Through The Looking Glass, Pt 2

Okay, fine! I have a BA degree in Psychology but it took RL, the math master, to bring it to my attention that I haven’t done the blog of the season finale as my subconscious way of avoiding the season ending. I just kept making excuse after excuse. But once this is written (and read) it is over until 2008. I went through mini withdrawals last year, but nothing this year. Thanks a lot RL! I was happy in my little denial bubble! But alas all good things must come to and end. And since its 10:00 p.m. Wednesday night, only fitting to get this done now.

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to everyone who came to the party. It was fun, although extremely quick! We got to the first question of the first game and the show started! But I thank you and it would not have been as much fun if I didn’t get to view it with all of you. Looking for more bodies in ‘08 though! We won’t bite.

Although I did go through some sort of denial thing, I needed a moment to process and to think things through. I don’t know how I felt about being semi-right. I don’t know how I feel about being semi-wrong. But boy was it a stunning season finale. Not since Melrose Place when the camera pans wide showing Sidney and Michael kissing and the reflection in the window is Kimberly watching from the beach, who was presumed dead. For those of you who didn’t watch or remember, it was pretty shocking. But Wednesday we had so many shocks and great moments, it almost too much to comprehend! So let’s get to it!

Recap

Charlie is off to the Looking Glass station to save the day. Does and dies. Penny is seen again as she was in Season 2 season finale. Sayid, Jin and Bernard kill more Others and survive with the help of Hurley the hero. Ben tries to intercept Jack and crew but gets captured and beat down. Rousseau and Alex finally meet. Walt helps Locke regain faith in the island and he ends up killing Naomi and letting Jack live. Jack calls for help and someone answers but it may not be a good thing. Flash forward and we see Jack a hot mess in the future. He attends someone’s funeral and is trying like hell to get back to the island. Kate is there too but living a good life and doesn’t want to go back or talk to Jack. Episode ends and we are left staring at the screen in awesome wonder.

Summary

''I am a dentist; I am not Rambo.'' – I liked how they allowed the characters to be who they are. I would have loved it if Bernard had some backbone and didn’t crack when Jin was threatened. But that is who he is. I like Rose and Bernard’s balance on the show. Their relationship is really grounding.

''What did you do before you became Moses?” – Yet another biblical reference. I knew something was up with Naomi. The story she gave didn’t ring true for me. I believe it was just her attempt to encourage the Losties to leave the island and re-join their old lives. She made them sound like heroes. Another point, the guy on the boat didn’t seem shocked when Jack said he was a survivor of Oceanic 815. Kind of like how Tom was so cool when he encountered the raft and took Walt. I think another indication that Naomi was lying about them being presumed dead. I found it interesting how Locke was able to kill Naomi in cold blood but not Jack or his father. He wanted Jack to make the correct decision as opposed to forcing him too.

“That's for taking the kid off the raft.” – I was so glad Sawyer did it, but it was also cold blooded. I am hoping he is not the next to die as he moves away from redemption like Ecko. I just don’t get how Kate can continue to be so clueless about how Sawyer feels about her. I also like the subtle way he wants to protect her because she might be caring his baby. I thought it was sweet when Jack said he loved her knowing he can never be with her.

“Would you like to help me tie him up?” – Odd reunion. So Ben always knew about Rousseau. He just allowed her to live in the jungle unharmed. I find that strange? She didn’t know who Ben was but he definitely knew who she was when she captured him. The lovesick look in her eyes was so sad. It will be interesting to see how Alex evolves. She hates Ben but still loves him.

Connections

The numbers were all over the episode. The numbers were in the code that Charlie had to push in to un-jam the blocking system as well as license plates. The son of the woman who Jack saved is 8 years old and the woman is 42. Action 8 news reported the accident, same news crew that Tricia Tanaka worked for. Jack had 8 stitches in his forehead. The numbers were in Kate’s phone number. The person in casket died at 4 a.m. There is also a theory that the woman in the accident is Juliette’s sister Rachel.

Some other connections, the woman behind Jack in the airplane was the same woman behind him on Oceanic Flight 815. Not sure what this means but a connection to keep in mind later. I think it was just to mess with us. They have used the same background actors before and it meant nothing. The funeral parlor was called Hoffs/Drawlar which is an anagram for "flash forward". The surgeon who operated on the woman Jack saved has the same last name as Bernard. As we all noticed, Jack’s phone is a Motorola KRAZR. An indication of the present time. The newspaper Jack is reading is actually real and from the LA Times April 5, 2007. The phony story was the obituary; there was actually a story about a drug bust in its place. The text is as follows:

Los Angeles
Man found dead in downtown loft

The body of John Lantham of New York was discovered shortly after 4 a.m. in the 4200 block of Grand Avenue.

Ted Worden, a doorman at the Tower Lofts complex, heard loud noises coming from the Lantham's loft. Concerned for the tenants' safety, he entered the loft and discovered the body hanging from a beam in the living room.

According to Jaime Ortiz, a police spokesman, the incident was deemed a suicide. Lantham is survived by one teenaged son.

Memorial services will be held at the Hoffs-Drawlar Funeral Home tomorrow afternoon."

