Lost: I Do
Well, here you go. I haven't seen the episode yet but will sometime today. Offer your thoughts and ponderings. The emmanuel Christmas (just realized the irony there) discussion is still alive and well below if anyone wants to contribute. I'll provide my own thoughts on both hopefully by tonight. I work in the library late tonight so that will be a prime opportunity. Cheers.
posted by thewalrus at 3:31 AM
4 Comments:
I give this episode like 2.5 out of 4 stars.
The good: Jack. He's back in true form, finally getting pissed off and taking control. Lost will never truly be Lost without Jack. If they kill him off, which they won't, Lost would effectively end. He is the lifeblood right now, the source of hope. His ploy was brilliant. Also, just the fact that something is actually happening in the camp is exciting.
The bad: What's up with Sawyer? "I love you too?" Come on. I'm not trying to be cynical here but Kate's kiss as an answer to his question means nothing. I don't know, the sudden romance isn't satisfying. And it's not that I want her to hook up with Jack either b/c that would annoy me too. I'm not sure what's irking me about it. What's up with the Locke stick revelation? Is he now supposed to move north towards the others?
Also, I thought the Kate flashback was a bit redundant. We've already established she can't stay still and that she'll sacrifice everything for that purpose. And yet we still are supposed to think she's "good" and really loves Sawyer? Again, not trying to be cynical but there's an inconsistency here.
Also, why the hell didn't Kate tell Jack that they're on a different island? I don't understand that at all. Sure, there could be some weird explanation like she doesn't want to take away his hope but that doesn't get them a damn boat.
Last question: Any theories on Sayid's skepticism about Locke?
I am really excited the episodes next year will be back to back and they look interesting. The Desmond story will be especially.
But thank God Jack is back and angry.
10:46 PM, November 09, 2006
I agree with thewalrus that the Kate flashback was a bit redundant of her other flashbacks, but I thought there was something interesting there as well. The theme of reluctant escape ran through both the island plot and her backstory. On the island, Kate and Sawyer were in a cage with an open door, and still they did not run. In Kate's past story, she was in a metaphorical cage with an open door (her idyllic marriage and housewife-life), and still she sabotaged herself by calling the marshal. She could have escaped into that perfect life, but it was like she wanted to be captured, or at least pursued. And she and Sawyer could have run away, even if they didn't necessarily have anywhere to go, but they remained voluntarily under the will of their captors.
Jack is the only one who tries to escape at every opportunity, and his backstory suggests that this would be so. He could have avoided the hassle and not outed his father's drinking problem, but he didn't. He could have avoided even more hassle, and just left his father's body in Australia, but he didn't do that either. For Kate and Sawyer, being pursued and captured and imprisoned as criminals is a familiar state of being, waters they can manage. This reversion comes through when Kate starts using Sawyer's real name (James) rather than his escaping name. (Do we know for sure if Kate is Kate's real name?) For Jack, this is not familiar territory, and so his impulse is to fight. That's my take on what the flashbacks are trying to illuminate about how these three are behaving in the world of the Others.
As for whether Kate "really" loves Sawyer, I think we have to see them always through the lens of the con. The point with both their backstories is that their behavior is never what it seems, and always has an underlying motive. So now it is possible that the two expert cons are conning each other, for reasons we won't know until February. Love has been the ultimate con in each of their pasts, so why should this be any exception?
Also, I was wondering if they really are on a different island, or if that is just a psychological manipulation on the part of the Others. I don't remember seeing them being taken on a boat, and it seems like they would remember something like that, burlap hoods notwithstanding. It reminds me of the panopticon; the suggestion of watching, or of isolation, is enough to make it true. And the notion of the panopticon is already alive and well in the Others' camp with all the cameras pointed everywhere, and no idea whether they actually function or not. In fact, the idea of watching and being watched has run through this entire series, and I think it is a deliberate nod to Foucault. Anxieties over being seen and over seeing what one ought not to see form the basis of many of the show's plots. What do you think about that?
I think it is possible that they are not too far away from their own camp, and they were taken to a place where another island was visible and implanted with the idea that they were further away than they were. The Others showed up plenty on the other island, and I don't think that rickety little boat that initially took off with Walt was making the trek back and forth with twenty or more people on board.
Who knows about Eko's "prayer stick"? I imagine it will turn up again with prophetic words that Locke is willing to follow. They didn't bury it with him, so I think we haven't seen the last of it. Sayid is always suspicious, and people have been suspicious of Locke all along, so I don't know what to read into that quite yet.
Thanks to thewalrus for this fun LOST conversation place!
-w
10:44 AM, November 10, 2006
I do have some more comments but I'm in the middle of a crazy day so I'll get them up tomorrow.
6:39 PM, November 10, 2006
With Kate and Sawyer, I think it was the "con" part that made me so skeptical about the whole thing. We'll see how that plays out.
Oh, in terms of the different island, I think they might have been drugged and brought over. For some reason, I have this memory of them all sort of "waking up" in their respective places in the camp. I may be completely wrong here but for some reason I have a vague memory of something like that.
I'm also fully expecting Walt and Michael to show up somewhere on this other island. Any theories as to why Kate didn't tell Jack what Sawyer told her about being on a different island?
12:56 PM, November 12, 2006
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