By the way, anyone who conjured up the idea that Daniel and Penny may be siblings/step-siblings back in episode 3 of this season? KUDOS kids KUDOS! But we'll get there in a bit.
The synopsis! Daniel is back via the sub in 1977 with the SWAN STATION team and clearly on a mission. Throughout the episode, we get snippets from Daniel's past leading him to the point where he is in HIS present in 1977. Meanwhile, all hell is breaking loose in DHARMAVILLE with the help of Daniel causing a mess and Sawyer trying to cover up the tracks of the BEN-Napping! We get an update on Desmond's condition and lots to ponder about the Widmores and Hawkings! Let's dive in shall we?
The Faraday Flashbacks
A basic theme is set before us throughout Daniel's flashbacks. From early in life we see a genius boy being sent down a pre-destined path by his mother. Eloise seemed to know everything that would happen to him.
Daniel's Childhood
- We see child Daniel playing a complicated piece of classical music on the piano. We learn that he is a boy genius. He counted the beats of the metronome to 864. For anyone that cares, this is 108 (the sum of 4 8 15 16 23 42 and which also is the timer on the Swan Clock) * 8 (one of the numbers as well). I'm sure that was intentional but just a silly easter egg!
- Eloise seems determined to get Daniel to focus on science and mathematics and that he does not have "TIME" to focus on science and music.
- It is important to note that Eloise was crying before she broke this news to Daniel. Based on the rest of the episode's events, it would seem that she was almost reluctant to send Daniel down this path but that she knew she HAD to do it.
- Years later we see Daniel graduating from Oxford and dating future vegetable (courtesy of Daniel's experiments) Theresa. Eloise is there again to cause problems for Daniel. She takes Daniel to lunch and declares that all of the women in Daniel's life will be terribly hurt. (Charlotte, Theresa). His work comes first.
- Daniel, not knowing that Eloise has already experienced Daniel's future, complains that she keeps pushing him down this path. He is the youngest doctor to ever graduate from Oxford and he also was awarded a 1.5 Million Pound research grant from none other than Charles Widmore. At hearing the latter part Eloise seemed to change her tune, leaves Daniel a gift and wishes him luck.
- The gift is none other than the JOURNAL that Daniel has had with him ever since. The journal that documents all of the details and blueprints to create the FLUX CAPACITOR! (just kidding...it's his Time Travel Journal!) Eloise wrote a note on the first page of the journal "No Matter what remember, I will always love you" 2 things stand out here to me. The word "REMEMBER" and the "I love you" part. Again Eloise seems reluctant to send him down this path but has no choice. And the REMEMBER, as we will begin to see, Daniel's experiments will lead to some memory loss.
- Remember that flashback scene of Daniel we got in season 4 "CONFIRMED DEAD" when he was watching video of the fake Oceanic 815 wreckage? Remember Daniel was crying uncontrollably and didn't know why? Well, that's where our next flashback scene takes place! And due to them splicing last year's scene with this year's, we see Daniel grow a whole bunch of hair in a matter of seconds!
- The folks at Sledgeweb found this easter egg during the scene. An issue of WIRED from August 2003 with the headline "THE IMPOSSIBLE GETS REAL" and mentionings of Super Powers and Time Travel. Again, I see no significance beyond the fact that when we're talking Daniel Faraday, we're talking time travel!
- Charles Widmore came to visit Daniel that very moment after he learned of the flight being found. Daniel and Charles had never met (supposedly) before this point. But we learn that Daniel has a condition that affects his memory. He cannot remember things from day to day. It seems that he may have zapped himself with that crazy purple time travel laser he zapped Eloise the hamster with in the Constant. He claims to have tested it on himself before he used it on Theresa (which put her in the vegetative state).
- Daniel can't seem to get his mind off of the crash. He is so sad that all of the people are dead. Charles ends up unveiling to Daniel that the passengers are not dead and that what is on the news is all part of an elaborate and expensive cover-up. And we finally certifiably learn that Charles Widmore was the one that planted the fake plane. Perhaps we should have confirmed it after Miles getting information from the dead guy, or should have believed it from the clip show narrator last week. But now we have it straight from Charles's mouth. Why did he tell Daniel? Because he'll never remember.
- Charles wants to recruit Daniel to go to the Island where the 815ers are. It's a special island with unique scientific properties and it will HEAL Daniel. (flashback to last season with Charlotte quizzing Daniel with flash cards).
- Later, supposedly that same day Eloise returns to visit Daniel saying she would have called but he would have forgotten by the time she got there. (yikes) Eloise tries to convince Daniel to take the job.
- We learn that Widmore's task for Daniel was to perform Space-Time calibrations and calculate bearings (the same bearings that we saw him telling Frank to stick to to travel back and forth from the island)
- Daniel agrees to go to the island because Eloise says it will make her proud.
- Speaking of memory loss, didn't Charlotte start losing her memory on the island during the flashes too? Something about her mother's maiden name I recall. Once again we see how the island HEALS some while it hurts others. (Jack getting sick, Charlotte and all of the other time jumpers and their nosebleeds, Ben and the tumor, etc...)
2007 - Off Island
These little snippets were kinda just placed into this episode even though they were not directly related to Daniel's story from his perspective. But they were still essential to his story. When we last left Desmond and Penny in Ben's flashback, Desmond had been shot by Ben yet he still had the strength to beat Ben to a bloody pulp and throw him into the water. Well, it looks like Desmond still had an injury that needed to be dealt with. Penny and 2-year old son Charlie brought Desmond to a hospital and he was taken in for surgery. While Penny and Charlie wait for word on Desmond they get a visit.
- It's Eloise Hawking. She informs Penny that it is her son Daniel Faraday's fault that Desmond was shot.
- Eloise apologized to Penny. Desmond became a casualty of something much bigger than him. (the same thing Charles Widmore told Desmond when Dez went to visit him earlier this season)
- Penny asks what to do now? Eloise states "for the first time in a long time I do not know what is next." And, unfortunately based on the narrative, we cannot discuss the implications of what this means until we get to the end of the blog! But I do have other questions. Like how did she know all of this stuff about Desmond? (you don't take the ring! The island is not done with you yet.)? Has she been traveling back and forth from the island since the 70's? Has she time traveled herself? Will she be getting her OWN flashback episode in season 6? Yikes, we'll speculate more after we finish the recap.
- Long story short with Desmond. He's OKAY! "AH promised I'll nevah leave ya againe!!" awwwwwwwww!!!
- Meanwhile Eloise leaves the hospital and Charles Widmore is there. He asked if Desmond is okay and is happy that he is. (hmmmm maybe he's not bad afterall?) Eloise tells Charles to go in and see his daughter. Charles states that his relationship with his daughter is one of the things he had to sacrifice. Eloise gets upset at this as she sent Daniel back to the Island knowing full well that.....(ah ah ah.....we're not there yet!) and Charles of course says...
- HE'S MY SON TOO ELOISE! Woaaaaa. Okay okay, so I think in all of our discussions back in the days of JUGHEAD (episode 3), this scenario came up. What if Charles and Eloise were a THING? We also speculated what if Penny and Daniel were twins separated at birth (a la Luke and Leia of Star Wars). Of course, why is Daniel's last name FARADAY? That doesn't sound like Hawking OR Widmore to me! And when Ben discussed Widmore having a relationship off Island was it with Eloise or some other mistress? Does Widmore have 2 children with 2 different mothers similar to Christian Shephard having Jack and Claire? Both scenarios are quite intriguing. And there seems to be a lot of story to tell there. I am starting to see why Alan Dale (Charles Widmore) had the option of becoming a series regular in season 6. And the same goes for John Terry (Christian Shephard). So again we must wonder what is going on here!? Is Eloise an island outcast as well? Then why did she help BEN get back to the Island? Or has Eloise been traveling back and forth to the island? She seemed to just appear out of nowhere back into Daniel's life during his flashbacks. All very intriguing kids!
- By the way, Eloise did not take too kindly to Charles calling Daniel his son too. She slapped him and got out of there. Reminded me of the whole Jack "YOU'RE NOT EVEN RELATED TO HIM!" speech he gave to Kate as they broke off their engagement.
1977 - On Island
We are all over the place on the Island in this episode. But the glue that holds it all together is Daniel's crazy mission when he returns to the Island. Once Dan arrives, he goes on a whirlwind mission to make sure certain events happen "just in case." Just in case what? Well, we have to read on to figure that out!
Daniel's Arrival
- When Dan arrives on the sub he explains to Miles that he is back because of Jack, Kate and Hurley being in the latest DHARMA recruitment picture. He needs to speak to Jack pronto.
- Miles gets in a good joke that he figured Dan went on to become rich inventing the DVD. Good times!
