Act I of LOST’s final season ended this week with the glorious final sequence of “Sundown”. Before we get into Act II, I  wanted to hear your thoughts, comments, rants, theories, etc. about the first six episodes of this season. Please keep your comments spoiler-free!

Related posts:

1. LOST Episodes 6.01/02 “LA X” – Open Thread
2. LOST Episode 6.04 “The Substitute” [Open Thread]
3. LOST Episode 6.03 “What Kate Does” [Open Thread]

I went to the hospital where Claire was giving birth in the flashsideways and also did an interview with one of the extras in that scene who happened to be a friend and co-worker.

Related posts:

1. The LOST Initiative – “What Kate Does”
2. Sundays LOST Rewatch: “What Kate Does”
3. LOST Ep. 6.03 Live Reaction/Recap Video: What Kate Does

Did your opinion about this episode (whether it’s bad or good) change on a second viewing? Tell us in comments below!

Related posts:

1. Sundays LOST Rewatch: “The Constant”
2. Sundays LOST Rewatch: “Through The Looking Glass”
3. Sundays LOST Rewatch: “Pilot”

[Via Sky1]

Related posts:

1. The LOST Initiative – “LA X”
2. The LOST Initiative – “He’s Our You”
3. The LOST Initiative – “316″

Spoiler alert: the title of next week’s episode is mentioned on this video.

[Via ABC]

Related posts:

1. The Official LOST Audio & Video Podcast: February 4th, 2010
2. The Official LOST Video Podcast: January 20th, 2010
3. The Official LOST Video Podcast: January 27th, 2010

Looks as though the powers that be returned to fine form with this episode, recharging the formula and giving us a lot of new twists and turns. Even though it was billed as a Kate-centric episode, the secrets behind the curtain had much more to do with Sayid, the Others and, of course, our long-lost Island mother, Claire. We’ve got much to talk about, so grab your vials of Dharma vaccine and let’s …

GET DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS
After last week’s premiere I started contemplating all the loose ends that still waited to be revisited and tied up. Since Desmond was primarily on my mind, I started thinking about all the central points around his story and the tiny details that may have been lost along the way. I just couldn’t get the sickness out of my mind, and his insistence on carrying the vaccine that lie in the Hatch along with him when he left the Swan in season two. Thankfully, the writers brought the sickness back in full force this week and revealed not only one of the main sources, but a hub around which we could try and make some sense of the madness.

According to Dogen, Sayid is infected. With exactly what, we can’t be sure, but he refers to it as “being claimed.” From what the Temple dwellers have revealed to Jack and company, this claim appears to be the mark of Esau if we are to believe that they are protecting the Temple and their way of life from the Man in Black. Before this episode, we were not privy to the source of the sickness or infection, but we can now assume that the waters that run beneath the Temple as the main source. When Sayid was placed in the Spring, the waters were dark and murky. Dogen commented that he wasn’t completely sure of the outcome if they were to dip Sayid in the bubbling pool, but he is now convinced of Sayid’s infection. The source is now clear, but the circumstances that surround the pool, the sickness and the Temple are a bit muddy. Pun intended.

Throughout the seasons when Rousseau spoke of the sickness, she claimed that it was the reason that she had to kill her entire team. In “This Place is Death” last season, we see the whole story unfold. While searching for the radio tower, Rousseau and her team encounter Ol’ Smokey, and he drags Montand to the Temple, severing his arm. With Montand wounded below, the team, with the exception of Rousseau (and Jin, who was a temporal witness to the events), venture into the Temple through the Cerberus vent. Later, Jin witnesses Rousseau confronting her lover, Robert, on the beach. Two of the members of her team that had disappeared into the Temple were already lying dead on the beach, dispatched by the French woman. Robert appears to have been changed, acting in a very cool, detached manner toward Danielle. They stand with rifles drawn until Robert pulls the trigger. The gun fails to fire and Danielle puts him down. Throughout this standoff, Rousseau refers to the “sickness” that had taken over the team since they had encountered the Monster.

Removing that firing pin was a nice move, lady.

In relation to the science team infection, Dogen says to Jack that “the infection will spread.” Dogen may not be referring to an infection spreading within Sayid, but among those that surround him. This would make sense in the context of Rousseau’s team – if one was in need of help at the Temple and was infected, he was likely to spread it to the others he was closest to. In this way, we can infer that the infection may be either a literal infection, or a dogmatic one; Sayid may be infected with an ideal or even free thought that is detrimental to the paradigm of the Temple patrons, whomever they truly serve.

Here’s the muddy part: at the end of this week’s episode, Dogen tells Jack that his sister had contracted the same sickness that now infected Sayid. Moments later we see Claire taking out some Others, standing with a rifle and looking crazed, just as Danielle had done countless times before. The parallel is clear – Claire is now almost exactly like Danielle. She is alone, relying only on herself, her baby removed from her by possible outside forces. She may not know who to trust, just as Danielle had admitted first to Sayid and then other survivors she encountered. Now, to draw that parallel, we must assume that Claire and Daniel’s circumstances are near-identical. However, from our perspective, Danielle never entered the Temple, and therefore did not come in contact with the muddy Spring. Her teammates, on the other hand, most assuredly did.

