6041

Okay, so after all that talk about how the island isn’t Purgatory, apparently the island is… Purgatory.

At least for some people, and at least according to Michael.

And I totally forgot Michael had died in the explosion on the freighter. I heart Lostpedia.

6042

Mr. Eko. Moar. Now. Now.

6043

No Mr. Eko ever again according to producers. They said the actor had his chance, and wanted gone. So they don’t care that he wants to come back, they aren’t going to have him. Lots of bad blood there, obviously because he had been key and he made them rework their plans.

6044

Did anyone else notice that Willy Wonka was singing during the preview for next week’s episode? I thought that was weird, though fitting.

It was this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zail7Gdqro#t=1m33s

6045

The sixth season’s really getting its act together. Alt-Desmond’s job is now clear: he’s meant to nudge people in the direction towards their constant, and thus to merge their memories. Nudge, though, is the operative word: like Jacob, he’s trying to put people in the position of making the right choice, not forcing them to make the right choice.

Sawyer and Juliet seem like obvious constants, as (regrettably) do Kate and Jack (although Kate’s could actually be Aaron, who she has yet to meet or hold in the alt-timeline). Sun and Kim are likely constants, but since they’re already involved, I don’t know why it’s not kicking in. I assume it’ll all be explained in time.

What was Desmond trying to accomplish with Locke, though? My guess is that it wasn’t a hit, but actually meant to put Locke on the path to getting Jack to operate on his spine and “fix” him (as Jack fixed his future wife in the first episode of season 2. Wasn’t she also hit by a car?).

If Jack and Locke turn out to be each other’s constants, we’ve pretty much got our answer on who the next Jacob will be… although I think Desmond’s a strong dark horse, despite not being on the wall. The way he’s acting in both timelines is just too Jacob-like.

6046

“The island’s not done with you yet.” -Charles Widmore, to Desmond

Desmond is not The One. There are a lot of parallels to what’s doing in the alt-verse to what Jacob did, but he’s not nudging. With Hugo, sure. But Locke, no. He smashed into him with a car. Jacob was always there when the Candidates were at their wits’ end, gently touching (omg, a QT3 reference that applies!) and moving them towards their destinies. Desmond is a blunt object. He’s no more Jacob than the Man In Black is.

But, if I had to guess: Jack will replace Jacob. His newfound faith is endearing and I’m liking him more than I ever have since the series started. Desmond will replace the Man In Black. Again, a blunt object. I dream of the final scene when Jack sits next to Desmond in the same way Jacob/MiB did and Jack tells him to have faith, while Desmond says “Maybe in another life, brotha.”

All Desmond ever wanted was to get the hell away from the island. Jack now feels he belongs there. And let’s not forget that the series finale has been moved from the usual Tuesday, May 25th, to Sunday, May 23rd. Jack’s number is 23.

“…and all the tumblers just click-clack into place.”

6047

I wish you hadn’t quoted that, because I just actually significantly edited it. Here’s the more cogent thoughts.

The sixth season’s really getting its act together. Alt-Desmond’s job is now clear: he’s meant to nudge people in the direction towards their constant, and thus to merge their memories. It’s not about near-death experiences as you claim here (or at least, that’s not enough): Des’ near-death experience only left him confused, but he didn’t have his purpose until he met Penny.

Nudge, though, is the operative word: like Jacob, he’s trying to put people in the position of making the right choice, not forcing them to make the right choice. In fact, in an alt-world without Jacob, Desmond IS Jacob, because he’s the only one who can see the big picture right now.

So who are the constants? Sawyer and Juliet seem like fan favorite constants, but I don’t think they’ll go this route: I think it’ll end up being Kate. Sun and Kim are likely constants, but since they’re already involved, I don’t know why it’s not kicking in. I assume it’ll all be explained in time. My guess? It’s not each other, but their baby.

What was Desmond trying to accomplish with Locke, though? My guess is that it wasn’t a hit, but actually meant to put Locke on the path to getting Jack to operate on his spine and “fix” him (as Jack also “fixed” his future wife in the first episode of season 2. Wasn’t she also hit by a car?).

