# Lost 1.6 "House of the Rising Sun" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570 "2004-10-27T23:45:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/161 "2004-10-31T14:29:37Z")
> [@Anthropomorphic Mouse](#): > > There are two ways (I can think of) that this show could turn dreadful: > 2) Turns out near the end that the writers were just pulling the mystery elements out of nowhere, and they never had a clear way to tie everything up. Otherwise known as “Chris Carter Syndrome”… ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/162 "2004-10-31T15:55:55Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Otherwise known as “Chris Carter Syndrome”… Ha! I was thinking the same thing! **PunditLisa** , it’s 46. Jack said there were 48 survivors before they’d discovered the pilot, who subsequently died. Two more died after the pilot, and in fact after the woman drowned Jack explicitly said there were 46 left. Of course, when Claire gives birth it will be 47… ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/163 "2004-10-31T19:39:01Z")
…that is, IF Claire gives birth to a human being. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/164 "2004-10-31T19:42:57Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > No. Only 3 of the survivors have died so far. 1) The pilot was killed by the monster. 2) The marshall who was escorting Kate back to the U.S. was _euthanized_ by Jack after Sawyer (??) botched up the mercy killing. 3) And then a faceless chick drowned after getting caught in a riptide while going for a morning swim. > > It seemed that Locke was going to bite the big one when he was on his boar hunt and he looked up into the eyes of the monster, but he managed to survive. So basically, the only human killed by the monster is the pilot. Does that seem meaningful in any way? Why would it kill the pilot but spare Locke? Could it be that the pilot wasn’t “meant” to be on the island? I have no idea, really, just WAGging. Whatever Locke saw, it made him love the island even more, it seems, so whatever it is isn’t just some horrifying man-killing beast…right? ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/165 "2004-10-31T20:04:12Z")
Does anyone think there could be anything to this idea: The two-parter first episode was titled “Pilot.” It was, of course, the pilot episode of the series, but pilot episodes are often named. Could the non-name “Pilot” actually refer to the airplane pilot? Thus elevating his significance. Maybe, if the monster is not evil, the pilot was going to die of his crash injuries anyway, and the monster just euthanized him. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/166 "2004-10-31T20:46:23Z")
> [@masonite](#): > > Does anyone think there could be anything to this idea: > > The two-parter first episode was titled “Pilot.” It was, of course, the pilot episode of the series, but pilot episodes are often named. > > Could the non-name “Pilot” actually refer to the airplane pilot? Thus elevating his significance. Maybe, if the monster is not evil, the pilot was going to die of his crash injuries anyway, and the monster just euthanized him. Hmm. The pilot only suffered a concussion, He seemed quite able-bodied when he stood up to look out the window. Then again, he may have been “euthanized” because he was stupid enough to stick his head out a window when there was a big scary noise outside that was terrifying the other people. Although, if people were being killed for being stupid, everyone would be dead. Don’t get me wrong, I love the show and it’s easy to armchair quarterback and say we’d be doing this or that differently from them, but sometimes I wish they would just think things through a little better. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/167 "2004-11-01T03:51:32Z")
Masonite’s idea about the premiere episode “Pilot” got me thinking: could all the episode titles have or potentially have dual or meanings/references? 1.1 and 1.2 - “Pilot” refers to the premiere show and – possibly the death of the our unnamed pilot. Perhaps this man’s death will be more revelant in later episodes. Another meaning for pilot is a “guide” – one who navigates an especially difficult course. 1.3 -Tabula Rasa, commonly means “clean slate” – but as this web site points out, “Tabula Rasa,” [also has other meanings.](http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/t/ta/tabula_rasa.html) Speaking simply, one may be shaped by outside forces or by one’s own desire to change from within. This sums to sum up Kate’s potential dilemma nicely. 1.4 - “Walkabout” - while literally referring to Locke’s planned expedition, it also refers to his personal miracle, when he, a paraplegic, got up to ‘walk about.’ 