Hello peoples,
next week, I will have to find something to write about that isn't Lost related because of the show's current hiatus. I assume I will find something to ramble about, but don't cry too hard if I don't. Now onto the Kevin Johnson episode of Lost and what we learned, didn't learn and why I was ultimately disappointed by the episode. As often, spoilers ahead.
Before I talk about the episode specifically, I want to delve a bit into the Ben-Widmore war. I have discussed the matter before, but I'm not sure I nailed down the exact premise of the war before. The war is (in my current theory's incarnation) about classic, nineteenth century imperialism. It appears that from the very moment Dharma stepped on the Island, they have been struggling with the Hostiles. If you notice, Dharma (and Widmore) tend to bring in mathematicians and scientists like Horace Goodspeed, Michael Faraday, and Charlotte Staples Lewis, while Ben and the hostiles bring in doctors like Juliet, Ethan, and Alpert. Dharma brought in scientists to study and extract whatever natural (or unnatural) resources the Island has to give. As of now, the Island has shown the ability to prevent death (see Michael, Jack, Juliet's sister, Rose, etc.), prevent aging ala the Fountain of Youth (see Alpert), sub-conscious time travel (see Desmond, Faraday, Minkowski, etc.). So, it is totally understandable that Dharma would want to comprehend and harness those unique properties for profit as well as for the betterment of humanity as a whole. On the other side, Ben and his lot are more naturalists, and they intend to hoarde, protect, and preserve the island's natural gifts in fear that people don't understand the gifts of the island and will misuse them for the non-betterment of the world. When, Ben brings the doctors, they are there to study, treat, and prevent the negative effects of living on the Island (see the birthing problem) to make the island completely habitable.
Of course, neither side is as benevolent and kind as I portrayed them. Widmore represents the conventional military-industrial corporate complex that has trained military people like Naomi, maintains a frigate, with air support, and boundless resources, often spent in public places such as auctions. Ben, on the other hand, is the guerilla warfare expert, eco-terrorist who is willing to kill civilians en masse with chemical weapons, see the Purge, and his submarine was torched, while his money is often in cash.
It's time to start thinking of Ben as Kurtz, the guy who came into the heart of darkness as an imperialist and stayed as the leader of the nativists. The result... an apocalypse, an apocalypse of the human mind? Of course, it's never as simple as that in Lost, so, there are other viable theories.
A widespread theory that I appreciate is often refered to as the Palpatine theory by Doc Jensen and his replacement. The notion is that the fight is really Ben against Ben. When I first saw this played out in The Phantom Menace, despite the sub-expectations nature of the movie, I was so excited about the notion of an evil, manipulative person who is so smart that he could manufacture a war/conflict to create the opportunity to play the hero on both sides, so he gains influence and wins the war either way. It's possible that Ben has foreseen the events that would lead him towards the ultimate power on the island. Nothing unites people better than a war against outsiders... against others. And Ben has managed to seize a leadership role for himself by generating further conflict to harness the full extent of his power. He also uses lies, blackmail, violence, brainwashing, and Jacob (which is the veritable equivalent of quoting scripture) as well as other forms of manipulation, so why not engineer a war to place stranglehold on his community that was rapidly warming to the idea of following John Locke's principles. It is thoroughly plausible, but I almost don't want to believe it because of how convincing Michael Emerson is, and how much Ben appears to believe he is one of the good guys. If he was playing both sides, he wouldn't be one of the good guys at all and he couldn't even reasonably think he was one of the good guys.
Speaking of power, if knowledge is power, Miles is powerful. Otherwise, Miles is not. Miles can talk to ghosts of drug dealers, Naomi's ghost, Ben's bank account, and Kevin Johnson's passport. I'm still convinced the show is under-utilizing his intensity, but I'm not sure how they can satisfactorily use this premise without scaring off many of the sci-fi-hesitant viewers.
The Plane. The Plane. It's now an old fashioned, "who done it" mystery. Whose story is more plausible, Widmore's story as told by Captain Gault or Ben's story as told by Friendly Tom? Tom's story has more details, but Michael bought into the story very very quickly. Worse yet, he was persuaded to kill yet again at the drop of a hat. This time, Ben didn't even use Walt as bait, but Michael was ready to do anything for Ben. The acting was fine, but the writing was implausible. It's nice that Michael is haunted by the ghost of Libby's past, and it makes sense that his murdering could drive him to depression and despair... but to more murder... mass murder? There had to be more persuasion from Mr. Friendly to get Michael to that point.
I'm not sure how Michael survived his suicide attempts, but the gun jamming, along with the car crash survival along with the Jack's failed suicide attempts leads to the conclusion that, indeed, these former Islanders can't die. Not sure how that works even in this Lost world of several improbable events (and it's always unseemly when supernatural occurences take place off island like Miles with ghost whispering and Walt with bird killing). Now, I am even more intrigued how someone could end up in the coffin off the island. And who is it? The Kevin Johnson guess is looking very strong.
Speaking of Sayid, what the heck was he thinking? In an impetuous move, he wasted his one trump card on the boat, the identity of the saboteur without negotiating anything on his or his friend's behalf. Why? To make friends with a clearly suspect, and certainly untrustworthy captain? Or more likely, he acted rashly to punish his one-time friend because Sayid appreciates loyalty and friendship, and Michael is the cardinal sinner/betrayer of friendship.
It is unclear how the time traveling, space traveling polar bears played into this episode, but I wanted to mention them.
The death of Karl was tragic because of his youth, but as a character, he had served his purpose. He had been brainwashed, been in love with the bad guy's daughter, and not gotten her pregnant. I think that's it for him. I am not convinced that Alex's mother, Rousseau, is dead, considering we still don't know about her survival story, the research project that she was on, and whether it was Dharma related? Was there really a virus? How did she deliver Alex by herself? Crazy stuff.
