Lost, Season 5, Episodes 1 & 2

“Because You Left” and “The Lie”

Well, the producers were right when they said that things would be coming at a quicker pace now that the show has been given an end-date of next year. And Season 5 began with the first two episodes and they rocked.

My wrap-up is going to combine the two episodes. And away we go.

Loved how the show opened up, with the flip-clock changing from 8:14 (two of the numbers) to reflect the Oceanic flight…..8:15 (and of course 15 is also one of the numbers). Nice touch.

Marvin Candle: We already knew he was on the Island, but this shows he’s deeply involved with the study of the Island’s features. With him waking up and putting a record on for his crying baby to hear, we learn that he had a family on the Island. In the orientation video for the Arrow Station, he refers to it as a defensive strategies station. He’s later referred to as “Dr Chang”, so this is likely his real name.

The Island: The Island is in a state of time-flux, unable to anchor itself to a specific time since Ben did the whole “we have to move the Island” thingy. Could be that the Island also needs a Constant, and maybe that Constant (Locke? Ben? Jack?) isn’t on it anymore, so the fluxing is happening as it tries to get stable. As the Island is time-hopping, it goes from current time, to past time, and possibly future time. Maybe the return of the Oceanic 6 (O6) will make it stable again, but in what timeline?

Daniel Faraday: Hello! On the Island when it’s discovered that there is a “chamber” behind a wall while working on the Orchid Hatch, the chamber that houses the Island-moving-wheel (“…that will help us control time”, says Candle/Chang). When Daniel shows up during this past-time situation, it’s likely he goes there at some point that we haven’t been shown yet as the Island is time-hopping. During the time-hopping, and after telling Sawyer that nothing in the past can be changed, he gets Desmond out of the Swan Hatch and tells him that when he remembers this, he’ll need to go to Oxford and find his mother, and her name is…..?

Charlotte: Doesn’t do much in these episodes, but the fact that she’s forgetting things (her Mother’s maiden name) and also has the nosebleed could be happening because being from the Island originally (as she implied last season but has not yet been shown to us) she could be experiencing unique symptoms of the time-hopping. It’s doubtful, and sad, that she won’t be around too much longer. The relationship between her and Daniel is growing nicely. Maybe she has the sickness that Aaron was receiving the vaccinations for after he was born (that Charlie gave to Claire from the parachute-supply drop.) Maybe it’s the sickness that Rousseau said wiped out her crew.

Jack: According to Ben, it’s “because you left (the Island), Jack” that all of these things keep happening to the O6. As he begins to realize it’s fruitless to fight the fact that he (and the other 5) have to go back, he begins to work with Ben to make this happen. Gone is the ugly-ass beard, gone are the pills (thanks, Ben), and gone is the notion that he can continue to fight it. When Ben asks Jack “did he (Locke) tell you what happened to them after you left the Island” and Jack says “no”, we learn that at some point while off the Island and before he died, Locke must’ve contacted Jack. When? I guess we’ll find out at some point in the future….when we time-hop to that episode. ;-)

Locke: aka Jeremy Bentham. Locke’s role in the whole Lost story is still being defined, but it’s obvious that he (along with Desmond and likely Daniel) is the key to the resolution of whatever is happening on the Island. It’s interesting that he has to die in order to “save the Island” and bring the O6 back to it. (nice allegory: Locke, the savior, will probably have to ‘rise’ from the dead at some point, as in the christian mythology, which permeates this series). The big piece of the puzzle will be getting Locke’s body back to the Island now that Ben has body-snatched it from Hoffs/Drawler Funeral Home.

Kate: After being visited by lawyers (from Agostini and Norton) who want blood samples from her and Aaron to determine if she really is his mother, she goes on the run (the story of her life, eh?). At that point, she gets a call from Sun, who just happens to be in LA (to see Widmore, perhaps?) and would like to see Kate and Aaron, and that leads to….

