In Japanese anime, television production adaptions of current and popular manga titles leads to a problem: the TV shows burn through the manga chapters faster than the creator can create new content. As a result, anime shows regularly have to elongate their stories or create "filler" (non-canon) story arcs in order to keep their TV show on the air.
It is clear that at some point early in the LOST initial story development, that some sort of filler was needed to keep the story on the air. The prime example of this was the Other 48, the tail section story arc. In some ways, this filler tried to revive the discarded original notion that the survivors would have been led by Kate.
In the Other 48, Ana Lucia was the strong female lead. Eko was the spiritual Locke character. Bernard would have been a weaker version of Jack, the medical doctor.
The filler did touch upon the same original themes of loss, parent conflict, good and evil intentions and deceptive behavior. It seems that all the passengers went Down Under (hell?) in order to investigate or find something. Eko was sent by his church to investigate a miracle he deemed a fraud; but being a fraud himself led to some inner-personal conflict. Ana Lucia came to Australia as a body guard for Christian, but she was running away (like Kate) from her personal demons back home (including a potential manslaughter charge). It seems that these characters were looking to try to change, or purge their past mistakes but they failed to come to any personal revelation in Sydney. Since they did not change, they got aboard another vessel and crash landed on the island, another place where these characters would be able to face their demons head on in order to change (purgatory?).
Eko was supposed to be a centerpiece candidate until the actor playing the role had a contract dispute with the producers. He was supposed to be the conduit for immorality and repentance. Eko was an African drug lord who commandeered the local church to run his illegal operations. As a result of his deceptive plans, his brother, Yemi was killed. Eko assumed Yemi's role of a priest in order to save his own life from the gallows. But Eko was haunted by the visions of his dead brother when he got to the island. It was not possible that a small prop plane from Africa would wind up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This vision of Yemi's crashed plane and his body were clearly created by the island (or smoke monster) from Eko's memories. The island was using Eko's memories and emotions against him; trying to force him to admit is sinful past in order to make something positive out of his life.
But in the end, Eko refused. He stood before the smoke monster and refused to repent. (In some ways, this scene is like TPTB today who refuse to acknowledge the errors in their story telling ways to the show's fans.) As a result of Eko's indignation, the smoke monster destroyed him.
Now, some may believe the smoke monster was passing judgment upon Eko for his sins. But others may believe that Eko passed judgment on himself. He was never going to change. He never wanted to change. There was no further reason for him to stay on the island, so his spirit was terminated with prejudice. (We don't see him in the sideways after life).
In some ways, even more evil people would up in the sideways world (Ben and Keamey). Ben may have come around to regret some of his actions (which caused the death of Alex at Keamey's hand), but Keamey was merely an uncaring mercenary who actually thrived on killing other people. The island allowed these individuals to continue their violent ways, but it did not allow Eko to live with his past. This is another great inconsistency that the filler arcs with new secondary characters was unable to clarify the "big picture" of the LOST island experience.
Showing posts with label Eko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eko. Show all posts
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Friday, October 19, 2012
REBOOT EPISODES 53-56
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 53-56 (Days 70-73)
When Colleen, who was shot by Sun, is brought back to the barracks, Jack cannot save her life. As a result, many of the Others want revenge because Colleen was not saved by the doctor. Ben cons the con man, Sawyer. Desmond sees a vision, and builds a lightning rod to protect Claire and Aaron, which leads to friction with Charlie.
Locke assumes a leadership role. He takes a group to the Pearl Station. Eko sees a vision of his brother and goes off but is killed by the Smoke Monster when Eko refuses to repent for his life’s sins.
Jack finally volunteers to operate on Ben’s back to help his friends. Kate and Sawyer go from flirtation to animal lust. Jack stops the Others, Danny whose wife Colleen died and Jason, from killing Sawyer out of revenge.
Jack and Tom complete Ben’s surgery; Juliet is not convinced that Ben will keep his word so she helps Alex, Karl, Kate and Sawyer to escape the Hydra Island.
Science:
States of Matter
There are five main states of matter. Solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, and Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) are all different states of matter. Each of these states is also known as a phase. Elements and compounds can move from one phase to another when specific physical conditions are present. One example is temperature. When the temperature of a system goes up, the matter in the system becomes more excited and active. Scientists say that it moves to a higher energy state
A "phase" describes a physical state of matter. The key word to notice is physical. Things only move from one phase to another by physical means. If energy is added (like increasing the temperature) or if energy is taken away (like freezing something), you have created a physical change.
A compound or element can move from one phase to another, but still be the same substance. You can see water vapor, in the form of steam, over a boiling pot of water. That vapor (or gas) can condense and become a drop of water. If you put that drop in the freezer, it would become a solid piece of ice. No matter what phase it was in, it was always water. It always had the same chemical properties. On the other hand, a chemical change would change the way the water acted, eventually making it not water, but something completely different. If you added a carbon (C) atom to a water molecule, you would have formaldehyde (H2CO), and that is nothing like water.
All matter can move from one state to another. It may require extreme temperatures or extreme pressures, but it can be done. Sometimes a substance doesn't want to change states. You have to use all of your tricks when that happens. To create a solid, you might have to decrease the temperature by a huge amount and then add pressure. Some of you know about liquid nitrogen (N2). It is nitrogen from the atmosphere in a liquid form and it has to be super cold to stay a liquid. What if you wanted to turn it into a solid but couldn't make it cold enough? You could increase the pressure to push those molecules together. The opposite works too. If you have a liquid at room temperature and you wanted a gas you could use a combination of high temperatures and low pressures to solve your problem.
CHEMISTRY TERM PHASE CHANGE
Fusion (melting) Solid to Liquid
Freezing Liquid to Solid
Vaporization (boiling) Liquid to Gas
Condensation Gas to Liquid
Sublimation Solid to Gas
Deposition Gas to Solid
Phase changes happen when certain points are reached. Sometimes a liquid wants to become a solid. Scientists use something called a freezing point to measure the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid. There are physical effects that can change the freezing point. Pressure is one of those effects. When the pressure surrounding a substance goes up, the freezing point and other special points also go up. That means it's easier to keep things solid at higher pressures. Just remember that there are some exceptions. Water (H2O) is special on many levels. It has more space between its molecules when it is frozen. There's a whole expanding effect when the molecules organize into a solid state. Generally, when temperatures get colder, solids shrink in size. They become more dense.
Improbabilities:
The meatball spinal surgery on Ben. A complex, delicate operation which needs sophisticated technology, machinery and staff to accomplish would be impossible to accomplish in an abandoned Hydra animal experiment station. In addition, Ben waking up in the middle of surgery would have been an alarming, if not fatal, event.
Mysteries:
How can the Smoke Monster be seen in various states of matter? In the smoke or gaseous form it appears as a instinct-only monster. In a human or solid form, it appears to be an exact duplicate of an intelligent human being, an aware animal or moving object.
Themes:
Religion: Judgment of Sins. Eko is defiant in his refusal to confess any sins; he believes he did what he did to save his brother; the ends justified the means. But his judgment by the Smoke Monster (Yemi) was a violent death, and in his last breath, tells Locke “you’re next.” The Island afterlife as a test of a person’s soul, heart and sorrow are recurring elements.
Cons. Ben believes he is the master of con, besting Sawyer in the pacemaker illusion to keep him in line. One could also think that Ben was behind the complex double and triple cross betrayals of his own surgery, just so Jack would actually do the surgery in order to save someone (Kate, Sawyer or Juliet).
