Spoilers for “The End”
If you haven’t seen the episode yet, please don’t read this blog until you’ve watched all 2.5 hours of “The End.” Then, please, interact with my blog by leaving comments here or continuing the discussion on my Facebook page. I’ll warn you—my review is positive. I enjoyed the episode and was moved by it. I’m not an apologist for LOST; in fact, I’m often critical of it. However, I was satisfied with the ending, and in the following blog, I’ll explain why.
“The End” provided all the elements of my favorite LOST episodes and illustrated what the series has done well over six years. It provided
- Character moments for the Oceanic 815 survivors
- Action on the island
- Multiple storylines that somehow fit together, even if the “answers” are too ambiguous for some fans or lead other clue-seekers in a direction different from what they theorized
- Mythology
- Pop culture references (my favorite of the evening: Yoda)
- Sawyer’s nicknames for those friends and foes
- Repeated lines, repeated or mirrored scenes, revisited imagery (Even that Apollo bar has an important role.)
- References to fate and destiny
- Symbolism (in this episode, much of it spiritual but not always specifically Christian)
- Life, death, and the afterlife (more dead characters walking around)
- Ambiguity, multiple possible interpretations, and remaining questions to be discussed for a long time to come
What I specifically liked is that the LOST story is Jack’s story, brought full circle. It begins from his perspective—the obvious opening of his eye—and it ends with his perspective—his eye closes. The story is over. No matter that some photos of the empty beach with wreckage from Oceanic 815 are the images with credits at the bottom of the screen—the story ends with Jack closing his eye.
Here’s what I loved about the finale, in addition to it being true to LOST’s unique brand of storytelling:
Reunions—I don’t care if they’re in the afterlife. I don’t care if they specifically show the soul mates who are supposed to end up together, and some fans may not like the ultimate pairings. What I care about is the celebration of love and the idea that, even if life is very short or lovers don’t have that happy ending on earth, the afterlife is a real and loving place.
I’m not one who cries easily. In another fandom I’m most equated with Spock. But when Claire gives birth yet again, and Aaron once more brings together Claire and Charlie—I was happy and cried. Sure, I wish that they had had a long life together on the island or in California, but the promise of being reunited in an afterlife with loved ones and finding peace and eternal love is very satisfying to me. There was a lot of kissing in this episode. None of the ultimate pairings surprised me, but I was glad to see the couples get one more moment together before I told them goodbye.
The most important item for me, emotions aside, is that the island experience is real. This point seems to be the most contentious among fans and the reason why so many online posts are negative about the finale.
Christian Shephard explains to Jack that all of his experiences are real. The island is real. Everyone on the island who survived the crash (or their own method of getting to the island) lived a real, human life while we watched. Everyone on Oceanic 815 isn’t dead in the pilot; Jack isn’t dead throughout the series. As one person wrote in a review, the island is full of ghosts flitting around—everyone has always been dead. That’s not my perspective at all, and I think it’s borne out by Christian’s explanation to Jack.
We see Jack’s real life on the island and in the flashforwards. We see his real and only death at the end of “The End.” The sidewaysverse is an afterlife. Everyone dies at some time (but we don't see how or when Kate or Claire dies, for example, but one day they did). So at some point everyone arrives in this afterlife. Because Jack’s island relationships were the most important to his earthly life, those are the relationships he finds again in “heaven,” which is Jack’s interpretation of the afterlife.
Look at the “ascension” metaphors surrounding Jack in the final scenes. He comes into the church by the back door but will “move on” via the front door. (I also like that “moving on” is left to the viewer’s interpretation. It could mean living in heaven for eternity, according to Jack’s Christian upbringing. It could mean moving on to another plane of existence. It could mean reincarnation to move on to another life. It could mean no need for any type of life at all but final, resting peace.) But back to that ascension. Jack walks by a statue of an angel before he ascends the stairs to meet his loved ones in the sanctuary. He walks toward light. After the reunion with his loved ones, Christian touches Jack’s shoulder as he walks to open the doors to blinding white light. On either side of the door is another angel. On the island, when Jack is dying, he sees the Ajira airliner ascending, just at the moment that his spirit ascends from his body.
One image I didn’t particularly like is the way Jack and his loved ones sit down in pews in the church before Christian opens the door. In some ways it looks like they are seated as if in an airliner—rows separated by aisles—but the scene leaves the impression that they’re just sitting around waiting. Not the best final image of the group, even if I sort of get the analogy to the plane—which is where they all came together for the first time.
Another aspect I like is Hurley as island protector. He is the everyman character, the one who represents "us." When Jack passes the cup--or water bottle--to him, he doesn’t feel up to the responsibility of being the protector of the source of goodness. How symbolic of humanity—we everyday people don’t want to be the ones responsible for the good of each other, much less the whole world. But, like Hurley, we need to accept that responsibility and get on with it. I love that Hurley does take care of everyone—even Ben—in both the island world and the afterlife. Hurley not only survived the crash and the island, but he became the chosen one who protects goodness. I can't think of a better vocation; it's a continuation of all that Hurley did in LA and on the island before becoming protector. Hurley, as I always suspected, is really the good guy of this series, even if he isn't always the hero.
What is the meaning of LOST, at least to me? Both the island experience and the afterlife experience are real. Love conquers death. Redemption is possible for everyone. Everyone dies, but everyone also has an afterlife. Good can overcome evil. People can and do change for the better.
How does LOST reflect the meaning of life, as I interpret it? Everything we do has a purpose, and we each have a purpose, even if we’re not always sure what it is. We have an impact on those around us. As Jack tells Des, who believes he’s failed after “uncorking” the stone in the cave didn’t turn out as he expected, everything that happened is important, even if his (our) actions don’t always turn out as we hope or expect. The meaning of life is re-iterated on the 23rd of May. How very LOST.
I don’t know how and why the island is so “magical.” I don’t have a scientific explanation for how it works or moves or heals or becomes the cosmic focal point for battles of good and evil. I don’t have specific answers to specific questions about characters' lives. LOST leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but I don’t feel my six years were wasted.
Just like I suspect when I die I’ll figure out about some details of life, the details on LOST about which I sometimes obsessed didn’t turn out to be the biggest clues to the mystery of LOST--or the meaning of (Jack's) life. The people I think I failed the most (like Jack and his father feel toward each other in life) may turn out to be the most loving, redemptive relationships in retrospect. Like Jack, I’m flawed, and I may not be able to make a difference in the way I’d like, but everything I do has an impact on someone or something else.
In The End, it’s all about love.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
LOST: Anticipating "The End"
Although I'm trying to be more cryptic for those who haven't yet seen "What They Died For," spoilers still abound. Only read this blog if you want to figure out what happens in this episode before you watch it.
I'm posting the questions I expect to see answered and some sure bets for the finale. Instead of posting my comments about "What They Died For," very early next week (as soon as I stop sobbing after the finale) I'll post several blogs dealing with some key points from the finale, because I think of "What They Died For" as the first hour of the finale.
I will say that I liked this episode very much because 1) it tied the current island story to the mythology story from the previous episode, 2) it put Jack exactly where I thought he should be, and 3) it resolved a lot of issues between Ben and Widmore.
Once again, Michael Emerson is superb as two very different Bens within the same episode. I liked each of his stories, because each is believable and true to the character within each 'verse.
Once again, we hear Locke's and Jack's repeated lines from previous episodes. We see a mirrored passing of the cup and torch to the next generation of island protectors.
I also like the symbolism of black clothing being worn by those in the altverse given epiphanies or second chances by Desmond. Very interesting.
So--here are the questions I expect will be answered by the end of the "The End":
Will the concert be the event that ties the altverse (or sidewaysverse) to the islandverse, or will the two be forever separated so the "survivors" can live in peace?