This raises huge questions. Danielle believed that her teammates were infected, but from the point of view of her teammates, Danielle must have appeared infected. The same would hold true with Dogen and his group in relation to Sayid. And, just as Robert was eager and willing to kill the woman he loved, Dogen, too, was more than eager to kill Sayid outright when he thought him to be infected. Danielle only killed out of self-defense, but Robert and the Temple dwellers were willing to kill outright. The same seems to be true of Claire.

As an aside, this “claim” would appear to be from Esau/MIB, at least if we take into account what the Temple dwellers have told us. But is it really? Who do they really serve, and who/what do they wish to protect the Temple from? It’s clear from the events in “This Place is Death” that Ol’ Smokey has open access to the catacombs beneath the Temple, so the Temple dwellers seemed to feel no fear from it before news of Jacob’s death. The Temple even seemed to be the home of Cerberus/Esau/MIB, so why would they suddenly fear its return? Were they under Jacob’s understood protection and could now no longer depend on him? Or could they actually serve Esau and are now open to some sort of barrage from Jacob who has been unleashed now that Ben dispatched him in the Statue?

Speaking of Ben, he’s another wild card. In “Whatever Happened, Happened” from last season, Ben is taken to the Temple after his fatal wound at the hands of Sayid. Richard tells Sawyer that if Ben is taken into the temple, his innocence will be lost and he will forever be one of them. Ben is healed, and does, indeed, become one of the Others. However, the same circumstances that surround Sayid and Claire must not surround Ben, as he was not judged to be infected and was allowed to live amongst the Others freely, even becoming their “leader.” Clearly he was not “claimed,” but later fell under the influence of Esau, regardless.

Then we have the Dharma Initiative and the Quarantine. Dharma knew of a “sickness” and was vaccinating their personnel for quite some time after the Incident. From their perspective, the sickness may have appeared much like how Rousseau perceived it. Members of the Initiative may have come in contact with the Hostiles and were subsequently “turned,” causing a form of insanity that made them inherently hostile. That’s assuming, of course, that the quarantine and sickness weren’t methods devised by Dharma to keep Swan subjects from venturing too far into the jungle. After six seasons, however, I seriously doubt that scenario.

Does anybody miss the Hatch as much as I do?

One other tidbit before we wrap this portion up: it’s mostly clear from Dogen’s actions that they can’t kill Sayid without Sayid willingly giving his life. Whether that is against a code, or if Sayid is unable to endure harm from most mortal weapons remains to be seen. If Sayid can still be harmed after his “resurrection,” then why not just shoot him if he is infected? Even if he is a zombie, they should know by now that a good, clean shot to the head usually does the trick. Of course, most of them have been stuck on the Island for awhile and may not even know George Romero’s name. (Just to be clear, the zombie thing is a joke – I don’t want an inbox full of people asking of the Island’s gonna be full of zombies, no matter how cool that would be.)

I realize that I may have raised more questions than provided answers in this bit of analysis, but I wanted to present most of the instances of the infection that we’ve encountered to foster thought and discussion. I think we’re still missing a big piece of the puzzle needed to finally figure out what’s going on with the sickness. Hopefully, more of that will become clear after we see more of the Claire that has become Rousseau’s doppelganger. (And, yes, I think those traps were set by Claire – but even broaching that topic opens a whole new can of worms; maybe next time).

THE OTHER MAN
Well, well, Dr. Goodspeed. His appearance at Mercy Hospital to take care of Claire was certainly unexpected. We were first introduced to Ethan – as Ethan Rom – in “Solitary” waaaay back in season one. Throughout the seasons we learned that Ethan acted as a spy and as a surgeon for the Others, kidnapping Claire and taking her to the Staff medical station to evaluate her and her unborn son, and prep her for a C-section to take Aaron to live amongst the Others. In Season five, we found out that he is the son of Horace and Amy Goodspeed, of the Dharma Initiative.

Back in 1977, Ethan and his mother, Amy, were part of the group to be evacuated from the Island prior to the Incident. It’s assumed that they got off the Island, but we don’t know at what time or under what circumstances he returned to the Island to join the Others.

In the LA X timeline, Ethan is not one of the Others (not that we’ve seen, anyway), and is not on the Island since it is underwater and inaccessible. It’s not known whether he was born on the Island, as it’s not known if Amy and Horace were ever part of the Dharma Initiative in this timeline. We do know, however, that Dharma was on the Island at some point since we see the remains of Dharmaville in the underwater shot at the beginning of “LA X Part 1.”

No matter the circumstances, it’s clear that Ethan and Claire’s “strings” (see analysis for “The Lie” from last season), or quantum states, are entangled. Just as he acted as a sort of surgical “caregiver” for Claire on the Island, so, too, is Ethan entrusted with the well-being of Aaron in the alternate timeline. I believe that this quantum entanglement extends to all those that have been involved with the Island in this, or any other divergent timeline that may have developed throughout the years that the Island has been in flux, or in a quantum loop. I hope to look more closely at this phenomenon as the season progresses and we see more instances of entanglements like Claire and Ethan’s.

