We complete this season’s round-table discussions of Lost with Bridget McGovern, Rajan Khanna and Theresa DeLucci discussing the season finale, “The Incident” Parts 1 & 2. As always, spoilers abound, so stay away from this post if you haven’t watched the latest episode of Lost.
Raj: Wow. I. Wow.
Okay, the thing in the beginning with Jacob and his friend threw me. I don’t know what I was expecting, but not that. I think we’re seeing part of the big picture of the island, and truth be told, I’m not sure that I like it. Then to see Jacob appearing throughout the Losties’ histories compounded that.
I sussed on to the fact that Locke was really either that guy from the beginning or else a pawn of his which led me to believe that it was his body in tjache box.
So is this some kind of morality thing? Jacob is the voice of free will and choice? I noticed that he touched all of the characters in their scenes with him. Or at least I thought he did. The loophole idea clearly means that Other Guy can’t kill Jacob directly, but surely he’s had ample opportunities to convince other people to do so?
And poor Juliet. I can’t say I wasn’t expecting it. But I was sad to see her go, especially being stuck with Kate.
And Sayid dying, too? Would they really do that? People who do bad things tend to die on the show and that would fit in. It disturbs me, not just because I like his character, but because it’s another brown person they would be dropping from the show and I don’t like the implications of that.
It was finally good to see Rose and Bernard, and I liked the life they had made for themselves and the fact that they were no longer part of the whole cycle. I wonder if that means they are definitely the two bodies in the cave?
As to the Incident, I think that all they did was cause it, and this will flash the characters back to the modern day where everyone else is. That’s what Jacob meant when he said, “they’re coming”. So while they didn’t change the past, they at least did what they were supposed to and they also will be setting the timeline straight. That lends more credence to the theory that it is Rose and Bernard in the cave. 30 years would be enough time for them to die and deteriorate, I’d think.
While I enjoyed the episode, my main criticism was that despite the urgency and danger and time running out in the episode, there was a lot of standing around and talking. I know that things basically were supposed to happen that way, but it took away from the tension sometimes. I think maybe they could have handled that better.
I have to say I’m intrigued to see where they’re taking this, but I am a little worried. I’m starting to have flashbacks to the BSG finale. I’m sure what they end up will will make perfect sense and fit in well with what’s gone before, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll like it. I will, however, watch up until the end.
Bridget: I see your “wow,” and raise you a “ZOMFG!” Okay. First: Jacob. Clearly, he’s a deity, or some other sort of supernatural being. I thought the opening of the episode was really fascinating; it reminded me of the genre of myths or fables devoted to gods in conflict, the kind in which the God and his adversary, the Devil make a bet, for example. Jacob, dressed in white, weaving tapestries, pleased at the site of an incoming ship bringing people to the Island, is contrasted by his black-clad interlocutor (the always excellent Titus Welliver), who longs to kill him and threatens to find “a loophole” in order to do so. The most obvious reading of this set-up is that the two men represent two opposing forces: Dark and Light, Good and Evil, etc–nothing new to the iconography of Lost, but interesting all the same.
At the same time, Jacob might be far more sinister than his manner suggests; all we can tell at this point is that Jacob is a fan of free will and human progress, where his opponent sees nothing but violence and corruption. Also, he speaks excellent Korean. The epic quality of the ending really appealed to me, with Ben Linus as a confused plaything caught between two forces he doesn’t begin to comprehend. For the last couple episodes, Ben’s been as detached as a character in a Beckett play—then suddenly he’s in some kind of fucked up Old Testament fable. I’m actually way more excited to see how this thread plays out than I am about the whole Big Bang.
Next: I loved Ben and Rose (and Vincent) living in the jungle as feral uber-hippies. They were so Zen, and so hilariously badass at the same time. Good for them. Now where the hell is Claire?
As for the action-packed Seventies’ plotline (which was surprisingly chatty, as Raj pointed out), I think I’m still processing it. Having just seen the new Star Trek, I have to admit that the giant drill at the Swan Station started giving me weird flashbacks–I kept thinking that Radzinsky would make a pretty great Romulan. You know I’m right. And then the Shootout at the Dharmaville Corral, followed by the Attack of All Things Metal…I thought it honestly felt a little silly. Apparently the awesome dramatic power of electromagnetism is wasted on me. Poor Juliet, though; I know I can’t be the only one worried about a return to the Hackneyed Old Love Triangle of Days of Yore. I know there are more important things to worry about, but there’s plenty of time for that…like, until January. Sigh.
Theresa: Yeah, I kinda just stared at my TV for a few moments going, “What?” and then “2010?! Frak!”
Loved the reversing of title card colors. So will we see a universe where Flight 815 lands in LAX? I still don’t think it will make a drop of difference in the connections between the passengers.
I liked seeing Jacob (some may remember him as Rita’s abusive ex-husband on Dexter) touch each of the Losties at pivotal moments in their lives. Except for Sayid. Too many people get dramatically hit by cars on this show. It was not as emotional as I would’ve liked. But the idea of Sayid dying fills me with sad. I agree that Lost has a very bad history of killing off non-white characters. Also, Sayid is one of my favorite characters on the show. He can kill an man with his legs and he looks good doing it. But Sayid has been one of the weaker parts of the season for me. His character arc was practically non-existent. He disappeared for a few episodes and I forgot about him. But again, I’m hoping we get a new kind of reset and Sayid’s around for the final season.
I’ll also miss Juliet. Her doomed love for Sawyer was painful to watch. “If I never meet you, I never have to lose you.” Kind of a coward’s way out, I think. But I’m sympathetic to anyone who’s had to suffer through Kate continually ruining their romantic moments.
I have so many questions. Who was that man on the beach, the one hiding in Locke’s guise? I’m liking the idea of him being Destiny personified. Was that statue Sobek, the Egyptian god of fertility? I see how fertility relates to the problem pregnancies on the Island, but how does it relate to Jacob’s game? Raj – I love the idea of those skeletons being Rose and Bernard. It was so great to see them again.
My brain is just broken right now. I need more time to re-watch and think up more theories. I can’t say this has been my favorite season, but I really enjoyed this finale. Just wish we had a bit more of a tease of what’s going to be the big conflict in the final season.
