Dr. Linus (and other stuff)

>Ok. So it's been several episodes since my last post. But have no fear, I'm back with some thoughts.

The previous episodes (The Substitute, Lighthouse, Sundown) were good but I thought that they all shared a similar dilemma. They were all setups to bigger solutions.

Now I know that you're going to say that has been the case for every episode in the past 5 seasons. You'd mostly be right. BUT, when then comparing those episode to the most recent Dr. Linus, I think you can see the narrative difference.

Before I elaborate on that , let's catch up on the previous 3 episodes and talk briefly about what we learned. The FS of these 3 episodes (like all episodes this season) showed us an “alternate” (although I've previously talked about how Darlton says it's not really an alternate timeline, but let's use that word anyway) life of our Losties sans island. I think the main thing we see out of these is that our Losties continue to cross paths despite no longer having the connection of the Island to tie them together. What does this mean? That's the BIG question. So these interactions merely alert us to the fact that there IS a bigger question yet to be answered. I'm glad that there are these interactions. Imagine if we didn't see that. Then we would just watch these characters go about their normal life believing that strange things were no longer happening to them. But coincidences are still happening. So there is still meaning to them.

Darlton said that they wanted this season to mimic and feel like the first season a lot. I think this is a complete success. Now were are looking at new stories that we have no idea how they fill into a bigger picture.

In the first season it was the same thing. Not only were the FB giving us insight into the characters, they began to fill up with overlapped stories of other people and other coincidences of the island. Of course, back in Season 1, it would have been impossible to predict all the stuff that happened or what the meaning of all this is, but we knew it mattered. Again, the same goes for the FS this season.

Aside from knowing that these FS have significance, there are only a few things stick out to me as interesting factors.

1. Jack has a son. Again, how big of a deal is this? I really don't know. It's simply showing a different side of Jack. However, the producers have said that the mother of the child is someone we already know and is NOT his ex-wife from the original timeline. My bet is on Juliet.

2. Locke is still talking to his father and is still paralyzed. Considering that his father cause his condition originally, you'd thing that something else would have happened to put Locke in a wheelchair. So what was it?

3. Sayid still kills people.

There are other things that are note worthy. Helen is still with Locke (remember that she dies of cancer in 2006 in the original timeline. It is currently 2004 in the FS). Nadia marries Sayids brother despite her feelings for Sayid. Jack has apparently recovered from alcoholism (or at least the threat of it).

These are all details that we will only learn the significance of once we learn how the two timelines reconcile..much like in season 1.

OK...let's get to the island. The stuff on island was the most interesting to me. In the substitute Locke begins recruiting. He starts with Sawyer as predicted. Other things happen like seeing a boy in the woods. Young Jacob? Of course the biggest part of this is the reveal of the numbers in the Cave at the end.

HEY! We learn that the numbers correspond to Losties. 4-Lock 8-Hurley 15- Sawyer 16 –Sayid 23- Jack 42 – Jin and/or Sun 51- Kate. Of course 51 is not apart of the original sequence and with Locke being crossed out now, does that change the importance of different numbers in terms of the Island as well as Dharma's Valenzetti equation?

The MIB is defiantly manipulating sawyer to get to his side and it works. He claims he doesn't believe the island needs to be protected form anything (but then later tells Ben hat he needs someone to replace Jacob to protect the island)

....................................................

(So as I was writing this I realized it's going to take forever to type out the reasoning and connective tissue between all these things. So I'm calling an audible and adopting a new format. I'm going to speak of significant points and revelations that I have during these episodes, rather than try to point out all the parallels of storytelling that the writers make. Because, really, if you investigate and can remember older episodes....they are everywhere!! Which is why I love this show so much. But I don't have time to write all that and you don't have time to read it.)

Piecing things together from SUNDOWN.

Dogen says that every man has a scale (Sayid's tipped the wrong way). I believe that the MIB and Jacob are opposite sides of the same scale that represents the scale of man as a whole. If not MAN (as in the whole world) then maybe the scale of the island...and depending on which way the island is tipped, it gives way to either peace or destruction throughout the rest of the world.