MASTERS OF ALL, MASTERS OF NONE
Let’s talk briefly about Jacob and Esau – who’s really the bad guy, here? And are they one in the same, in a quantum sense or literary sense?

In terms of the duality of form, in last week’s final episode, Esau walks away from those on the beach, claiming that he is very disappointed in all of them. This displays a piece of his character that belies his reliance on followers, just as Jacob has relied. As far as actions – at least actions that we can clearly attribute to Esau in his smoke form – Esau clearly has only killed armed people as Ol’ Smokey, either in self defense or in the defense of another, such as Ben, when Ben was faced by Keamy and his team in season four. Esau spared Ben’s life because he needed his help, but if Jacob can assume a smoke form, as well (which we discussed briefly last week), then the actions of Ol’ Smokey have to be broken down and attributed to two different mindsets. This could explain why Eko is spared in “The 23rd Psalm,” and then killed the next time he meets Cerberus in “The Cost of Living.” Also, Locke sees Cerberus in “Walkabout” in season one, but is then attacked and almost dragged underground by Cerberus in that season’s finale. We either have a true wildcard in Ol’ Smokey, or we have two separate entities able to assume smoke form and running about the Island, enacting their own agenda.

That’s just one thought, though, I could be completely wrong.

FILE THEM UNDER MISCELLANEOUS
Just a few quick thoughts before wrapping this analysis up for the week:

HoboTrashcan founder Joel Murphy mentioned an interesting detail about Esau and Richard’s altercation in last week’s episode. In my recap, I state that Focke punches Richard in the face to take him out after Richard exclaims “You?!” to Focke. Joel noticed that the punch was to Richard’s throat, rather than to his face. I missed that, but it’s an important detail. Since Richard knows Focke/Esau/MIB’s true identity, it’s pretty obvious that he would want to shut Richard up quick, fast and in a hurry. The best way to do that, and insure that he couldn’t talk even if the attack didn’t result in a knockout, was to take away Richard’s means of speech. Richard’s knowledge of Esau may also enable him to encant some sort of protection ritual. Regardless, it’s best for Esau’s plans if Richard was incapacitated and mute. Nice catch.

I don’t think Ricardus is going to be singing karaoke for awhile.

In last week’s column I mentioned that Desmond turned the failsafe key at the Swan twice – once to bring down Oceanic 815 and once to implode the Hatch at the end of season two. I stand corrected – Desmond didn’t turn the failsafe key when Oceanic 815 went down, he simply input the shutdown/release code after the timer had run into the red zone. I got several emails and comments about that. Way to keep me honest, people!

HoboTrashcan reader Meaty was the first of a couple of astute readers to mention that not only did Jack and Desmond have a red mark on their necks; fellow quantum leaper Daniel Faraday did, as well. Daniel got his red nick during the scuffle at the mechanic’s pool in Dharmaville during “The Variable,” when he was grazed in the neck by a bullet. This is a fascinating little detail, as Daniel and Desmond’s quantum strings are very closely entwined since Daniel advises Desmond to find his constant, and later utilizes Desmond’s ability as the Variable to alter the course of events. Desmond and Jack’s strings are just as closely entwined, making Desmond the middle man of the quantum jet set.

What’s important to note here is that Faraday’s red mark is on the right side of his neck, whereas Desmond and Jack’s are both on the left. However, we see Jack’s mark as a mirror image. Fascinating. That little detail could mean nothing; could mean everything.

There are several hundred other pressing questions and intriguing details we could go into this week (I didn’t even get to Claire and her “missing time”), and many of you have asked for certain things to be brought up for discussion, but those will have to wait until next time. Right now, I’m ready to enter my favorite quantum state – that of sound sleep. Until next week, keep thinking those thoughts, and if you have an epiphany tell me something good.

Namaste.

[Chris' detailed recap of this episode can be found at Hobotrashcan.com.]

Related posts:

1. The X Factor – LOST 6.01/6.02 Analysis by Chris Kirkman
2. “316″ Recap & Analysis By Chris Kirkman
3. “The Variable” Recap & Analysis by Chris Kirkman

I’ve heard a lot of hype about his episode being filler. And I don’t agree. We’re in the midst of the final season, folks. I highly doubt we’re seeing filler. There’s just not enough time for it. I’m convinced that everything we witnessed in this episode was necessary in order to understand the full scope of things at the end. Well…we hope we understand at the end, right?

We have faith in you Damon and Carlton. Don’t let us down!

Ahem.

We saw some pretty big developments unfold tonight. First, though,

I want to point out some things that were mentioned or that I noticed during the enhanced airing of LA X, part 2.

First off, it is clarified that the ‘alternate’ timeline that is occuring off-island is NOT a flashforward or a flashback. It’s a flash sideways, showing us what would have happened had Flight 815 landed at LAX. Hmm… NOT a flashforward. NOT a flashback. Got it. Don’t really understand it, but I got it.

While re-watching LA X part 2, I noticed something that I missed the first (and second AND third) time around. Sun is referred to as Miss Paik. So did she not marry Jin? Or did she just not take his name? Does Jin have to work for Mr. Paik before he’s permitted to marry Sun? What’s going on?!?