And the question to ask here, is who shot at them. Ben would want to kill Karl to keep Alex from fornicating (and getting pregnant and dying like his mother did and every other island fornicator did. It's a classic slasher film: sex = death.) Ben would want Rousseau's death because she is Ben's rival for Alex's affection and guidance. Ben would also want Alex to feel threatened, so that she could be more easily manipulated and feel forced to turn to Ben for protection. He had access as he has people, the hostiles, hidden away and still following his orders. However, Widmore might have people on the island because Lapidus was off on a mission. Widmore might not have a compunction killing anyone on the island, particularly picking them off in secluded locations. And thus, Alex yelling out that she is Ben's daughter would likely save her life either way, either as a unique specimen to be protected or a commodity to be exploited. It's still unclear who shot at her, but it's totally clear that she will live to fight another day.
Eight weeks off? The horror. The horror.
-ME PB
Friday, March 21, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wise Delay
Hello again,
continuing in my recent theme of discussing the most recent Lost episode, I am going to discuss the most recent episode of Lost. "Ji Yeon", which, I am informed by Doc Jensen, means delay or flower of wisdom. In a show that knows quite a bit about both, the name is particularly apt. Beware, if you did not watch the episode yet, there are spoilers below, and even if you did watch the show in the past, I have been known to guess at the future.
Let's start with delay and what we know about delays as Lost fans. First off, the entire show is centered on delayed gratification as we wait for one answer after another that will explain the greater and lesser anomalies and oddities that pop up throughout the show. These delays have taken place in many forums, from the audience's outcries over improper scheduling over the first several seasons to our prolonged six season wait for one universal answer.
More thematically, the delay also occurs in the wait for birth, and possibly the wait to reunite these people. But, in this episode, the "delay" was finding out that the flash forwards were not all flash forwards. Now, we have to guess at each flash, whether it is backwards or forwards, not just figure out the time frame once per episode. But, yes, as melanism points out, cell phones provide an excellent clue as to the year, and the larger cell phone that Jin was using could have clued us into the secret had we been on our toes. But, it caught me by surprise. (I thought he was going to die in a car accident, but more on that below.)
I tend to think most popular names in one country have a popular name equivalent in other countries. It's easier in European countries, e.g. Johann = Ivan = John. But, it still holds some credence in non-westernized countries as well, Ji Yeon, may well be the equivalent of Jo Anne. But, I feel it is particularly noteworthy because the name is homonym with the name "John". Now, it could be coincidence, but in this show, I don't proscribe to that view very often. Instead, after being on the Island for 3 months, is Jin essentially saying, I'm naming my daughter after notable killer, island leader, John Locke? Is there some other reason that he has always liked this name? It's food for thought.
Onto the Oceanic 6. Resolved? Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, Aaron? Done? I hope not, but let's assume that is correct. Who are the two that "survive" the plane crash, but don't make it off the island according to Jack's testimony? We still don't know, but I have to guess Claire was one of those people because of Desmond's chopper vision. Jin is probably not one of those two people, otherwise, they would have adjusted the date on his grave accordingly. And, we are still not much closer to figuring out the person in the coffin at the end of Season 3, though the Ben and Michael (under his assumed name, Kevin Johnson (who we are meeting next week)) guesses are looking pretty good, right about now, particularly because Michael is separated from Walt and under an assumed name, no one but the islanders would know who he was and possibly visit him. Doc Jensen enjoyed entertaining a theory that Kevin was not Michael, but actually Walt, a theory which does not suit my fancy because even I have my limits for the sci-fi fantasy stuff.
Which brings us to Jin's grave. Is it filled or empty? Did he actually die on the island or is he still on the island? Sun's tears looked genuine, which based on her displaying quality acting throughout the show and particularly in this episode, I take to mean she is genuinely sad. But, is she grieving or is she just sad that she is separated from her love? Lost is great.
The Jin-Sun dynamic continues to fascinate me, as his relatively long-standing overbearing dominance over Sun prior to the island, has given way, not to a mutual trust and respect, of the "optimal" relationship, but rather Sun has assumed the dominance and makes the decisions without regard for Jin's opinion. Yes, she did take the name for her baby that Jin intended, but that is after a prolonged separation. But, had Jin made the same decision about where they are going to live and told Sun to trust him (i.e. decided that they would live in the caves as opposed to the beach), she would be furious. Sun also has yet to tell Jin about the baby mama dying syndrome. She still has issues to resolve. Jin, on the other hand, has not evolved from the stereotypical angry husband to the perfect husband. The shift was much more nuanced than that, and much more poignant. He went from the courting lover who won Sun's affections with his romance to the stereotypical jealous overbearing husband, and now returned to the innocent, trusting, romantic love that Sun initially fell for. His transition and return to innocence marks the end of his journey on the show. He might stay in the fold, but other than the viewer's determining his ultimate destiny, his psychological issues and idiosyncrasies are just about resolved, and thus the show need not deal with him much any more. The same rang true for most of the other dead castaways on the show before they bought the big one. Once their emotional and mental issues are resolved, they no longer belong in this purgatory.
I wonder if Mr. Paik still has a role to play in how the Widmore-Ben war plays out. I seem to remember a few power players, and now that Hurley has amassed quite a fortune, I imagine he can play some Island games as well (once he's off the island and certifiably sane). Speaking of fathers and father figures, how about Bernard's role as surrogate father to Jin? He was very talkative, but he otherwise lived up the role of advising (by example and by analogy) Jin on Jin's marital problems. He even went so far as to take Jin out fishing, which is what Jin's father actually does for a living. Surrogate father of the day award goes to Bernard.
It was nice seeing Michael again, though I am not sure how both Desmond and Sayid would be able to contain their anger at a man that had killed Libby and Ana Lucia (if I remember correctly they knew that it was him and not Ben) and sent Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley on a path of doom into the hands of Ben. They might understand Michael's actions on behalf of Walt and they might be coy about the whole thing, but really? No reaction? It's just not that plausible. For weeks, we have collectively suspected that Michael was Ben's man on the boat, but now we know for sure(ish). Walt was not with him, so we can only suspect Walt is still on the island, perhaps with the other children harbored by the hostiles.
