Episode 5x05 -- The Funeral Party

Readers beware. This is a long one...

INTRO: Fascination Street

I am constantly amazed at the ability of LOST’s creatives to weave very heavy-handed symbolism seamlessly into the storyline and still leave enough room for one’s referential head to spin off its axis. Perhaps it’s because they tend to pack multiple layers into each episode, and this week’s high-tension offering “This Place is Death” was an exceptional example of the show at its mythological best. What a treat, like an overstuffed Pandora’s Box chocked full of monsters and visions, ghosts and demons, bringers of illusion, and perpetual darkness. But on LOST we are never served up one extreme without the other, as light eventually circles the void left by the carnage, reminding us of one of the fundamental themes of the show overall. That is, the nature of life exists within these dualities and there is no escaping the other side of the mirror. It would seem this episode especially is meant to remind us that as above, so below.


Six Different Ways

One might say Ben has six very good reasons to be a tad testy right now, as his plans at an off-Island reunion at the marina turned out to be more of an exercise in futility. Sun’s brazen gun-waving was the last straw for Sayid, who was entirely fed up with Ben’s shenanigans and the whole cloak and dagger scene overall. With what was probably still tranquilizer on his breath, he left with a threat to both Ben and Jack, and I honestly don’t blame him one bit. A betrayed and shocked Kate was also sent running off yet again with Aaron close to her chest. What happened to Kate, anyway? I remember the days when she would have drop-kicked Ben in the FACE and wrestled that gun away from Sun in a heartbeat. The only thing she still has is her knack for quickly putting Jack directly in his place. It’s odd to see her passively clinging to a child, scampering away now so seemingly helpless.

Doing the Unstuck

In fact, none of our O6’ers really have seemed like themselves since they left. I believe that is because their entire post-crash, off-island existence was never supposed to happen, and whether it’s the Island who tortures their conscience, or Ben, they were never meant to jump the timeline. What this has to do with the Island’s skipping, and how it’s supposed to fix the problem upon their return, well as Faraday put it, “that's where we leave science behind.”

That’s where I leave my time-travel paradox thoughts behind as well. I mean, why did Ben allow the O6 to leave the Island in the first place if becoming “unstuck in time” was going to be the result? I was under the impression that he had done this sort of Island-jumping-looping thing before, and even had knowledge of “the rules” in regards to what could and should not be broken. Even more confusing is that we later learn that when Ben turned the donkey wheel, he knocked it from its axis, and this is what is supposedly causing the Island’s little temporal hiccups.

Or so says Christian Sheppard a.k.a. the mouthpiece of Jacob. I wonder if we should trust this entity who says that Locke should have never trusted Ben. Could Ben just be using the O6 to facilitate his own journey back to the Island, because he for some reason cannot return alive without them? I do think it is the combination of a wiggy wheel and the O6's departure that has caused the time issue. But who is telling the complete truth here, if anyone?


Jumping Someone Else’s Train

If Ben wanted to remove Locke from the Island and keep it for himself, he more than likely would have let Locke turn the wheel and get whisked off to the desert. Was Ben so enraged by the murder of Alex that he needed to make a pit stop from The Island Express in order to deliver a personal threat to Widmore? I think it’s possible, but it also seems that he has plenty of off-Island Others working for him who could have more easily done the same, and without the need to for him put his own life in such risk. When Ben went down into the frozen chamber and started pushing on that contraption, he was without a doubt genuinely upset. We also know that he had been coming to the realization that he was no longer in favor with Jacob, so maybe this was an indication of his ultimate despair at being ousted.

Perhaps then it was Locke who did not deliver the message properly, which as much as I love the man, definitely seems like something he would do. Locke told Ben that “we have to move the Island”, while Christian specifically told Locke to move it. Is it possible that Ben just assumed that it was his own task, his final sacrifice and punishment for whatever reason that he and Jacob were at odds? Whatever the case may be, after everything that he has done, I don’t believe that Ben would have purposefully and willingly have left the Island and put Locke in charge unless it was absolutely necessary for the survival of the Island itself. It is an action of last resort and there seems to be no way to predict the ramifications. The rules have indeed changed, and I believe that Ben is out of his element now just like everyone else who never should have left.


