Huh?! What the hell just happened?
According to the Carlton Cuse and the other big-wigs at LOST, we were promised two straight-up mythology episodes this season to help explain the back story of the island. The first, “Ab Aeterno,” was the fantastic Richard-centric episode. Last night we saw the latter of the two, “Across the Sea.” And if I had only one word to characterize the episode, it would be this one: lame. I didn’t take notes, mainly because I expected to be so engrossed that I didn’t want to bother. In retrospect, I’m particularly glad I didn’t, as it was, perhaps, the greatest letdown on LOST to date. Granted, it had its moments, but that first 30 minutes (save the opening sequence, that is) was dreadful. I did, however, totally call what was going to happen the minute I saw the woman floating in the water. So there. [Note: the best part of “Across the Sea” was that it reminded me of this.]
One of the cardinal rules of writing is “Show, don’t tell.” Unfortunately, the majority of season 6 has been “tell.” I’ve touched on it numerous times, but I’ll say it once again: the pacing this season has been horseshit. Once the writers and ABC determined the show’s endpoint (i.e., a six-season run), they didn’t immediately go into hurry-up mode, which was great. That is, they allowed for character development and story to unfold at a fantastic pace. But then, all of season, the final season was upon them and suddenly they let out a collective, “Oh, fuck!” It was as though, there and then, they realized that there was entirely too much to address, so let’s start feeding the audience answers to the things they cared about most. Don’t believe me? See Hurley and Michael with the whispers, Jack and FLocke with Christian, and last night’s episode with Adam and Eve. (Granted, I kind of liked that scene, as I had become more and more convinced it wasn’t Rose and Bernard in the cave.)
After thinking about last night’s episode, I came up with a wacky idea: what if it had been the season premiere? That is, what if “Across the Sea” was the first hour of season 6, followed by part 1 of “LA X“? By inserting “Across the Sea” so late into the game, it felt, well, misplaced. Had they opened the season with it, I think the impact would have been far greater, as it would have prepared us for more of an “anything goes” type of season. Instead, by going “back to the beginning,” so to speak, with only one more episode and the finale remaining, it felt out of place. It felt forced. It felt, again, like the pacing was completely fucked. And by the way, did we really need to introduce not only a new character, but one as well known as Allison Janney to play the part of their “crazy” mother?
With that, I’ve decided to do something different this week. I want you, the readers, to essentially write the recap. That is, let’s turn this into a Q&A as opposed to a straight-up retelling of the episode. What points from last night did you want to discuss? What did you like and dislike? What did we learn? Seriously, you’ve been listening to me go on and on in my LOST blog since the start of season 4. Well, here’s your opportunity to comment not only on “Across the Sea,” but about this season, and the show, in general.
The floor is yours, readers. Hit me up in the comments section below and let’s get this discussion started. Until next time, have at it, you vultures!
BD
UPDATE: A thought before I get back to your comments. I was just talking to a co-worker about “Across the Sea” when a crazy thought dawned on me:
Any chance NotMom was also a Smoke Monster?
Hear me out. I forget exactly when it happened, but I just remembered a scene early on in the episode when you could hear the familiar clickety-clack of Smokey. In fact, my brother noticed it first and rewound it on TiVo. Next, NotMom is very specific on Jacob never entering the cave of light, even though she says it the source of all power and essentially good. Well, as we know, MiB is floated down and emerges as Smokey. Well, what if NotMom actually took a similar trip downstream and was herself converted to a Smoke Monster? After all, she was eventually killed at the end of the episode by the “special” dagger. (And by the way, she didn’t speak to MiB first! See, it matters!) Finally, remember how MiB’s people looked when he awoke? They were slaughtered and laid out, with everything burned to the ground. You mean to tell me NotMom did that? I don’t think so.
Thoughts?
Cousin Brandon's Mr. Hipster Blog 
I agree with you on almost everything and I’m glad to see that i’m not the only one that felt that way after watching this episode. I do however recommend rewatching it, as the episode really improved for me on the second viewing.
Two thoughts/questions:
1) the cave with the light seems to be the key to the whole thing. Any chance that the big final scene takes place anywhere else now?
2) is it just me or do the writers seem to have this fascination with humanizing and/or bringing down the characters? Everytime I began to think that one character is extremely important, they are promptly brought down to size. Ben seemed like he had all the answers in seasons 3-4, then we find out he never met Jacob. Locke looked like the man in season 5, then we find out he was never really Locke. And Jacob always had this God like air to him and this episode really made him seem very… human. Kind of took away a bit of his mystic for me.
Overall though, still pleased with the show and I have faith that the writers will pull this off. Also, I’m angry with myself for just right now discovering your blog. So many missed Lost discussions!
By: Reaganomics_inc on May 12, 2010
at 8:17 am
It’s great to hear from you, Reagonomics_inc (who you all should be following on Twitter, incidentally). I intend to give it another viewing, as there were obviously several explicit and underlying points that warrant consideration, particularly in the biblical sense. Getting to your points:
1. Yes, the light at the bottom of the “cave” seems to be THE focal point of the island’s power, and I can only assume it’s where the SWAN Hatch was built on top of. But let’s be honest: that scene when Jacob and MiB’s “Mom” (who I will refer to as NotMom henceforth) explained the source of light to her children was awful. Seriously, it was such a horrible exchange that I couldn’t stand it. I don’t know which was worse: the “too informed” questions by the boys, or her vague responses.
2. I think that’s a good observation. If I recall, MiB had a line to Jacob in this episode along the lines of, “Look at you, standing there, judging us from above” when Jacob was overlooking MiB in his new civilization. Clearly there are God implications in that bit of dialogue. I think, though, that this episode DOES humanize the two of them, in that their “powers” seemed to have been generated by the island. That is, they’re more akin to Spider-Man, who was bitten by a radioactive spider and gained his powers, than Cyclops, who was born a mutant and with his powers already in tow.
Look, regardless of how it all ends, I will always be well beyond “pleased” with LOST. Nothing in the history of television has compelled and motivated me like this show. What’s more, I had already prepared myself to be disappointed with the ending, as there’s just too much to get to.
In any event, glad you found the blog. Better late than never.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 8:32 am
Yep. That scene with NotMom was horrible and completely unnecessary the way it was done. I never even thought of the Swan hatch being built on top of the cave, interesting thought. And I like the getting the God like powers from the island theory. Still gives me hope for a messianic character.
I can’t help but notice the connections with Desmond and Jacob. Both washed up to the island, both were told they were the replacements for a job to “save the world” that they didn’t want, Desmond says brother a lot, Jacob only refers to the MIB as brother, we know Jacob can leave the island, not sure how yet but we know he can, and we know of Desmond’s abilities to be on/off the island. I keep trying to talk my self out of it, cause I still think that Jack is gonna be the one that replaces Jacob and Desmond is not on the list as far as I can remember, but the similarities are piling up.
