Official "This Place is Death" Analysis Comments!

[brian]

I can't believe I just suggested Faraday is going to be a bad guy! 

[Sodfather]

you backed up your assumption with a logical argument, Brian. I am wondering if there is already some sort of repercussion to Faraday turning bad and Ms. Hawking knows that, hence why she is involved. We really don't know anything about those "auxiliary" Others Ben has been keeping contact with on the mainland. I beginning to wonder if they are kind of the Others junior varsity team, or maybe something entirely different that Ben has found a way to manipulate.

[the Other Brian]

Another super analysis, Brian.  I still don't think Ben did anything to the FDW on purpose.  And it seemed to me (I'll have to go back and watch again) that Desmond was starting to do a very appropriate "wait a minute...I know that woman...she's..." at the end of the episode.

Another thing I'll have to go back for: Rousseau pulling out the firing pin.  I missed that entirely and thought the gun just misfired (which was a rather weak cliche).

Faraday being a bad guy...say it ain't so...but you make sense.  At least his "badness" will be well-motivated, if it happens.

And I'm still wondering: who is/was Faraday's caretaker?  I know that's gonna be a huge reveal at some point, or her face wouldn't have been hidden. 

[fish3k1]

Brian, your theory about Faraday deliberately exposing himself to radiation to become the 'Anti-Desmond' - how about we take it one step further?

What if Faraday, in his desire to become 'uniquely special' and exist outside the rules, goes back to that cave from Because you Left and drills just a few inches more... and causes the Incident that prompted DHARMA to make the button in the swan hatch!

Considering how much pre-determinism there seems to be going on in the show at the moment (loved the bit with Sawyer holding the rope, I'm so with the people thinking that's why DHARMA dig down in the first place), this would actually fit right in - without Desmond, Faraday would arguable never have come to the island (the key would never have been turned, the island never found) but without Faraday, Desmond would never have been in the hatch and turned the key. Awesome stuff!

[DakkonA]

Fish3k1, I think you're on to something. But the incident wouldn't have happened at the Orchid, it would have happened at the Swan... that's where the big electromagnet was. If Desmond got it there, maybe Faraday will try to get his dose there too, and cause the Incident.

[Alec]

I had a 4-in-the-morning thought that has stayed with me: Faraday finds a way to save Charlotte, they skip back in time, and they become the Adam and Eve in that cave from season 1.

[Katie Kat]

This is a really interesting line of thinking... and right up the LOST writer's alley (pardon the weird imagery)!  Especially with all the uncertainty about who is "good" and who is "bad."  It would be amazing if Ben, whom we always felt was bad was actually good, and Daniel, whom we always thought was adorable and good, was bad.  I like it!

But I still think Kate and Hurley and Sayid will have to go back in order for everything to be set right.  And Aaron, of course!

[Di]

I would also expect Mrs. Hawking to say something to Desmond, because in the past, we have seen her know about Desmond’s future (i.e., she told him he wasn’t going to buy the ring because he had to go to the Island).  I would think she might be expecting Desmond at the church and she’ll say something like, “Good, you’re supposed to come with us,” or else, ”You’re not supposed to be here.”  Maybe next episode.

There does seem to be a lot that's not clear about what Daniel is up to, and his character could be taken in different directions.  He knows a lot--he knows about the rules of time travel and seemed to know something about the skipping when it started.  He even said that they should get to something man made.  He also knew that Desmond is special and that he could sneak off and give Desmond a message and it would somehow get transmitted.  I don't remember--was it explained how he knew that?  He could have learned about Desmond from his mother.

But are Daniel and his mother on the same side?  Mrs. H and Ben seem to be working together, and Ben is working against Widmore.  And yet Daniel was recruited by Widmore, and didn't Widmore fund his research in the past?  Perhaps Daniel was willing to work for Widmore just to get to the Island, where he is really working for his own interests. 

[Katie Kat]

I think Daniel and Widmore are in the same boat.  The only way Daniel could get "back" to the Island was to take $$$ from Widmore.  He may not technically be "evil," but he is definitely against Ben and the O6.  (Well, maybe).  Mrs. Hawking and Abaddon, etc. I think are like "Grid Managers" in my best friend's book.  People who oversee the whole dimension, but are not technically good or bad. 

I know... obscure reference!   

[Di]

Katie Kat--What book is it?  I agree, Mrs. Hawking is on a different level, an overseer of some sort.  And maybe her friend the monk is too, because he was involved in getting Desmond on his path.  Abbadon--I suppose.  He recruited Charlotte, Daniel, and Miles, and he must know something about them to know that those people are relevant--stuff that few would know. And we saw him with Locke in the past, so he is definitely involved with many things related to...destiny?   

I do see Widmore as a bad guy--He treated Desmond like crap, and he was ill-tempered and haughty even as a young man, not to mention being willing to cut people's hands off.  But then--Ben will go pretty far too....