1.5 - “White Rabbit,” while it has the explicit meaning Locke(!) states about Alice In Wonderland, the White Rabbit, whom Alice follows into Wonderland. Jack followed his white rabbit into the caves. “Rabbit” is also British slang for someone inexperienced-- as Jack is, in his role as leader. Note also the placement of the book, “Watership Down” in an earlier scene-- which is about a group of rabbits who try and find a new home. 1.6 - “House of the Rising Sun”, while it appeared to mean our Korean lady-in-distress, Sun – suppose “Sun” is changed to “Son.” Might not it literally mean the House of the Jin – her husband, who is a ‘rising son’ in Sun’s father’s criminal organization? Armed with this information, I’m prepared to make some wild speculations about upcoming episodes, “The Moth”, “Confidence Man” and “Solitary.” [spoiler]I suspect the episode “Moth”, which is centered on our rock star Charlie, will have a strong symbolic meaning… two quick ideas that occur to me are the moth is irresistably attracted to fire, gets too close and burns – the obvious drug-withdrawal analogy – and one as a moth as a symbol of transformation. But changed into what? “Confidence Man”, is a Sawyer-cenrtci episode. We have seen that he has no lack of ego and his wheeling and dealing like a con man. But “confidence” also means ‘secret’. What kinds of secrets might Sawyer hide? “Solitary” is sortened form of solitary confinement, a punishment where one is put in isolation, usually against their will, for an extended period of time. It means single and alone. Sayid’s episode, and the one where the mysterious lone French woman is found.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Spree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@Spree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spree)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/168 "2004-11-01T05:55:22Z")
Which group did Claire end up with at the end? I don’t remember seeing her during either the decision-making process or the song montage at the end. Did anyone think to ask her, or did they forget her in the tent? (Or have I just forgotten her?) Sheesh, you’d think they’d get the pregnant women to the fresh water ASAP! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/169 "2004-11-01T06:12:54Z")
Re the watch: My WAG is that there is something inside the watch which the father wanted delivered, and Jin was assigned to deliver it with Sun along as cover. It could also be that it’s “her father’s watch” only insofar as it was a gift from the father, and caretaking the gift is a matter of personal honor. It’s possible, since the Koreans have spent so much time isolating themselves, that he didn’t notice the watch until the point where he attacked. Re the stones: First thing that popped into my head was “white lodge” and “black lodge” from Twin Peaks. No idea at all if that was an intentional evocation on the creators’ parts; white/black, good/evil being so standard symbolically. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/170 "2004-11-01T11:54:18Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > 1.6 - “House of the Rising Sun”, while it appeared to mean our Korean lady-in-distress, Sun – suppose “Sun” is changed to “Son.” Might not it literally mean the House of the Jin – her husband, who is a ‘rising son’ in Sun’s father’s criminal organization? There’s another son, too. Michael starts getting to know his a little bit in this episode. And the lyrics to the song “_House of the Rising Sun_” may also have some significance, although I may be stratching it a little here. But: > [@](#): > > _Oh mother tell your children > Not to do what I have done > Spend your lives in sin and misery > In the House of the Rising Sun_ could relate to many of the characters, who seem to have done things they regret and are paying for. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/171 "2004-11-01T15:28:01Z")
That reminds me of a part I liked. When Michael is asked when his son’s birthday was, he gets that look on his face (which might mean he doesn’t know), but quickly turns it around on his boy. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/172 "2004-11-01T15:35:02Z")
A Lost message board I perused put forth the theory that the episode titles are also song titles, however they could not apply that to the first 3 episodes and they did not know of a song title for “The Moth”, however I do know of an Over the Rhine song titled “Moth”. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/173 "2004-11-01T15:42:10Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > A Lost message board I perused put forth the theory that the episode titles are also song titles, however they could not apply that to the first 3 episodes and they did not know of a song title for “The Moth”, however I do know of an Over the Rhine song titled “Moth”. So their theory applied to 2 out of the first six episodes? Sounds like they’d fit right in in these threads. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/174 "2004-11-01T16:58:32Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > A Lost message board I perused put forth the theory that the episode titles are also song titles, however they could not apply that to the first 3 episodes and they did not know of a song title for “The Moth”, however I do know of an Over the Rhine song titled “Moth”. Maybe the title “Pilot” referred to the Charlie Dore hit “Pilot of the Airwaves.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/175 "2004-11-01T17:03:21Z")