Going Home Time

This is probably why Ben finally snaps and lashes out at the remaining group of two like a raging father driving a car full of hyperactive kids to Disneyland. Well, more like a slightly cold and creepy father. Sun just had to ask “are we there yet?” one final time, and Jack had to throw one last spitball over Dad’s shoulder. The entire van-brake slamming tirade was probably the most emotional we have seen Ben since he spun the magic donkey wheel. It was definitely the most amusing.

For once Ben really appears to have no idea what could possibly happen next, as evidenced by his obvious surprise upon seeing Desmond walking up to the church the same time his own party had arrived. It also seems as if he had to take a quick moment to process the fact that Desmond knows Ms. Hawking is Daniel Faraday’s mother. It probably will not take him long to figure the trail leads back to Widmore, and once he realizes the connection, I fear Penny’s life is suddenly going to become a lot more dangerous. At the moment though, there is no time for Q&A, and Ben herds the gang to rendezvous with LOST’s most mysterious matron.

The Holy Hour

I believe at this point it is safe to say that we have a new DHARMA station on our hands in the form of L.A.’s best kept-secret, Ms. Hawking’s Holy Basement Electromagnetic Super-Lab. Ever since we were flashed a new, unknown symbol in one of the season 5 promos earlier this year, fans have been guessing at its name and chomping at the bit to finally get a real glimpse. I couldn’t help but notice the DHARMA binders on Ms. Hawking’s basement shelf the last time we saw her there, the same type we have seen in other stations such as the Flame and the Orchid. Since I would rather not entirely spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it, for all intents and purposes the symbol appears to be a lamp post, one similar to what you would see on any ordinary street-corner. How interesting it is that the first time we are shown the church in this episode we first see a close-up of the same kind of street light on a post.
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Not only do we have the symbolism inherent with the idea of a beacon “lighting one’s way” back to the Island, but those who are familiar with the tales of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (also Charlotte’s initials) know it is the lamp post was used to signify the bridge between the world of Narnia and our own. In addition, there is a direct parallel that can be drawn between the potential location being in a church, and the idea of “the light” as it relates to the pure and the Holy and in Christian faith, Jesus himself. Of course I must refer to the Book of John:

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
JOHN 1:4

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
JOHN 8:12

We later see another exterior shot from further away with the lamp post again on the left and a large statue of Jesus Christ on the right.Could it be that a little of both worlds, above and below – faith and science, are needed to locate the window which will allow entrance back onto the Island?


The Snakepit

It was probably easy to guess that for being a royal jerk to Jin since landing on the Island, Danielle’s comrade Montand was going to get it eventually. What I did not expect was the manner in which the Smoke Monster was able to completely tear him from his arm. Robert’s expression was worth several rewinds. It makes me remember how close Locke was to this same fate. Once the Temple was revealed I saw that it was everything that I had hoped it would be. There was a lot of speculation last season when we first learned of this place, as a small DHARMA symbol on Ben’s map had led some to believe that it was not at all what the name implies but rather another one of the D.I.’s scientific research stations. Instead it’s ancient-looking, covered in hieroglyphs, and from all appearances, one of Smokey’s bedrooms.

My only question now is in regards to what exactly turned Danielle’s crew against her? It would seem that somehow, they were changed when they went down into the Temple after Montand. However, I believe some time passed between the jumps that Jin experienced, and that it was a good deal later when he reappeared at their beach camp. There are several reasons why I do not think we have the whole story. For one, Danielle had told us already that her crew became sick after they had come across the Black Rock. Second, there is a case marked EXPLOSIVES among their things on the beach that suspiciously looks like the same crates that came from the hull of the old ship. In addition, we see the camp had looked to be lived in for a bit, more than two seats were by the fire and instruments were out of their cases, as if they had returned from the encounter with the Monster and all had been ok for awhile. I do hope that we get to find out what it was that changed her husband Robert to the point where he was about to murder his own pregnant wife.