Will the concert be the unifying force that brings together the families and wannabe families in one loving reunion?
Will the island be destroyed? Will it be submerged, as we saw at the beginning of the season?
Will the story come full circle with Jack being the last person we see—the story finishes from his perspective, just as it began?
OK--so those are the immediate questions that I anticipate will be answered affirmatively.
More philosophically:
According to LOST, can good overcome evil?
Is love the meaning of life, and we won't be LOST anymore if we find true love?
Those aren't the questions that I thought I'd be posing going into the finale, but right now I don't care why the numbers were chosen or why they work as they have, where Jacob's adoptive mom came from, or even if Smokey existed before Jacob killed MIB. Sure, it would be nice to know all that, too, but I can take some facets of the story on faith. And maybe that's kind of the point, too.
Some sure bets--We'll see the vast majority of the people we've cared about (including Rose, Bernard, and Vincent) one more time. Everyone gets what he or she deserves in “The End.” The surest bet of all: We’ll be discussing just how to interpret the ending for months to come.
I'm posting the questions I expect to see answered and some sure bets for the finale. Instead of posting my comments about "What They Died For," very early next week (as soon as I stop sobbing after the finale) I'll post several blogs dealing with some key points from the finale, because I think of "What They Died For" as the first hour of the finale.
I will say that I liked this episode very much because 1) it tied the current island story to the mythology story from the previous episode, 2) it put Jack exactly where I thought he should be, and 3) it resolved a lot of issues between Ben and Widmore.
Once again, Michael Emerson is superb as two very different Bens within the same episode. I liked each of his stories, because each is believable and true to the character within each 'verse.
Once again, we hear Locke's and Jack's repeated lines from previous episodes. We see a mirrored passing of the cup and torch to the next generation of island protectors.
I also like the symbolism of black clothing being worn by those in the altverse given epiphanies or second chances by Desmond. Very interesting.
So--here are the questions I expect will be answered by the end of the "The End":
Will the concert be the event that ties the altverse (or sidewaysverse) to the islandverse, or will the two be forever separated so the "survivors" can live in peace?
Will the concert be the unifying force that brings together the families and wannabe families in one loving reunion?
Will the island be destroyed? Will it be submerged, as we saw at the beginning of the season?
Will the story come full circle with Jack being the last person we see—the story finishes from his perspective, just as it began?
OK--so those are the immediate questions that I anticipate will be answered affirmatively.
More philosophically:
According to LOST, can good overcome evil?
Is love the meaning of life, and we won't be LOST anymore if we find true love?
Those aren't the questions that I thought I'd be posing going into the finale, but right now I don't care why the numbers were chosen or why they work as they have, where Jacob's adoptive mom came from, or even if Smokey existed before Jacob killed MIB. Sure, it would be nice to know all that, too, but I can take some facets of the story on faith. And maybe that's kind of the point, too.
Some sure bets--We'll see the vast majority of the people we've cared about (including Rose, Bernard, and Vincent) one more time. Everyone gets what he or she deserves in “The End.” The surest bet of all: We’ll be discussing just how to interpret the ending for months to come.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
LOST: Across the Sea
Spoilers abound in the following blog, which I'm posting an hour after LOST was broadcast in the Eastern US. If you haven't seen the episode and don't want to be completely spoiled, please don't read this blog.
Yet another Spoiler Alert! Last warning.
OK. Here are my thoughts on "Across the Sea."
Another interesting mythology episode with barely a glimpse of the series’ long-time regulars, but what is revealed in their briefly replayed Season 1 moments on screen clicks another puzzle piece into place.
Probably the last person I expected to see on LOST is Allison Janney—but here she is as Jacob’s mother, and now I can’t think of anyone else for that role. She may have entered LOST extremely late in the series, but her role in the story is monumental.
She becomes the midwife to Good and Evil on the island. She smiles upon firstborn Jacob and places a white blanket around him. But Good must be balanced by Evil, and a second, unnamed son (just as he lacks a name throughout the LOST saga) is frowned upon and immediately dressed in black. He’s a screamer, too, wailing at his unjust treatment from the moment of his birth.
Surprisingly, Island Mom, like other seemingly mentally disturbed Moms we’ve met (e.g., Rousseau, feral Claire, Emily Locke), has plans for her child. Like Locke’s mother, Island Mom calls her Dark Son “special” and guides him in game playing.
The mythology of the island is complete with this episode, and the symbolism of Dark and Light, sometimes too obvious, nonetheless provides spiritual parallels that relate to the series’ recurring themes of Good versus Evil, Light versus Dark, Divine versus Human.
Island Mom manipulates her sons to learn the game that Dark Son is born to play. He teaches innocent Jacob all about moving light and dark pieces around the board; he inherently knows the rules of life. Jacob, however, has to learn about lies, deceit, and manipulation but is promised that someday he can make up his own game, with his own rules. It seems that Jacob takes that promise to heart in his adult dealings with islanders and Smokey.
Humanity is full of darkness. People, as defined by Island Mom, are inherently bad, greedy, and destructive—pretty much what the brothers see during their experiment with successive generations of castaways. Darkness is attracted to the light, and, according to Island Mom, the Island is the repository of the light needed to save the world. The secret cave (a powerful symbol itself)—ringed by water, lush vegetation, and strikingly red flowers (a symbol of passion as well as danger that surrounds Dark Son in the scene)—is the source of light. It’s beautiful and perfect, and there’s a bit of it (God, Good, Divinity, Eternity—whatever you want to call that divine spark) in everyone.
Humanity, however, likes to do instead of just know. The people who come to the island want to take more of the light; they want to do things with it. Even adult Dark Son wants to use the light to get away from the island.
Ironically, symbolically, the Island has been posited as hell in a previous episode but as the Garden of Eden in this. Light must be protected, whether within individuals or as a source of all that is Good, and it must never be lost. Hmmm. Maybe it, and not the people on the island, is really the reason for the series’ title. However, as this episode also reminds us, we lust after knowledge and are tempted by Evil more than Good. Thus, we can't live in the Garden of Eden for very long.
So many myths involve the giving or taking of Light. Trickster stories are full of such tales of characters who steal light or use it for their own misguided purpose. Dark Son wants very much to trick humans and Island Mom so that he can leave the island. The bringer of Light (whether symbolized as love, knowledge, peace, or eternal life) is often called a god—which brings us back to Jacob. He is the Light Son of a dark surrogate mother and a dead birth mother who reveals herself only to her “fallen” son, ironically while standing in a beam of light.
“Seeing the light” can be a spiritual metaphor, but it also can indicate an epiphany from the transfer of knowledge. Dark Son sees the light—he gains forbidden knowledge—and, like Eve, is no longer fit for the “garden” his Island Mom symbolically plants in an earlier scene. The seeds she has sown, however, aren't all that wonderful; they grow into her Dark Son’s ability to lie, cheat, manipulate, and, in short, act human. Like Eve, Dark Son is cast out, but he has trouble finding a way to take the Island’s light from its protective cave and “Across the Sea” to the rest of the world.
Jacob is right—his Island Mother always preferred the Dark Son who is so much more like her, not exactly the ideal for island divinity. Nevertheless, Jacob’s Goodness is appealing to her, and in part because he’s the only option left, Island Mom bequeaths her role as island protector to him. Some family traits seem to be inherent, however; Jacob also becomes an angry adult who kills family members and seems far less than perfect Goodness.
