The brainwashing theory doesn’t fly because there is no point. The Others can take anyone at anytime they want. They don’t need her to spy or anything.
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Originally Posted by Richard Dickson Here’s something I wonder about – when Juliet is play “Downtown,” she seems to be trying to force herself to be happy. She almost looks like she’s just finished crying and even seems to almost break down again. What happened just previously?
Well in the book club she talks about free will, that they don’t have it there or something. I’m sure Ben and whatever they are doing on the island controls everything they do. Plus she may have been there a long time .
Originally Posted by whiskaz I love a little Lost with my Commercials. Was it just me or were there more breaks in this show than ever? Maybe it’s a testament to how great the show is but it seriously felt like they went to break every 5 minutes.
It’s like that with every ABC show. I think Grey’s Anatomy tops out at 37 minutes of actual content.
Anyway, I loved the premiere. Lots of interesting stuff but I think Dave is right about what’s going on with the three captives. It really does obscure the true nature of the Others. I hope we get some flashbacks with those guys this year to learn more about them, especially Henry and Juliet.
Originally Posted by oldgeezer The “smokey monster” is eerily reminiscent of the demons that dragged the bad guys to hell in “Ghost”. If true, it certainly sets us up for the mother of all Alfred Hitchcock style twisted endings.
How motherfuckin great would it be if “Lost” turned out to be the sequel to “Ghost”?
The ending of the show could be Patrick Swayze coming out of the clouds to take Jack to heaven, telling Kate “It’s beautiful here…” while the tears well up in his mullet-flanked eyes.
Originally Posted by The Prankster By the way, I’m now leaning towards the theory that Jack killed his father. Personally, I mean.
From halfway around the world? The hotel manager opened the door to his dad’s room and was with him when he discovered the body. What would even put the shadow of a hint of this theory in your head?
Originally Posted by Diva Love your theory. It’s much better than a brainwashing scenario. But it still doesn’t explain the kidnapping of kids and selected adults. Whats the difference between those they want and those they don’t?
There are too many unanswered questions to answer yours well.
But theories might include:
-The island really harboring some sort of infectious disease - whether that’s mental or physical in its effects. The “good” ones could be those most resistant to the initial effects. Thus, Ben’s instructions to watch and wait.
-The “good” ones could be those most suited to the Other’s ultimate plans/goals, or those who possess the necessary skills to assist the Others. I’m guessing that Juliette wasn’t always one - that she may have been “assimilated” into the group at some point in the past.
-The “good” ones could also be something else entirely.
I’m also guessing that the schism between Ben and Julie will be over ways and means. Ben seems all Malcolm Xish, and Julie seems like a bleeding heart type.
“Knowing that everything we’re learning about the Others at the moment may be deliberately planted by them for the sake of experimentation kind of takes the “reveal” out of the reveals. The best part of the episode was the pre-credit sequence, since we at least got a feel for what was “real” about the Others.”
Look at the visual echoes between the opening of this season and season 2, with Desmond putting on the record. That season ended up being all about life in the Hatch - I am pretty sure this season will be all about what’s “real” with the Others.
If the episode’s opening gave us a glimpse into The Others’ pre-Oceanic 815 routine on the island (a seemingly utopian society of some kind), I wonder why they (mostly Ben) would be so instantly prepared for the one-in-a-billion chance that a plane would crash onto their remote island. I mean, we know (or do we?) how and why Oceanic 815 crashed. Presumably, The Others knew about Desmond in the hatch. But how common is it for the electromagnetic whatchamacallit to overload and conveniently suck a fresh transport full of new lab rats onto the island for Dharma’s secret plan? Not to mention a transport full of lab rats who are somehow connected to each other in the outside world. I know the infamous numbers play into this somewhat but I hope there’s a great explanation for all of these impossible coincidences.
It seems (With seems being the key word here) that the show’s story it’s sticking to is that the plane crashed as a result as the anomaly since both events occured at the same time. I wonder if the latest anomaly is going to bring anything new to the island…
First off, I agree 100 percent with Devin on the nature of this season. I just hope the writers don’t convince themselves that the viewers are actually buying anything that Kate, Jack, and Sawyer learn directly from the Others. This could lead to a lot of disinformation that would all too clearly be apprehended as disinformation by any viewer who exercises a little judgment. That would mean a lot of wheel-spinning as we wait for the reality of the situation to be revealed.
