Lost, Ep 22: More ThoughtsI've done a few interviews today, and the questions the interviewers have been asking have made me think a lot more about this episode. Several people asked me if I was saddened by Jack's fate, but as I've been saying all day, I really don't think what we saw was his necessary future.
This show has been consistent for three seasons in that everything comes down to science vs. faith; choice vs. fate. Are we fated to do certain things, or can our choices change our futures? In "Flashes Before Your Eyes," Ms. Hawking tells Desmond that he's not supposed to marry Penelope. From the point forward, Desmond continually tells Charlie that he's supposed to die. In last night's episode at the very end, Locke tells Jack he's not supposed to do this. It's like these characters have some vision of the future, and they know how these characters are supposed to spend the rest of their lives, and they believe they're fated to it.
Desmond said Charlie was supposed to die, but he was supposed to die drowning to save Claire; being electrocuted by lightning; falling when trying to catch a bird; an arrow through his neck... these things were what he was fated to do. But Desmond changed that fate by stepping in the way and making a choice to change the future. Yes, Charlie still died, but in doing so, he believes his death has a purpose. Would being shot through the neck by an arrow have served the same purpose?
Locke believes in faith and fate. We've seen him struggle with shooting or killing several people, and no matter how evil Cooper is, no matter how many times Jack pushes all the buttons on Locke, he just can't bring himself to do it. Yet he killed Naomi without a second thought. He believed he was supposed to do it, that he had to stop her, and he didn't hesitate.
Jack, on the other hand, scoffs at those who believe in fate. His dad's old saying, "That's why the Red Sox will never win the Series," was his idea of fate in a nutshell, and Jack's always hated the fact his dad chalked things up to fate. He believes that chalking things up to fate is a lazy man's way of not accepting responsibility for one's actions, and blaming it on the stars instead.
This show is about the constant battle between the two ideas, and we'll continue to see that battle in upcoming seasons. I believe the flash-forwards will be the new way Lost will be presented (with the occasional flashback from people like Ben or anyone new) but what we see in those flash-forwards won't necessarily be set in stone. I don't think Jack will necessarily end up miserable, wasted, and alone. If he makes different choices on the island, maybe his future can change. Time will tell, but there's a good chance we're going to see a very different flash-forward in the coming seasons for Jack.
Critics today have been loving last night's episode as much as we have. Here are some links to other posts:
Jeff Jensen at Entertainment Weekly
Matt Roush at TV Guide
E! interview with Damon Lindelof
E! interview with Dominic
Of course, the praise goes far beyond those, but this will get you started. I've yet to see any serious naysaying going on, which is great.
For everyone saying the proof of the flash-forward was at the very beginning of the episode, you were right:
Jack's phone wasn't officially released until October 2006, so it's about six months old in this flashback, which takes place in April 2007.
Ben's diary, which we see him writing in at the beginning, has been mostly deciphered by brilliant Lost fans (or, at least, one page has):
Click here to read.
And finally, someone posted here in the comment section of my post below that the full text of the obit is:
"The body of John Lantham of New York was found shortly after 4 am in the 4300 block of Grand Avenue. Ted Worden, a doorman at the Tower Lofts complex, heard loud noises coming from the victim's loft. Concerned for tenants' safety, he entered the loft and found the body hanging from a beam in the living room. According to Jaime Ortiz, a police spokesman, the incident was deemed a suicide after medical tests. Latham (sic) is survived by one teenaged son. Memorial services will be held at the Hoffs-Drawlar Funeral Home tomorrow evening."
I can't vouch for the accuracy, so I'll leave it up to you to decide. :)
are you sure about the motorola razr being released in october 2006? i've had mine since january 2006 ...
ReplyDeletei got all excited thinking the police person mentioned on the obit was ana-lucia's mother, but then i remembered her name is "Cortez" not "Ortiz".
and how awesome are lost fans that they've deciphered a page of ben's diary! :-D cool! he sounds so military, like in his mind, this is an actual, bonafide WAR.
I think that was indeed Jack's future that we saw. What a tantalizing storyline that could be in the next 3 seasons! They get off the island and then realize they have to go back.
ReplyDeleteAnd here's hoping Matthew and Josh get some award recognition this year. They both easily had some of the best acting performances on TV this season.
I think the world is "Bush", not "Rush" in the diary. A prolonged campaign in the Bush. And the word after provisions (parenthetical) is (Seasonal).
ReplyDeletefb: You would definitely know better than I would. I read on another site that that particular model -- the KRZR -- was released in October 2006, so I was just going by that. I have no knowledge of cellphones. ;)
ReplyDeleteSaza: I believe that was Jack's future if he continues along on the same trajectory. Something could happen to change that.
And you are so right; I completely forgot to bow down in praise to Matthew Fox for the unbelievable acting in last night's episode. That final scene with Kate is worth the Emmy right there.
Chapatikid: A prolonged campaign with George W. Bush? Yikes... Ben IS evil! hahahaha
Actually, I believe that the word is "Dusk", not bush or rush. This would make sense because of the raid on the beach occurring at night.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it reads "more importantly, the long-awaited resupply of camp gear having been missed (and so necessary!)".
Last of all, "we look like a very sad sort of _____ army".
My guess...
ReplyDeleteAN IMPORTANT MEETING TONIGHT WITH
(_) AND (M) REGARDING THE DEVELOPING SITUATION.
WE ARE NOW IN DAY 3 OF OUR EXODUS FROM
THE VILLAGE AND I AM, I FEAR, AT THE LIMIT
OF MY TACTICAL RESOURCES. (J)'s AGENDA,
WHICH I DON'T QUESTION, IS HOWEVER A NARROW
AND DIFFICULT ONE AND I COULD WELL WISH
WE'D HAD TIME TO PREPARE, NOT MERELY
FOR THE MILITARY STRIKE, BUT FOR A _______
CAMPAIGN IN THE BUSH. WE ARE SHORT ON
PROVISIONS (SEASONAL) AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY,
THE LONG-AWAITED RE-SUPPLY OF CAMP GEAR
HAVING BEEN MISSED (AND SO NARROWLY!) AND
JUST AS OUR WATER SUPPLY ROUTES HAVE BEEN
CUT OFF. WE LOOK LIKE A SAD SORT OF
ANARCHIST ARMY. MORALE, I HAVE TO SAY, IS
AS LOW AS THE ___________ _____ _____
YET, FOR ALL THAT, I FEEL APPREHENSIVE
Manix: Wow, good guesses! It makes sense to me. I was wondering if where you have "narrowly" it might be "necessary"? That was what the word looked like to me.
ReplyDeleteOh, what I would give for 4 minutes in the prop room. ;) (Or 8, or 15, or 16...)
I don't have any problems with Jack having a less-than-happy ending to his life. It could be, over the next three seasons, that we are given a reason to come to terms with Jack's fate. Kate did not seem all that happy to see him. He called her several times and only got her voicemail. I'm thinking she was avoiding him for a reason...not just because he'd become a drug addict.
ReplyDeleteCould be Jack will deserve his unhappiness in the end. I'm actually excited to think the writers might not give us the typical, happy, "Hollywood" ending for all of these characters. I am thinking some will be better off for having returned home and others will not.
I'm hoping for more flash-forwards. Just because Jack & Kate are back in the real world, does not mean everyone is. What if some stayed behind on the island?
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