Even in this myth of the origins of Good and Evil on the island, in the forms of Jacob and MIB, they are not pure opposites. Each is “tainted” by exposure to the other. Jacob can be an angry, vengeful murderer, just like MIB. Jacob doesn’t want to stay on the island but is tricked into it—he’s not a benevolent “god” who accepts his role easily. MIB, for all his manipulative ways, is pretty much disillusioned with humans, too, and only puts up with them because he values their “scientific” knowledge that can get him off the island. Nevertheless, MIB seeks revenge for the deaths of “his people.” This morality tale shows that, although both sides balance each other and one has more “light” than the other, humanity finds no ideal role models in its island “gods.”
As far as mythic symbols go, this was a goldmine—so let’s start with the cave filled with light. Of course, there are many other oppositions of Light and Dark—Smokey emerging from the light-filled cave, lighted torches illuminating a dark path, dark-haired dead Claudia radiant in a spotlight, light and dark game pieces, Jacob’s light clothing juxtaposed against his brother’s dark garb. Island Mom even literally passes the torch to Jacob as protector. Then there are the Biblical symbols—most obviously, Adam and Eve, the garden setting, Jacob and Esau fighting over their birthright (though neither ends up wanting it), the passing of the cup.
I especially liked the cup imagery, not only for its spiritual significance. When Jacob offered the same wine flask to MIB a few episodes earlier, the symbolism of MIB smashing it worked on one level—MIB rejects the idea of Evil staying corked on the island and wants to break free. With this episode, however, the broken flash adds the layer of MIB rejecting Jacob’s ploy to accept the role of successor as the island’s protector. He knows better than to accept a drink from that flask and the resulting responsibility of guarding the light.
Other symbols—in LOST lore as well as other myths—include the loom (of fate), the wheel (providing another “aha” moment about the frozen donkey wheel), and even the knife—a symbol of Locke and MIB.
More puzzle pieces fall into place, not only about Adam and Eve—and the importance of both Jack and Locke being in the Season 1 cave scene—but the Island’s purpose and the way its history has been repeated throughout the generations of castaways. The creation of the Smoke Monster, the eternal quest for the source of all that magnetism, and the origin of the well are briefly explained in this episode.
If this is, as I suspect, the last “mythology” episode, I am well pleased with what we’ve learned. LOST’s myth reinterprets aspects of other myths, making universal stories meaningful to a new generation and thus helping keep the tales alive. Although the symbolism may have gotten a bit heavy handed, the significance of the story shines through.
Knowledge involves a loss of innocence. I am typically human. I succumbed to the tempting knowledge offered in this episode, but through the story, I realize that I, too, am less innocent about the nature of humanity and question whether pure Goodness can exist in our world. However, I still believe in the light, and I suspect I’ve also accepted the responsibility of guarding the light that remains on my own little “island” planet. Island Mom has just passed the cup to us.
ADDENDUM: Several other bloggers, whether TV critics or "mere" fans as obsessive about LOST as I am, argue that "Across the Sea" is a lesser episode because it doesn't provide enough answers about Island Mom. I disagree. If you read creation myths from any culture, not just LOST's, you see that huge questions about where main characters came from, what their motivations were, or what came before them are often unanswered. To me, that's like asking What came before God (or the gods, or the Creator(s) behind any origin story explaining how the world began)? or Why do bad things happen to good people, and why should we be "good"? There's not one definitive answer provided in every morality tale or myth. I like the mythological origins of LOST, and I don't need to have every question answered, even to the new issues (e.g., big glowing cave!) in this episode. That's part of the study of myths--what they reveal (or don't), what they say about humanity, and how they can be interpreted to reflect as well as guide a culture. For me, "Across the Sea" helped do that, but I realize that having such a mythology episode so close to the end of the series is bound to create a tidal wave of controversy among fans. That wave doesn't swamp my version of the Island, but I can understand how it might polarize viewers.
Yet another Spoiler Alert! Last warning.
OK. Here are my thoughts on "Across the Sea."
Another interesting mythology episode with barely a glimpse of the series’ long-time regulars, but what is revealed in their briefly replayed Season 1 moments on screen clicks another puzzle piece into place.
Probably the last person I expected to see on LOST is Allison Janney—but here she is as Jacob’s mother, and now I can’t think of anyone else for that role. She may have entered LOST extremely late in the series, but her role in the story is monumental.
She becomes the midwife to Good and Evil on the island. She smiles upon firstborn Jacob and places a white blanket around him. But Good must be balanced by Evil, and a second, unnamed son (just as he lacks a name throughout the LOST saga) is frowned upon and immediately dressed in black. He’s a screamer, too, wailing at his unjust treatment from the moment of his birth.
Surprisingly, Island Mom, like other seemingly mentally disturbed Moms we’ve met (e.g., Rousseau, feral Claire, Emily Locke), has plans for her child. Like Locke’s mother, Island Mom calls her Dark Son “special” and guides him in game playing.
The mythology of the island is complete with this episode, and the symbolism of Dark and Light, sometimes too obvious, nonetheless provides spiritual parallels that relate to the series’ recurring themes of Good versus Evil, Light versus Dark, Divine versus Human.
Island Mom manipulates her sons to learn the game that Dark Son is born to play. He teaches innocent Jacob all about moving light and dark pieces around the board; he inherently knows the rules of life. Jacob, however, has to learn about lies, deceit, and manipulation but is promised that someday he can make up his own game, with his own rules. It seems that Jacob takes that promise to heart in his adult dealings with islanders and Smokey.
Humanity is full of darkness. People, as defined by Island Mom, are inherently bad, greedy, and destructive—pretty much what the brothers see during their experiment with successive generations of castaways. Darkness is attracted to the light, and, according to Island Mom, the Island is the repository of the light needed to save the world. The secret cave (a powerful symbol itself)—ringed by water, lush vegetation, and strikingly red flowers (a symbol of passion as well as danger that surrounds Dark Son in the scene)—is the source of light. It’s beautiful and perfect, and there’s a bit of it (God, Good, Divinity, Eternity—whatever you want to call that divine spark) in everyone.
Humanity, however, likes to do instead of just know. The people who come to the island want to take more of the light; they want to do things with it. Even adult Dark Son wants to use the light to get away from the island.
Ironically, symbolically, the Island has been posited as hell in a previous episode but as the Garden of Eden in this. Light must be protected, whether within individuals or as a source of all that is Good, and it must never be lost. Hmmm. Maybe it, and not the people on the island, is really the reason for the series’ title. However, as this episode also reminds us, we lust after knowledge and are tempted by Evil more than Good. Thus, we can't live in the Garden of Eden for very long.
So many myths involve the giving or taking of Light. Trickster stories are full of such tales of characters who steal light or use it for their own misguided purpose. Dark Son wants very much to trick humans and Island Mom so that he can leave the island. The bringer of Light (whether symbolized as love, knowledge, peace, or eternal life) is often called a god—which brings us back to Jacob. He is the Light Son of a dark surrogate mother and a dead birth mother who reveals herself only to her “fallen” son, ironically while standing in a beam of light.
“Seeing the light” can be a spiritual metaphor, but it also can indicate an epiphany from the transfer of knowledge. Dark Son sees the light—he gains forbidden knowledge—and, like Eve, is no longer fit for the “garden” his Island Mom symbolically plants in an earlier scene. The seeds she has sown, however, aren't all that wonderful; they grow into her Dark Son’s ability to lie, cheat, manipulate, and, in short, act human. Like Eve, Dark Son is cast out, but he has trouble finding a way to take the Island’s light from its protective cave and “Across the Sea” to the rest of the world.
Jacob is right—his Island Mother always preferred the Dark Son who is so much more like her, not exactly the ideal for island divinity. Nevertheless, Jacob’s Goodness is appealing to her, and in part because he’s the only option left, Island Mom bequeaths her role as island protector to him. Some family traits seem to be inherent, however; Jacob also becomes an angry adult who kills family members and seems far less than perfect Goodness.
