So ponder this…. In the first few seasons we had several references to Alice and Wonderland….
In “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” the story was meant to symbolize a game of cards, different scenes signifying different cards in a deck….

In “Through the looking glass” Lewis Carrols sequel to Alice’s adventures in wonderland, everything is mirrored. While ALICE opens outside on a sunny day in summer THE LOOKING GLASS opens indoors on a cold winter night….

The book then goes on to symbolize a game of chess, each scene in the book signifies a different move on the chessboard including Alice (a pawn) taking two spaces on her first move. This is also depicted by Alice crossing rivers in the book symbolizing advancing into a new square on the board. The book concludes with Alice placing the King in checkmate, who hasnt moved throughout the book…

I wonder what we’d find if we analyzed lost in this sense or if Lost producers even used this as a device. Interesting either way…

http://www.TheSanatorium.com

The video is full of fun little Dharma recruiting tidbits, from interrogating a college student on his choice of a halloween costume to the DI owning Area 51 (another vile vortex?).  The video focuses on two recruitment centers of the DI, Area 51 and Portland, Oregon.  They even interview Olivia Goodspeed’s father about her disappearance and recruitment into the DI.

A couple of easter eggs even pop up in this 6 minute video.  AS the narrator discusses Area 51 you can see LOST printed on the side of an “alien spacecraft”, and one of the “strange questions” that the DI asks for recruitment is “Who is your constant?”

The MU team leaves you with a little gem at the end of the video, “This place setting is serving up mystery.”  Check out the full video at abc.com.

In the Season 2 finale,  Sayid says he doesn’t know what bothers him more, where the rest of the statue went or that it has four toes. Us fans have been focusing intensely on the fact that it only has four toes, most of us assuming that time did the statue in.

In the last episode, Locke turned the wheel in, oh, let’s just call it 1,000 B.C. The well disappeared but the underground chamber with the frozen donkey wheel did not. Initially, this was very puzzling to me. Then I got to thinking how the chamber almost has to exist out of time. That way, even though there was no foreseeable entrance to the chamber in 1,000 B.C., Locke still existed there. Even Christian came down to say a few words. Technically, he won’t be born for almost 3,000 years. Jacob, and the Chamber, must exist out of time. Not only that, Locke was transported across the world in space and 3,000 years in time. Locke was sent to where the island wanted him to be, 2007.

Now, after Locke turned the wheel,  the rest of the Losties said that it “felt different,” “like an earthquake.” Earthquake… that sounds like something that could bring a gigantic statue to it’s toes, no?

It’s safe to deduce that the island has been flashing the characters around so far this season, not necessarily moving the island in time. Except, this time is different. Locke turned the wheel and did exactly what Ben did in the Season 4 finale. He moved the island. What if Locke turning the wheel was the first time the island ever moved, physically? I’ve heard a few people talk about how the island is the lost city of Atlantis, a civilization that contributed to Egyptian’s ancient culture. To quote Wikipedia…

The island was… sunk by an earthquake and became an impassable mud shoal, inhibiting travel to any part of the ocean. The Egyptians, Plato asserted, described Atlantis as an island comprising mostly mountains in the northern portions and along the shore, and encompassing a great plain

Sound awesomely familiar? Discuss.

The Incredulity of Locke

Incredulity is the inability or unwillingness to believe.  The off-island exploits of Locke were a study in the way a person’s faith is dismantled by the harshness of real life.  With each visit to those that left the island, the roots of doubt further choked out the faith that began Locke’s evangelical mission.

How can you say to Sayid that it was a mistake to leave?  He was able, for the briefest of moments, to experience a deep and profound love.  How can you convince a Hurley that has trouble being convinced of his own reality?  How can you tell Kate, who for the first time has taken on responsibility, to ditch it for the island?  How can you tell Jack of a destiny when he questions his own importance in life?  How can he be convinced of his own importance when he leaves a trail of unfulfilled promises and brokenness.

The faith of Locke was reduced to the size of mustard seed.  And in his crisis of failure, he resorts to an act of despair.  Before being (con)vinced by Ben to give it one more shot.  Then, John blurts out the one piece of information that Ben did not have, a name that knows the way back to the island.  Locke was no longer needed.  He was no longer important to Ben.

Touching the Side

Let’s reflect on a quote from the previous episode, “316.”  Ben explained the painting “The Incredulity of Thomas” by Caravaggio to Jack saying:

Thomas, the Apostle. When Jesus wanted to return to Judea, knowing that he probably would be murdered there, Thomas said to the others, “Let us all go that we might die with him.” But Thomas was not remembered for this bravery. His claim to fame came later [pauses] when he refused to acknowledge the resurrection. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. The story goes that he needed to touch Jesus’ wounds to be convinced.

Originally, we ascribed the significance of the painting to Jack.  And to an extent, that is true.  But the scene of Locke’s attempt at suicide continues to haunt.  I am struck that the painting speaks more of John. Ben may have only been a narrator to us, not aware of the connection. Notice the position of the hand of both Locke and the painting.  Notice how Ben is kneeling before John and “praying” before the painting.

It was Locke who pledged to defend the island to his own death.  Instead he doubted everything the Island told him.  Locke had to touch his destiny to know that it was real.

The question is will Locke be a different person now?  Or, will he continue the cycle of doubt to faith to doubt?  If his resurrection has finally taken him out of this cycle, was that signified by the change in the taste of the mango?  Did his self-doubt finally die with Jeremy Bentham?

I did the best I could mostly this site as well as a few other that popped up on a google search.

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Ever since Season 5 began I have been seeing an appalling lack of time travel understanding from the LOST fan community. This came as somewhat of a shock to me, because I was given to the understanding that LOST fans were a rather clever bunch. But it is clear from recent activity in the comments of Lost Blogs and the posts at Lost Forums that a lot of fans wouldn’t know a paradox from a pair of ducks.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think the LOST fan base is as clever as ever. After all, when was the last time a Grey’s Anatomy fan traced the contents of a prop to an online game? That being said, it is obvious that some, if not most, are having trouble with the time travel aspect of Season 5. So, I decided to try to help out.

It occurred to me that the crux of the problem is that Daniel claimed the past cannot be changed, and then subsequent events seem to indicate that it can. For instance, I’ve read that some people think the past was changed when Locke told Richard to look him up on his birthday, or more recently with Danielle finding Jin upon reaching the Island and then apparently not recognizing him 16 years later.

In this article I will explain how to reconcile these two seeming inconsistencies with Daniel’s Rules. The principle I use should be general and straight forward enough to apply to any other incidents that have, or will crop up.

It all starts with ‘Walkabout’, the episode that got me hooked on LOST. When the tour guide came around his desk and we saw Locke in his wheelchair for the first time, my jaw hit the floor. That one scene made me re-evaluate Locke. I suddenly realized my information on him was incomplete, I now knew that prior to waking up on the beach, Locke was crippled. That was the beauty of the flashback as used in LOST, it allowed the storytellers to reveal facts about the characters’ past concurrently with the Island story.

Why do I bring this up? We have watched four seasons of LOST, and with very few exceptions, every episode has featured some part of the story taking place either in the past or future. We are given information about people, places or things in a non-chronological order, and to date, no one has had a problem with this.

We watch the first three episodes and we assume Locke has always had the ability to walk. But then we see him in a wheelchair, and suddenly we realize we were wrong, we have learned a new fact about Locke and we update our knowledge accordingly.

At the same time, we realize there is no direct correlation between the flashbacks and the Island story. In other words, the revelation of Locke’s pre-crash crippledness did not suddenly have any effect on post crash Locke. He did not suddenly loose the use of his legs just because the audience now knew his secret. Why not? The answer is simple and everyone reading this can answer.

Because the flashbacks happened in the past.

Because we know that the events portrayed in the flashbacks happened in the past, they effect and inform the events portrayed in the Island story, regardless of the order the storytellers decide to tell them in. This is why we can see Walt running around on the Island long before we get a flashback showing his birth. Regardless of when the episodes are aired, all flashbacks predate the Island story.

Hey guys, Tapdawg here!

After watching the premier for the umpteenth time as well as watching  Season 4’s episode, “The Constant” again, I’ve realized that the Island needs its constant to become stable again. There is no mistaking the similarities between the Island and Desmond: both are traveling randomly through time, both have damaging affects (Desmond nearly died, those stuck traveling through time with the Island are also dying) and thus both need their constant to to bring stability back to themselves.

