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Thursday, March 13, 2008

L-O-S-T Season 4, Episode 7

Thanks Cyndi for scanning my pic... it was from when I was like 11 or 12 and used the tree to escape to read where my parents wouldn't think I was idle and give me chores or my sibs wouldn't be able to interrupt my reading...

Julia got to the previews first this week:

Here are a couple of fun links from EW.com to get you fired up for tonight’s LOST.

First, the usual Doc Jensen preview…no real spoilers (unless you still have no guesses as to who is Ben’s freighter spy…it doesn’t confirm who it is or anything, but provides the usual guess).

Next, a fun article and video about Dominic Monaghan’s photography work.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Washington Post is currently running "LOST Madness":

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/television/features/2007/lost-central/lost_madness.html

First week’s results at:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2008/03/lost_madness_first_votes_are_i_1.html

Cyndi

Anonymous said...

JJ went first this week:

not really a lot to discuss for this week...

who thinks Jin is really dead? who thinks Claire may be dead? Sledgeweb's page translated Jin's gravestone and it says he died on plane crash day, Sept. 22, 2004.... so then who is the final Oceanic Six member?

we have:

Jack
Kate
Hurley
Sayid
Sun
(i do not think Aaron counts!)

my vote is that is for Rose. i don't think Michael counts since he now is doing dirty work for Ben under a different name. i don't think it would be Walt, because if it were, than why would Michael use the phony name? wouldn't Walt then also need a phony name? where the hack is Walt? at his grandma's? i think all the other characters will either die, or remain on the island and join Ben and the Jacob worshippers.

did Benry really plant the wrecked plane like Captain Ron says? who is the bigger liar?!?!?

and Niel sent this theory from one of his friends to me earlier.... i have pasted it below. enjoy.

J.J.




Coolest. Theory. Ever.
A friend of mine recently got into Lost, and he immediately came up with one of the craziest and best Lost theories I've ever heard.

It's long, but it's SO WORTH IT. Trust me on this one.



Again, this isn't MY theory, I'm just posting it on my friend's behalf.


The Valenzetti Equation is a mathematical formula designed to predict the end of the world. Through research of this equation, the end of the world was found to be 4:23:42 pm on April 8th, 2015. This is the significance of the series of numbers: 4:8:15:16:23:42.

It was once stated that "the Dharma Initiative set out to find a way to change the Valenzetti Equation." Their strategy for avoiding the end of the world was to create a time machine to prevent the world from ever reaching the year 2015, at least in an isolated location where some pocket of humanity could thrive. Perhaps this location could at first be used as an experiment for proof of concept and then perhaps if the process is perfected, the entire Earth can be saved. The island was chosen as this location for one of two reasons: either it was just remote enough that it would be easy to protect it from external disturbance that could disrupt the research, or the island had some intrinsic properties that made it special. I lean towards the former, but I could be swayed either way.

A key piece of the functionality of the time machine was the installation of a gigantic magnet underground beneath the island. This obviously causes the unusual electromagnetic abnormalities experienced there. At some point, probably in the 1980's (let's say 1988 for the sake of argument), the time machine was completed. From this point on, the Island exists in a sort of space-time bubble which is separated from the timeline of the rest of the universe. The Swan station is used to reset the machine periodically to always keep the time machine locked at the original start date in 1988. So as long as the Swan is functioning, the island will remain locked in 1988 while the rest of the world/universe proceeds through time normally.

When Desmond/Kelvin discussed how the resetting of the Hatch computer was "saving the world" - this is quite literally true. Keeping the island in 1988 allows them to avoid ever reaching 2015 when humanity is doomed. I believe that after the Hatch was imploded, time on the island would begin moving forward in time with the rest of universe. It would still be locked approximately 19 or 20 years in the past compared to the rest of reality, but it would move forward nonetheless.

Now, a very important concept in this theory is the fact that entering the bubble of the time machine will basically create two separate threads of reality for anyone/anything that enters. So, for example, when the plane crashes onto the island it passes through the boundaries of the time bubble. One "copy" of the plane remains outside in reality where it crashes to the bottom of the ocean and everyone dies in the 2004. The other "copy" enters the island in the year 1988 where many people survive.

Around the perimeter of the island, I believe there is only one way to leave the time bubble. Michael and Walt were given this exact bearing so that they could leave. Whenever anyone else tried to leave on the sailboat, they were unsuccessful because they didn't know where to leave.