- You can hear in the background Dr. Chang giving the Black Clad Swan Station Crewmembers marching orders to begin immediate work on the station.
- Dan explains to Jack that he was at DHARMA headquarters doing research. We don't actually get to see Daniel working off-island during the 70's. But popular theories had him creating the Pendulum in the Lamp Post station that Eloise tells Jack, Sun, Desmond and Ben about. I'm still not sure this works since DHARMA needed to find the island BEFORE the 70s! But Eloise was very clear to point out that there was a very brilliant MAN that created it where others had failed before. Seems to fit the Dan mold. Maybe somehow we will get that story before the end of the show.
- Dan is persistent on asking Jack how they got back to the Island. Jack explains that they were on a plane that Dan's mother instructed them to get on. Daniel asked if she talked a lot about destiny, which she did. Daniel then breaks the bad news that she was wrong and that they don't belong there at all.
- Could this be Daniel carrying baggage from his experiences with his Mother talking about his destiny all of his life? As we will find out, he does have new theories on Time Travel and CHANGING events, but will these new theories actually pan out? From what we've seen so far in this episode, it doesn't look like it. But, who knows!?
- Daniel then requests Miles take him directly to the Orchid station. When they arrive, he consults his Journal and then Chang shows up in the van (exactly the same scene we saw in the season premiere but from Dan's perspective). Interesting to note that Daniel KNEW that Chang would show up to the Orchid at that exact time and it would appear he knew from the journal. What is THAT all about!?
- Dan takes the elevator down into the Orchid and reads his journal all along the way as if he needs it to determine his next course of action. We see the dead body being escorted out. Dan eavesdrops on the TIME MANIPULATION conversation that Chang has with one of the workers. He is told that he needs a hard hat (which we saw him wearing in the season premiere). Dan intentionally seems to bump into Chang while dropping off a canister. We finish the season premiere stuff with the worker guy blowing off the time travel comments. Dan runs back to talk to Chang and pretty much unloads a bunch of information as we predicted SOMEONE might do in the next few episodes.
- Dan requests the evacuation of every man, woman and child on the island. Explains that the dead body is a result of the electromagnetic activity that the drilling unleashed. He explains that it is contained at the Orchid but at the Swan Site in 6 hours the same thing is going to happen. Except that the energy there is about 30,000 times more powerful!! Yikes! (by the way, Daniel is referring to THE INCIDENT but we'll get to that)
- Chang thinks the information is absurd. Daniel explains that he is from the future. Chang believes him even less then thinking that Daniel is making fun of him after overhearing his conversation about manipulating time. Daniel tries to convince him by looking at the journal and the equations that won't be possible for another 20 years.
- Miles meanwhile catches wind that Daniel is spilling the beans. Dan then goes and explains that Miles is Chang's son. "Think about it, a Chinese man named Miles, the same name as your baby arrives with me from the future" Makes sense to me! Miles refuses to acknowledge that this is true. Which is enough for Chang at the moment. Something tells me Chang will begin to believe especially with the Comic-Con Video we mentioned in last week's post.
- So maybe everyone IS evacuated from the Island and some come back after the incident? We know not everyone dies in the Incident because there are still DHARMA crew around when the purge happens. And Ben, Ethan and Horace are at least around for that ("The Man Behind The Curtain" season 3 Ben flashback ep). We also know that Radzinsky survives the Incident because he'll go on to push the button for awhile. And, we'll discuss at end of blog but it is seeming like Daniel is NOT the voice behind the camera in the video. Perhaps it's Miles!
- Daniel says to Miles that he is just making sure his father does what he's supposed to do and that Miles will see. This could mean a bunch of things, get Baby Miles off of the Island. It could also mean that Chang needs to create that above video that perhaps Dan has seen somehow. Clearly he has knowledge about a 30 year difference in time there and if Miles was the voice on the video, then Dan may know that Miles will see first hand. Crazy stuff!
The Fellowship of the LOSTIES Meeting
Meanwhile, Dan's comments to Jack set him in motion to tell everyone else. He went to Sawyer, who has his own issues to deal with. (Remember they have Security man Phil tied up from last episode)
- Jack catches Sawyer up on the Daniel situation. And Juliet makes Sawyer get Jack "in-the-know" on the Phil situation.
- Gotta love Sawyer's "Love to trade theories with you on this Doc but I'm a little busy" line! Also, Sawyer has some great nicknames for Daniel a little later.
- The situation leads to a meeting of our LOSTIES: Jack, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Juliet and Sawyer. Sawyer explains that it looks like it is time to go. He is a little bitter at Jack and crew ruining their 3 year vacation in DHARMAVILLE, but he knows their time is up. The options? Take the Sub off of the island or start off at square 1 on the beach. Hurley and Jin immediately voted to stay on the island. Jin wants to find Sun. Hurley didn't want his trip back to be pointless.
- There's a knock on the door. It's Danny boy with Miles along for the ride. (Sawyer nicknames for Dan: Twitchy and H.G. Wells...CLASSIC!)
- Daniel tells everyone what he needs to do is of critical importance to everyone in the room and asks if anyone knows where to find the hostiles. He explains that one of them is his mother. (duh, we already figured that out 11 episodes ago dude! 1954 Ellie = Eloise Hawking) He explains that she is the only person on the island that can get them all back to where they belong.
- Dan explains that Sawyer met her in 1954. Hurley: "You guys were in 1954? Like Fonzie times?" Ahhhh love it!
- Sawyer is having a hard time converting from the "LAY LOW" approach. Jack says that they don't belong there in the 70's. He asks Kate if she knows where the Others are and if she would take Dan and him to them. He uses the ol' "Not asking what you did with Aaron" secret to his advantage. He knows Kate didn't come back to the island to be stuck in the 70's.
- Sawyer makes a big mistake by looking out for Kate and calling her FRECKLES when he asks her to come with them. Juliet glares at Sawyer and then blurts out the Sonic Fence code (141717). WHOOPS Sawyer! He tells Kate to take Daniel and that "it's over for us here anyway" She may as well have been talking about her and Sawyer too.
- Miles refuses to drive them as he throws the keys to Dan.
- Sawyer informs them all that when they realize they've made a mistake, they'll be at the beach. (ahhh perhaps we'll find Rose and Bernard in the next few episodes! We should at least see them in 2007 during the time jumps when the Ajira folk get to the camp)
- Kate and Jack embark on getting guns at the Motor Pool (ahhh Janitor Jack has the keys!). Meanwhile, Daniel gets sidetracked for a second.
Daniel and Charlotte
Daniels sees Charlotte on the swingset and has to go over and talk to her.
- Charlotte is eating Chocolate and blurts out "I'm not allowed to have chocolate before dinner" This links her dying words and her recollection of the conversation she had with Daniel when she was a child.
- He told her that Dr. Chang is going to ask a bunch of people to get on the submarine and leave the island. He instructs her to leave "in case what he does doesn't work." Daniel said he tried to avoid having this conversation. He didn't think he could change things, but now he thinks he can.
- This is crazy. The whole 2nd half of the season keeps teasing us with changing the future. And it seems like that is what the end game of the season will be about. I'm sure it's all leading to something big but is anyone else getting frustrated that it seems like a waste of time to keep showing us how whatever happened, happened? Yeah, it's cool to see that Daniel is convinced he can change the future and that leads him to tell Charlotte the very thing that he tried to avoid telling her. But that just went to show us that WHATEVER HAPPENED HAPPENED! Who am I kidding? I love it anyway! As I've said before, even if they can't change the events that are going to happen, we still get to see THEIR participation in the events and what happens to THEM.
Kate and Jack stock up on weapon supplies, and provide Dan with gun. They're not alone however. Whiney boy Radzinsky decided to show up!
- Radzinsky told Dan he is supposed to be at the SWAN site. Dan starts conjuring lies of where he has been. They see the gun and everyone gets into a staredown. Radzinsky and crew vs. Dan, Kate and Jack.
- Dan explains that Radzinsky has no idea what is happening and that they have to let them go. Radzinsky shoots Dan and grazes his neck. This starts an all-out shootout. Somehow Dan, Kate and Jack are able to make it to a jeep and get out of there.
- Oh I know how, Jack shot a fuel tank and blew up a DHARMA Van! Nice shooting Jack!!
- Radzinsky orders the alarm to be sounded.
Sawyer and Juliet are packing supplies. Sawyer had instructed everyone else to do the same. Juliet is clearly upset with Sawyer.
- Sawyer told Juliet he should have listened to her when Jack and crew showed up. He asked if Juliet still had his back. She asked if he still has hers. Trouble in paradise folks!
- The alarm sounds. We see Hurley and Jin heading back to Sawyer's place. Hurley has the guitar case again (we still need to find out what Hurley has stashed in there and why!).
