As I’ve said often, if there’s anything Lost consistently does well, its premieres and finales. Last night’s mini-finale (there’s a little strike induced break until the end of April, and then we’ll get 4 more episodes) was certainly no exception and was, in my opinion, the best episode of the season. We got wave after wave of crucial information; not just little tidbits, but piles of important stuff we’ve been dying to know. Let’s recap everything we’ve learned:
1. Michael’s time off the island — We got a ton of great scenes offering us a window into Michael’s tormented life. On the one hand, he’s got unbearable guilt for not only deserting all his friends on the island, but for murdering Libby and Ana Lucia in cold blood (more on Libby in a minute). On the other hand, Michael has become estranged from his son Walt, which is ironic, as all of Michael’s deceitful and despicable actions have been to protect Walt and keep them together. But Michael couldn’t bear to hold in the guilt he felt for killing Libby and Ana Lucia and so he shared the story of these actions with his pre-teen son!!! Of course, Walt is horrified and refuses to see Michael, so he lives with Michael’s mother instead. The pain of finally being home with Walt and yet truly being farther from him than ever before, coupled with Michael’s guilt over his own treachery, is too much to bear, and so Michael tries to kill himself.
2. Michael can’t die! — According to Tom, a.k.a. Mr. Friendly, a.k.a. sophisticated older gay man in a v-neck sweater, The Island isn’t finished with Michael and will not allow him to die. This was the one aspect of the show I didn’t like, and I think it marked a crucial turning point for the series: Michael’s death-defying car crash marks the first time that the crazy, magical, suspend-your-disbelief parts of the island have occurred in the real world off the island. Michael was thousands of miles away, and yet the magic of the island is still around him. I think this instance opens a whole new can of worms that I don’t like. Magic on the island I can accept; its a crazy, mystical place and I’ll allow that it has some powers we don’t understand. But once you start seeing that magic off the island, it becomes a whole lot more far-fetched. Michael’s invincibility crosses the line into Heroes territory, which asks me to believe that supernatural events can occur in the real world. I can believe in black smoke monsters and time shifting on a magic island, but in the real world I live in? Let’s hope the show doesn’t force to suspend our disbelief like that again, as I think its too much of a stretch.
3. Libby– Michael’s guilt manifests itself in brief, creepy visions of our old pal Libby. She appears at opportune (or inopportune, depending on how you look at it) times to give Michael creepy advice. These appearances mark the 3rd time Libby has appeared to a character in the real world. First, she appeared in Hurley’s mental institution in the pre-island past, and then, she appeared in the airport to offer Desmond a chance to sail her boat around the world. This begs the question: were those two Libbys real? Or were they creepy apparitions likes Michael’s Libby? Who is Libby and what is her agenda? One of Lost’s great unanswered questions…
4. Michael on the boat — In hopes of redeeming himself, Michael works as a spy for Ben on Charles Widmore’s freighter. If Ben is to be believed, Michael will play an important role in saving his friends on the island by killing everyone on the boat. It’s Michael who sabotaged the engines and radio room, Michael who left the door open for Desmond and Sayid. However, this explanation doesn’t mean squat to Sayid, who immediately rats out Michael as a traitor to the freighter’s captain, and who can blame him? Ben and Michael are perhaps the two most despicably deceitful people Sayid has yet to meet, so why on earth would he trust them and their motives? The irony, of course, is that we know in the future, Sayid himself will be working as a hired hitman for Ben Linus in order to protect the very same people Michael hopes to protect now. Damn, this show is goooood.
5. Charles Widmore is the bad guy — Here is where the big questions behind this season were answered: why are the people on the freigther coming to the island? According to Ben, Widmore is the bad guy. He is bringing the freighter to claim the island for himself, apprehend Ben, and kill anyone else he finds on the island. He planted the fake Oceanic plane at the bottom of the ocean so no one else would search for the island or the survivors. Obviously, this pursuit explains why Widmore was so interested in purchasing the Black Rock’s journal at auction, probably in hopes of learning something of the islands whereabouts or powers. Furthermore, according to Ben, not all of Widmore’s people realize they’re meant to kill all the survivors. Frank Lapidus, the now dead George Minkowsky, and maybe Charlotte or Dan are “innocent”, and Ben promises that he does not mean to kill innocent people.
