Lost: Cabin Fever

I don't even know how to write this, this week's episode was so incredibly good. I kept pumping my fist (or punching the air, depending on where you live) and shouting, "Awesome!" or "Yes!" or "HaHA!" or "I KNEW it!"

Locke-centric episodes are always good, but this one...this one goes beyond.

This episode was like a reward to those of us who have slogged through the at-times frustratingly mediocre episodes (or string of episodes). It proved that an episode doesn't have to have huge reveals or big answers in order to satisfy. Because what did we learn, conclusively, from this episode? Very little! But what did we find out? Tons!

Richard Alpert, for starts, has not aged in who knows how long. We sort of knew this already, since the Richard Alpert of Ben's first flashback is the same age as Richard Alpert of the show's present (if such a thing exists). And one of the Dharma Initiative's (or the "DI," as dream-Horace called it) experiments was to prolong life. So here we get a better sense of how long Richard Alpert has been around--and probably a lot longer than 1957.

When Emily's mom sees Richard at the window, she recognizes him, doesn't she? Even though she says she doesn't?

Locke's mom and Ben's mom are both named Emily. Not that it's the same Emily, but if there's some sort of prophecy that Richard Alpert is keeping store by, one that says the savior of the island will be born prematurely to a woman named Emily...and so Richard goes to John first, but John chooses poorly, but then Ben is born...you know? It's all starting to fall into place, though the big picture is still incomplete and fuzzy.

John's choice of items: Sand, check. Compass, check. Knife? Very much in keeping with Future Locke, but clearly not the right choice. What should it have been, then? The Book of Laws? (Jenn pointed out that this test is like the one used to find the next Dalai Lama.)

So Locke doesn't choose the right item, and the universe needs to course-correct, which it apparently does with Ben. But Locke clearly has a role to play in the island, and this is why he doesn't die, as he probably should have, after being pushed out of a building. Which Abaddon points out, before planting the idea in Locke's mind about the walkabout. Not that the reason Locke decided to go on a walkabout is any big mystery, but still, it helps put the big picture together. Abaddon is working for the good of the island. Right? Maybe?

And does anyone really believe Ben when he seemingly relinquishes his role as leader? ("Destiny is a fickle bitch" is one of the greatest line readings in the history of this show.)

The parallels and similarities between Locke and Walt got more concrete with this episode. I wonder if the island allowed Locke to see Walt's potential, and that's why he taught the knife-throwing, the backgammon, etc.

The wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey business with the freighter doc--ever since the doctor washed up on the beach but the people on the freighter said he was fine, we should have known that the doctor was doomed. But seeing it play out as part of a power struggle between Keamy and Frank was pretty chilling. There's more to say about the freighter but all I can do is list things--the Dharma plans that Keamy says will tell him what Ben's next move is, Michael's plea to Frank not to take Keamy back to the island, Keamy's declaration that he's going to "torch" the island and that shiny device on his arm, and most importantly but totally downplayed--Sayid takes off on his own to get his people to safety. What's going to happen to Sayid?

As for the cabin, which we now know was built by Horace, I don't even know what to think. Christian is there with Claire, who seems very laid back about it all, which would seem to support the theory that she's actually dead, but in that not-dead way the island has about it. And the way to save the island is to move it? Wha? (Move it in time, perhaps?)

Comments

[lolly]

Good analysis!
The whole cabin thing was just strange. Yeah, Claire's attitude was very laid back, and why was Christian there? I am confused, but a good kind of confused. It was a very interesting episode. I am curious if Sayid will be able to make it back to the island and to see how much time has passed when he reaches it...

[J Strizzy]

I am so glad you watch this show that I'm absolutely hooked on, because you always think about things I don't even notice. I'm not good enough at remembering details like Ben's and Locke's mothers' names to connect them and think about what it might mean for the larger story of the island. I always seem to think the episodes are better after reading your comments than I did immediately after watching.

[Michelle]

I do look stuff up while I'm writing--it's not like I think of all this AS I'm watching.

Christian really does throw me for a loop, too. I don't know why he's the one in the cabin, what role he plays on the island, since he didn't die on the island in the first place.