Even in this myth of the origins of Good and Evil on the island, in the forms of Jacob and MIB, they are not pure opposites. Each is “tainted” by exposure to the other. Jacob can be an angry, vengeful murderer, just like MIB. Jacob doesn’t want to stay on the island but is tricked into it—he’s not a benevolent “god” who accepts his role easily. MIB, for all his manipulative ways, is pretty much disillusioned with humans, too, and only puts up with them because he values their “scientific” knowledge that can get him off the island. Nevertheless, MIB seeks revenge for the deaths of “his people.” This morality tale shows that, although both sides balance each other and one has more “light” than the other, humanity finds no ideal role models in its island “gods.”
As far as mythic symbols go, this was a goldmine—so let’s start with the cave filled with light. Of course, there are many other oppositions of Light and Dark—Smokey emerging from the light-filled cave, lighted torches illuminating a dark path, dark-haired dead Claudia radiant in a spotlight, light and dark game pieces, Jacob’s light clothing juxtaposed against his brother’s dark garb. Island Mom even literally passes the torch to Jacob as protector. Then there are the Biblical symbols—most obviously, Adam and Eve, the garden setting, Jacob and Esau fighting over their birthright (though neither ends up wanting it), the passing of the cup.
I especially liked the cup imagery, not only for its spiritual significance. When Jacob offered the same wine flask to MIB a few episodes earlier, the symbolism of MIB smashing it worked on one level—MIB rejects the idea of Evil staying corked on the island and wants to break free. With this episode, however, the broken flash adds the layer of MIB rejecting Jacob’s ploy to accept the role of successor as the island’s protector. He knows better than to accept a drink from that flask and the resulting responsibility of guarding the light.
Other symbols—in LOST lore as well as other myths—include the loom (of fate), the wheel (providing another “aha” moment about the frozen donkey wheel), and even the knife—a symbol of Locke and MIB.
More puzzle pieces fall into place, not only about Adam and Eve—and the importance of both Jack and Locke being in the Season 1 cave scene—but the Island’s purpose and the way its history has been repeated throughout the generations of castaways. The creation of the Smoke Monster, the eternal quest for the source of all that magnetism, and the origin of the well are briefly explained in this episode.
If this is, as I suspect, the last “mythology” episode, I am well pleased with what we’ve learned. LOST’s myth reinterprets aspects of other myths, making universal stories meaningful to a new generation and thus helping keep the tales alive. Although the symbolism may have gotten a bit heavy handed, the significance of the story shines through.
Knowledge involves a loss of innocence. I am typically human. I succumbed to the tempting knowledge offered in this episode, but through the story, I realize that I, too, am less innocent about the nature of humanity and question whether pure Goodness can exist in our world. However, I still believe in the light, and I suspect I’ve also accepted the responsibility of guarding the light that remains on my own little “island” planet. Island Mom has just passed the cup to us.
ADDENDUM: Several other bloggers, whether TV critics or "mere" fans as obsessive about LOST as I am, argue that "Across the Sea" is a lesser episode because it doesn't provide enough answers about Island Mom. I disagree. If you read creation myths from any culture, not just LOST's, you see that huge questions about where main characters came from, what their motivations were, or what came before them are often unanswered. To me, that's like asking What came before God (or the gods, or the Creator(s) behind any origin story explaining how the world began)? or Why do bad things happen to good people, and why should we be "good"? There's not one definitive answer provided in every morality tale or myth. I like the mythological origins of LOST, and I don't need to have every question answered, even to the new issues (e.g., big glowing cave!) in this episode. That's part of the study of myths--what they reveal (or don't), what they say about humanity, and how they can be interpreted to reflect as well as guide a culture. For me, "Across the Sea" helped do that, but I realize that having such a mythology episode so close to the end of the series is bound to create a tidal wave of controversy among fans. That wave doesn't swamp my version of the Island, but I can understand how it might polarize viewers.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
LOST: "The Candidate"
Read at your own risk. In this blog, posted less than an hour after LOST ended on the U.S. East coast, I discuss details of "The Candidate." This episode is pivotal to LOST. If you haven't seen it and don't want to be spoiled, don't read the blog now.
Still waiting. Are you sure you're ready to read details about "The Candidate"?
OK. Here goes.
“The Candidate” isn’t as obvious a title as I assumed before watching this episode. I thought Jacob’s successor might be revealed more obviously by the end of the hour. Instead, two characters—Locke and Jack—seem to be “the candidate” in their separate universes.
Once again, after a notable lapse as leader while exploring what it means to be a follower, Jack tries to take charge, especially when it comes to explosive charges. Once again, trust issues cause conflicts. Perhaps the bomb would’ve gone off anyway, but the way the story unfolds makes it seem that Jack is right in his understanding of the way Evil/fLocke works. More and more, Jack is aligning with the force of Good—right down to saying he’ll stay on the island, no matter what. If that’s what it takes to keep Evil/MIB/fLocke from escaping, so be it.
Once again, Jack is associated with a symbolic key (to a briefcase, to a house, to a cage). He symbolically as well as physically sets his people free, although he denies that they’re “his” people. He stands up to MIB/fLocke, who threatens to kill him but doesn’t. More and more he’s sounding and acting like Jacob. Although Locke is “the candidate” for a progressive new procedure in the altverse, perhaps “the candidate” most likely to succeed Jacob is Jack.
In their ongoing island-based struggle, Man of Faith Locke and Man of Science Jack were at odds because Fixer Jack thought the “Locke problem” would keep him from getting off the island and saving his friends. By the end of the story, perhaps Jack will have become that Man of Faith who can succeed as the island’s representative where Locke could not—he understands both perspectives and has changed more than other characters. He believes in people getting a second chance, and he hopes that everyone will work together, because otherwise they just die alone. He mourns those lost, but he can’t always save them. He can be manipulative but also compassionate. He’s learning to let go. Yep. Definitely sounding more like Jacob every hour.
In the altverse, Jack saves Locke (coincidentally when his dural sac ruptures, just like Jack’s first surgical patient in the original timeline). On the island, Locke (through his admonition that Jack return to the island and stay there) saves Jack from fLocke’s temptations. In whatever guise, in whatever ‘verse, the two seem destined to oppose each other in a cosmic balancing act.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say farewell to the many who die in this episode. (Petty aside—If I were an actor whose character survived from day one until 19 days before the finale is broadcast, I would be mightily peeved. Chances are I’ll feel even worse for more actors/characters in the next few LOST hours.) Some dead characters, like Widmore Plane Guards #1 and 2 (plus more unnamed shooters who fall to Smokey’s wrath), may seem like collateral damage, but once again, LOST allows death to offer redemption to key characters.
Sun wants to save Jin, who wants just as much to save her. The island truly gives them a second chance to redeem their marriage. The emphasis (and numerous close-ups) on their wedding rings in this episode underscores their bond, one that ultimately isn’t broken even in death. Is the image of the separation of their joined hands a cruel irony or foreshadowing?
Conflicted, complicated Sayid—-torturer and tortured, murderer and savior, undead and dead--sacrifices his life to save those of his friends, but perhaps his greatest contribution toward the finale is his parting words to Jack.
Sayid, who knows fLocke well, tells Jack that he’ll need Desmond and explains where to find him. If Desmond holds the key to understanding the island, then Jack will need that knowledge soon. Sayid seems to understand Jack's significance beyond that as the castaways' leader.
Remember, too, that Desmond once held a key to an important part of the story--he uses the fail-safe key to release the Hatch's overload of energy. He accidentally helps bring people to the island. It sounds like he and Jack have some things in common, despite his name being off the candidates' list. What role might he play in Jack's island future?