6. Ben Linus is the bad guy — According to Lapidus, Widmore’s mission is to rescue the folks on the island. Yes this sounds naive, but could it be true? Maybe all those guns are to kill Linus and his people, and Ben is simply manipulating the situation to make it appear otherwise. This is why the writing on this show is so genius and why Ben is one of the best villains ever: despite all the horrible, manipulative and deceitful things Ben does, he’s somehow able to lull you into trusting him, into making you think that he just might be a good guy after all…until he sends his daughter, her boyfriend and his ex-wife to be slaughtered! Holy crap! It was one thing when they killed Carl, but then bam! Rosseau was down too! I was sure they were going to kill Danielle too, but it looks like she might get out of this one. I suppose Ben just wanted to rid himself of those who would attempt to separate his daughter from him. I say we stick with Sayid on this one: Never trust Ben. No matter what he says, his motives are his own and he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
And so we’re left with what I think is the biggest questions still yet to be answered: WHY??? Why does Charles Widmore want the island? Why does he want Ben? Why does Widmore need the team of Naomi/Dan/Frank/Charlotte/Miles? Why does The Island want Michael alive? What about the island is worth killing everyone on it?And a few more non-why questions while we’re at it: We see from the future that its horrible for The Oceanic Six to have left the island, but why can’t they just go back? How is Tom able to travel to and from the mainland so easily and the others cannot? How does Jin die? (that’s a question from last week, but an important one all the same). Did The Others take Walt solely so Michael would betray his friends to get him back, which would allow Ben to call on him for help in the future as he has now? How does Ben know so much? He seems to know everything about everyone!
Boy oh boy. This is what makes Lost so brilliant: each answered questions only presents a bunch of new questions. Using this formula, Lost keeps us in a constant state of craving, without letting us feel annoyed or unsatisfied. Every major questions presented is answered (or will be, we can only hope), but as soon as our desire for that knowledge is sated, ten new questions appear to keep us absorbed, engaged and hungry for more. It’s a clever self-sustaining technique– questions beget more questions and do so organically, without forcing the issue or having to fabricate some new random occurrences to keep us entertained. Everything flows from itself naturally, and naturally, we eat it all up.
This episode had just about everything I look for in a great episode of Lost. Just about. We had secrets revealed, new secrets introduced, awesome Michael backstory, supporting character deaths, creepy ghost appearances– just about everything. I found myself missing the usual tense, dramatic explosions that happen between characters on this series so often. You know, a Jack/Locke explosive argument, a Desmond/Penny reunion, stuff like that. But the nature of this episode was such that it focused mostly on Michael, and seeing as that Michael is a pariah, I suppose we couldn’t hope for much exciting interaction with other characters, so I’ll let it slide. This was a really terrific episode and a great way to keep us dying for more as we enter the month-long hiatus. I love you, Lost! I love you!
Grade: A-
I have an answer to one of your “whys”. There has been more than a few references to a box that makes whatever Ben wants, including information (the files on everyone, and potentially why Ben wants a list of names from Michael, and why he wanted lists of names of the survivors). I think that box, or at least one of them, is the safe behind the picture that Ben pulled the information from to give to Locke a few episodes back. This ability to create anything answers a few questions and I believe Widmore knows about it, or at least Myles does, since he seems pretty sure Ben can get whatever he wants (3.2 million, no problem). Controlling that box would be worth killing everyone on the island. If that safe is in fact one of these create anything boxes, there must be a second larger chamber, perhaps at this temple Ben spoke of. Locke’s father didn’t pop out from that safe. And yes, the episode was fantastic.
Excellent point, Rich. I had totally neglected that — there’s so much to keep track of! One thing– I don’t know that the Temple is a real place– it looked like Carl/Rosseau/Dani thought they should be at the right spot, but there was no temple there. Only a cascade of bullets!
Thanks for the comment!
Since Ben warned Alex about the freighter people couldn’t it have been those people that shot Carl and Rosseau? Although, i am actually placing my bet on The Others as you mentioned.
and to be honest i do not think Lost answers many of the questions sufficiently .