By: Reaganomics_inc on May 12, 2010
at 8:59 am
Yeah, there are certainly a lot of similarities to be considered between Desmond and Jacob, yet it seems you can’t have the discussion without also including Jack. With Desmond’s famed catch-phrase of “See you in another life, Brotha’,” it now resonates much louder. I mean, are we talking about Desmond seeing Jack in the Sideways reality, or are we talking about Desmond recognizing that Jack will be Jacob’s replacement, and he will see him “in another life” as the island’s protector?
If you think back to “Lighthouse,” we know that Jacob made mention of saying that “someone” he needed to return to the island would still be returning. And seeing as how 108 on the wheel was “Wallace,” we’ve made the connection to William Wallace, the famous Scotsman, as Des is also a Scot. Does this mean Desmond was returning to replace Jacob? No, I don’t think so. I, too, think Jack is the replacement (even though I once thought everything pointed to Hurley, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility). The question, then, is what/who exactly is Desmond? If “the rules don’t apply to him,” perhaps it is Desmond who is truly the Messianic figure. Perhaps it has been Desmond all along who is the “key to the game.” He appears to be the only one with lucidity between the two realities, the only one who can “exist” in both places simultaneously.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 9:23 am
christ, was that fucking terrible. total waste of an episode. i mean they answer obvious bullshit like the fact that they were/are brothers, that the island is “special,” that they are “special,” but did nothing with some of the more interesting questions, like the candidates, the wheel, the lighthouse, jacob’s ability to leave the island. seriously, that was worse than the infamous nikki & paulo episode. just pure shit…. except for the special effects at the cave. they were pretty spectacular.
aside from the lighthouse episode, this season has sucked ass.
By: crohrer666 on May 12, 2010
at 8:33 am
Yeah, crohrer666, I pretty much agree with you on all counts. There were flickers of interesting moments (or possibility of interesting moments), but all in all this was a huge disappointment. Again, I think it could have worked had it been at the beginning of season 6, but to insert it as the third-to-last episode was nonsense. Now, I still won’t put it up there with Nikki and Paulo, because at least we got to see the characters/actors Jacob and MiB, and who doesn’t love Titus Welliver?
And by the way, “Lighthouse” was NOT the only great episode this season. It was, perhaps, the strongest one, but not the only good one.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 8:38 am
also, who the hell doesn’t name their second child because they weren’t expecting twins? more bullshit. i’d guess the logic with that was the name could be too revealing but, whatever, it’s lame. so you’re going to adopt and raise this kid, but simply refer to him as “your brother,” rather than give him a proper name? again, total crap.
By: crohrer666 on May 12, 2010
at 8:39 am
That was, perhaps, the most contrived element of the entire episode. Look, the writers have been stringing us along since the season 5 finale, when Jacob and MiB have their beach conversation and MiB’s name isn’t revealed. So, if you’re going to wait until the series is nearly over to do their back story episode, for Christ’s sake quit teasing us! I mean, what’s the point? Do they want us to walk away assuming it’s Jacob and Esau so that we can draw our own conclusions and connect the dots? What’s more, if they’re going to be so blatant in answering some questions, why not others? And finally, are we really to believe that for 30-plus years they refer to each other as “Jacob” and “Brother”?
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 8:43 am
it’s has good moments, for sure. particularly, desmond’s scenes, which don’t seem as contrived, and the interaction between jack & locke in LA. aside from that, no, it hasn’t been good.
titus welliver does rule though. he’s been damn good in damn near everything i’ve seen him in.
time to move on from this shit my man. get yourself into some “treme.” 5 episodes in and looking very promising.
By: crohrer666 on May 12, 2010
at 8:48 am
Terry O’Quinn has been absolutely dynamite this season, and as I mentioned last week, Matthew Fox has been pretty great, too. So, of course, their scenes together have been fantastic. Has this season as a whole been down? Absolutely, and it’s all because of the pacing. Why they tried to include so much new bullshit at the start of the season with the temple and Dogen is beyond me. It just took entirely too long and too many new characters were introduced. Still, there have been plenty of great moments this season. Seriously, I could name a ton of them.
And I’ve not yet caught Treme, as I’ve been engrossed with Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Dexter and True Blood. I’ll get there at some point, though.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 9:26 am
Ok, some thoughts I had on this episode:
1. I’d have to rewatch other episodes from this season and compare, but can we now say that the young boy seen throughout this season is a young Jacob? Looked awfully similar…..
2. So Jacob kills his brother and sends him down the hole and Smokey is released. So in my opinion, Smokey and the original MiB are different beings and Smokey was just inhabitting his body. Or is Smokey the result of MiB’s “evil” manifestation?
If that’s the case, then Smokey saying “I just want to go home”, does that now mean the cave of light or is he taking MiB’s real motive to get off the island to go back to where ever his people originally came from?
3. Why did Alison Janey want MiB to stay on the island so badly if she only needed 1 to guard the light?
4. Funny how Jacob was jealous of his brother and thought his “mother” loved MiB more and wanted MiB to be the protector. She also basically has the same thoughts about humanity that the new MiB/Smokey/FLocke has been speaking about.
5. So the island is basically now a place where people go to see if they can be good and not be corrupt? Sort of the playing field for a good vs. bad chess match?
6. I was actually annoyed with the flashback to Jack finding the stones and Locke saying the Adam and Eve line. Any true Lost fan was figuring that out when Jacob was setting up the bodies like that.
Overall, I wasn’t thrilled with this episode. I agree CB, had this episode been at the start of the season, I think I would have enjoyed it much more because I would have speculated that they were setting the stage for the season. This felt more like a fill-in episode to just waste some time on some other stuff. Oh well.
By: dochielomn on May 12, 2010
at 8:48 am
Let’s have at it, dochielomn:
1. Yes. The ghost boy is definitely Jacob. I’m pretty bummed about it, actually, as I was convinced (hoped) it was Aaron.
2. It’s an interesting question. I mean, we see MiB’s body come out the other side. Still, I have to believe that Smokey is MiB, but in a different form. That is, the Smoke Monster is the soul of MiB, and his “human” form is MiB, as that’s the form he was in before being converted. It’s silly, really, but that would appear to be the case. And as far as “home” goes, I still believe he wants to get off the island to his real home, not the cave of light. After all, MiB was discussing going home even before this happened.
3. I’m starting to think it wasn’t that she wanted him to stay as much as she wanted him to kill her. Again, she thanked him after he stabbed her. I have to think that the “rules” disallowed her from leaving, and she needed to be murdered by him (or even Jacob, maybe) in order to free her from her prison.
4. She more or less confirmed that she DID love him more. At the same time, I’m not sure. I almost get the feeling that she was playing them against each other in the hope that one of them would replace her. Who it was didn’t really matter. She simply wanted release.