- Radznisky and crew barge into "LaFleur's" house and he explains what went down at the motor pool. He got shot by a physicist and the new recruits are helping. Long story short, Radzinsky hears Phil's muffled screaming from the closet and the guns turn on Sawyer and Juliet. To Be Continued next week!
We're off to see the Others!
Jack, Kate and Dan arrive in the Jeep to the Sonic Fence and begin their trek to The Others.
- Jack checks out the wound. We find out Jack missed out on the Hurley/Miles Time Travel 101 course. He thinks they are all invincible since they're in the past and whatever happened happened. Even though Miles already explained to us that it is THEIR present and any one of them can die. Dan explains that he didn't have a scar on his neck when he arrived, but now he would. I guess they are just trying to beat it into our heads so everyone understands it. And of course, with all of the foreshadowing, it would be a letdown if one of them DIDN'T die in the past right? Again, it keeps the stakes real and our interest peaked as we see our LOSTIES take place in events that already happened.
- As they get into the jungle, Jack asks for more information about his mother and what is going on. Why don't they belong there?
- Dan explains that in 4 hours the DHARMA folks at the swan site are going to drill into the ground and accidentally tap into a massive pocket of energy. The results will be catastrophic. To contain it they're going to have to cement the entire area like Chernobyl (sounding familiar yet?), they will build the Swan hatch over the containment. They are going to spent the next 20 years keeping the energy at bay by pressing a button. Eventually that torch will be passed to Desmond who will forget to push the button (while he's off killing Kelvin) causing flight 815 to crash which thereby causes Widmore's freighter to arrive carrying Dan. It's a sequence of events that is initiated in 4 hours.
- Dan explains that he thinks they can change that. He has been so busy worrying about CONSTANTS in time travel that he never thought about the VARIABLES. The variables are PEOPLE. THEY are the variables and they control their own destiny. They think, they make choices they have free will.
- Dan's plan? Negate the energy by blowing up a Hydrogen Bomb (good ol' Jughead!). Well that explains why he needs to talk to Eloise. In 1954, Daniel told ELLIE to bury the bomb and cover it with cement.
- Here's the thing, didn't Dan himself ask if Desmond had been exposed to Electro-magnetism OR Radiation? What if he was exposed to BOTH? causing his time travel swirl? What if detonating Jughead was PART of what caused the Incident? Yikes, this stuff is crazy!
- I mean come on, they're not going to succeed! They're not going to wipe out 5 seasons worth of LOST! Flight 815 always crashed, they can't change that. Can they?? I still am thinking that the INCIDENT is what will help our LOSTIES get back to where they belong. Of course, when the season ends, we may not know where ANY of them are depending on what kind of cliffhanger they leave us with! Based on some interviews Matthew Fox has been giving while promoting the 100th episode, he is really excited for the cliffhanger this season. We'll see!
- Daniel, Jack and Kate arrive to the Others' camp. Dan runs into the camp, shoots the ground before one of the others can get his gun. Dan says he wants to speak to Eloise. Richard is there and says that Eloise is not there right now. Dan seems to be confused at seeing Richard look exactly how he looked in 1954. Richard recognizes Dan but can't place it.
- Daniel asks Richard where the bomb is. Richard seems worried about getting shot doesn't he? Maybe he isn't a GHOST like person as some had been speculating. Or he's just playing along. Dan gives him until the count of 3 to tell him where the bomb is.
- And before he gets to 3, he gets shot in the back by dear old Mum!
- Richard yells at Eloise. Why did you do that? He wasn't going to shoot me! (how did he know?)
- Daniel looks at his mother in utter disbelief "You knew that this would happen and you sent me anyway!" And all of a sudden it all makes sense (kinda). Eloise crying when he sends Daniel on the path that will lead him to the Island where she herself will kill him in her past. Why she slapped Widmore when he said that it was his son too. And why Eloise said "for the first time in a long time I do not know what is next" It would seem that everything she has known about our LOSTIES has come from their links to Daniel. Daniel told Eloise that they were from the future in 1954. She begins her curiosity. She shoots her son in 1977 where he explains that he is her son. She helps send Jack and Kate back to the island who help Dan get to his final moment.
- And I do say final because it would most certainly seem that Daniel Faraday dies at the hands of his mother's gun. RIP Dan, you were a mad scientist that rivaled the likes of Doc Brown! (Update: DEATH confirmed by producers)
BOOM LOST!!!
Okay that officially ends the recap, but I still want to revisit some stuff with Eloise.
- It all makes sense in theory that Eloise has all of this knowledge from her past interactions with her son. But were there more interactions we haven't seen yet? I mentioned it above, but how does she know Desmond's future with not taking the ring and that the island isn't done with him? Did she know that Consciousness Time Traveling Desmond and Dan had discussions in 1996 which led her to do more research? Has Widmore been keeping tabs on Desmond all of his life to make sure he went to that Island as well causing him to sacrifice his relationship with his daughter? Eloise knows that Desmond will save the world by pushing that button. She knows about it years before it happens.
- Of course, we don't know what happens immediately after the moment she shoots Dan. Do Jack and Kate enter the Others' Camp? Do they explain what is about to go down and enlist their help? I guess there are other ways that Eloise can get all of this information than her getting it from her son. There are plenty of other future dwellers in 1977 that can spill the beans.
- It would seem that the motivation for the remainder of the season will be to carry out Daniel's plan. And I'm sure everyone won't be up for the ride! And on that note, who will run into Sayid first out in the jungle?
Well, there we go folks. Another crazy entry into the LOST Universe with "The Variable." Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always, see you next week and NAMASTE!
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Special thanks as always to Sledgeweb for providing awesome screen shots on their site.
78 comments:
Daniel can't be dead. He hasn't filmed the ComicCon video with Dr. Chang.
See what happens when you skip to the end of the blog? :-) lol Here's what I wrote about that (while embedding the actual video in the blog)
"And, we'll discuss at end of blog but it is seeming like Daniel is NOT the voice behind the camera in the video. Perhaps it's Miles! "
You're right, he might not be dead. But it sure looked like it! Much more so then when kid Ben got shot!
Wow! Very thorough blog! Kudos to you for breaking it down!
John
Thanks Jeve!
Great Job on the blog Mike.
So we learned that detonating Jughead can negate the energy under the Swan hatch. Is it safe to assume that after the incident they buried Jughead under the concrete as well? And by Desmond turning the failsafe key way back in season 2 final activated Jughead which neutralized the pocket of energy under the hatch. I know, never assume anything with this show but this sounds right to me.
Yeah I don't think Dan is dead either. That ComicCon video voice doesn't sound like Miles (or anyone else) to me. BUT, maybe you CAN change the future, haha!
Great recap as always, Mike.
~Tim
Thanks stedman!
Hmmm...that's actually not a bad thought at all. Maybe the failsafe blows up jughead. Which causes Desmond to be exposed to both Electromagnetism AND Radiation.
Of course, what do we think a surge of electromagnetic energy 30,000 times the power of something in the Orchid looks like? We are being told that the season finale is EXPLOSIVE. Can we get an explosion without blowing up Jughead? lol
Thanks Tim!
Yeah, after the episode I kept thinking he wasn't dead for that very reason too. But the more I thought about it...it just seemed like they wrapped up his story pretty neatly for him to die at the end of it. Especially with Eloise making the comment to widmore about "fully knowing" something when she sent dan back to the island.
you would think that was that she sent Dan back to the island for her to kill him because she knows you can't change the FUTURE (or the past's future in this instance lol)
And really....how many episodes can end with someone getting shot and NOT dying afterwards?! lol
Perhaps Team Darlton will confirm in their weekly podcast later today.
The Wired magazine could also be there because J.J. was the guest editor for the most recent copy of Wired...
No need to wait for confirmation. Here it is. RIP Daniel:
http://www.tvguidemagazine.com/what-the-keck/losts-shocking-death-893.html
Mike,
I bet an explosion of electromagnetic energy 30,000 times the power of something in the Orchid looks purple. lol
Yeah, you're probably right Stedman!
To me this episode answered very little questions i had about Danny boy. One i still dont understand why he was crying when he saw the fake 815 plane. Two, that was deff his voice in the Comic con video i dont care what anyone says. And three there wasnt any thing said really about why he went to Ann Arbor or how he knew that jack and co. shouldnt of came back and how he knew to "make sure" things go as planned whit Dr. Chang....My theory- he time traveled(or dr chang time traveled) while Dan was off the island...ehh who knows
-Nate
WOW what an Episode! Hats off to Mike for managing to do a great recap of it.
My opinion is that Dan managed to time travel during his absence, and once he figured out how to stop the cycle,he caught the sub back to test his theory.