We began by seeing the story unfold through Jack’s eyes. I’ll be disappointed if his vision doesn’t come full circle by 2300 on May 23. Jack must be the key to unlocking LOST.
Still waiting. Are you sure you're ready to read details about "The Candidate"?
OK. Here goes.
“The Candidate” isn’t as obvious a title as I assumed before watching this episode. I thought Jacob’s successor might be revealed more obviously by the end of the hour. Instead, two characters—Locke and Jack—seem to be “the candidate” in their separate universes.
Once again, after a notable lapse as leader while exploring what it means to be a follower, Jack tries to take charge, especially when it comes to explosive charges. Once again, trust issues cause conflicts. Perhaps the bomb would’ve gone off anyway, but the way the story unfolds makes it seem that Jack is right in his understanding of the way Evil/fLocke works. More and more, Jack is aligning with the force of Good—right down to saying he’ll stay on the island, no matter what. If that’s what it takes to keep Evil/MIB/fLocke from escaping, so be it.
Once again, Jack is associated with a symbolic key (to a briefcase, to a house, to a cage). He symbolically as well as physically sets his people free, although he denies that they’re “his” people. He stands up to MIB/fLocke, who threatens to kill him but doesn’t. More and more he’s sounding and acting like Jacob. Although Locke is “the candidate” for a progressive new procedure in the altverse, perhaps “the candidate” most likely to succeed Jacob is Jack.
In their ongoing island-based struggle, Man of Faith Locke and Man of Science Jack were at odds because Fixer Jack thought the “Locke problem” would keep him from getting off the island and saving his friends. By the end of the story, perhaps Jack will have become that Man of Faith who can succeed as the island’s representative where Locke could not—he understands both perspectives and has changed more than other characters. He believes in people getting a second chance, and he hopes that everyone will work together, because otherwise they just die alone. He mourns those lost, but he can’t always save them. He can be manipulative but also compassionate. He’s learning to let go. Yep. Definitely sounding more like Jacob every hour.
In the altverse, Jack saves Locke (coincidentally when his dural sac ruptures, just like Jack’s first surgical patient in the original timeline). On the island, Locke (through his admonition that Jack return to the island and stay there) saves Jack from fLocke’s temptations. In whatever guise, in whatever ‘verse, the two seem destined to oppose each other in a cosmic balancing act.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say farewell to the many who die in this episode. (Petty aside—If I were an actor whose character survived from day one until 19 days before the finale is broadcast, I would be mightily peeved. Chances are I’ll feel even worse for more actors/characters in the next few LOST hours.) Some dead characters, like Widmore Plane Guards #1 and 2 (plus more unnamed shooters who fall to Smokey’s wrath), may seem like collateral damage, but once again, LOST allows death to offer redemption to key characters.
Sun wants to save Jin, who wants just as much to save her. The island truly gives them a second chance to redeem their marriage. The emphasis (and numerous close-ups) on their wedding rings in this episode underscores their bond, one that ultimately isn’t broken even in death. Is the image of the separation of their joined hands a cruel irony or foreshadowing?
Conflicted, complicated Sayid—-torturer and tortured, murderer and savior, undead and dead--sacrifices his life to save those of his friends, but perhaps his greatest contribution toward the finale is his parting words to Jack.
Sayid, who knows fLocke well, tells Jack that he’ll need Desmond and explains where to find him. If Desmond holds the key to understanding the island, then Jack will need that knowledge soon. Sayid seems to understand Jack's significance beyond that as the castaways' leader.
Remember, too, that Desmond once held a key to an important part of the story--he uses the fail-safe key to release the Hatch's overload of energy. He accidentally helps bring people to the island. It sounds like he and Jack have some things in common, despite his name being off the candidates' list. What role might he play in Jack's island future?
We began by seeing the story unfold through Jack’s eyes. I’ll be disappointed if his vision doesn’t come full circle by 2300 on May 23. Jack must be the key to unlocking LOST.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Musing about LOST: "Everybody Loves Hugo" and "The Last Recruit"
My favorite parts of last week’s “Everybody Loves Hugo” surprised and bothered me. I was surprised (and pleased) to find out the the Whispers are the spirits who can’t move on—Michael included. Because redemption is such a big theme on LOST, seeing what happens to those who didn’t find redemption in the last life (and who apparently can’t be helped by the living, although they can try to make amends to those left behind) is another interesting tidbit to file away. Is the island really hell in an increasingly thin disguise? Is it the spiritual tipping point of the universe—offering redemption (and often death) to those who want to change their life paths but offering temptation and torment to those who succumb to their desire for power and greed?
I also liked the fact that Hurley is better off “crazy”—because then he can see the truth of the afterlife (and does so much better spiritually and mentally when he accepts that he can talk with the dead). He also finds love with another crazy person who sees the truth—Libby. Although the Libby-Hurley reunion wasn’t as crazy good as I’d hoped, I’m still glad they got to go on a beach picnic.
Once again in this episode, as Des discovered in the previous one, love leads the way to truth (and potentially sacrifice). Add Hurley to the growing list (Charlie, Daniel, Desmond) who finally realize that unconditional love, even if it remains unrequited, is the Meaning of Life. (How interesting that Desmond is #42 in line at Mr. Cluck’s.)
Speaking of Desmond, why is he suddenly channeling his inner Jacob and visiting his fellow passengers from Oceanic 815? I really hope he wasn’t the car behind Nadia’s demise in the original timeline. Being “touched by a Jacob” seems ominous enough, but being “touched by a Des”—or his front bumper—falls into a whole other category. The irony (karma?) of the parallel between fLocke dumping Des down a well and AltDes thumping Locke intrigues me.
Des' trend of mysteriously touching the lives of Oceanic 815 passengers continues in "The Last Recruit." He brings together Claire, Jack, and David; links patient Locke with surgeon Jack (because their first attempt at bonding over surgery didn't work); and further connects the dots between Sawyer and Kate, Miles and Nadia, and Sayid and Sawyer. One of LOST's running themes involves the interconnectedness of the castaways' lives, a mysterious Six Degrees of Separation, island-style. In this week's episode, that theme firmly knots the lifelines of almost everyone in the episode. For example, on the way to surgery, David and Jack walk past the room where Sun, accompanied by Jin, is recovering, and, a few steps away, Locke awaits surgery. Oh, what a tangled web they weave.
But back to last week's episode. My big disappointment with the final Hurley-centric story isn’t even Hurley’s cynicism as an always-wealthy entrepreneur. It makes sense that he would do good works with his wealth, even if he also realizes that money can buy him pretty much anything but love. (I even liked the Jurassic Park award he receives from Marvin Candle—Regis Philbin was finally right—there IS a dinosaur in the story!) My problem deals with what I fear may be another irony—the kindest, gentlest Everyman, Hurley, may inadvertently lead to the original castaways’ final destruction. By walking into fLocke’s camp, he brings together the missing pieces of MIB’s puzzle—and provides a possible way to get off the island. No matter that Hurley destroys the Black Rock’s dynamite (and someone should’ve told Ilana the Legend of the Lost Arzt). In my game plan, Hurley is the hero. I hope Darlton is following the same playbook.
But that commentary is so last week. The highlights of “The Last Recruit” continue the buildup leading to all the pieces falling into place, a series of small events beginning with the destruction of the Temple and exodus of fLocke’s people. Everything is leading to the final confrontation, and with only a few weeks to go, the final battle is about to begin.
In the “interesting phraseology” category this week, Jack tells fLocke, “I don’t know what the hell you are.” Prophetic or merely colloquial? Their discussion reveals another answer to a big question. MIB can only “become” someone once that person is dead--hence, the ironic choice of true believer John Locke and the pragmatic embodiment of Christian Shephard as two of MIB's most fortuitous guises.