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Originally Posted by Litmus Configuration Presumably, The Others knew about Desmond in the hatch. But how common is it for the electromagnetic whatchamacallit to overload and conveniently suck a fresh transport full of new lab rats onto the island for Dharma’s secret plan? Not to mention a transport full of lab rats who are somehow connected to each other in the outside world. I know the infamous numbers play into this somewhat but I hope there’s a great explanation for all of these impossible coincidences.
You raise some good questions.
The idea that they know about Desmond, who’s basically enslaved for the good of the apparent utopia of the Others, reminds me of LeGuin’s story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” in which the occupants of a utopia are kept happy at the expense of a single, trapped, constantly miserable child. Desmond’s situation is somehow rendered even more cruel and bizarre in that there’s an actual, demonstrable reason for him to push the button rather than it being simply a psychological experiment. He’s a slave, not just a subject.
I don’t think the Others have a contigency plan in the event a plane crashes on the island. I think that was just meant to show how incredibly on top of things Benry is – he IS in charge, and this shows that he can think on his feet.
I dunno, is the Others knew all about Desmond and the Hatch, and it was necessary for the continuation of their utopia, it seems extremely unlikely that they would just trust that a single, increasingly unstable man would never miss a time with the button or just give up. Plus there is Benry telling Locke that he didn’t push the button that one time, which was apparently a lie, but could only increase the chance that it wouldn’t be pushed in the future. What he and the rest of the Others (and I would differentiate between the two) knew about the hatch and button is still up in the air, but that particular theory doesn’t fit very well.
In the preview for next week, Henry doesn’t seem to know about the boat. He says something like, “what boat?” and then “I want that boat!” but I could have been hearing things.
It doesn’t suprise me that the Others acted so fast when the plane crashed…
Let’s not forget that the Others (for the most part) are extremely strong and elusive. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they have super powers or anything but they don’t strike me as ordinary, at all. I mean Juliette knocked Jack the fuck out…
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson I don’t think the Others have a contigency plan in the event a plane crashes on the island. I think that was just meant to show how incredibly on top of things Benry is – he IS in charge, and this shows that he can think on his feet.
I don’t know. It’s a bit like CRS in Fincher’s THE GAME. They seemed thoroughly prepared for any path or outcome the game took. Certainly, the LOST opening showed “Benry” as a decisive leader to be reckoned with but ultimately, it all ties back in with Dharma/Hanso/whatever anyway. The background information they had on Jack, the fresh food and supplies…it’s all an ongoing operation. Are they really just sitting around all day, reviewing books and gardening, with no contingency plan to account for what we’ve been watching the last couple of years, and Benry just came up with this scheme on the spot? If not, then how often do planes with connected strangers get magnetically-yanked to their fair island? Either way, it’s a lot to swallow. I hope there’s a credible answer at the end of this rainbow.
One thing that just occurred to me was how nonplussed the Others were by the earthquake that interrupted the book club meeting. They weren’t any more disturbed by it than your average Californian–maybe even less so.
Since the anomaly caused the quake, what inferences are we supposed to draw?
Originally Posted by Jason P. Thompson In the preview for next week, Henry doesn’t seem to know about the boat. He says something like, “what boat?” and then “I want that boat!” but I could have been hearing things.
I saw the same thing, which I thought was weird. I figured Henry and the Others had a pretty good grasp of everything on the island. How does a decent-size sailboat slip through the cracks?
One thing I might have missed at the beginning- what prompted Henry’s line about not being in the book club anymore? Did he say something during the actual meeting (I stepped away from the TV) or does he think Juliet is pissed that he started barking orders to Ethan and Goodwin?
Originally Posted by gravedigger One thing I might have missed at the beginning- what prompted Henry’s line about not being in the book club anymore? Did he say something during the actual meeting (I stepped away from the TV) or does he think Juliet is pissed that he started barking orders to Ethan and Goodwin?
No, he was never at the meeting in the first place. One of the other…Others remarks “No wonder Ben isn’t here” when they’re arguing about her choice of book.