I think this theory at least explains what’s going to happen in the alt-world for the rest of the season. There’s six hours left. To wrap up the issue of constants and get everyone on the same page, you need one episode each to deal with. Here’s my guesses:

Sawyer – > Kate
Jack —> Locke
Jin + Sun --> Baby Kwon?
Sayid —> Nadia? (Will establishing his alt-world constant “fix” Sayid on the Island?)

If Sawyer and Kate are each other’s constant (blech), you have another hour to play with… which I’d give to Ben. Rumor has it he has a “surprising” romance this season: my guess is its with Juliet. Is it possible that Juliet is Ben’s constant?

Then you have one hour left to deal with Jacob’s story, which we also know is coming.

For me, the big reveal will be whether or not Jack and Locke are each other’s constants. If so, the show is going to end the same way the last episode of season five started: Jack as Jacob and Smokey as Locke, sitting on the beach, watching a ship come in. It always plays out the same. Man of science, man of faith.

6048

I’ve had the same thoughts about the Kwons’ child. However, she’s never been to the island. I know this doesn’t have any real meaning when it comes to writing in Lost, but the fact that MiB is confused about whether it’s one of them, both of them, or not, is a pretty big factor.

I also agree that it would be hugely poetic to have Jack, now the man of faith, sitting next to Locke, now the man of escapism, having that same conversation I talked about before. But Locke is dead. There is no Locke anymore. That’s really a key point. So, who to take over the position of MiB? I highly doubt it will be the person inhabiting Locke’s body – that would just be too easy for the writers, and we know they hate easy.

But I do agree, again, that it comes down to a man of faith, and a man of hatred of faith. Jack or not, MiB or not, it’ll be interesting to see what happens. I see Desmond doing Jacob’s work in a world without Jacob, but he’s doing it wrong. Jacob would never have done what Desmond has. And therein lies the question – yet one more in the sea of unanswered – what in the goddamn fucking hell is going on here?

At the very least, I think the person that has to replace MiB cannot be a Candidate. That doesn’t leave many options, and Desmond is the best guess. As for the actual Candidates themselves as a Jakestitute, well, it’s all up in the air but they’re pushing pretty hard towards Jack. But again, the writers hate easy, and they like surprises. So maybe it won’t be Jack. Maybe it won’t be Desmond.

What if it was Jin and Sun on the beach? I think I’d like that ending a whole lot more. Jin is a man of the island. Sun is a woman of the world. Their child – the constant; the anchor?

Also, side note: what about the kid in the forest in this episode? It’s clearly not the same child we saw MiB chasing, who, by all accounts, is most likely a young Jacob (see Lostpedia for clarification on this). Young MiB? Is it possible, now that he’s in Locke’s form, that his previous incarnation can manifest itself in the same way Jacob did after he died? Shit. We need answers.

Oh, and by the way, Wash and Shepard bite it.

6049

This is just nutty. Desmond – second only to Hurley as the most good-natured, loving and kind character on the entire show – is going to replace Smokey as the personification of pure evil? You’re bonkers. :)

As for Alt-Desmond being a “blunt object,” time will tell, but I totally reject that right now.

Jacob would never have done what Desmond has.

I disagree. Remember when he held Sayid back while allowing Nadia to be hit by the car? He also had Sayid forcibly kidnapped by one of his agents, after all, just to drag him back to the Island.

Jacob doesn’t give you a choice about everything: Jacob doesn’t want to tell people what to do for the good of the Island, but some of his nudges are certainly a lot more like crashing into people with a car, or kidnapping them, than others.

That said, I think you’re probably right about Jack. Jack and Locke sitting on the beach at the end of the show just makes too much sense. I especially like your re-characterization of the Man of Faith and Man of Science dynamic as that of Man of Faith and Man of Hatred of Faith.