5. We discovered this a while ago. Again, that’s the game Jacob has been playing: he brings people to the island to see if they can be redeemed, despite MiB telling him that “it always ends the same.” Still, we know Jacob believes that it “only ends once, and everything else before that is progress.” I think the game ends once man has chosen the right path. The problem, though, is that man never will, and good and evil must co-exist, as one can’t exist without the other.
6. Yeah, the scene wasn’t necessary, and yet it didn’t bother me. What DID bother me, though, is that, thinking back to when they found the skeletons, I’m pretty sure Jack said they were at least 50 years old. Ummm, 50 years? Nice doctorial work, sir.
As always, sir, thanks for all your comments.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 9:39 am
Yup yup I’ve been saying Jacob forever. Mirrors the flashes of when FLocke saw his ghost-mom, although still don’t know why Sawyer could see
Jacob kid.
Yup not-mom totally loved MiB waaaay more. She gave him the game, she told him she loved him, and she picked him to kill her. The thank you for killing me bit seemed like protecting the cave was a burden and not a privilege, so of couse she would pick the son she loved least to carry on.
By: a. on May 12, 2010
at 9:52 am
I just had a really hard time taking Malcolm’s mom seriously.
By: The Hammer on May 12, 2010
at 8:59 am
Huh? Malcolm? I’m so, so confused, The Hammer.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 9:27 am
Malcolm in the Middle
By: The Hammer on May 12, 2010
at 9:28 am
Um, The Hammer, that wasn’t the mom from Malcom in the Middle. It was this woman, from the West Wing:
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 9:40 am
oh wow really? totally thought it was her. either way, i still didn’t enjoy her acting!
By: The Hammer on May 12, 2010
at 9:46 am
I didn’t think that the episode was that bad. I really enjoyed watching the interaction between the two brothers. It is also interesting to note that MIB had the ability to see the dead, ala hurley style, before any of this smoke monster shit went down. Bibically, it obviously brings to mind the story of Cain and Abel, but then are they setting up Jacob to be the villian? He who has manipulated had, in turn, been manipulated all his life? In a sense yes and no. Neither brother fully thought out the repercussions of the actions, both feeling sincere regret.
Also, as brought up in a preious post, is MiB really MiB or is he just the form of Smokey in another dead form? I’d like to think the latter, only because I really enjoy Titus Welliver so much.
And how does crazy mommy dearest know all this shit anyway? Someone told her about all of this.
By: a. on May 12, 2010
at 9:33 am
Agree to disagree, a., as I really disliked this episode. It was seriously among my least favorite, perhaps ever.
The interraction between the brothers as boys was terrible. Not only was the acting bad, but the dialogue was awful. Again, everyone was too “enlightened.” Sorry, but I simply don’t buy the line of questioning going on between them, as well as to NotMom.
I think what’s kind of interesting about this episode is realizing that MiB wasn’t always bad. I mean, here he realized he’d been manipulated by a woman who lied to him and killed his actual mother. And what did he want? To get off the island and go home. What’s wrong with that? Who wouldn’t want that?
As far as NotMom knowing all of this, I don’t know. I think it speaks to how she got there and who gave her the wine so she could be the island’s protector. And by the way, her “accent” or lack thereof in this episode was grating. She simply sounded like an American woman. Ugh.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 9:47 am
What I enjoyed was not do
much the actual dialogue, but seeing that MiB was obviously the dominant brother that Jacob deferred to. MiB made the rules of the game they were playing. MiB never went to visit his family, but Jacob went to visit him. Previously Jacob had always been shown as a confident, knowing, strong benefactor. A wise man. A guide. Here, even as an adult, he’s the beta, deferring to both his brother and his mother.
And I concur about the accent. Switching from Latin to a contemporary American accent was jarring distracting from the narrative.
By: a. on May 12, 2010
at 10:01 am
Yes, I would agree that the dynamic of the brothers as adults is an interesting one, but keep in mind that Jacob does, in fact, become the Alpha male once he attacks MiB and floats him downriver into the cave of light. In that moment he establishes himself as the dominant brother. Sure, we then see that he is remorseful once he sets up MiB and his mother in the cave along with the stones, but, like it or not, he has taken on the responsibility of island protector.
Perhaps more interesting is the notion that he is, more or less, responsible for creating Smokey, which in essence makes the “good” son responsible for creating all that is evil.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 10:05 am
Okay, how about this? Jacob was always the Alpha but chose to defer to his brother out of love? He came out first. He’s physically superior to his brother as the first time he beat him their not-mom had to step in and stop him, and the second time, there was no one to stop him and he threw him in the cave. He didn’t want the responsibilities of cave protector. If anything, he was the antithesis of what he eventually became.
By: a. on May 12, 2010
at 10:27 am
Look fellas, every episode is going to be dissappointing, although some may be to a lesser degree than others. You’re porbably upset the series is ending, and, moreover, whatever we’ve built up in our heads about how fantastic it should be just won’t happen. Take each episode and extract whatever meaning you can, and leave it at that. Actually, until the series is over, I think it’s premature to gauge the importance/merit of any episode (save for Expose.)
I thought it was odd how they were speaking in Latin, you hear a little tinkerbellish jingle, and all of a sudden… English.
MiB’s “home,” im guessing now, is death, because his mother said thank you when he killed her. Now, here’s an interesting question… was MiB the mom’s loophole? Did she let him go to the “Others” and not kill all of those people deliberately? Did she let him gain an attachment, hold on to a dream, and then take it from him just so he would kill her? Moreover, knowing that MiB was “special,” did the mom make his biological mother’s ghost appear?
We now know how Jacob gave Richard eternal life… with the wine. We now know Hurley and MiB are special in some similar ways. Probably a misdirection, but is it a hint that Richard is going to take over for Jacob and Hurley to take over for MiB?
Jacob finally made up his game where he can make all the rules. The people are pawns. MiB and their mother share the same philosophy on people. But is Jacob’s game to find out if people are innately good, or is it to find his replacement?
I don’t think the Swan Hatch was built over the light, because the FDW was still built. You’d have to assume it was in the same place it was about to be built originally, which was definately a different location from the Swan.
Last thought for now… I don’t have a problem with MiB remaining nameless. He’s supposed to be evil. They often call the devil something along the lines of, “he who shall not be named.” Plus, the devil comes in many forms.
By: Major Minority on May 12, 2010
at 10:13 am
I completely disagree. As someone who has watched every episode religiously since the show premiered, I think every episode needs to be able to stand not only on its own, but in the course of the series. This isn’t a sit-com; it’s a serial. Everything is linked. Think of it like a poem in a collection. Everything belongs to everything, but must be able to function on its own merit.