Here is a brief list of some strange anomalies that I think can be explained with this theory:

1) Lock and Rose were healed when they arrived on the island. This is because the only "copy" of them now exists in 1988 when both of them were perfectly healthy.

2) When Naomi crashed on the island she had a phone/communication device that Sayid mentioned was slightly more advanced than anything he had seen. This is because Sayid crashed in 2004. Though he'd only spent what seemed like 90 days on the island, it was probably 2007 or so in reality when Naomi crashed onto the island.

3) Women cannot conceive on the island but they can give birth to babies conceived before they arrived. This is because a child conceived on the island is conceived in the year 1988. This child does not exist in the true reality. The termination of the pregnancy is part of the universe's course correction (we will address course correction in detail shortly).

4) Desmond's premonitions. Desmond is different from the other people in the Lost crew. He did not crash on a plane and theoretically never died in reality. So when he arrives at the island, there now exist TWO living copies of Desmond in separate threads of reality. One remains in 1988 while the other moves forward through time. This would explain perfectly why he can see into the future.

5) Walt appears to have aged more than everyone else when he returns to the island after having left it. It's possible that Walt and Michael leave for a number of years before returning to the island. Very little time has passed on the island compared to how much time they spent in the real world during their time away. This plays into a statement from Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof: "We've always known Malcolm was going to grow faster than we could shoot the show. And we planned for it. Trust us. Please trust us." If Walt's age abnormality was always planned, that should indicate that some sort of time plot was planned from the start.

6) The Other known as Richard doesn't appear to age. He is also known to have left island at some point(s). I'm not sure exactly how this would tie in, but it could be a clue to his state.

7) The Others seem to be able to gather incredibly detailed information about the survivors in an extremely short period of time. Since it's 1988 on the island and it's the future outside the island, if the Others can use DHARMA's equipment to access contacts on the other side, they can get answers from the future.

8) Christian Shephard. His body was on the plane that crashed. Perhaps his body going back in time brought him back to life on the island (similar to the healings of Locke/Rose). This could account for his empty coffin, the fact that he's been seen on the island (which, of course, could also just be another hallucination), and the fact that Jack refers to him in the flashforward as being alive. The crash would've created 2 copies of his body – one in the 2004 reality plane (dead) and a resurrected 1988 one on the island. This is a different scenario from survivors of the crash who die on the island, ending the life of the only remaining copy of themselves. Additionally, Christian was seen in one of the online videos instructing Vincent to wake Jack. This seems impossible to be a hallucination (unless the dog was hallucinating?) and the fact that Christian goes off alone rather than joining the other survivors indicates to me that he has some pre-existing knowledge or ties to the island. After I wrote this, I watched last night's new episode and seeing Christian in the cabin has reinforced this a bit!

9) Locke began to lose feeling in his legs when he was near the '?' area on the map. It's entirely possible that this was just a ruse by Locke to somehow manipulate Boone, but I think it's somewhat likely that the '?' area, being located in the center of the island's time machine, is the location of the portal that connects the two threads of reality. Locke's proximity to this area could have been what caused him to begin reverting back to his paralyzed state.

I can't directly explain all of the tremendous coincidences that occur between characters (Hurley's lotto with the numbers, Yemi's plane crashing on the island, the "real" Sawyer being Locke's dad thing, etc. etc.) but I feel very confident that all of those things have to do with the concept of "course correction" by the universe. As Desmond explained in relation to Charlie's death - you can only postpone it, but the universe will eventually catch up and correct itself. I think that this, on a broader scale, it's what's happening on the show as the universe tries to get back on course and correct itself to appropriately end humanity at the scheduled date and undo the attempts to prevent our demise with a time machine.

The universe orchestrates what seems to be an absurdly complex string of coincidences and interconnectedness between characters in order to create the right set of variables for that plane to crash on the island and those people to inadvertently destroy the time machine and put the world back on its course for destruction.

This concept of "course correction" as a plot device is, in my opinion, a brilliant tool for the writers of the show. It allows them to weave an intricate network of plot elements that seem ridiculously impossible and complex, but all those otherwise unexplainable loose ends can be tied together in the form of universal course correction.

I suspect that course correction may come into play more in the future of the show where we will see many or all of the characters who were "supposed to die" in the plane crash facing inevitable and inescapable death as the universe is catching up to them. This, obviously, is just a wild guess for the future of the show.

