Sit and think long enough and you can come up with anything
One of the many devices the LOST creators sprinkle in the show are works of literature. This week’s analysis will begin with one of these. In one of the flash-sideways scenes, Jack notes that his son (hmmm....never had one before) is reading “The Annotated Alice”. This text includes the two Lewis Carroll’s stories: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass”. Both stories are surrealistic tales that warp logic, space and time (sounds familiar). However, what is really interesting is that is that while Alice is the protagonist in both stories, there is no reference to the “Wonderland” story in “Looking Glass” sequel. Although some of the same characters recur (in some cases under different names or appearances), the themes and settings of the two stories appear to be mirror images. So, now think about this in terms of LOST....we have two parallel stories being told with the same characters acting as mirrors of themselves....the characters in the flash-sideways story react differently than those in the main story.
Still not convinced, think about how many times we’ve seen main characters looking at their reflections:
LA X:
- Jack in the plane lavatory
What Kate Does:
- Kate in the chop shop bathroom
The Substitute:
- Locke deciding whether or not to call the surgeon
The Lighthouse:
- Jack in the pond in front of the Temple
- Jack after washing his face
- Jack in the lighthouse
This is NOT coincidence. The mirror image is important.
Now let’s talk about what we learned in the lighthouse and how this relates to the above theory. On the wheel in the lighthouse many names with numbers appeared. Most of these names/numbers correspond to those on the wall of the cave from the last episode. Some interesting new (or at least confirmed) crossed-out names of note:
Rousseau (Danielle)
Pryce (Ryan....Other killed in Season 3)
Stanhope (Goodwin or Harper.....Others)
Radzinsky (Stuart.....DHARMA)
Friendly (Tom....Other)
And most importantly one new UNCROSSED-OUT name:
51 – Austen (Kate)
Note that 51 is NOT one of “the numbers” (Hurley’s lottery numbers/Swan computer numbers).
Also interesting to note is that some of the numbers/names don’t correspond between the cave and lighthouse. For example:
- Burke (Juliet) is listed as 55 in the cave and 58 in the lighthouse
- Martin (Karl) is listed as 33 in the cave and Novak (?) is listed as 33 in the lighthouse
- Rutherford (Shannon) is listed as 31 in the cave and 32 in the lighthouse
- Brennen (French Team) is listed as 29 in the cave and 25 in the lighthouse
So, here is what I’m wondering: Does the cave represent the candidates on the island and the lighthouse represent the people in the sideways flashes? Think about this...the mirrors in the lighthouse might not have been used for Jacob to spy on the Losties, but instead to look in on their counterparts in the alternative universe. I think the slight changes in names and numbers between the cave and lighthouse could support this theory, as the lives they’ve lived in each universe are different.
Wheel of Fortune!
If I am correct about this theory, it could mean that Jacob (“Someone is coming to the island and I need you to help them find it”) is trying to bring someone from the Sideways universe to the Island (which could explain how these two stories will interconnect). This could mean all the lighthouse uncrossed-out names, or perhaps there is only one person that cross into the island universe. If it is the latter, one guess could be Locke (who has been crossed off the cave wall, but remains on the lighthouse wheel). Another possibility is Desmond, who we’ve been told the rules don’t apply to. Regardless of who is coming, I think the “Alice” clues are helping to bring these two realities together.
Before I go on to the rest of the episode, I want to return to the lighthouse discuss the building itself. The first thing I thought of when I saw it was the Lighthouse of Alexandria....one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Other than being built on the island of Pharos in Ancient Egypt, the history of the Lighthouse of Alexandria is not particularly relevant. However, the L of A, got me thinking about the other Seven Wonders. For those not familiar with the Wonders, they are:
Great Pyramid of Giza
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
Colossus of Rhodes
Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
What I was wondering is if there are analogies to each of these seven on the island. Before the Four Toed Statue was revealed to be Tawaret, there was quite a bit of fan speculation that it was the Colossus of Rhodes. Also, it isn’t hard to compare the Temple on the island to either the Pyramid of Giza, the Temple of Artemis, or the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. The above ground portion of the Orchid DHARMA Station always kinda made me think of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Now to be clear, I don’t think there is a direct connection between the Wonders and the Island. However, what I am thinking is that the ancient cultures that produced the Wonders were in some way seeded from the island. Or perhaps the island is the last vestige of those cultures....a place where the magic and superstitions of the ancients still exists. Just some info to store away for future reference.
Let’s get into the some of the other things in this episode, beginning with the Sideways Jack story. The first thing of real interest that occurred in this episode was Jack taking note of his appendix scar. Recall that Jack’s appendix was removed on the island in the Season 4 episode “Something Nice Back Home” (In that episode’s flashforward, Jack reads to Aaron from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”....coincidence? I think not). In this reality, Jack’s appendix was removed when he was 7 or 8. We then learn that Jack has a son, David. These two things tell us that despite the similarities in Jack’s lives (like his relationship with his father), he has had different life experiences.