Was that Latin at the beginning between NotMom and Claudia? I’ve heard speculation that it was everything from Latin to Swedish to Egyptian.
Yes. That is, yes, the mom wanted him to kill her as I speculated above. She couldn’t kill herself, and in order to be free of maintaining her role as the island protector, she needed someone to kill her. The bigger question, once again, is how did SHE come to be the island protector? How long has this been going on?
I think your observation on Richard and Hurley is a great one, but I don’t see it. That is, Richard isn’t a candidate and Hurley, despite his ability to see the dead, has always been the heart of LOST. To portray him in essentially a role of the “evil” force on the show would be an injustice, in my opinion.
Also a good question. I think it’s both, really. That is, I think he wants to find his replacement, but that’s not “the game” part of things. The game is, in fact, finding someone who is ultimately a “good person.” Once he does so, “it only ends once”: with him being able to “move on.” But seeing as how Jacob has already died, the question is, Where does he go once his replacement has been found?
I’m not following your logic on the Swan Hatch. The Frozen Donkey Wheel was built in a different location than the Hatch.
Yes, I understand that, and I totally get that’s why they might not be naming him. But isn’t it interesting, then, how many times they’ve gone out of their way to “name” John Locke this season? Based on your logic that the Devil has many names/forms, what if John Locke is inherently evil?
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 10:28 am
Here’s another question:
What language was she speaking at the beginning? It didn’t sound like Spanish which I think was what Claudia was speaking.
Also, I had to laugh when Not-Mom told Jacob that he didn’t have a choice. Well, Jacob did have the choice to not drink the wine.
As for your replies to my post CB:
1. So then the question is what’s the purpose of young Jacob running around right now? Just to annoy FLocke?
2. Originally I though they were 2 separate entities with Smokey just taking the form of MiB because he was there. But the more I think about it, maybe Smokey is the “dark side” of MiB because otherwise why would FLocke keep saying that he just wants to go home and how he had a crazy mother and such.
3. I noticed the thank you when she was dieing and figured that she wanted to die but perhaps you’re right with that she just wanted him to kill her. Hence, the whole thing about her killing all of his “friends” and destroying his means to get off the island.
4. I’m not really sure she was playing them against each other. Jacob seemed too loyal and willing to please that she could have just said “you’re replacing me and that’s final” and he would have accepted it. The interesting thing is what would have happned if Jacob went with his brother and left Not-Mom behind.
5. Right I know we learned this or figured it out awhile back, but this episode seem to reinforce the fact that this is what the island’s purpose is, to be a battle ground for good vs. evil.
By: dochielomn on May 12, 2010
at 10:47 am
I just responded to that above. I’ve heard speculation from Latin to Egyptian to Swedish, of all things.
1. The purpose of young Jacob, I suppose, is to remind MiB that he’s got his mother’s blood on his hands.
2. Have you considered that the cave of light is not, actually, a “good” thing, but something altogether evil?
3. Yup.
4. Again, I have to think that she’s was basically covering her ass to ensure that, one way or the other, someone murdered her. I think the bigger question is why did she murder Claudia? Was she already convinced at that point that people outside of the island were evil, and by raising these children she would at last have the opportunity to either A) find true good; or B) find her replacement?
5. Got it.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 10:52 am
Only response to #4 is that she’s been on the island longer than all of them and thus knows more about it so maybe she knew what Claudia’s real purpose was? Maybe the island told her that a pregnant woman would be coming and would carry a child to be her replacement?
By: dochielomn on May 12, 2010
at 11:37 am
Check out my new addition above regarding who NotMom might really be.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 11:54 am
“Yes, the light at the bottom of the “cave” seems to be THE focal point of the island’s power, and I can only assume it’s where the SWAN Hatch was built on top of.”
I was just saying, I wasn’t so sure that’s the case.
By the way, Jacob has a serious Oedipus complex. Kind of gross and Norman Batesish. You’d have to think 30 years with the others, MiB bedded one of those women at least once. Maybe the whole thing is an allegory for the 40 year old virgin???
Seriously, do we think that Jacob was the ultimate pawn? His mother, was she crazy? If so, you’d have to think Jacob’s motivations are good, but inherently, he’s doing the wrong thing. MiB said the people he lived with were “bad” because they’re greedy, manipulative, untrustworthy, and selfish. That seems to desribe their mother too. So was she bad?
Back to the Richard/Hurley thing… The mom says that if you drink the wine, “you will have to accept the responsibility of protecting this place as long as you can, and then you have to find your replacement.” And didn’t Jacob make up these candidates? As far as I could see, the mom didn’t have a list or a cave with a bunch of numbers. Farfetched, but maybe the candidates were Jacob’s super long con? And I don’t want Hurley to be the new smoke monster either, but MiB didn’t start out as bad either.
As far as Locke and MiB being similar before all this… I couldn’t help but think they look very similar on the front of a Hulu clip. Long story short, I tried watching on Hulu this morning, and the episode wasn’t working. On the bottom, there was a clip called, “Protection” where MiB was on the ground before Jacob sent him downstream. He and Locke looked really similar on that screen shot.
By: Major Minority on May 12, 2010
at 10:52 am
I think there’s no getting around the idea that Jacob was, himself, a pawn. He was raised by a woman who wasn’t his actual mother; he was tricked into thinking the other people on the island were the evil ones, when in fact he was being told this by a murderer; he was made to be the protector of the island once NotMom manipulated him into thinking he was the special one to replace her. In a lot of ways, Jacob is akin to Locke, no?
While I understand your point, I still don’t think, even for a moment, that Hurley and Richard are the replacements? Just Hurley? Perhaps. Richard? No way. Someone will end up killing Richard, which will “free” him from his curse of eternal life.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 11:00 am
I don’t have a lot to say about the episode except that I agree, it was extremely boring and completely predictable. The second she got on the beach it was obvious she was their mother. In an episode that should have been full of surprises, I didn’t once find myself surprised. The one and only thing that I wanted was to know his name. Every time I thought it was going to be said I was on the edge of my seat. Huge disappointment for me.
By: Manderson on May 12, 2010
at 11:07 am
Yeah, it was a pretty bad episode, Manderson. Again, I think there’s plenty to talk about, but not because the episode was good. Rather, there are always details worth discussing, such as my latest thought (as posted in the review itself) that NotMom was a Smoke Monster.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 11:54 am
It seems to make sense, especially since she knew what was down in the light. Do you think the light is like the lighthouse in that it can’t be found, only shown to you? MiB looked for 30 years. Will Jacob show Hurley later?
By: Manderson on May 12, 2010
at 12:11 pm
Hmm, that’s an interesting notion. Or perhaps it can only be located by those dubbed “Good.” I’m honestly not sure about that, as I, too, wondered how he could have spent 30 years looking for something on an island and get bupkis.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 12:22 pm
Also, are there multiple sources of light? Or is the one light HUGE? They find different spots all over the island, so I have to believe there are multiple sources, it’s just that the one at the creek is the only one that can be seen above ground.
