The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

My mother may never watch Lost with me again. Two weeks in a row with nary a glimpse of Sawyer. A role in the previews for next week does not count, I assure you.

Unlike last week’s episode, Jeremy Bentham was an exceedingly difficult episode to watch. As you may know, John Locke has always been one of my favorites. It was his shamanic role in the first season that solidified my affection for him, as his comments gave his cohorts insight into their lives and circumstances. I’ve also been fascinated by his search for his destiny.

But clearly, off the island, John is miserable, no matter which philosopher’s name he bears. As Jeremy Bentham, he finds himself crippled again, depending on a wheelchair and an uncanny driver (one question was answered for me – I had wondered if John would return to paralysis once he left the island. Apparently his spine is healed. However, his body clearly does not heal as quickly off the island as it did on the island. A few more thoughts on that later.). Off the island, John is disabled, helpless, and at the mercy of others. John left the island with a mission – to bring the Oceanic 6 back to the island. Usually, John responds with passion and alacrity to any mission. But in Jeremy Bentham, he is weak, unpersuasive. None of the Oceanic 6 believed in him, and he spoke with no messianic fervor. He seemed half the man he once was.

However, upon awakening on the Hydra Island, his leg wound appears healed – John walks with no assistance. I cannot remember – if you do, let me know – whether John also recovered from the wounds he sustained from the car accident. And of course, John was healed from the biggest wound of all – strangulation.

Some remaining thoughts:

• How frustrating is it that no one ever asks the right questions? John had numerous opportunities to ask questions , of Widmore, Abaddon, and Walt, yet he failed to.
• Most disappointing scene: John with Walt. Remember the connection between Walt and John in the first season? John sensed something special in Walt, something that Michael never seemed to pick up on. And who can forget how Walt saved John in the third season’s “Through the Looking Glass”, reminding Locke of how much work John still had to do? The only sign of this in Jeremy Bentham was John’s wave toward Walt. John seemed to have forgotten Walt’s connection with the island, and seemed to ignore Walt’s dream as just a dream (really John? Just a dream? Is anything on this show “just a dream”?). But the most disconcerting issue of all for me was the lack of continuity. In last season’s “There’s No Place Like Home,” Walt visits Hurley who is in the mental hospital, asking why none of the Oceanic 6 never looked him up. He added, “Do you know who did come see me? Jeremy Bentham. ..” In the scene we saw in Jeremy Bentham, John never told Walt his alias. Was there another meeting we haven’t seen yet? Or is this yet another dream of Walt’s? And I must agree with Brian – the actor who plays Walt could use some acting lessons.
• One of my favorite scenes – John with Hurley! I loved how Hurley figured John was just another poltergeist visiting him. When John, justifiably confused, asserts that he still lives, Hurley asks the staff if they see him talking with a guy in the wheelchair. When he gets a yes from the staff, then Hurley gets upset.
• My other favorite scene – John with Jack. Jack engages in what may have been his last stand against John’s belief in destiny. Indeed, Jack looks dissipated, bloated, and as weak as Jeremy Bentham was. And how shocking for him to learn that John knew Christian.
• I have come up with a timeline for Sayid. Assuming that the Oceanic 6 have been off the island a full three years, Sayid was married to Nadia for nine months, worked as an assassin for Ben for 2 years, and therefore, has been involved in the pseudo-Habitat for Humanity for three months. Give or take. I also love that Sayid is working in Santo Domingo as atonement for his “work” with Ben.
• Kate either really hated her on-island life or loves her off-island life. She seems remarkably uncaring about those left behind, though she actually might think that John is delusional.
• How cool that John honored his promise to Jin. I almost want to take back what I’ve been thinking about Locke – he really is a better man than Ben.
• I was surprised by Abaddon’s early demise. I thought he might have a similar role as Richard Alpert. I hope that we see him again, even if only in flashback.
• I almost believed in Ben. I thought he really did care about Locke, and believed that John’s continued survival was necessary to the survival of the island. But Ben continues to surprise. So, what made him do it? John’s mention of Eloise Hawking sparked Ben’s murderous behavior. But why? Was it the one piece of knowledge that Ben needed to return to the island? Or was it the reminder that John has communication with Jacob and has supplanted Ben? Or maybe Ben believes that he can return to his place of prominence if John is eliminated? Or maybe all or none of the above. Who really knows with that recalcitrant Ben?
• Neither Ben nor John “flashed” onto the main island. Neither did Lapidus or “a woman”. Could that woman be Sun? We’ve seen Jack, Hurley, and Kate on the island, but no Sun or Sayid.
• Ben certainly doesn’t seem to heal on the island like John does. He doesn’t deserve to.
• Who is Caesar? Who is Ilana?