Sun: It shouldn’t come as any surprise to us viewers that Sun continues to be a manipulative, lying, deceitful be-yotch. She is not a nice person and hasn’t been at all throughout the series. She definitely takes after her Dad. But she’s so good at being evil! She is likely the one who sent the lawyers to Kate’s (or was it Ben?) to get blood samples from her and Aaron. And the fact that she reminds Kate that Kate was the one who said “I’ll go back and get Jin (on the freighter)” but wasn’t able to save Jin shows that Sun is just a nasty person. And yes, Sun, you do hold it against Kate. We still need to find out who Sun holds responsible for her husband's “death” (side note: Jin is not dead): likely Ben and Jack. If it is Jack, Sun is definitely using Kate to get close to Jack (“by the way, how is Jack?” she says with a side of sarcasm). She is likely working with Charles Widmore now too, but we don’t know if it’s a mutual relationship, or if Sun is just using him to like she does everyone else.

Hurley: The moral conscience of the show is not cool with the whole “we have to lie” thing. This continues to eat away at him and is affecting how he is handling things. “We never should’ve left the Island!” he says to Sayid. Despite Ana Lucia’s ghost telling him “do not get arrested” he goes and turns himself into the police (to get away from Ben) saying it was he (not Sayid) who “killed those four guys…or three guys, however many. I did it”. Now, in Hurley’s defense to disobeying Ana Lucia’s order to not get arrested, Hurley had also been told by Sayid to “do the opposite” of anything Ben told him to do. So, when Ben said “you have to go back to the Island”, Hurley did the opposite. The “I (heart) My Shih-Tzu” t-shirt was hilarious! Too bad his luck continues to be bad.

Sayid: Spends most of both episodes knocked out from the drug-darts. What an acting job, eh? Prior to being incapacitated, however, he does have a couple of good fight scenes, and killing the guy by throwing him down on the dishwasher door where the knives were sticking up…well, that had to hurt.

Desmond: Wakes with Penny after having the dream of Daniel telling him to go Oxford to find Daniel’s mother. He is special, according to Daniel, and the “rules don’t apply to you”. What rules? The rules of time-travel? The rules of being unstuck in time (maybe Desmond can change events)? In any event, Desmond is, in my opinion, the most important piece to this puzzle of Lost….brotha. He is Daniel’s constant (which might imply that Daniel is unstuck in time) in the same way that Penny was/is Desmond’s constant.

Richard Alpert: What time is this guy from? Can’t tell what his age is since he doesn’t age. Is he from the Black Rock days? Is he one of the Island’s original inhabitants? Is he Charlotte’s father (okay, I’m just throwing that out there cuz it popped into my mind as I was writing this)? Maybe he’s Locke’s father? He is definitely watching over Locke: he first visited Locke in the hospital (1956) when he was born prematurely. Then he visits him again when Locke is about 5 and asked him to choose from items that he thought were already his (including a compass, vial of sand). He came to Locke (via Locke’s science teacher) again when Locke was in high school inviting him to attend the special science camp being sponsored by Mittelos Labs, which Locke turned down. Now, after Locke was shot by Ethan, Richard knew exactly where to find him to remove the bullet, and again gives Locke a compass. Is the compass going to be Locke’s constant?

Charles Widmore: Pulls Sun aside at the airport and demands she respect him. He asks her what she thinks they have in common, to which Sun replies, “To kill Ben Linus”.

Ms Hawking: The lady who Ben goes to see who is working on a math computation as a pendulum swings, placing sand-lines on the floor in a hatch below a church. This is the lady that Desmond met in the pawn shop while looking for a ring for Penny (“Flashes Before Your Eyes”). What the hell does she have to do with all of this? Maybe she can track the Island while it’s unstuck…

Claire: Where are you??

Other Losties seen in the episode:
--Rose and Bernard
--Frank Lipidus
--Vincent

Time-Hopping:
1. Locke witnessing the Nigerian plane crash that we learned from Season 2 had Eko’s brother (Yemi) in it.
2. Ethan Rom meeting Locke before they actually knew each other and Locke telling Ethan that Ben will be making Ben the leader. Ethan of course doesn’t believe him.
3. Beach Losties learning that their camp is not on the beach because, as Daniel tells them, it hasn’t been built yet.
4. The Swan Hatch restored during another jump (when Daniel talks to Desmond).
5. Beach Losties being attacked with flaming arrows. Who shoots arrows anymore? Perhaps people who could’ve been on the Black Rock?