By: Manderson on May 12, 2010
at 12:38 pm
Check out my addition to the blog recap above, as something BIG just dawned on me.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 11:47 am
One thing that bugged the shit out of me was that after Notmom knocked out MiB she had the time and ability, by herself, to drag MiB out of the cave, fill the FDW hole, kill, and burn everyone in the “others” village and still make it back to the cave to do whatever she was doing. The only way someone could do that much damage in such a short amount of time would be…the smoke monster?
I have to say; I didn’t mind the flashback scene with Jack and the skeletons. If anything, it bummed me out in that it was a reminder that this amazing show is almost over. Reminds me of the way I felt when “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” went off the air. Cried for days.
I think it would be awesome to get a list of unanswered questions going.
1. I still have questions about the DI. Remember early in the series when we saw a video in one of the stations that showed the “founder” of the DI? (Dude with a big beard and glasses) Who was that?
I have more questions but I should get back to teaching. Parents are unhappy that my curriculum has been based on biblical mythology, electromagnetism, math based solely on the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, & 42 and trying to make small animals time travel. Just wait until next years “Breaking Bad” curriculum.
By: crotch on May 12, 2010
at 11:55 am
I think you posted the comment about Notmom and the smoke monster to my brother at the same time I wrote my comment about Notmom being the smoke monster. crazy!!
By: crotch on May 12, 2010
at 12:00 pm
Ha! That’s awesome. Yeah, it dawned on me last night when I saw the bodies splayed about the “village,” but I basically did one of those, “Nah, no way” head shakes.
And by the way, thank you. I swear, I thought I was the only one who cried himself to sleep when I realized the Fresh Prince was no more. Thank God for all of those hilarious new comedies on TBS.
Oh, and I believe the DI guy you’re thinking of was Alvar Hanso.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 12:04 pm
Ummm, didnt Jacob speak to Ben first before he was killed? Again, I think the speaking first is just a manipulation thing. And if not, how long does the speak thing last? They had spoken before, obviously. Does it wear off every week? Every 24 hours?
The only thing about the mom being a smoke monster that’s troubling… she still had her body, whereas MiB did not. The skeleton was still where Jacob had placed it, so he didn’t reinhabit it. He merely took it’s form.
How did these people know that the FDW would let them leave? They were “very smart men,” but what did they discover? Could one of them have been turned into a smoke monster while digging?
Also, all these things the mother says she made happen…. I made it so you can’t hurt each other, you’ll never have to worry about death (lie!), etc. Both seemed to be lies. So these rules that they follow… are they actually enforced by anything?
We learned one other improtant thing that we kind of already knew: MiB can lie, Jacob can’t. He can lie by omission (like Locke on his walkabout.) But they made a point of saying Jacob can’t lie.
By: Major Minority on May 12, 2010
at 12:37 pm
Again, I take these directions quite literal. Look, there’s obviously a significance to this, particularly because that dagger was the same one in every instance. And you know what? This is the one time that the person being stabbed DIDN’T SPEAK FIRST!!!
Also, I can see your point on her body being there and reduced to a skeleton, but so what? Look, once NotMom was stabbed and killed with the knife, I’ll reckon the Smoke Monster was “forced out of her,” so to speak, and she resorted to her human self. Again, she thanked MiB at that point, yes?
I don’t know how they knew, but they knew. Again, that was pretty lazy writing, as we never really saw just how in the hell they would have known this.
I’m not sure how to answer this one, to be honest.
When did they make the point about Jacob and the lying? I either missed it or don’t remember.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 12:43 pm
CB, it was definitely Latin at the beginning. This is confirmed on Jorge Garcia’s podcast today. He even said that they had a local Latin scholar/professor on set to make sure the actors were getting it right. And then they “did the Hunt for Red October” thing and switched to English just to make it easier on the audience.
By: Jon on May 12, 2010
at 1:02 pm
Thanks for the clarification, Jon. Still, I call bullshit on the crossover. I mean, if we can watch a Richard episode that was so completely littered with sub-titles, why not just go for it here? I mean, at least in the opening sequence before Jacob and MiB become teenagers.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 1:05 pm
I thought that after MIB woke up and found his people dead all lying around, and the huts burning. Right away, I thought, that’s Smokey’s work. After seeing MIB turn into smokey after floating down the cave, I assumed that OtherMother had previously gone into the cave, and turned into the original Smokey. So which brother actually took her “job” for her? MIB as island smokey, or Jacob as island light protector? Hmmmmm.
Also, I know most of you were disappointed by this episode, and I get that, but I thought it was great. Not as good as Ab Aeterno, or last week, but very good nonetheless. Also, count me as disagreeing on the casting of OtherMother or NotMom. I always loved Allison Janney, and thought her acting was on point here. As a matter of fact, besides the child actors, I thought the performances of all three actors was phenomenal.
My main disappointment, was that there was no further discussion on candidates, what makes them candidates, and why they are needed. Are we to assume that until the end of the episode when Jacob drinks the wine, and MIB turns into Smokey, that they were just candidates? And if this is true, will Jacob’s candidate need to drink the wine near the cave, or float down the cave? We’ve always thought the candidates were to replace Jacob. Maybe they are candidates to be the next Smokey?
By: Jay on May 12, 2010
at 1:03 pm
Some nice observations here, Jay. My first inclination would be to say that Jacob took her job, seeing as how she shared the wine with him and had and claimed that, “We are the same now.” On the other hand, you would almost think that, assuming she really was Smokey, MiB actually took her place. Perhaps the ritual of sharing the wine with Jacob was ritualistic at best, and actually had no effect. Perhaps she merely needed to convince him that he is now protector of the island.
I couldn’t disagree more. On both counts. Titus Welliver is awesome, and I’ve always liked Josh Pellegrino as Jacob. But Allison Janney is a fairly bigtime star, and to bring her into a show like LOST this late in the game was distracting at best. In terms of the episode as a whole, I again say it was poor. I’m not suggesting it gave us nothing to discuss, as these comments are living proof. I’m saying that it was a weakly-written, weakly-acted episode that only asked more questions, and at this point in the game, why?
I think you raise some great points, Jay, so I urge you to return for the final two episodes and ask, where the hell have you been all this time?
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 1:11 pm
Well I mostly just read recaps, and rarely chime in, but since we are so close the endgame, the ideas have been bursting forth from my brain for the last few weeks. So here I am.
As far as the eps overall quality, and the Janney performance, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. But I see your reasoning clearly.
By the way, I’m wondering if I am the only one who for the very first time, last night, before the episode started, realized that this is ending soon, and started to get a little bummed. I’ve heard people saying such things in recent weeks, but it didn’t fully hit me until last night. THIS IS ALMOST OVER! I find myself being more bummed for the end, than excited to get the answers.