Charlotte Sometimes

It’s a shame that the one person who might be able to figure out all of the ancient cultural leave-behinds on the Island has met an untimely end. Well, at least we finally discovered not only was she on the Island as a little girl, but she ran into ol’ Danny boy at some point in her childhood as well. I am guessing that Locke’s spin of the wheel might not totally stop our castaways from time-travelling, and that they have a trip to DHARMA-ville to look forward to. I mean, back to.

I am also glad they decided to revisit the fact that Charlotte knows Korean. I still wonder if it has not just to do with her being an anthropologist, but perhaps she is somehow connected to Mr. Paik as well. In addition, who is Charlotte’s dad and why couldn’t he leave the Island with her and her mother? I am willing to bet that he is someone important, and perhaps the reason why Charlotte also knew about that old well-chamber.

The final scene of her life was brilliant, as both actors really pulled off an emotional moment for a character that we were only just beginning to learn about. Combined with the score, the scenery, and the amazing direction of one of LOST’s best camera pull-back shots, I was truly moved by Charlotte’s death, and was taken aback by how touching it really was. I will miss her.

From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea

When a scatter-brained Charlotte rattled off how she knew more about Carthage than Hannibal, I immediately rushed to the encyclopedia to confirm that Carthage is indeed the same location as modern-day Tunisia. We already witnessed her find the skeleton of a DHARMA polar bear there in the desert, but later when a polar Ben suddenly appeared after spinning the donkey wheel, of course it became easy to assume this area is a drop off station for the Island Express.

But why Tunisia? For one thing if we were to take the earth, fold it in half, squash it flat, and then draw a straight line through the middle of Tunisia it would come out on the opposite side of the globe in the Pacific Ocean outside of Fiji, near the area where Flight 815 more than likely went missing. So in one regard one can look at the Island and the turning of the wheel as perhaps opening some kind of diametrical portal or wormhole between these two antipodes.

I believe another hint comes from the season two episode ‘S.O.S.’, where Rose and Bernard visit a healer in Australia named Isaac. When Rose asks about his methods he explains to her, “There are certain places with great energy; spots on the Earth like the one we're above now. Perhaps this energy is geological, magnetic…” The idea of Ley Lines, or intersecting points of energy that are arranged across the Earth like a grid, is not at all a new one. For ages mystics have been trying to tune into and utilize these special places where it is thought that the Earth’s energies are especially concentrated. Around the globe there are twelve special areas, or vile vortices, where additional bizarre occurrences are said to take place, the most infamous being the Bermuda Triangle and the Devil’s Sea. Strange weather, instrument malfunctions, and even disappearances have all been said to occur in these areas.

In addition, we have vortices which relate directly to the LOST universe and which might explain how some of the Island’s other vessels may have gotten there. First, we have a Sahara Vortex corresponding to the “drop off point” in Tunisia. This could also explain how the Nigerian drug-smuggler’s plane could have reached the Island if it accidentally slipped into this portal. Second, there is a Fiji Vortex which might explain how Flight 815, Danielle Rousseau’s expedition, Desmond’s boat, and even the Kahana Freighter were able to access the Island. There is also the Black Rock ship which was said to have sailed from the coast of Mozambique. Wouldn’t you know, there is a Mozambique Channel Vortex as well.

Perhaps the anomalous electromagnetic properties of the Island and its ability to travel and exist in its own bubble of space-time are indeed somehow linked to this planetary grid system. I believe we are going to start seeing some of these ideas tie together a bit tighter as we learn more about how the Island itself moves around the Earth, if it even is a part of the Earth, and how our castaways are going to go about finding it again and returning.

The Same Deep Water as You

Once again we are given the idea that DHARMA definitely copped something that was there long before they were, as evidenced by the old well which served as a direct pathway to the underground frozen wheel chamber. One of my favorite parts of the episode is when John Locke refuses to be lowered into the well, as he replies, "where would be the fun in that?" and gives Sawyer this perfectly insane little smile. And with all of the excitement and fear we have come to know accompanies our favorite resident jungle-sage, Locke heads down the rabbit hole once more.