I believe most of it is accurate EXCEPT the teenage son. This is the most quoted transcription of the article, but I think someone threw that part in to convince everyone it was Michael. I believe it just may be because he supposedly got off the island. He is the Lostie with no real ties to the community and the funeral home was in a more urban part of town. Since Jack told Kate he hated lying, I wonder if some assumed a new identity when they got back. I would assume, like Jack, Michael came home with a lot of regrets. All spoilers said that Walt and Michael would be back for the season finale. We saw Walt, maybe Michael was in the casket?

Questions

I am going to break this down into 2 parts: My theory and everyone elses’. Let’s start with the opposition.

Jack’s flash forward is not set and the future can be changed. Christian may be alive since Jack may be living an alternate reality. Charlie can come back. Walt was future Walt. The moon is made of cheese. WRONG! Now I may be proven wrong, again, but I am going with my horse.

My theory. Christian is dead. TPTB (the powers that be) have said that he is dead. I think Jack is so despondent that he is referring to his dead father in the present tense. He says it kind of mockingly in way and as if he knows an inside joke. Charlie is dead. I read the actor’s interviews and his character is dead. If he comes back, it will be in a flashback or like Boone. Maybe he can become a guide for Claire if she gets in trouble in the future, kind of like how Walt was with Shannon. Speaking of Walt, Walt was not Walt from the future. Since Lost is just a TV show they can not prevent someone from aging. The camera angle was shot so that his height would appear shorter. He was wearing the same shirt he was wearing on the island. I haven’t figured out what he is leading Locke to or why? Or maybe it was just Smokey coming in the image that would most motivate Locke to renew his faith in the island. Finally, the moon is not made of cheese.

Penny was sending a transmission TO the island. She was probably in her father’s office. There was a picture with the word Namaste on it in Widemor’s office and that was the official greeting of the island when Workman and Ben arrived. Charlie had unblocked the symbol probably at the same time Jack got to the station and tried again. So the channel was finally opened out, maybe also in. Why that moment was she there and how did she know to call in?

And now to the biggest question regarding Jack’s flash forward. I believe everything that is happening on the island is a flashback. Every time a character spaces out, they are having a flashback. I believe Jack was spacing during his meltdown and was flashing back to when he made the wrong choice that led him off the island. So now what happened in the 4 years since the satellite phone transmission to the boat needs to be revealed. I believe that’s season 4. Season 5 may be the present (future). Season 6, back on the island. We may not see present Jack again until the end of the season 4, much like how we saw current time with Penny only during the season finales.

Let me explain a little more. I was so mad to see the present day and know that some made it off the island. I was like, How could they show us the end?!? Now all the mystery is gone. I think that is why some are saying it’s not true and it can be changed. But then I realized. Lost has done the impossible! My biggest concern about watching this show was once they were rescued, show over. How long could they really drag out rescue (3 seasons so far!). But they did the unthinkable. They showed us the end but in such a way that it creates more questions then answers. It’s not the point that some are rescued, but how?..what happened?…who else?….why do they want to go back? Genius!!!!

And on the other hand, they showed us the end and people are screaming, Nope! That’s not the end! It’s not true! We are so familiar with questioning everything; they have to convince us even when they give us answers. Genius!!!!

Some say they would never do Jack that way. Of course they would! WE need the happy ending. WE need them to have found find peace and redemption and closure. But life isn’t that way. They’ve killed some of our favorites, why not make Jack a mess. I am eager to know what happens on the island, how and who gets off, and what happens to them all in the end. I didn’t think they would EVER show us the future. Our Seattle members called it, good work J.Y. And I was bummed! But then, after some time, and instead of just saying that’s one option the future will change, I looked at it at face value. And it made me even more excited. Who made it out? The airlines gave them Golden Passes, so there was a crash, so what of the other Losties? Or was that covered up and they were given the Golden Passes as part of a settlement? What is the lie? And the question could now change from will they get rescued, to now who and how they got rescued, to what happens in real time-does Jack get back to the island and what is waiting for him there.

One thing that sticks in my mind was that the code in the Looking Glass was programmed by a musician. I thought maybe Charlie had programmed it in another reality. Kind of like an episode of Star Trek Generation when a life form wanted to remain unknown so Picard convinced them to erase their memories instead of killing them. But some trace memories were left so they kept re-constructing what happened. Or even more current, Matrix 2. Neo is reliving his discover and struggle with the matrix over and over, attempting to change the future by making different choices. Of course it could have just been programmed by a musician, end of story. But with Desmond supposedly time shifting, I still see that being a factor in the show…just not clear how.

Conclusion

Once again more questions than answers. But a great season overall. I may re-watch the entire 3 seasons during the hiatus just to see if there are any clues to the bigger picture now that we see more. I say we break open the shrink wrap on the Lost board game and play that sometime. Of course we can come up with an email option for those who are distance-challenged. I will keep you up-to-date on different things that come up throughout the summer. Thank you all for you great conversations and for your love of the show. I can’t wait for next year! And with that I will take my leave…hat tip, bow, curtsy, princess wave, kiss blow…C-ya!