But, more importantly, what a crappy boat that is. The captain, who has surreptitiously avoided these two strandees for 2-3 days, is very chatty all of a sudden, and he weaves a few tales about Widmore and Ben masterminding the Oceanic wreckage discovery. The captain sounds very plausible, despite the note received by the two bearded Islanders. Obviously, Michael might have sent the note, and Michael may be Ben's mole and Michael might have left the door open, but ultimately they will have to decide who to believe. Would you believe a captain who hasn't helped you yet but seems extremely forthcoming or Ben, who might yet prove to be the lesser of two evils, but who withholds everything he knows and still lies with every other word? Yep, me too.
But, what is up with that boat? Regina is reading some book by Jules Verne, which I am informed is totally relevant, but then, she grabs a chain and walks off the boat to sink 20,000 leagues under the sea. Jensen also believes that Regina and Naomi were more than just friends and the "RG" on Naomi's bracelet was given to her by Regina. (Very possible... and apparently the bracelet is not related to the bracelet found on the corpse of the German girl, killed by Sayid.) But watching Regina plunge off the deck was my biggest shock of the episode. It was like watching a David Lynch movie, even though this might actually make sense. And the nonchalance of the rest of the crew to her suicide was something truly special. Utter anarchic chaos.
Of course, the bloody un-cleaned walls and the bugs in the quiet part of the ship went unexplained, but another legitimate question is whether the captain wanted Desmond and Sayid to see these things. It's possible that Michael would be too busy sabotaging things to have time to clean the room (or it could have been a warning from him). It's also possible that the Captain was threatening the Islanders by showing them blood and death (and bugs) and didn't tell Michael to clean the room (who would want to go unnoticed, so would be doing his job as much as anyone else, which on a boat, is often.)
The semi-death of a prominent castaway has been foretold (in spoilers) for weeks, and coming into this week, it seemed pretty clear that it was going to happen off the island in the future and likely that it would happen to Jin or Sun.
Does that mean I wasn't shocked? Actually, I wasn't shocked about the death, I was shocked by the flashback/flashforward switcheroo that left me feeling more helpless and lost in time then I'd been for more than 2 weeks (since the Desmond episode). I was also shocked that we didn't get to see it. But, it would make sense that he actually died because his issues were resolved (see above) and like Charlie's death, we are merely given a heads up that it's going to happen, and then we subsequently slowly watch the death unravel. Come to think of it, I could see Jin dying in some dramatic fashion, saving Sun in a Jin-Sun-centric episode next year.
Anyone know what it said on Jin's grave (other than the date)?
But, now back to the feature film, and the ongoing quest for control of the island. Captain Gault said he worked for Widmore (little reason to doubt that) and that he was after Ben (some reason to believe that is true). We also know that Michael is lying to him (but Michael has lied before). The Captain has a high tolerance for death/ low value for life, as he didn't seem to care deeply about the loss of his crewmen as he casually explained Island fever. Speaking of Island fever, doesn't this clearly resemble whatever Danielle was talking about when she explained what happened to her and her team when they first got on the island... some sort of viral madness? It's not clear that there was any actual virus, despite Ethan's menacing threats. But something affected the French research crew, and it might as well have been the same thing happening to this frigate's crew.
Where do you get 300 bodies is a good question, regardless of whether it was Ben or Widmore. The purge only killed 40 people, (I think,) so that's not it. The Black Rock probably has totally decayed bodies, so that's not it. Ben works in a veterinary hospital off island, not a morgue, so that's not it. We'll figure it out. But, again, I point to the dichotomy between the show's portrayal of Widmore and Ben over the last two weeks. Widmore is shown beating up 1 person. Ben is alleged to have produced 300 corpses to stage a massive subterfuge. Hmmm. Ben certainly seems more evil from just this comparison, but I guess our file is still relatively empty on Mr. Widmore.
By the way, Sun is a better English teacher than Sawyer. Sun's flip-flopping is not going to get her elected to any prominent political posts on the island. Oh, and Juliet will do anything/say anything to get what she wants, even though what she wants is not as bad as what Ben wants (presumably).
I've got more, but in my flowery wisdom, I will delay your gratification... until next week.
I am Jack's hearty breakfast,
-ME PB
continuing in my recent theme of discussing the most recent Lost episode, I am going to discuss the most recent episode of Lost. "Ji Yeon", which, I am informed by Doc Jensen, means delay or flower of wisdom. In a show that knows quite a bit about both, the name is particularly apt. Beware, if you did not watch the episode yet, there are spoilers below, and even if you did watch the show in the past, I have been known to guess at the future.
Let's start with delay and what we know about delays as Lost fans. First off, the entire show is centered on delayed gratification as we wait for one answer after another that will explain the greater and lesser anomalies and oddities that pop up throughout the show. These delays have taken place in many forums, from the audience's outcries over improper scheduling over the first several seasons to our prolonged six season wait for one universal answer.
More thematically, the delay also occurs in the wait for birth, and possibly the wait to reunite these people. But, in this episode, the "delay" was finding out that the flash forwards were not all flash forwards. Now, we have to guess at each flash, whether it is backwards or forwards, not just figure out the time frame once per episode. But, yes, as melanism points out, cell phones provide an excellent clue as to the year, and the larger cell phone that Jin was using could have clued us into the secret had we been on our toes. But, it caught me by surprise. (I thought he was going to die in a car accident, but more on that below.)
I tend to think most popular names in one country have a popular name equivalent in other countries. It's easier in European countries, e.g. Johann = Ivan = John. But, it still holds some credence in non-westernized countries as well, Ji Yeon, may well be the equivalent of Jo Anne. But, I feel it is particularly noteworthy because the name is homonym with the name "John". Now, it could be coincidence, but in this show, I don't proscribe to that view very often. Instead, after being on the Island for 3 months, is Jin essentially saying, I'm naming my daughter after notable killer, island leader, John Locke? Is there some other reason that he has always liked this name? It's food for thought.