Poor Sawyer. If only Locke had only held onto the rope in that well, he wouldn’t have lost a friend. Again. I was really taken aback by how horrified he was and how quickly he sprung to the ground to try and dig Locke out, as if that was going to help. It kind of choked me up to be honest. Sawyer has become the third part of this Island Trinity, as he is truly the Heart to Jack’s Head and Locke’s Soul.

Poor Locke. If only he had clung to that rope in the well, he wouldn’t have busted his leg. Again. How many injuries does this make now, anyway? I think I am losing count of all the times he has had to limp through an episode, or fall to the ground from some ridiculous height, or climb down into some deep hatch, or make the heroes’ journey once more into the darkness below.


SYMBOL WATCH: Why Can’t I Be You?

I really don’t know of too many shows that have become so incredibly self-referential over the course of time and have done so to the level of success that LOST has. Let’s take a look at some more of the mirroring and repetition in this episode.

-- Locke becomes the “sacrifice the Island demands” just as he once claimed Boone was.

-- Once more once Locke must seek the Island’s advice and proceed on blind faith alone to set things right.

-- Jin makes Locke promise not to go and see Sun. Locke then says that he won’t go and see her, but she might go to see him. Later, Jack discovers Ben and Locke did actually meet up off the Island and says to Ben, "I thought he never came to see you." Ben replies that Locke didn’t come to see him, but instead he went to see Locke.

-- Sun lost her wedding ring the first time one of them left the Island, when Jin took off on the raft that Michael built. This is mirrored by Jin giving his ring to Locke to take it to his wife who is now the one who left.

-- Jin initially gives the ring to Locke as a symbol of divorce in order to keep Sun from returning to the Island. Sun later accepts the ring "in marriage" from Ben as proof the Jin is alive, and it becomes motivation for her to go back and find him.

-- Marriage and divorce is also a theme once more with Danielle and Robert Rousseau.

-- Locke receives thanks for his efforts to save the castaways, while Ben gets death threats and has to remind the O6 what he has done to keep them “safe”.

-- This is not the first time we have seen dead people falling from the trees, nor rotting dismembered arms, nor the idea of people losing their arms in general.

-- On the Island, the Smoke Monster dwells underneath a Temple. Off the Island, Ms. Hawking dwells in a church basement.

-- On the Island Christian, Jack’s father, "lights" the way in the wheel chamber for Locke to leave the Island. At the same time off-Island, Ms. Hawking, Daniel’s mother, “lights” the way for the O6 to return to the Island.

I’m sure there are plenty more examples that can be discerned. In fact it would seem like they chunked in just about everything except perhaps the classic, “You need to pee on my wound” joke with Jin from the first two seasons. (I’m still waiting, LOST writers. Throw it in there soon, please, ok?)


Just Like Heaven

This is also not at all the first time the concept of the Underworld has been explored on the show. From the hieroglyphs on the Swan hatch countdown timer that actually translated into “Underworld”, to the name Abaddon, which means "destroyer" and in the Book of Revelations is the Angel of the Abyss, to John Locke’s father on the Island thinking that he was actually in Hell; it’s a major theme on LOST. Even the fact that the Island is volcanic can be tied to this idea, as many cultures used to believe that volcanoes were entrances to the Dark Below. Finally, and most pertinent to this particular episode is the Cerberus, the mythological three-headed creature that guards the gates to Hades, and the same name our Smoke Monster has been referred to. Both are basically security systems guarding underground secrets most travelers should never look to explore.

One of the more fascinating connections LOST has served up relates to the Egyptian hieroglyphs we have seen now in several places beyond the Swan Hatch. The secret door in Ben’s house he went through in order to summon the Smoke Monster was covered with them. So was the column of stone in the frozen donkey wheel chamber. Now we have a Temple covered with this ancient writing as well as a large pyramid carved above the doorway entrance.

One of the glyphs seen can be identified as ‘time’ or ‘the sun’ and another, the Egyptian sun god, Horus. Horus corresponds to the Greek sun god Apollo, which is also the name shared by the candy bar that DHARMA always seemed to have in ample supply. In addition, we also have the DHARMA scientist named Horace, who not only brought Ben and his father to the Island, but who also originally built the cabin that Jacob is so fond of.