So who is the Island’s constant? Well there can only be a handful of choices for whom or which group is the Island’s constant. Let’s take a look at the choices:

1. Benjamin Linus (Odds he is the Island’s constant: 75%)

I think Ben is a likely choice to be the Island’s constant due to his deep connection with the Island. He knows the layout, the inner workings and the special powers/properties of the Island better then anyone else, and he is afterall the leader of the on Island others. I think what Ben stated in the Season 4 finale was only partially true. Ben stated that once he turned the wheel he could never return to the island. I think he needed to finish this statement though “Once I turn this wheel i can never return to the island, without everyone else who also leaves it too”. Why else would Ben be so desperately trying to gather the O6 and make it pivotal that everyone (including dead Locke who left the island) needs to return to restore order.  Well I guess the other reason why he would put the important on everyone returning is a part of the next potential constant group…

2. Everyone who left the (85%)

Imagine if you would your computer’s has just turned off do to a poweroutage. When the power is restored your computer turns back on but will not boot to your operating system. It turns out some files on your hardrive are corrupt and missing from the computer’s memory. What do you do to fix the problem? You do a restore to a previous date when you know the files were around and if that doesn’t work you reinstall the entire operating system to get your computer working again. In much the same way, maybe when the wheel was turned it was a way to turn off the power of the island and when it turned itself back on it was missing files (ie those who left the island) and the only way for the Island to recover is to have all of these missing files returned to their proper place. But if this is the case, why not need Walt to join too? He technically has left the Island and could be a missing file. I think that since he exited the Island on the right cordinates he basically sent himself to the Island’s “recycle bin” and is thus free from the Island’s hold. So what did Mrs. Hawkins mean when she said Ben only has 70 hours? Maybe Ben only has 70 hours until the Island does a total system wipe and reinstall… thus killing everyone and everything on it. Or maybe not?

3. Just the O6 and Locke (50%)

If we are to take Ben at his word then in order for Jack and Co to get back to the Island they must go together as a group and lug around John Locke too. We don’t know if Jack has knowledge that Ben told Locke that he can not go back to the Island, however, it would appear from Jack’s interactions with Ben that Jack assumes Ben will be joining them on their trip. This theory thus has a lower chance of being correct because the viewer is also lead to believe that Ben will be joining the O6 and Locke on their trip.

Do you have any guesses as to who is the Island’s constant? Feel free to make your guesses or comments down below!

There’s a little white porch – and you wanted it so – Can you let me go down – to the end of the road/ In the black and the white – a technicolorful life – Can I stand by your side – we can make it alright/ Like home.

‘Cause I’m home – There’s a little white porch – and you wanted it so – can you let me go down – to the end of the road/In the black and the white – a technicolorful life – then another arrived – it’s a cowardly lion.

What I want from this world – what I wanna resolve – when I want you to stay – so I want you to wait – I don’t wanna be bold – I don’t wanna be cold – I don’t want grow old – I don’t wanna go HOME.

-          Breaking Benjamin “Home”

TEASER

A – The Oceanic 6 is on a cargo plane (bad mojo) and Jack takes the lead in deciding to stick to the story of how they survived on the island.  As they exit the plane, everyone except Sayid, Kate and Aaron has someone waiting for them.

A – Back on the island Jack has Faraday monitor the chopper with the sat-phone Lapidus dropped. He decides that he and Kate will go after the chopper.

Act Out- Faraday knows that the chopper is going to the Orchid and that means that Keamy is enacting the Second Protocol. He tells Charlotte “We have to get off this island, now!”

ACT ONE

A – Jack and Kate trek through the jungle while Jack bleeds on the flora. Kate points out how Jack looks a person in the eyes when he lies to them just before Milo, followed by Sawyer and Aaron, stumble across them. Sawyer and Jack conflict over who was right and wrong before Jack assumes responsibility for Sayid and Desmond (not on the chopper). Sawyer joins him in their “rescue” (Wait, you don’t get to die alone).

A – At the press conference the Oceanic 6 tells their story.

-          Jack initially lies about landing in the water.

-          Hurley takes offense to his “health” and wealth.

-          Sun says Jin died in the crash.

-          A reporter points out Kate would have been six-months pregnant when the Marshall caught her and took her on the plane.

-          Sayid says there are no other survivors.

As they leave the conference Sayid finds Nadia waiting for him. Ah, bittersweet.

Act Out – Sayid arrives back on the island ready to ferry everyone to the freighter when he learns that Jack and Kate have gone after the chopper.

ACT TWO

C – Locke, Hurley, and Ben deliver exposition just before finding a 15 year-old supply cache and signaling the Others.

B – Faraday takes over ferrying duties so that Sayid and Kate can go after Jack and Sawyer. Juliet insures that Sun is first on the raft (note: Juliet, Charlotte, Milo, Rose and Bernard seem to be the only ones still on the island when the raft launches).

Act Out – Back home, Sun takes over controlling interest in her father’s company. “Two people are responsible for [Jin's] death. You are one of them.” Sun promises to discuss the future of Paik Industries after she gives birth.

ACT THREE

A – Hurley arrives home with his Mr. Cluck’s chicken to find a coconut and whispers waiting for him. He discovers a surprise birthday party (Jesus Christ is not a weapon) with Kate, Aaron, Sayid and Nadia waiting for him. He then learns that his dad restored the Camaro, but the odometer is set to 4815162342!!!!!! Run, mad man, run!

Act Out – Hurley, Ben and Lock deliver some more exposition before discovering that Keamy is already at the orchid.

ACT FOUR

B – The raft arrives at the ferry and Sun and Jin learn that Michael is on the freighter while Desmond and Hendricks learn that something is transmitting from the freighter.

D – Jack and Sawyer find Frank Lapidus cuffed to the chopper with no Desmond or Sayid. Sawyer tells jack that “Hugo” is with Ben at the Orchid (I guess wanting to rescue Locke would be pointless).

Act Out – Jack leads his father’s wake then learns from a coma-free Mrs. Littleton that Claire was/is his half-sister. Final frame is an OTS shot of Aaron looking at Jack as Jack stares back wide-eyed and teary as HIS NEPHEW! (duh-duh-dun)

ACT FIVE /TAG

B – Michael tells Sun and Jin his story then Desmond directs him to the C-4 in the radio room. We assume the Korean Jin speaks to Sun is, “You know that raft we just came in on? Get back on it.”

A – In a scene reminiscent from Season Two, Kate and Sayid are taken by the Others, but unlike Season Two, this time we’re glad they captured Kate.

C – Ben gives Locke future exposition on what to do in the Orchid before revealing he has plan.

Montage – Sun and Aaron head toward the raft. Jack and Sawyer head toward the Orchid. Kate and Sayid head to wherever the Others are taking them. Locke and Hurley keep their heads down.

In the Teaser and Act One we learn that simply getting off the island is not going to be as easy as Jack wants it to be (oh, this isn’t a Jack-centric episode, but he’s got his stank all over it). We learn on the cargo plane that whatever happens between this episode and the Oceanic 6 getting off the island has left them all in shock, but Jack still takes control by keeping everyone focused on the story they’ll tell.

In Act Two it’s clear that everyone is willing to stick to the lie, necessary or not, except Hurley.  The first question (health) he dodges like politician and the second (wealth) he wants nothing to do with. It’s our first glimpse in how the Oceanic 6 might not keep their story.

But it is in Act two, through Sun’s story, we catch are first glimpse that “home” isn’t so sweet, nor will it be and that not everyone is going to stick to the story. Why? While Sun points out that she holds her father responsible for Jin’s death she also points out that she holds one other person responsible. There’s no need to say this to her father unless she wants him (and not just the audience) to know there’s another person. So even though we saw that the story is already unraveling at the conference we get a glimpse into how it’s going to continue to unravel . Notice in Ji Yeon that only Hurely came to see Sun’s baby and in this episode he didn’t lie. Also, Sun gives someone off the island a tiny hint that there is more to the “story.”

Act three ends with what seems to be redundancy, Keamy and his boys are at the Orchid. But what this shows is that there is going to be an unavoidable confrontation that is going to shake our survivors to their core. Is it any wonder why Act Three is all about Hurley? In television Act Three usually is the point where the hero/heroes try a new approach, but end up in the worst state. Hurley tries to strike a balance between being home and giving up the cursed money, but all signs (coconut, whispers, and numbers) point to the fact that it’s impossible (and we know that Charlie’s ghost will eventually show up). In the Act Out Hurley is concerned about what will happen to him if they move the island and he’s still on it.  Well, we know he won’t be, but the difference is that Hurley is privy to what Ben and Locke are doing. He actually understands it, therefore once he’s off the island, of the Six, he’s the only one that knows what really happened and why, but it won’t be until Hurley learns to trust himself, in fact, love himself, that he will be able to face that truth and bring everyone together.