Speaking of Dan`s theory,Its very similar to philosophy of Buddhism ( may be how "The Dharma Initiative got its name" ) Where it explains life as a continuous cycle of birth and rebirth and the only way to stop it is by changing your path.. Just a idea.
I don`t think the Swan pocket of energy alone can cause the Losties so move in time (When we 1st saw the hatch explode , there was no time travel, just a purple flash) So this probably means that the losties manage to get the H- bomb and go through with Dan`s plan.
As for Eloise moving around in time... I think she recognizes her own Writing on Dan`s journal, and studies it. This would explain how she knew every thing about Dan. This will also make her want to help Dan complete his task, and She would know the O6 are needed for it to happen, That would be why she says that its there destiny to go back to the island as she knows that Without them, Dan`s Plan wont be completed.
My son cried for an hour after the show last night, and doesn't want to watch lost anymore with me. He changed his mind this morning, but was mad about Dan dying.
Whatever happened happened, but only on the television show Lost! In real life the producers can change their mind, and not all the extracurricular stuff is canon. It was Dan's voice on the comic con video, but was not canon to the show, so they changed what happened.
I loved the episode, but found some of the BIG REVEALS to be lacking, and some parts to be almost unbelivable.
Dan saying one of the hostiles is his mother..I hear Hurley saying, "We knew that like, forever ago."
No one heard the gunfire at the motorpool?
Dan goes all Rambo and busts into otherville making demands?
Dan intentionally disguises himself at the Orchid, seems to bump into Chang on purpose then runs back to him and blurts everything out?
Loved your recap Mike, and especially the little error where you say "Dan talks the elevator down into the Orchid", just because I it made me laugh.
I thought a lot of the stuff felt rushed, I think that Dan would have gone more slowly, he had 3 years to think about stuff, and then he just rushes in and bumbles it all.
I loved it, but was disappointed.
AND it made my baby cry!
Jennifer
Something is really off here because I listened again and it really does seem to be Dan on that video from comicom. If Daniel is really dead, then there is some sort of something yet to be revealed.
I also immediately flashed back to Daniel and Charlotte with the memory cards, and to Theresa lying in that coma with her sister complaining that Daniel had just left for America after doing that to Theresa. Though hearing young Charlotte say 'I'm not allowed to have chocolate before dinner' gave me goose bumps.
Glad we got the confirmation that Widmore faked the plane - I was leaning toward it being him but did not take it as fact from the voiceover on the clip show. But man, the 'you'll never remember it' line was cold. LOL
When Eloise says it's her son's fault Des was hurt, and Pen says 'Ben Linus is your son'? and Eloise is all like hell no - I was cracking up !
I wonder if Mummy Hawking does anything with that notebook? Does she keep it and tutor Daniel? I know probably not but it's an interesting thought.
Maybe Daniel was crying because of some sixth sense. Like he "knew" this was the trigger to his ultimate demise.
ugh typos! I try but I can never catch them all! Thanks Jennifer for the catch! lol
Yeah, that voice does unmistakeably seem to be Daniel on the comic-con video. That interview I posted in the comments on the LAST blog post had the producers saying that they are going to address the VIDEO on the show. They even mentioned the fact that people are speculating that Dan is the voice. The comic-con videos are considered canon but NOT essential viewing because they will eventually be addressed on the show.
But based on that interview link i pasted in THIS comments section with Tv Guide Mag...Daniel is no longer a "FULL TIME" cast member...so they are indicating his story may not be complete yet. I guess somehow he still could be participating in that video in some sort of time travel. And i agree, as I mentioned in the blog...that we should learn more about what he did for 3 years OFF-Island. He told Miles he was doing research. We don't know exactly what that research was!
As for Daniel confirming that Ellie "the other" is his mother (like the rhyming?)...while we all figured it out...it still HAD to be confirmed on the show as it never was to this point, so I'm willing to let that one slide!
Sri Lanken...there WAS time travel with the Hatch Implosion. Desmond's mind or something was sent back to relive something he already had lived before. It is when we first met Ms. Hawking. That is one of the primary reasons I think the Incident WILL cause the LOSTIES to end up back in their time. Whether or not Jughead is involved i don't know. But I like Doc Jensen's theory that what lies in the shadow of the statue IS in fact Jughead. But that is in 2007 isn't it? Does that mean that they don't touch it in 1977? ugh...confusion!!!
Whew..off to fix that typo now! lol
Weren't we led to believe that Daniel has been down this road before? Didn't he say something previously about "not gonna do it this time" or something to that affect, about interacting with the young Charlotte?
I think Dan had to go into the Other's camp with his gun blazing, or at least he thought he needed to. You need to remember what his goal was...he was going to detonate a hyrdogen bomb. I don't think the Other's would have been to keen of the idea to take a crazy stranger to the bomb they buried. He would have to force them to do it.
One more thing. I like the idea that Dan must have been time traveling in his 3 years off island. How else would he know the exact time when the incident occurs? I don't believe he would know that information from any source he encountered up to 2007, unless we just weren't shown those parts. But then he would already have that information before he left on the sub in '74.
I like these 2 paragraphs from Doc Jensen this week. (www.ew.com)
"Faraday believed that if he could essentially eliminate the need for the Hatch, Oceanic 815 wouldn't crash, the freighter wouldn't come to the Island, nobody would go quantum leaping because of erroneously turned donkey wheels — known history would be ''erased,'' to use a Kate term, and a new history would be take its place. ''This entire chain of events, it's going to start happening this afternoon,'' he explained. ''But we can change it.'' Faraday's logic would seem to be sound. Elementary cause and effect, right? Push this domino, the rest fall. Pull that thread, the whole fabric unravels. Fire these two photon torpedoes into this tiny shaft, the Death Star explodes. Right? Well, not quite, says quantum physics and Black Swan probability theory. Both schools of thought would say, quite basically, that the odds of successfully manufacturing a single, game-changing event of this magnitude are beyond microscopically small. Not impossible — just unlikely.
Which makes me wonder if Faraday came to the Island with a back-up plan. And in fact, I think most of his Island adventure was about putting that back-up plan in motion. Call it Operation: Create Total Chaos. From the second he stepped off that sub, Faraday was kinetic energy incarnate, hellbent on colliding with his old friends and setting them in motion like a wild photon-firing electron or hyperactive cue ball. He threw cold water on Jack Shephard's ''man of faith'' conversion by crapping on his mother's destiny talk. (''''And how did she convince you? Did she tell you it was your destiny? Well, I got some bad news for you, Jack. You don't belong here at all!'' For me, the line seemed less like it was about Faraday debunking his mother but more about blowing Jack out of his watch-and-wait inertia.) He staked out the Orchid, waited for Dr. Chang to arrive (''Right on time,'' he said), then filled his ears with hysteria about evacuating the Island because of impending disaster and spilled the beans about Miles Straume actually being his son. (This sequence, an expanded version of the season's opening scene, turned ''The Variable'' into an elaborate variant edition of the season premiere itself.) He got the whole castaway crew moving: Sawyer, Juliet, Hurley and Miles to the beach; Jack and Kate with him to the Others' Tent City. And he all but baited Radzinsky and the Black Swan team into a firefight by flashing a gun and talking provocative. If Faraday is correct, and the time travelers are loose canon variables capable of changing history, then I think that we saw Faraday trying to light the fuse on each of them in hopes that one of them will somehow, someway fire that one shot, whatever it is, that will change everything. Faraday's approach to heroism is a bit like my approach to Lost theorizing: throw a lot of stuff at the wall, hope something sticks. "
Horseman, I think Daniel was just saying "not this time" because he was viewing time as a loop and that the event was inevitbale because it had already happened. But for him he was about to experience it for the first time...so he was saying this current version of him won't do it this time. Clear as mud right? lol
My husband has a crazy theory - not sure I even get it. But here it is...
yes Daniel is dead, but if he is dead and is now unable to stop the ‘incident’ this means things will repeat themselves, or reset and start all over again. Who’s to stay the video wasn’t made, or will be made in a previous, or future attempt to ‘course correct’. If things ‘reset’ this means that Daniel may have another shot at it. What if this isn’t the first attempt the island has tried to ‘course correct’
MJ I totally agree with that, I was about to post that Idea when I saw yours.
Its probable that Daniel moved him self it time many time over to try to stop/change the cycle and the video may be an outcome of one of those attempts... very butterfly effect like.
I think Chang will time travel to make that ComicCon video. Daniel told Miles he was just trying to get his father to do what he had to do, so maybe Daniel already made the video with a time-travelling Chang and is trying to make sure to set Chang on that path.
I thought the producers already confirmed that you can't change the past? Eloise knows all about the "course correction" stuff (which we saw demonstrated by Desmond's visions of Charlie's death), but Daniel only knows about variables and constants. Perhaps Daniel's getting killed is only a way of making sure that "whatever happened, happened."