These last two episodes have felt like placeholders for me. I feel like next week we should return to the rocking ride that will have our noses bleeding again. I’m really looking forward to it.

Initial Thoughts on 316

So, I've a spare moment, so want to list out from this episode what I hope the remainder of the season will share with us:

• What in the world led to Kate's surrender of Aaron? Clearly, she was devastated, and she actually looked like death. Did Sun do or say something that forced Kate's hand? Is Aaron on his way to become Ji Yeon's playmate? Or is he on his way to Australia with his grandmother? What, if anything, does Ghost Claire have to do with this? (Remember, she told Kate last season "Don't you dare take him back to the island"?)
• How in the world did Sayid get arrested? Is he being extradited to Guam? Who's the officer? Like Kate, he didn't look very healthy...
• What happened after Hurley's release that led him onto the flight? And how awesome that he bought all those tickets to prevent unintentional deaths. Ben showed his nastiness again, not caring what happened to the innocent passengers.
• What happened to Ben? I am seriously hoping that Penny is alive (a reviewer noted that Ben was at the dock where Desmond and Penny's boat was docked. I don't know how they knew that, though) and Desmond beat the crap out of Ben. I hope to see that fight too.
• Who's that guy that told Jack how sorry he was about his friend's death? He looks suspicious to me.
• How cool to see Frank Lapidus! I should have anticipated his presence, but just didn't think of it. I had forgotten, but was reminded, he was supposed to pilot Oceanic 816. I also loved his comment, "We aren't going to Guam, are we?" Well, probably not...
• How in the world did Jin become a member of the Dharma Initiative? Clearly, the 316-ers found themselves in Dharma Initiative time (which makes my nose bleed to think about, so I won't, not yet at least). How long has Jin been there that he's become a part of them? Why wasn't he considered a "Hostile"? Are Juliet, Sawyer, Daniel, and Miles there too? Is this when Daniel accidentally run into Marvin Candle (see premiere)? Will Miles run into his baby-self?
• An exploration of Hawking's relationships with Ben and Widmore are in order.
• Where were Sun, Sayid, Suspicious-Looking Man, and Sayid's Captor?

It didn't occur to my mother until today (Thursday) that Sawyer didn't pop up once. I fear that he may not pop up next week either. That would be sad - we've not had nearly enough of the Left Behinders, in my opinion. That said, I'm looking forward to seeing "Jeremy Bentham" next week. And what made him leave such a message to Jack? I hope that time will tell...

I don't know that I'll have more thoughts about this episode, but if I do, I'll post them. I feel like we saw the "white bread" version of their return to the island. Jack seems to be keeping himself deliberately blinded to the cost this return is having on all his fellow 316-ers, including Ben.

What did y'all think about the episode?

A Bigger Delay Planned

Well, my fellow Lost Followers and Fans, it turns out that I will be able to watch Lost uninterrupted tonight (depending on my brother's arrival to town - hopefully he planned it for after the show). However, because of circumstances, my brain will be most likely unable to put forth a coherent post. I still plan to take notes, and will post as soon as I can. But no guarantees as to when!

In the meantime, enjoy the show!

A Day Late, A Dollar Short?

Dear Lost Followers and Fellow-Fans,

As many of y'all know (hi Lori!), when Lost is on, I make no plans. DVR be damned, I'm going to watch Lost no matter what. Anything that could happen on a Wednesday could surely be scheduled for any other night that Lost is not on. And if not, oh, well. After all, Lost is only on what - 16 episodes per year? Sixteen weeks is surely not a big sacrifice for such an important show.

That said, as some of y'all know, there is a serious illness in the family, and this is my week to be in Alabama to help. I drew figurative straws with my mother, who is amazingly enough a huge Lost fan, mainly due to her undying infatuation for Sawyer (she has excellent taste, that mother of mine), and I drew the figurative short straw. This means that even though I'll be in a room with a television, my "short straw" duties may distract me from the full enjoyment of the show.