Onto the Oceanic 6. Resolved? Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun, Aaron? Done? I hope not, but let's assume that is correct. Who are the two that "survive" the plane crash, but don't make it off the island according to Jack's testimony? We still don't know, but I have to guess Claire was one of those people because of Desmond's chopper vision. Jin is probably not one of those two people, otherwise, they would have adjusted the date on his grave accordingly. And, we are still not much closer to figuring out the person in the coffin at the end of Season 3, though the Ben and Michael (under his assumed name, Kevin Johnson (who we are meeting next week)) guesses are looking pretty good, right about now, particularly because Michael is separated from Walt and under an assumed name, no one but the islanders would know who he was and possibly visit him. Doc Jensen enjoyed entertaining a theory that Kevin was not Michael, but actually Walt, a theory which does not suit my fancy because even I have my limits for the sci-fi fantasy stuff.
Which brings us to Jin's grave. Is it filled or empty? Did he actually die on the island or is he still on the island? Sun's tears looked genuine, which based on her displaying quality acting throughout the show and particularly in this episode, I take to mean she is genuinely sad. But, is she grieving or is she just sad that she is separated from her love? Lost is great.
The Jin-Sun dynamic continues to fascinate me, as his relatively long-standing overbearing dominance over Sun prior to the island, has given way, not to a mutual trust and respect, of the "optimal" relationship, but rather Sun has assumed the dominance and makes the decisions without regard for Jin's opinion. Yes, she did take the name for her baby that Jin intended, but that is after a prolonged separation. But, had Jin made the same decision about where they are going to live and told Sun to trust him (i.e. decided that they would live in the caves as opposed to the beach), she would be furious. Sun also has yet to tell Jin about the baby mama dying syndrome. She still has issues to resolve. Jin, on the other hand, has not evolved from the stereotypical angry husband to the perfect husband. The shift was much more nuanced than that, and much more poignant. He went from the courting lover who won Sun's affections with his romance to the stereotypical jealous overbearing husband, and now returned to the innocent, trusting, romantic love that Sun initially fell for. His transition and return to innocence marks the end of his journey on the show. He might stay in the fold, but other than the viewer's determining his ultimate destiny, his psychological issues and idiosyncrasies are just about resolved, and thus the show need not deal with him much any more. The same rang true for most of the other dead castaways on the show before they bought the big one. Once their emotional and mental issues are resolved, they no longer belong in this purgatory.
I wonder if Mr. Paik still has a role to play in how the Widmore-Ben war plays out. I seem to remember a few power players, and now that Hurley has amassed quite a fortune, I imagine he can play some Island games as well (once he's off the island and certifiably sane). Speaking of fathers and father figures, how about Bernard's role as surrogate father to Jin? He was very talkative, but he otherwise lived up the role of advising (by example and by analogy) Jin on Jin's marital problems. He even went so far as to take Jin out fishing, which is what Jin's father actually does for a living. Surrogate father of the day award goes to Bernard.
It was nice seeing Michael again, though I am not sure how both Desmond and Sayid would be able to contain their anger at a man that had killed Libby and Ana Lucia (if I remember correctly they knew that it was him and not Ben) and sent Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley on a path of doom into the hands of Ben. They might understand Michael's actions on behalf of Walt and they might be coy about the whole thing, but really? No reaction? It's just not that plausible. For weeks, we have collectively suspected that Michael was Ben's man on the boat, but now we know for sure(ish). Walt was not with him, so we can only suspect Walt is still on the island, perhaps with the other children harbored by the hostiles.
But, more importantly, what a crappy boat that is. The captain, who has surreptitiously avoided these two strandees for 2-3 days, is very chatty all of a sudden, and he weaves a few tales about Widmore and Ben masterminding the Oceanic wreckage discovery. The captain sounds very plausible, despite the note received by the two bearded Islanders. Obviously, Michael might have sent the note, and Michael may be Ben's mole and Michael might have left the door open, but ultimately they will have to decide who to believe. Would you believe a captain who hasn't helped you yet but seems extremely forthcoming or Ben, who might yet prove to be the lesser of two evils, but who withholds everything he knows and still lies with every other word? Yep, me too.
But, what is up with that boat? Regina is reading some book by Jules Verne, which I am informed is totally relevant, but then, she grabs a chain and walks off the boat to sink 20,000 leagues under the sea. Jensen also believes that Regina and Naomi were more than just friends and the "RG" on Naomi's bracelet was given to her by Regina. (Very possible... and apparently the bracelet is not related to the bracelet found on the corpse of the German girl, killed by Sayid.) But watching Regina plunge off the deck was my biggest shock of the episode. It was like watching a David Lynch movie, even though this might actually make sense. And the nonchalance of the rest of the crew to her suicide was something truly special. Utter anarchic chaos.
Of course, the bloody un-cleaned walls and the bugs in the quiet part of the ship went unexplained, but another legitimate question is whether the captain wanted Desmond and Sayid to see these things. It's possible that Michael would be too busy sabotaging things to have time to clean the room (or it could have been a warning from him). It's also possible that the Captain was threatening the Islanders by showing them blood and death (and bugs) and didn't tell Michael to clean the room (who would want to go unnoticed, so would be doing his job as much as anyone else, which on a boat, is often.)
The semi-death of a prominent castaway has been foretold (in spoilers) for weeks, and coming into this week, it seemed pretty clear that it was going to happen off the island in the future and likely that it would happen to Jin or Sun.
Does that mean I wasn't shocked? Actually, I wasn't shocked about the death, I was shocked by the flashback/flashforward switcheroo that left me feeling more helpless and lost in time then I'd been for more than 2 weeks (since the Desmond episode). I was also shocked that we didn't get to see it. But, it would make sense that he actually died because his issues were resolved (see above) and like Charlie's death, we are merely given a heads up that it's going to happen, and then we subsequently slowly watch the death unravel. Come to think of it, I could see Jin dying in some dramatic fashion, saving Sun in a Jin-Sun-centric episode next year.
Anyone know what it said on Jin's grave (other than the date)?