With questions still left from last week, we add even more with the airing of What Kate Does.

Off-Island

Back at LA X, we again witness Kate hijacking Claire’s cab. As the cabbie drives away from the airport, he is abruptly stopped by Arzt, whose luggage is strewn across the road, blocking the cab’s escape. As Kate nervously looks around she spots Jack. They both stare at each other with an air of recognition. With Kate distracted, Claire sees an opportunity and attempts to flee from the car, but Kate stops her and tells her to stay put. Kate’s lost her patience. She tells the cabbie to go, she doesn’t care about Arzt, or his baggage for that matter. The cab pulls away, running down one of Arzt’s bags and dragging it down the road.

Not far from the site of the baggage slaying, the cab is stopped by a red light. The cab driver sees his opportunity and bolts from the cab. Kate is unable to stop him and assumes the role of cabbie. Meanwhile, in the back, Claire is begging to be let go. And Kate obliges, but not before stealing her baggage and purse. She leaves Claire on the side of the road and drives away. She arrives at an auto shop, where she holds up the mechanic, demanding a tire hammer to get her handcuffs off. After explaining that she will just cut her hand off, the mechanic accepts $200 to take the cuffs off of Kate. After being released from the cuffs, Kate heads into the back to change. But things don’t always go as planned.

As Kate opens the bag she sees a picture of a very pregnant Claire and underneath the picture are nothing but baby items, including a stuffed orca. What has she done? Feeling regretful, Kate goes back to where she left Claire and offers her a ride to Aaron’s adoptive parents’ house, where, again, things don’t go as planned.

Upon arriving at the house, Claire asks Kate to come with her. Taken aback, Kate asks, “Are you kidding me?” But Claire persuades her and they both approach the house. Claire knocks on the door and is greeted by a grief-stricken woman. Claire introduces herself and the woman responds with an apology. Her husband has left her and she can’t raise Claire’s baby alone. Sorry.

The stress throws Claire into labor. Kate drives her, via the hot cab, to the hospital and accompanies her inside. After all, the cops are circling nearby. Once Claire is safely inside and being hooked up to monitors, Kate leaves the room to find a doctor. The nearest one? Ethan. Dr. Ethan Goodspeed.

Wait. What?

So Ethan escaped the island? Well, yes. Ethan obviously escaped the island. So I think it’s safe to assume that Amy (his mother) and Ethan were included in Pierre Chang’s evacuation before the Incident occurred.

Ethan, er…Dr. Goodspeed, informs Claire that she is 36 weeks pregnant and okay to give birth today. If she’s ready. Claire is stunned. She is clearly not ready. The baby was supposed to have new parents awaiting his arrival. Claire is nowhere near mentally prepared to have this baby on her own. Ethan explains that they can stop it if she’s not ready. As soon as Claire makes her decision to wait, the baby’s heartbeat monitor goes flat. Claire freaks out, demanding to know that AARON is okay. Ethan confirms, via ultrasound, that Aaron is fine. Embarrassed by her dramatic display, Claire looks at Kate with an expression of gratitude for being by her side.

We are then presented with a close-up of Aaron’s ultrasound. It’s dated 10-22-2004! So, in this flash sideways, our Losties didn’t fly from Sydney to Los Angeles until October 22, not September 22. As Claire dotes over the ultrasound picture, two detectives enter her room looking for Kate, who is in the next room, listening. Claire covers up for Kate and the detectives leave. Before Kate takes her leave, she tells Claire that Aaron is a great name and that she should keep him. Before parting ways, Claire gives Kate her credit card. Payment for all she’s done.

On-Island

We arrive back on the island to find Lennon rushing to tell Dogan of Sayid’s resurrection. Dogan seems just as shocked as we were. Back at the spring, Jack assesses Sayid’s condition and tells him that he was dead. Kate wonders aloud to Sawyer how such a thing is possible. But Sawyer’s not interested. He’s got other plans. He’s going to run.

Jack and Jin assist Sayid outside (because we all know sunshine is good for the soul, right?) and Jack points out that Sayid’s wound is nearly healed. Thinking Jack has saved his life, Sayid graciously thanks him. Before Jack can explain that he didn’t save him, Dogan marches out of the temple to see the miracle with his own eyes. Via Lennon, Dogan requests that Sayid join them inside so they can “talk”. Jack insists on coming with him, but Lennon states that they need to talk to Sayid alone. Very dissatisfied with this, Jack becomes even more persistent. To pacify him, Lennon tells him that they will answer any questions he may have…after they talk to Sayid. Jack isn’t convinced. He knows the Others better than they think. Dogan gives the order to resort to physical means, but Sawyer has another plan. He fires his gun and gains everyone’s attention. As Lennon tries to convince him that they won’t hurt his friends, Sawyer declares that he doesn’t care what they do with anyone, but him. He’s “walking out of here.”