By the end of the episode, the epic battle between (f)Locke and Jack seems to be ready to continue, only Jack has become the Man of Faith believing in the need to stay on the island. He wonders what will happen if everyone leaves—perhaps fLocke knows that there really is a purpose for the Candidates to remain on the island. fLocke’s chilling words—“You’re with me now”—portend at least one more battle before the Jack-Locke relationship, in all its many permutations across six seasons, is finally ended.
This episode and the previous one set up the players into different camps and allow characters to make amends for their past actions. Jack apologizes to Sawyer for Juliet’s death. Kate refuses to leave Claire behind and vows to reunite mother and child. Sun and Jin are reunited, proclaim their love, and vow to stay together always, even if the "'til death" part seems likely sooner rather than later.
Predictably, and in line with recent love-ins, Sun regains her voice when she’s back with Jin. Their reunion provides yet another mirror scene, this time of their previous reunion after Jin's short-lived raft adventure and run-in with the Tailies. In a way, tonight's reunion is almost a funny scene for its predictable romance. Jin and Sun are so wrapped up in each other--as the camera pans from smiling Frank to smiling Hurley to smiling Kate to scowling Sawyer (can't win them all)--that they fail to notice Zoe and Company pointing rifles at everyone. The lovebirds are the last to realize that, once again, their lives are in jeopardy. When Jin and Sun thought about getting down on the beach, they probably hadn't expected to be at gunpoint.
In LOST terms, the black and white chess pieces have been moved into place, and the strategy behind the ultimate game is slowly being revealed. Although Widmore seems to be a player, I can’t help but feel he’s yet another pawn. And for all that fLocke’s people wear grays and blacks (appropriate for followers of the Man in Black), I wonder if they are going to be the good guys in a little over a month.
I also liked the fact that Hurley is better off “crazy”—because then he can see the truth of the afterlife (and does so much better spiritually and mentally when he accepts that he can talk with the dead). He also finds love with another crazy person who sees the truth—Libby. Although the Libby-Hurley reunion wasn’t as crazy good as I’d hoped, I’m still glad they got to go on a beach picnic.
Once again in this episode, as Des discovered in the previous one, love leads the way to truth (and potentially sacrifice). Add Hurley to the growing list (Charlie, Daniel, Desmond) who finally realize that unconditional love, even if it remains unrequited, is the Meaning of Life. (How interesting that Desmond is #42 in line at Mr. Cluck’s.)
Speaking of Desmond, why is he suddenly channeling his inner Jacob and visiting his fellow passengers from Oceanic 815? I really hope he wasn’t the car behind Nadia’s demise in the original timeline. Being “touched by a Jacob” seems ominous enough, but being “touched by a Des”—or his front bumper—falls into a whole other category. The irony (karma?) of the parallel between fLocke dumping Des down a well and AltDes thumping Locke intrigues me.
Des' trend of mysteriously touching the lives of Oceanic 815 passengers continues in "The Last Recruit." He brings together Claire, Jack, and David; links patient Locke with surgeon Jack (because their first attempt at bonding over surgery didn't work); and further connects the dots between Sawyer and Kate, Miles and Nadia, and Sayid and Sawyer. One of LOST's running themes involves the interconnectedness of the castaways' lives, a mysterious Six Degrees of Separation, island-style. In this week's episode, that theme firmly knots the lifelines of almost everyone in the episode. For example, on the way to surgery, David and Jack walk past the room where Sun, accompanied by Jin, is recovering, and, a few steps away, Locke awaits surgery. Oh, what a tangled web they weave.
But back to last week's episode. My big disappointment with the final Hurley-centric story isn’t even Hurley’s cynicism as an always-wealthy entrepreneur. It makes sense that he would do good works with his wealth, even if he also realizes that money can buy him pretty much anything but love. (I even liked the Jurassic Park award he receives from Marvin Candle—Regis Philbin was finally right—there IS a dinosaur in the story!) My problem deals with what I fear may be another irony—the kindest, gentlest Everyman, Hurley, may inadvertently lead to the original castaways’ final destruction. By walking into fLocke’s camp, he brings together the missing pieces of MIB’s puzzle—and provides a possible way to get off the island. No matter that Hurley destroys the Black Rock’s dynamite (and someone should’ve told Ilana the Legend of the Lost Arzt). In my game plan, Hurley is the hero. I hope Darlton is following the same playbook.
But that commentary is so last week. The highlights of “The Last Recruit” continue the buildup leading to all the pieces falling into place, a series of small events beginning with the destruction of the Temple and exodus of fLocke’s people. Everything is leading to the final confrontation, and with only a few weeks to go, the final battle is about to begin.
In the “interesting phraseology” category this week, Jack tells fLocke, “I don’t know what the hell you are.” Prophetic or merely colloquial? Their discussion reveals another answer to a big question. MIB can only “become” someone once that person is dead--hence, the ironic choice of true believer John Locke and the pragmatic embodiment of Christian Shephard as two of MIB's most fortuitous guises.
By the end of the episode, the epic battle between (f)Locke and Jack seems to be ready to continue, only Jack has become the Man of Faith believing in the need to stay on the island. He wonders what will happen if everyone leaves—perhaps fLocke knows that there really is a purpose for the Candidates to remain on the island. fLocke’s chilling words—“You’re with me now”—portend at least one more battle before the Jack-Locke relationship, in all its many permutations across six seasons, is finally ended.
This episode and the previous one set up the players into different camps and allow characters to make amends for their past actions. Jack apologizes to Sawyer for Juliet’s death. Kate refuses to leave Claire behind and vows to reunite mother and child. Sun and Jin are reunited, proclaim their love, and vow to stay together always, even if the "'til death" part seems likely sooner rather than later.
Predictably, and in line with recent love-ins, Sun regains her voice when she’s back with Jin. Their reunion provides yet another mirror scene, this time of their previous reunion after Jin's short-lived raft adventure and run-in with the Tailies. In a way, tonight's reunion is almost a funny scene for its predictable romance. Jin and Sun are so wrapped up in each other--as the camera pans from smiling Frank to smiling Hurley to smiling Kate to scowling Sawyer (can't win them all)--that they fail to notice Zoe and Company pointing rifles at everyone. The lovebirds are the last to realize that, once again, their lives are in jeopardy. When Jin and Sun thought about getting down on the beach, they probably hadn't expected to be at gunpoint.
In LOST terms, the black and white chess pieces have been moved into place, and the strategy behind the ultimate game is slowly being revealed. Although Widmore seems to be a player, I can’t help but feel he’s yet another pawn. And for all that fLocke’s people wear grays and blacks (appropriate for followers of the Man in Black), I wonder if they are going to be the good guys in a little over a month.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
LOST: Happily Ever After
Confusing, uplifting, heartbreaking, illusory—so many possible labels for this fairy tale, but then, fairy tales are supposed to be outside the realm of reality.
I’ve been remiss with spoilers, so I’ll apologize if I inadvertently indicated plot or character twists in my Facebook post today. I’ll reiterate that all of my blogs about LOST, posted any time from a few minutes to 24 hours after East Coast US broadcast, will definitely spoil you if you haven’t seen the latest episode. Please read at your own risk.
What happens when what seems to be the proverbial happy ending really just stunts our emotional or spiritual growth? How can a less than happy ending logically be the best thing for us? And what four-letter word turns out to be the meaning of life? LOST tackles these issues from the perspectives of three of my favorite men: Charlie, Desmond, and Daniel.