But, now back to the feature film, and the ongoing quest for control of the island. Captain Gault said he worked for Widmore (little reason to doubt that) and that he was after Ben (some reason to believe that is true). We also know that Michael is lying to him (but Michael has lied before). The Captain has a high tolerance for death/ low value for life, as he didn't seem to care deeply about the loss of his crewmen as he casually explained Island fever. Speaking of Island fever, doesn't this clearly resemble whatever Danielle was talking about when she explained what happened to her and her team when they first got on the island... some sort of viral madness? It's not clear that there was any actual virus, despite Ethan's menacing threats. But something affected the French research crew, and it might as well have been the same thing happening to this frigate's crew.
Where do you get 300 bodies is a good question, regardless of whether it was Ben or Widmore. The purge only killed 40 people, (I think,) so that's not it. The Black Rock probably has totally decayed bodies, so that's not it. Ben works in a veterinary hospital off island, not a morgue, so that's not it. We'll figure it out. But, again, I point to the dichotomy between the show's portrayal of Widmore and Ben over the last two weeks. Widmore is shown beating up 1 person. Ben is alleged to have produced 300 corpses to stage a massive subterfuge. Hmmm. Ben certainly seems more evil from just this comparison, but I guess our file is still relatively empty on Mr. Widmore.
By the way, Sun is a better English teacher than Sawyer. Sun's flip-flopping is not going to get her elected to any prominent political posts on the island. Oh, and Juliet will do anything/say anything to get what she wants, even though what she wants is not as bad as what Ben wants (presumably).
I've got more, but in my flowery wisdom, I will delay your gratification... until next week.
I am Jack's hearty breakfast,
-ME PB
Friday, March 7, 2008
Storm Chasers
Lost fans,
for now, because of my level of busy-ness, I have been reduced to one posting per week, which has to be Lost related because, of course, I am obsessed with the show. Many people will point to the relative weakness of the past episode and the slow moving plotlines where little actually happens, less is decisively answered, and nothing is ever concluded and ask, why the obsession? Well, I point to the name of the episode as just the beginning in addition to the intricate interweaving characters and plotlines, the powerful acting performances, the nimble dexterity of the references (from Shakespeare to Star Wars, from Milton to Danielle Steele, from Homer and Boccaccio to Stephen King and the Jeffersons), and of course the mysteriousness of the Island, each of which can be most adeptly described in two words, Benjamin Linus.
As always, beware of Spoilers have you not watched the episode.
Let's start with the name of the episode, which is the name of the Dharma station the Islanders visited (and showed us), the probable initiation site of the sh**storm known as "the Purge" that eradicated Dharma several years prior. The name is also the title of the Shakespeare play with much in common with this episode from the damsel in distress to the powerful manipulative wizard to the mysterious Island itself. But, that stuff's obvious (and I haven't read The Tempest in a long time). Instead, let's focus on the literal meaning(s) of the "tempest". A tempest is a powerful storm. Such a storm is bound to occur during monsoon season, which I believe corresponds with Sweeps Week. And we had a little taste of an actual, literal storm when the rain created cover for Faraday and Staples Lewis to run towards the station to release/deactivate the poisonous gas, which Ben invariably controlled. But, that was a nice distraction from the story about the real tempest... Ben.
Ben is the master manipulator, and the architect behind several of the sub-plotlines of this episode. He always has a plan. Let's start with the storm brewing in the Locke camp, or as Ben termed it, the revolution. It starts innocently with a mother and her baby coming up to Locke and questioning Locke's supreme authority, an authority which is based on nothing other than the fact that these people all agreed that Locke had one good idea... to run. Ben uses his last trump cards with Locke to reveal the identity of the owner of the boat (possibly Widmore, but Ben has lied to us in the past from time to time). There was even some grainy footage of Widmore being involved in the shady capture and beating of someone somewhere, which is probably important (even though I am not sure why or who that was.) There was a file on Widmore, much thinner than the file on Jack, and probably much thinner than the file of Juliet, whose file we apparently do not want to read. (But, we will talk more about Widmore momentarily.) Locke seems reluctant to let Ben go free for the fear that Ben will either leave these barracks or attack the holed-up Islanders. But, why would he do that if within a matter of days, it seems likely that Ben will be leading these people too.
Let's move to Ben's manipulation of Juliet in her flashbacks. Ben is in love with Juliet, or he's got some crush on her, or he "owns" her, in large part because Juliet looks like "her", who may be Ben's childhood girlfriend from Dharma, whom Ben may or may not have killed. So, he brings Juliet to the island, he keeps her on the island, and when she becomes romantically entangled with the wrong guy (a.k.a. anyone but Ben), Ben takes measured action. So, Ben, pulls out all the romantic stops, which despite his brilliance, is actually zero stops because he is socially inept (see his zero friends). He brings flowers, sets up dinner under false pretenses, gets her boyfriend killed, initiates hand contact, etc. Right, in King David style (see Bathsheba and Uriel), Ben sends out Goodwin, Juliet's married male companion, to the front lines and abandons him there with the unquestionably un-list-worthy Ana-Lucia to be killed. This way, David, er. Ben could have Juliet's baby... oh wait, I got a little confused. Ben and Juliet could not have a baby (because the women all die after 7 months) just like Ben's mother did (but the babies die too, unlike Ben who survived much to the dismay of his father, Roger "Work Man" Linus.) So, maybe that's why he is trying to secure Juliet, to replace his first female friend, who looked like Juliet, who died trying to bear Ben's child who was supposed to be a girl. And then, Annie died along with the baby, and with the luck of the Island, (where a spinal surgeon falls out of the sky when Ben has cancer), a woman births a child on the Island, which the Island gives Ben to raise, Alex, who will one day grow up to rule all the known world. Okay, I've gone too far. But, it's clear that he does whatever he can to get Juliet to sway towards him.