Yo Blackout– I agree that Lost doesn’t answer every question, and for everyone that it does answer, it leaves maybe 5 little ones unanswered. But in terms of major narrative secrets we need for the story to move forward (what’s in the hatch?, whose freighter is it?) etc., we always get those answers in a timely manner.
And the only way freighter people could’ve shot Carl and Rosseau is if they a) had a way to get more of Widmore’s people on the island (which they do, as the helicopter was missing), but more importantly b) those people would’ve had to take their orders from Michael, who would’ve taken them from Ben, as Widmore’s people are there to capture Ben, not take orders from him. I think we can all agree this second scenario did not take place.
Thanks for the comment!
Interesting question as to why the Oceanic Six can’t get back to the island but Tom, Richard, and Ben can travel whenever they want!
I totally agree with you about the very unstatisfing use of the unexplainable magic of the island, now appearing off the Island in the real world.
One of the attracting aspects of Lost was that a lot seemed to be mystic, but in fact, not much was. Until now. And it may be that the greater narritive of the story reveals us enough information to continue, it leaves so many little questions unanswered that it’s starting to annoy me. What’s the Jacob thing? The black smoke, or the whispering which couldn’t come from the others? I’m affraid the answers will never come, because it’s sufficient enough now to assume that the Island is a f*cking wizzardbox of magic that controlls whatever it wants, even in Manhattan.
Furthermore, we’re approaching a new narritive which leaves less space for our people. Lock, or worse, Sowyer, there time is up. Or at least, for a timebeing, because it’s playtime for Whitmore, Sayid, the Boat and Ben. And what will come? what can we expect? Whitmore vs Lock and Co. on the island, with the oceanic six on the look-out?
I find lost as good as you, but it has definitly lost some of his magic to me.
PS 1. Yin isn’t dead, I quess. Like I understood last week’s episode, Yin is still alive, and his grave is fake. Why? we’ll see.
PS 2. Tom, Richard, Ben, you cannot compare them to the oceanic six, because we’ve never seen someone of those others traveling in the future. I quess things will be different then for everybody. Or am I mistaking?
Thanks for the comment, Ivar. I completely understand what you’re saying– at this point, I’m going to put my faith in Cuse, Lindelof and Abrams to deliver on all the important unanswered questions. This series is going to be their legacy, a historical landmark in the scope of television history, and there’s no way they’re going to let it end without everyone feeling totally satisfied.
At least that’s what I believe.
I kind of agree/disagree with the island magic-off island issue. We’ll have to wait and see like a lot of other things on Lost, and this issue has potential to devolve like you said.
My theory is, everyone on the plane was destined to die in the crash. In the first few episodes, Sayid remarks on how improbable it was that they survived with only superficial injuries. If the island stepped in to save them from predestination, perhaps it now owns their destinies.
That could certainly be the case, James. Perhaps that’s why babies conceived on the island must die? As a sort of sacrifice to the island for allowing the parents to be alive? Who knows?!
Thanks for the comment!
I thought michael unable to kill himself was fascinating and we knwo the island has a weird effect on people after they leave see how jack and hurley are desperate to go back and think they are being called back.
Roussea is not bens wife in my opinion they clearly just stole alex off her. I think it is more likely that the people that shot carl and roussea are not from the otheres but from the boat so far we have only seen crude unsilenced weapons from the others these where silenced shots much morelikely to be from the boat and we dnt know wot the helicopters mission was when they left the boat i think they were sent to the island to find a way to get to ben – alex would be a good way, if they had wanted to kill her she would have been dead.
What is the temple i wana know?
I also think Roussea will survive just got a feeling she has more of a part to play yet.
I think it is obviouse libby was real in the hurley and desmond flash backs but a figment of micheals guilt in his.
“Ben and Michael are perhaps the two most despicably deceitful people Sayid has yet to meet, so why on earth would he trust them and their motives? “
Ben and Michael are perhaps two of the most despicably deceitful people that Sayid has yet to meet? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
You are aware of Sayid’s acquaintance of Sawyer, Kate, Locke, Mikhail, Eko, Charlie and a few others. Right?