In Act Four, everything is on island, no flash-forward, and we get a glimpse as to how matter will be resolved. There’s the raft for Sun and Aaron, and the chopper for Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid, we know that this is how they’re going to escape the dangerous situations they are in, but clearly something is going to happen to both Hurley and Sun that will distance them from the other four and lead them to being the ones that lead the return to the island in Season Five.

Is it any wonder why we began the episode with Jack being the ring leader of the falsified story, then we see him doing what Jack takes best, try take responsibility for everyone and control the outcome, but when he runs into Sawyer it’s one of the first times that we see someone point out that Jack is wrong and his only response is, “Well hiding out didn’t seem to work for you guys.” Jack is wrong, but he’s not willing to admit it and we’re seeing the first signs of that.

Now, this episode seems as just a set up for the finale, but that’s only the case in Act Five when we see the montage (that for some reason made me think of Return of the Jedi), and four factions each of our Oceanic 6 are broken down into and we are forced to wonder how they’ll come together to get off the island.

Oh, but wait! This episode still stands on its own legs as a major part of the overall monomyth because we learn how two of our main supporting characters, Hurley and Sun, will be integral to bringing about the overarching conclusion of the show.

The Season Finale will be the pinnacle of “The Reward” (See Part 4 of Journey to Redemption) where are heroes will be living the truth of their new identities and accepting the consequences.

 There is the Oceanic Six, a new identity for these five adults that will forever link them together with the island, and there are those who stay behind, but as some characters are arching for the better, others are not. Sayid has his Nadia and we know that things are not going to end well there. Kate, the fugitive, has someone to love, but when she got off the plane she was truly alone. Hurley and Sun, the guy who cares for everyone but himself and the once docile but now independent woman, cannot separate themselves from the people or events on the island.

Jack, well Jack has learned who Aaron is and it’s going to be impossible for him to continue to ignore that being on that island was destiny. When this season ends, as we’ve seen, Jack will be taking responsibility as a leader by living in denial (is this art imitating life…I digress), but in order for him to return to the island the first thing he’s going to have to do is admit he’s wrong and then start to trust those he once led.

“Can I stand by your side, we can make it alright, like home.”

Here is the 4-1-1 on Lost 411

TEASER

A – In a flashback reminiscent of Season Two’s first episode, Locke’s rebellious teenage mother, Emily, gets hit by a car and is forced into labor where she delivers a preemi-John Locke (He’s okay for now, just real early).

A – Presently, on the island, Locke, Hurley, and Ben do their take on the Three Stooges before making camp for the night.

B- Sayid and Desmond watch Keamy and his injured men return from the island.

Act Out – Capt. Gault reveals to Keamy that Michael is Ben’s spy and Keamy’s gun jams when he tries to shoot Michael. He has to settle for pistol whipping him instead.

ACT ONE

A – In a dream scene Locke meets Horace Goodspeed, who is building the cabin that Locke is looking for. Horace tells Locke to find him – while stuck on a loop. When Locke awakens with a purpose Ben laments, “I used to have dreams.”

A – Preemi-John Locke, the youngest to survive at the hospital, conquers every illness thrown at him to be abandoned by his mother and “discovered” by Richard Alpert.

Act Out – Locke, Hurley, and Ben make a “pit-stop” where Hurley learns that Ben is responsible for all the bodies in the pit.

ACT TWO

A – Richard Alpert visits five year-old John Locke (Did you draw that) and is unhappy when little Johnny chooses a bottle of sand, a compass, and a knife over a baseball mitt, a comic book, and The Book of Laws (for the best argument on what this book represents check out http://forums.buddytv.com/lost-theories/69073-island-jacob-theories.html by CathyH).

A – Back on the island, Locke finds Horace and his map to the cabin while Ben reveals to Hurley that his wasn’t his decision to purge the Dharma Initiative and that he wasn’t always the leader of the others.

B – Keamy leads a one man mutiny of the ship and opens the Second Protocol to find out where Ben is going to next.

Act Out – Capt. Gault tries to keep Desmond and Sayid safe, but Sayid knows that they must “get all our people off that island,” in order to be safe.

ACT THREE

A – With the map, Locke offers Hurley a chance to leave, but Hurley chooses to stay. Ben thinks Locke has conned Hurley, but Locke points out he is not Ben. And Ben agrees.

A – Teenage Locke is freed from a locker and given an offer to go to Mittelos in Portland, but he’s not a geek (Teacher: You can’t be a superhero. Locke: Don’t tell me what I can’t do.)

B – Back on the boat, Lapidus visits Michael and learns that Keamy plans his own island purge.

Act Out – Capt. Gault gives Sayid the Zodiac runner to rescue the Losties, but Desmond stays on the ship because it’s closer to Penny than he’s been in a long time.

ACT FOUR

A – Locke, Hurley, and Ben find the cabin (Destiny, John, is a fickle bitch).

A – Recently crippled Locke begins physical therapy when Matthew Abaddon plans the seed of a walkabout in his head after a brief discussion on the existence of miracles. (When you see me again, you’ll owe me one).

Act Out – On the B-story, Keamy forces Lapidus to fly the chopper after slashing the Doctor’s throat and killing Capt. Gault in a standoff. On board the chopper, Lapidus prepares a package for the Losties.

ACT FIVE /TAG

C – In the very brief C-story, Juliet chastises Jack just before Lapidus flies over and makes a delivery onto Claire’s tent. Jack thinks they’re meant to follow the chopper.

A – Ben “passes the torch” to Locke (It’s your time now) and John goes into the cabin alone where Dead Daddy Christian and Creepy Claire tell Locke what he must do to save the island.

Act Out – Hurley shares an Apollo bar with Ben as Locke returns from the cabin and tells them they must move the island.

At first glance this episode seems plot heavy with the mere intent of preparing us for the Season Finale. What could it possibly have to do with that overarching monomyth I keep talking about?

Looking at the A-story we can see that John is a chosen man of destiny. Seems simple enough, but take a closer look. It’s also in the B-story. If you blinked you missed it.

In Act Four when Keamy slashes the Doctor’s throat it is after we have already seen his body wash up and shore and Omar has told the Doctor about the Morse code message. It would seem like a “Neo-visits-The Oracle” moment if it weren’t for the fact that Keamy was not privy to this information.

Now, look closer at the B-story. Keamy pulls the trigger on Michael at the end of the teaser, but since it’s not Michael’s time (we assume) his gun jams. In Act Two Keamy takes matters into his own hands and opens the Second Protocols. Then of course there is the Doctor’s murder, but also notice that by forcing Lapidus to fly the chopper Frank is the one who gives the Losties a “heads-up” if you will. Sometimes his actions turn out the way he intends, and sometimes they turn out the way someone or something else intends.

Now, back to the A-story, where the flashbacks reveal that the island, or at least the people aware of the island, has been involved in John Locke’s life since his birth. Richard Alpert is the first one to show interest in Locke, but he’s not the one who ultimately influences Locke. Notice that Richard first offers Locke a test, “Which of these things belongs to you?” He’s essentially asking Locke to tell him who he is. When he doesn’t like the answer he leaves. We do not see another attempt at reaching Locke until he’s a teenager. This time, Richard simply sends a pamphlet with an invitation. He seems to have given up somewhat on Locke…but we know he’ll see him on the island.

Then there’s Matthew Abaddon, who talks to Locke about miracles and walkabouts. Abaddon is more successful than Alpert because Locke, as we know, actually attempts to go on a walkabout (which leads him to the island).

What do these two men reveal about Locke? Alpert tries to tell John who he is while Abaddon tells him how to discover who he is. This battle of free-will and predestination is juxtaposed against Martin Keamy, who takes matters into his own hands and tries to force the outcome. Both Keamy and Locke see themselves as men who make their own decisions, but in very different ways.

Let’s look at the little exchange at the beginning of Act Three where Locke offers Hurley the opportunity to leave. When Hurley chooses to stay Ben sees it as Locke progressing into a master manipulator like him, but Locke points out that he is not him. Locke was sincerely offering Hurley a choice.

