REBOOT EPISODES 33-36

 POSTING NOTE: Due to work changes, I may not be able to post updates on Tuesdays after Monday night marathon G4 reruns, but updates will occur later in the week. 

LOST REBOOT 
Recap: Episodes 33-36 (Days 48-53 )

 After Shannon being shot, Ana panics, putting everyone's safety in danger. Meanwhile, Eko takes Sawyer to with him to find Jack.  Thus, the current survivors of Flight 815 are united for the first time.

Kate begins to believe that she is going mad after she sees a black horse, similar to the one in her childhood and hearing her father when speaking to Sawyer.  Meanwhile, Eko shows Locke a piece of film he found in the other station, which warns not to misuse the computer terminal as it could cause another incident.

When Eko learns that Charlie as a Virgin Mary statue, he demands that he take him to where he found it at once. Elsewhere, Michael defies the orientation rules and  continues to communicate on the computer without the other survivors knowing.

Jack is faced with a decision when a gun-toting Michael leaves to find his son. Jack gets Locke and Sawyer to help bring back Michael before he is killed by the Others. He tells Kate to stay at the Swan to push the button, but at an encounter with the Others, Kate disobeyed Jack and she is  captured hostage.

Science:

Delusions. A symptom of a mental disorder, a delusion is the belief in something that rationally is not present. When Kate sees something from her childhood in the jungle, this is like Jack seeing his dead father. It should not exist on the Island, but in their minds it is clear as day.

Medical literature defines delusions as an unshakable belief in something untrue. These irrational beliefs defy normal reasoning, and remain firm even when overwhelming proof is presented to dispute them. Delusions are often accompanied by hallucinations and/or feelings of paranoia,  which act to strengthen confidence in the delusion.

Hallucinations are are false or distorted sensory experiences that appear to be real perceptions. These sensory impressions are generated by the mind rather than by any external stimuli, and may be seen, heard, felt, and even smelled or tasted. Delusions are distinct from culturally or religiously based beliefs that may be seen as untrue by outsiders.

The survivors continue to manifest signs of mental disorders as the days pass on the island. Whether these delusions or hallucinations are from pre-existing disorders and/or are the product of stress of being stranded on a dangerous island is up for debate. But in a literary sense, it may be a clue to support the theory that the premise of the show is a series of manifested events of a mentally deranged person(s), such as known mental patients Leonard, Hurley, Locke or Libby, or the criminal mental instability of Kate, Sawyer, or Ben, or the transference of what one wants to be to avoid reality that could explain Jack’s or other characters relationships with their fathers.
Hurley asks Jack, who is chopping wood like Sawyer used to, if he was “transference” with Sawyer. Jack asked him if he was making a medical diagnosis. In medical terms, transference means the displacement of affect from one person or one idea to another; in psychoanalysis, generally applied to the projection of feelings, thoughts, and wishes onto the analyst, who has come to represent some person from the patient's past. In a world being re-created from the memories, night mares and phobias of a few characters, transference could mean the elaborate fiction of the island as a means of one or a few coping with their psychotic minds (like last week’s theory of Leonard Sims).

Improbabilities:

Kate’s entire criminal back story is so fraught with errors it makes the whole story arc
unbelievable and unreal. First, if she was charged with murder in Iowa, it would be a state crime. The U.S. Marshals do not hunt down state criminals. A warrant and alert to other states is given, and if she is arrested, she does not have an arraignment but an extradition hearing to go back to Iowa for trial. But her unbelievable trial lands in LA, which is also a farce, legally and procedurally. This mess up in basic legal framework turned many Lost observers against TPTB.

The idea that the Hatch is now open, and it is roomy with showers, fresh water, food and security, why are the survivors still camping on the beach? It makes no sense when they know that there are people who have attacked them. Especially Claire, who had herself kidnapped and Charlie tortured - - -  why would they stay in the open on the beach when the safety of the Hatch is available?

Mysteries:

Why some people with fatal wounds, like Sawyer live, while other characters, like Shannon, “die.” Yes, there were different wounds, but Sawyer went into septic shock for days without treatment. Later, Sayid would be shot in the time travel incident.

How does Walt get access to a computer terminal and re-connect with Michael? Or is it a ruse to make Michael react and run off into the jungle on the war path to find Walt?

What do the others want with the children, especially Walt?

Why the smoke monster “scanned” Eko instead of killing him?

Themes:

Religion.

One Episode is entitled “The 23rd Psalm.”

