I just realized we’ve gotten to four pages with no discussion of Desmond’s new future-predicting powers. The lightning incident seemed to prove that though Desmond can predict the future (lighting will strike Claire’s hut), he is able to change/manipulate said future (by constructing a golf-club pole and deflecting the bolt).
But didn’t he also attached electrical wire to the golf club? What was the wiring supposed to accomplish?
This is a little troubling because whenever you introduce time-manipulation into a story, you run the risk of it getting out of control and turning into a Superman-style “let’s just change the past” gambit. Let’s hope TPTB keep it in check. I like Desmond’s sort of bemused wonder at his new found skills.
And just have to add:
For the first time in a season and a half, Jack did not annoy the fuck out of me this episode. I loved his incredulous response to Juliet’s “you’re just trying to make me feel better” comment (and I paraphrase): “Look, bitch, like I could give a shit about you!” Yay, Jack.
Well that, and at some point he was sent to investigate the drowning “miracle.” He had some sort of history with the guy who sent him and was also dealing with a guy who was getting him travel papers. So he left Yemi’s church for England and spent some time there?
Maybe this is just a red herring, but I’m still curious about the man and the woman still strapped into their seats that Kate and Sawyer saw in the first season episode when they found the suitcase with the guns. Does anyone else remember them? Kate and Sawyer were walking around and suddenly came upon a lake with a waterfall. They both dive into the lake and suddenly come across the drowned? couple and the suitcase was right underneath their seats.
Except that here’s the info we got in a flashback in episode 1x23 “Exodus, Part 1” (security guard in a room, with the Marshall and Kate, before they got on the plane):
Guard: You’re gonna be armed? Marshall: Yes sir, ankle holster. Guard (opening up the case with the guns): You have to stow this in the crew luggage compartment in the front. Marshall: No problemo. Guard: Why do you need 5 guns?
So presumably the case was in the crew luggage compartment in the front of the plane during the flight. Meaning those two people could have been anywhere, really. I’d say they’d have to be seats near one of the places that the plane tore into pieces (since they were separate from any of the main airplane pieces – cockpit section, fuselage on the beach, or tail section in the water across the island). In the pilot episode, we see the tail section breaking off about 3 or 4 rows behind Kate’s seat (the seats in front of Kate were still there at least through her flashback).
Not that I anal-retentively examine the details or anything why-do-you-ask?
Considering that none of my predictions (none) have come to pass, this may be safely filed under Ignore. Nevertheless…
I think that Ben and Juliette are messing with Jack. For what purpose, I have no idea. But they seem to be a close group who take the deaths of their own quite seriously (even if they view the Losties as expendable) so I can’t see them conspiring to kill one of their own. I think that they knew Jack would suspect some sort of brainwashing, so they started a false one as a smokescreen for the real one. Remember what Ben said to Sawyer about being a better con man…
I think that regret may be the reason for Eko’s death, but exactly the opposite of what was earlier proposed. Someone asked when thing’s changed for Eko. Up to this point, Eko had a self imposed vow of silence and carved up his Jesus stick, clearly regretting his actions. It was only in this episode that he appeared unrepentant, and that is when he died. It seems that the flashbacks show that most of the characters have something to regret. Perhaps they are alive because they want a second chance, something that Eko renounced. We still haven’t seen all of Locke’s back story, and he may have some overwhelming regret that would explain why he survived.
I’d have to agree with the speculation that Patch-in-the-Hatch may well be “Him” that the Others referred to. Even though they obey Ben, the way that they talked about “Him” implied a certain amount of fear.
If Ben legitimately has a tumor, I can’t see this as being very practical. Jack will have to operate on him some day, and planting the idea of secretly killing him in that surgery even if you countermand it later doesn’t seem like such a good idea.
If the whole thing is a mind fuck, though…
The idea popped into my head about the purgatory theory - and he worked through his issues, so he was allowed to pass through.
One possibility is that the survival of the tail section passengers was a problem as far as the Others (or whoever’s in control) are concerned. They may have simply been working to “correct” this error ever since the groups met - at this point, there’s only one tail section survivor left.
I have a theory that the tailies only purpose was to see that Bernard was reunited with Rose. Bernard could not have survived all that time by himself. Bernard had to survive because Rose knew he would. Once Bernard was safe with Rose the other tailies had served their purpose and were no longer needed.
I’m thinking that yes, Ben has a tumor, and yes, Juliet was manipulating Jack. It’s established that Jack has a savior complex; he needs to fix stuff. But on the other hand, he’s certainly very mistrustful of the Others, which may conflict with his personal ethos. If they had simply started the surgery, Jack might’ve taken it into his own head to botch the operation intentionally, to try and get back at the Others. Now, though, that an Other has planted the idea in his head beforehand, he’s more likely to question the merits of it. If he thinks perhaps that a conspiracy to kill Ben is yet another manipulation, his savior complex might win out.
Still, on the off-chance Juliet is honestly trying to get Jack to kill Ben, I still think he won’t. First, of course, there’s that savior complex, not to mention he’s a doctor. Then there’s weighing the risks. If he saves Ben, and Ben turns out to be a bad man like Juliet says, he can still perhaps be dealt with. If he kills Ben, and it turns out to have been manipulation and he’s screwed himself by doing so, Ben’s dead and can never come back.
I have to admit, I’ll be very surprised if he does botch the operation and Ben dies. Ben seems more like a villain who needs to die by falling off a cliff at a season or series finale than to be killed off as a mid-season plot point. (Of course, Lost has been very good at surprising me, so who knows.)
Something I have thought of is that Ben has told Jack that he will take him home. Whether Jack believes him or not is a different question, but the offer has at least been made.
What has Juliet offered Jack? Nothing. Yeah, she made him a hamburger. True, Jack has absolutely no reason to want to help or even trust Ben, but he has absolutely no reason to want to help or trust Juliet either.
Ben has at least offered him something. Juliet hasn’t.
Not necessarily. If you accept the idea of the island being purgatory, then the passengers who were killed early were those who were either good or evil. The “survivors” that we’ve been watching are those people who were balanced between good and evil. They’re being given opportunities to place themselves on either side at which point they’re sent on to their final destination. Aaron, as a newborn baby, would be neither good nor evil.
What kind of evil does Claire have in her, though? I’ve been reading Charlie’s (semi-requited) crush on her as more of him torturing himself: she’s so virtuous, he feels he can never be worthy. I don’t see any dark/light in Claire; she’s all light.
