Someone I was talking to last week predicted that LOST would end with a twist. The twist would be that there was going to be another season. How I wish that were true! With only two episodes remaining before the 2-hour 2.5-hour season finale, I feel like we’re wringing our hands in desperation, wondering what to do next, once our beloved television program ends. I think maybe we’ll join a cult.

But in all seriousness, LOST has become more than a mere television show for those who have remained faithful through all six seasons. It’s become this wild journey, this all-consuming mystery—it’s taken on a life of its own. I remember sitting on the bed with Maria, my wife (then girlfriend), in her dank basement apartment—student housing!—in Waterloo going through the first season of LOST on DVD. She was sick that weekend and we had nothing to do so we watched LOST, which we heard from friends was good. The apartment was later gutted after being plagued by plumbing and mold problems and I did develop a significant mold allergy later that year but was it worth it? I’ll leave that to you to decide.

This week’s episode of LOST, “The Candidate,” was nearly non-stop action. The times when the action did stop, or slow down, were filled with insane parallels and illusions between the two universes—the flash-sideways and the island reality. For those that say the writers are flying by the seat of their pants at this point, you may be on to something here. But for those who have faith and believe that there’s a greater plan, that it’s all in hand, then I guess we’re finally getting down to it. While it seems a foregone conclusion that we won’t have all our questions answered by the end, and that many of the rumours and speculations aren’t going to pan out, LOST is clearly dead set on going out with a bang even if that bang just means killing everyone off.

The Alternaverse

I absolutely love the play between John and Jack in the flash-sideways alternaverse. It’s a complete role reversal, and it’s brilliant. Jack is playing John, as he was on the island. He has faith, believes in destiny and is embracing the mystery of life and the universe. He finds meaning and importance in the fact that he met John on the plane, and then again after his accident. He thinks it’s happenstance, it’s important, and that it’s his job to fix him. Just like John, back on the island, who believed in destiny, believed in the island and the importance of his mission there.

But in the alternaverse John is a broken man, literally. He was faithful and sure of himself and confident and, as we learn, it led him to crash a plane. As a result of the plane crash, John’s father, Anthony Cooper, is permanently brain-damaged and John himself is paralyzed. It’s penance, as John sees it, that he remain confined to a wheelchair even though Jack is sure he can restore his ability to walk. What does it mean that alternaverse John is “paying for his sins” so to speak? I have no idea. And anyway, it sounds like an accident. Jack is right that John needs to just “let it go.”

The fact that we’re still puzzling over what the alternaverse is all about is just more proof that we’re talking about an incredibly well-written piece of TV. I seriously haven’t the foggiest, although it isn’t for lack of trying. I’m constantly coming up with theories about what I think might be going on only to dismiss them, or have them dismissed. I’m still floating questions about Eloise and her role in the flash-sideways universe, of how much Desmond knows, of the importance of Jack’s scar, and why some character seem to be doing alright while others are struggling.

Personally, if it’s a matter of the show ending in the alternaverse reality I think I’m in favour of that. If it can somehow tie in the character development of the first five seasons, I say go for it. In the alternaverse all of our characters are still alive, old characters like Libby and Charlie are still around. Sun and Jin! It’ll be interesting to see how these two timelines end up. Really interesting.

On the Island

The meat of this episode took place on the island, or at least near the island.

I was surprised, first of all, at the insane pace of things. Within the blink of an eye Smokey is on Hydra Island, he’s taken out the sonic fence, killed all of Widmore’s people and he’s getting ready to leave on the sub. It’s break-neck pacing. The complete double fake-out on his part is brilliant too and I definitely didn’t see that coming. In case you missed it:

Jacob’s Nemesis wants to leave the island. He told the candidates that he needs all of them to leave with him in order for him to leave. That’s reasonable enough and lines up with everything we’ve known before. If here’s no candidate (to take Jacob’s place) then there’s nothing tying the Smoke Monster to the island. But, the truth is, all old Smokey needs is for there to be no more candidates, whether that means they leave the island or they’re killed. Trick is, he can’t kill them himself.

When Jack discovers the bomb which Locke put in his backpack he quickly realizes this truth. They can’t be killed. John’s plan, all along, was for them to take the sub, leaving him behind and then kill themselves trying to defuse the bomb. It was a genius plan, tricking them into thinking they had the upper hand on him the entire time. Satan is the great deceiver, after all.