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name' sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
 I will fear no evil: 
For thou art with me;
 
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;

Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
 and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

For some Lost fans, this is the map for the show’s foundation. Jack lying down in the green jungle after the crash, being led to leadership over his new flock, to Devine intervention of finding life giving fresh water in the caves, to restore their “souls.” Jack’s trip to the Black Rock and the Dark Territory, and the foreboding conflicts with the Others is in the shadow of death with his enemies, to be resolved in Jack’s case by his goodness and mercy that frees him to move on in the next life. In the End, the characters do end up in a church, the house of the lord, dead - - - awaiting an after life journey.
 
Clues:

The Island is a mish-mash of culture and technology from past eras. Each group of castaways brought to the island, brings with them collective memories that Jacob and the Island use to re-create elements as illusions, visions, structures or delusions. When the 815ers arrive at the Island, they are put into a situation where the stations appear to be 1980 technology, some 20 years removed from their present day. Which shows the isolation, the “bubble” as Desmond will call it, of the Island realm.

The 23rd Psalm. Jack Shepard is the center of the survivors hope. He is the provider of life (medical training, finding the caves and fresh water, and inspiring the group). The psalm may be a metaphor for the Island itself: the fore-hell of their personal existences. The green pastures are the Island jungle and groves. The still waters are the caves. The  valley of the shadow of death is the Dark Territory, the evil that lurks in the smoke monsters. Once you do not fear the evil, you will be awakened to the next realm, heaven.

Locke is working on a crossword puzzle when Eko arrives with Sawyer. 42 down clue is “Enkidu's friend.” Enkidu was formed from clay and saliva by Aruru, the goddess of creation, to rid Gilgamesh of his arrogance. In the story he is a wild man, raised by animals and ignorant of human society until he is bedded by Shambat. Thereafter a series of interactions with humans and human ways bring him closer to civilization, culminating in a wrestling match with Gilgamesh, king of Uruk.  Enkidu embodies the wild or natural world, and though equal to Gilgamesh in strength and bearing, acts in some ways as an antithesis to the cultured, urban-bred warrior-king. Enkidu then becomes the king's constant companion and deeply beloved friend, accompanying him on adventures until he is stricken ill. The deep, tragic loss of Enkidu profoundly inspires in Gilgamesh a quest to escape death by obtaining godly immortality.

Discussion:

“If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows, and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing. A writer who appreciates the seriousness of writing so little that he is anxious to make people see he is formally educated, cultured, or well-bred, is merely a popinjay.” —Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon

A “popinjay” a vain or conceited person. Many Lost fan-critics felt that the creators and writers let them down by dishing up story lines with science fiction elements that were never explained or led to mere arc dead ends. The idea of creating a mystery and not solving it on purpose let a bitter taste in some fans. Continuity and consistent canon was something that is lacking, even in the little character traits like with Locke.

There is an odd change with Locke. Outside, in the jungle, he has the wry smile of an all-knowing super hunter (which we have inferred in previous articles that he may already be Flocke/MIB). But once he is inside the hatch, Locke’s personality and character changes. He is no longer the forceful outback survivalist. He is more comfortable as an office computer jockey.

There is also a mirror story line present in these episodes. In Kate’s case, her father tells her “he does not have murder in his heart” in regard to Wayne, her step father. It infers that Kate does when she blows up the house. In Ana’s case, the person who shot her and killed her unborn child, is released because she refuses to ID him. She uses his release to stalk and hunt him down to kill him. In Ana’s case, it was revenge against the criminal who killed her baby and ruined her personal life. In Kate’s case, her motive was to “save” her mother from an abusive relationship. Which is worse? For in Ana’s case, she will not survive the island or join the 815ers in the afterlife. But for Kate, she finds happiness in the End with Jack.

The great unsolved mystery of Lost continues to be “what is the smoke monster?”  In the 23rd Psalm episode, the smoke monster appears to Charlie and Eko. Charlie screams “run!” But Eko holds his ground and literally stares down Smokey. In this encounter, we hear growling and mechanical sounds, flashes of light and screens as if the smoke monster is “scanning” Eko. Then Smokey quickly leaves. When Charlie asks why Eko did not run, Eko replied “he was not afraid.”  Is that the simple emotive state that keeps Smokey at bay? That is doubtful.

But this encounter led to many theories of what was the smoke monster. There was one group that believed the smoke monster was an evil spirit, in essence, a wild animal reaper of human souls. Another group believed that the smoke monster was a mechanical machine, made possibly of nano-technology robots that swarm. And as a machine, it was programmed or created to gather information about human beings. Another group believed that the smoke monster was a fantasy beast which was the “security system” or guard dog of the island. Another group who believed that this was not a physical monster at all, but in the context of a mental patient being treated by electro-shock and other stimuli devices, Smokey’s appearance is the manifestation of negative emotions in a patient’s mind.