Then again, it seems like a waste to set things up the way they did only to have it amount to nothing. Perhaps the characters only need to think they can change the past, which means they could attempt to stop the incident. Perhaps the incident involves not only the discovery of the electromagnetic power, but a misguided attempt to prevent the discovery.
I just thought of something else too, you can't change the past, but Daniel made sure to mention to Jack that this was their present...
If this is their present, then they can change things?
My son (10, great mind, lousy typer) thinks that all the newbie losties and other familiar faces are the ones that will be lost if things change, that it all happens, but with differnt people. Interesting thought, I don't know though. He also thinks that Daniel might be Jacob.
I am sad if Desmond is done with his story line, because I was still wanting to see his child backstory. With so many daddy issues, we never got any chance to see his.
We still don't know how Elloise knows Brother Campbell. I can see her possibly getting Dan's notebook, but she HAS to be bouncing around time herself somehow to have known all of Desmonds stuff....or does she stay in touch with Charles more than we know?
I love this show!
Was Daniel a boy living on the island in 1977? If so, what happens to boy-Daniel? I assumed that the 30 year flashback to Daniel playing the piano would make him about six or seven years old in 1977. Confusing.
Melissa, I don't think we got a specified time period for Daniel's flashback as a boy. We don't know if daniel was born on or off the island....but we need to remember that he never got a nosebleed during the time shifts and everyone else that had supposedly been there longer did!
I think daniel's only point about it being their present was that they are vulnerable and can die. I dunno...I am agreeing with a lot of comments that it seems like an awful lot of setup if they aren't going to change SOMETHING. But still...I can't see them doing something TOO drastic of a change like wiping 5 seasons away as if they never happened.
I was messing with the idea that maybe Locke and crew are in that semi-alternate future of sorts...and maybe that's why Locke is alive again because based on whatever happens in 1977 during the incident...Locke never was killed by Ben or something? It's kinda crazy and it would bring us back to all of the DHARMA signs being in DHARMAVILLE and the Recruitment picture. And then we'd have to wonder again if something changed!
And we also have to consider that Sawyer, Locke, Daniel and the rest of the time shifters were present with the Ajira folk PRIOR to Locke being killed from his perspective in the first place keeping that one timeline intact.
UGH...nevermiind...I changed my mind on everything I just said! lol
What about...Mummy Hawking gets Dan's notebook and finds the phrase "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant.” Then she seeks out Desmond and follows his life, with Widmore. They watch and manipulate Desmond's life accordingly. I still think we are only getting shown an inner layer of the onion and the biggest reveals are in the upper layers.
Nice one Horseman. I actually like that theory a lot.
And agree, based on that lostpedia interview with the producers, many of the big reveals will be next season.
We can only hope the frustration and the missing pieces that we see as continuity errors right now are going to be thoroughly explained once they give us the bigger picture! (i.e. season 6)
My thoughts on Widmore and Ellie are that they appear to be manipulating alot of what happens. maybe it is because they have Daniel's journal and they are trying to replay time over and over until they get there desired result.
I am surprised I have not heard this from anyone. I have a feeling baby Charie will be gone when Penny comes back from visiting Desmond. This is what will bring Desmond back to the island. What if Ellie or Widmore are behind it but blame it on Ben.
To me there is more to Juliet helping Daniel then knowing it is over for her and Sawyer. I Believe she is playing a bigger role then bf to Jack and James. She may still be teamed up with Ben.
Great job Mike V
Ginn
I forgot to mention , I am leaning toward your son's opinion of daniel/Jacob! He is the master time traveler, so who knows how many loops he has made around this crazy island. Also we know his last name is probably made up so why not the Daniel also.. That could easily be good old Dan saying "help me" :-)
i am still thinking that things aren't going to change (maybe a little bit, but not entirely). i think that if they changed the future entirely it would be stupid, but that is just my opinoin. i also think, that like jack not helping little ben which ultimately makes him evil, the losties will try to stop the incident but will only make it happen with their efforts. but who knows, just as long as they dont wipe away 5 seasons i think i will be fine,lol.
btw fantastic blog! love it! so glad its here, i love reading everybodies theories and seeing what other people think.
Thanks for the props guys as always!
H.A.M. - I was actually thinking that when I was watching the episode with Baby Charlie. It seemed like such a random line "the nurse will watch your child"....but then they didn't show anything, and I just don't think we'll be revisiting the hospital scene again. but who knows? lol
I'm thinking still that he may get there the same way he did the first time....via boat and by accident! Or maybe Charles WILL come talk to Penny and they will all end up returning together to kick of next season. We don't know much about Penny's childhood yet. There could be something there that makes her pretty significant as well!
this crazy show...lol!
the other TV guide is also confirming Faraday's passing...but also remain ambiguous to what that means to his role on the show.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Lost-Daniel-Faraday-1005641.aspx
Perhaps he still can somehow be involved with that comic-con video filming with chang. It would be interesting to see if the LOSTIES bump into Daniel during the rest of the show due to any time traveling he might have done during those 3 years he was off of the island.
of course TV guide is suggesting perhaps a GHOST form for Daniel too.
who knows!? Guess we just have to keep watching!
I too find it hard to believe that they will negate 5 season of the show.
Maybe Jenson was right when he hypothesized that while Daniel failed what he did accomplish was to state you can change your own actions, and get them motivated to do something.
Maybe season 6 will re-show all that we have seen in seasons 1-5 - without all the back stories of their pasts and such - and we will see everything all over again - but different cause the 815ers will have memories of what happened the first loop ? And they then will be able to make some changes based on how/what they do or don't do - and maybe they can make those changes because it is once again their present ?? Can't figure houw the Ajira folk fit in there though.
MJ, if they did do that, i'd probably stop watching the show! lol
yeah...plus you'd have to consider everyone would have to be 5 years younger again....like WALT!
Of course, they still need to explain how Walt was appearing to people and aging while appearing to them! (i'm guessing it's somehow through dreams since that's the tidbit we got THIS season)
i think whatever happens...i think the remainder of the show next year will play out in the present day. Kate needs to get back to claire afterall!
Yea they really cant "cancel out" these past seasons by prevent the original crash that would enrage fans to put it mildly theres gta be a better angle than that. We saw again this week how Widmore and Ellie both act in a way that makes it seem that they know whats going to happen in the future, it will be interesting to see where exactly Ben ties in with that and with the "war thats coming", we should also assume Ellie has met child Ben now that Sawyer brought him to the Hostiles/Others/Angry people in tents.
I agree with HurleyAteMe, I got the same feeling with kid Charlie, also thought he would have disappeared when Penny came back. But we did see Eloise outside talking to Charles without him, so I don't know...
There seem to be so much different stories left to switch to now: what happens to Sun & Locke trying to get back to 1977 with the others, then of course the Ajira folks, the 'what lies in the shadow of the statue people' (luckily we can call them at least that, otherwise we would have a lot of "other others") and the rest of our 1977 people.
And then of course: all of the other half-told stories I hope we'll get an answer for (Walt being "special", Libby in the mental hospital ending up giving her boat to Desmond, etc... )
Oh well, all the more reasons to keep watching I guess ...
Carolinski - I just read an interview with Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof on Lostpedia where they said there are several loose ends they don't plan to tie up. They used Libby as an example, saying her story isn't relevant anymore and that they're choosing to focus on more important stuff. I'm kind of disappointed myself, since I liked Libby and was hoping to learn more about her, but I guess in the big scheme of LOST it's a minor detail.
I have to believe Walt somehow factors into the remaining story though. They spent a lot of time establishing that he was "special." Why would they do that if it weren't important? Of course, Malcolm David Kelley is almost 17 now. His character was born in 1994 and "present day" is 2007, so he'd be playing a 13-year-old. I guess I could suspend my disbelief if the makeup department did a good enough job.
Without giving anything away, it sounds like next week's episode is going to answer a few long-standing mysteries. I'm definitely looking forward to that one!
the interview Ian speaks of: Lostpedia InterviewI couldn't get a read from what they said on if they planned to address it or not. I think they said they were just using it as an example of something low priority..but I got the impression it might still be addressed.
Anyway, I'm sure that after the show is all said and done, they are going to provide answers to things people are curious of that did not get addressed on the show. Who knows? Maybe there will even be a LOST encyclopedia. Wouldn't be the worst idea in the world! lol
I'll be looking forward to the season 6 dvd/blu-ray commentaries though because they'll be able to talk about EVERYTHING on them. What they were thinking in season 1...why they had to wait until season 6 to reveal certain tidbits...etc... And hey, it could all be a "REVISED HISTORY" in their minds...but my opinion? IGNORANCE IS BLISS!
