doesn’t have to feel the pain of loss?
-What was Miles hearing from a dead Sayid?
The final scenes of the ep knock it out of the park as well and I can’t wait for next week. Sayid’s resurrection at the end does not bode well as I doubt this is the Sayid we know and love and good very well be Jacob or I think might possibly be the Man in Black. Also Terry O’Quinn is fantastic as our new Man in Black/Locke and him marching out of the statue, knocking out Richard, and carrying him into the jungle is one of highlights of the show for me.
I’m sure there is more to talk about, but I have only watched once so sorry for any more incoherence than usual. The season is off to a great start and I love what they are doing, and to be quite honest if they don’t blend these to plot lines together and let them both exist on their own I don’t think it would bother me one bit. I don’t think that will happen, but I love the idea a lot right now and have no complaints about the episode besides the completely over did it line with the TSA person asking Sun if she speaks english.
Oh well, till next week…
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View Comments
Yes- I think Sun knows english... don't forget she was going to leave him in America, so pretending not to know english means she is NOT going to help him, therefore, he might be put in jail/sent back and she would be free of him that much easier.
RE: Shannon - makes NO sense that Shannon would not be on the plane other than the actress would not commit and it was writer's way of writing her out.
With Desmond not needing to be on the island if it was blown up/under water - he could be on the plane.
Interesting you didn't note that Cindy KNEW there was a first plane. The people in the temple are at least aware that there is a new/different time line.
Funny you should reference Lennon - my 13 yr old asked if that was supposed to be him.
Hmmm... if Sayid is now "infected" by the Man in Black because the spring was looking like bacon grease, then evil has an "in" in the temple already. That's an interesting thought.
Other than those comments - I'm speechless.
The only exciting thing for me about the premiere is that LOST is back. Were there any REAL shockers last night? To me, the alternate time line is boring and only serves as filler. Too many slow motion, sad music playing scenes on the plane, trying to draw it out. It served only to interrupt the island scenes when the action was picking up. It's like they needed something to flash to. Juliet asked if it worked. Then wanted to tell Sawyer it did work. Wait, what? Sayid's rebirth was foreshadowed. Smoke Monster is Flocke- we already knew that. He knocked out Richard. Meh. I'm glad its back on, but the writing wasn't up to par for last night's episodes.
I think Miles was perplexed about Sayid b/c he wasn't hearing anything from him -- I think he suspected/knew Sayid wasn't 100% dead.
I thought it was amazing last night…Flocke destroying Bram and company inside the foot was killer!! I am thinking that Sayid being healed in the temple will give him the power to kill Flocke, and that was why Ben (who was healed in the temple in 77) was able to kill Jacob
THEY CAN JUST STOP THE SHOW AND FOCUS ON THE ASIAN GUYS CUTTING BONSAI PLANTS.. HE THREW JACK LIKE A RAG DOLL lol
I think it's also worth mentioning that Flocke clearly says Richard used to be in chains, i think its safe to say he did in fact come to the island on the black rock as a slave...
im not sure if i really like the alternate universe thing going on. i dont see the sense of tying these 2 different worlds together, and if its only appeal is the "what if" factor of if they never landed the plane, why r there inconsistencies like shannon not being there? it seems they really r hinting at a bigger role to come...
just as a side note i was thinking of, ben saw the ghost of his mother as a kid, but he cant see other dead people like hurley can. could it be that the apparition of his mom was actually a trick by the smoke monster/flocke, who knew that doing that would lead ben to meet richard, thus becoming an Other, etc., all intregal pieces to flockes ultimate goal of killing jacob??
and Josi--
i think that Cindy's reference to "the other plane" wasnt the alternate universe flight 815, but the ajira 316 one. if u look at it that way there r 2 planes that crashed on the island. but thats interesting still, if they knew ajira crashed on the island, did they know illana and bram who were on it r working for jacob??
HE THREW THAT GOODLOOKING KNOWITALL DOCTOR AROUND LIKE A DOLL!!!
HAHAHAHAAHAHA