"I went to a place to eat. It said 'breakfast at any time.' So I ordered french toast during the Renaissance". --Steven Wright ... If you are a devotee of time travel, check out this song...

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Lost 5.9: Two Times and a Baby

You gotta hand it to Lost - I certainly do. Tonight's episode 5.9 was as different from the earlier Los Angeles based story this season as Los Angeles was to the island episodes of the past seasons, and tonight's all-island episode was another complex gem. What we really having going on are three distinct epics of Lost - the original island and flashbacks, the Los Angeles and island and flashforwards, and now just the island, in two different times.

The feel and flavor is appropriately different. We're in 1977 Dharma ville, and Sawyer is head of security, living and in love with Juliet. Jack and Kate and Hurley would have a hard time surviving, without Sawyer figuring out how to integrate them. But the result is demoting Jack to a position far inferior to Sawyer's. He and Jack have a confrontation of sorts tonight, and it's clear that Sawyer has no intention of ceding any authority, even secret authority, to Jack. Another fine Lost conversation.

The biggest question that emerged tonight is why Sun, Ben, Frank the pilot and most of the passengers of the newly crashed plane did not go back in time - in contrast to Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid, who did. That splitting of the passengers has to have some explanation that provides keys to the deeper mysteries.

And the biggest threat is coming, once again, from Ben. Not Ben as adult, smacked in the head by Sun with a shovel in the present. No, the threat is coming from Ben as a boy in 1977. He brings Sayid a sandwich in Dharma town, but the real message he's carrying - for us, the viewers - is that he will soon wipe out Dharma in an alliance with Richard.

When will that happen? Hard, exactly, to say. But Horace and Amy's baby - now identified as Ethan (we knew the baby would have to someone significant) - presumably has to first grow up a little ... Unless someone saves him...

Of course, he'll be killed in the much later future, anyway (by Charlie), just as Radzinzky, whom we met tonight (great to see the younger versions of these characters), will commit suicide. One other thing about Lost - a least, according to Faraday (presumably also still in 1977, though who knows where) - is that nothing can be changed. Unless...






5-min podcast review of Lost 5 Hr 9








More Lost - see
: The Richard-Locke Compass Time Travel Loop ...

and Lost Returns in 5 Dimensions and 5.3: The Loops, The Bomb ... 5.4: A Saving Skip Back in Time ... 5.5 Two Time Loops and Mind Benders ... 5.6 A Lot of Questions ... 5.7 Bentham and Ben ... 5.8 True Love Ways






The Plot to Save Socrates


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8 comments:

Michael A. Burstein said...

As soon as I saw the kid with the sandwich, I knew it was Ben.

I'm really enjoying seeing how all the pieces are beginning to fit together.

Anonymous said...

I think I may have a guess as to why the passengers have been split. I think it has to do with the visits Locke made to the Oceanic Six. Even though he did not convince them at the time, he met with Jack, Hurley, Kate, and Sayid, but not Sun. Remember that it was Ben who convinced Sun to come back, but Christian explained to Locke that he had to tell the Oceanic Six to come back. We know that Ben can't do the work for Locke, like moving the island. What I felt were somewhat pointless visits from Locke during that episode might be more important than I originally thought.

Paul Levinson said...

Michael - yeah, he had Ben's eyes.

Tara: Good reasoning. The only problem I have with that is the split would make a little more sense if it went according to the Oceanic Six - so Sun is with Jack, Hurley, Kate, Sayid in 1977 - and Ben is in the present.

For that matter, there's also the interesting question of why Locke wound up in the present instead of 1977...

Carrin Mahmood said...

I've been trying to figure out what has left me feeling so unsettled about this episode. I think it is because Sawyer, just when he has pulled it together and taken a leadership role, acts so petty with Jack. (Speaking of which...thank you Sawyer for saying what I have been yelling at the TV for weeks...."Jack! Dude!What's with the stupid suit?! You knew you were going to the island!)

I prefer tough, macho, even neck-snapping-angry Sawyer, over insecure petty Sawyer.

Paul Levinson said...

That's an astute point, White Bear. I think what you noticed with Sawyer is that he's insecure in his leadership position, because being on the inside is not what he's really about.

Ricardo Cárdenas said...

Another brilliant episode. Evidently feels like the necessary sequel to LaFleur. The tension between Jack, Sawyer, Kate and Juliet is deliciously electric. I just hope Kate doesn´t fuck with Sawyer. it seems juliet has given Sawyer the push he needed to become the leader this group needs. No second-guessings (opposite to jack, who was always considering too many choices). The scene between Jack and Sawyer in Sawyer´s cabin is just priceless. Sawyer in absolute control of the situation, Jack wandering around, trying to hold onto something. It´s obvious Sawyer is the ultimate leader.
Christian´s appearance was absolutely gorgeous. And, oh, little Ben. Something tells me Future-ben met with past-Ben, maybe directly, or maybe indirectly via Ricardus Alpert.
Jesus Christ. This show is getting impossibly good. it almost makes me forget the increasingly unbearable situation in Venezuela!

Ricardo Cárdenas said...

did you really find Sawyer insecure? Oh, man, jetlag must´ve screwed my powers of observation. Maybe should i watch it again?

Paul Levinson said...

Not overtly insecure - but, his thin-skined response to Jack's goading was not consistent with someone completely secure in his power.

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