Without getting too deep into the conflict between free-will and predestination, Arminism versus Calvinism (huh? Click on the link already), let me just say that if the two do indeed co-exist, then in the grand scheme of things the only “choice” you have is which side you’re going to be on.  For example, if you knew you were destined to be a leader no matter what you did, then you’d at least have the choice of what type of leader you would be. Ben seems to know how things are going to play out, that is why he always seems a step ahead of everyone and willfully manipulates others. Keamy, has no clue how things are going to play out…except he knows what he’s going to do to make things happen. Locke, thus far, has shown willingness to give and take. Sometimes destiny leads and sometimes Locke leads.

In the big overarching monomyth of the show, this episode reveals that Locke did not need to purse his destiny but instead who he would be when his destiny found him. Remember way back in season one when Charlie made the foreshadowing statement, “He’ll be the one that saves us all”? Well, it seems that Locke may be the chosen one after all.

The question now is whose side is Abaddon and Alpert on? Doesn’t one seem to be a man of science and the other a man of faith?

There are two sides. One white, one black.

First the Breakdown, then the analysis, shall we?

TEASER

A – The show kicks off with Jack being awakened (Jack, I need you to wake up) and going outside his tent to make the peace between his people and the freighties before reiterating his promise to get everyone off the island and then collapsing.

Act Out – In the future we discover that after her trial, Kate, Jack, and Aaron are living together [note: Jack wakes up and finds Kate in the shower)

ACT ONE

A - Still in the future, Jack reads "Alice in Wonderland" to Aaron and appears very fatherly.

B - While crossing the island back to the beach, Sawyer and Claire learn that Danielle and Karl are dead when Miles reveals their bodies.

Act Out - On the island, Juliet confirms Jack's need for an appendectomy.

ACT TWO

C - Juliet sends Sun and Jin to the staff for medical supplies to perform the surgery . Dan and Charlotte join them.

B - Sawyer takes a "Big Brother" (not the show or Orwellian) role toward Claire and imposes a "restraining order" against Miles.

D - There's a D story? Yes, it's very brief but it's the conversation between Bernard and Rose where they discuss the implications of Jack's need for surgery. 

A - On the island Jack wants Kate to hold the mirror for him while he directs his own surgery.

Act Out - Jack visits Hurley and learns that he has been seeing Charlie and that Charlie has a message for Jack: You're not supposed to raise him. Then he also learns that someone will be visiting him very soon.

ACT THREE

C - Sun, Jin, Dan, and Charlotte arrive at the Staff and Jin suspects that Charlotte knows Korean. [Note: Daniel goes into the Staff first]

B – Sawyer, Claire and Miles come across Lapidus, who warns them to hide from Mr. Keamy.

A – Jack and Juliet convince Kate to help with the surgery.

Act Out – Jack wakes Kate up to propose to her.

ACT FOUR

C – Jin confirms his suspicion about Charlotte and makes her promise to get Sun off the island regardless of what happens to him or his friends.

A – (Bernard: Wouldn’t you rather be dreaming about something nice back home?) Juliet begins the surgery Jack’s way, but they have to toss Kate out of the tent and chloroform his butt.

Act Out – Claire wakes up in the middle of the night to find her dead dad holding Aaron.

TAG

(This tag is long enough that it is nearly an Act Five)

A – Juliet lets Kate know that Jack loves her while he pretends to be sleeping. In the future Jack and Kate start to fall apart when he learns that Kate is doing a favor for Sawyer.

Act Out – We end on the B-story when Sawyer wakes up to find Claire missing, learns that she left with her dad, and finds Aaron a few yards away. Claire! Claire!

Now, deciphering the intent of this week’s episode isn’t as easy as last week’s when we could just follow the act outs…or is it? Let’s see.

First up, notice the number of times people are being woken up: Jack wakes up to make the peace between his people, then wakes up to find Kate in his shower, Kate wakes up to a proposal, and Claire wakes up to dead daddy holding her baby.

Bernard asks Jack about the chloroform: Wouldn’t you rather be dreaming about something nice back home? Think back to the Alice in Wonderland reference. The line that we’re clearly meant to hear is “I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is, who in the world am I?”

One of the themes of this episode is what is real and what is a dream? Jack thinks Hurley is crazy because he tells him he sees Charlie, but when Jack starts seeing his father his happy world with Kate begins to unravel. We know where this will eventually lead, but what it truly reveals is Jack’s inability to deal with reality and more importantly his inability to place faith in others based on the reality that surrounds him. Remember, Jack has been seeing his dead father since Season One, but for Hurley to see Charlie is crazy. Not only that, but the guy can’t even let a trained fertility doctor do a simple appendectomy because he doesn’t trust anyone.

That leads us to the second part of this episode – trust. This is played out in the all stories as the need to protect someone. Notice, that in the future we first see Kate in the shower. If that isn’t a vulnerable place then watch Psycho.  Jack wants to protect everyone, but he needs Kate to protect him by holding the mirror. Juliet tries to protect Jack from himself. Bernard wants to protect Rose, Jin – Sun, Sawyer – Claire, and Dan -Charlotte. What’s the one thing none of these people are trying to protect? The island! And I believe that is because none of them has learned to trust it like Locke seems to have. The big key to this episode isn’t who is dead and who isn’t, it’s that small D-story, when Rose points out that it can’t be mere coincidence that Jack is ill the day before they are set to leave an island that heals people.

The story fits into the big picture by revealing that until these people unite (for example, Jin needs to care for more than just Sun and his baby), care for one another, and protect the island, then any hope of happiness is just a dream.

It’s very appropriate that the first episode I review for my new column, “Breaking Lost,” is entitled “The Shape of Things to Come,” for it is in the shape of the story that we can best understand the underlying message.” There’s an underlying message?” you ask. Of course there is. It’s the one that allows us to see how an individual episode fits into that big, overarching monomyth I was talking about in “Journey to Redemption.”

First off, let me explain what it means to “Break” story, or to be precise, let me let Alex Epstein explain:

“Breaking a story down into teasers, tags, acts, and act outs is called breaking story” (“Crafty TV Writing” p70).

“The teaser is the first segment on the show. It’s intended to pull you in. It often sets up the A story [in Lost the A-story is often who the story is about, for example, episode 409 is "Ben's story," so the A-story is about Ben]…[t]he teaser isn’t required to have anything to do with the A story, though. It can be a quirky, scary, funny, or dramatic moment that reminds you why you like the show…

The tag is the last segment of the show…it reveals how the core cast feels about what happened. The tag is where you can establish the next threat the cast will face, or reveal that this episode’s threat has not been fully dealt with…[n]ot all shows separate their tag from their last act with a commercial; in that case your tag is both you Act Four out and your episode out [in his book Epstein points out that this the case with Lost]…

One-hour dramas have four acts [emphasis mine]…whatever the act ‘goes out on’ – is called the act out…An act out is typically a cliffhanger…[t]he jeopardy or stakes can be physical, emotional, or moral…[w]e might stay tuned to see how the hero is going to get out of this pickle…[b]ut it can be more intense to put someone the hero cares about in personal danger, instead of him…the act outs are nearly as important as the acts themselves” (“Crafty TV Writing” p66-68).

Everyone get that? Good. Let’s apply it to episode “The Shape of Thing to Come.”

TEASER

The episode opens on the B-story, as we’ll discover, when Jack takes some antibodies for his ailing tummy (“My gut says we’re getting off this island”) and a body, the freighter’s Doctor, washes ashore with a slit throat. Jack’s camp learns the “freighties” never intended to rescue them.

Then the A-story begins with Hurley, Sawyer, and Locke playing a “war-game” (“Australia is the key to the whole game”) when the phone rings and a voice says, “Code 14-J.”

The act-out of the teaser is when, after learning of the message, Ben hops up, reveals he has a shotgun, gives it to Sawyer and tells Locke, “They’re here.”

ACT ONE

We return from the commercial break with Ben transported off the island to Tunisia (supporting my “tentpole” theory) in a “flash-forward” where he evades capture by killing one man and leaving the other to die.

Jack’s group decides to make a telegraph to contact the freighter about the dead doctor.

Camp Locke comes under attack by the “militant freighties” and Claire’s bungalow, with her inside, is destroyed by a rocket (cliffhanger!!!).

ACT TWO

We return to the flash-forward where Ben checks into a hotel (“What is today’s date”) then makes contact with Sayid and reveals to him that his Nadia was murdered. Ben shows him the picture of the man responsible.