The Magic Box. If you wish it, it will come true. Ben will tell this to Locke on the Island, that it can make anything happen. When Juliet is recruited in Miami, she wishes her ex-husband would be hit by a bus. Alpert, Jacob’s right hand man, makes it happen in the most direct manner. It may be part of a con, since Ethan is seen leaving Juliet’s sister’s room just before she claims to be pregnant. Did Ethan plant the evidence or change the test results in order for Juliet to leave her sister and research to join the Others? Probably, since we see how devious the Others can be in getting what they want (and ironically, Juliet, after 3 years of captivity, has learned those same devious skills).
Clues:
Jack asks Ben if he is having symptoms of numbness and tingling to his fingers and toes, yet the tumor on his X-ray is assessed to be over the L4 vertebra and is clearly lumbar (would only have paraesthesis in upper extremities if it was a cervical tumor). Some believe this is a continuity error and not a clue that this is “all make believe.”
Juliet is shown scans of a woman’s womb. She looks at it and believes it to be a 70 year old woman. She is told by Alpert that it is a 26 year old female. How could that be? That is the hook Alpert has to lure Juliet to the Island. Is it true? It could be a con. Or it could be a “real” issue for the Others, whose women could not come to term with their pregnancies. In the concept of an ‘other” dimension as the setting for the Island, such as the afterlife or dementia, a 70 year old woman could have the “illusion” of being her 26 year old self - - - and thus unable to have children.
When Desmond has a vision, he builds a lightning rod in camp. Was it truly a vision, or was it something he believed would happen - - - and if he believed hard enough it would become real. A person could manipulate events to make them real, like the sudden storm and lightning hit as Demond did. Desmond realizes that the Island is not tied to Earth’s natural laws. Mental manipulation of events is possible on the Island, which is a great source of ultimate power.
“She was dead before you put her on the table,” Jack said to Juliet after Colleen died of a gunshot wound. This may be another reference to reincarnated souls trapped on the Island hell waiting for judgment.
Ben asks if Jack believes in God. Ben believes the “proof” is that two days after his spinal tumor diagnosis, a spinal surgeon falls into his lap by the plane crash. But Locke tells Desmond do not confuse coincidence with fate. Are events caused by guardian forces at work or mere coincidence? This also may be a clue to the video game premise, in which Ben is playing a different level trying to “save” himself and the new game element of the 815 crash gives him tools to solve his personal mission of survival.
Discussion:
“ Thoughts are but dreams till their effect be tried. ”
— William Shakespeare
Wonder the purpose of the black smoke monster as it begins its killing spree . . .
black, a color associated with evil; smoke, an element associated with destruction;
monster, an inhumanly cruel or wicked person.
No one can tell what was the smoke monster. Was it really smoke? Doubtful, since it is well believed that the smoke monster could change forms, into physical human form (like Flocke). Was it super-technology, like a swarm of nano-robots? If one thinks that the Dharma experiment stations dealt with polar bears in tropical climates, why not with sci-fi robotics? A machine collective that escapes in the wild amuses some fans. Is it “evil incarnate?” As in the Devil, his minion, its hellhound or metaphor for grim reaper spirit - - - but at times with total rage but at other times total cunning and mental manipulation.
The introduction of the smoke monster at the end of the pilot episode turned a normal survivor-castaway drama into a major mystery, sci-fi dangerous thriller. The island was not safe. It would dominate the human emotion for rescue. But it is a contradiction that is never answered properly: for those characters who allegedly leave the Island (and be saved from danger), all have an unnatural desire to “go back” to the Island. The smoke monster is like a symbolic addiction of a person’s worst personality traits. There are many people who are only happy or content if they are miserable or despondent. The smoke monster is the catalyst for those broken personalities to reinforce their negative brainwaves.
The smoke monster could be the Boogie Man of a child’s nightmare. Instead of being under the bed or hiding in the closet, the Boogie Man is anywhere and everywhere. It is the irrational thought pattern drawn out to an extreme level of fear.
If the smoke monster was the judgment mechanism for the Island to weigh the heart of a person’s soul against their sins, the great inconsistent demise of characters makes the whole concept hypocritical. Example, Eko refuses to acknowledge his sinful life - - - he refuses to accept a redemptive change - - - and is slaughtered by the smoke monster. Then, Ben who killed dozens of Dharma people in the Purge, including killing his own father, is never judged by the Island monster. Two evil characters who did awful deeds get two different fates for no apparent reason.
So at the molecular level, does the smoke monster actually know what is doing or is it purely a responsive wild animal? If it is a living being, then what does it “feed” on? Does it harvest only “evil” souls that cannot accept redemption? Does it feed on the pure emotions of fear in human beings - - - and Eko refused to submit to the fear, he was killed because the smoke monster had no use of Eko if it could not suck out the evil energy of fear from him.
The great mystery is how the smoke monster could change, move about the Island, and how it actually “killed” someone. Was it a wave of electromagnetic energy generated by a swarm of evil gnats? Or was it a shape shifting spirit beast? Or was it an illusion? The monster had the stage presence of a great actor. It has some intelligence to interact in its “solid” state human form, but pure emotional anger in its “gaseous” smoke state. If we use chemistry to analyze the change in appearance, from solid to gas is “sublimation” which means (especially in psychoanalytic theory) “to divert or modify instinctual impulse into a more acceptable activity.” Clearly, Smokey is under much more emotional control in a solid state, as in his appearances as Yemi to Eko. “Disposition” means “the inherit qualities of the human mind or character,” which infers that in a gas state, Smokey’s true character is displayed (as a violent killer). But it would appear that the character traits of Smokey’s physical traits are opposite on the Island - - - but it makes perfect sense if one is looking into a mirror - - - a theme in the series.
It also brings the concepts of the mind again to the forefront of the story foundation. The balancing of instinct, emotion, intelligence is how one’s character is formed. If a person is delusional or has mental problems (characters again mention “do you think I’m crazy?” in response to questions), the inner conflict could be symbolically represented by the Smoke Monster in the mind of a troubled person, such as Eko.
If it was an illusion - - - the mind of a person takes over and forces the weak person to commit mental suicide. One’s mind can create the most dangerous creature. One’s mind can harm you deeper than any mystery monster.
We see Room 23 - - - where Karl is strapped in with an IV, light glasses, blaring audio and flashing images. We have previously discussed the concepts of brain washing, and this is a vivid example of it. As Karl is being rescued, Sawyer begins to fall into a trance at the images and the words - - - change, God loves you like Jacob. He snaps out of it to carry Karl to the boat. This is also the first subliminal reference to Jacob, who will also hear his name from angry Danny who claims “Shepard was not on Jacob’s list.” In retrospect, that is a damning statement, a real inconsistency. Jack’s name was on the lighthouse with the other castaways, including Kate. But Kate did not make the final list of candidates (which was known early in Season 3?) That begs the question - - - why the story shift? Did Jack replace Eko (for real world contract issues) or Walt (who literally outgrew his role)? It is a bit of circumstantial evidence that the writers were winging it as the season’s went by, not careful to keep a storyline with real continuity points.
Another truly bothersome story line is how in The End Kate winds up with Jack as her soul mate. One would have thought after the cage love session, Kate would have wound up with Sawyer in the church. Or, if the flashback is true, Kate would have wound up with her true love, her husband, Kevin the Florida police officer. There is no rational basis for Kate to re-connect so strongly with Jack. So in the end, whose fantasy is fulfilled?
Magical/Supernatural/Elements:
The Smoke Monster returns to confront Eko, which dire consequences. Is this the Island balancing the “loss” of Colleen’s life with Mr. Eko’s?
Last lines in episodes:
EP 53:
BEN: It's from Of Mice and Men. Don't you read? Come on, let's get you back to your cage.