Let's continue with Ben's manipulation of Juliet in the present. Ben knows that because of her rocky relationship with her Island therapist, Harper (Juliet was sleeping with her husband, which along with refusing to talk about herself officially made her the worst patient ever) and their shared Goodwin connection, he can use Harper to send Juliet a message... stop the Faraday, Staples Lewis combo from getting to the gas station. Of course, he pressed the right buttons and not only got Juliet on her side, but she convinced Jack to be on their side. Because Ben knows how to push his buttons too. And Juliet almost completely stops the other male-female duo, who also might not know exactly what they are doing, just as Juliet and Jack had no idea what they were doing. In fact, for all we know, the scientist duo (as opposed to the doctor duo) might have just transferred control of the gas at the Tempest Dharma station from Ben to Widmore or Abaddon. Or, it is even legitimately possible, that like the Emperor from Star Wars, in the prequels, Ben is actually orchestrating the attack on both sides.
Moreover, how did Ben get the message to Harper? 1) Was it telepathy? Doubtful because we haven't encountered telepathy before on the island, which makes it less plausible than the other three alternatives. 2) Ben was told to ask Harper to do this by Jacob, which its possible though somewhat unlikely that Jacob, the silent, invisible partner is actually in control of the relationship and the list (and the people have blind faith in Jacob). 3) Careful planning by Ben, which we know is what makes Ben so powerful and so dangerous, that he planned for so many eventualities (and rest assured, he has a back-up plan for Juliet and Jack failing to kill Faraday and Staples Lewis). 4) Or most likely, Ben told Harper in advance because, he, like Desmond and Faraday can see the future, though he can remember it better than either of them. This reminds me of Bill Bellichick, not because the coach of the New England Patriots football team is psychic, but because for five years we were astounded by how amazing the guy was. Year after year, the guy took a team with mostly average to slightly above average players to several championships through exceptional coaching. It was as if he had a preternatural intuition in planning methods and determining the teams next move. Recently, we found out what the NFL has been covering up for several years and continues to try to cover up, that rather than seeing the future or being some sort of super genius, he was actually cheating (probably). He knew the plays the other team practiced before they played and with videotaping the play calling, he was able to determine the other team's play calls and with planning and proper play calling of his own, be in a better position to succeed on every given play. But, like steroids, it doesn't get you all the way there, and the Patriots still had to play well and train hard, but they had an incredibly unfair advantage (which was also illegal or a rule violation, whichever you consider worse). Ben, who has been exposed to whatever radiation is on the island for a few years, may be exploiting the tricks he learned, which may be more than the whispering and disappearing into the jungle. He might be forever youthful and mostly self-healing, along with being a seer, who can see into the truth of things, (actually that's a mind-reader or a reader, but I have no evidence to support the mind-reading.) Still, it's clear this guy is pretty special.
But, now it's time to discuss Widmore insofar as he relates to Ben. As I stated last week, it is very possible that Widmore can see the future too and knew Desmond was the key to him getting onto the island. It is likely that Widmore and Ben are rivals, both rich and both seeking to exploit the island to their own ends: possibly Widmore to exploit for profit, and Ben to hoard for himself. Thus, the Abaddonians sent in people that could study the properties of the island, while Ben brings in people that could make the island habitable for the people already on the island (and future generations) like doctors and well... mainly doctors, as there are a lot of doctors. Is Abaddon, Widmore's Smiling Tom? If so, there is a nice creepy contrast between the two. Or maybe he's Widmore's Alpert? Or maybe he works for Ben? Or maybe he is Ben? Lost is so confusingly awesome.
The only non-mystery of the show is the next week's likely reveal of Michael as Ben's man on the boat. It makes sense, in that Locke because of his Walt connection, would listen to Ben if he knew Ben was in cahoots with Michael. It makes sense in that the boat-people would want Michael, who had been on the island, to direct them back to the island. It makes sense that Michael would do it if he were actually trying to help Ben. And it makes sense that either using his multiple murders, his son Walt as a bargaining chip or hostage, that Ben could get Michael to cooperate (see the mutliple murders). The question is whether Michael ever truly left the island, might then be answered, if the answer is that he was immediately ensnared by Widmore's Abaddonians and realized that Ben might not actually be the bad guy, or might be slightly less bad than Widmore. Or maybe not. Either way, I don't like how the show is trying to make it seem like we never thought we would see Michael again. In fact, most of us wondered where he was and were waiting for answers, rather than thinking he was off the show for good. I definitely want to see him, but would be much more satisfied if Ben's mole is someone else, though I can't think of anyone that makes nearly as much sense, who is still alive, who we thought we would never see again/the viewers would be excited about seeing again other than Michael/Walt.
The one thing we do know is that Ben will win, and Juliet was sure of it. Jack was not afraid, but Jack has been known to be foolish (and brave) before. So, let's move on to Ben's manipulation of the future and what Ben wins. Ben might lose, at least in part, in the near future as we see him off the island and perhaps manipulating Sayid to get back onto the island. Perhaps, Ben is the man in the coffin, which was appropriately sized for his small frame, and it is than fitting that a man that killed his family and has no friends, would have no visitors other than the consumate do-gooder in Jack. But, of course, Ben might be too obvious a choice for the coffin dweller, and it does not fall in line with the theory that Ben wins. Does Ben win Juliet? Probably not, because Juliet would rather have more awkward kisses with Jack, who is clearly in love with someone else. Additionally, Ben seems to enjoy the pursuit, and the plotting, and the crushing vengeance for failure to achieve his smaller goals like love. (See his glee in anouncing, "take as much time as you need" after scolding her for not falling in line with his plan). So, if Ben doesn't win Juliet, I guess he wins the Island, as Locke seems unready to take command of the Island as its protector and caretaker and Jacob is too old and too dead (especially if Jacob is Christian Shepard). I guess Ben wins the fight against Widmore and the Abaddonians, but my guess is that doesn't happen this season. And my guess, and my hope, is that by the end of the show, this guy would have fooled these island saps (and us viewers) sooo many times, and yet, we will actually be rooting for him... and we will be right to cheer for his victory.