The B-story disappears in Act Two, but back on the island, we learn that Claire is still alive (I thanked God) and the militant freighties send Milo into Ben and Locke’s bunker with a walkie so they can negotiate a trade: Ben for Alex’s life.

Ben refuses to come out and we have the shocking execution of Alex.

ACT THREE

This sequence is intercut (jumps back and forth from island to flash-forward) so I will summarize.

Ben openly follows Nadia’s murderer leading him into a trap where Sayid shoots him in the back, empties his clip into him, and continues pulling the trigger (I think I counted four dry clicks, but don’t quote me on that). Sayid commits to Ben’s war and Ben’s smile reveals he has masterfully manipulated Sayid.

Back on the island Ben is recovering from the shock of his daughter’s murder (“He’s changed the rules”) and he enters his secret crypt. The others argue about what to do and Ben emerges, covered in soot, and tells everyone to prepare to run.

In what is surely the coolest act-out of the series thus far, Smokey is unleashed on the militant freighties and we realize that Ben is responsible (in the voice of Joey Styles “Oh-My-God!”).

ACT FOUR/TAG

We return to the B-story where Daniel is able to contact the freighter. Bernard reveals that Daniel has lied about the message and that on the freighter the Doctor is still alive.  Jack collapses from his stomach pain .

Then, after a stare-down between Locke and Sawyer, Hurley agrees to join Ben and Locke for a journey to Jacob’s cabin while Claire, Aaron, and Milo follow Sawyer back to the beach.

The episode ends off the island in a verbal confrontation between Ben and Charles Widmore where we learn that Charles was the one to “change the rules” and as a result Ben plans to kill Penelope ( “Holy $&!%, Holy $&!&”).

Now, as I promised, by looking at the shape of the episode we should be able to see how it fits into the overall series. In the act-outs we learn that:

1.      The war has started

2.      Widmore’s men are extremely ruthless and willing to kill innocent people

3.      Widmore ’s men are cold-blooded murderers

4.      Ben has his own weapons…and they trump Widmore’s

5.      Ben can be just as ruthless and cold-blooded

While the episode reveals that Charles Widmore is a truly powerful and dangerous adversary, it also shows that Ben is even more dangerous…and powerful. Consider that Widmore has money and resources at his disposal, but that by the end of the episode we see that Ben is not only he’s equal, but that he might even be his superior. Ben is standing tall and looking elegant while Widmore appears sick and feeble in bed.

As I stated in my conclusion to “Journey to Redemption,” Ben is the shows true antagonist and this episode revealed that, though Widmore is a powerful, ruthless and dangerous man, Ben doesn’t need money to wield power and he is extremely dangerous.

In upcoming articles I will focus on the breakdown of the show and discussing what it reveals about the monomyth. My thanks go to Alex Epstein and his fine book on television writing. I hope you enjoyed this article. I welcome your comments.

Works Cited

Epstein, Alex. “Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box; A Professional TV writer’s real-world guide to getting paid to write great television.” New York: Owl Books, 2006.

-          T. S. Eliott

I bet you were wondering if I’d quote the Doors. Fine, I will.

This is the end, my only friend, the end … of my four part “Journey to Redemption.” This is where we take a brief look back at where we have been so that we may know where we are going. This is where we figure out how “Lost” might end.

In part one I introduced you to the monomyth, or the twelve major steps along the journey.  As a quick reminder they are:

1.       Ordinary World

2.       Call to Adventure (Catalyst)

3.       Refusal of the Call

4.       Mentor/Sidekick

5.       First Threshold (Big Event)

6.       Tests/Allies/Enemies

7.       Approach to Inmost Cave (Pinch)

8.       Ordeal (Crisis)

9.       The Reward

10.   The Road Back

11.   The Showdown (Resurrection)

12.   The Realization (Return with the Elixir)

In part two we explored how the first five steps made up Act One of a story and how Season One of “Lost” was that Act One.  We learned how our four heroes see themselves: Jack – a savior (doctor), Kate – a fugitive (murderer), Sawyer – a con-man (a complicated man), and Locke – a mysterious hunter. Each have been given an opportunity to find their true identities, but because of the wounds they carry with them, they refused and needed outside help in the form of a mentor or sidekick to take the next step and cross the threshold into their journeys.

In part three we made our first startling discovery of what this journey may mean. As Season Two unfolded our heroes were tested with the question of “who are the Others?” Are they friend or foe? After realizing that Benjamin Linus was the man leading the “Others” and manipulating almost all the events on the island it became clear that he is our heroes’ true nemesis.  By the end of Season Three our heroes entered their approach to their “inmost caves” and got what they wanted: apparent rescue or an island community. The will soon learn that what they wanted was the worst thing that could happen to them. It has become clear that Season Four will end with a Crisis, bring Act Two to a close, and things will seem most bleak.

Now, with part four, let’s look at the last steps of our journey and enter Act Three.

9.            The Reward

This is the beginning of Act Three.  By this point our heroes are living their truth with nothing to lose and accepting the consequences.

Both Jack and Locke have accepted their roles as leaders of their respective tribes. 

However, Locke is a step ahead of everyone, as usual. The island has made his purpose clear; he is to protect it. We see him making decisions, under various influences, and taking responsibility for them.  Now if my Season Four predictions hold true then we will find Locke at the beginning of Season Five mounting an insurrection against the islands newest inhabitants. Ben will appear to be his ally, but Ben has already gone through this journey and he now sees himself as beyond merely protecting the island. Ben has developed a God-complex. It is most notable in that he has tried to create life where he shouldn’t; using machines and technology. What would Jacob say? Where does that technology come from? Charles Widmore. So why does Ben want to destroy him? He sees him as another God, competing for control of his universe. As in Highlander, “There can be only one.”

Jack is just starting to assume his true essence as leader. It is already obvious that at the beginning of Season Five he will try to reunite the Oceanic Six and return to the island. The question is why?  As I’ve speculated he will come to despise himself in the Season Four Finale, but that isn’t enough for him to realize he has to go back. I think the first piece of that puzzle will come early in the season (if not the end of this one) when Jack will discover just exactly who Aaron is, or more specifically, who Claire is. It will lead Jack on a Season Five journey to Australia. Where he searches his father’s mysterious past and discovers how he really died (oh yeah, I’ve never bought into the “drank himself to death” explanation).  The answer to that question will galvanize Jack’s resolve to return to the island.

But Kate is harder to convince. She’s free…so to speak. She can’t leave California but her real prison was the deal she struck to get her freedom. She has Aaron in her care because of Charles Widmore.  He is the “him” she was referring to in “Through the Looking Glass.” The whole purpose of her trial was to put the lie on record.  In Season Five Kate will be forced to re-embrace her old identity as a fugitive when she finally chooses to go back with Jack, despite knowing what returning to the island will mean for her (think Eko).

It won’t merely mean returning to see Sawyer. Though at the beginning of Season Five expect Sawyer to have been left for dead and now trapped by the island invaders (who I’m still calling the “Freighties”). Sawyer’s unique situation will give him the opportunity to see just who is on the other side. Now, being emotionally attached to the community he has joined, Sawyer will use his skills as a con-man to discover what Ben’s true goal has been all along. It’s not merely creating new life, but recreating life. The boy really misses his mommy.

With his true purpose uncovered, this will force Ben to leave the island, seemingly defeated, but now he’ll have the Oceanic Six, who are unaware of what has actually happened on the island, and he can manipulate them to his purpose.

However, by the middle of Season Five nearly all of the mysteries will be revealed and the goal will become clear: Save the island and make sure no one will ever find it again. Thus begins the road back.

10.          The Road Back

There is really only one purpose to this point of the journey – rededication. This is where the hero, realizing his true goal, must achieve it or die trying. It is often depicted as a chase scene in most feature films. It will be the second half of Season Five for “Lost”. So expect the action to be at break-neck speed and a finale that will be bigger than any “Lost” has seen thus far.

For the Oceanic Six it will mean enacting a daring plan to return to the island. I believe that through their contact with Charlotte and Daniel, Jack and Kate will discover the many “tentpoles” that hold up the island “tower.” These “tentpoles” are the areas of the world where on-island phenomena have appeared off-island (i.e. Tunisia).  If items can leave the island through these “tentpoles” or doorways, they’ll discover a way to reverse the doorway and go to the island. They’ll discover this at a price, because Ben, the one person already aware of this, will kill the man who gives them this information – Sayid.  There are many other twists and turns that I expect (Ben/Charles kidnapping Ji Yeon, Michael destroying the freighter and himself, Desmond reuniting with the Six and Penelope helping them fight her father, etc.). No one is safe.