This episdoe was amazing. I think it would be really stupid if they some how erase all of the past seasons. It would make the show pointless, at least thats what i think. I also have a question, do we know what the "incident" is or are people just guessing??? I hope that next week we get to see some of the 2007 Losties, I want to know whats going on with them!
(Kinda off topic) I'm pretty certain Jack and Kate are Adam and Eve. They are now separated from everyone and I bet they get killed in 1977, Richard puts them in the cave, they decompose for 27 years, and then Jack and Kate finds the corpses in 2004. Does this make sense with all of the time travel theory? I wonder if Jack still has the black and white stones in his possesion that he took off of Adam. This could prove that he is in fact Adam.
Sawyer to Daniel: "Your mother is an Other?" L O L
Great comments and theories!
Daniel's story can't be finished, so he is no longer "full time", but he will still play a crucial role in how this whole thing plays out.
Daniel is crying because even with his memory loss, he subconsciously knows he is tied to the plane somehow.
Can't wait for jughead to surface!
I agree with MJ concerning a reset, similar to the Matrix....I even think the last frame of the series will show Jack opening his eyes in the jungle just like the opening sequence in season 1. Total reset, lets try this again shall we:-)
Far flung idea...but any chance that baby Charlie could be Charlie Pace? I haven't thought this one through but with time travel who knows. I know Charlie has a brother from earlier season maybe he gets adopted when/if Desmond and Penny disappear??
How about Walt/Jacob?
As I said in an earlier blog, Richard sent himself back in time 100 years (according to another site) and won't age until he catches up with himself in 2007.
Mike V-love the total chaos theory!
Another fine blog Mike!
Did Eloise really push Dan all his life to be a great physicist just so she could fulfill the course of history and shoot him in 1977? Yes, he's done a few important things since coming to the island -- most notably helping a younger Ellie (and an ageless Richard) deal with the radiation leak from Jughead -- but unless Eloise is a hardcore purity of the timestream nerd, surely she must have had a grander plan in mind when she set her only son on this course, no?
(On a side note, just how old is Faraday supposed to be? The Eloise who shot him in 1977 looked to be roughly the same age as the Eloise who made him give up his piano playing, and young Dan seemed like a kid who'd always lived on the mainland. He was also relatively unaffected by the time-sickness, as compared to Charlotte and Miles. But Eloise still seemed to be living on the island at the time, and Jeremy Davies is almost 40 in real life, so... is he playing much younger at the same time Rebecca Mader was playing much older?
to the jack and kate theory- it seems possible, but for some reason i dont think he would have carried around those black and white pebbles for 3+ years, but i guess he could have. or maybe refinds them in the jungle somewhere. but i find it unlikely, but thats just me,lol.
can't wait for the next episode! and cannot believe this season is just about over!!!!!!!! very sad =(
A Quick note on the Comic Con video- that was definitely NOT Faraday's voice. I know the first few things you hear sound like him, I'll concede that. But if you listen at the end when he says this whole thing is pointless, that is definitely not Faraday. The voice is unmistakably different. Listen to it again right at the end.
The other problem is what that voice actually says. The camera man is clearly not excited about the filming. He actually gives up at the end. If that was Faraday he would have been encouraging Chang to go on and finish the message. If would have been his idea after all, based on what he saw in the last episode. No way that was Faraday.
yep. have to agree with you there areupokey,i was re-listening to this a few days ago and the bit where he says "turn this off" it doesnt sound at all like Faraday. especially the "off" bit.
hey guys..sorry i haven't commented for the past few days. Lots of great theories being tossed out there. I'm leaning towards the comic-con voice not being Daniel as well. But I'm sure his character will pop up in one way or another at some point in time!
i listened to the official LOST podcast this morning with Team Darlton. It was a good listen as always. They talked about a scene that was cut from the script of last week's episode (due to time) where Faraday discussed the difference between dropping a pebble in a stream (trying to change something small and and the stream covers up the pebble) and dropping a boulder a stream and the stream may alter its course. jugheading the electro-magnetic event at the swan station would be considered CHANGING SOMETHING LARGE (a la many events ultimately are caused by the incident in the swan station occurring). They say that the fundamental question leading into the season finale is IF they can in fact pull off this large change.
i'm really conflicted by this one! I mean, I'm sure the finale is going to be amazing. But I just can't see Flight 815 landing in Los Angeles and everyone being fine. But at the same time, they've been setting this stuff up for the whole season now for something NOT to be affected. I guess we'll find out eventually!
Here were some Q&A's from the podcast as well:
Q: How did DHARMA VANS get gas?
A: We do see gas cans in motor pool. Jack shoots one of them. They mentioned that the DHARMA Initiative is being resupplied and things are shipped over on boats. HOLD ON WHAAAT?????? People have to take submarines and be unconscious or fly on planes through certain windows of time to get to the island...and DHARMA is shipping things there with boats??? Something doesn't add up there. But maybe that is answered by THIS question.
Q: Why did Ben have to move the island if it is always moving?
A: There is a difference between a slow drift and a significant change. they then plug Star Trek opening this weekend by saying that it's the difference between moving at IMPULSE SPEED vs. WARP SPEED. So maybe the Island was moving at WARP speed once Ben turned the wheel? which then required the LAMP POST to find it? yikes I dunno. Damon also mentions that Carlton was suggesting that the island was always moving through space, but not necessarily time. but then Carlton clarifies that the island may be drifting in time as well but there's a difference between drifting and taking a big jump.
yeah...that really didn't clear that one up! lol
Q: Will we ever see Alvar Hanso in season 5 or season 6?
A: It's safe to say we might hear the name Hanso again. May not actually see him, but since season 6 will be the season of many answers, there could be a few blanks that get filled in regarding Hanso.
Yikes...I've had this typed up for hours and forgot to hit submit! Hope it makes sense...and happy ALMOST LOST day!
I don't have a problem with them restocking the island by boat. Afterall, the lifeboat from the freighter was able to make a couple runs between the island and the boat as long as they stayed on the right circumstances. Also, Michael left the island by boat.
My question is how did the US Military find the base, and why did they put Jughead there in the first place. Were they really going to test it on that island? Or did they know something about it and want to destroy it?
I guess that's true...i guess once you FIND the island, then you might be able to track it until that crazy wheel is turned.
we know desmond blowing up the hatch allowed Widmore to find the island (well, Penny at least but I'm guessing Charles found it the same way)
Anyway --> Here's some DOC JENSEN to hold us over to tonight!
Found an article regarding Eloise Hawking. It discusses some questions that we still should have. Found it interesting - think we have all thought about Eloise and what we learned this past week, but haven't spent much time discussing her.
http://blog.zap2it.com/lost/2009/05/lost-black-math-part-1.html
Ok - after Peter's comments I watched the comicon vid again - I really can't decide on Daniel or Miles. Parts sould like Dan, parts not Dan - but not necessarily Miles. I almost hear a New Yorky type accent even. BUT - at the very end I now hear the name LaFleur said. When the voice says this won't work how do you shut this off Chang says 'what are you doing' then there is static then Chang says 'LaFleur what are you doing'.
I don't know about the rest of you - but I never heard or noticed the LaFleur name before. Of course, in the summer we had never heard of James LaFleur !
I don't hear Sawyers voice at all - but there are many pieces that are staticy (sp?) and unhearable. So, I am guessing that whoevers voice we hear has Sawyer standing close by when this is being done. So - at this point I'm guessing Miles.
After thinking about last week episode I can "semi conclude" that Dan was doing time traveling even if he was not aware of it.. That explains why young Daniel exists at the time of his death.Remeber, he was a teacher at Oxford in 1996 , but was killed by his mother in 1977. WOW Confusing.
Also I think Faraday had to died after Desmond was shot by Ben. Remember, Desmond was Faraday's constant and by him being injured that constant is "damaged".
Anyway lots to think about but can't wait until tonites episode.
That is some crazy dissection of the comic-con video MJ. I'm going to have to listen again to see if I agree!
Thanks for the link on Eloise btw. That was a good read. Always nice to put things in chronological order and think about it! Of course, the writer missed an encounter that Richard has had with the time traveling crew....when Sawyer and Kate brought Ben to him. But just a minor mistake! lol
beatriz it will be interesting to find out WHEN Daniel was born. I'm guessing it was "OFF ISLAND" though since he never got the nosebleeds during the time jumps. But like you said...did he exist at the time his mother shot him? That article MJ posted seems to suggest he did. there is no way we can expect that he was 19 years old when he met with Desmond in 1996 at Oxford! (if he was born in 1977 that's how old he'd have to be)....hmmmmm interesting stuff. Perhaps we'll get more info on that this week since I'm sure Jack and Kate will have an encounter with The Others!
rewatched the video...okay...it sounds like Daniel like the "none of this matters"....but the "this is useless" part doesn't sound like something Daniel would be saying based on what we saw him doing last week. He wanted to make sure this stuff happened.