By: Jay on May 12, 2010
at 1:16 pm
The whale’s vagina, sir.
I, for one, have been looking forward to the series conclusion for quite sometime, so as A) not to feel compelled to blog about it; and B) to get some answers, once and for all.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 1:24 pm
I did the same thing Jay! It hit me yesterday around noon. This isn’t just another episode of Lost, this is the third to last! I’m definitely with you there.
By: Manderson on May 12, 2010
at 1:32 pm
When she asked Jacob where his brother was, Jacob stated he was at the beach, staring out at the ocean. Which was true. But at that point, he hadn’t mentioned the backgammon game. She met up with Kid in Black and he said, Jacob told you about what I found? She said, of course, that boy can’t lie. He’s not like you. Something along those lines.
How would Smokey forced out of her? Her soul, if she was a smoke monster, would have been seperated from her body already. And if she had been there for at least 30 years, her body would’ve decomposed already.
Anyway, with the whole speaking first thing, it would be interesting if the only way to kill your foe is to literally stab them in the back.
And going through the 1st season again… not sure if there’s any connection, but when Hurley and Charlie were trying to catch a fish for Shannon, they argued about the best way to do it. Hurley said you have to pin it down, Charlie said you have to corner it. Cornering it won out. Seemed like an odd conversation to show. Maybe this is how they defeat Smokey? Actually, going through the first season is really, really interesting right now. Lots of fun stuff/connections immediately. And the island has an eye that Locke looked into, and now a heart (the light cave.) Well, what’s been a constant motif? Eyes, and this season… the heart, and whether or not it’s more light or dark.
By: Major Minority on May 12, 2010
at 1:05 pm
Oh, right, but you’re taking that awfully literally, no? I thought she was merely saying that he was a poor liar, not that he was FORBIDDEN or UNABLE to lie. (And by the way, I was thinking about the fact that, at one point, John Locke was described as “sitting by the beach, staring out into the ocean.”)
Right, but didn’t you notice that she didn’t age? The boys had aged another 30 years, and yet NotMom was the same age, a la Richard Alpert.
Wow, that’s an awesome observation about the first season. It’s the only season I own on DVD and I haven’t watched it since it first came out. Guess I know what I’ll be doing in a couple weeks. In fact, maybe I’ll do a retro-blog of the first season…?
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 1:19 pm
Ok, so I’m not sure what to think of Not-Mom being Smokey. On one hand she claims to be the protector of the island and says how she needs to find a replacement and that someday Jacob will need to find a replacement. On the other hand, I somewhat assumed originally she had Smokey’s ability to turn into Smokey and kill everyone. She just did it to stop MiB from leaving. At times she seemed too good or too divine but then again, she keeps killing innocent people. The question that really comes into play is about canidates and what makes a person a canidate.
Also, I took her lying comment at face value as well. I think it’s not in Jacob’s personality to lie so he just won’t. Whereas, MiB has the ability.
Taking things literally leads to my next point. So I know I said last week that I was done trying to persuade you but since you brought it up first, I still don’t buy the no talking thing. Yes, Not-Mom didn’t speak and was killed. How about last week when FLocke didn’t speak and got shot at and the bullets just bounced off of him. Are you saying that the “don’t talk” rules only apply with this dagger? Where’s the dagger that Ben used to kill Jacob? I don’t think it was the same one since Dogen had one hidden in the plant. Jacob spoke to Ben first and was still able to get stabbed (by a regular or different dagger) so I just can’t buy into that theory.
By: dochielomn on May 12, 2010
at 1:43 pm
Also note, the only thing Allison Janney did was help me to not like the episode. Not that I have anything against the actress but on West Wing, I hated the CJ character so I was quite happy to see Not-Mom or CJ die at the end of the episode.
By: dochielomn on May 12, 2010
at 1:54 pm
The main thing I want to respond to, dochielomn, is this: who said that rule applied to Jacob? Ben used a knife given to him by FLocke to kill Jacob. In that case, consider the following:
A. Jacob spoke first;
B. It wasn’t Dogen’s “special” knife; and
C. Again, no one said this rule applied to Jacob.
Yes, I think the fact that it’s that knife in particular is relevant. What’s more, we’ve seen FLocke shot at as both FLocke and Smokey. Clearly bullets have no effect on him.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 2:42 pm
I think the “not talking” key is only true for the smoke monster. Jacob talked to Ben before he was killed, but Jacob was not a smoke monster. I think that Brandon is on to something here. I think that to kill a smoke monster you need the knife, and you can’t let them talk to you. That is how pre-smokey MIB was able to kill Not-Mom. And she was clearly glad that he did.
Perhaps her thanking him was not only proof that she wanted to die, but maybe she was being ubermanipulative like most people on the island. Meaning, that she killed MIBs people, knowing full well that MIB would exact revenge on them and kill her, and she also knew that Jacob would then retaliate by killing MIB. Maybe her endgame the whole time was to have Jacob kill his own brother by use of the cave, and create the new smoke monster? Now that I read it, it seems like I’m reaching, but whatever.
By: Jay on May 12, 2010
at 1:52 pm
Then how do you explain MiB telling Richard to go kill Jacob and not let him talk?
By: dochielomn on May 12, 2010
at 1:56 pm
I think the reason he said that was that he knew Richard was easily influenced, and Jacob would talk him out of killing him, and convince him that he was indeed the “good one”. However, I don’t remember it exactly, but I think when Dogen gave the “no talking” kill order to Sayid, it seemed more like an actual rule, then fear that Sayid would be talked out of it. Maybe I’m remembering that wrong. You could be right, and the only reason the not talking thing is discussed is because people are constantly conning each other and in order to get something done on the island, you need to avoid being talked out of it. It seems the whole show has been people talking people into one thing, and then other people talking those people out of it. My head hurts.
By: Jay on May 12, 2010
at 2:05 pm
You basically said all of things I just said to dochieolmn above. Again, the no talking thing IS important. Look, they’ve made a point of saying it several times now. And tell me this: what on LOST is coincidental? Nothing. Repeated dialogue and ritual are key to LOST. You simply can’t convince me that this “rule” isn’t signifcant. And the difference between Ben stabbing Jacob (per FLocke’s orders) and Richard (attempting to) stab Jacob (per MiB) is the knife. I’d be willing to bet that, had Richard succeeded in using THE dagger to stab Jacob before he was spoken to, he might have actually died. Either way, it’s irrelevant, as we haven’t really seen this play out.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 2:45 pm
Yeah, that would be great if you did a retro blog CB. There are ton’s of things that are probably clues, or at least red herrings that we wouldn’t have recognized until now. Sayid’s picture of Nadia saying, “Find me in the next life, if not this one,” people constantly saying “we were dead” or referencing what they did in another life, Claire’s baby daddy stuttering when he mentions how much time went by since she took the pregnancy test; “6-66 seconds,” not to mention how Locke always seems to be off in the jungle and up to something… as if he has more knowledge than he should.