Never fear, however, the trusty DVR is working overtime in Chicago, and I will be sure that Lost is on the menu first thing Thursday evening when I return. If I am not able to watch the full episode on Wednesday night, that means I will not have a post about the episode until Friday evening.

Either way, I hope to have a post Thursday night about the sacrifices suffered by our Losties, especially in terms of "This Place is Death," and some thoughts about the differences between "reincarnation" and "resurrection".

Namaste!

This Place is Death

RIP Charlotte Staples Lewis. We hardly knew you. I have to admit that I was sad to see Charlotte go. I liked her, but I also felt that as a character she was woefully underused. But something tells me that we will be seeing her again…

So, here are some thoughts about last night’s episode.

- Isn’t Ji Yeon adorable? Sun actually looked a lot like the Sun we used to know while talking with her.
- Did Sun tell Ji Yeon she was bringing Aaron with her? Is she planning to kidnap him? Then, she left Aaron alone in the car!
- I was wrong – Sun was gunning (pun intended) for Ben, not Jack. Not that she really likes Jack either…
- Ben’s temper tantrum was priceless!
- So, is it a monster or a security system? Either way, it killed Nadine, and dragged Montand down a big, dark hole. His arm just popped out! Freaky, hunh? More on the “Temple” that he was dragged into below.
- What did y’all think of the showdown between Robert and Danielle? I truly thought that she was crazy and Robert really wasn’t “sick”. That is, until he tried to shoot her.
- What a happy reunion between Jin and Sawyer! Until Jin asked about Sun.
- Fun time – watching Sawyer try to explain time travel to Jin. Jin demands a translator. Everyone assumes that all Asians can speak the same language apparently, as Miles declares, “Um, he’s Korean; I’m from Encino.” No one, even Daniel, realized Charlotte could speak Korean. Her other languages: Klingon.
- Why was Charlotte reluctant to show off her Korean speaking skill, anyway?
- As time shifted more often, it caused them all pain. Daniel, Locke, and Jin seem to be the only ones not bleeding from their noses.
- Charlotte suffered the most, however. As her brain skipped through time, she warns Jin, first in Korean, “Don’t let them bring her back! This place is death!” She then tells Locke, et al, to look for the well.
- Charlotte reveals to Daniel that she had been born on the island and spent part of her girlhood there as a member of the Dharma Initiative. A crazy man had approached her, telling her to never return to the island or she’d die. “Daniel, I think that man was you!” Then, after requesting a chocolate bar, she dies.
- Locke promises to tell Sun that Jin had died. I think he means it.
- Christian Shepherd continues to guide Locke. I assume he’s still on Jacob’s dime, but he never said. He chastises Locke, “I said you have to move it, John.” After John protests that Ben wanted John to lead the Others, “Since when did listening to him get you anywhere worth a damn?”
- Ben seemed surprised when Desmond showed up to look for “Faraday’s mother.” Did he not know that Mrs. Hawking was Faraday’s mother?
- And didn’t that Mrs. Hawking look scary as hell?

Parting thoughts…

- Montand was dragged by the smoke monster into the Temple. The Temple is where Ben told the Others to go, and where he tried to send Alex, Danielle, and Karl. Despite losing an arm, Montand sounds amazingly calm for a guy who’s been dragged into the ground by smoke and just lost an arm when he calls for help. Danielle would have joined in the rescue effort had Jin not stopped her. I wonder, did the Temple make the Frenchmen sick? Would they have all survived had all, including Danielle, rescued Montand? And I noticed that we only saw two bodies before Danielle killed Robert, two bodies that each had both their arms. Where was Montand’s body?
- Why couldn’t Christian help Locke? Because he’s a ghost?
- Locke has said a number of times that Boone was a sacrifice for the island. Now it seems that Locke must be the sacrifice for the island too. I guess it’s a good thing that he’s now in the reincarnation van.
- Charlotte remembers Daniel from her past in the Dharma Initiative. We’ve already seen him there. In my opinion, it was Charlotte’s past but Daniel’s future. I don’t think he’s been there yet.

What did y’all think?