Now I earlier made reference to David reading “The Annotated Alice”.....I’d like to return to that for one more thought. Remember that in the Season 3 Finale, entitled “Through the Looking Glass” (further underscoring the importance the Alice references), Charlie must turn off the jamming signal in the Looking Glass DHARMA Station. Charlie is told that the code to jamming signal was "programmed by a musician." When I saw that Jack’s son was a musician, the first thing that came to mind is that somehow he could be the musician referenced in “Through the Looking Glass”. I don’t have a plausible “how” for this and maybe it is nothing, but it is something to keep in mind just in case it comes up again.
Speaking of David and music, the sheet music Jack found on his desk was entitled “Fantaisie Impromptu” (by Chopin)....what a cool title for this series. Did you also happen to notice the hand-written notes. On one side it said, “Start off slower” and on the other side it said “Start pick up pace tempo”. I had to wonder if this was a note from the producers to the audience that this season started slow and is now beginning to pick up the pace. The other possible reference here is “Pace” is Charlie’s last name. Is there a connection? Maybe.
Also, in the Flash Sideways, we see Dogan (the Samurai Temple dude) appear at David’s audition. It isn’t clear to me yet if Dogan’s appearance here is either a tool to show that those that interact in one universe will interact in another OR is he working for Jacob in both realities. Either way, he had an interesting line, when he said, “They are too young to have this kind of pressure.” I wonder if this has some significance to the importance of children (like Walt and Aaron) and the role they can play in the outcome of the show. His next line was even more thought provoking: “It’s hard to watch and be unable to help.” This appears to be the exact position Dogan is in on the island. He can’t help the candidates....he can only watch.
OK....back to the island story. I really enjoyed the Jack and Hurley “old school” island trek. Specifically, I liked their pit stop at the caves from Season 1 where we revisted Shannon’s inhaler (possible foreshadowing that her legs will grace the screen again this season), Christian’s coffin (you KNOW Christian is going to be seen again), and Adam and Eve (the skeletons). I especially liked how Hurley was the voice of the audience again, talking about how Adam and Eve could be some of the Losties who travelled back in time and died in the caves. To me, this says that this long speculated theory could be wrong and that Adam and Eve are really two people other than the main characters. It also indicated that we will get an answer before all is said and done.
The other thing that struck me as interesting was when Jack and Hurley ran into Kate in the jungle. Instead of teaming up, they had a brief interaction and then went their separate ways. Think about how similar this is to the Flash-Sideways story. The characters interact and then move on. In fact as this season has progressed, the characters have all drifted further apart. Of our main Losties think about how apart they have become:
Jack and Hurley – at the lighthouse
Sawyer – with Flocke
Kate – wandering the jungle
Jin – With Claire
Sayid – At the Temple
Sun – With Team Ilana
This is as disparate as they have ever been in the series. Remember: Live together, die alone. Not a good sign for the Losties.
You can go your own way
OK...speaking of bad signs, my-oh-my has sweet little Claire taken a turn for the worse. It seems the “infection” has turned her bonkers. While I could spend all night trying to analyze Clairesseau, I’d like to focus on a couple of interesting things she said. First, you had the great reveal at the end when Claire said, “That’s not John, that’s my friend.” So, it appears that Clairesseau is already a recruit under Team Smokey. The second thing was something I only caught on the second viewing....Claire said that she is sure The Others took Aaron because “First my father told me....and then my friend”. What I thought was interesting here was that this indicates that Christian is probably not a manifestation of the Smoke Monster....and that they are two distinct entities. However, the fact that both told Claire the same lie, tells me that whomever or whatever Christian is, he’s also on Team Smokey.
That hits the high points for this week. Here are a few misc items:
- Best line of the week goes to Claire: “If there is one thing that will kill you around here, it’s infection.”
- Honorable mention to Hurley (who had a lot of good lines): “Nothin, just you know... Looking. Cuz I'm a big fan of temples, and like history, Indiana Jones stuff.”
- Hurley also said that Jacob turns up whenever he wants, “like Obi-Won Kenobi”. Remember what I said last week.... “You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”
- I have no idea what kind of skull was in Claire’s bassinette. It wasn’t a boar or a polar bear.
- Nice Season 1 (episode 5) reference....”You don’t have what it takes” mirrored in Season 6 (episode 5).....”You have what it takes”.
- One more “Alice” reference....the key to David’s mother’s house was under the rabbit.
- In case you were wondering, 108 on the lighthouse wheel corresponds to “Wallace”. I have no idea who this could be.
OK...that’s a wrap. I could keep going, but I think that is enough. I am really starting to like where this season is heading.
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