My Mind? Blown.
Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 11:46am by Maggie
The fifth season of Lost started with a bang and did they ever cram a lot into the premier! Ben moved the island and the survivors remaining on the island had to learn to cope with the effects. Three years into the future, Jack and Ben began their quest to bring the Oceanic 6 back to the island.
The show begins in the past with an interesting scene of Halliwax getting ready for work, preparing to shoot an orientation video for The Arrow. This time he introduces himself as Marvin Candle, but the production is halted and one of the Dharma workers bursts into the room and addresses him by his real name, Dr. Chang. The worker is distressed because of a drilling problem that has occurred in the Orchid station. Chang follows him to learn that they are trying to break through a rock wall but are having trouble. A sonar image shows that on the other side of this wall is something shaped like a cog, which to us is recognizable as the wheel Ben turned in order to move the island. Chang forbids them from drilling further, stating that the energy in this area is so great they’ll be able to use it to travel through time, but accidentally releasing this energy could be devestating. He leaves, and a Dharma crewman walks by…it’s Daniel Faraday!
Back in present day, Sawyer and Juliet are about to experience the moving of the island. John is with his new tribe when this happens; after the bright flash of light he finds himself alone. Sawyer, Juliet and the rest of the lostaways who were waiting for their turn to escape via the freighter are stunned because their entire camp has vanished. Daniel, who was in the process of ferrying some of the people returned to the beach, muttering to himself that they must have been within the radius of the island. He quickly takes control of the situation and tells everyone that they should get to an old, manmade structure and Juliet suggests the hatch. On the way there, Sawyer insists on an explanation and Daniel tells them that somehow Ben dislodged the island from time, that their camp hadn’t vanished but simply hadn’t been built yet. And that the island isn’t finished traveling through time.
John, being alone, has a more disorienting experience. After the second flash he finds himself witnessing the crash of the plane carrying the Virgin Mary statues. He rushes over to the crash site and tries to climb up to the plane, but is shot down by Ethan. He explains who he is but of course, Ethan has never heard of him and is about to kill him. Just before that could happen, the island moves again and John is in the dark and the plane is on the ground. He finds something inside to use as a tourniquet for his leg. Shortly after that, Richard appears. He removes the bullet, tells a confused John that the island is hopping through time and that the next time they’d meet, he’ll not recognize John. He gives him instruction that John will have to follow blindly, not understanding what is going on. He stresses that it’s imperative that the Oceanic 6 return to the island and that John will have to die to make it happen. The island hops again and John is once again alone.
At one point during this phenomenon, Sawyer and Juliet’s group find themselves at the hatch in a time before it had been blown up. Sawyer insists they get inside and acquire food and supplies, but Daniel stops him, explaining that timelines cannot be changed so it will be impossible for them to enter the hatch. Sawyer finally stops banging and the group turns to return to the beach. At this point Daniel notices that Charlotte has a nosebleed and it frightens him. He sends her back to the beach with the others and furtively checks his journal. He then starts banging on the hatch door himself, muttering that he hopes this will work, and finally Desmond opens the door. Desmond of the past has no idea what is going on but Daniel starts talking anyway, tells him his name and asks him, later on, to go to Oxford to find his mother and help them. The island hops at that point, ending their conversation. Three years later, Desmond wakes up in the middle of the night with a new memory and tells Penny that they must turn around and go to Oxford.
Daniel finally joins the other lostaways on the beach where Bernard is trying desperately to make a fire when suddenly they’re attacked by flaming arrows. Some of them are killed but most of them managed to flee to the treeline. Sawyer and Juliet get separated from the group. They’re found by soldiers who demand to know who they are and how they got to the island. At this point I have no idea where in time they are. The soldiers are about to cut Juliet’s hands off when John comes to their rescue and kills the soldiers.
Three years from this point, Ben and Jack have taken John’s body from the funeral home and are preparing to go to the mental hospital to get Hurley. They see on the news that Hurley has escaped from the hospital and that he is being blamed for murder. They don’t know that Sayid was the one who committed the murder and that Hurley is now with him. Sayid is injured by tranquilizer darts so Hurley takes him home and they hide there. The police come looking for him but Hurley’s dad agrees to hide them for a while. During this time Sayid’s condition worsens so Hurley’s dad takes him to see Jack. Jack brings Sayid to the hospital and saves his life, and calls Ben to announce that he is with Sayid. While this is happening Ben visits Hurley at home and tries to convince him to return to the island. Hurley, warned by Sayid earlier that he should do the opposite of whatever Ben tells him to do, runs out of the house and surrenders himself as a murderer to the police. Ben is displeased because he has determined with the help of Ms. Hawking that their only chance to return to the island is in 70 hours.
