And yet Mikhail came back from that, almost as good as new, with a story about the voltage not being set on kill. And in the finale he's out there leering in front of Charlie's hatch window, grenade in hand, as if the dart that had just been in his chest were no more than a sticky paper star.
What's up with Mikhail, assuming he's not immortally invulnerable? (This would make him even more powerful than the Elves in Lord of the Rings, who didn't die on their own but could be killed.)
Let's look at three possibilities:
1. The island's recuperative properties: (a) Rose's cancer went into remission. This is the weakest example, becauses cancers can go into remission elsewhere in the world, but it's still worth noting. (b) Locke regains his feet after the crash, again after Ben shoots him, and in addition comes back almost 100% after that shot to the body. A lot more extraordinary than Rose, but it's not completely clear if Locke was shot in a vital organ (some fans have suggested that he might been shot right where his donated kidney had been).
On the subject of the island's healing powers, we'd need to note that they didn't work for Boone and Shannon, not for Mr. Eko either, not for Nikki and Paulo, not for Libby and Ana Lucia, not for any of The Others killed by Ben years ago and not for Ben's father and not for Tom and The Others killed in the Season 3 finale and not for The Others killed by Ana Lucia. Not presumably for pregnant women in The Others, not for Rousseau's crew, etc., etc.
So if the island's recuperative powers are responsible for Mikhail's many lives, this is not just a straightforward function of the island (of course not, nothing is straightforward on Lost, and that's part of its charm). Mikhail (and Locke and perhaps Rose) also bring something to this healing equation.
2. Time travel: I doubt it as the mechanism in this case, but with Desmond around, we can't completely ignore it. Here's how it would work: an earlier version of Mikhail, who is able to keep an eye on his future self's fate, travels to the future every time Mikhail is killed, and picks up where the slain Mikhail left off. This would have the effect of making Mikhail impossible to kill.
3. Send in the clones: Weakest choice of all, since we have no other evidence of clones on Lost, but someone generating clones of Mikhail, or a bank of clones all set to go, could replace him each time he's killed. This would also require some kind of rapid education technology - getting info into the clone's head so the new Mikhail knows just what the old was up to. I wouldn't at all put Dharma past this, but, again, since we've seen no other clones on the island - as far as we know - this would be the least likely of our three explanations.
My choice: The island's recuperative powers work for some, select people.
This is one of my favorite story lines ... intimations of immortality on Lost ... it will be interesting to see where it goes in Season 4 - for example, will Mikhail survive the grenade in the water?....
Useful links:
Lost New Questions: 1. How Far in the Future? ... 2. Who's In the Coffin? ... 3. Who's Waiting for Kate? ... 4. Who Is Naomi's Boss? ... 6. What Constitutes Reliable Evidence? ... 7. Are the Flashforwards Desmond's Flashes?
Lost Season 3 Finale ... Flashforwards
And see also Lost's Back Full Paradoxical Blast: Season 4 Episode 1
Lost: Keys to What's Really Going On
The Plot to Save Socrates
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
11 comments:
"an earlier version of Mikhail, who is able to keep an eye on his future self's fate."
Can't believe you wrote that :-D
The Island's healing powers also don't work for Ben...
:) You're lucky I didn't say "keep an eye out"....
The recuperating powers may have worked a little for Ben, though, right? He atttributed his getting out of the wheelchair so quickly to Locke, who may have beenunconsciously channeling some of the island's energy to Ben...
Nice theories you have there.
But I just wanted to point out that when ben was a child and ran away from home ( genius kid, on an island :P ) he met a man named Richard. At that time he looked like he was about 30-35.
Later, when Ben is an adult himself, Richard doesn't seem to have aged one bit. Maybe also a nice side-effect to living on the island?
Something completely different: How could Rousseau know so little about the others and still have a baby with their leader? I even believe Russeau came to this island pregnant, but I'm not sure about that.
Ben could be pretending to be the girl's father, which seems very likely to me. But how could he have fooled his "people" into believing this. Any thoughts?
anon: absolutely - Richard (along with Locke, and Ben himself - healing so quickly) - are all part of the recuperative powers of the island...
I don't think Ben is Alex's father, either. Rousseau was pregnant with her when she was stranded on the island. Ben and The Others kidnapped Alex, and Ben raised her, pretending he was her father.
same anon :)
Ok, so Ben is not Alex's father, but his "people" seem to think that he really is her father. Well, at least they didn't show any signs of knowing Alex not to be Ben's child. (could be I missed it)
And about Mikhail: I'm certain he is immortal or travels through time or something, because nobody can take a dart to the heart(or very near it) and get up in the next minute, get into a very tight diver's suit quickly AND get a handgrenade AND swim to the window. This is also why I think There are multiple Mikhails, or the time-theory, because It's just a lot to do in such a short amount of time.
Glad to hear you say that, anon - some dude over on Lostpedia is seriously arguing that there's nothing extraordinary about Mikhail's recovery from that dart! :)
I discovered your blog from the LostTV boards and enjoy your perspectives...I'm sure someone somewhere has hit on this but I think the key to Mikhail is somehow related to Naomi. In fact, I think we'll see her recover from the knife in the back just like Mikhail because Locke doesn't kill- maybe he knew or sensed that he wasn't actually killing them. As for the reason then I have to agree that the islands' recuperative powers are the source.
sonic GG - welcome to Infinite Regres...
I think you're on to something - the island's recuperative powers + Locke are the key. Locke gets back his feet, and likely helps Ben do the same. Locke pushes Mikhail through the fence, but Mikhail doesn't die - maybe because some of Locke's power rubbed off on Mikhail (and this is still the case in the Looking Glass).
And, right, if Locke has this power, maybe Naomi doesn't die.
But this still leaves open the question of why Boone and Eko died in Locke's presence...
Still, Locke as trigger of the island's recuperative powers is a path worth looking into further...
Locke having healing powers and being able to harness the power of the Island seems kind of likely considering the following (possible) allusions to Jesus (Note 1: I haven't read many theories/revelations from fans/creators so this may have been covered; Note 2: These are definitely all long shots):
-Locke carrying his father's bagged body after Sawyer kills him (the scene is similar to Jesus carrying his cross)
-Locke's reliance and faith in faith in the face of others' skepticism
-Locke being tested by Ben
-and maybe some other ones
"The island's recuperative properties"
Don't forget about Naomi. She certainly healed quickly well enough to walk from the beach to the radio tower with a recently punctured/collapsed lung. She didn't look like she was even phased by it.
Completely right, derek!
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