Ben is good.

'Dr. Linus' was his redemption story. I believe he was always working for Jacob (or thought he was working for Jacob) even when he was doing bad things. It was all in the name of the Island. But in the FS we see, although he is manipulative, that he is still good and can choose to put others ahead of him. Also we see that he chooses to go back with Ilana after he is invited rather than still fleeing to Locke because it was his only choice.(basically choosing good over evil)

Widmore is also good. Maybe.

Darlton said in their last podcast that it wouldn't be impossible to think that Widmore and Ben were on the same side. I have suggested this in the past, but with little evidence, However, after seeing Ben's redemption (and I believe true colors) I think it more likely then ever. Widmore could still be bad, but, like Ben, I think he was trying to do everything in the name of the island. It's like to kids fighting over their parent's affection. They both just wanted to be loved by Jacob more. And they both wanted to be in charge. They just fought over it all the time. But if they were both giving a gift by Jacob (like Richard Alpert and our Losties) then it would explain why they can't kill each other. They may still have it out for eachother, but ultimately I think they are fighting on the same side.

Jack is now a man of faith.

It's a great turn of events. Locke (as the MIB) doesn't believe the island needs to be protected because it's all malarkey. Jack, who went from thinking this was all crap, now sees that he was called to the island for a purpose. A purpose he's always wanted to have. And out of his faith of that belief, he risked blowing himself up. He seems hell bent on achieving his purpose now... a motivation the island has been trying to get him to realize since day one.

Richard Alpert was originally a slave on the Black Rock.

Who was he a slave to? I'm not sure. Maybe an ancestor of Widmore. I'll be curious to see his story unfold when he gets an episode next week. It seems like he has met with Jacob and the MIB upon his arrival. Almost as if he was given a choice between the two.

Is Sawyer really bad or is he conning the MIB?

His episode is this week, so we'll see. I predicted that he would end up on the MIB's side but not sure for what reason. There's going to be great implications of the relationships on the past.

Locke as a non-believer will be fighting Jack as a man of faith, now. Kate is trapped on Lockes side right now, a place she doesn't want to be. Jack had a child with Juliet, (the woman sawyer truly loved) in the FS, which will somehow reconcile with the Island timeline. Kate is torn between Jack who she loved off the island and Sawyer who she still has deep, unfulfilled feelings for.I don't know. If Sawyer's calmer side doesn't prevail, I could see him having it out for Jack.

Between the two timelines Jack will have been with the two women Sawyer loved. Kate and Juliet. Once those timelines “merge” (or whatever they're going to do) he is going to be jealous and pissed off.

Hurley is the interim leader.

He's the only one that is talking to Jacob. I believe he has always been there because he is faithful and good. But really he lacks some of those core skills to oversee the island. Also he's sequentially next in line after Locke...according to the numbers.

Wallace is 108.

According to the dial in the Lighthouse we see a glimpse of the name Wallace (crossed out) on the dial. This is the person that Jacob said was coming to the island. It would appear that Jacob wants him to come there (seeing as how he wanted to use the lighthouse to draw him in). Is this Wallace person actuality Widmore? I think that's likely. Perhaps Wallace was a old family name that he changed or Widmore is a fake name he gave everyone else (like Sawyer). This further supports the theory that Widmore is on Jacob's side. It would make sense that the name is crossed out, too, because Widmore was the leader and then was banished. Much like on the dial and on the cave walls, we see familiar names crossed out of people that are no longer on the island.

Volcano still important

Darlton confirmed that the volcano that was mentioned briefly in the past (as well as the volcanic-like ash that is around) will have more importance, or at least be brought up again in this final season.

That's all that I can think of for now. I'm sure I forgot something.

But look for more next week.. likely in this new simplified format.

I hope you like Dr. Linus as much as I did. If not I wish I had time to tell you why it was a very successful episode. Looking forward to more Sawyer this week.