During this time, Kate is approached at home by two lawyers who want to take blood samples from her and Aaron. They refuse to name their client, and say they will return with the sheriff if need be. As soon as they’re gone, she packs a bag, grabs Aaron and they flee. While on the road, she gets a phone call from Sun who happens to be in town and wants to see her. During their visit Sun asks Kate what she’s prepared to do to keep Aaron, and suggests that Kate “take care of” the lawyers.
This was a great episode and I cannot WAIT until next week. What did you all think?
1. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:05 pm )
What do you guys think of the theory that Ms. Hawking is Daniel’s mother? As soon as he told Desmond to go to Oxford and find her, that’s who popped into my mind.
2. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:08 pm )
Me, too. I’m positive it’s his mom.
AWESOME recap, Maggie. Feels like you got everything!
I laughed when Frogurt died, I couldn’t help it.
3. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:12 pm )
Thank you! It was a tough one.
I hated Frogurt! As soon as I saw him on the raft, I knew what was going to happen to him. He’s that annoying character actor, I don’t like him. He was the kid with no tongue in that stupid People Under the Stairs movie.
4. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:13 pm )
And the “AARON BURR” guy in the milk commercial. I don’t like him either.
5. Michael said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:39 pm )
How fantastic was that scene with Ms. Hawking? She’s all cloaked and doing her maths with the creepy whooshing pendulum and the wacky Tandy-lookin’ computer. Loved it.
And I’m glad they emphasized the NO CHANGE rule for the time stream (with the possible exception of the exceptional Desmond) because otherwise it’s just all headaches.
So do some people (i.e. Ginger) get affected by the time shifts? Do they all? Is that what’s wrong with her?
6. Jason said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:46 pm )
I have nothing to say except wow. I loved it and was so happy we got two hours of it.
I really like how important Daniel is going to be although I’m a bit sad at how annoying Rose and Bernard have become.
7. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:49 pm )
Some stuff I’ve picked up on reading other blogs:
1 – Maybe Ginger is suffering from the Minkowski Effect
2 – The moving island could explain the mysterious whispering we’ve been hearing since Season 1
3 – The woman in the butchershop was the “Sheriff” in Othertown?
4 – Richard’s compass is the same one Locke was shown as a little boy, when they asked him if he recognized anything, right?
Dudes, is Sun going to try and kill Kate?
8. Jason said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:51 pm )
I think Sun is going to try and kill Jack. And yes, the woman in the butchershop was the sherrif of Othertown.
9. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:52 pm )
What’s wrong with Charlotte is that she has no “constant.” In the episode where Desmond’s consciousness was flipping through time, he learned from Daniel that he would need a constant, someone who was present in all times, someone whom he would recognize that would keep him grounded, so that his brain wouldn’t melt down from being unable to keep straight what time he was in.
When Daniel checked his journal again, I think he was looking at the page where he had written something like, “If something goes wrong, Desmond will be my constant.” So I think he needed to connect with Desmond at that moment.
10. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:54 pm )
New, murderous Sun is scaring me. I’m fine with her wanting to kill Ben, but when she said to Kate, “I don’t blame you,” was she actually saying, “I don’t blame YOU (but I blame everyone else and I will get my revenge oh yes I will mark my words mwah ha ha ha)?”
11. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:01 pm )
So does everyone but Daniel lack a constant?
I took Sun’s telling Kate, “I don’t blame you,” as “I completely blame you. You traded Jin’s life for Aaron’s.” But yeah, what Maggie said — “I will destroy everyone that forced you to make that trade.”
I imagine that Sun will chase Ben right back to the island; that she will need little convincing to join them on their quest.
12. yahtzee said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:02 pm )
Nice tight but complete recap, Maggie.
13. Michael said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:12 pm )
Ah, of course! The Minkowski Effect.
I know..SO OBVIOUS, but…..ummm, so is that “constant” thing Maggie mentions related to the Minkowski Effect?
What the frak is the Minkowski Effect?
14. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:13 pm )
It is one and the same. Minkowski couldn’t establish a constant so his head melted.
15. dekman said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:14 pm )
When I first saw frogurt, I swear I said to my wife, “He might as well be wearing a red uniform”. Sure enough, within 5 minutes the flying torch takes him out. Brilliant. Even the writers hated him.
16. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:19 pm )
Well, the writers created him! I see the point of a panicking, dissenting character, but Frogurt was just a reason for us to laugh when he got killed, which I didn’t really care for. Remember Arzt? He was pretty much the same thing, he blew up with the TNT from the Black Pearl. But I actually liked him and was disconcerted when he exploded.
17. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:49 pm )
Oh…the woman Tom referred to as the sheriff of the Others was Diana Scarwid and her character was called Isobel. The woman in the butchershop was called Jill, and she’s played by someone else, Mary Mara.
18. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:52 pm )
They’ve been talking about Frogurt for a while now, he’s become quite a joke in the podcasts, so I was actually happy to see him. Then, when he started being such a dick, I realized they were going to kill him, and I was fine with that. I felt like it was Carlton & Damon apologizing for Nikki and Paulo. I agree about Arzt; I really didn’t see that coming when it happened.
So…still wondering if then everyone but Desmond and Daniel will start to get the time travel sickness? And I imagine this is the same sickness that took Rosseau’s people? So does that mean she had a constant?
Oh, Lost, you hurt my brain.
19. sandra said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:52 pm )
Loved the fact that they made a joke out of Sawyer being constantly shirtless, making sure his naked chest is glistening in every shot, even going so far to point it out by having Sawyer ask Daniel for his and being denied and thus, remaining shirtless.
I have many questions, but the one I want to ask is, the fact that Ethan interacts with John, John telling Ethan he knows his name and that John has replaced Ben as leader… doesn’t that somehow change things? Ugh, I know the whole string-time-theory but how can it not affect Ethan for when he really does meet him later?
20. Michael said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:18 pm )
I struggle with the same thing, Sandra. They’re saying that events in the time stream can’t be changed. Seems like that’s true regardless of whatever awareness the people involved have (e.g. Desmond trying to prevent Charlie’s death).
But then isn’t Daniel hoping to change things by talking to Desmond From The Hatch, thereby orchestrating Desmond’s meeting with Daniel’s mother years hence?
21. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:41 pm )
I thought Desmond is Daniel’s constant and always was/would have been/will be, so he knew that he would be able to talk to Desmond. Desmond answered the hatch door when Daniel knocked, but not when Sawyer did. Because Sawyer and Des interacting wasn’t part of the way things were supposed to work.
I don’t think Daniel is hoping to change things by talking to Desmond from the hatch; he is just trying to keep everything on track. No?
I’m probably being way too simplistic. I don’t really like time travel stuff because my mind eventually collapses in on itself.
22. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:46 pm )
That’s how I took it as well. Don’t worry about your mind, I’ll be your constant.
23. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:54 pm )
Thank you.
My nose is bleeding; should I be worried about that?
24. sandra said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:57 pm )
My understanding is that Daniel is “speaking” to the present-time Desmond by creating memories that Desmond will use in order to do something to help Charlotte’s situation, and that something involves Daniel’s mum. So it doesn’t change things that have/will happen, but propel things in a certain direction?
25. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 3:02 pm )
I see what you mean, and Richard did the same thing with John, right? When he gave him the compass and told him there were things he must do? And I was also thinking about how Ben and Ms. Hawking were saying they have only 70 hours to get the O6 back to the island…if we’re to go by this linear theory of time, which means that things are predestined, then if they’re meant to get the O6 back to the island, they will. So there’s no need to worry about it, right?
Now my nose is bleeding.
26. Michael said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 3:18 pm )
ZOMG, so it’s almost like when we’re supposed to be frightened for Bella in “Twilight,” only we know she’s fine because she’s the narrator!!1!
Or….
27. Stephanie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 3:26 pm )
What a great show…….keeps my mind young. I am wondering what your guys thoughts are about Charlotte. What’s up with her bloody nose and memory loss…..kinds freaky.
28. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 3:42 pm )
Stephanie, that’s who we were talking about up near the beginning of the comments (except we called her “Ginger,” the way Sawyer did). And yeah, very freaky!
29. Michael said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 3:55 pm )
I really wanted to call her Hot Ginge.
30. freakgirl said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 5:14 pm )
Of course you did.
31. Jack said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 6:21 pm )
(Back to the top of the thread) I totally thought Mrs. Hawking was/is Daniel’s mother. My more outlandish theory from last night is that Sun hired the lawyers to get the blood sample from Kate, thinking that Kate would then go to Jack (or maybe Ben), and Sun could follow her to Jack (or maybe Ben) and kill him. And Kate. She’s totally gonna kill someone. Or everyone. Angry Sun.
I’ve decided not to think to hard about the time travel thing, and just go along for the ride. Because if I try to figure it out it will just raise a thousand more questions. And give me a bloody nose.
32. Maggie said ( Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 6:30 pm )
Jack, nice theory. That fits in with the way she asked Kate about who their client is.