That almost did sound like LaFleur at the end though. we'll see!
But what really had me thinking was the whole subject matter of the video...RECONSTITUTE DHARMA, GO BACK TO THE PAST AND CHANGE SOMETHING. Anyone else getting the vibe that this message was intended to go to the "Shadow of the Statue" people? I'm sure we discussed this as an option before...but rewatching this video just seems to make sense that it WOULD be them and why they are at odds with WIDMORE (who ordered the purge in the first place)
I guess there is always a possibility that they are on a mission to go back to 1977 also. Which might explain how Locke, Sun and Ben end up with everyone else. Only thing is, I thought we would be out of the past by the end of this season. Ugh...i really just don't hope this season or the show ends in a REBOOT of everything we've learned over 5 seasons! lol
Mike V,
I hear you about the "Reboot", that would seem a letdown at this point, but the creators have so far always come through even when it looked like things might be taking an ugly turn story-wise.
And keep in mind the Lost videogame Via Domus. That whole storyline was supervised by the producers and it does end with a reboot. The main character ends up right back on the beach where it all started, only this time a person who had died before was now alive. The man's actions on the island AFTER this woman's death somehow changed the past so that she didn't die.
So they have laid out the possibility of a reboot even for the show.
Well, That guy on the other article is no Mike V - and we KNOW that. LOL
Yeah - we did have some discussion once we realized that Ilana and Bram had gotten guns and were doing the whole 'shadow of the statue' thing that these were new DI peeps sent because of the Chang video. Cause after seeing what Chang had to say the first people sent wouldn't be the science types - but security/para-military types in order to take back the island.
I'm torn on the re-boot issue. I don't want 5 years of watching to be all for nothing - but if they could do it right it could be very interesting. IF the re-boot happens but the people retain some knowledge - well so many interesting stories could come from that with the decisions they make and who they befriend
Pokey, yeah...I played the videogame and thought about this as well as they are approaching a possible reboot. But my question then is....what about the characters AGING??? Is Walt just going to be 15 in this crazy reboot? Or will they just somehow not be on the island in this version of history?
I'm sure they won't let me down with the story whatever they do. But I also know I have gone on record many times saying it's a bad idea! Hopefully I won't have to eat my words! LOL
And thanks MJ for the kind words! lol
something i just thought of, way off topic... but i know a lot of people have been wondering where benard and rose are. What if they are "adam and Eve"? it would seem to make sense, the black and white stones...
What do ya think?
Anonymous, not really TOO off topic and a nice catch. We actually have been debating this ever since they disappeared. It's definitely a possibility that they are Adam and Eve. Either way, I'm sure we're going to see more of them to find that out for sure. I'm guessing maybe even as soon as tonight's episode we will see them.
At some point we have to see what was happening on the Beach during the time jumps when the Ajira crew chased after our Time Jumpers in the boats. And we know that the Zodiac Raft was gone...so we're assuming Rose and Bernard took that raft somewhere. Should be interesting to see what happens!
Mike, I was wondering if you could help refresh my memory! I took a break in the middle of season 3 and now cannot remember exactly how the Desmond/Losties/Hatch situation played out.
If I remember right Desmond went out of the Hatch to kill Kelvin (?) and let the numbers run down BEFORE the Losties discovered the hatch and ran into him. They went inside, found him, and then he took off running, right? Then the Hatch blew when Locke was in charge WITH Desmond there. How and why did he get back and why did it blow? What was the difference between that time and when they weren't there and the numbers ran down?
I seem to be have a substantial gap in my brain from this time period and may be totally off base with this. I just can't remember but it seems like vital information considering they are building the hatch and discussing the electromagnetism and such right now. A super quick recap from the mastermind would really do me good! Thanks!
Hi Clarke! You caught my comment on your last post, right? Just making sure.
The Hatch - your recollection is correct. Desmond went after Kelvin on September 22, 2004, the time ran out causing an electromagnetic event and caused Oceanic 815 to crash.
There are 2 differences between that date and when the Hatch blew. 1.) Desmond actually got back and eventually entered the numbers on Oceanic crash day...this reset the clock and stabilized the electromagnetism. 2.) on implosion day, Locke destroyed the computer but then we got a flashback of Kelvin telling Desmond about the safekey but not knowing what would happen if he turned the key. Desmond had another flashback to when he was going to kill himself but Locke was banging on the hatch door begging for answers (the night boone died and claire had aaron). Locke saved Desmond that night and now Desmond is going to save Locke AND the world.....he turned the key which imploded the hatch....and send Desmond's consciousness back in time to relive part of his life.
Man, just writing it up again makes me want to watch all of that again! Hope that helped!
Holy time warp, "The Variable" was a fantastic and incredible episode! And I mean fantastic and incredible in the literal sense: it was crazy, outlandish and implausible, yet it was crackling good entertainment!
Daniel's return to the island unleashed a ton of great backstory and some key secrets about the history of the island and the people who love it. Indeed, there are a few people who love this preposterous island: namely Ben, Locke and Widmore, and to some degree even Hurley (yes, his life on the island is actually pretty good, all things considered).
The big shock, of course, was Daniel telling Kate and Jack that maybe "whatever happened, happened" was not a concrete law and that everyone's destiny could change after all! All Daniel had to do was factor in "the variables," which were the people who had actually been there to see everything "happen the way it happened." Damn you Daniel, I wish you had spoke up a few time flashes ago!
But of course, 1977 was the most appropriate time for him to come to this epiphany, since the notorious "Incident" was just hours away from taking place. But then his own "quick-draw" mother shot him in the back! No, Ellie, no!
So, is he dead? I had no idea when the episode ended, but I knew Jack was right there to perform some emergency medical moves (but with no medicine and no equipment). And I held out hope that the island could fix Daniel as it once fixed Ben and Locke, even though I wasn't so sure the island wanted Daniel fixed. But then I saw Mike's blog update that Daniel's death was confirmed by the producers, so any hope was dashed.
Anyway, I was thrilled to catch the rest of Daniel's backstory, which necessarily included a lot more about his mama Eloise and papa Charles. I always figured Widmore was behind everything, so why not Ellie's son? The rumors had been swirling all over the place and they proved to be right. And while it's now clear that Widmore has financed a planeload of projects, corpses and subterfuge trying to get control of the island, he won't end up being the revelation behind the island's biggest secrets. Those secrets seem to lead to Locke, Ben and, I believe, the ever-youthful Richard.
At least Daniel forewarned young Charlotte. I hope she gets out of this mess better than her favorite stalker. Maybe whatever happened will not have to happen to her. And if it doesn't happen to her, that means it doesn't have to happen for anyone else too. But that would be such a HUGE and challenging swing in the series-long arc of the story, I'm not sure the writers will go there. As you said, Mike, "They're not going to wipe out 5 seasons worth of Lost!"
This episode didn't quite have the excitement, suspense and joy of "The Constant," but it was well-paced, highly revealing and beautifully written. Though I haven't seen any of season 6, this would probably rank in my top 10 episodes of the series so far. And season 5 has been great, Mike. I can see why you like rewatching it and I haven't even seen the season finale yet. The fact that the story has been more centralized, yet still jumping places whenever it needs to, has given it a great episode-to-episode flow that I don't remember experiencing in past seasons (maybe 1?).
I am sensing that what lies in the shadow of the statue and the Temple are going to become enormously important in season 6! And Ilana and Bram aren't there just for window dressing!
So, I've been meaning to ask you this but needed to make sure you knew Eloise Hawking was on the island. Did you put together (or maybe read in the blog) that Ellie in episode 3 that had her son at gunpoint was Eloise Hawking? I'm sure I wrote it in the recap anyway....but just wanted to make sure you caught that! lol
I was very strong in my time travel stance on season five. A lot of people also had strong opinions about them altering time. And, well it might be awhile before either of those theories can be officially validated for you! I really can't say. lol
But, I loved the idea that our own heroes that we have been following this whole time were somewhat responsible for placing themselves on this island in the first place, due to their future actions that took place in the path. If that doesn't fit into the theme of destiny, I'm not sure what does! It was very intriguing to me.
They did call this episode the "sister episode" of the Constant, but obviously The Constant was better...how could it not be? It was the best ever! But, this one was still really great.
All seasons of LOST had its ups and downs, but I have a hard time finding a really really dull point in season 5. It was just great television through and through. Though, season 1 obviously was groundbreaking television and every episode after WALKABOUT became appointment TV. I can point to the strong points of each season. They all served their purpose!
What lies in the shadow stuff - you might be on to something. Stay tuned!
