Sunday, May 4, 2008

LT86: Something Nice Back Home

LITERARY CONNECTIONS

Two weeks back the episode was the same name as a H.G. Wells book, “Shape of Things to Come”. The book was published in 1933 and is not a novel as much as history book of the future as Wells saw it with the world ending in 2106. It contains a few predictions that are very similar to what real-life events came to pass. In summary:

The book is dominated by Wells's belief in a world state as the solution to mankind's problems. Wells successfully predicted the Second World War, although he envisaged it dragging on into the 1960s, being finally ended only by a devastating plague that almost destroys civilisation. Wells then envisages a benevolent dictatorship - 'The Dictatorship of the Air'
- arising from the controllers of the world's surviving transportation systems (the only people with global power). This dictatorship promotes science, enforces English as a global lingua franca, and eradicates all religion, setting the world on the route to a peaceful utopia. When the dictatorship finds it necessary to kill political opponents, the condemned persons are given a chance to emulate the ancient philosophers Socrates and Seneca and take a poison tablet in a congenial environment of their choice.


DRINK UP

If you recall when Juliet was recruited she shows up at an airport whose name was an anagram about time. They get her to drink her “travel beverage” which is an odd yellow color that we have seen in many scenes. She passes out and the sub takes her to the island. Well, keen eyes have noticed that when Ben travels to the Sahara Desert he seems to vomit the same color of beverage. Yeah, I know and don’t ask.


EYES WIDE OPEN

You have to love the theme of beginning scenes with the focus on the eye. It seems we had the answer when Desmond was flashed by the Doc on the Freighter…and when Daniel was looking that the light in his college lab…and so on. Something about a light can trigger the flashback and flashfoward. Then it seems a bit strange to keep focusing on it unless we missed some detail.

Speaking of details…when Jack flashes forward to living with Kate and gets up in the morning…shouldn’t he have a scar when his appendectomy was performed? Relax, it was there. This sort of shoots a hole in the theory that Hurley is dreaming this stuff up, since he can’t dream what he doesn’t know. Of course, if the WHOLE thing is a dream then he does know. Doesn’t he? Let’s move on…


WHERE WERE YOU TODAY?

Jack asks, Kate begs a free pass and Jack asks again, “Where were you today?” Something for Sawyer is her reply. Hmmm…me thinks it was something to do with his daughter being the show focuses on family themes. Clementine was her name, I think.

Or to see Cassidy maybe.

Or she is sneaking out to have an affair as hinted in show’s past with Jack and his spouse. Kate and Christian? Creepy.

Or she is doing what another Oceanic 6 is doing, working for Ben.
Which answer would be something that Kate wouldn’t want to share? And why after all this do they still keep secrets? Recall that Jack didn’t tell Kate about visiting Hurley. Trust people, trust.


ARTWORK

Did you notice the artwork on Kate’s refrig?



It matches the artwork from Hurley’s time in the hospital when playing Connect Four with the Lenny who mumbled the numbers all day long.

Does this mean Aaron makes the same artwork as Hurley’s pals? Or does this mean Kate visited Hurley in the hospital?


CONNECTIONS

We have always assumed this, but it was confirmed…Jack is related to Claire and Aaron. And it also means he knows now.


PARTY LINES

I’m at a party this past week and someone enters the room and says, “I see drunk people”. That reminded me of “I see dead people”. That reminded me of Miles.

We know Miles is some sort of Ghost Whisperer, so he was able to “see” Danielle and Karl. He didn’t say he saw Christian Shepherd, but he alluded to it by saying “she wasn’t along, she left with somebody”.

So how about walking Miles around all the grave sites and getting some information from the dead?

The audio Miles heard from the two graves was in reverse. I’ve heard it and it contains the sounds of shots being fired at them with silencers and Danielle clearly says, “We should go.” It appears to be the actual sound clip immediately after Karl dies and we hear Alex – who isn’t buried there. What we learn is that Miles knows their names although they are not spoken, Karl is dead and the audio he hears is backwards. Hmmm…if I only had a audio mirror of sorts!


RAISED BY ANOTHER

In episode past we learn that Claire is not to let anyone but she is to raise Aaron. And now Charlie sends Jack a message via Christian, “You’re not supposed to raise him Jack”. Does this mean Kate isn’t to raise Aaron either? Does this mean Charlie isn’t imaginary after all?

I found the episode from the past and can’t tell if it is “he is not to be raised by another” or “he is not to be raise by an Other”. Did Jack become an Other along the way?


WATER MAN

Recall when Jack leaves Aaron’s room after a story that he and Kate stop in the hallway. I know where most of your eyes were as he carried her off, but you should have been looking at the wall:


You have to admit the comparison is pretty close to what Jack would see on the island.

And the book that Jack was reading to Aaron? Alice in Wonderland, of course! Speaking of the Looking Glass – the old British word for mirror. And the name of a Dharma hatch. By the way, when Kate was holding the mirror during surgery, does anyone else think Juliet dismissed her in order to place some implant inside of Jack? That would mean Bernard is in on this, too.


BASEBALL GAME

Remember the story Jack was reading about the Yankees beating the Red Sox? That game description was actually played on August 30, 2007.


CHRISTIAN

This ghost keeps popping up all over the place. You have to love his affinity for white tennis shoes in a suit. Why on earth would Claire leave Aaron and walk off with Christian?

Consider that Claire is the one to raise her child and yet Christian convinces her somehow to leave Aaron behind. To me that means Christian = bad.

Why are Hurley and Jack the only two haunted by dead people as Oceanic 6 members?


X-RAYS


Did you notice the tumor that Jack was studying was the same position as Ben’s? Hmmm…

And don’t overlook the fact that Jack says a name into his recorder before the fire alarm battery begins to beep. The name, “Ryan Laker”. Meaning? You tell me.


QUESTIONS LEFT ON MY MIND

Why did Ben and Jack get sick on Mysterious Island?

Is Claire dead?

Did Jin guarantee a seat on the chopper for Sun and his burial site is just a memorial?

Is Smokey a wimp?


ANSWERS

Recall the door to the Bat Cave that Ben ducked into? Here is the interpretation of the writing on the door:

“to summon time”
“to summon protection”


Enjoy,
KC