> [@Spree](#): > > Which group did Claire end up with at the end? I don’t remember seeing her during either the decision-making process or the song montage at the end. UIMMG Claire, Rose, Boone and Shannon were all completely absent from this episode. ---
**Author:** ![Juniper200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@Juniper200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juniper200)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/176 "2004-11-01T18:39:01Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > A Lost message board I perused put forth the theory that the episode titles are also song titles, however they could not apply that to the first 3 episodes and they did not know of a song title for “The Moth”, however I do know of an Over the Rhine song titled “Moth”. Aimee Mann’s [“The Moth”](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Moth-lyrics-Aimee-Mann/7FDD91E3D90AEA4148256C17000666AB) has especially appropriate lyrics, I think. > [@](#): > > _The moth don’t care when he sees the flame. > He might get burned but he’s in the game. > And once he’s in he can’t go back > And beats his wings 'til he burns them black. > No, the moth don’t care when he sees the flame. > No, the moth don’t care when he sees the flame._ ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/177 "2004-11-01T19:26:43Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > Oh, and my guess is that Hurley will die sometime soon, since that’s easier than trying to explain why he hasn’t lost weight. I’ve been meaning to get back to this… I was actually wondering if the producers might have contracted him to go on a special low calorie diet or something so he’d lose weight during the run of the show (would be cool if you saw re-runs of early episodes and then said “wow, he’s wasting away!”) I remember Ethan Hawke in an interview publicizing _Alive_ (movie about a plane crash in the frozen Andes) and he said they were all put on a day diet of 500 calories a day (or some such number, I don’t remember the exact figure) so they’d all lose weight during filming. Hawke thought it was kind of dumb since they were wrapped up in so many layers of clothes, you couldn’t really tell if that they were losing weight or not. In any case, I was wondering if they’d do something like that with Hurley. Otherwise I agree it would be a little weird if he didn’t start losing weight once he started on the all-boar Atkins diet. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/178 "2004-11-01T19:47:09Z")
In an earlier thread on this show, someone linked to scans of the TV Guide article on it. The producer mentioned this issue and pointed out that while Tom Hanks lost a lot of weight for Cast Away, he was also paid $20 million for the role. He also said that each season would only cover 44 days or so of time in the show and the characters would find food regularly, so drastic weight loss should not be expected. But still, there are 46 people there, so they’re going to need a lot of boar meat to maintain their current weight. Plus how many calories does a guy that big consume, anyhow? Is it more than the average? ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/179 "2004-11-01T21:04:34Z")
**ava** , it’s on the clean beach. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570/180 "2004-11-01T21:04:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Otherwise I agree it would be a little weird if he didn’t start losing weight once he started on the all-boar Atkins diet. Yes, but it would be equally odd that the other folks didn’t lose weight. I lost 20 pounds during spring break when my purse was stolen and I had no cash. Lived on donated beer and mixed drinks which had plenty of calories but still managed to drop 2 dress sizes in 6 days. These folks are not only calorie deprived but their first few days were spent in crisis mode, which tends to ramp up the adrenaline. If we are going to be realistic, Kate and Sun would have already lost weight, IMO, and would be practically skeletal by the end of the season unless the group starts finding some carbohydrate source. They’d have hair under their arms. Their eyebrows wouldn’t have perfect little arches anymore. And all those beefy men would start losing muscle tone. Then we have the problems associated with a poor diet – loose teeth, scurvy, sallow skin. Do I expect Matthew Fox to knock out a tooth for the sake of art? Nope. It’s a bit silly to focus just on Hurley because he happens to be obese. If he doesn’t lose a bunch of weight, I’ll just suspend my disbelief like I will with the other actors. After all, I quite enjoyed David Boreanaz’s portrayal of Angel, despite the fact that his character was supposed to be a vampire who never aged or gained weight (vampires don’t eat food). However, Boreanaz gained at least 50 pounds in the 10 year span he played Angel, and looked quite a bit older than 28 by the time the show wrapped up. Oh well. It’s a show. He’s an actor. Deal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-1-6-house-of-the-rising-sun/271570.md?page=10)