I don’t understand why you think Smokey needs to be replaced though. The stakes of the season are all about keeping him on the Island, not killing him once and for all. I know, I know! Balance! But the balance can be attained by going through with what everyone’s been talking about all along: keeping Smokey contained. No one’s once suggested yet they should, or even can, kill him for good.

I do, however, really like your idea of Sun and Jin on the beach at the end of the season. That’s a couple that deserves a happy ending. Never going to happen though: they’ve pretty much ignored both characters for two seasons now.

6050

Seconded.

I’m not sure your trans-reality constant theory is correct. The constant was previously explained in the context of a consciousness skipping in the same timeline and a constant was needed to maintain the skipper’s mind together. (The examples we have are persons as constants but seem to recall that wasn’t necessarily required by Faraday’s explanations).

What we’re seeing in the 2004 line is people being made aware of the 2007 timeline ‘memories’, for lack of a better term, in one way or another:

Charlie needed no constant.
Nor Desmond.
2004 Locke is smiling after being hit.

While those are near death experiences, Libby and Hugo are now examples of other ways to do it (we don’t have any clear evidence that 2004 Penny ‘remembers’ any of 2007 Penny, only implications from her interest in Desmond - but then, he’s pretty handsome and the accent is magic).

So, if there isn’t a bunch of ‘constant cleanup’ required, there’s more freedom to do they bits they want in the episodes remaining.

We’ll probably see some (there have been teasers of Jin and Sun) and Jack and Locke likely need an episode, but I doubt we’ll see a full episode of Sayid and Nadia, nor for Juliet.

For me, the big reveal will be whether or not Jack and Locke are each other’s constants. If so, the show is going to end the same way the last episode of season five started: Jack as Jacob and Smokey as Locke, sitting on the beach, watching a ship come in. It always plays out the same. Man of science, man of faith.

That’s the obvious choice, and while I’d like Hugo as Jacob, the Jack and Locke combo fits too well.

6051

Why can’t the theory of constants be similar in both alternate timelines and when skipping in the same timeline?

What we’re seeing in the 2004 line is people being made aware of the 2007 timeline ‘memories’, for lack of a better term, in one way or another:

Charlie needed no constant.
Nor Desmond.
2004 Locke is smiling after being hit.

Charlie may have needed no constant – he remembered Claire after almost dying – but he’s also dead in the 2007 timeline. Libby’s also dead in the 2007 timeline, but did she have a near death experience? She “self-committed” to the insane asylum, after all: perhaps she tried to kill herself first?

I think the rules are different for those who are dead in 2007, which implies Locke’s near-death experience will be enough to wake him, no constant required (although I just watched it again… he is NOT smiling when he’s hit. Far from it.).

I disagree strongly that Desmond didn’t need a constant, though. He didn’t have any sense of purpose until he met Penny: he was just trying to solve his own little mystery. Now he’s a man with a mission. He’s been “awakened” in both timelines – he may not know exactly what he’s doing, but he knows the outlines, and he’s got confidence and is no longer afraid or anything.

Hugo is also now “awakened” and shows a lot more gumption in both timelines… he’s suddenly a leader and not a follower.

Penny was never on the island. I don’t think it’s relevant if she “awakens” or not… things change when you come to the island…

As for the others: I change my mind about some of my constants. Juliet is Jack’s wife (and baby doctor) in the alt-world, and she meets Sun and Jin when she helps save their child (they get their constant). Sawyer investigates Locke’s crash, visits him at the hospital, meets Juliet (and also Locke’s father) there: boom, constant. All you need to do then is get Jack and Kate together somehow. A lot of this stuff can be handled all together.

The one thing still missing in the stakes. Why does this matter? What happens if Smokey gets off the island? Why should we care? And what do the alt-characters have to do to help their counterparts? Questions, questions, and not a long time to clear them up.

