Ok, now that the rest of America has had a chance to watch the Lost
The Game Has Changed
I think it was a brilliant move to make Jack's flashbacks actually flashforwards. After establishing flashbacks as a literary device for three solid seasons, I bet there were very few people expecting that move on the writers part (especially considering it means the survivors left the island while we still have 3 more seasons to go). No wonder Carlton and Damon were so excited about where the story was going.
So at the very least, Jack and Kate made it off the island, but I'm going to go ahead and guess that everyone who wanted to get off the island did - and maybe some who didn't want to leave (see below). This would line up with Desmond's vision of Claire & Aaron getting onto a rescue helicopter too. Yay! Sun didn't die!
What did Jack read in the newspaper?
Obviously by the end, we learned it was a notice of somebody's death. I thought it had to be a survivor of Flight 815, which would be one reason it would be on the front page of the newspaper instead of the obituaries.
My first guess was that it was John Locke committing suicide (presumably his legs would not work once he left the island). He's someone that would not have any friends/family to come to his funeral. However, I have a hard time believing he would willingly leave the island. Also, when the funeral director asks if Jack was friend or family of the deceased he says "Neither". After all they've been through, I think Jack would still consider himself a friend of John Locke's. Plus, I simply don't want Locke to be dead.
One outside possibility is James (Sawyer) dying in some way. Being an orphan and a drifting con-man, I can't see him as having very many friends/family. Though why Sawyer's death would upset Jack so much (to the point of him considering suicide) is beyond me. Plus Kate does mention to Jack that she should go because "he'll be wondering where I am". I think Kate is talking about Sawyer here and that he's alive and well and living with Kate.
Now I'm thinking that the most likely option is Ben dying of cancer. He would have no friends/family on the "outside", Kate would really be puzzled as to why Jack would think she'd want to go to his funeral, and Jack would feel guilty for having pulled him away from the island and causing his cancer to come back - on top of whatever else happened after they made contact with the ship.
By the way, both my wife and I felt there was something odd about Kate in that last scene. Something about her makeup or some digital effect - did anyone else notice it? Maybe it was just the odd lighting and the fact that she was wearing makeup, hiding her freckles.
Charlie's Exit Strategy
I thought this whole storyline with the underwater station was well done. Charlie got a serious beat down by two chicks, but he really handled himself remarkably well for someone not used to those types of situations. I guess accepting your inevitable fate can change your whole outlook. He's come a long way from being an ex-rocker, smack-head getting hanged by an Other...
I also loved when Bonnie asks him what will happen to him when the station floods and he just grins wickedly back and says "I die". That was kick ass. I really hated to see Charlie go, but his parting message to Desmond and making the sign of the cross before drowning was a classic death scene. I was sad... That's what the Lost
Ben Plots
Ben is brilliant. Upon learning who was captured, he immediately assesses who he needs to threaten to shoot (Jin). He knows that, of the three, only Bernard will talk (Sayid is an experienced torturer and Jin doesn't speak English). He also knows that, of the three, Jin is the one with a young wife that is pregnant. He realizes instantly that this is the only way to get Bernard to talk.
It also turns out that Ben was apparently telling the truth about who Naomi was/wasn't. Ben revealed another outside faction trying to find the island for sinister purposes, which does change the whole mythology, really.
Penny's Video
That was cool - who else was hoping that Desmond would be able to see his long-lost love after so long? Who else is trying to figure out how Penny sent a video transmission straight to the island that was compatible with that old equipment if she was not on the boat right next to it? Oh well, at least Penny learned for sure that Desmond is alive and on an island...
The Love Quadrangle
Sawyer loves Kate. Jack loves Kate. Kate loves Jack. Kate probably loves Sawyer. Juliet really likes Jack though she's not doing him yet. Neither is Sawyer. Liked the interplay between Sawyer and Juliet this episode, that was different and fun.
Sawyer to Kate: Let's hope you're not [pregnant]. Ooo, that had to sting!
The Biggest Question Of Them All
Who will win Lost-vivor?
- According to the rules, if the character dies, they go to zero points and they're eliminated - so that takes Charlie and his heroism out of the picture.
- Desmond was in the lead and he did have a great moment when he torpedoed Patchy, but apparently he wasn't such a great shot. Btw, Patchy must have more lives than his cat! I bet he didn't die by that grenade either!
- Sawyer and Sayid both had one or two kick-ass Jack Bauer-type moments too but I think Sayid will lose points for getting captured and Sawyer will lose points for pissing off Kate and then killing Tom Friendly, who had surrendered (though saying "That was for taking the kid from the raft" was a pretty awesome reason for shooting).
- Jin will lose a few points for missing his shot. Too bad, but at least he survived for next season's Lost-vivor!
- Kate didn't do much except use her tracking skills to ensure Ben & Alex were alone. Though Jack did tell her he loved her.
- Jack will have gained significant points for: Making some tough leadership choices, for beating the snot out of Ben and for actually getting his plan executed with nary a hitch. He got them off the island! Yet I still don't think it's enough to propel him into the first position, since he had a 72 point penalty and others had point gains in this episode.