But, as to Ben's dubious personality, it is still unclear whether he's a good guy or bad guy, though it is clear that even beyond manipulation, he does morally repugnant things to achieve his ends (like The Prince). But, to be fair, "it's hard being an other", and that's exactly what Ben is. He is not just an "Other", he is the "Other" in every sense of the word, an outcast among his old group at Dharma, an outcast from his new people (the former Hostiles,) an outcast from Charles Widmore's crew, an outcast off the island, and an outcast among the Islanders. But, maybe, he'll fit right in with the Locke crew, though judging from his early reception walking around with some laundry, it appears clear that Ben is different. Okay, so maybe not with the whole crew, but maybe he could have a friend in Locke. Because as the Joker says to the Batman in the upcoming film The Dark Knight, and Ben can easily say to John, "you're just a freak... like me!"
"I taped over it",
ME PB
PS: See my title for insight into my mind. What do I mean by Storm? What do I mean by Chasers? What do I mean by Storm Chasers? Yep, I am way too into this show.
for now, because of my level of busy-ness, I have been reduced to one posting per week, which has to be Lost related because, of course, I am obsessed with the show. Many people will point to the relative weakness of the past episode and the slow moving plotlines where little actually happens, less is decisively answered, and nothing is ever concluded and ask, why the obsession? Well, I point to the name of the episode as just the beginning in addition to the intricate interweaving characters and plotlines, the powerful acting performances, the nimble dexterity of the references (from Shakespeare to Star Wars, from Milton to Danielle Steele, from Homer and Boccaccio to Stephen King and the Jeffersons), and of course the mysteriousness of the Island, each of which can be most adeptly described in two words, Benjamin Linus.
As always, beware of Spoilers have you not watched the episode.
Let's start with the name of the episode, which is the name of the Dharma station the Islanders visited (and showed us), the probable initiation site of the sh**storm known as "the Purge" that eradicated Dharma several years prior. The name is also the title of the Shakespeare play with much in common with this episode from the damsel in distress to the powerful manipulative wizard to the mysterious Island itself. But, that stuff's obvious (and I haven't read The Tempest in a long time). Instead, let's focus on the literal meaning(s) of the "tempest". A tempest is a powerful storm. Such a storm is bound to occur during monsoon season, which I believe corresponds with Sweeps Week. And we had a little taste of an actual, literal storm when the rain created cover for Faraday and Staples Lewis to run towards the station to release/deactivate the poisonous gas, which Ben invariably controlled. But, that was a nice distraction from the story about the real tempest... Ben.
Ben is the master manipulator, and the architect behind several of the sub-plotlines of this episode. He always has a plan. Let's start with the storm brewing in the Locke camp, or as Ben termed it, the revolution. It starts innocently with a mother and her baby coming up to Locke and questioning Locke's supreme authority, an authority which is based on nothing other than the fact that these people all agreed that Locke had one good idea... to run. Ben uses his last trump cards with Locke to reveal the identity of the owner of the boat (possibly Widmore, but Ben has lied to us in the past from time to time). There was even some grainy footage of Widmore being involved in the shady capture and beating of someone somewhere, which is probably important (even though I am not sure why or who that was.) There was a file on Widmore, much thinner than the file on Jack, and probably much thinner than the file of Juliet, whose file we apparently do not want to read. (But, we will talk more about Widmore momentarily.) Locke seems reluctant to let Ben go free for the fear that Ben will either leave these barracks or attack the holed-up Islanders. But, why would he do that if within a matter of days, it seems likely that Ben will be leading these people too.
Let's move to Ben's manipulation of Juliet in her flashbacks. Ben is in love with Juliet, or he's got some crush on her, or he "owns" her, in large part because Juliet looks like "her", who may be Ben's childhood girlfriend from Dharma, whom Ben may or may not have killed. So, he brings Juliet to the island, he keeps her on the island, and when she becomes romantically entangled with the wrong guy (a.k.a. anyone but Ben), Ben takes measured action. So, Ben, pulls out all the romantic stops, which despite his brilliance, is actually zero stops because he is socially inept (see his zero friends). He brings flowers, sets up dinner under false pretenses, gets her boyfriend killed, initiates hand contact, etc. Right, in King David style (see Bathsheba and Uriel), Ben sends out Goodwin, Juliet's married male companion, to the front lines and abandons him there with the unquestionably un-list-worthy Ana-Lucia to be killed. This way, David, er. Ben could have Juliet's baby... oh wait, I got a little confused. Ben and Juliet could not have a baby (because the women all die after 7 months) just like Ben's mother did (but the babies die too, unlike Ben who survived much to the dismay of his father, Roger "Work Man" Linus.) So, maybe that's why he is trying to secure Juliet, to replace his first female friend, who looked like Juliet, who died trying to bear Ben's child who was supposed to be a girl. And then, Annie died along with the baby, and with the luck of the Island, (where a spinal surgeon falls out of the sky when Ben has cancer), a woman births a child on the Island, which the Island gives Ben to raise, Alex, who will one day grow up to rule all the known world. Okay, I've gone too far. But, it's clear that he does whatever he can to get Juliet to sway towards him.
Let's continue with Ben's manipulation of Juliet in the present. Ben knows that because of her rocky relationship with her Island therapist, Harper (Juliet was sleeping with her husband, which along with refusing to talk about herself officially made her the worst patient ever) and their shared Goodwin connection, he can use Harper to send Juliet a message... stop the Faraday, Staples Lewis combo from getting to the gas station. Of course, he pressed the right buttons and not only got Juliet on her side, but she convinced Jack to be on their side. Because Ben knows how to push his buttons too. And Juliet almost completely stops the other male-female duo, who also might not know exactly what they are doing, just as Juliet and Jack had no idea what they were doing. In fact, for all we know, the scientist duo (as opposed to the doctor duo) might have just transferred control of the gas at the Tempest Dharma station from Ben to Widmore or Abaddon. Or, it is even legitimately possible, that like the Emperor from Star Wars, in the prequels, Ben is actually orchestrating the attack on both sides.