Have we seen Daniel start bleeding from the nose yet?  I'll have to rewatch--several people started at the end, Sawyer and Juliet--maybe not Jin and Locke.

[Ben]

I noticed three things in just watching the first half of the episode this morning I thought interesting.

1.  The guy who lost his arm never made it back out of the temple.  His body was not on the beach.  at least that we saw.

2.  YCFL (Young Crazy French Lady) can hit someone from 20 feet inbetween the eyes, but from 35 feet, she is only able to hit plants. 

3.  Why did Sawyer and the other skipping survivors assume Jin was skipping as well.  Maybe this is just an issue with consistency, but Jin had just jumped which means they could really be in any time, and I can't imagine they saw him before the jump.  But Sawyer pulls a gun on him.  They got lucky that wasn't 2003 Jin. 

Other random thought:  I still have a problem with the fact that we've advanced 3 years in O6 timeline, but that the skipping survivors have only lived about 3-5 days. 

And agreeing with Brian, what is this Grave danger that they are going through.  Last seaons they were saying they have to go back because of what everyone is going through.  Nose bleeds?  doesn't seem that grave to me.  (I guess Charlotte wouldn't agree though)

[Katie Kat]

Di:  It's the Quest series (Oracle Quest is the first one) by Lisa Wright DeGroodt (I know, WEIRD with the DeGroodt thing, huh?)!  They are really wonderful and you can get them at amazon.com (sorry for the blatant plug  )  Give 'em a try!

Ben - I hadn't even thought about the French armless guy not coming out of the temple.  Hmmmmmm...  Also, I think CFL couldn't shoot Jin for the same reason that Locke couldn't shoot young Widmore.  It wouldn't make sense in the timeline, because we know Jin didn't die back then (he's still alive in 2004, etc.)

I think the 3 years in O6 time vs. 3 days in skipping survivors time is probably because they are skipping through time, so there is no real "now" for them.  Time isn't moving at a normal rate because they are all over the place.  Sometimes 10 years may have passed and other times it's only 10 minutes. 

[Greg]

The scene where Sun talks to her daughter on the phone and says (paraphrasing) "I have a new playmate for you - his name is Aaron" at first blush seems a throwaway scene, but rarely do the Lost writers do that.  I think that Aaron and Ji Yeoung will play a role *together* in the future...
I know it doesn't make much logical sense, but could *they* be Adam and Eve?

[Trip Turlington]

Just curious: Why/how would a man whose arm was ripped off come out of that hole, especially with no medical attention? Is it not safe to assume that he probably died from bleeding out down in the hole? I mean, I'm no doctor...and we have no idea what happened once he was down there, but I'm pretty sure you need to do some follow up after your arm is ripped/pulled/torn off. The other Frenchies that became "sick" on the beach were alive and well (with all of their respective appendages) when they ran down there after their friend, allowing them to become hosts for the "sickness" or be "brainwashed" or whatever happened to them in the hole. A recent involuntary amputee doesn't seem to be a fitting candidate for whatever it was that happened to the rest of the crew before CFL shot them. I haven't seen any Frederick Sykes references lately LOL 

Katie: Shooting Jin in 1988 wouldn't kill Jin in 2004 or cause him to cease to exist. If "skipping Jin" dies in 1988, he never would have gotten there if "2004 Jin" didn't crash land on the island. Just because the "skippers" experience something during the past in their time travels does not mean their 2004 self will remember it or be directly affected by it, because the "skipping" versions of their selves are future versions of those people. So if the "skippers" die in the past (say Jin in 1988)...everything that happened in their life before that point (regardless of where it is in time) had to happen (like Jin and Sun crash landing in 2004). 

For example, Locke was shot by Ethan (presumably in the past since we all know Ethan is dead). At no point in any season before this one did Locke ever keel over and magically form a bullet scar on his leg, because it had not happened yet. It doesn't matter where they are in time...because for the "skipping survivors", time is still moving forward for them, regardless of where they are in time.

Ben: As for the 3 year gap, I have only 1 viable theory, and I may be totally off: Our skippers, will at some point flash to where the O6 are in time, and the O6 will return to the island. The island will do whatever Locke thinks it will do and the skipping will stop, effectively making the "skippers" lose 3 years in the worst case of daylight savings time EVER, -OR- the island will skip back to the time when the O6 left, making them effectively gain 3 years. It's not the best theory, but it's the most viable I can come up with right now, with all things considered.

[Ben]

Trip:  I agree, just thought it was interestging that they didn't pull him out and try to save him, or if he was even still alive when he was calling for help.  Not that it matters much I guess.

About Jin not able to die, I agree, Frogurt unfortunately is proof that time travelers are not unkillable,  at least I hope not, he's be pretty miserable if he survived that.  I think her point is valid about Locke not shooting widmore, but widmore was able to kill his partner just fine.  Weird.