A Primer on the French

I’d heard that we’d learn about Danielle Rousseau this season, but I couldn’t figure out how. Turns out, skipping through time is the perfect device, now that Keamy has killed her. But I was a little concerned, because I couldn’t remember much about what we’ve learned about Rousseau’s team. So, I did a little investigating, and found the following:

Danielle arrived on the Island in 1988 with a scientific team of six members. She was seven months pregnant by Robert, another scientist who was on the same team. In Solitary, Danielle told Sayid that her team was 3 days out of Tahiti when their instruments malfunctioned. Their ship crashed into rocks and the team made a temporary camp on the island.

In Numbers, Danielle told Hurley a different story. Her team picked up a transmission of a voice repeating the numbers and the team changed course to investigate. It took them weeks to find the radio transmission tower near the Black Rock.

The team was on the island for two months when five became “infected”. They were apparently near the Black Rock, in “The Dark Territory”, where, apparently, Montand lost his arm. Rousseau claimed that the sickness took the members of her team one by one, but she did admit to killing Robert. Maybe she killed them all. She claimed she did this because of her fears of spreading the infection should they be rescued. She told Sayid that she believed the Others infected her team. She also claimed she never met the Others, just heard their whispers.

After the sickness came on the team, Rousseau changed the transmission. In French, it says, among other things, that they are all dead, it (or he) is outside, that Brennan took the keys, and if anyone can help, she’ll try to make it to the Black Rock.

Around the same time, she gave birth to her daughter, named Alexandra. She told the survivors that she delivered the child herself. Mother and child were together for a week, when Rousseau saw a column of black smoke. That night, her baby was taken from her.

We’ve now met all the members of the team mentioned: Danielle, Robert, Montand, and Brennan. I’m hoping that we spend some time in 1988 to learn more. And I have to wonder, will their rescue of Jin change time? We’ll find out. Soon I hope.

The Little Prince

Jin’s alive! Jin’s alive!

Okay, so I always figured he was. But I was afraid they would drag it out until next season (I don’t know why), so I figured he was floating around on the ocean, or perhaps on some beach unconscious, skipping through time with our Left Behinders, but unseen. However, the producers seem to be committed to making sure that they provide as many answers as they have questions, without dragging it out. And are they delivering!

Did anyone else feel like their brain might be bleeding while watching this show today? If so, just think of it as really bad jet lag.

So, some thoughts about the events of “The Lost Prince”:

- I was actually touched when Kate told Jack that she was always with him.
- Was anyone else nervous when Kate left Aaron with Sun? And Sun’s idea of childcare is candy and TV? Where is Ji Yeon anyway?
- I actually prefer my chocolates without a gun. Someone’s been spying on either Jack or Ben (or both). An aside, someone with way more patience than I have noted that the documentation talked about a woman, not a man.
- Locke’s going to bring back the Oceanic 6 “even if it kills me.” And do all leaders of the Others come equipped with the ability to manipulate people? He did such a good job working on Sawyer, Ben would have been proud.
- Jack’s been suspended from the hospital for substance abuse. The female doctor chewed him out, then left, allowing Jack to continue treating Sayid.
- Somehow, no one heard Sayid’s fight with Tranq Doc. And Sayid really knows how to work an IV line.
- I was almost in tears as Sawyer watched Kate deliver Aaron and care for Claire. Why didn’t he try to talk to them? Touch Kate?
- You can really tell Kate’s still hung up on Jack, as she watched the now beardless Jack come to rescue her. He even told her at one point, “Let me fix this.” Oh, Jack.
- Miles and Juliet are developing signs of the time sickness. Daniel theorizes that some are showing signs sooner because they’ve been on the island longer. We already know that Charlotte was born on the island (Ben knows her parents). As for Miles, this further strengthens my theory that he’s Marvin Candle/Pierre Chang’s son (see my comments on the premiere). Some people are theorizing that Juliet must be Annie, Ben’s friend from the Dharma Initiative, but I don’t buy it.
- Who’s shooting at the Left Behinders? Some internet theorists think it is either the Left Behinders in another time or the Oceanic Six.
- I was really glad that the boat didn’t disappear when time skipped. That would have been inconvenient.
- I was totally thrown off by Claire’s mother – I just knew she was Norton’s client. Which, I guess, she is. Just not in the case to remove Aaron from Kate. No real surprise that it’s Ben.
- The van that Ben and Sayid are in (with Locke’s coffin in tow) bears the name ''Rainier-Canton''. Far better minds than mine realized that it is an anagram for “Reincarnation”. Talking about Locke, perhaps?
- The Left Behinders found an Ajira Airways water around the canoe-type boats. Ajira is Hindi for Island (according to some internet theorist – do I look like I know Hindi?). Apparently, we’ll see them again.
- And how cool to see Rousseau! A pregnant, in-love, hospitable Rousseau. If only that could last.
- Jin’s alive! Jin’s alive!