Unfortunately, because of a hot-headed Sawyer, Locke’s plan works and the bomb is set to detonate and destroy all the candidates on board save for a highly unexpected move by Sayid.

And here’s where I run into a bit of a problem, personally.

When did Sayid become good again? I had, like many other viewers, I’m sure, completely written off Sayid. He was killing without mercy or consideration. Romping through the jungle to perform insane missions for Jacob’s Nemesis and generally being a really creepy, evil guy. But I guess the incident with Desmond in the well was a turning point. We now know that he didn’t end up killing Desmond, and I guess this was his turning point, but it seems pretty drastic. To go from an absolute killing machine, to a very compassionate friend willing to give up his life for the other survivors is pretty intense. Personally, I didn’t buy it, but maybe that’s just me. I was just getting used to crazy Sayid, so it was a bit jarring to see the other side of him again.

But aside from the crazy dramatic death of Sun and Jin (don’t worry, they’re still alive in the alternaverse!) Sayid does manage to save the other candidates on board the submarine. My question, does John Locke know it?

I don’t think so.

Last night’s episode ended with John trotting off into the woods, explaining to Claire that he had to “finish something”. When Claire gasped that everyone on board the submarine must’ve been killed, Locke didn’t bat an eyelash or form a rebuttal. Instead, he realized that he had unfinished business, and left to finish it. My prediction? Locke thinks that his plan worked and that the candidates on the sub were killed. The business he is going to finish is with Desmond. If the candidates on the sub are all dead, Locke thinks, then he should be able to leave the island. When the submarine explodes and he still can’t leave the island, I’m guessing he thinks that Desmond must be alive still. What he doesn’t realize is that not only is Desmond alive but Jack and Hurley and friends are too. Now they really have the upper hand.

An interesting juxtaposition here though: Jack refuses to leave the island. Jack is giving up everything in the service of the island, because he believes that it’s his destiny, that it’s what he’s meant to do. Meanwhile, John gave up everything in the service of the island because he was tricked by Jacob’s Nemesis who told him that he would have to die to save the island. Really, he wanted him to die so that he could steal his body, and be free of the island. I like the dueling sides here. If this isn’t a battle of good vs. evil then I don’t know what is.

What’s amazing, looking back on this whole series, is that right from the very start Jack and John were pitted against each other as kind of opposing leaders. Back then Jack couldn’t wait to leave the island, while John had pure and honest faith in their destiny. The roles have reversed now, but the two still find themselves pitted against each other, in a way. If there are two better characters to live on as Jacob and his Nemesis, I don’t know who they are. With next week’s episode approaching quickly I simply can’t wait to learn more about the good vs. evil plot line. From the looks of things, we’ll learn a lot more about the nature of the island and this whole saga. I’m betting—and I think it’s a safe bet—that this thing reaches all the way back to the first time we met John, playing a game of backgammon on the beach. Good vs. evil, right from the very start.

A few thoughts in closing. Widmore knows who the candidates are, he tells the Survivors that he has a list. He knows enough to know that Kate isn’t on that list and he puts them in the polar bear cages on Hydra Island, he says, for their protection. I believe him that far. But how did he get that list, and how does he know who the candidates are? Is it something to do with Eloise? She’s someone of great importance even in the island reality nevermind the alternaverse. If it was her that gave Widmore a list then I really wonder what her role is. If it wasn’t her, then I wonder how Widmore got it.

Where’s Dharma? In interviews leading up to the beginning of this final season the writers hinted that we’d be learning more about Dharma and that their Anne Arbour, Michigan headquarters would become important. Is that, uh, still gonna happen? I hope so because it’s a big unanswered question. Dharma was about more than just doing tests on the island methinks when you discover things like one of their cottages was built on top of an entrance to the Smoke Monster’s temple and the fact that Horace built Jacob’s Cabin, etc. etc. I try to have faith, but when things like this don’t seem to be manifesting themselves in the final season, I do wonder how much clairvoyance the writers have. And, I have to admit, I’m a little shaken up by the announcement that the 2-hour finale is being extended to 2.5-hour. That just screams, “We don’t know what we’re doing and we’re running out of time!” But maybe I’m wrong.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 10:47 pm and is filed under Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.