6052

Another thought: do the alt-world characters actually need to do anything to help their 2007 counterparts contain Smokey, or is this all about alt-Desmond awakening alt-world characters and giving them the happy ending that they’re not going to get in 2007? I keep on thinking that alt-2004’s going to show the repercussions of a Smokey who was freed from the Island in 1977, but maybe destroying the island just killed him. Maybe the alt-world is the happy ending for all of the fan favorite characters: a gigantic ret con that the producers have simply been teasing all season?

6053

I fucking hope not. Lindelof and Cuse have stressed over and over the importance of the alternate timeline, in fact saying that it shouldn’t be called the alternate timeline at all. Which, again, means fuck all in the world of Lost, but I hope they keep their word on this. Desmond is the one person to whom “the rules do not apply,” in the words of Daniel Faraday. If that’s the case, and he doesn’t have a major role in the conclusion of the series, I’ll be disappointed to say the least.

The only thing we know for sure is the complete turnaround in Jack. He’s not the same man he was in the past 5 seasons. Shit, he’s near-zen in how he reacts to things. I just don’t know – but I think it’s too huge a coincidence that they moved the show back from the 25th to the 23rd, Jack’s number. If he’s not the next Jacob, his impact should be spectacular.

Again, I know it won’t happen, but still… give me Jin and Sun on the beach for the last 5 minutes, and I’ll be happy – no matter what roles they have. Still, it’s impossible to predict how it will all end; I still think, after all this time, that the show’s name is intentional: You’re supposed to be Lost. The characters aren’t, at least not anymore. When all is said and done, I think I’ll watch it all from start to finish, even if nothing ends up concluding with substance. It’s a riveting show, and season 2 aside, there are probably going to be a lot of things I notice when starting over that I didn’t before.

Oh, and at least this episode cleared one thing up for me: the Whispering Woods are not a product of the Smoke Monster. They’re the voices of the dead trapped on the island who are attempting to communicate. This has been a long-running argument between myself and a co-worker, and now I finally get to tell him he was wrong. Vindication!

6054

Thank you for finding that. I noticed it, but I couldn’t place where it came from.

6055

Yes. And I wish they hadn’t, because that is the part of that movie that, more than anything else, made me hate it with every fiber of my being. It’s right up there with Alice in Wonderland for movies that perturbed the living shit out of me for no good reason when I was small.

RE: Eko

That guy’s an asshole, but there was still an outside chance of him coming back this year. He was “open for business.” They ended up not bringing him back for some reason or another, so don’t be shocked when you never see him again. I’m pretty sure the full list of people who have appeared on the show before and will be back is out there and he’s one of the notable names not included on it.

RE: The Show

My guesses, from reasonable to not:

  1. Desmond ran over Locke-2004 with his car because it made him see the Cork reality.

  2. We won’t find out who Unexplained Boy is until the next to last episode of the season.

  3. Their attempts to answer questions will continue to be slightly awkward (“Oh - I get it. All those voices are people who can’t leave.”).

6056

I thought Sayid’s response to MiB was interesting. He didn’t just kill everyone when bagging Desmond.

Overall, kinda lackluster episode. It didn’t help the voices reveal that the dialogue was delievered by a character we haven’t seen in a couple of seasons, and that he’s dumb. Or that he killed the girl Hurley was into, so there should be some more tension between them but there wasn’t.

Also, I finally understand how horrible of an actor Matthew Fox is.

6057

What have Jin and Sun done to ‘deserve’ a happy ending?

She carried on an illicit affair and was a daughter of tremendous privilege and luxury. He was a hit man for a Korean crime lord. Plus he treated his wife like crap.

I would be fine with them being hit by a car.

6058

There are some weird things.

There are 2 episodes left before the Jacob and anti-Jacob episode and we don’t know “whose” episode these are. The next one is titled “The Last Recruit” and main character is still unnamed.

6059

The Last Recruit?

Perhaps referring to Miles or Frank - who could be the last one recruited for Widmore’s science team on the freighter (I can’t remember the order) ?

6060

All I know is that after last night I want a t-shirt with a stick figure in a wheelchair tumbling upside-down over a stick figure car with the words “DESMOND HUME DRIVING SCHOOL” underneath.