During the commotion of Sawyer leaving, Sayid is taken away and strapped to a table in Dogan’s room. Dogan pours ash into his hand and blows it over Sayid’s bare torso (who knew Sayid was so hairy?!) and examines the results. He then takes clamps of some sort and places them on Sayid’s chest and stomach. The clamps are attached to a generator with wires. Dogan cranks up the juice, literally, and shocks Sayid. Not satisfied that Sayid’s had enough, Dogan walks over to a fire pit and pulls out a hot poker, thrusting it against Sayid’s skin. Sayid screams, cries and writhes in pain.

The ‘test’ is now over. Lennon tells Sayid that he has passed and they take him back out to his friends.

Lennon: I just lied to him didn’t I?
Dogan: Yes.

Back at spring, Sayid is reunited with Jack, Miles and Hurley. Sayid tells them that the Others tortured him as some sort of test. Pissed off, Jack storms into Dogan’s room and demands answers. Dogan is preparing to roll a doobie…no, just kidding. He’s grinding herbs, mortar and pestle style. When Jack asks what they did to Sayid, Lennon says they didn’t do anything, that Sayid is sick. He’s infected.

Jack: Infected? He’s not even running a fever!
Dogan: [chuckles]
Jack: Did I say something funny?
Lennon: I doubt it. He doesn’t really have a sense of humor.

Dogan gives Jack a pill, presumably made from the ground herbs. He instructs Jack to give it to Sayid, but Jack wants to know what’s in it first. Dogan refuses to tell him. Reassuringly, Dogan tells Jack that he’s just going to have to trust him. But Jack doesn’t trust himself right now, and he says so. Dogan uses Jack’s guilt against him. Asking him if people were hurt or died trying to help him. This is Jack’s chance to redeem himself. But what if Jack doesn’t give it to him? Dogan explains that it’s medicine. Without it, the infection will spread.

While Jack is confronting Dogan, Miles is questioning  Sayid at the spring. He asks him if he saw a bright lights, angels or loved ones that have died. But Sayid doesn’t remember anything after being shot. Jack then returns and asks for a minute alone with Sayid. Sayid clearly makes the distinction between passing the “test” and failing. Jack presents him with the Dogan’s pill. Jack explains that it’s medicine and they want him to take it. Sayid confesses that he would take it if Jack told him to, regardless of his trust issues with the Others. In return, Jack confesses that he didn’t save Sayid’s life, the Others did.

Jack keeps the pill and again confronts Dogan. During their conversation, Dogan reveals some pretty interesting information:

Jack: What’s that?
Dogan: It’s a baseball.
Jack:You speak pretty good english for someone who needs a translator.
Dogan: We both know that I don’t need a translator.
Jack: Then why do you have one?
Dogan: Because, I have to remain separate from the people I’m in charge of. It makes it easier when they don’t like the decisions I make for them.
Jack: Who are you?
Dogan:My name is Dogan.
Jack: Are you from here? The island?
Dogan: I was brought here, like everyone else.
Jack: What do you mean, brought here?
Dogan: You know exactly what I mean.

Dogan then guesses that Jack didn’t give Sayid the pill. Jack confirms, stating that he won’t give Sayid the pill unless he knows what’s in it. Dogan again refuses to tell him and again tells him that Jack is just going to have to trust him. Jack’s no fool.

“Let’s see how far trust gets us.”

Jack then swallows the pill. In a rush to stop him, Dogan jumps up and performs a pretty brutal form of the Heimlich maneuver.

Jack soon hacks up the pill onto the floor and demands to know what’s in it. Dogan comes clean. It’s poison. When Jack asks why they would want to kill Sayid, Dogan explains that there is a darkness growing in him. Once the darkness reaches Sayid’s heart, the Sayid that Jack knows will be no more.

Jack: How can you be sure of that?
Dogan: Because it happened to your sister.

Meanwhile, Kate is tracking Sawyer through the jungle. She asks Aldo why the Losties need to be at the temple. Aldo asks Kate if she’s ever seen a “big pillar of black smoke, makes a ticka-ticka sound, looks pissed off?” They’re keeping the Losties safe from the smoke monster, aka New Locke. Jin asks the Others if they know about Ajira Flight 316. Aldo plays dumb, but his fellow Other, Justin, says, “I think they mean the plane…” But Aldo cuts him off, telling him to “Shut. Up.”

Kate then nearly steps on a tripwire. Justin stops her and she states that it must be one of Danielle Rousseau’s traps. As Justin begins to explain that Rousseau has been dead for years, Aldo again tells him to keep quiet. What are they hiding? And why?

Kate demands to know what Justin was going to say. Aldo changes the subject, reminding her that he was the one that got the butt end of her rifle when she escaped from the Hydra Station. As Aldo rambles on, Kate takes him off guard and knocks him out. She then springs the trap and knocks Justin out in the process. When Jin asks her what she’s doing, she states quite simply, “Escaping.”

Aldo? Is that you?

Jin goes off on his own and Kate soon finds Sawyer back at Dharmaville. Disturbed by the sudden interruption, Sawyer silently leaves Kate standing in the house he and Juliet once shared as a couple. She follows and finds him sitting at the end of the dock. She tells him that she came back to the island to find Claire. And she needs his help.