Moreover, how did Ben get the message to Harper? 1) Was it telepathy? Doubtful because we haven't encountered telepathy before on the island, which makes it less plausible than the other three alternatives. 2) Ben was told to ask Harper to do this by Jacob, which its possible though somewhat unlikely that Jacob, the silent, invisible partner is actually in control of the relationship and the list (and the people have blind faith in Jacob). 3) Careful planning by Ben, which we know is what makes Ben so powerful and so dangerous, that he planned for so many eventualities (and rest assured, he has a back-up plan for Juliet and Jack failing to kill Faraday and Staples Lewis). 4) Or most likely, Ben told Harper in advance because, he, like Desmond and Faraday can see the future, though he can remember it better than either of them. This reminds me of Bill Bellichick, not because the coach of the New England Patriots football team is psychic, but because for five years we were astounded by how amazing the guy was. Year after year, the guy took a team with mostly average to slightly above average players to several championships through exceptional coaching. It was as if he had a preternatural intuition in planning methods and determining the teams next move. Recently, we found out what the NFL has been covering up for several years and continues to try to cover up, that rather than seeing the future or being some sort of super genius, he was actually cheating (probably). He knew the plays the other team practiced before they played and with videotaping the play calling, he was able to determine the other team's play calls and with planning and proper play calling of his own, be in a better position to succeed on every given play. But, like steroids, it doesn't get you all the way there, and the Patriots still had to play well and train hard, but they had an incredibly unfair advantage (which was also illegal or a rule violation, whichever you consider worse). Ben, who has been exposed to whatever radiation is on the island for a few years, may be exploiting the tricks he learned, which may be more than the whispering and disappearing into the jungle. He might be forever youthful and mostly self-healing, along with being a seer, who can see into the truth of things, (actually that's a mind-reader or a reader, but I have no evidence to support the mind-reading.) Still, it's clear this guy is pretty special.
But, now it's time to discuss Widmore insofar as he relates to Ben. As I stated last week, it is very possible that Widmore can see the future too and knew Desmond was the key to him getting onto the island. It is likely that Widmore and Ben are rivals, both rich and both seeking to exploit the island to their own ends: possibly Widmore to exploit for profit, and Ben to hoard for himself. Thus, the Abaddonians sent in people that could study the properties of the island, while Ben brings in people that could make the island habitable for the people already on the island (and future generations) like doctors and well... mainly doctors, as there are a lot of doctors. Is Abaddon, Widmore's Smiling Tom? If so, there is a nice creepy contrast between the two. Or maybe he's Widmore's Alpert? Or maybe he works for Ben? Or maybe he is Ben? Lost is so confusingly awesome.
The only non-mystery of the show is the next week's likely reveal of Michael as Ben's man on the boat. It makes sense, in that Locke because of his Walt connection, would listen to Ben if he knew Ben was in cahoots with Michael. It makes sense in that the boat-people would want Michael, who had been on the island, to direct them back to the island. It makes sense that Michael would do it if he were actually trying to help Ben. And it makes sense that either using his multiple murders, his son Walt as a bargaining chip or hostage, that Ben could get Michael to cooperate (see the mutliple murders). The question is whether Michael ever truly left the island, might then be answered, if the answer is that he was immediately ensnared by Widmore's Abaddonians and realized that Ben might not actually be the bad guy, or might be slightly less bad than Widmore. Or maybe not. Either way, I don't like how the show is trying to make it seem like we never thought we would see Michael again. In fact, most of us wondered where he was and were waiting for answers, rather than thinking he was off the show for good. I definitely want to see him, but would be much more satisfied if Ben's mole is someone else, though I can't think of anyone that makes nearly as much sense, who is still alive, who we thought we would never see again/the viewers would be excited about seeing again other than Michael/Walt.
The one thing we do know is that Ben will win, and Juliet was sure of it. Jack was not afraid, but Jack has been known to be foolish (and brave) before. So, let's move on to Ben's manipulation of the future and what Ben wins. Ben might lose, at least in part, in the near future as we see him off the island and perhaps manipulating Sayid to get back onto the island. Perhaps, Ben is the man in the coffin, which was appropriately sized for his small frame, and it is than fitting that a man that killed his family and has no friends, would have no visitors other than the consumate do-gooder in Jack. But, of course, Ben might be too obvious a choice for the coffin dweller, and it does not fall in line with the theory that Ben wins. Does Ben win Juliet? Probably not, because Juliet would rather have more awkward kisses with Jack, who is clearly in love with someone else. Additionally, Ben seems to enjoy the pursuit, and the plotting, and the crushing vengeance for failure to achieve his smaller goals like love. (See his glee in anouncing, "take as much time as you need" after scolding her for not falling in line with his plan). So, if Ben doesn't win Juliet, I guess he wins the Island, as Locke seems unready to take command of the Island as its protector and caretaker and Jacob is too old and too dead (especially if Jacob is Christian Shepard). I guess Ben wins the fight against Widmore and the Abaddonians, but my guess is that doesn't happen this season. And my guess, and my hope, is that by the end of the show, this guy would have fooled these island saps (and us viewers) sooo many times, and yet, we will actually be rooting for him... and we will be right to cheer for his victory.
But, as to Ben's dubious personality, it is still unclear whether he's a good guy or bad guy, though it is clear that even beyond manipulation, he does morally repugnant things to achieve his ends (like The Prince). But, to be fair, "it's hard being an other", and that's exactly what Ben is. He is not just an "Other", he is the "Other" in every sense of the word, an outcast among his old group at Dharma, an outcast from his new people (the former Hostiles,) an outcast from Charles Widmore's crew, an outcast off the island, and an outcast among the Islanders. But, maybe, he'll fit right in with the Locke crew, though judging from his early reception walking around with some laundry, it appears clear that Ben is different. Okay, so maybe not with the whole crew, but maybe he could have a friend in Locke. Because as the Joker says to the Batman in the upcoming film The Dark Knight, and Ben can easily say to John, "you're just a freak... like me!"
"I taped over it",
ME PB
PS: See my title for insight into my mind. What do I mean by Storm? What do I mean by Chasers? What do I mean by Storm Chasers? Yep, I am way too into this show.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)