Am I insinuating that the Island is a literal embodiment of the Underworld? Not necessarily. This Place definitely seems to be Death for some such the DHARMA initiative, Rousseau’s belligerent friend Montand, as well as poor, dear Charlotte. But at the same time for others like Locke and Sawyer, the Island is a rebirth, a chance to start anew, and a place for redemption. The Island in essence embodies both Apollo and Cerberus, light and dark, beginning and end.

And lately, both future and past.


CONCLUSION: Round & Round & Round

By now we are all quite familiar with the amount of repetition and mirroring on LOST, and how we are now watching our characters play through the same moves over and over, as the same themes are being repeated and flipped around again and again. It seems as if the Island is not only spinning like a skipping record, but also tends to keep replaying these events as if there were some ideal timeline, some ultimate preferred conclusion that it is trying to reach.

In this episode there is a brief yet somewhat out-of-place moment where Sun tells her daughter Ji Yeon about the new American friend she met for her, Aaron. This is the second time that Sun has brought up the idea of the two children playing together, and it led me to a very strange thought on the heels of last week’s installment ‘The Little Prince’. Could it be that somehow we will witness the two youngest of our LOSTies, Aaron and Ji Yeon, later in a future life together on the island?

I cannot help but think back to the caves from season one, and the skeletons (aptly nicknamed Adam and Eve) that were discovered there in ‘House of the Rising Sun’. The bodies were also found with two stones, one black and one white, the yin and yang. With all of the time travel going on, it would seem the future is not necessarily separated from the past, just as life is never too far removed from death’s edge. Might we see one final symbol of the cycle of birth and death and the infinite circle of time’s passing culminate in the discovery of the skeletons’ identities to be none other than Aaron and Ji Yeon?

Or am I just crazy for thinking something like this is even possible?

a.N



*I write about LOST because I love the challenge of deciphering the clues and adding the pieces together. My thoughts are based solely on the show, the LOST Experience, and random research, as I try to avoid spoilers, promos, and even future episode titles. I love to guess what is going on, but I also like to do so in a way that leaves some of the conclusions still up to you. I do not know the answers and am often wrong. Whatever the truth turns out to be, it has been the journey that has meant the most to me.*

Episode 5x04 -- My Name Is Prince

I am admittedly running very late on my 3-episode premiere article for the new season and sincerely apologize to my dear readers for the unusually long wait. It’s quite a beast and is still in the editing process. I will release it as soon as possible. In the meantime I am moving forward with my usual recaps. I appreciate your patience.


INTRO: Sign O The Times

I suppose the creatives of LOST figured that after all of the time-travel insanity of first three episodes of this season, audiences needed a little time to catch up with their own jet-lag. ‘The Little Prince’ served as one of these “breather” episodes we are used to seeing after a good amount of action and/or advancement of the storyline. However, we are working towards an endgame now, and even this pace-breaker served its up own hefty dose of plot-shock. Perhaps this is a sign of how different a show can be once there is a conclusion in sight. There’s no more need to fill time and stretch the story along with golfing, long scenes of Bernard moving rocks, and overly-sentimental “cannonball moments” (sorry Hugo lovers, but that was kind of silly). Everything is now moving along quite nicely and we are getting answers, though still not without a few questions to keep us going perfectly crazy in the meantime.


Girl 6

When we last saw Kate, she was hiding out at Sun’s hotel room in L.A., trying to figure out what to do about the party responsible for ordering a blood test to determine if she is really Aaron’s mother. So with borrowed suit she leaves to visit the representing lawyer, where it becomes clear that the “client” plans to take custody of the child they “both know” is not hers. Poor Aaron. Since before he was born it seems someone has always been after him. I think it is easy to tell from her reaction to this news how very much Kate loves the boy and considers him to be her own. It’s a good thing she left him with her dear friend Sun.

Automatic

LOST is like a box of chocolates. Buried within any seemingly dark exterior there is always a chance there instead is something light and sweet on the inside. Or we might find something equally as dark, as with what we now appear to have with Sun Kwon and her rather sinister Valentine. Of course we can speculate as to whether or not Sun is being played by Widmore in her plot to assassinate Ben, as it is easy to see how he could be facilitating her supposed desire for revenge in order to serve his own desire to reclaim the Island.