Favorite Lines of the Night:

Sawyer: [As the bright light indicates a time change] Thank you, Lord! [They emerge right into a dangerous storm] I take that back!

Ben to Jack and Kate: No, Jack, she’s right. It was me…Sorry.

Several things struck me this episode:

- Sawyer and Locke have very different perspectives about their pasts and what is happening to them. Locke was preternaturally calm and philosophical. He needed the pain he experienced in the past to get to this point. And he seems to like where he is. Sawyer on the other hand is fatalistic – telling Locke that what he saw in the jungle “don’t matter. It’s gone now.” When Juliet asked Sawyer why he didn’t touch or talk to Kate: “What’s done is done.”

- I had forgotten that Kate delivered Aaron. How appropriate! Both Kate and Claire have been with Aaron since birth. Kate even told Claire that “This baby is all of us.” They’re both his mother.

Next week, it appears that Sun confronts someone with a gun. It looks like she really is confronting Ben, blaming him for Jin’s “death”. I thought she might blame Jack, since he made the helicopter take off before Jin emerged from the bowels of the freighter. But everyone else seems to think her object is Ben. Time will tell.

My last question for the night – just who is the little prince? Aaron? Or Locke? Discuss below.

Jack & Juliet?

My friend Brian (hi Brian!) has asked me to address a question. Hopefully, I’ve got the question right. If I don’t, I’m sure he will let me know what the question is.

If Kate and Sawyer are destined to be together (see my earlier post), what do I think about Jack and Juliet? Are they made for each other? After all, unlike Kate and Jack, Jack and Juliet are intellectually compatible.

I can’t disagree that Jack and Juliet are both intellectually compatible. Both are physicians. They have other similarities, too – they both have failed marriages and, at one time, they both really wanted to get off the island. We know that they have kissed at least twice. We also know that Juliet has strong feelings for Jack. And Jack trusts Juliet, something no one else did for a long time.

But we really don’t know much about Juliet, really. In her pre-island flashback, she is already an adult, divorced, trying to help her infertile sister become pregnant. She seems to have no qualms stealing medications from the hospital where she works (another similarity with Jack), but is apparently powerless to leave her employment there because of her ex-husband. After her husband is killed by a bus, she is horrified to think that her new employers, Mittelos, might have caused it to allow her to work for them. Once on the island, she engages in an affair with a married man, whom she truly seems to love. As she realizes the depths of Ben’s manipulations and deceptiveness, she tries to convince Jack to kill Ben in surgery. Juliet threatens to kill Kate if Sawyer continues his rebellion, and kills Pickett when he refuses to allow Kate and Sawyer to escape. She agrees, reluctantly, to spy on the survivors to determine who’s pregnant.

Yes, I know, Juliet eventually confessed to Jack what she was doing, and seems since then to be on the side of the remaining Oceanic survivors. And yet, for some reason, I don’t entirely trust her. Who wasn’t horrified when she broke Sun’s confidence to tell Jin that Sun had had an affair? Her motives may have been pure – had Sun remained on the island, she and her Ji Yeon would have died, but her methods were abominable. Juliet will do anything if she feels the cause is just. But what causes does she feel is just? That makes me very nervous about Juliet.

All that said, I think that Juliet and Jack would not make a good couple, not because of any fault on Juliet’s part (we’ve already covered Jack’s problems), but because Jack is in love with Kate, and Juliet knows it. And Jack knows Juliet knows. Even their kisses, while sweet, lacked passion. They are not soul mates.

So, intellectual compatibility notwithstanding, I do not think that Jack and Juliet are a good couple. Their goals and desires are different, and they seem to lack chemistry. Maybe when Jack returns to the Island (and I’m convinced that he will), he’ll have a clearer idea of what he wants and we can reassess. But if he continues to desire Kate, then he and Juliet will not make a good couple.

What do you think?