This episode also scored well on the List of LOST Trademarks: symbolic names, frequently representing philosophers or scientists; repeated symbols or icons, including bunnies, keys, and eyes; repeated or mirrored scenes or dialogue; repeated themes. So, among the fun tidbits for the faithful, “Happily Ever After” provides us with
• Science-related names Minkowski (now Widmore’s driver) and Angstrom (the bunny), but Faraday and Hawking are now Widmores
• Humanities-related names Hume and Milton (Penny’s apparent flashsideways surname)—so many metaphors, so little time
These names also reflect the ongoing LOST thematic battle between Men of Science and Men of Faith in determining how to approach life. Dan clearly isn’t a man of science in the flashsideways, but even as a musician (although music still is a highly technical specialization) he takes a scientific approach to deciphering the nature of love and the possibility of more than one timeline. In this episode, despite all the science, the battle convincingly swings toward faith. We might not be able to prove it empirically, but we believe certain “truths.” Hold that thought for a moment.
• Repeated images of a bunny, a request for Des to hand over any keys or other metal before (in a mirrored scene) entering the electromagnetic field or undergoing an MRI, and emphases yet again on eyes (three times on Des’ peepers in this episode) to frame the story from his perspective in different timelines
• Several mirrored scenes from Desmond’s backstories, some going as far back as Season 2: Des wasn’t kidding when he told Jack in that fateful stadium “See you in another life.” This time, however, he has a happier run-in with Penny. And isn’t it nice to see the guy swoon at love at first sight? Another mirror shows us what the Desmond-Charles dynamic can be if Widmore considers Des a son instead of a son-in-law. That bottle of finely aged Scotch (sorry, whisky) is an appropriate measure of the wealthy Scot’s level of approval.
Still difficult for me not to obsess over the mirrored Not Penny’s Boat scene; it was powerful, symbolic, and confounding all at the same time.
Now back to those repeated themes: Love and Sacrifice.
My deepest regret about LOST has been its treatment of love, especially unrequited love. I wish LOST would requite a lot more often. That’s particularly true of couples Charlie and Claire, Daniel and Charlotte, and Desmond and Penny, although at least they enjoyed smooth sailing for awhile. “Happily Ever After” changed my mind about LOST loves.
How remarkable that Charlie, during an NDE on Oceanic 815, understands what it would be like to love and be loved by Claire, and how love would make life worth living (even if that life is shorter than I would’ve liked).
How symbolic that Des’ “transition” from the island’s test room to the flashsideways world is blue sky and puffy clouds, a stereotypical visual of heaven, but his idea of heaven on earth is only realized in one timeline.
How touching that Dan immediately recognizes Charlotte (and her love of chocolate).
How prophetic that sacrifice is required for LOST’s greatest love stories. Widmore’s comments to Desmond that “The island isn’t finished with you yet” and “I’ll ask you to make a sacrifice” are the most haunting words yet—at least to Desmond/Penny fans.
Charlie seems remarkably wise and certain about the nature of life and love. This characterization leads to my big conundrum with this episode: Is Charlie a live junkie getting along miraculously in hospitals and jails without his stash? Should I assume he’s receiving off-camera care? Once he crosses over—the street—he seems remarkably unconcerned about death but focused in his role as a spiritual guide, not unlike the post-death Charlie who visited Hurley with a message. He also seems to appear just when Des needs him, but other people, including hospital staff, are remarkably cavalier about his disappearance. Am I reading too much into Charlie’s second voyage to the bottom of the sea? Send me your interpretations! Or post them at the blog instead of on Facebook!
Despite all the ways that these love stories are never likely to achieve a happily ever after, that doesn’t make them any less moving or memorable. “None of this matters. What matters is that we’ve felt it.” I agree with you, oh wise Charlie, whose dialogue summarizes LOST’s significance to me as a story for all time: “Just for a moment I saw what [love] looked like…I’ve seen something real. I’ve seen the truth.” So, George Minkowski, did I find what I was looking for? Yes. And it doesn’t matter so much about that happily ever after, after all.
I’ve been remiss with spoilers, so I’ll apologize if I inadvertently indicated plot or character twists in my Facebook post today. I’ll reiterate that all of my blogs about LOST, posted any time from a few minutes to 24 hours after East Coast US broadcast, will definitely spoil you if you haven’t seen the latest episode. Please read at your own risk.
What happens when what seems to be the proverbial happy ending really just stunts our emotional or spiritual growth? How can a less than happy ending logically be the best thing for us? And what four-letter word turns out to be the meaning of life? LOST tackles these issues from the perspectives of three of my favorite men: Charlie, Desmond, and Daniel.
This episode also scored well on the List of LOST Trademarks: symbolic names, frequently representing philosophers or scientists; repeated symbols or icons, including bunnies, keys, and eyes; repeated or mirrored scenes or dialogue; repeated themes. So, among the fun tidbits for the faithful, “Happily Ever After” provides us with
• Science-related names Minkowski (now Widmore’s driver) and Angstrom (the bunny), but Faraday and Hawking are now Widmores
• Humanities-related names Hume and Milton (Penny’s apparent flashsideways surname)—so many metaphors, so little time
These names also reflect the ongoing LOST thematic battle between Men of Science and Men of Faith in determining how to approach life. Dan clearly isn’t a man of science in the flashsideways, but even as a musician (although music still is a highly technical specialization) he takes a scientific approach to deciphering the nature of love and the possibility of more than one timeline. In this episode, despite all the science, the battle convincingly swings toward faith. We might not be able to prove it empirically, but we believe certain “truths.” Hold that thought for a moment.
• Repeated images of a bunny, a request for Des to hand over any keys or other metal before (in a mirrored scene) entering the electromagnetic field or undergoing an MRI, and emphases yet again on eyes (three times on Des’ peepers in this episode) to frame the story from his perspective in different timelines
• Several mirrored scenes from Desmond’s backstories, some going as far back as Season 2: Des wasn’t kidding when he told Jack in that fateful stadium “See you in another life.” This time, however, he has a happier run-in with Penny. And isn’t it nice to see the guy swoon at love at first sight? Another mirror shows us what the Desmond-Charles dynamic can be if Widmore considers Des a son instead of a son-in-law. That bottle of finely aged Scotch (sorry, whisky) is an appropriate measure of the wealthy Scot’s level of approval.
Still difficult for me not to obsess over the mirrored Not Penny’s Boat scene; it was powerful, symbolic, and confounding all at the same time.
Now back to those repeated themes: Love and Sacrifice.
My deepest regret about LOST has been its treatment of love, especially unrequited love. I wish LOST would requite a lot more often. That’s particularly true of couples Charlie and Claire, Daniel and Charlotte, and Desmond and Penny, although at least they enjoyed smooth sailing for awhile. “Happily Ever After” changed my mind about LOST loves.
How remarkable that Charlie, during an NDE on Oceanic 815, understands what it would be like to love and be loved by Claire, and how love would make life worth living (even if that life is shorter than I would’ve liked).
How symbolic that Des’ “transition” from the island’s test room to the flashsideways world is blue sky and puffy clouds, a stereotypical visual of heaven, but his idea of heaven on earth is only realized in one timeline.
How touching that Dan immediately recognizes Charlotte (and her love of chocolate).
How prophetic that sacrifice is required for LOST’s greatest love stories. Widmore’s comments to Desmond that “The island isn’t finished with you yet” and “I’ll ask you to make a sacrifice” are the most haunting words yet—at least to Desmond/Penny fans.
Charlie seems remarkably wise and certain about the nature of life and love. This characterization leads to my big conundrum with this episode: Is Charlie a live junkie getting along miraculously in hospitals and jails without his stash? Should I assume he’s receiving off-camera care? Once he crosses over—the street—he seems remarkably unconcerned about death but focused in his role as a spiritual guide, not unlike the post-death Charlie who visited Hurley with a message. He also seems to appear just when Des needs him, but other people, including hospital staff, are remarkably cavalier about his disappearance. Am I reading too much into Charlie’s second voyage to the bottom of the sea? Send me your interpretations! Or post them at the blog instead of on Facebook!