But is Sun really after Ben? And is she really one to allow herself to be used as a pawn so easily? In the past she has shown multiple layers, an ability to hold within herself a depth of secrets and lies, and lately a cool, calculated cunningness. In addition, Widmore sent mercenaries in order to bring Ben back alive, so there is something slightly off about this situation to me, and I am not entirely convinced that Widmore sent Sun to off Ben so much as to just get close enough to follow them all back to the Island. It is also obvious that Ben is already being followed, as the photos sent to Sun of him and Jack outside the funeral parlor demonstrated.

Then again, how can we even be sure that Widmore is behind it all? What about the “Economist” from last season, whom Sayid had been hunting? Was this just a red-herring, and really perhaps just a code-name for Charles himself? Or could this person be a third as-of-yet unseen party in this race to beat Ben and find the Island?


Take Me With U

Sayid can’t even go visit the doctor without having someone show up and try and cap a dart in him. No worries, as we all know how the man can more than handle his aggressors with his Thundercat-like agility. The hunter is now the hunted, and again we must wonder who exactly is behind this little game of tranquilizer-tag. Candidates include the same parties mentioned as possibly working with Sun, except I do not believe that a man like Sayid could be tracked so easily without some inside knowledge.

I propose it is actually Ben who is sending these thugs after our beloved Iraqi, in order to flush him out and align him once more with Ben’s cause of returning the O6 to the Island. Sayid and Ben must have had some kind of falling out, as Sayid no longer seems to be in the assassination business. We know that Ben is all about manipulation, and he certainly understands how to get people to do exactly what he wants without them even being aware of it. The other hint that makes me believe it is actually Ben, besides the fact Sayid was being kept alive, is the fact the shooter had Kate’s address in his pocket as if she was next on the list to receive a little more “motivation”. Time is getting short, and I don’t put it past Ben to have a contingency plan in place to just capture them all, one way or another.


I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man

I hope that I am not the only one who noticed a little glimmer in Kate’s eyes when she saw Jack strolling up to her, beardless and reminiscent of his former, pre-drug addled self. Though a bit of an awkward meeting under very awkward circumstances, we needed to get these two back together on their own before attending to the rest of the group. I think this reunion ties in nicely to the opening flashback of when Jack first introduces the idea of lying about the Island to Kate alone, to make sure that she is “with him”. Jack is probably the only member of the O6 who can really influence her to do something as insane as returning to the Island. Kate did claim that she had always been with him, and this statement is about to be put to the test in a very big way.

Jack is also the only member of the O6 who also has a deeper connection to Carole Littleton, Claire’s mother and the Other Woman to Jack’s father. How convenient he went along for the ride, as he’s the perfect person to give her a visit when he and Kate discover she was a client of the lawyer who ordered that maternity test Kate had been running from. Yeah yeah Jack, we know, you’re going to “fix this” for Kate.

Except, there’s nothing to fix. It turns out that it was all just one huge coincidence that Ms. Littleton, Aaron’s biological grandmother, had been in L.A. at the same time a maternity suit was being filed against Kate. She didn’t even know that Aaron existed. It was also just one huge coincidence that she had been consulting with the same lawyer who filed said suit. Or is it? I am still not sure if this was really another false lead, or if there is indeed something more here, as I cannot understand why Carole would wait 3 years after the crash of 815 to seek a settlement from Oceanic for Claire’s death. I suppose we will have to wait and see on this one, but I’m not chalking it up there with one of my “need to know’s” at this point.


Just as Long as We’re Together

Party at the marina! How fun it was to see Ben and the gang together again, as he has been collecting the O6 and now almost has the complete set. Jack was able to convince Kate to allow him to take her and Aaron somewhere “safe”, and thanks to Ben’s lawyer, who is revealed to be the same one who visited Kate and Carole, Hurley is getting a get out of jail free card and will be joining them in the morning. After a lot of suspicious glares and abrupt words, it is finally revealed that Ben was behind the plot to take Aaron away from Kate all along. I think most of us had figured this was the case, although the sudden arrival of Ms. Littleton had certainly thrown me off for a good few minutes. Ben knows exactly what will motivate each of them to come together and try to go back to the Island, and he has maneuvered these unknowing souls into place like a true puppeteer.