EP 54:
LOCKE: He said, 'We're next.'
EP 55:
JACK: Kate, dammit, RUN!
EP 56:
JULIET: I've been on this island for 3 years, Jack. 3 years, 2 months, and 28 days. He said that if I let him live and I helped you -- that he would finally let me go home.
New Ideas/Tests of Theories:
Deal with the Devil. Juliet wants to go “home,” which may be metaphor to leave purgatory and into the next level of existence - - - since in the End she winds up with Sawyer and not her flashback family (including her ex-husband who she still pined for in her own way).
When Ben is told he has a cancerous tumor on his back, he cannot believe it because no one of the island ever got cancer. The question becomes whether the electromagnetic energy (which later would be termed “Life Source” contained in every living thing) “cures” cancer or “causes” it.
The fake healer told Rose in Australia that the Earth has different energy pockets - - - the one in the outback could not cure her, but another pocket could. The question is whether the Island’s EM is one of those “pockets” and if so, is it really electromagnetic energy or spiritual energy. The latter is a new concept here because after the crash, Rose was at peace even though her husband was missing and presumed dead. She always thought Bernard was okay. Rose also knew that her cancer was “gone.” But gone in what way? If this “pocket” was a spiritual place, there would be no place for diseases because they live in the human world. If this place was the afterlife, again, diseases would have no place in an “energy” not carbon based existence.
If the Life Force of the Island is a healing power, Desmond’s fail safe implosion would have stopped all healing on the Island, including Ben’s back tumor. That would mean Rose’s terminal cancer would have stricken her, caused her pain and suffering because of its advanced stage. But none of that happens. But if people on the Island “believe it to be true” then it may be true in a dream world where reality is what the individual’s mind.
Are the forces in the Island split into the light (Life Force from the cave) and dark (the smoke monster) as the balance between good and evil? And when the Hatch was taken out, did that create the Island realm imbalance - - - with more darkness and evil that needs to be contained by those characters led by Jack?
It occurs to me that when Tom says since the purple sky, the Island has lost communication with the mainland. This must mean that the Island has “moved” itself as part of the fail safe release of EM. Is this the real reason Ben could not leave the island for medical help, or merely an excuse to get Jack to do something voluntarily but against his free will?
Since the Hatch was the “cap” on the Island’s massive energy force, it also occurs to me that this is the Third Attempt to control it. The first was in the Light Cave, where a large rock with Egyptian hieroglyphs, contained the energy. The second was the Frozen Donkey Wheel from the Roman era. On those glyphs, there is mention to “side gates” to Earth which infers Island movement in time, space or dimensions. The third was the Hatch, a modern American science station. What do all three things have in common? Each place was created by the great civilizations of Earth by its greatest engineers of their time: Egyptians (pyramid builders), Romans (military conquerors) and Americans (moon landing).
The Island is clearly “testing” the characters’ own character. The push to get people to admit their mistakes, to be truly “sorry” for their actions, is a purgatory of the soul. On the other hand, the supernatural elements and manipulative mind control show that there is a hard attempts to modify behavior by external sources (such as the unseen physicians - - - whose form may take on Smokey - - - at a mental hospital treating our character patients).
It also seems that the entire story focus now changes to the Others against the 815ers in a life and death chess match. In reality, there was no reason for the Others and the 815ers to begin as mortal enemies. The Others and Ben’s paranoia and freakish desire for control of the Island creates an unnatural conflict. Are both the Others and the 815ers merely pawns in the Jacob and MIB game of human Senet?
LOST REBOOT
Recap: Episodes 53-56 (Days 70-73)
When Colleen, who was shot by Sun, is brought back to the barracks, Jack cannot save her life. As a result, many of the Others want revenge because Colleen was not saved by the doctor. Ben cons the con man, Sawyer. Desmond sees a vision, and builds a lightning rod to protect Claire and Aaron, which leads to friction with Charlie.
Locke assumes a leadership role. He takes a group to the Pearl Station. Eko sees a vision of his brother and goes off but is killed by the Smoke Monster when Eko refuses to repent for his life’s sins.
Jack finally volunteers to operate on Ben’s back to help his friends. Kate and Sawyer go from flirtation to animal lust. Jack stops the Others, Danny whose wife Colleen died and Jason, from killing Sawyer out of revenge.
Jack and Tom complete Ben’s surgery; Juliet is not convinced that Ben will keep his word so she helps Alex, Karl, Kate and Sawyer to escape the Hydra Island.
Science:
States of Matter
There are five main states of matter. Solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, and Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) are all different states of matter. Each of these states is also known as a phase. Elements and compounds can move from one phase to another when specific physical conditions are present. One example is temperature. When the temperature of a system goes up, the matter in the system becomes more excited and active. Scientists say that it moves to a higher energy state
A "phase" describes a physical state of matter. The key word to notice is physical. Things only move from one phase to another by physical means. If energy is added (like increasing the temperature) or if energy is taken away (like freezing something), you have created a physical change.
A compound or element can move from one phase to another, but still be the same substance. You can see water vapor, in the form of steam, over a boiling pot of water. That vapor (or gas) can condense and become a drop of water. If you put that drop in the freezer, it would become a solid piece of ice. No matter what phase it was in, it was always water. It always had the same chemical properties. On the other hand, a chemical change would change the way the water acted, eventually making it not water, but something completely different. If you added a carbon (C) atom to a water molecule, you would have formaldehyde (H2CO), and that is nothing like water.
All matter can move from one state to another. It may require extreme temperatures or extreme pressures, but it can be done. Sometimes a substance doesn't want to change states. You have to use all of your tricks when that happens. To create a solid, you might have to decrease the temperature by a huge amount and then add pressure. Some of you know about liquid nitrogen (N2). It is nitrogen from the atmosphere in a liquid form and it has to be super cold to stay a liquid. What if you wanted to turn it into a solid but couldn't make it cold enough? You could increase the pressure to push those molecules together. The opposite works too. If you have a liquid at room temperature and you wanted a gas you could use a combination of high temperatures and low pressures to solve your problem.
CHEMISTRY TERM PHASE CHANGE
Fusion (melting) Solid to Liquid
Freezing Liquid to Solid
Vaporization (boiling) Liquid to Gas
Condensation Gas to Liquid
Sublimation Solid to Gas
Deposition Gas to Solid
Phase changes happen when certain points are reached. Sometimes a liquid wants to become a solid. Scientists use something called a freezing point to measure the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid. There are physical effects that can change the freezing point. Pressure is one of those effects. When the pressure surrounding a substance goes up, the freezing point and other special points also go up. That means it's easier to keep things solid at higher pressures. Just remember that there are some exceptions. Water (H2O) is special on many levels. It has more space between its molecules when it is frozen. There's a whole expanding effect when the molecules organize into a solid state. Generally, when temperatures get colder, solids shrink in size. They become more dense.
Improbabilities:
The meatball spinal surgery on Ben. A complex, delicate operation which needs sophisticated technology, machinery and staff to accomplish would be impossible to accomplish in an abandoned Hydra animal experiment station. In addition, Ben waking up in the middle of surgery would have been an alarming, if not fatal, event.
Mysteries:
How can the Smoke Monster be seen in various states of matter? In the smoke or gaseous form it appears as a instinct-only monster. In a human or solid form, it appears to be an exact duplicate of an intelligent human being, an aware animal or moving object.
Themes:
Religion: Judgment of Sins. Eko is defiant in his refusal to confess any sins; he believes he did what he did to save his brother; the ends justified the means. But his judgment by the Smoke Monster (Yemi) was a violent death, and in his last breath, tells Locke “you’re next.” The Island afterlife as a test of a person’s soul, heart and sorrow are recurring elements.
