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Lost
Confirmed
Dead
Airdate: 02.07.2008
No television
show plays with episode titles quite like Lost.
Sometimes literal, as with last week’s "The
Beginning of the End," other times seeped in metaphor,
as in last season’s "Man
from Tallahassee," one thing remains consistent.
They can confuse or inform depending on a writer’s
mood.
This
time out we are treated to sweet irony. Although it would
appear that to the outside world the passengers of Oceanic
flight 815 have been “confirmed dead” we all
know that this isn’t the case. Duh, duh, duuuuuuh!!
And
what’s interesting about this episode is that we are
not only learning the perspective of the outside world through
the eyes of firsthand witnesses, they are dually being introduced
and discovering the true fate of Oceanic 815 within the
confines of this episode.
It’s one thing to have a character say something intended
for us to hold as being factual, but Benjamin Linus destroyed
that credibility long ago (try all of seasons 2 and 3 for
that matter).
Instead,
we are treated to flashbacks through the eyes of several
new characters – all of which take place, mind you,
post-Oceanic 815’s crash. In fact, it would appear
that each one of these flashbacks are bound together by
one common thread – they seem to take place on the
same day as one another. Why? Each flashback is tied together
with news footage of the found wreckage, and features each
new character’s introduction to this news footage.
We see it for the first time just as they saw it for the
first time.
Why?
This
is truly a break away from standard Lost protocol,
but then again this season was heralded as “the beginning
of the end,” is it not?
So let’s
go through the rundown, one-by-one:
Why
was Daniel crying while watching the footage of the wreckage?
Was that his wife, or someone else? Do we know her? I’m
betting that it’s Libby. Why? Because I can, that’s
why.
Miles
has a gift that seems legit. Was the vacuum a necessary
tool, or merely a means to drown out the conversation he
intended to have with Mrs. Gardner’s dead grandson’s
ghost? I’m betting the latter because he obviously
didn’t need it to get a glimpse into Naomi’s
fate on the island. Then again, are his powers enhanced
on the island?
Not
to distract from the task at hand, but how did Miles know
to ask for the stash of cash? Also, didn’t Mrs. Gardner’s
grandson look remarkably like a young Mr. Eko? Hmm…
Are
we to believe that the polar bear remains, along with the
Dharma Hydra station symbol that Charlotte finds in Tunisia
is somehow the modern day remains of the island? Think about
it, perhaps the plane was magnetically thrust back in time
and crashed on a piece of Pangaea – it’s possible,
right? Either way, that smirk on her face tells me that
she knows more than she’s letting on.
See,
Ben? I’ll never trust another character again thanks
to you.
Frank
is the biggest enigma of them all. He’s a pilot, his
profile looks similar to Jacob’s, and he was supposed
to be the pilot of the Oceanic 815. So why wasn’t
he? His revelation reveals what we all suspect to be true
– the confirmation of the dead passengers was a set
up, and Seth Norris is the name of the pilot.
Naomi’s
flashback is an interesting one, as it’s the first
Lost flashback for a dead character. In it, we
get a visit from a familiar ghost-like figure, Matthew Abbadon
– the supposed Oceanic representative who visited
Hurley in the mental hospital. Here we find that he is the
man behind the mission to infiltrate the island, and that
all of our new characters are pawns in a larger game.
Back
on the island, there are a few tidbits noteworthy of a mention.
One is Hurley’s ability to see the island’s
big secret – Jacob’s cabin. Both Locke and Ben
seem surprised to hear Hurley cop to this, but the big guy
quickly covers up for his gaffe.
It’s
interesting that Ben didn’t know that anyone other
than Locke could possibly be capable of seeing Jacob, or
his cabin. Did Ben underestimate our dear losties?
And
finally, what of our dear Benjamin Linus? If he has lived
on the island his entire life, then how does Matthew Abbadon
know about him, and what could he want with him? Furthermore,
when pressed about the island’s monster, how does
Ben not know about the smoke monster? Wasn’t the purpose
of the fencing to protect the Dharmas from smoky?
All
of this, and so much more, have me overwhelmed with anticipation.
Next
Week: We continue to catch up on season 3 posts,
and we anxiously delve into The Economist – an episode
in which Kate and Sayid attempt to reason with Locke, not
the magazine of reputed stature. See you then!
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