But Sawyer is debilitated by his grief for Juliet. He blames himself for Juliet’s death…for convincing her to stay on the island so he wouldn’t have to be alone. He then confesses that he was going to propose to her. Before telling Kate she can make it back to the temple by nightfall, he tosses the ring with which he was going to propose, into the water.

On another part of the island, Jin stops to drink from a stream. He’s suddenly ambushed by Aldo and Justin, who argue over whether or not to kill him. While they argue, Jin sees an opening for escape and takes off running, only to be stopped in his tracks by a bear-trap. Aldo quickly points the gun at Jin but before he can pull the trigger both him and Justin are gunned down. As we pan around to see Jin’s savior we come face to face with….

Claire. And she’s looking just as confused as we are.

Thoughts on What Kate Did

As I hope this post clearly shows, there was a lot going on in this episode. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if Locke was absent this week. My theories/questions:

- The stuffed whale looked familiar to me. Have we seen this before?
- How close were the dates of Charlie’s near-death experience, courtesy of Ethan, and his near-death experience on the plane in our flash sideways, courtesy of a bag of heroin? Was it the same day? (I realize this really doesn’t pertain to this episode, Ethan’s presence sparked my curiosity.)
- Was Dogan brought to the island by Jacob? I’m thinking we can assume, yes. He was. And when he says ‘just like everyone else’, I’m pretty sure that means everyone on the island has, in a sense, been summoned by Jacob. I know this has been theorized before, I just needed more evidence. And I think I got it.
- And last but not least, the sickness. At first I thought perhaps the sickness Danielle claimed took her friends was just the smoke monster taking their form. According to tonight’s episode, this is not the case. The smoke monster doesn’t acually inhabit the body of the deceased. We see that on the beach. New Locke walks right past Locke’s dead body. But Sayid’s body has been reanimated. This is something new. (Not including, of course, Jacob bringing Locke back to life after falling eight stories to his death.)

I was once again amazed by the creative masterpiece that is LOST. This episode carried a lot of firsts for me. Sawyer made me cry and the scene where Sayid gets burned with the hot poker was quite possibly the most emotional moment on the show, personally. It made me feel sick to my stomach to see that happening to Sayid. I don’t think I’ve ever been affected in such a way, nor have I felt such a connection with a character that would allow me to feel that way. Although not an easy scene to watch, it nearly moved me to tears. Something only death of a character usually does to me. So I think I’m done torturing you all with an uber-long post. I will finish off with a few of my favorite quotes of this episode.

Miles: And as you can see, Hugo here has assumed the leadership position. So, that’s pretty great.

Miles: We’ll be in the food court if you need us.

Good ol’ Miles and his sarcasm. I absolutely love it.

Until next week, Namaste.

Related posts:

1. The Beginning of the End – Recap of “LA X” by Erin
2. LOST Ep. 6.03 Live Reaction/Recap Video: What Kate Does
3. Risk: A Cultural Thesis for LOST 6.03 “What Kate Does” by Pearson Moore

The total viewership for LOST dropped 1 million from last week’s premiere, but it was up 1.2 million viewers from season 5’s second episode and won the 9-10 p.m. hour with Adults 18-49.

[Via EW.com, TVbythenumbers.com]

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“Trust me.”

We heard the phrase only once, but we saw the words–in deeds that risked lives–two dozen times in the space of forty-four minutes.  Tonight’s episode was one of the richest in the six years of this most compelling of television programmes, for tonight we were obliged to confront dangers of mind, soul, and spirit.  This night everyone on-Island and off risked everything–and gained rewards even more precious than a wedding ring kissed by tear-stained lips.  This was an episode to savour.

Birth and Rebirth

Aaron has identity even before his birth.  This is a disturbing and wonderful and deeply mysterious truth, made more profound by the chilling then comforting presence of Ethan Goodspeed at Claire’s bedside.   Apparently, whether Claire gives birth on-Island or off, Ethan must lead the prenatal preparations.  This revelation was one of several instances of relational inevitability dramatised over the last three hours.  The recurring theme of inevitability seems fresh with each occurrence, seems a necessary aspect of the narrative.

His name must be Aaron.  “I don’t know why I said it,” Claire says to Kate.  “It was like I knew it or something.”  He is Aaron because his own flesh-and-blood mother must raise him.  And somehow, we know, even before Claire knocks on the door of the adopting family’s house, there is no way they can adopt the baby.  Of course the woman’s husband left her–the world is course-correcting in such a way that Claire, whether she likes it or not, will have to raise the baby herself.  That is her destiny, but more importantly, this is Aaron’s destiny.

The most terrible and exciting aspect of this entire sequence of scenes is the fact that every facet of the strange inevitability around Aaron revolves around the truth that he must return to the Island.  Yet we know, in the spacetime inhabited by fugitive Kate and pregnant Claire and the pleasant Dr. Goodspeed, the Island is submerged under a thousand metres of water.  There is no Island to which Aaron can return, and in this spacetime, he was never even on the Island.  Yet the connection to the Island is undeniable.  Aaron is tethered to the Island by an umbilical stronger and more real than the one connecting him to his mother.