And yeah, I agree with doc… I don’t buy the whole speak first thing. And I just thought Mother didn’t age because she was the island’s protector, like Jacob doesn’t age. She probably did have smoke powers, though. She probably had it all, but the island protection job got split into two factions. Now they’ll die alone.
It’s funny though, to compare the mom’s job description to Jacob’s description. She says he has to protect the light, while Jacob says he has to not let the darkness get out. So, did the light go out forever and now the darkness has to be contained? And no one mentioned all the weaving that was going on. What was up with that?
By: Major Minority on May 12, 2010
at 2:37 pm
Interesting about the job description. I didn’t remember that. As far as the weaving, I have no clue. All I know about weaving is from the old school computer game- Loom.
By: dochielomn on May 12, 2010
at 2:56 pm
Bobbin Threadbare hasn’t appeared in Lost, right?
By: notverygood on May 17, 2010
at 9:49 pm
The weaving has been a pretty constant motif, at least since the introduction of Jacob. I’m not exactly sure of it’s significance, but, if I recall, Penelope was weaving some kind of death cloak in Greek literature. I can’t remember what happened with it, but I don’t think she ever figured it. In this case, it doesn’t appear that it was a cloak of any sort on LOST, but some type of tapestry. I know this has been raised before in past episodes.
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 4:14 pm
Just wanted to say that your comments today have been AWESOME, folks! Keep ’em coming…
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 3:02 pm
Have we ever seen a scene with as much of a “hey, look at how important this is” as the final scene tonight, where they flashed back to season 1 with Jack finding the skeletons?
By: Richie on May 12, 2010
at 5:48 pm
Well, Richie, I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking. But if you mean, have we ever ended on a scene that was so purposely intent on directing our attention to something, I’m not sure. That would take some thinking on my part, and seeing as how I’m partially brain dead, I’m not sure. Anyone?
By: cousinbrandon on May 12, 2010
at 7:35 pm
I also believe the “all life inside man” light has been sucked up and absorbed into Smokey. Therefore MiB may just be trying to get home all these years later. Maybe it is just an obsessive thing since he was a child. Even though he has changed into smokey and the outcome would devastate, to him it is just what he knows to do. Perhaps he doesn’t fully know his actions and thier catastrophic outcome. He knows enough that everyone must die so there is no more protector to take anyone’s place. Maybe h thinks with no protector… no one can prevent him from leaving. In all honesty if all they know is their Mother how does anyone know how to get off the island? Theories that Jacob seemed to have found out but Smokey cannot.
By: mcclept on May 12, 2010
at 8:35 pm
Interesting point, about them only knowing their mother. Jacob and MiB are some of the few characters on the show who don’t have daddy issues. You know who else won’t? Aaron. Because, as Malkin said, “the father of child will play no parts in it’s life.”
By: Major Minority on May 12, 2010
at 11:53 pm
An understatement: I have a couple questions.
1. If NotMom is the smoke monster, does that mean she took the form of Claudia to lure youngMiB to the village?
2. Has anyone figured out why Ilana said earlier this season that MiBLocke is stuck in that form (in the appearance of John Locke)? How did the MiB body appearance get ditched in the first place? I don’t get the form-switching mythology part of Smokey, which seems one of the big questions (unlike polar bears).
3. I agree not learning anything about the institution of the candidates was frustrating, but also not learning about how Jacob is able to appear all over the world, and travel through time.
4. Another omission: Jacob can grant eternal life without the wine, his touch alone is effectual and powerful. NotMom doesn’t allude to or seem to have such supernatural powers, does she?
5. I think, in terms of the writing of the episode, we needed a post-ritual burial scene between MiB and Jacob, which would sort of reset the 2 characters as we have come to know them. Maybe we’ll get more of their backstory through flashbacks, but I doubt it. I got the feeling the beach scene from last year’s finale, and the scenes from Ab Aeterna were our epilogue to “Across the Sea”. I just wish we had had more Jacob/MiB and less (nay, much less) Dogen and the Temple.
6. One other question that’s been bugging me: have we ever gotten an explanation of what the relationship is between Hydra Island and the main island? Also, the hydra is an interesting metaphor given the ‘game’ Jacob and MiB are playing over the course of centuries, and may foreshadow the impossibility of killing off MiB.
By: Chris on May 13, 2010
at 4:03 am
1- I don’t think that she appeared as Claudia, because the ghosts of the dead and the Smokey apparitions appear to be slightly different. The Ghosts of the actual dead people (not the whispers) seem to have an aura or glow to them. Think Ben’s mother.
2- Yeah, I don’t know why he’s stuck. I think we’re to assume because Jacob is dead? I honestly don’t know, and I don’t know if we’ll ever get an answer to that.
3- Did Jacob travel through time? I just thought he was ageless, like Alpert, and that he would never have to worry about death.
4- Have we seen Jacob grant eternal life to anyone except for Richard? I don’t think we have. And with Richard, he gave him the wine. Mother had powers to make up rules, at the very least. She was sneaky though, and we didn’t see her for long enough to know.
By: Major Minority on May 18, 2010
at 11:44 am
I’m heading out of town for a few days and likely won’t be responding to comments. So, it’s up to you guys to keep the fire going in my absence.
In other words, solve LOST by the time I return.
Thanks.
By: cousinbrandon on May 13, 2010
at 4:19 am
All very interesting commentary. I just wanted to add one observation about the almost ham-handed handling of the part where adult Jacob was taken to the mouth of the cave and told that he was to be the protector of the island. He refused, he railed against it and then he accepted his fate and drank the wine. This is a direct translation of the Christian belief that the night before He was crucified, Jesus Christ, wept in the garden of Gethsemane. He asked God, the Father, to “take this cup away from me,” because he was afraid and didn’t want to die to save mankind. Christ eventually accepts His fate and drinks the wine to symbolize that acceptance.
Also, although not a comment directed at this God-awful “Across the Sea,” episode, but a general thought that the alternate-universe Desmond is also the island Desmond and has either been sent to the flip-sideways universe or sent himself there to make sure that all of the island inhabitants meet and interact with one another in that alternate universe with the thought that perhaps they will remember the island or realize that alternate reality??? For example, he encourages Hurley to seek out Libby in the mental institution. Desmond also hits John Locke with a car knowing that he would be taken to St. Sebastian Hospital and treated by Jack. I don’t know if this theory or one like it has already been posited on this blog, if so, sorry.
By: MagsP on May 16, 2010
at 9:12 pm
Nice catch with the Jesus stuff. It also directly relates back to that last supper Lost poster for this season.
