Confirmed Dead

Good afternoon all! Another fabulous episode of Lost. I am glad to hear that the writer’s strike should be over by the end of the weekend. Not sure what that means for the show but at least there is hope. I liked the flow and the speed of this episode. They were building character development, much like they did in season two. It can be slow at times, but also helps connect pieces of the bigger picture later on. Anyway, on with the show.

Summary

So the roles have changed. The Losties are the Others and the Freighties are the Losties. Not sure what that makes the Others? The Freighties would ask direct questions and the Losties were vague and guarded. I liked that. I was worried when I learned they were bringing four new characters that it would not flow smoothly into the storyline. Paulo/Nikkie=sucked, the Freighties=exciting. I especially think Miles Straume. Someone who talks to the dead! On that island?!? He is going to need office hours!

Sawyer was back to his old self, nicknames and all (Tall Ghost Walt). Kate was back to her whiny self (who cares how they got the upper hand!). Sayid back to his warrior status and Ben being as manipulative and cunning as usual.

Connections

The numbers were everywhere this episode. The coordinates of the underwater robot, phone number on the tv, posters in the dead kid’s room and model number on the helicopter. We know that its a fake corpse of the plane captain because he was killed on the island. Faraday is the last name of a famous chemist. He has a theory regarding electromagnetism and light. Miles was trying to contact Minikowski, which is the last name of a famous physicist who developed the theory of the 4th dimension of time and space. Sawyer referred to Locke as Captain Kurtz, which is a reference to Brando in Apocalypse Now, who was insane, took control and lead people into the jungle.

Questions

Who staged the crash site? The pilot was killed on the island. The plane is still on the island. Why go through so much trouble to make it seem like there were no survivors? Possible answers: Dharma didn’t want it to be known that the natives (with the aid of Ben) killed everyone on the island. The Losties are the last link to it. So the plane went down, no survivors, secret safe. Why get Ben now after all these years? They could have gotten him after the surge. I think the Dharma Initiative was letting them live on the island and then the Losties crashed causing the secret to possibly be revealed.

Oceanic Six? How do they explain only six survived? Possible answers: To get off the island they had to keep their mouth shut about the island. We can guess that from the secrecy. Would you lie to save yourself?

Who is the “They” in “Are they still alive”? Abbaddon asks Hurley if they are still alive. So it’s clear to Hurley that he knows about the island, of which he is not supposed to ever mention. Abbaddon seems to know a lot about the island so why doesn’t he know if they are alive or not? The Losties must not actually leave with the assistance of the Freighties in the end. Does he mean the Freighties, survivors or the Others?

Side not: This adds to my belief in another dimension or time shift. Why Jack keeps flying over and hopes he crashes again. It speaks to me like he is trying to find the right time, place, moment and then he can go back. If the Freighties found the coordinates once, why can’t someone else again and simply go to the island. What is the common thread with these 4 people?

Why are the Freighties there? They are sent to get Ben – get in and get out. They are told there are no survivors but are not shocked that there are. So fine, you survived, so what, we are not here for you. What is their fascination with the flight 815 before getting the assignment? Possible answer: they were supposed to be on the plane. Why would Ben know so much about Charlotte, much like he know so much about Jack and Sawyer etc. I think the 4 were chosen for their gifts as well as for their connection to the flight. I think that is their common thread. Why Charlotte kept reading about the crash, Miles listening to the coverage on the radio, Daniel watching the recovery effort on the tv and getting an eerie feeling, and Frank who was supposed to be the pilot. But what about Desmond? Naomi had a picture of him. How does he fit in? Was he a side mission based on the instructions of their primary contributor – Widmore Corporation (dum, dum, dum – shocking music!). Who knows! Oh yeah…the striking writers!

Who is Ben’s inside man on the boat? I was thinking Richard Alpert, because he has been seen on and off the island. But what about Michael? We know he comes back, but how? Walt would know that the people were bad because he is (or was) with his father on the boat and now possibly on the freighter. Why would he work with Ben? Maybe because Ben is a master manipulator. He had the girls in the hydro station jamming communication. People do what they are told or persuaded to do.

What is the smoke monster? I don’t think Ben really knows. He knows more than he is saying, but still in the dark. Juliette said they didn’t know what it is but that it doesn’t like the fence. Why was that Locke’s first question? Ben seemed surprised too, like with all you could ask me, that’s what you wanted to know!

All guesses and no answers! The wonderful, wonderful world of Lost.

Conclusion

I stayed away from all spoilers this week and it was definitely hard. There is so much out there about the show. It’s a very exciting time to be a fan. I look forward to see if the helicopter will get anyone off the island safely. Charlie’s vision was of Claire but that remains to be seen. I suggest they protect that helicopter with their life because if Locke and Ben get a chance, they will destroy it. Have a great week. Cya!