- Unfortunately, we didn't see enough from John Locke. He did survive, had a mystical experience with the island (Yay! Walt!), but he ended up in a face-off against Jack and backed down.
- I think this means that Hurley may be our surprise Lost-vivor winner. I did not expect Hugo to play such an important role - but I was cheering in that whole scene - how great was that? Hurley was only twenty-or-so points behind the leader (Desmond) and using the van to rescue three Losties and killing an Other might be enough to propel him into the surprising lead.
Parting Words
As everyone I'm sure will be saying - it's going to be a LOOOONG 8 months for Lost Season 4 to start. I'll be looking forward to learn what exactly happened to the survivors after Jack finished talking to the person on the boat.
Maybe next season will take place in 2008 (as opposed to 2004 when they left the island). Maybe the first several episodes will be focused on Jack trying to round up some of the key survivors to charter a plane back to the island. This would also be an opportunity to give each character more flashbacks to show us what happened in their lives since they were rescued. Maybe Jin will be fluent in English (I hope so)? Knowing what Charlie told him, did Desmond leave the island at all? Did Locke? Did Ben or Richard? Most of all, Season 4 better be providing some answers to the nature of the island, Jacob, Richard Alpert, the numbers, Dharma, the Hanso Foundation, and the other sinister faction that was searching for the island all this time.
I liked the flashfoward – but at one point Jack says something along the lines of “Bring my father down here, and if I’m more drunk than him, I’ll quit” to the new hospital chief guy.
Was he just losing it, or is his father still alive?
@Allen: My guess is that Jack was so hopped up on pills that he didn’t know what he was talking about. But I think it was a cheap ploy by the writers to keep us in the dark to the true nature of Jack’s flashbacks…
Kate was missing her trademark freckles. That’s what was different.
As I mentioned over on Lost-vivor, I loved the finale. It reminds me of the Season One finale in a way. When Locke finally blew open the Hatch, ANYTHING could have been down there. It was like a world of possibilities for where the story might go in the second season. Taking Jack and Kate off the island accomplishes the same thing. I have no idea what’s going to happen next, and I love it.
I’m with you all the way on Charlie’s awesome attitude during the interrogation. I loved the “I die” bit. Can you imagine how creepy that would be to hear from someone you’re torturing?
By the way, great pre-analysis of the Lost-vivor scores. Hurley was a solid guess; death by hippie van is a point-grabber if ever there was one. When I started tallying the final scores, I was actually surprised myself to see that Sayid squeaked out a victory. In a way, I’m glad that it turned out that five or six cast members were in strong contention for the win. I was afraid at mid-season that Sawyer and Desmond were going to run away with the competition.
These were not exactly flash forwards they are other dimensions. Like they come back and they are back to their old lives before they made the mistake. But they are not their old selves.
When I say mistake I mean like Sun cheating, Jack ratting out his Dad, etc.
Watch Sawyer, he is one of the Others but he doesn’t know it yet. See to be an other you have to commit a serious sin like murder that is not self defense. Then you are one of them. So when John Locke came home carrying the body bag with his Dad in it Ben told them, it was ok, he was one of them now. That is why he got so much respect when he knocked out Patchy. But John Locke cheated them. He really isn’t one of them, it was Sawyer who has now crossed over to evil, he killed the man in cold blood, no matter how anoying he was it was not self defense the guy was tied up.
But nobody knows it including Sawyer himself, accept John Locke. And I think that it will be Jack who figures it out first. One taste of the new Sawyer is when he killed Tom the country guy at the end. I think it was Hurley who pointed out, Dude, he surrendered. Basically saying, hey you didn’t have to do that.
Consequently, it seems like once you show one selfless act of kindness you get off the island by dying. examples are, the brother who cared so much for his sister, then when his selfish, vain, sister (the blonde girl) showed unconditional love to Sayid, she died. Desmond sacrificed his life to turn the key in the hatch and save humanity. And when back to his life before he made the mistake that got him on the island which was to blow off his engagement with Penny. But, since he blew it again, he ended back on the island again.
So the island takes you through dimensions and you have to prove yourself one way or the other as evil or good. I would assume Julliette is next since she risked her life by betraying the others.
Watch Sawyer……..
I semi-agre with Found. The flashfowards are a trick to deceive the viewers, they will not be rescued, although I do think that a merger of some kind between the more moderate others and the usuals will happen soon.
Ben is telling the truth, the people on the boat are just as dangerous as the others were at the end of the first season.
I also considered the warped possiblity of the flashforward still not being right somehow. Previous poster said one part… he refers to his father in the present tense… a little odd. Also odd was the fact that he never mentioned the island itself. I know he made every possible reference to it, but he never actually said it, nor mentioned that he had in fact already been in a plane crash. Also, why would the survivors have this secrecy pact to never meet? Is it because Kate’s still a fugitive? Remember, if she was rescued though, she should have been caught and arrested right then… I know I’m grasping at straws, and in all probability, it was a flashforward, but there were some odd things about it.