Cons. Ben believes he is the master of con, besting Sawyer in the pacemaker illusion to keep him in line. One could also think that Ben was behind the complex double and triple cross betrayals of his own surgery, just so Jack would actually do the surgery in order to save someone (Kate, Sawyer or Juliet).
The Magic Box. If you wish it, it will come true. Ben will tell this to Locke on the Island, that it can make anything happen. When Juliet is recruited in Miami, she wishes her ex-husband would be hit by a bus. Alpert, Jacob’s right hand man, makes it happen in the most direct manner. It may be part of a con, since Ethan is seen leaving Juliet’s sister’s room just before she claims to be pregnant. Did Ethan plant the evidence or change the test results in order for Juliet to leave her sister and research to join the Others? Probably, since we see how devious the Others can be in getting what they want (and ironically, Juliet, after 3 years of captivity, has learned those same devious skills).
Clues:
Jack asks Ben if he is having symptoms of numbness and tingling to his fingers and toes, yet the tumor on his X-ray is assessed to be over the L4 vertebra and is clearly lumbar (would only have paraesthesis in upper extremities if it was a cervical tumor). Some believe this is a continuity error and not a clue that this is “all make believe.”
Juliet is shown scans of a woman’s womb. She looks at it and believes it to be a 70 year old woman. She is told by Alpert that it is a 26 year old female. How could that be? That is the hook Alpert has to lure Juliet to the Island. Is it true? It could be a con. Or it could be a “real” issue for the Others, whose women could not come to term with their pregnancies. In the concept of an ‘other” dimension as the setting for the Island, such as the afterlife or dementia, a 70 year old woman could have the “illusion” of being her 26 year old self - - - and thus unable to have children.
When Desmond has a vision, he builds a lightning rod in camp. Was it truly a vision, or was it something he believed would happen - - - and if he believed hard enough it would become real. A person could manipulate events to make them real, like the sudden storm and lightning hit as Demond did. Desmond realizes that the Island is not tied to Earth’s natural laws. Mental manipulation of events is possible on the Island, which is a great source of ultimate power.
“She was dead before you put her on the table,” Jack said to Juliet after Colleen died of a gunshot wound. This may be another reference to reincarnated souls trapped on the Island hell waiting for judgment.
Ben asks if Jack believes in God. Ben believes the “proof” is that two days after his spinal tumor diagnosis, a spinal surgeon falls into his lap by the plane crash. But Locke tells Desmond do not confuse coincidence with fate. Are events caused by guardian forces at work or mere coincidence? This also may be a clue to the video game premise, in which Ben is playing a different level trying to “save” himself and the new game element of the 815 crash gives him tools to solve his personal mission of survival.
Discussion:
“ Thoughts are but dreams till their effect be tried. ”
— William Shakespeare
Wonder the purpose of the black smoke monster as it begins its killing spree . . .
black, a color associated with evil; smoke, an element associated with destruction;
monster, an inhumanly cruel or wicked person.
No one can tell what was the smoke monster. Was it really smoke? Doubtful, since it is well believed that the smoke monster could change forms, into physical human form (like Flocke). Was it super-technology, like a swarm of nano-robots? If one thinks that the Dharma experiment stations dealt with polar bears in tropical climates, why not with sci-fi robotics? A machine collective that escapes in the wild amuses some fans. Is it “evil incarnate?” As in the Devil, his minion, its hellhound or metaphor for grim reaper spirit - - - but at times with total rage but at other times total cunning and mental manipulation.
The introduction of the smoke monster at the end of the pilot episode turned a normal survivor-castaway drama into a major mystery, sci-fi dangerous thriller. The island was not safe. It would dominate the human emotion for rescue. But it is a contradiction that is never answered properly: for those characters who allegedly leave the Island (and be saved from danger), all have an unnatural desire to “go back” to the Island. The smoke monster is like a symbolic addiction of a person’s worst personality traits. There are many people who are only happy or content if they are miserable or despondent. The smoke monster is the catalyst for those broken personalities to reinforce their negative brainwaves.
The smoke monster could be the Boogie Man of a child’s nightmare. Instead of being under the bed or hiding in the closet, the Boogie Man is anywhere and everywhere. It is the irrational thought pattern drawn out to an extreme level of fear.
If the smoke monster was the judgment mechanism for the Island to weigh the heart of a person’s soul against their sins, the great inconsistent demise of characters makes the whole concept hypocritical. Example, Eko refuses to acknowledge his sinful life - - - he refuses to accept a redemptive change - - - and is slaughtered by the smoke monster. Then, Ben who killed dozens of Dharma people in the Purge, including killing his own father, is never judged by the Island monster. Two evil characters who did awful deeds get two different fates for no apparent reason.
So at the molecular level, does the smoke monster actually know what is doing or is it purely a responsive wild animal? If it is a living being, then what does it “feed” on? Does it harvest only “evil” souls that cannot accept redemption? Does it feed on the pure emotions of fear in human beings - - - and Eko refused to submit to the fear, he was killed because the smoke monster had no use of Eko if it could not suck out the evil energy of fear from him.
The great mystery is how the smoke monster could change, move about the Island, and how it actually “killed” someone. Was it a wave of electromagnetic energy generated by a swarm of evil gnats? Or was it a shape shifting spirit beast? Or was it an illusion? The monster had the stage presence of a great actor. It has some intelligence to interact in its “solid” state human form, but pure emotional anger in its “gaseous” smoke state. If we use chemistry to analyze the change in appearance, from solid to gas is “sublimation” which means (especially in psychoanalytic theory) “to divert or modify instinctual impulse into a more acceptable activity.” Clearly, Smokey is under much more emotional control in a solid state, as in his appearances as Yemi to Eko. “Disposition” means “the inherit qualities of the human mind or character,” which infers that in a gas state, Smokey’s true character is displayed (as a violent killer). But it would appear that the character traits of Smokey’s physical traits are opposite on the Island - - - but it makes perfect sense if one is looking into a mirror - - - a theme in the series.
It also brings the concepts of the mind again to the forefront of the story foundation. The balancing of instinct, emotion, intelligence is how one’s character is formed. If a person is delusional or has mental problems (characters again mention “do you think I’m crazy?” in response to questions), the inner conflict could be symbolically represented by the Smoke Monster in the mind of a troubled person, such as Eko.
If it was an illusion - - - the mind of a person takes over and forces the weak person to commit mental suicide. One’s mind can create the most dangerous creature. One’s mind can harm you deeper than any mystery monster.
We see Room 23 - - - where Karl is strapped in with an IV, light glasses, blaring audio and flashing images. We have previously discussed the concepts of brain washing, and this is a vivid example of it. As Karl is being rescued, Sawyer begins to fall into a trance at the images and the words - - - change, God loves you like Jacob. He snaps out of it to carry Karl to the boat. This is also the first subliminal reference to Jacob, who will also hear his name from angry Danny who claims “Shepard was not on Jacob’s list.” In retrospect, that is a damning statement, a real inconsistency. Jack’s name was on the lighthouse with the other castaways, including Kate. But Kate did not make the final list of candidates (which was known early in Season 3?) That begs the question - - - why the story shift? Did Jack replace Eko (for real world contract issues) or Walt (who literally outgrew his role)? It is a bit of circumstantial evidence that the writers were winging it as the season’s went by, not careful to keep a storyline with real continuity points.
Another truly bothersome story line is how in The End Kate winds up with Jack as her soul mate. One would have thought after the cage love session, Kate would have wound up with Sawyer in the church. Or, if the flashback is true, Kate would have wound up with her true love, her husband, Kevin the Florida police officer. There is no rational basis for Kate to re-connect so strongly with Jack. So in the end, whose fantasy is fulfilled?