Of course we cannot forget Sun who shows up at the marina as well thanks to Kate’s instructions, and she watches from a distance with a gun in the front seat and a sleeping Aaron in the back. The episode’s off-island moments leave us here, but I have a feeling she isn’t going to be shooting anyone just yet.


Delirious

We pick up on the Island right where we left off, with dear Charlotte still laying unconscious from her latest timeflash-attack. Juliette is able to get a little bit more out of Daniel as to why this is happening to her, as he explains that her mind’s clock is basically having trouble keeping up with all of the trips back and forth. His metaphor of “extreme jet-lag” was as lame to me as it was to Jules, and I kept waiting for her to call Sawyer over to see if another slap in the neck-tie might get the truth out of our elusive physicist. However, at that moment he was a bit busy with Locke discussing a much needed trip back to the Orchid.

But the nosebleeds keep happening, and next to receive the sign that all is not well is Miles. When Dan tries to tell him he thinks the issues might have something to do with the duration one has spent on the Island, Miles claims he has never been there prior to his trip with freighter and company. Dan asks him if he is sure about that, and with this we are given yet another clue that points to Mr. Straume also having a history similar to Charlotte, who after various pieces of evidence appears to have basically been born there.

If what Dan says is true and the time-travelers are indeed experiencing the symptoms in order of their duration on the Island, than it could very well be revealed that the baby we saw with Dr. Candle at the beginning of ‘Because You Left’ was our ghost-busting friend Miles. It might also make sense that someone with such abilities, whether he is actually communicating with the dead, or something more akin to speaking to their consciousness through time, would be the son of a brilliant scientist working for an organization that studies related phenomenon such as psychokenesis.

Lastly, it is Juliette we see with a bleeding nose, so I think Dan was definitely on to something. If we consider that Charlotte may have been born on the Island first, then Miles, it makes sense they would immediately get the illness only to be followed a short while later by Juliette, who is the next person in line in regards to duration on the Island. If we keep along this pattern it won’t be too much longer before all of the castaways start to see red.


Count the Days

In this episode’s trip through the Island’s past, we get to see different perspectives on the night that Boone died and Aaron was born. When I first saw that pillar of light in the sky, I immediately hoped for the discovery of a new DHARMA station. Little did I know at the time it was from the Swan Hatch at the moment when Locke banged on that window in utter despair, and was renewed in his faith in the Island’s plans for him. I love that Locke accepts this path he took, knowing now where that light came from, and wanted to stay clear from chance of interfering. He explains to Sawyer, “I needed that pain to get to where I am now”. Those are words spoken like a true sage who realizes his destiny, and does not wish to alter it even though he is aware that he might end up being nothing more than a “sacrifice the Island demanded”, just like Boone.

The second encounter with the past is even more heart-wrenching, as a heart-broken Sawyer happens upon past-Kate assisting past-Claire with her delivery. Josh Holloway again puts on an amazing performance in this short scene, as we are with him in the bushes feeling his shock at what he witnesses, and the pain of knowing that he cannot do a thing about it. Sawyer seems to understand this to for a moment, then it seems he makes a sudden decision to call out to her. At that moment, another flash whisks them away, and the scene is gone, leaving a bewildered Sawyer and even deeper anguish for having to lose his dear Kate once again. Ah, course-correction. Something always comes along to keep you from changing the past doesn’t it?


Let’s Go Crazy

Back to the future. At least, that’s where I am thinking our travelers ended up after their visit to a night from season one. The camp had been deserted, the beer cans emptied, and tell-tale signs of new visitors were left in the form of a couple of outriggers parked by the shore. We also get the first on-air glimpse of Ajira Airways from a water bottle left in one of the canoes. Ajira is an airlines company that had already seen some pre-show viral marketing, but I was honestly shocked to see it introduced so soon. Many including myself have been speculating this is how the O6 get back to the Island, but I don’t think it is our O6 who opened fire on Locke and crew. I think we are either looking at Widmore’s people, who followed the O6, or possibly even the first of the return of the DHARMA initiative to the Island. And if it is indeed the latter, they would more than likely see anyone on the Island as a threat since the last time they were there, they were purged.