This will make the “second purge” by Locke, Claire, Richard, and “The New Hostiles” that much more dangerous. It will be the Season Finale and it will not go according to plan. There’s no gassing the island, so it will be upfront and brutal. Expect heavy casualties – such as Claire, Richard, Charlotte or Daniel, and the outcome will most likely fail though the full outcome will not be revealed unless the Oceanic Six return in the finale.  The main thing will be that the two groups will learn that divided they could not save the island.

And now, this is it ladies and gentlemen. We’re entering Season Six. Grab a Dharma bunny and hold on tight.

11.               The Showdown (or Resurrection)

It’s the big face off and it comes in two forms. The hero faces his nemesis one last time; and, the hero makes one final attempt at living life true to their essence.  There will be many subplots resolved in this Season, but there is only one major goal: Save the island and prevent it from ever being found again.

Ben, the nemesis, knows that he’s been “outed.” No more games. He must also reach his goal or die trying. His only hope is returning to the island to destroy it. Ben will be under the belief that life cannot be recreated unless the whole process is started over. While new life may be created, he cannot bring back the dead unless he forces the island to bring itself back from the dead.

Jack , Kate, Desmond, Hurley, Sun,  and Aaron will return to the island knowing what Ben is going to attempt to do – destroy the failsafe and cause the island to collapse on itself.  Jack and Locke will finally unite as the leaders, but will they remain united? That is what will determine the Series Finale.

Jack will finally accept his role as leader/savior. He has already shown, on many occasions, that he cannot accept defeat. He cannot “let it go.” However…

Locke is a man who sees himself as the island’s chosen protector. Is he willing to share that role with Jack, let alone step aside and allow him to do it?

Their struggle will finally bring an end to Kate and Sawyer’s struggle.

Let me be more precise. I believe that they will fail. Ben will detonate the failsafe and cause the island to begin to implode. They will fail because ultimately, Locke will betray Jack in some manner, but in so doing he will actually allow for Jack to truly save them, because Jack will have to travel back to the moment of the plane crash, but he will be unable to do it alone (perhaps bloodied and weak) and the only person who will be able to help him is Kate. Sawyer will recognize this, and for the good of everyone he will let her go and she will finally make a decision to stay with someone – Jack.

This will bring us to what I have always expected to be the realization of the show.

12.               The Realization (Return with the Elixir)

In the aftermath of the final showdown we see that the hero has changed, grown, or finally figured something out. They have achieved their destiny, their true essence.

If Locke had accepted the purpose he initially sought when he entered the Swan station then none of this would have happened. But if it hadn’t, then the island, and the world, would have been destroyed (according to the Valenzeti equation) if nothing was done and Ben was never confronted. Therefore, Locke’s desire, and ultimate failure, will be his ultimate achievement.  For in allowing Ben to achieve his goal and destroy the fail safe he will provide Jack and Kate with the opportunity to travel back through time and save everyone.

Sawyer’s journey, however, has always been inward. The complicated man will finally be able to put others ahead of himself when he gives up “surviving” for “living.” He’ll place his hope in the belief that if Jack and Kate succeed, and change the outcome, that maybe she’ll choose him.

Jack and Kate, savior and destroyer, will journey back to the island, back to the plane crash, with the realization that both must face their fear. The series will end the same way it begun, with Jack waking up in the jungle, stumbling out to the plane crash, rescuing people, then finding Kate, coming out of the jungle. There will be slight differences, ones that will let us know that this time things will be different. Perhaps Kate won’t be rubbing her wrists where her shackles had been. Perhaps, Gary Troup won’t get sucked into the jet engine. Either way, the end is where we start from.

Epilogue:

All will be redeemed or face judgment. I believe Locke and Sawyer both will find redemption, while Jack and Kate are given the opportunity to try again. They’ll most likely discover that in one of the “loops” they were Adam and Eve, or that perhaps Desmond and Penelope are. Which makes us wonder, how will our other favorite characters’ stories end?

PURE SPECULATION (i.e. I haven’t done the research necessary to give a more detailed theory)

Hurley will survive to the end. In fact, he’ll be the one that captures/kills Ben after he detonates the fail safe. Of course it will be too late, but he’ll spark the idea of “creating our own luck” which will lead to…

Desmond, still alive,  telling Jack that if he goes into the “rift” created by the new detonation that he’ll be “unstuck in time” and that in “another life, brother” he might be able to prevent this outcome, or at least delay it.

Sun, who left Ji Yeon with Penelope off island, will be reunited with Jin (assuming he died on island) when she helps…

Michael destroy the freighter, thus, insuring that the only way  to and from the island is through the “tentpoles” that will be destroyed when the island is destroyed.

The whole discovery of the “tentpoles,” as I’ve pointed out will cost Sayid his life. He’ll beat the tar out of Ben once more, but this time, Ben will manage to kill him.

Ben will ultimately be judged by the island. When he comes face to face with Smokey, he’ll wish he got bounced from tree to tree.

The remaining cast – Claire, Alex, Danielle, Richard, Charlotte, Daniel, Juliet….don’t expect them to make it to the end of Season Six. I’ll miss Claire the most…and cheer when it’s Juliet’s turn!

When Season Four returns from hiatus we can watch closely to see how this journey unfolds. Will I amend this theory? No. It will neither stand nor fall based on one episode, or two, but instead based on the final two seasons. However, I will begin a new series I’m calling, “Breaking Lost” where I take each part of an episode (From teaser to tag) and analyze the structure in order to determine the intent. If each episode is a piece of the mosaic then understanding the purpose of the episode is like looking at the picture on the box to see where that piece should go. In that way, we can continue to follow the subplots while keeping an eye on the big one.

Hope you enjoyed the journey. Leave a comment to let me know what you thought.

-       Jimmy Eat World “The Middle”

Whenever I hear that song I just want to dance.

We are entering the middle of Lost. We heard the click-clack of roller coaster tracks as we ratcheted toward the apex of Season One, opened the Hatch and down we went! Opening the Hatch proved to be the end of Act One and the first major turning point for our main characters; Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Locke.  For better or worse they’re moving toward their destinies where they’ll discover their true essence.  Is Locke special? Does he have a greater purpose? Is Jack everyone’s savior? Or should he just save his self? What about Kate? Will she ever make peace with her self? And Sawyer? He’s part of a community, but is the community part of him?

Before we can answer those questions we have to take a few more steps along the journey. Now that our heroes have crossed the First Threshold and committed to change they must be tested.  If change was easy we’d all do it.

6.       Tests/Allies/Enemies

Welcome to Season Two, where allies seem to be enemies, and enemies seem to be one step ahead of everyone. Can you say, “Others?”

The main purpose of this stage in every monomyth is that the hero must experiment with various ways of reaching his goal. Often allies seem to be mentors who have gone through the journey before. They offer a glimpse of what the hero may become. Enemies are those who understand what it is the hero is after and intend to stop him by any means possible. It is in step six that we catch our first peak at our hero’s nemesis. And who should raises his battered, bloodied head in Season Two of Lost? Well hello, Benry!

More on that in a second.

If the story has romance then it is also where the object of the hero’s desire becomes clear because they recognize the hero’s true essence. They see their full potential. Now, you know why there are Skaters and Jaters galore.  But how do they see each other?

Kate sees in Jack the nobility she wishes to possess and Jack sees in her the freedom he can’t accept.  In Sawyer she sees herself as she truly is at this moment; quite selfish, however she also sees someone struggling to change for the better.  Sawyer sees in her someone he can put above his own desires, because she seems to put others above her (“There’s always someone to go back for”).  If this was a true triangle we would discuss what Jack and Sawyer see in one another, but alas.

Since Lost is not a romance, but has romance in its story, let’s get back to Benry.  It is the introduction of these “Others” and their leader that truly begins the test of our heroes.

Locke is forced to question his purpose. Is he just a button pusher? Should he listen to Eko, who believes pushing the button is the most important thing? Or to “Henry Gale,” who tells him nothing happens when you don’t push the button. Who is his ally and who is his enemy?