Don’t forget though, season 1, jack saw his father on the island. we assumed hallucination, but when he opened the coffin in the wreckage, guess who wasn’t resting in peace. That was a mystery that was never explained. Call it a hallucination all you want, but his father’s body was gone. Maybe he is alive. (still raising the question of his perfect three piece suit when everyone else is in rags and where he is surviving on his own…..and that he was dead……)
what a episode hell yeah,
i think i know what’s going on here
jack and kate had an option to leave the island
where the others coud’t leave with them(jack and kate)so the choose for that option and leave the island.now back home jack is so deprest bye his aktion that he want’s to go back for them and save them or get them back to.
somthing like that is going on i think.and maybe soyer is with kate now.she sad i have to go back for he knowing that im gone,that has to be sowyer.sorry for my english im from holland:Dlost rocks hehe
Ok, they WERE rescued and for some reason Jack seems to be badly effected since being off the island. Ben did say there are mysterious powers at work on the island and that everyone had a reason for being there. Remember everyone on the plane was specifically targetted and pre determined. Ben and his people had info on ALL of the survivors. Namois people had no clue about the plane crash, remember that too! When they found her, what did she say to charlie when he told her they were survivors???? So obviously her people want something to do with the island, perhaps once they rescued everyone they stayed there to carry out whatever it was they were looking for.
Ben believes the island needs protection cos of its healing powers etc and naomis people will only use it for bad.
Season 4. well yeh obviously they go back. we need to know what that black smoke monster is, we need to know who jacob is, WE NEED ANSWERS!
JohnLost, the only way to say the passengers of Ocianc 815 were predetermined is to say the island picked them, not the Others. In one flashback, I believe season opener of season 3 when we see the Others watch the plane crash, Ben goes to Mikael who is watching live news feeds of the plane’s absence in the real world with full communications. Ben tells him to get names of people on the plane and their profiles, so he had no idea who was on the plane beforehand.
why it will thake so long as januari for lost return’s?:(way to long
It may just be my interest in religious philosophy but i think the whole thing is rotating around the concepts of faith and philosophy, the names of John Locke (Desmond) David Hume and Rousseau all being philosophers of the enlightenment period. The episode in which Mr. Eko dies from the black smoke monster hints that it can take the form of other people. This is something that Ben saw and i think this Jacob is also the “monster” As well as its name holding biblical connotations.
Jack Sheppard is then the opposing pole to these religious connotations. He believes in basic science against the mythical and faith. What better way to show a man of pure materialism than making them a doctor, who’ll see the healing process as totally mechanical.
The end of the series of both Ben and John telling Jack that he is “not supposed to leave the island this way” shows this underlying tension. The want to leave the island is perhaps synonymous with a want to turn his back on faith and hope. The drug fueled binge at the end of the show is certainly the sign of someone who has lost any hope and may only be the result if Jack continues to shun Ben and John’s advice.
Further in the second series the island caused both Mr. Eko and Locke to search for further meaning and to follow their fate. It turned out Mr. Eko appeared to just be a pawn to lead Locke further to his true calling. The question is then is Locke or Ben the pawn towards the others future path…and of course, what does the path lead to.
It’s obvious from Ben’s interest in the “fascinating” John and Locke’s interest in following him shows they both think that the other is a stepping stone to true answers.
Interesting also that both of these characters have suffered major back injuries whilst their opposite role Jack is a back surgeon.
Hey there, if you go to wikipedia, scroll down to the Episode List link (right down the bottom), find the episode link and then click on the little link at the end of the sentence in the episode ‘story’ (Season 3 Episode 23) you can see a picture of the funeral notice that Jack has in the final scene! Looks to start with a J…….
The newspaper clippin reads “the body of John Lantham of New york was found shortly after 4am in the 4300 block of grand avenue. Ted Worden, a doorman at the complx heard loud noises coming from the victims loft. Concerned for the tenant’s satefy he entered the loft and found the body hanging from a beam in the living room.
According to Jaime Ortitz, a police spokesman, the incident was deemed a suicide after medical tests. Lantham (sic) is survived by one tennaged son.
Memorial services will be held at Hoffs-Drawler funeral home tomorroe evening”
This has appeared on a few official Lost sites
I think a lot of people are guesing it is Michael due to the teenage son reference, but im not sure. I think it may be someone we havent met yet, and the flashforward is set quite far ahead after they are rescued so we may meet this john character in future seasons…
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[“Sawyer and Sayid both had one or two kick-ass Jack Bauer-type moments too but I think Sayid will lose points for getting captured and Sawyer will lose points for pissing off Kate and then killing Tom Friendly, who had surrendered (though saying “That was for taking the kid from the raft” was a pretty awesome reason for shooting).”]
You found an act of cold-blooded murder “awesome”? How interesting. Sawyer uses Tom as a scapegoat for Walt’s kidnapping, yet he never tried to harm Ben for the kidnapping. Murderous hypocrite.