Funny Lines:
--Hurley to Sayid: “Maybe if you ate more comfort food you wouldn’t have to go around shooting people”
--Ana Lucia (the ghost) to Hurley: “Oh yeah, and Libby says hi.”
--Hurley to his Mom in reference to Sayid: “He also has this double-life where he does crazy ninja moves and spy stuff.”
--Hurley to his Mom: “…and there was a button we had to push every 108 minutes or…well, I was never really clear on that.” (Nice nod to the viewers who are all wondering why also)
--Hurley: “I need a cool code name.”
--Richard to Ben after Locke asked what the compass does: “It points North, John.”

Music:
--Willie Nelson “Shotgun Willie” (record that Marvin Candle/Chang put on for his baby)
--Cheap Trick “Dream Police” (playing in store that Hurley bought his Shih-Tzu t-shirt)

Double-take:
--Both Marvin Candle/Chang and Ms Hawking saying “Then God help us all”. Kind of tacky.
--At the airport, Flight 23 (one of the numbers) was boarding at Gate 15 (one of the numbers)
--Record skipping in Candle/Chang’s house at the start of the show, and Daniel later says that “whatever Ben did it dislodged us, kind of like a record skipping.”
--Hurley’s Dad was watching Expose on the TV, but I assume that Nikki’s character has been replaced. Razzle Dazzle!

Questions Answered:
1. The Orchid Station was built to harness the power of the Island.
2. Locke has to die to save the Island and bring the O6 back.
3. The Island, after disappearing, is time-hopping and has yet to anchor itself back in a stable timeline.

Questions:
1. Was seeing Marvin Candle/Dr Chang’s baby significant? Who does this baby grow up to be? Miles Straum, perhaps? Yeah yeah…different last names and all, but…
2. Remember when the Losties always heard the whispers coming from the forest? Could the whispers be their own voices as they have been time-hopping forward in time and backwards in time?
3. Why would Sun show the picture of Ji Yeon and say “I’d like to see her and Aaron playing together one day?” Aaron and Ji Yeon would not be that far apart in age. Sun is a liar, but might get her wish if Ji Yeon somehow goes back to the Island with everyone. Of course, they’ll be playing together on the foot of the 4-toed statue…
4. After the flaming arrow attack, who were the guys with the guns that got Sawyer and Juliet? There uniforms have not been seen yet in this series. Is there another group on the Island or is this a sign that it landed in another past time when there were different inhabitants? (If the Losties landed back in the 80s before The Others wipe out Dharma, then both groups wouldn't know who they were and would attack them, it seems.)
5. Who is Jill, the lady working in the butcher shop that Ben goes to see and agrees to put Locke’s body in the cooler for holding? And who are Gabrielle and Jeffrey (Ben asks if they’ve arrived yet)?
6. Ms Hawking tells Ben he has 70 hours left. Left to do what? Get back to the Island?
7. Is possible that Ms Hawking is Daniel’s Mom? I know I know…Daniel told Des to go to Oxford (England) to find her and I assume that since Ben is in LA to get the O6 together that he also went to see Ms Hawking in LA. Well, LA is not Oxford, England. BUT, she is doing math calculations…
8. The bodies that were found in the caves in Season One….are they the bodies of Losties that we know?
9. With the Island time-hopping, will we see: Rousseau? Alex? Charlie? Eko? Boone? Shannon? Nikki & Paolo (hope not)?
10. Will Hurley REALLY pay back the money he took from Sayid’s wallet to buy his t-shirt? ;-)

Whew. I think I have carpel tunnel syndrome.

Tune in next week for “Jughead” (episode 3 of Season 5).

Until then, watch out for flying, flaming arrows.