The great story line “holes” through the entire series still bothers fans to this day. It is not enough to have fans “figure things out on their own” when the writers are supposedly carving out an epic mystery tale, where in the End no one knows for sure what the last 6 years was all about. Just answering the simple question of what is the smoke monster (alien, super nano-machine, evil spirit, Satan) would greatly explain the other gaps, including the Big Premise of the series. Without such context, the ending of the series still remains a hollow exercise in trying to figure things out.

In the last of these episodes, we find that Michael is going nuts over finding Walt. He has knocked out Locke in the armory so he can get a gun and go find Walt. Michael locks Jack and Locke up even though Jack offers to him. By doing so, Michael is endangering the Hatch station since no one is around to put in the Numbers. Michael claims he must get Walt back by himself, it is his right as a father.

When Kate takes Sawyer to the Hatch for medical treatment, they find their locked in friends. Jack and Locke will go to bring back Michael, and the still healing Sawyer (in a moment of bravado) joins them. Kate wants to come too, but Jack orders her to stay at the computer.

During the hunt for Michael, couples begin to fray: Jack and Kate tiff, and at the beach Jin wants to join the party, but Sun says no.

During the jungle trek, Locke remarks that they may not have the “right” to tell anyone what they can or cannot do. They debate the statement. Later, Locke says he knows Sawyer’s real name is James Ford (how did he know that? Who told him? Or did he “scan” the information?) After they hear several gunshots, they rush to the area to find just bullet casings. Jack asks Sawyer if he is out in the field to help Michael, or to get revenge on the Others for shooting him (a mirror story line to Ana’s hunting down her shooter in her flashback).

“Mr. Friendly” from the raft appears that night, knowing all their names. Sawyer attempts to fire at him, but a bullet from the jungle grazes his ear. He says Michael will never find them and that Walt is fine, and that he is “special.” He also scolds the survivors for going into someone’s else’s place, eating food that is not theirs, and having no business “opening doors.” When the survivors challenge Mr. Friendly, he yells “light em up,” and Jack’s crew is suddenly surrounded by Others. They are warned by the Other’s commander that there is a line in the jungle that they cannot cross (similar to the “truce” with Dharma?) which they must accept because the Others “let them” live on their Island. To prove the point, the Others bring out hostage Kate. Jack is enraged; he hesitates about turning over their guns, but relents. Kate is freed and the Others disappear into the jungle.

Once Jack gets back to the beach, the healer himself “turns commando” and asks Ana what it would take to raise an army.  The first face to face encounter with the Others immediately changes Jack into warrior mode. It may be his anger for Kate’s action of disobeying him being channeled against the Others who have told him “what to do” which he disagrees with; Jack vows to himself to get Michael and Walt back from the Others, truce or no truce.  Jack in a way has turned into Gilgamesh in strength and bearing, now acting like a cultured, urban-bred warrior-king. Jack needs to find his own Enkidu, a person who embodies the wild or natural world, and equal to Gilgamesh in strength and bearing (which may be Kate in The End.)

Magical/Supernatural/Elements:

Kate’s Black horse from her past shows up on the island. The last time, it is also seen by weak Sawyer. Kate actually goes over an touches the horse before it moves off into the jungle.


Last lines in episodes:

EP 33:

[Kate with Sawyer who is shivering.]
KATE: Hey! Hey, can you hear me? You're going to be okay. You're going to be alright. You're home.

EP 34:
MONITOR: Dad?
[Michael stares at the monitor and begins to mouth the word "Walt".]

EP 35:
CLAIRE: Charlie, I don't want you sleeping anywhere near us, okay?! Just go.


EP 36:
JACK: How long do you think it would take to train an army?

New Ideas/Tests of Theories:

The last line of the four episodes convey a clear message: change. When Kate tells Sawyer that he is “home,” that means a change from running away from his childhood revenge motivations. It is also a prequel to the flashback to 1977 and his domestication with Juliet. When the computer screen says “Dad?” to Michael’s attempts to communicate, he becomes a changed man - - - from frightened father to angry warrior. This transformation will lead to his soul being trapped on the island when his friends awaken and leave. Claire has begun to change as well, rejecting the envelope that Charlie has begun to spin on their relationship, to one more closely aligned with Locke. If Locke is really Flocke, then maybe the dark “infection” has begun to take over Claire’s spirit which in the final season leads to pure mental collapse and evil intent. And finally, Jack the Healer turns into crusader as he begins to organize an army against the Others.