Sawyer spends the majority of season two with the “Tailies.” He initially sees them as the enemy, but they prove themselves to be allies. He knows who the real enemy is before anyone else seems to. They’re the people who took Walt. Sawyer knows many cons, but he can’t find any excuse for why someone would kidnap a child…at least without a ransom note.

Jack knows who his enemies are, but he gets confused as to who are his allies. Why didn’t he go to Sayid when he wanted to raise an army? He’s so driven by his need for justice that he almost forsakes his role as doctor in pursuit of the “Others” even when he finds Michael.  He won’t lower himself to their games…yet. But he will allow them to hang them self. Jack’s judgment is swift and final. You’re either with him or against him.

Kate mostly gets captured by the “Others” (sorry, had to point that out), but it is revealing. Kate is a loner. No one is her enemy or ally. They are whoever she sees them as at that particular moment. Their role is constantly shifting.

Season Two ends with two very significant events orchestrated by Benjamin Linus. There is the obvious kidnapping of three of our four heroes, but wasn’t Ben also the person who pushed Locke’s buttons? Sure, Locke already doubts his purpose as “button pusher” but it’s not until “Lockdown” that Locke becomes obsessed with discovering the true purpose of the Hatch. With the doubts Ben had put in his head he misread the purpose of the “Pearl” and did what will most likely turn out to be what Ben wanted him to do: destroy the Swan station.  If there is any doubt in your mind as to who the true antagonist of Lost is, reread this paragraph. Still doubt it? Read it again. Still? Then you’re a bigger fan of Locke than I am, because you totally identify with him.

Once the heroes have been thoroughly tested they approach the point of no return.

7.       Approach to the Inmost Cave.

This is the midpoint of every story yet the hero is closer to his goal than to he is to where he began.  He is either fully committed to his goal, has stronger motivation, or it becomes clear what he must do. Regardless, life as he knew it is over. Inside, he is preparing for a major change; moving toward his essence but still maintaining his identity.

This is Season Three (if you didn’t realize that divide six, the number of promised seasons, in half).

We see Jack, Kate, and Sawyer trapped in Otherville (eventually they make it to Otherton) where they’re each forced to accept the fact that merely surviving on the island is not enough anymore.  Is this the result of having passed or failed their tests?

We discover that pushing the button was the most important thing that Desmond would ever do and thereby we may assume that Locke’s failure to push the button means that he failed his test. He wanted a purpose, got it, but didn’t like it. Now Locke spends season three searching for a higher purpose. He’s told to clean up his mess. Once he does he’s back on his way. But is he?

The other three seem to have passed their test and now the consequences are they must face their nemesis.  Each of them is dramatically changed as a result.

Sawyer no longer confuses his allies with his enemies. He calls Jack out for supporting Juliet and even shoots an unarmed Tom Friendly. Why? Because he took the boy.

Kate is forced to depend on others. First in her escape, then in her attempt to rescue Jack, then by being handcuffed to Juliet, and finally, when Jack and Sawyer decide that she isn’t to return to rescue Sayid, Jin, or Bernard.

Jack, who was sure who is enemies were, is taken deeper. Oh, he sees Ben for what he is, but does he see Juliet? Right now, she’s an ally, a mentor even. But keep this mind. Everything Juliet has done she has done for herself. Even when she goes back to help Sawyer she’s doing it to help her standing with the new community more than she is to save anyone’s life.

Now, the most important thing about the midpoint of the story is that this is where the author is the cruelest to his hero. In order to prepare him for his greatest test (the final showdown) he must do the one thing to the character that he fears the most: Give him what he wants.

In the Season Three finale we see Jack and Kate are finally given a way off the island. Remember they were the first two to go into the jungle…with Charlie. They’re all doing everything possible to leave, but only Charlie learns, too late, that leaving is not the best thing for them. 

Sawyer commits himself to the community by going back to save his friends. He’s a complicated man, remember. Now that he has a community will he discover that he was better off alone?

And of course, Locke has found a higher purpose. In fact, he is introduced to the island’s biggest mystery, Jacob, and even sees “tall Walt,” all before lodging a knife in Naomi’s back.  Well, it beats pushing a button.

Thus, with Season Three – the midpoint – behind us, we enter Season Four.  The heroes must now deal with the decisions they’ve made. The “Losties”  are split in the first episode of Season Four between those who want to leave the island and those who want to stay.  Now, those who have gotten what they wanted and had their goals made clear must work to achieve them. But as tough as their initial tests were, these new ones will be even more difficult

8.       Ordeal (Crisis).

We’ve yet to reach the major crisis of Lost, but if you haven’t started to recognize a pattern yet then let me just say that it’s going to be the Season Four finale. So yes, from here on out we’re speculating as to how the rest of the story will unfold. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the steps ahead.

The Ordeal, or Crisis, of the story is the lowest point for the hero. Think of Season Four as “The Empire Strikes Back” of Lost. This is the moment when things look most bleak. All is lost, lovers are separated, life and death decisions are made that put everyone in great jeopardy; in general it seems as if there is no way the hero will reach his goal (become his true self). A decision will be made that will lead directly to the stories end and the hero’s ego will be destroyed (sometimes a symbolic death and rebirth occurs, go back to Doc’s article about Locke) and a Big Change will occur.

So let’s speculate.

For Locke this means that he must make a life or death decision based upon the purpose he believes the island has given him. Now, does he continue to listen to Ben? Or does Locke finally step up and become his own leader? Either way, once Locke makes his decision all will appear to be lost. He will seem to be unable to protect the island (his purpose). The “Freighties” will invade it. This seems less like a guess with spoilers for upcoming episodes being leaked, but by this point you didn’t even need the spoilers.  In fact, from here out, they’ll only serve to support the theories you and I’ll create based on this monomyth and you’ll ignore the fact that this article is longer than I promised. J

Unlike Locke, Sawyer has yet to experience his symbolic death of ego. Some might say Season Two was his death of ego (bullet, stretcher, watch the DVD and catch up already), but it was not the result of any choice he made to achieve his goal. Therefore, he’s about one step behind Locke. Expect Sawyer to put his life at risk to protect the community he chose.  In fact, Sawyer will most likely be left for dead at the end of the season. And when he first appears in Season Five we’ll all be wondering whether he’s really alive or just another “apparition” of the Island. Oh, he’ll seem that way because he’ll be much wiser than he currently is, but that’s only because he’s cast off his former self.

Jack will not experience a “death of ego” moment. At least, not the symbolic one where he looks like he’s dead. However, well all know he’s going to make a decision he’s going to regret because we saw “Through the Looking Glass.” The question as to why he regrets this decision will be revealed in the finale. I’ve not seen any spoilers, but here goes: He wants to save everyone and be noble in doing it, but he doesn’t accomplish that. In fact, he’ll have to lie and betray people in order to get what he wants. Wouldn’t that drive you to drinking? If you began to realize you had become everything you despised, like your alcoholic father, by compromising your principles for your own self preservation. Yeah, now you know why those rumors that the finale is Jack centric could have been guessed during the Season Three finale.

By now, you should be realizing some people will either have a happy ending or a tragic one. I’m going to save my thoughts on the guys until  Part Four of the Journey to Redemption, but I’m going to go ahead and give you where I think Kate is heading.

Kate took a life in cold blood. No matter what she thought she was doing, her mother pointed out quite clearly that she murdered her father, not for anyone but her self. Right now, the flash forwards make it appear as if everything is going to work out for Kate. She’s a surrogate mother free from murder charges. If she knew what the island was really about (ask Eko) then there is no way she’d want to go back. She wouldn’t be able to cut a deal.  The only way Kate can have any sort of happy ending is to be willing to sacrifice her life for another…and actually do it. For me, as I’ve watched how selfish Kate has become through out the series, this seems like the only way to redeem her character. Her end will be set in motion at the end of this season when she takes Aaron from Claire. Kate and Jack will strike a deal with the “Freighties” and Widmore to take them off the island if they give them Aaron.  Again, Kate is taking an innocent life (okay, so Wayne wasn’t exactly innocent, but he was never charged with a crime) and when she returns to the island she’ll have to give up her own.

Those are some big bombshells. I hope you’ll forgive the length (and any missed typos) as a result, but now that I’ve blown your mind put your brains back in and get ready for Act Three. We’ll journey through the last four stages and see how they impact Season’s Five and Six. Here’s a hint, some of you have argued that certain characters should be considered as main characters. Well, in order to be one of the heroes you have to make it to the final showdown.