We believed at first Sayid to have been reborn.  In the physical sense, perhaps he is not.  If we trust our intuitions about the interaction last week between Hurley and Miles, it seems clear the seer from Encino knew Sayid was never dead, even if he didn’t say so in as many words to Hurley.  If he was never dead, he cannot be reborn.

Yet we find ourselves aware of new life in Sayid.  When Dogen and Jack have their private talk, the Temple Master tells Jack he must give Sayid the green pill.  Jack demands to know the contents of the pill, and when Dogen says Jack must give Sayid the medicine, for the sake of his life, Jack counters with “He already died.”  This seems a rare and strange place for a healer to place himself.  Jack seems to be hoisting a list of ingredients to a higher plane than Sayid’s life.  Dogen expresses concern about Sayid’s “infection”, while Jack insists on broadening his knowledge of herbal medicines, and all the while, a man who miraculously regained consciousness and complete healing of wounds is dismissed as one who “already died.”  The strange discussion seems askew, the priorities grossly misplaced.

But this is not the only instance of Sayid’s life being accorded less value than abstract concepts.  When Jack presents Sayid with the green pill, Sayid’s response is Biblical:  “I only care about who I trust.  So if you want me to take that pill, Jack, I will.”

This is breathtaking in its audacity.  Neither Sayid nor Jack knows the contents of the pill.  Sayid places unrestrained faith in Jack, and now a crushing burden falls on the healer.  This is no longer abstract.  Sayid may die if he takes the pill.  The only useful question at this point in the episode:  What is Jack Shephard made of?  What value does he place on life, on trust, on knowledge?

As I watch Jack throw the pill in his mouth and swallow, my jaw drops open and I cannot process the event through my shock.  The sequence of events remains askew.  The problem is not that Jack is placing higher value on Sayid’s life than his own.  The problem for me, as I struggle to make sense of this most intense scene, is that Jack is not placing greater value on Sayid’s life.  Something else, apparently something carrying an importance more profound even than life or death, is at play.

Jack couldn’t give Sayid the pill.  He was planning to do so.  He had every intention of doing so.  He resolved to tell Sayid the complete truth, and that was what he did.  But then Sayid said those words:  “I care only about who I trust.  So if you want me to take that pill, Jack, I will.”

The Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible relates a story about a pagan woman named Ruth who shows kindness to a Hebrew woman named Naomi.  When it is time for them to go their separate ways, Naomi encourages Ruth to return to her pagan village.

“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

Ruth just gave up everything:  family, village, her former gods, everything she ever knew–turned her back on all of it, and gave herself over to Naomi and her God.  Ruth discovered something of greater value than even her own life.

Jack couldn’t give Sayid the pill.  Not because he valued Sayid’s life.  He certainly did value the man’s life, and his own.  But life did not carry greatest value in this scene.  Jack was able to risk his own life by swallowing that pill because he placed greater importance on something other than his own life.  Jack placed highest value on the trust Sayid had placed in him.

Sayid and Jack place greater value on their trust of each other than on their own lives.

This is audacious.  Rare.  This is story that burns deep into the soul, engages every faculty of spirit and sense and wonder.

With the intensity of this scene we begin to get a glimpse into the innermost core of LOST.  This is not a show about good versus evil.  It is not about free will versus determinism.  It is not about time travel or electromagnetic anomalies or spacetime displacement.  It is about our very humanity.  It is about who we are at the very centre of our conscious selves.

Ruth and Naomi

I was too thick-headed to pick up on the Ruth and Naomi references after the first viewing of  the Sayid/Jack scenes.  The writers must have known about lab rats like me who spend too much time with beakers and flasks and not nearly enough time with books and ideas, because they were thoughtful enough to give us Ruth and Naomi in the flesh, in the form of Claire and Kate.

Kate is getting back to her roots in both spacetime locations.  It is as if she is back among us after three or so years away.  Kate is decisive, bold, and maybe most importantly, she has a heart again.  It is her heart that drives the scenes with Claire.  Whether on the Island or off, Kate has always had a place in her heart for Claire, and this certainly must be taken as yet another instance of her connection to Aaron, and therefore, his connection to the Island.

When Kate opens Claire’s bag and finds the photograph, Kate seems to feel more than shame.  If there is only shame, she has no reason to track down the woman and help her.  She feels connection.  She is driven to connect with this woman.

The interaction between the two women is as rich in its own way as the higher-stakes scenes between Jack and Sayid.  Claire ought to be frightened by the reckless fugitive who thinks nothing of pointing loaded guns at anyone crossing her path.  Yet Claire feels endeared to the woman and her genuine desire to help.  When Claire asks Kate to accompany her to the door of the adoptive parents’ home, we know the connection is firm.  And when they dash to the hospital, Claire protects her new friend.

“Would you believe me if I said I was innocent?”

This marked the second time in a single episode that a major character said something that could not possibly have been uttered.  It implied too much, it went too deep.  Claire doesn’t hesitate.  “Of course I would.”

Kate’s silence hits me like a sledgehammer.  She cannot possibly claim innocence, because she is not innocent.  So she can say nothing.