33. Sara said ( Friday, January 23, 2009 at 8:17 am )
Who was the guy that Sun was talking to in the back room at the airport? I feel like we know him…
34. Kyle said ( Friday, January 23, 2009 at 8:51 am )
I enjoyed the episode, but there were too many ‘convenience’ moments. The first was when Ethan was going to shoot Locke, but the island moved just in time. The other occurred when Frogurt was asking for fire, and a flaming arrow struck him in the chest. Unless it’s later explained that the Lostaways can cause the island to move somehow, these moments don’t work for me.
I loved the scene of Hurley coming clean to his mom. Him describing the weird events we’ve all been watching for years, and her saying she believed him, but didn’t know why was the perfect symbol of LOST and its fans.
35. freakgirl said ( Friday, January 23, 2009 at 9:09 am )
Sara, you mean Mr. Widmore?
36. GeekBoy said ( Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 3:31 pm )
Way late to the game here. Had a busy week. But …
Regarding the time travel, it’s probably important not to confuse the fact that just because the PAST can’t be changed, that doesn’t mean that the present or future can’t be changed. And it doesn’t mean that seeds can’t be planted in the past that could affect the present or future. For instance, Daniel supplying Desmond with a memory that he’ll act on later. Notice that Desmond didn’t remember what Daniel told him until the point in “normal time” AFTER Daniel told it to him. So that made it fair game. Before then, Desmond blocked the memory out, and it didn’t influence his actions. This could also be why Ethan’s past encounter with Locke didn’t influence his actions.
I bring this up because there’s been some talk about “predestination” and I don’t think that’s what the writers are getting at here. It seems like all they’re saying is, “You can’t change the course of things that happened before THIS moment that you’re in right now, but anything after that, knock yourself out.”
37. Maggie said ( Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 3:36 pm )
I bring this up because there’s been some talk about “predestination” and I don’t think that’s what the writers are getting at here. It seems like all they’re saying is, “You can’t change the course of things that happened before THIS moment that you’re in right now, but anything after that, knock yourself out.”
Perhaps, but my argument with that is that if time is presented as a straight line and we can jump backward or forward along that line, then it stands to reason that our present is the same as the future’s past, therefore predestined.
38. GeekBoy said ( Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 9:59 pm )
But so far, has anybody jumped forward yet? I mean, I know Desmond used to see the future, but I don’t consider that the same thing as walking around in the future interacting with people and things. So far, all we’ve seen is people moving between the present and the past, not between the present and the future. Or am I wrong about that?
By the way, I just realized I was wrong about something else. Desmond remembers what Daniel told him in Desmond’s present, not Daniel’s — and Desmond is three years ahead of Daniel at this point. Which still fits what I’m saying about Des not remembering until after Daniel told him … but it wasn’t immediately after.
39. GeekBoy said ( Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 10:11 pm )
For the record, my issue with the idea of predestination here is that it kind of makes the story pointless, doesn’t it? Not being able to change the past is a plot frustration for the characters, but not being able to change the future removes the dramatic tension entirely. As somebody watching this, I want to believe the characters can ultimately affect the outcome. Just because the present is the future’s past doesn’t mean there isn’t a difference between the past (which is known) and the future (which is unknown).
40. freakgirl said ( Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 10:21 am )
My nose is bleeding again.
41. Maggie said ( Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 1:29 pm )
Okay, let me put it this way: I don’t believe the writers are trying to tell us that the story is predestined, and I totally agree that a predestined story takes the wind right out of the whole thing, which I referred to tongue-in-cheek in my comment above when I said, “[...]then if they’re meant to get the O6 back to the island, they will. So there’s no need to worry about it, right?”
My only argument with the structure of the story’s time travel mythology is a logical one. This part of the story is being told simultaneously in mainly two different Times (island time and three years later). The fact that the theory was explained to us via Daniel’s explanation to Sawyer in the earlier Time while we also watch what is happening 3 years later suggests that the events that occurred 3 years later were going to happen no matter what. The characters in the earlier Time perceive themselves to be in their present. Yet the characters we see in the later Time are also in their present. So who’s to say what is the ultimate, latest point in time from which the future can be changed?
Do you see what I mean? I’m not at all trying to say that the writers are intending this, I have no idea what the writers intend! I’m just saying that a huge suspension of disbelief is necessary no matter how cleanly one tries to tell a story about time travel. I like the idea that they’ve tried to clarify that time follows one path and can’t branch off because it makes following the events much simpler, and the writers certainly can realize in their story whichever time theory they choose. But there are always flaws in the logic!
42. Greater Czarina said ( Monday, January 26, 2009 at 1:16 pm )
I’m so thrilled that Lost is rocking again that I’m totally going to give ‘em a pass on all the (inevitable) time travel flubs. They gave me a shirtless Sawyer for nearly a full hour – how can I complain?
43. freakgirl said ( Monday, January 26, 2009 at 1:57 pm )
The Ack Attack recap is up:
http://www.theackattack.net/?p=453