Magical/Supernatural/Elements:
The Smoke Monster returns to confront Eko, which dire consequences. Is this the Island balancing the “loss” of Colleen’s life with Mr. Eko’s?
Last lines in episodes:
EP 53:
BEN: It's from Of Mice and Men. Don't you read? Come on, let's get you back to your cage.
EP 54:
LOCKE: He said, 'We're next.'
EP 55:
JACK: Kate, dammit, RUN!
EP 56:
JULIET: I've been on this island for 3 years, Jack. 3 years, 2 months, and 28 days. He said that if I let him live and I helped you -- that he would finally let me go home.
New Ideas/Tests of Theories:
Deal with the Devil. Juliet wants to go “home,” which may be metaphor to leave purgatory and into the next level of existence - - - since in the End she winds up with Sawyer and not her flashback family (including her ex-husband who she still pined for in her own way).
When Ben is told he has a cancerous tumor on his back, he cannot believe it because no one of the island ever got cancer. The question becomes whether the electromagnetic energy (which later would be termed “Life Source” contained in every living thing) “cures” cancer or “causes” it.
The fake healer told Rose in Australia that the Earth has different energy pockets - - - the one in the outback could not cure her, but another pocket could. The question is whether the Island’s EM is one of those “pockets” and if so, is it really electromagnetic energy or spiritual energy. The latter is a new concept here because after the crash, Rose was at peace even though her husband was missing and presumed dead. She always thought Bernard was okay. Rose also knew that her cancer was “gone.” But gone in what way? If this “pocket” was a spiritual place, there would be no place for diseases because they live in the human world. If this place was the afterlife, again, diseases would have no place in an “energy” not carbon based existence.
If the Life Force of the Island is a healing power, Desmond’s fail safe implosion would have stopped all healing on the Island, including Ben’s back tumor. That would mean Rose’s terminal cancer would have stricken her, caused her pain and suffering because of its advanced stage. But none of that happens. But if people on the Island “believe it to be true” then it may be true in a dream world where reality is what the individual’s mind.
Are the forces in the Island split into the light (Life Force from the cave) and dark (the smoke monster) as the balance between good and evil? And when the Hatch was taken out, did that create the Island realm imbalance - - - with more darkness and evil that needs to be contained by those characters led by Jack?
It occurs to me that when Tom says since the purple sky, the Island has lost communication with the mainland. This must mean that the Island has “moved” itself as part of the fail safe release of EM. Is this the real reason Ben could not leave the island for medical help, or merely an excuse to get Jack to do something voluntarily but against his free will?
Since the Hatch was the “cap” on the Island’s massive energy force, it also occurs to me that this is the Third Attempt to control it. The first was in the Light Cave, where a large rock with Egyptian hieroglyphs, contained the energy. The second was the Frozen Donkey Wheel from the Roman era. On those glyphs, there is mention to “side gates” to Earth which infers Island movement in time, space or dimensions. The third was the Hatch, a modern American science station. What do all three things have in common? Each place was created by the great civilizations of Earth by its greatest engineers of their time: Egyptians (pyramid builders), Romans (military conquerors) and Americans (moon landing).
The Island is clearly “testing” the characters’ own character. The push to get people to admit their mistakes, to be truly “sorry” for their actions, is a purgatory of the soul. On the other hand, the supernatural elements and manipulative mind control show that there is a hard attempts to modify behavior by external sources (such as the unseen physicians - - - whose form may take on Smokey - - - at a mental hospital treating our character patients).
It also seems that the entire story focus now changes to the Others against the 815ers in a life and death chess match. In reality, there was no reason for the Others and the 815ers to begin as mortal enemies. The Others and Ben’s paranoia and freakish desire for control of the Island creates an unnatural conflict. Are both the Others and the 815ers merely pawns in the Jacob and MIB game of human Senet?
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
REBOOT EPISODES 45-48
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 45-48 (Days 63-66)
The second season begins to wind down with the build up of the confrontation with the Others.
Michael reveals secrets about the Others' camp to the survivors; Hurley and Libby plan their first date. When Ana is attacked by Ben, she begins to contemplate taking matters into her own hands. Meanwhile, Michael is reunited with his friends and tells them he wants to go back for Walt, which Ben said the Others would never give up. Michael takes matters into his own hands, and as a result he shoots Ana and Libby.
After Eko experiences unusual dreams, he asks Locke to take him to the “?” from the blast door map. They go out and find the Pearl Station. Michael must maintain his cool as he watches Libby die slowly. In the Hatch, the rest of the survivors must come to terms with what just transpired and try to ease the suffering of a mortally wounded Libby.
As the survivors mourn the losses Ana and Libby, Michael continues to badger the 815ers to launch a rescue mission for Walt, an assault against the Others who are to blame for their current situation. Michael convinces Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sawyer to ambush the Others.
Events come to a head as Michael leads his friends across the Island to confront the Others. Meanwhile, Desmond returns to the Island on his sailboat, and he and Locke make a decision to see what happens if the Hatch countdown timer goes beyond zero.
Michael’s ambush party is seen by the Others; Michael is confronted by Jack. Sayid, Jin and Sun use Desmond’s boat to counterattack and to meet up Jack's crew. Locke and Desmond trick Eko from leaving the station during a Lockdown, in order to test whether something happens if one does not press the Hatch button.
Science:
Brain washing is a technique to make people do something against their natural will.
Scientific studies began in the 1950s including the spheres of cults, marketing, influence, thought reform, torture and reeducation.
The neurological basis for reasoning and cognition in the brain, and brings the point across that the self is changeable. The physiology behind neurological pathways which include webs of neurons containing dendrites, axons and synapses; and this explains that certain brains with more rigid pathways will be less susceptible to new information or creative stimuli. Neurological science to show that brainwashed individuals have more rigid pathways, and that rigidity can make it unlikely that the individual will rethink situations or be able to later reorganize these pathways.
Certain techniques in influencing and brainwashing others, including a restriction of individual freedoms, deception, and methods that conflict with one's decision-making processes. the techniques used by cults to influence others are similar to those used by other social groups, and compares similar totalitarian aspects of cults and communist societies. These techniques include isolating the individual and controlling their access to information, challenging their belief structure and creating doubt, and repeating messages in a pressurized environment. cults emphasize positive aspects of the group over negative aspects of outsiders, endlessly repeat simple ideas in "highly reductive, definitive - sounding phrases", and refer to "abstract and ambiguous" ideas associated with "huge emotional baggage” according to neuroscientist Kathleen Taylor.
Improbabilities:
Inman, the American soldier in Iraq with Sayid, is now pushing button in Hatch with Desmond.
In the 13 day Island flashback, why would Jack and/or Locke trust anything Michael would say after Michael knocked out Locke and pulled a gun on Jack in the Hatch? Michael’s violence against his friends under the guise of finding his son would get more paranoid after his return when he wants to organize a small ambush party that Jack agrees Michael has a right to lead.
Mysteries:
How can Ben and the Others leave the Island, and Desmond in his boat could not?
Is the vaccine actually the sickness or merely another fake element to get people to do something that does not matter?
What is the four toe foot statue base represent? We will learn that it is the remains of the statue of Tawaret, an ancient Egyptian god of fertility and death.
Themes:
Life and Death. There is a fine line between life and death. To what ends will a father do to save the life of his son? Is it rational for Michael to murder two people under the anger that his group is not helping him enough to find his son? At this point in the story, it is the plane survivors who act more like savages - - - killing three others and a few of their own people by gross negligence. But later on, we will be told that pales in comparison with Ben’s purge of Dharma.