When I realise what is happening between Kate and Claire I don’t think of Ruth and Naomi.  The parallel that hits me first is King David at the Cave of Adullam.  It is here that David expresses a keen desire for water from a well in Bethlehem.  Unfortunately, the city is occupied by his enemy, and he goes to bed ruing his misfortune.  But the next day, three of his lieutenants come to him, water skin in hand.  They risked their lives, somehow winding their way through the city and past hundreds of enemy soldiers, and brought up water from his favourite well.  David is stunned, left speechless.  Having no adequate response, he tells the men he cannot thank them.  No thanks from any human, not even from a king, can match the greatness of their deed.  He takes the only possible action:  he pours the water on the ground as an offering.

Thesis

Aaron has identity even before his birth.  Even before he is conscious of anything in life, he has purpose and drive, he has not one but two women watching over him, as well as a kindly doctor who is destined to prepare him for birth.  He is destined to return to the Island.

Somehow, Aaron has value even before he enjoys the full measure of life.

Claire and Kate share a bond that supersedes any previous concern.  They protect each other, even when in doing so they place their own lives in potential danger.  Like Ruth and Naomi, they will never leave each other now.  Their bond is stronger than life itself.

Jack and Sayid are willing to give up their own lives, but not their trust in each other.  They are bound by realities stronger than life itself.

LOST is about the elements of our humanity that precede and supersede life itself.  Our common humanity has a value greater than life.  LOST argues that there must be a fertile ground into which we place the fragile seeds of our human existence.  This ground is rich in trust, empathy, compassion, respect, and the desire to serve the needs of others.  This is our perfection.  This is what Jacob seeks for those he brings to the Island, even if he doesn’t know himself the full measure of this perfection.

LOST tells us if we do not form bonds like those of Jack and Sayid, if we do not respect, if we do not have compassion, we will likely end up in Widmore’s camp, wearing the black uniform of Stuart Radzinsky, ready at a moment’s notice to enforce our desires over the needs, even over the lives of others.  Or we may end up in the MIB’s camp, seeing in law, discipline, and judgment the pinnacle of human perfection.  Or we may end up in the dreamer’s camp–with Jacob, coming to believe that there are no laws, save the seeking after perfection.

LOST is about a world gone awry.  The Island is split between the ungrounded followers of Jacob, the harsh law imposed by the MIB, and the occasional self-serving visitors like Charles Widmore and the Dharma Initiative.

It has become a game.

Two sides:  One Jacob, one the Man in Black.  One says human beings are essentially good, that we seek perfection.  One says human beings are corrupt, that we can only be judged for our sins.

In the world of LOST–on the Island–they’re both wrong.  Human beings are good and bad.  But our humanity is only good.  It is our humanity–the fertile soil of our existence as complete human beings–that is worthy above all of our most reverent attention–even to the point of sacrificing health and life to secure for the common good.

PM.

Related posts:

1. LOST Ep. 6.03 Live Reaction/Recap Video: What Kate Does
2. The Wounds That Heal Us – A Cultural Analysis of LOST 6.01/6.02
3. Magnificence: The Cultural Mythology of LOST 1.01 to 6.18

This week was insanely crazy, and I was definitely VERY into this episode, as evidenced by the above reaction video.

Just count how many times I say “Whaaaaaat?!”

Leave your thoughts/reactions in the comments!

-Adam

Episode 6.01-02 Recap Here!

Related posts:

1. LOST LA X Premiere Live Reaction/Recap Video
2. SL-LOST Video Podcast: “Because You Left” Recap
3. SL-LOST Video Podcast – Season 4 Recap/Review

Official synopsis: Kate finds herself on the run; Jack must do something that may endanger a friend’s life.
Written by: Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis
Directed by: Paul A. Edwards.

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Tell us in comments below!

Please, do NOT post any info about upcoming episodes in comments. This includes the preview shown at the end of this episode, episode titles, etc. If you post a spoiler, you’ll be permanently banned. If you see a spoiler, please flag it. Thanks!

Related posts:

1. Episode 5.06 “316″ – Open Thread
2. LOST Episodes 6.01/02 “LA X” – Open Thread
3. Episode 5.13 “Some Like It Hoth” – Open Thread

Related posts:

1. LOST Season 6 – Premiere Tonight Promo
2. Episode 5.06 “316″ – New Promos
3. Five New LOST Season 6 Promos

Related posts:

1. Episode 5.10 “He’s Our You” – Sky1 Promo
2. Episode 5.06 “316″ – Sky1 Promo
3. Episode 5.09 – “Namaste” – Sky1 Promo

[Via ABC.com]

Related posts:

1. LOST Episode 6.03: Sneak Peek & New Promo
2. LOST Episode 6.01 – Sneak Peek #2
3. LOST Episode 6.01 Sneak Peek

New promo from ABC:

Related posts:

1. LOST Episode 6.01 – Sneak Peek #2
2. LOST Episode 6.01 Sneak Peek
3. Episode 5.01 “Because You Left” Sneak Peek!

Note: From now on, comments will be closed on posts containing promos and sneak peeks.

Posted by Helena

[Via SycloneFX]

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1. LOST Season 6 ABC Promo #15
2. LOST Season 6 ABC Promo #4
3. New LOST Season 6 Promo (ABC)