U Make My Sun Shine

After a brush with death and a narrow escape thanks to the convenience of time-flashes, the O6 end up on a beach at night where they find evidence of a recent shipwreck after a storm. At the same time, somewhere nearby we see a group of French-speaking folks in a raft pull aboard someone who had been floating around as well. Of course it’s Jin on his own piece of shipwreck, hurling through time along with his friends, yet totally unbeknownst to them. It can now be assumed that when the freighter exploded Jin somehow managed to survive and float within the Island’s radius and was scooped up for the ride.

It can also now be assumed that we are in the year 1988, as one of the French women introduces herself as Danielle Rousseau to one extremely water-logged Jin. What a double-shocker! Now even more questions must follow this encounter. Did Danielle remember meeting Jin in 1988 when she comes across the survivors of flight 815 in 2004? In addition, are we going to stay long enough in this time period to see a bit more of what went down with Danielle and her expedition? Was the sickness related to the time-travelers and did she really kill her crew? How are they going to deal with this stranger, who after learning all of that English is now stuck with a bunch of French people and once again cannot communicate? This is all just too delicious to ponder, as the writers certainly know how to keep us happy. After years of cries to see more of Rousseau’s story, we have it, and in a manner I don’t think anyone could have guessed.


CONCLUSION: Baby I’m a Star

Just like the “Hoffs Drawler” anagram from last season that spelled out “Flash Forward”, the name of Ben’s coffin-toting van is “Canton Rainier”, an anagram of “Reincarnation”. However, this is not the first time the concept has been hinted at on the show. In “Cabin Fever” the test that Richard administers to a young John is reminiscent of the same test given to seek out the reincarnated Dali Lama. I think it goes without saying that we will see John Locke “alive” again on the Island after the O6 return, whether it is in a literal sense, or the white tennis-shoed Jacob-y kind of sense. I am not entirely convinced that reincarnation is really what is going to happen, or at least, not to Locke.

There is another special child to discuss though, one who bookends this episode and who might be what the title refers to. I believe there is a reason we were taken back to witness Claire giving birth, that the Little Prince could indeed be Aaron, and this is once more hinting at a much larger part for him in the overall scheme of things. For example, in the story by the same name, the Little Prince comes from an asteroid named B612. B612 in French is Besixdouze, which is found written on a piece of Danielle Rousseau’s shipwrecked mess on the beach. Furthermore in the tale, the Little Prince leaves his asteroid to explore and learn about the universe, but eventually ends up just wanting to get back home.

This is not the first time that Aaron and the celestial have come together in this way. In ‘Raised By Another’, Claire asks the couple about to adopt her unborn to sing a song for the baby that her own father, Christian Shepard, used to sing to her as a child. The name of the song is “Catch a Falling Star”, and it was also heard on the Others’ crib mobile in “Maternity Leave”. In “Raised by Another” there is also a mobile in Claire’s nightmare made of a single large star surrounded by tiny Oceanic model planes.

Later, as mentioned in my article on “Something Nice Back Home” we see another mobile over 3 year-old Aaron’s bed consisting of planets and stars. Again, the cosmic seems to hang over this boy, literally, and we can only continue to watch events play out to discover if there is really something to it all. Who knows, perhaps given enough time we might even see our time-trippers travel to a future where a grown Aaron leads the Others living there, as he has always been destined to do.



a.N



*I write about LOST because I love the challenge of deciphering the clues and adding the pieces together. My thoughts are based solely on the show, the LOST Experience, and random research, as I try to avoid spoilers, promos, and even future episode titles. I love to guess what is going on, but I also like to do so in a way that leaves some of the conclusions still up to you. I do not know the answers and am often wrong. Whatever the truth turns out to be, it has been the journey that has meant the most to me.*