Missions and Quests. The main characters are often viewed, from even within the secondary characters, as going off into the jungle on dangerous missions. Those roles are similar to those of characters in massive on-line games like Worlds of Warcraft.
Clues:
When Desmond returns on his sailboat, which floated back to the Island, he states "we are stuck in a bloody snow globe! There's no outside world, there's no escape."
Desmond finally asks Jack if they are "still pushing" to which Jack replies with a smile, "Yeah, we're still pushing it." Locke later remarks that the “world’s still here,” for which Desmond responds “not so sure.”
Ben tells Ana, “you are the killers!” And when confronted with his lies, Ben knows his fate with the survivors or his own group by saying “I’m dead anyway.”
Desmond won’t read Dickens “Our Mutual Friend” until just before his death; but his copy is tattered and worn like it has been read a lot.
When Michael asks Eko if he is a priest, Michael says next that he must believe in Hell.
Eko tells the story of a boy who kills a dog to protect his sister. The boy wonders if he can go to heaven for his action, and Eko tells him he will be forgiven so long as he is sorry. But the boy is still afraid that he will to Hell and find the dog waiting there for him.
Eko pieces together the impossible facts to conclude the Island is a magical place because his brother’s plane crashes halfway around the world, his plane crashes in the same place, and that he and John have vivid dreams of his brother telling them what to do.
Eko sees the vision of bleeding/dead Ana, who tells Eko to help Jack, and to help Locke find the question mark.
Discussion:
“ Business demands faith, compels earnestness, requires courage, is honestly selfish, is penalized for mistakes, and is the essence of life. ”
— William Feather
“Equal opportunity means everyone will have a fair chance at being incompetent.”
--- Laurence J. Peter
“Love must not touch the marrow of the soul. Our affections must be breakable chains that we can cast them off or tighten them.”
---- Louise Erdrich
As the second season winds down, there was a huge event that should have answered several burning questions about the Island and the Hatch. When Desmond returns, he tells the survivors that they are never going back to their old life; that there is no escape from the Island. Desmond then begins to drink himself to death.
The other element of these episodes is Michael’s dissent into his personal hell. His incompetence as a father transforms him into an incompetent killer. He compounds his mistakes by blaming Ben for the shootings, and covers up the truth while his friends watch innocent Libby die. As a result of his misguided love for his son, Michael will forever chain his soul to the Island seeking answers to his misery, as a trapped whisper in the jungle, which in some respects is his purgatory.
We also begin to get clear understanding of the fears and motivations of the characters.
We also see continuing repetition of themes and situations between characters.
Christian and Ana “run away” from their problems to go to Australia much in the same way that Kate is running away from her past decisions. We see characters like Desmond having to prove himself but fails just like Hurley believes he failed Libby on his organization of their first date.
Desmond is called a coward by Widmore. In order to restore his honor, he decides to win a round the world boat race sponsored by Widmore in order to win Penny back. How that makes any sense when Penny is engaged to another man, and upset with Dez for not writing her while he was “away.” (It is noteworthy that she does not acknowledge his “prison,” but uses the word “away” which has one meaning of “to go toward nonexistence.”) So Desmond’s fate is to do something incredibly brave in order to restore his honor so he can reconnect with his love, Penny. As in the Wizard of Oz, courage can only be obtained by the tests along the way to the end.
We see Michael as a father who allowed his son to be adopted and taken away by another person be racked by guilt of his selfish decision to compound his mistakes in order to get Walt back. Michael’s incompetence continues in his role as a murderer, because he could not do that right when he shot Libby, who suffered an agonizing death in front of her friends.
Charlie has his own personal demon, drugs. It tears a part his personal relationships. It leaves him alone; he fears being alone. So in order to restore his friendship with Claire, he must break free from the hold that drugs has on his soul. He does so when Vincent shows him Sawyer’s stash. Charlie throws all the statues out to sea. Later, at the funeral of Ana and Libby, Claire holds his hand, re-connecting their bond.
Bonds appear to be an important element of Island survival. Sawyer admits to Jack that Jack is the closest thing he has to a friend. Friendship could be equated to Faraday’s concept of having “a Constant” to keep you mind frying during the time travel elements of the future story arc. The bonds of friendship are important facets of human life, of social order and social behavior. When Jack repeats his mantra, “Live Together, Die Alone,” he means that their group bonds are more important than self-centered, selfish goals. We will find that those who go it alone, such as Michael, will wind up with damnation as a trapped island whisper, believed to be a lost soul that has not or cannot be redeemed.
Magical/Supernatural/Elements:
Desmond sailing “due west” for three weeks and not finding Fiji, but the only land is his return to the Island, which he considers “a large snow globe.”
Dead people showing up on the island, like Eko’s brother and Ana, telling Eko what to do next. Spirits are guiding individuals along the path of Island existence, in the same way one could say angels may guide souls through the after life.
Last lines in episodes:
EP 45:
LIBBY: [appearing] Michael?!
[Michael, surprised, turns and shoots her twice. He opens the armory door. He and Gale stare at each other for a long moment. Michael shoots himself in the arm.]
EP 46:
JACK: Michael. He's okay. He made it, Libby. It's okay. It's alright.
[Libby gasps for air and dies. Jack closes her eyelids. Hurley cries. Kate cries and Sawyer comforts her. We hear the timer alarm start sounding. We see Eko and Locke walking through the jungle. We see Michael standing by himself in the armory. We see a close up of the prompt at the computer monitor.]
EP 47:
SUN: Boat. Boat!
[We see a sailboat coming in to shore.]
EP 48:
SAYID: We’re here.
New Ideas/Tests of Theories:
If one looks to what is actually said within the show as the answers and theories to the Island mysteries, this is what we have so far:
1. Dave’s explanation to Hurley that Hurley is still in the hospital, in a catatonic state, and that he has created all these characters and events in his own mind.
2. Desmond believes that they are no longer in “their world” after sailing for three weeks in a “bloody snow globe.” The concept as the Island in a different dimension or realm is a compelling premise, even if the characters survived the plane crash and transported to a spirit world interacting with dead souls seeking redemption.
3. Sawyer believes satirically that the Others are aliens. This would infer that the survivors are alien abductees on a ship or other planet as test subjects, like the Star Trek episode The Cage.
4. Many characters have referenced the Island being Hell or the after life. Rose and Locke acknowledge their secret “miracles” after the plane crash, a crash a normal person would not have survived. Radinzky, Inman’s partner in the Hatch, puts on the blast door map reference to Cerberus, the guardian dogs of Hell. Through Michael’s guilt and cover up, he references a belief in Hell to Eko.
5. That the survivors are unfortunate castaways who have landed on a crazy island controlled by dangerous psychopaths who have built several scientific stations to monitor and test human behavior in a series of cruel lies.
6. Likewise, there is evidence that the inhabitants of the Island all have mental illness symptoms or traits, including parenting and social issues, criminal behavior and paranoia. The Island may be a symbolic view point of insane people receiving treatment in a mental institution in order to “change” their behavior. The ability to “change” one’s path is an important element in each person’s back story. When Ben yells at Ana that her group “are the killers,” there could be truth in that statement that everyone on the island is criminally insane, and being treated in an unconventional manner as part of their sentence on an isolated penal colony. All the 815ers came from Australia, which began its existence as a penal colony.