Also, I think that most people agree that Desmond is enlightened in both realities. And he’s definately getting people to have a moment of recognition in the sideways reality. But here’s the question: why? Is he actually waking them up? Which is the right reality? Do you think island Desmond can do the same for the island people? I’m curious as to your thoughts.
By: Major Minority on May 18, 2010
at 11:48 am
The Desmond stuff is fairly clear at this point, and has been for a few weeks. He is certainly lucid in both realities, as was evidenced after his “20 minutes” spent in the sideways reality.
As far as their being a “right” reality, how can we answer that? I mean, for all we know the island timeline is a ruse. What if the island story is all the “simulation” and the sideways story is, well, reality? Sure, it would be a downright trick and rather lame, but I’m not willing to rule it out. I mean, what if being “awakened” or “turned on” in the sideways reality is actually a nod to remembering they were all a part of some other type of psychological experiment, constructed by, say, the Dharma Initiative?
By: cousinbrandon on May 18, 2010
at 12:27 pm
If the island timeline ends up being some kind of dream, I am going to be irritated. That’s a lame explanation.
For a show like Newhart or St. Elsewhere to do that is kind of funny and mostly irrelevant. But for a show whose main premise is “what is going on here?” to explain everything as a dream or hallucination would be horrible.
On another note. I listened to Carlton Cuse on the BS Report. I was happy to learn that the reason they killed off Mr. Eko was because the actor didn’t like living on Hawaii. He was one of my favorite characters. For some reason it makes me feel better knowing that they were forced to kill him off.
By: Richie on May 18, 2010
at 12:32 pm
Well, that’s my point. I mean, if they were to ever fall back on “it was all a dream,” I would outright dismiss LOST as being not only the biggest cock-tease of all time, but downright evil and deceitful. On the other hand, think about the potential of them tying it into the DI. Wouldn’t that, in some sense, be fulfilling? I mean, the DI was SUCH a vital part of the first few seasons of LOST, and it’s one that I feel got short-shrift in terms of the “experiments” it was conducting. What, then, if this was all one giant experiment that’s already taken place, only now are we seeing the characters gain awareness of said experiments. Think about this, too: we had episodes called “The Constant” and “The Variable,” which are obviously key terms in the process of experimentation. Just saying.
By: cousinbrandon on May 18, 2010
at 12:38 pm
Yeah, I might be able to accept some kind of dream explanation if it is directly related to the Dharma Initiative. The complete dismissal of the DI is one of my disappointments this year.
BTW, Cuse also said that the finale is going to be 2.5 hours!
By: Richie on May 18, 2010
at 12:41 pm
I have two things I want to add before tonight’s episode, especially since there’s so little time for speculation.
1- The fact that the Island, according to Mother, is, “all there is” and, “there is nothing beyond the island.” Couldn’t that also be a metaphor for reality/ the world/ this timeline? Our conventional wisdom, or at least, what we’ve been taught, is that what’s here now, and this reality is all that’s real. However, what if there’s something else? Diverging timlines and realities across the “seas” of consciousness? Thus, explaining the sideways reality. Or, even better, that’s how Desmond in the sideways is explaining the island reality. He’s the box of Senet on the beach, letting the people know that there’s another place that they can’t see.
2- This is the most far fetched, but what the heck, who cares? It’s still bugging me that Aaron was supposed to be such a key and we haven’t seen anything yet to suggest that he’s that special. What if Mother hadn’t killed everyone on the island? I had mentioned before, jokingly, that Jacob was a virgin, while the MiB probably smoke monstered a couple of the village chicks in his day. Is it possible that he had a child? Is it possible, that a few of the other’s had survived and escaped? Someone constructed that FDW. What if Aaron, Claire, Jack, Christian, etc were all long descendants of the MiB. Like a DaVinci code type thing. Couldn’t that be why MiB seems to care so much about Claire, and, Aaron? Also, it could explain him wanting to help Jack since day one, and the reason he loved taking on Christian’s form so much (if we believe it to be true.)
By: Major Minority on May 18, 2010
at 11:39 am
Sweet Jesus, MM, that’s unbelievably odd that you just wrote this, and here’s why:
1. In response to your first point, look at what I JUST wrote above:
“As far as their being a “right” reality, how can we answer that? I mean, for all we know the island timeline is a ruse. What if the island story is all the “simulation” and the sideways story is, well, reality? Sure, it would be a downright trick and rather lame, but I’m not willing to rule it out. I mean, what if being “awakened” or “turned on” in the sideways reality is actually a nod to remembering they were all a part of some other type of psychological experiment, constructed by, say, the Dharma Initiative?”
I’m honestly not fully convinced that what we’ve been watching for the past six seasons is the “real” timeline. Not anymore, at least.
2. Yeah, that’s a rather nutty theory, but there’s definitely something in there that could ring true. The Shephard bloodline has been key to LOST, and something that’s been touched on repeatedly. My brother is especially keen on the notion of Ray (Jack’s grandfather) being of importance. If you think back to that episode, there was something mystical/knowing about Ray, as if he had been to the island or had some type of consciousness/understanding beyong the “real” world. I’m not sure that MiB went down the path you suggest. I mean, not wanting Aaron to be “raised by another” is a direct correlation to MiB/Jacob being “raised by another,” and look how that turned out.
By: cousinbrandon on May 18, 2010
at 12:34 pm
I wonder if the eternal water was the same as the one at the Dungen temple where Sayid was “drowned”
I also wonder about the game. Did you notice the amount of pieces keep changing. First there were 3 then as adults many more but in the end one each and I wonder if they were the same game pieces on the scale FLocke chucked.
By: mcclept on May 18, 2010
at 3:15 pm
I don’t think they’re the same as the scale. If you remember Not-Mom finds the game and is holding the 2 pieces- 1 white and 1 black, and then when we see a flashback from Season 1, we see Jack find a bag next to the bodies with the 2 game pieces in it- 1 white and 1 black.
By: dochielomn on May 18, 2010
at 3:39 pm
[…] and Sayid, that it wasn’t his fault. Hurley spots the ghost boy (who we now know is Jacob from “Across the Sea”) and produces the pouch of Jacob’s ashes. Jacob snatches them and runs off. Hurley follows him […]
By: LOST – Season 6, Episodes 16: “What They Died For” « Cousin Brandon's Mr. Hipster Blog on May 19, 2010
at 12:19 pm
[…] backgammon set speaks directly to the game played by Jacob and MiB in the still terrible episode “Across the Sea.” Locke explains that Backgammon is the oldest game in the world, and that sets were found when […]
By: LOST – Season 1, Episode 2: “Pilot (Part 2)” « Cousin Brandon's Mr. Hipster Blog on June 9, 2010
at 7:02 am