A little side note that ties into this theory: I believe the Polar Bears on the island are a reference to the concept of being in danger of extinction. Humans are using the island as their means to try to fend off extinction and the polar bear is an iconic animal when it comes to endangerment. The choice of these animals as a research species on the island could simply be a piece of symbolism by the Lost writers.

Anonymous said...

Traci:

Sorry, I am not convinced that Aaron is the sixth. Yes, the promos all said we would learn the sixth person but I am not willing to believe them just yet. Anyone else with me?

Anonymous said...

Frank:

Ok, something no one has thought of yet, at least not in this group nor in any message boards i've glanced over.

possbility 1:
The final six includes Aaron. (i think the writers said he doesnt count?)

OR

how about:

Jack
Sayid
Kate
Hurley
Sun
and Michael?

After they (the Ocean's 5 we know about) get off the island, whats not to say Michael leaves too? My guess is after its all said and done people are going to appreciate Michael's help.

I imagine of all the people staying on the island, Walt isnt going anywhere any time soon.

But is there a reason the 6th member cant be Michael? It might fall into the 'you would know all 6 members of the Oceanic 6' criteria because now we know Michael is still around.

Hmmmm.... any holes in this possibility?

Anonymous said...

H:

Right! I think there was some speculation that Michael was in the casket...if he was one of the O'6 that would make sense.

Anonymous said...

JJ:

My thinking too, altho:

For him being in the casket:
- He would qualify as 'neither friend or family' as the guy at funeral asked.
- The neighborhood his funeral was at was in an urban setting.

Against him being in the casket:
- No media around 'one of the 6th' funeral.

The newspaper clipping that was in last season's finale refers to someone MAYBE named Jeremy Bentham. (see attached picture)

Some information in the link that follows. HOWEVER, I did read somewhere that the writers said they need to reshoot that scene because it wasn't supposed to be readable.

http://theknightshift.blogspot.com/2007/05/newspaper-clipping-from-last-nights.html

That is all.

Anonymous said...

Woops, last was Frank, this is JJ:


i agree that i do not think we know all of the O'6. i do not think Aaron is one of the O'6. he was not a passenger on the plane. only Claire, unless the psychic felt so strongly he bought unborn, unnamed Aaron a ticket, also. but who knows... the media on L O S T could consider Aaron a "survivor" of the plane crash in the end since he was born out of the crash survivors. who knows.... but i don't accept that he is. not until someone can convince me otherwise. i think the writer's may have said Aaron is not an O'6 member on the official show podcast, but i'll have to double check...

i have a hard time agreeing that the final O'6 member is Michael or Walt. Here's why: if Michael is that last of the O'6, then he Walt would have to be dead, on the island still, or living under a new identity so he is not known to be an O'6 survivor. this also goes vice versa if Walt is one of the O'6. then Michael would have to be dead, on the island, or phony name. how could he do that and raise Walt? as far as we know so far, Walt is NOT on the island. now if Benry took him from Michael AGAIN in the outside world to get Michael to work for him, that really stinks for Michael and i think is not very interesting because they did that story already with both these characters with the season 2 finale (having Michael do the others' bidding in killing Ana Lucia and Libby to set Benry free). We also know the Benry is holding the murders of Ana Lucia and Libby over Michael's head because he said this to his face on the dock before giving him the boat and Walt. so Michael would have HAD to already have been coming up with his own new identity or use one Ben had given him to leave the island and not be found at see by a ship or something to tell his story of being a survivor of Oceanic 815... he and Walt would then be asked all the questions already as to how this could be and how did they survive, where have the been, etc. that would make Michael and Walt both Oceanic survivors, rescued earlier than the O'6 we have been seeing and bring the total of Oceanic survivors to seven or even Eight is Aaron counts.

both Michael and Walt either must end up going back to the island and staying there, dying, or living off the island under new identities, and if they are living off the island under new identities, than any one of our L O S T characters could be.

we know Sayid is running around killing people for Ben under his REAL identity to use it to get close to people on Benry's all new hit list. but other Losties could be working for Benry under other names to keep the cover up solid at jsut six people. or they are dead or they are still on the island. some of them HAVE to still be alive on the island for Charlie to have told Hurley, "they need you" and for Hurley to then interpret that to Jack that "it" wants them to go back.

i believe Michael is the one in the casket. all the clues make sense for that, but it could also be someone we have not seen yet....