7. After Walt is captured and sees Michael briefly, he warns him that it is all “pretend.” The Others are pretending to be a band of shoddy hillbillies. But it is a lie. But to pretend in a child’s world is to dream and act out adventure stories with other children. The idea that there are no children around could infer that the children are present, but in the form of adults, acting out their own interconnected dramas. This could all be as simple as a game of pretend. It could be an on-line game, it could be a virtual world, or it could be a fantasy dream of a “special” child. Any form of dream state could explain away all of the inconsistencies, continuity, legal errors, medical errors and supernatural elements of the show. For in a dream you can do anything you want, including reviving the dead.
These episodes dynamically reinforce the science that mind control is at the heart of the Island characters survival. Is it about mental illness in a person(s) that creates a fantasy world that the characters are trying to get through, via quests, religious ritual or missions of survival? Or is characters in a hospital setting getting treatment from real doctors for whom the patients turn into villains? The whole idea that Dharma, the Others, Widmore or any other group is using brain washing techniques to “change” a person’s behavior or beliefs is compelling when viewed from the point of the last eight episodes. Ben and Klug use spies, interviews, and data collection of the survivors, including capturing subjects, isolating individuals from their group, controlling their access to information, challenging their belief structure; creating doubt, and repeating messages in a pressurized environment of confinement or supernatural dangers. It seems that the Island structures are all available means to re-train a person’s mind or brain wash them to change. It seems that some characters must reach their personal “rock bottom” in order to change, and in turn, in order to be saved from their personal demons.
Example, when Klug is interviewing Michael in the Other’s camp, she is asking questions like a physician would to a new patient. She gives Michael a list of names, similar to what Dr. Brooks did with Hurley at the mental institution. When Walt is given three minutes with Michael, Klug threatens Walt with “the room,” which is Room 23 at a station that was used by Dharma and the Others for brain washing individuals. But Walt warns Michael that “this is all PRETEND!!” The whole scene leaves Michael an emotional wreck, willing to do anything asked of him to get his son back, including murder. The question is whether Klug is helping Michael “change” his maniac personality disorder, re-channel his emotional guilt of not being a good father to his son, or feeding Michael’s fragile emotional state to act on impulses of pure evil.
LOST REBOOT
Recap: Episodes 45-48 (Days 63-66)
The second season begins to wind down with the build up of the confrontation with the Others.
Michael reveals secrets about the Others' camp to the survivors; Hurley and Libby plan their first date. When Ana is attacked by Ben, she begins to contemplate taking matters into her own hands. Meanwhile, Michael is reunited with his friends and tells them he wants to go back for Walt, which Ben said the Others would never give up. Michael takes matters into his own hands, and as a result he shoots Ana and Libby.
After Eko experiences unusual dreams, he asks Locke to take him to the “?” from the blast door map. They go out and find the Pearl Station. Michael must maintain his cool as he watches Libby die slowly. In the Hatch, the rest of the survivors must come to terms with what just transpired and try to ease the suffering of a mortally wounded Libby.
As the survivors mourn the losses Ana and Libby, Michael continues to badger the 815ers to launch a rescue mission for Walt, an assault against the Others who are to blame for their current situation. Michael convinces Hurley, Jack, Kate and Sawyer to ambush the Others.
Events come to a head as Michael leads his friends across the Island to confront the Others. Meanwhile, Desmond returns to the Island on his sailboat, and he and Locke make a decision to see what happens if the Hatch countdown timer goes beyond zero.
Michael’s ambush party is seen by the Others; Michael is confronted by Jack. Sayid, Jin and Sun use Desmond’s boat to counterattack and to meet up Jack's crew. Locke and Desmond trick Eko from leaving the station during a Lockdown, in order to test whether something happens if one does not press the Hatch button.
Science:
Brain washing is a technique to make people do something against their natural will.
Scientific studies began in the 1950s including the spheres of cults, marketing, influence, thought reform, torture and reeducation.
The neurological basis for reasoning and cognition in the brain, and brings the point across that the self is changeable. The physiology behind neurological pathways which include webs of neurons containing dendrites, axons and synapses; and this explains that certain brains with more rigid pathways will be less susceptible to new information or creative stimuli. Neurological science to show that brainwashed individuals have more rigid pathways, and that rigidity can make it unlikely that the individual will rethink situations or be able to later reorganize these pathways.
Certain techniques in influencing and brainwashing others, including a restriction of individual freedoms, deception, and methods that conflict with one's decision-making processes. the techniques used by cults to influence others are similar to those used by other social groups, and compares similar totalitarian aspects of cults and communist societies. These techniques include isolating the individual and controlling their access to information, challenging their belief structure and creating doubt, and repeating messages in a pressurized environment. cults emphasize positive aspects of the group over negative aspects of outsiders, endlessly repeat simple ideas in "highly reductive, definitive - sounding phrases", and refer to "abstract and ambiguous" ideas associated with "huge emotional baggage” according to neuroscientist Kathleen Taylor.
Improbabilities:
Inman, the American soldier in Iraq with Sayid, is now pushing button in Hatch with Desmond.
In the 13 day Island flashback, why would Jack and/or Locke trust anything Michael would say after Michael knocked out Locke and pulled a gun on Jack in the Hatch? Michael’s violence against his friends under the guise of finding his son would get more paranoid after his return when he wants to organize a small ambush party that Jack agrees Michael has a right to lead.
Mysteries:
How can Ben and the Others leave the Island, and Desmond in his boat could not?
Is the vaccine actually the sickness or merely another fake element to get people to do something that does not matter?
What is the four toe foot statue base represent? We will learn that it is the remains of the statue of Tawaret, an ancient Egyptian god of fertility and death.
Themes:
Life and Death. There is a fine line between life and death. To what ends will a father do to save the life of his son? Is it rational for Michael to murder two people under the anger that his group is not helping him enough to find his son? At this point in the story, it is the plane survivors who act more like savages - - - killing three others and a few of their own people by gross negligence. But later on, we will be told that pales in comparison with Ben’s purge of Dharma.
Missions and Quests. The main characters are often viewed, from even within the secondary characters, as going off into the jungle on dangerous missions. Those roles are similar to those of characters in massive on-line games like Worlds of Warcraft.
Clues:
When Desmond returns on his sailboat, which floated back to the Island, he states "we are stuck in a bloody snow globe! There's no outside world, there's no escape."
Desmond finally asks Jack if they are "still pushing" to which Jack replies with a smile, "Yeah, we're still pushing it." Locke later remarks that the “world’s still here,” for which Desmond responds “not so sure.”
Ben tells Ana, “you are the killers!” And when confronted with his lies, Ben knows his fate with the survivors or his own group by saying “I’m dead anyway.”
Desmond won’t read Dickens “Our Mutual Friend” until just before his death; but his copy is tattered and worn like it has been read a lot.
When Michael asks Eko if he is a priest, Michael says next that he must believe in Hell.
Eko tells the story of a boy who kills a dog to protect his sister. The boy wonders if he can go to heaven for his action, and Eko tells him he will be forgiven so long as he is sorry. But the boy is still afraid that he will to Hell and find the dog waiting there for him.
Eko pieces together the impossible facts to conclude the Island is a magical place because his brother’s plane crashes halfway around the world, his plane crashes in the same place, and that he and John have vivid dreams of his brother telling them what to do.
Eko sees the vision of bleeding/dead Ana, who tells Eko to help Jack, and to help Locke find the question mark.
Discussion:
“ Business demands faith, compels earnestness, requires courage, is honestly selfish, is penalized for mistakes, and is the essence of life. ”
— William Feather
“Equal opportunity means everyone will have a fair chance at being incompetent.”
--- Laurence J. Peter
“Love must not touch the marrow of the soul. Our affections must be breakable chains that we can cast them off or tighten them.”