Mike, yeah I caught on that Eloise was on the island earlier than this episode and knew she was in command of a Hostile group that captured Daniel, Miles and Charlotte in 1954. She also had the gun on Daniel at the Jughead. By 1977, Ellie had been on and (mostly) off the island for some 23 years, along with Charles Widmore. Her scene with Desmond at the jewelry store is still one of my favorite scenes ever.
I'm glad you mentioned the theme of destiny and how our heroes (and anti-heroes) are somewhat responsible for first crashing on the island due to decisions they made in the future that actually took place in the past. Thereby naming their own destiny, to a degree. Lost put a lot of effort into creating a world where this could take place and make sense, and it's fascinating.
Many of the characters took advantage of the "fresh start" on the island and reinvented themselves, building redemption for who they were in the past. This season, I've watched Kate make enormous strides in her redemption, and Sawyer has also done a ton of work towards that end. When I said "Sawyer's the same as ever," that was after the episode right before he began living with Juliet for three years. At this point, I would say that James is barely even "Sawyer" anymore except for his sharp wit. His transformation is why he's now one of my two favorite characters.
Anyway, I just watched the 15th episode and want to comment on that so I can watch the season finale!
Well, I did say that's the philosophy I liked going into these final episodes of season 5. I didn't say it was necessarily true! lol :-) But yes...that's the gist of it. We'll see what happens in the rest of season 5 and possibly more!
Yeah...I figured you'd be impressed with Sawyer's transformation when you hadn't quite seen it yet. Crazy crazy show! I'm sure you're watching the finale right now, but I'll check out your comments on the penultimate ep!
They just had to go and kill Daniel, too? Ugh. Stupid show. I'll surely miss our eccentric physicist.
I've conflicting feelings about this episode. I can't really put my finger onto what's wrong with it; I guess I've just waited so long for a Daniel-centric ep that I expected something more spectacular.
There were some "big" reveals in this, but most of them just confirmation of what we already knew or suspected - Ellie from 1954 being the same Eloise Hawking, Widmore as Daniels father (I was finally right about something)! More interesting was Widmore's confession that he was the one behind the fake 815 plane. At this point in the story there still wasn't enough evidence to point either his or Ben's way.
But that big idea that it's actually possible to change things? I think it was thrown out there just to raise the stakes. Come on, the entire season everyone's been beating into our and the Losties' heads that "What happened, happened", and now we're supposed to believe otherwise? I don't buy it. I don't think the writers'd want to go there.
Ah, at least it seems we'll be getting another spectacular season finale. We're getting to witness the infamous "Incident" firsthand! The one we've been wondering about since season 2! Who could have imagined it back then. This crazy, crazy show.
Leta - you think exactly the way I did during the show when it came to time travel! If you listened to the podcasts with Damon and Carlton you would've thought it even more. Whatever Happened Happened is the time travel that this show subscribed to. Of course, they still have to challenge that concept if you're doing a time travel season, right? It makes for some very entertaining TV! I can't say if the theory holds up or not but I was very adamant that the future would never be changed. You'll even see I did a TV interview about it in one of these recaps!
But, I chose to look at it from a different perspective. We always wanted to know more about THE INCIDENT that caused the Swan Hatch 108 minute thing. But, we never thought that our LOSTIES would be part of that Incident. So, I started to think (and surely I commented in this recap)...wouldn't it be awesome if we found out that our LOSTIES were responsible for inevitably causing themselves to end up on the Island in the first place? That TRULY would be a bit of destiny wouldn't it? I just found the concept fascinating and stuck to it with my theories. We'll see if it pans out!
Enjoy the rollercoaster of a ride to the finale! And yes, RIP Daniel Faraday!
Mike,
Thank you for responding to my post after "The Constant". I have been trying to watch only one episode at a time and then reading that episode's blog. You do an incredible job of recapping in great detail (with much humor too!) and adding your questions and theories.
I had to laugh when one of the bloggers commented, "I think I am too stupid for this show!". I seem to miss some things and try not to overthink everything even though I already watched the whole series a few years ago.
I am still in complete awe over the brilliance of the show--how so very smart of the writers to continually go back to re-connect and clarify previous thoughts and actions. I was not in-the-know when this first aired on TV so I did not realize that the writers did not have an end date or know how many seasons they would be writing. This just makes the show that much more ingenious.
The music and sound effects are so appropriate for the scenes and really affect the mood. Also, the casting of characters and their acting is truly superb (I think one of their requirements were their facial expressions and their eyes).
Until next TIME...
Hello Anonymous! No problem on responding! It's actually pretty funny that you've only responded on The Constant and The Variable! :-) Not sure if that was intentional. :)
Thank you very much for the kind words about the blog.
I think we ALL overthought LOST. But it was so much fun to do. If you just sit back and enjoy the show without looking too much into it, it's still one of the best TV Dramas of all time! That's why I never hesitate to go back and rewatch the series. (it's been a few years now though. Maybe soon I'll do it again!)
Yeah...it's pretty impressive how much of the story they were able to weave into the end game without having that end date planned out. The show could've gotten VERY BAD if they had to keep expanding the show and not focusing on an end. Some argue not everything was answered and maybe it's true to an extent. But they did a good job wrapping up many of the large loose ends.
Agreed on casting, music and sound effects! I always brag that I went to high school with the composer (well...he graduated way before me but still same school!) and now he's winning Oscars. The new John Williams that Michael Giacchino!
Thanks again for writing in! Enjoy the rest of your rewatch!
I am pretty much 100% confident that Faraday just fell into the trap that he knew so much about last time we saw him. He talks about them being the variables, and I think he's somehow missing the huge point that they really aren't variables. They were always in the Dharma time. What they do now is what leads to what happens in the future/their present and past.
Sure, they can decide to try to alter something (Sayid shooting Ben, Jack refusing to operate on Ben), but in the end that is exactly what happened the first time and the reason it happened is because of what they knew about the future. I think it's awesome haha, a never ending loop when you try to dig into it. Especially when you think about things like the compass that Richard gave to Locke and the fact that the person who originally gave it to Richard was none other than Locke.
Faraday's extreme determination to stop The Incident from happening is going to be what causes The Incident. Well, that OR if Faraday had survived he would've carried out his plan and The Incident actually wouldn't have happened.
Now, we have definitely seen course correction in action, so it does exist (namely with Desmond's flashes into the future and it rewriting itself when changed, although I've definitely taken your word that the rules don't apply to Desmond). However, I don't feel that it plays a role with the on-island time travelling that has been going on this season. There is no course correction because the only course is what they are doing right now, as it always has been.
At first (before Locke spun the wheel and the island became stuck in Dharma time) I was totally confident that interacting with the past would only payout as a fresh memory in the present day for those involved (as seen with Desmond remembering Daniel coming to him at the hatch). And I immediately assumed that that was the case with both Daniel talking to Charlotte as a child (since she remembered it before her death) and Jin interacting with Danielle Rousseau's crew in the past (since she never seemed to recognize Jin in the previous seasons and she was a little too dead to remember it when it happened to present-day Jin). HOWEVER, I am now convinced that: That IS what happened to Desmond, but only because the rules don't apply to him. It is NOT what happened to Charlotte, instead she remembered when Daniel came to her because her consciousness traveled back in time to that moment when she passed out with the nosebleed, as with what happened to Desmond in The Constant. And finally, I believe that Rousseau simply did not recognize Jin because of the large amount of time that had passed as well as her mental state. Heck, she could've even seen him and thought that he looked similar to the guy from 16 years ago, but with no knowledge of time travel she never would've/should've thought that it could actually be him, looking almost the same 16 years later.
Man this is some crazy stuff, but I love it and I feel like I understand it really well.
That is, of course, unless they change something up in this season finale or later and throw everything I just said in the trash (or at least totally change it). In which case I imagine you evilly laughed at me while reading this haha. Either way, I'm excited and I'll be ready to adapt to something new if it comes. I just wanted to get this out, and hopefully some future Lost viewers will see it and it will help them out (or confuse them more lol).
Sorry for the word wall, I didn't plan this to be nearly as long as it is haha. But thanks again for the awesome blog!
I won't comment to the whole post but you seem to get the gist of the time travel story they're telling. You are on the same wavelength I was. Were we right? You'll find out!
But yeah the thing about Desmond...they kept saying "the rules don't apply to him" and he's "special". They love saying that certain LOSTIES are "special". They don't really explain or need to explain why...they just are! Do Desmond did impact time in minor ways. But it did get course corrected. But for the most part it looks like Whatever Happened Happened at this point in the story. Does it stay that way through season 6? I can't answer that here. :)
Dan nooo :( Heartbreaking ending but it answered my question of whether season 5 is my favourite season of the show. YES, IT IS
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