Despite all the ways that these love stories are never likely to achieve a happily ever after, that doesn’t make them any less moving or memorable. “None of this matters. What matters is that we’ve felt it.” I agree with you, oh wise Charlie, whose dialogue summarizes LOST’s significance to me as a story for all time: “Just for a moment I saw what [love] looked like…I’ve seen something real. I’ve seen the truth.” So, George Minkowski, did I find what I was looking for? Yes. And it doesn’t matter so much about that happily ever after, after all.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
LOST: The Package
Sun shines. Although nothing could match last week’s stellar epic episode, “The Package” packed enough surprises to keep me hooked through the entire hour. Even when I was busy reading subtitles, Yunjin Kim’s inflection and commanding presence, whether she shouts angrily or coos seductively, let me know exactly what Sun has on her mind in each scene.
My predominant images of Sun from the very early episodes come from scenes in which she plants a garden—a creative and practical outlet for the nurturing side she doesn’t seem to let loose very often—or in which she and Jin become preoccupied with a tiny sweater button. That these images factor heavily in this episode is yet another tribute to LOST’s writers, who can take the simplest image (not to mention the big “meaning of life” ones) and create a metaphor for a life or a relationship. When Sun reveals herself, through an outburst in the garden or the removal of that primly buttoned top, she is surprisingly passionate. In “The Package,” perhaps for the last time, we see why Sun is the perfect metaphorical name for this character. She can scorch enemies or warm the coldest heart with a single look.
The Garden provides another Biblical allusion, even if Jack offers Sun a “love apple” (i.e., tomato) instead of the standard apple-as-symbol-of-knowledge. In the beginning, of Sun’s island life at least, she carefully plants seeds of hope as well as trees. Just as her relationship with Jin flourishes in the least likely of places, so does the garden symbolically grow, resulting at last in a child—and I loved the moment when Jin finally sees his daughter through the eye of a camera. When Sun returns to the island and tries to find solace in her garden, the one place that was truly hers in that long-ago post-crash, pre-separation era, it’s overrun with weeds. Clearly, Jin’s and Sun’s relationship—as well as her own off-island life—needs some careful tending. Sun, however, doesn’t see that hopeful little tomato that Jack later brings to her. I can only hope that, like the metaphorical tomato, Sun survives under the harshest conditions.
I’m a bit concerned, though, because of her bloody hands in this episode. She slices a finger, the blood obvious, when Locke appears to tempt her from the garden with knowledge of Jin’s whereabouts. She refuses to take his hand (but, in a mirror scene with Jack, does accept his after he also promises to reunite her with Jin). In the flashsideways, the last image of Sun being carried off emphasizes her bloody hand. Sun is hardly innocent of deception; after all, she is her father’s daughter. Her hands are bloodied to some extent in every timeline, but I still hope she and Jin can save each other.
I liked the way that more pieces of the big puzzle are neatly slotting into place. Picking up the restaurant scene from Sayid’s flashsideways and presenting more of that day from Sun’s and Jin’s perspectives illustrate another aspect of LOST’s creative storytelling and tight writing. I hated grenade-pulling Mikhail but rather enjoyed his return as a mercenary interpreter.
My real sorrow comes not only with the realization that yet another episode is LOST, even though more puzzle pieces are found, but from the implications of Desmond’s re-introduction to the story. Although Widmore clearly states that “the package” is a person, not a thing, Desmond is still objectified (and not in a sexy, let’s-see-him-nakey-in-the-jungle way). He’s both a constant and a package, perhaps the proverbial key to unlocking the way to overthrow Locke.
When last night’s preview offered us images of Des, the soundtrack went all Scottish with a pipe rendition of what most people call “Amazing Grace.” (How fitting for me that, come this Easter, I’ll be listening to yet another piper playing that song on a beach at sunrise. Resurrection and redemption from one beach to another….but I digress.) Willie Nelson’s plaintive “I once was lost, but now I’m found” from much earlier season promos is echoed in last night’s song for one of my favorite Scots. Let the war begin, even as I fear to see the casualties. Come on, Darlton. If Sun and Jin can’t have a happy ending—and I really don’t care all that much about that old triangle—please reunite Penny and Desmond so they can sail off into the sunset.
My predominant images of Sun from the very early episodes come from scenes in which she plants a garden—a creative and practical outlet for the nurturing side she doesn’t seem to let loose very often—or in which she and Jin become preoccupied with a tiny sweater button. That these images factor heavily in this episode is yet another tribute to LOST’s writers, who can take the simplest image (not to mention the big “meaning of life” ones) and create a metaphor for a life or a relationship. When Sun reveals herself, through an outburst in the garden or the removal of that primly buttoned top, she is surprisingly passionate. In “The Package,” perhaps for the last time, we see why Sun is the perfect metaphorical name for this character. She can scorch enemies or warm the coldest heart with a single look.
The Garden provides another Biblical allusion, even if Jack offers Sun a “love apple” (i.e., tomato) instead of the standard apple-as-symbol-of-knowledge. In the beginning, of Sun’s island life at least, she carefully plants seeds of hope as well as trees. Just as her relationship with Jin flourishes in the least likely of places, so does the garden symbolically grow, resulting at last in a child—and I loved the moment when Jin finally sees his daughter through the eye of a camera. When Sun returns to the island and tries to find solace in her garden, the one place that was truly hers in that long-ago post-crash, pre-separation era, it’s overrun with weeds. Clearly, Jin’s and Sun’s relationship—as well as her own off-island life—needs some careful tending. Sun, however, doesn’t see that hopeful little tomato that Jack later brings to her. I can only hope that, like the metaphorical tomato, Sun survives under the harshest conditions.
I’m a bit concerned, though, because of her bloody hands in this episode. She slices a finger, the blood obvious, when Locke appears to tempt her from the garden with knowledge of Jin’s whereabouts. She refuses to take his hand (but, in a mirror scene with Jack, does accept his after he also promises to reunite her with Jin). In the flashsideways, the last image of Sun being carried off emphasizes her bloody hand. Sun is hardly innocent of deception; after all, she is her father’s daughter. Her hands are bloodied to some extent in every timeline, but I still hope she and Jin can save each other.
I liked the way that more pieces of the big puzzle are neatly slotting into place. Picking up the restaurant scene from Sayid’s flashsideways and presenting more of that day from Sun’s and Jin’s perspectives illustrate another aspect of LOST’s creative storytelling and tight writing. I hated grenade-pulling Mikhail but rather enjoyed his return as a mercenary interpreter.
My real sorrow comes not only with the realization that yet another episode is LOST, even though more puzzle pieces are found, but from the implications of Desmond’s re-introduction to the story. Although Widmore clearly states that “the package” is a person, not a thing, Desmond is still objectified (and not in a sexy, let’s-see-him-nakey-in-the-jungle way). He’s both a constant and a package, perhaps the proverbial key to unlocking the way to overthrow Locke.
When last night’s preview offered us images of Des, the soundtrack went all Scottish with a pipe rendition of what most people call “Amazing Grace.” (How fitting for me that, come this Easter, I’ll be listening to yet another piper playing that song on a beach at sunrise. Resurrection and redemption from one beach to another….but I digress.) Willie Nelson’s plaintive “I once was lost, but now I’m found” from much earlier season promos is echoed in last night’s song for one of my favorite Scots. Let the war begin, even as I fear to see the casualties. Come on, Darlton. If Sun and Jin can’t have a happy ending—and I really don’t care all that much about that old triangle—please reunite Penny and Desmond so they can sail off into the sunset.
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