---- Louise Erdrich
As the second season winds down, there was a huge event that should have answered several burning questions about the Island and the Hatch. When Desmond returns, he tells the survivors that they are never going back to their old life; that there is no escape from the Island. Desmond then begins to drink himself to death.
The other element of these episodes is Michael’s dissent into his personal hell. His incompetence as a father transforms him into an incompetent killer. He compounds his mistakes by blaming Ben for the shootings, and covers up the truth while his friends watch innocent Libby die. As a result of his misguided love for his son, Michael will forever chain his soul to the Island seeking answers to his misery, as a trapped whisper in the jungle, which in some respects is his purgatory.
We also begin to get clear understanding of the fears and motivations of the characters.
We also see continuing repetition of themes and situations between characters.
Christian and Ana “run away” from their problems to go to Australia much in the same way that Kate is running away from her past decisions. We see characters like Desmond having to prove himself but fails just like Hurley believes he failed Libby on his organization of their first date.
Desmond is called a coward by Widmore. In order to restore his honor, he decides to win a round the world boat race sponsored by Widmore in order to win Penny back. How that makes any sense when Penny is engaged to another man, and upset with Dez for not writing her while he was “away.” (It is noteworthy that she does not acknowledge his “prison,” but uses the word “away” which has one meaning of “to go toward nonexistence.”) So Desmond’s fate is to do something incredibly brave in order to restore his honor so he can reconnect with his love, Penny. As in the Wizard of Oz, courage can only be obtained by the tests along the way to the end.
We see Michael as a father who allowed his son to be adopted and taken away by another person be racked by guilt of his selfish decision to compound his mistakes in order to get Walt back. Michael’s incompetence continues in his role as a murderer, because he could not do that right when he shot Libby, who suffered an agonizing death in front of her friends.
Charlie has his own personal demon, drugs. It tears a part his personal relationships. It leaves him alone; he fears being alone. So in order to restore his friendship with Claire, he must break free from the hold that drugs has on his soul. He does so when Vincent shows him Sawyer’s stash. Charlie throws all the statues out to sea. Later, at the funeral of Ana and Libby, Claire holds his hand, re-connecting their bond.
Bonds appear to be an important element of Island survival. Sawyer admits to Jack that Jack is the closest thing he has to a friend. Friendship could be equated to Faraday’s concept of having “a Constant” to keep you mind frying during the time travel elements of the future story arc. The bonds of friendship are important facets of human life, of social order and social behavior. When Jack repeats his mantra, “Live Together, Die Alone,” he means that their group bonds are more important than self-centered, selfish goals. We will find that those who go it alone, such as Michael, will wind up with damnation as a trapped island whisper, believed to be a lost soul that has not or cannot be redeemed.
Magical/Supernatural/Elements:
Desmond sailing “due west” for three weeks and not finding Fiji, but the only land is his return to the Island, which he considers “a large snow globe.”
Dead people showing up on the island, like Eko’s brother and Ana, telling Eko what to do next. Spirits are guiding individuals along the path of Island existence, in the same way one could say angels may guide souls through the after life.
Last lines in episodes:
EP 45:
LIBBY: [appearing] Michael?!
[Michael, surprised, turns and shoots her twice. He opens the armory door. He and Gale stare at each other for a long moment. Michael shoots himself in the arm.]
EP 46:
JACK: Michael. He's okay. He made it, Libby. It's okay. It's alright.
[Libby gasps for air and dies. Jack closes her eyelids. Hurley cries. Kate cries and Sawyer comforts her. We hear the timer alarm start sounding. We see Eko and Locke walking through the jungle. We see Michael standing by himself in the armory. We see a close up of the prompt at the computer monitor.]
EP 47:
SUN: Boat. Boat!
[We see a sailboat coming in to shore.]
EP 48:
SAYID: We’re here.
New Ideas/Tests of Theories:
If one looks to what is actually said within the show as the answers and theories to the Island mysteries, this is what we have so far:
1. Dave’s explanation to Hurley that Hurley is still in the hospital, in a catatonic state, and that he has created all these characters and events in his own mind.
2. Desmond believes that they are no longer in “their world” after sailing for three weeks in a “bloody snow globe.” The concept as the Island in a different dimension or realm is a compelling premise, even if the characters survived the plane crash and transported to a spirit world interacting with dead souls seeking redemption.
3. Sawyer believes satirically that the Others are aliens. This would infer that the survivors are alien abductees on a ship or other planet as test subjects, like the Star Trek episode The Cage.
4. Many characters have referenced the Island being Hell or the after life. Rose and Locke acknowledge their secret “miracles” after the plane crash, a crash a normal person would not have survived. Radinzky, Inman’s partner in the Hatch, puts on the blast door map reference to Cerberus, the guardian dogs of Hell. Through Michael’s guilt and cover up, he references a belief in Hell to Eko.
5. That the survivors are unfortunate castaways who have landed on a crazy island controlled by dangerous psychopaths who have built several scientific stations to monitor and test human behavior in a series of cruel lies.
6. Likewise, there is evidence that the inhabitants of the Island all have mental illness symptoms or traits, including parenting and social issues, criminal behavior and paranoia. The Island may be a symbolic view point of insane people receiving treatment in a mental institution in order to “change” their behavior. The ability to “change” one’s path is an important element in each person’s back story. When Ben yells at Ana that her group “are the killers,” there could be truth in that statement that everyone on the island is criminally insane, and being treated in an unconventional manner as part of their sentence on an isolated penal colony. All the 815ers came from Australia, which began its existence as a penal colony.
7. After Walt is captured and sees Michael briefly, he warns him that it is all “pretend.” The Others are pretending to be a band of shoddy hillbillies. But it is a lie. But to pretend in a child’s world is to dream and act out adventure stories with other children. The idea that there are no children around could infer that the children are present, but in the form of adults, acting out their own interconnected dramas. This could all be as simple as a game of pretend. It could be an on-line game, it could be a virtual world, or it could be a fantasy dream of a “special” child. Any form of dream state could explain away all of the inconsistencies, continuity, legal errors, medical errors and supernatural elements of the show. For in a dream you can do anything you want, including reviving the dead.
These episodes dynamically reinforce the science that mind control is at the heart of the Island characters survival. Is it about mental illness in a person(s) that creates a fantasy world that the characters are trying to get through, via quests, religious ritual or missions of survival? Or is characters in a hospital setting getting treatment from real doctors for whom the patients turn into villains? The whole idea that Dharma, the Others, Widmore or any other group is using brain washing techniques to “change” a person’s behavior or beliefs is compelling when viewed from the point of the last eight episodes. Ben and Klug use spies, interviews, and data collection of the survivors, including capturing subjects, isolating individuals from their group, controlling their access to information, challenging their belief structure; creating doubt, and repeating messages in a pressurized environment of confinement or supernatural dangers. It seems that the Island structures are all available means to re-train a person’s mind or brain wash them to change. It seems that some characters must reach their personal “rock bottom” in order to change, and in turn, in order to be saved from their personal demons.
Example, when Klug is interviewing Michael in the Other’s camp, she is asking questions like a physician would to a new patient. She gives Michael a list of names, similar to what Dr. Brooks did with Hurley at the mental institution. When Walt is given three minutes with Michael, Klug threatens Walt with “the room,” which is Room 23 at a station that was used by Dharma and the Others for brain washing individuals. But Walt warns Michael that “this is all PRETEND!!” The whole scene leaves Michael an emotional wreck, willing to do anything asked of him to get his son back, including murder. The question is whether Klug is helping Michael “change” his maniac personality disorder, re-channel his emotional guilt of not being a good father to his son, or feeding Michael’s fragile emotional state to act on impulses of pure evil.
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