The conclusion of the show harped upon a character “awakening” in the sideways world (purgatory) in order to remember the most important things in that life time. It is possible that some transformative “change” in the Island sphere is necessary in order for a person to be able to “move on” to the next level of the after life (as the group awaited in the church). Is it as simple as Locke’s crossword clue?  That the characters needed a new creation in order to rid themselves of their own arrogance? 

But some changes on the Island were the opposite of religious redemption; both Claire and Sayid turn ghastly evil but in the End are welcomed in the church. It may be the flash point recognition in Claire that Charlie was the only man who truly cared for him allows her to move on with him in the next world. It may be that Sayid never truly loved Nadia (she was a fiction, an obsession, a guilt trip for torturing or killing her) but did have his first true relationship with Shannon. So any religious context of redemption is pretty much nullified since change on the Island and sideways world is not redemptive of one’s sins, but a mere realization of what is personally best for each individual.

But change can also mean realization. When Kate asks herself if she is crazy, she is believing it with her vision of the black horse (which saved her from the marshal). When she tells Sayid her story, Sayid admits that he saw Walt just before Shannon was killed. He asks, “does that make me crazy?” Yes, yes it does.

For if we take the canon of Kate’s criminal story line as “true,” then we can only conclude that her flashback and off-island experiences are “false” and unreal. So this is evidence that the flashbacks may not be true, and the island time frame also unreal. And we know that the future sideways world is also not real, but a purgatory like waiting room for the characters to awaken. So one can conclude that all three time periods are false, in the sense that the events in each is not believable.

Now with the clues that many of the characters believe that they are crazy, a theory could arise that this the real truth of the series. Like the Leonard Sims theory that this is all about his Numbers psychosis, each of the characters could have deep seeded issues and each story arc (flashback, island time and sideways world) are merely levels of group therapy to work out their issues in an interactive mental fantasy land. (Even The Simpsons have used this genre several times by hooking up the brains of the family and throwing them into bizarre adventures).

Transference or projection of personality traits is an element of child’s play. Little kids grow up playing combat, cowboys and indians, hide ‘n seek in their yards with their friends. The same could be true for the Lost characters. Example, we have been shown that Jack is a medical doctor, but if the flashback world is not real, then it is a young Jack transferring his father’s medical talent on himself in his own make believe world.

If Lost can be explained as a massive, multi-level group therapy session from a third person view point, what is the end point? Does each character need to prove something to himself or herself? Do they have to work out relationship issues, fears, phobias or self loathing in order to get better? To free themselves of the therapy loop of being trapped inside’s one’s own mental games? It is an interesting and feasible premise.

The key to Lost could be summed up in the unsolved mystery of the Smoke Monster.
One theory is that the smoke monster is imprisoned on the Island, which is Hell. When MIB was thrown into the Light Cave, he was still alive. He was dead in the stream not by the light, but by unsealing the cork like Desmond did. But in his case, the cork released the evil spirit which killed Jacob’s brother, stealing his form and mental thoughts.  The Smoke Monster, as a evil spirit,  was able to take the form of the dead and chose to take the form of MIB because he knew it would help him. By pretending to be MIB, he could get in close with Jacob. (He later says that he took the form of Locke because it would help him get in close with Jacob.) But one would think that Jacob would know the difference between his brother and the smoke monster pretending to be his brother. For if Jacob was immortal, why was not his brother? Or is only the smoke monster immortal?

If the Smoke Monster is evil incarnate and came from Hell, then the Island’s defenses have been arranged to keep this Evil at bay. The whole idea of the Swan station and the Numbers is to keep an electromagnetic build up that would create another “incident.”  If the numbers are not put into the computer on time, the Hatch timer turns into Egyptian symbols that state: “He escapes place of death.”
Many of the characters said that if the Monster left the Island, it would bring about the end of the world. If you accept this premise, that the smoke monster is Satan, it seems that the Island was either a test or a prison set up by God to see if anyone could defeat the Smoke Monster or keep him at bay. That is why the smoke monster had to be killed in “human form” in order to be defeated. But we never truly know if Flocke “died” a traditional death during that fall, or whether his demise merely “resealed” him in the pit under the Light Cave to start the whole prison situation over again. The reward for those who could defeat Satan, or re-seal him in his prison cave, would reach Heaven/Nirvana/Paradise.