 - Lewis Carroll “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

  
Oh yeah, the Alice/Lost connection never ends.

Every story has three main parts: the beginning, middle, and end. If you’ve ever attempted to write a story you know how vague that notion can be. Just what exactly is in a beginning? In Part Two of Lost: The Journey to Redemption, I’m going to explore Lost’s beginning in order to help us understand what it’s middle and end might be.

First, every story, no matter the genre or plot is really about one thing: Someone’s identity. The purpose of the story, or the journey of the character, is to discover the their true-self. At the beginning of the story the hero has a false identity. For example, in the film Election, Mathew Broderick’s character, Jim McAllister, believes himself to be a noble teacher who puts the interests of the students ahead of his own, but by the end of the film his true essence is one of selfishness and ambition and he must find a balance in living for his self while holding onto his noble sense of purpose.

The monomyth that I introduced in the first part of this four part article is based on Christopher Vogler and Michael Hauge’s “The Hero’s 2 Journeys.” It illustrates how the hero of every story goes through a journey of self discovery.  At the beginning of the story the hero is in his Ordinary World, living his life based on who he thinks he is, but as things quickly changes he discovers that he too must change. So it is there, in the Ordinary World, that we’ll begin.

1.    The Ordinary World

In storytelling the Ordinary World is where you create empathy for your main character. This allows your audience to see themselves in the character. You might make them powerful, or an expert, like a neurosurgeon or might hunter. You might place them in situations beyond their control, like being a captured fugitive. Or you can make them charming and likable, someone who can easily gain your confidence. 

The Island is definitely no ordinary world, but it is the one in which we are introduced to our heroes. So just who do Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Locke think they are? Well, look at the Pilot episode.

·         Jack is a heroic doctor frantically racing to save everyone he can.

·         Kate is emerging from the woods, rubbing her wrists where her shackles had been.

·         Sawyer is instigating fights with other survivors while leeching off them.

·         Locke? He’s the mysterious man sitting in the rain.

How we first see them is exactly how they see themselves.  At this stage, they’ve accepted who they are and see no need to change. They need a “godsmack.”

2.       The Call to Adventure

Welcome to the island.

The story is just getting kicked off. Our heroes are faced with some challenge to their status quo. In this case a plane crash.  But what is really happening, the subtle piece that most of us miss (great production has a tendency to do that), is that our heroes are getting a wake up call.  They are slowly becoming aware of their need to change. Take another look at the Pilot epsiode.

·         Jack and Kate, doctor and murderer (as we’ll soon discover) run off to find the cockpit in hope of making contact with the outside world and getting everyone rescued.  They’re the first ones to go deeper into the island (with Charlie) and they’re the ones that wind up wanting off it the most. Why? Hold that thought.

·         Sawyer, despite initially going to lengths to alienate his self, joins the trek up the mountain to capture the signal and when Kate asks him why he replies, “I’m a complicate man, sweetheart.”

·         What about our main of mystery? Locke tells Walt a secret.

Now, back to Jack and Kate, the two people who are presently doing everything possible to get off the island, why do they want to leave so bad? It’s at this very early stage that we see two people who are so connected to their identity that the mere glimpse of the opportunity to change frightens them so much they’ll do anything to avoid it.  This leads us to…

3.       The Refusal of the Call

The biggest obstacle to every hero is fear. It is often manifested in some external antagonist (ask yourself who are the first two people, other than Charlie, to experience the monster up close?) but it really is just a symbol of their fear to change. They’ve glimpsed their true essence and they don’t want anything to do with it. Why? It is because they have been wounded. Can you say flashbacks? Can you say daddy issues?

·         Jack’s father, also a neurosurgeon (chief neurosurgeon), is an alcoholic who sacrifices his family for the sake of his career while justifying it in the belief that he is saving lives.  Like father like son.

·         Kate’s biological father was abusive, but her paternal father abandoned her. He was unable to live with the woman he loved because she was unable to love him. Oh look, another triangle.

·         Sawyer’s family was destroyed by a selfish, manipulative man.  “Sawyer’s” real name is James Ford. ‘Nuff said.

·         Oh, and the same man who destroyed Sawyer’s family destroyed his own son, John Locke. Locke is the only person at this point in the story (Season One) to look the monster in the face and not run in terror, but does not mean he’s not afraid?

These four characters have all suffered wounds at the hands of their fathers and they are deep. So deep in fact, most of them cannot face who they truly are without the help of someone else.

4.       Mentor/Sidekick

A push is as good as a pull if it gets your character moving. They can either have someone they look up to, or someone who looks up to them. Regardless, the point is to have someone who reflects the hero’s inner conflict.  On the surface they seem as if they’re merely there to help the hero achieve their outer goal, but their true purpose it to show what the character might become.

Locke had a sidekick in Season One named Boone. He reflected Locke’s need for purpose and answers. Locke was not afraid of change, he just simply didn’t know how. Did you often get the sense that Locke explained things more for his own benefit than Boone’s? It is no mere coincidence that the two of them discover the hatch.  Presently, Locke seems to have taken on a mentor (he does seem to be acting rather Booneish don’t you think?). This serves to show that the roles are not permanently set and that the steps are sometimes repeated, out of order, or even skipped (see, simply knowing the pieces of the formula doesn’t automatically generate a good story).

In fact, Jack has only recently discovered his mentor. In season three he meets Juliet, another brilliant, wounded doctor, except she is not wrapped up in the past. Juliet is all about the future, in particular, babies. Having found a mentor late in the story doesn’t bode well for Jack (one could argue that Sayid has been Jack’s sidekick, and I’m sure one will), but it’s even worse for Kate.

Kate’s mentor, or sidekick, has yet to be revealed.  At times she seems to play the role of sidekick, but she is so wrapped up in her identity that she’s never really aligned her self with anyone. Why do you think she keeps going back and forth with Jack and Sawyer?

Speaking of Sawyer, yes, he has both a mentor and a sidekick; Locke and Hurley, respectively. Hurley is a reflection of the childhood that Sawyer had stolen while Locke is the man of purpose Sawyer might yet become. At this point, Sawyer seems in the best shape…but he didn’t have them until Season Three.

Whether it’s a mentor or sidekick the hero is enabled by their outside force, their “supernatural aid” according to Joseph Campbell, to take that first step toward their true essence.

5.       The First Threshold

The hero’s life is changed in a big way. They now have a goal to pursue with a visible finish line that the audience can imagine . They are now taking the risk of stepping toward their true essence.  For our heroes this occurs in the Season One Finale, “Exodus” and the Season Two Premiere “Man of Science, Man of Faith.”

For Locke it’s obvious (probably because in Season One he is the only one to have a mentor/sidekick). It’s when he opens the Hatch. He is now fully committed to discovering the purpose that has been hidden from him his entire life..

Sawyer appears to be leaving the island, but what did he really do? He committed himself to a group of people. He knows that in order for him to survive he can’t do it alone. Even later when he allies himself with Locke you have to wonder, was it more for survival as he told Kate, or was it for the people that he truly feels closest too.

Jack still wants to do everything possible to rescue “his people.” He refuses to go into the Hatch (clearly a representation of the island itself). Without a threat he sees no purpose in pursuing the mysteries.  But remember, he’s a man of faith, he just doesn’t know it yet.

And with Kate, again, it’s her inability to remain in her identity. She switches from Jack to Locke in order to enter the Hatch with no clear explanation as to why. Yet, could it be that Kate has no need for a mentor or sidekick? Or perhaps, she has not yet glimpsed the need to change (at least not before the end of Act One) For her sake, I hope it’s the latter.

Now, with the First Threshold crossed, so ends Act One, and as I said (even underlined) by this point the finish line should be one we can imagine. Based upon what we know thus far, even without looking at Season Two or Three, we can see that:

·         Locke will either find his purpose through the island or die trying

·         Jack will rescue everyone or die trying

·         Kate will either save herself and lose her soul…or save her soul and lose herself

·         Sawyer will either sacrifice himself for the sake of the community or sacrifice the community for the sake of himself

Seems rather vague doesn’t it? At this point you were expecting a clearer picture. Well this is just Act One. In order to get to the end we have to start and the beginning and make our way through the middle. In Part Three of our “Journey to Redemption” I’ll lead us through Act Two, the middle, and show you how you can be certain that Benjamin Linus is the main antagonist of Lost (yeah, take that for a revelation) and how getting what you want can actually be the worst thing for a hero.

Oh, and it will be more brief.