Magical mystery tour coming to the last stop, Part 2

By Chris Oliver and Ken Sury

Chris Oliver and Ken Sury continue a discussion begun earlier since "Lost" broadcast a repeat episode this week.

Chris: Previously on this "Lost" blog, we were talking about Adam and Eve (the cave skeletons, not the Garden of Eden duo). I was thinking A&E were two people we haven't seen yet. FLocke talked about his crazy mother, so I thought maybe A&E were his parents. But the bodies aren't that old. I believe Jack said they were there for about 50 years. It could be Bernard and Rose, but what a letdown that would be. We just don't have enough information to make an informed guess on who they could be. It could be the last thing we see in the finale.

This season has introduced several immediate mysteries that we should get an answer to soon. The No. 1 being how the island world and the flash sideways world hook up. Any theories on that?

Ken: My theory on that is it'll all come together at St. Sebastian Hospital. I'm not certain what exactly will serve as the triggers that will get all our Losties to have their sideways minds' downloaded with their island memories, but we already have Dr. Jack operating on John Locke, whom he is recognizing from the Oceanic flight.

I see a big reunion as Detectives Miles Straume and James Ford arrive at the hospital to try to interview Sun and Jin. Not like that's gonna work too well with the language barrier, unless Miles can pull in his museum friend Charlotte, who speaks Korean -- or at least did in the other reality.

After the interview, Miles and James head to the hospital cafeteria for a bite to eat. There they happen to see Jack's son, David, waiting for his mom to pick him up since Dad got called to emergency surgery. David's mom arrives — it's Juliet, I say! — and she and James capture a glance. He offers to buy her coffee in the hospital cafeteria. She says, "Let's go Dutch." Bingo! Let the mindmeld commence.

How's that for story plotting?

Chris: Maybe you should write the finale. Oh wait, they finished it. Maybe you did write the finale in an alternative reality. And I'm a crime-fighting ninja.

So you're probably right up to that point. But what about Hurley, Kate, Sayid and Claire? Does Claire bust in to the surgery and tell Jack "I just inherited your fortune. I'm taking my father's house and I kicked your mother to the curb. Oh, and I need to deliver my bay-bee." I'm sure Kate and Sayid will meet at the jail. Certainly they will recognize each other. Sayid will say it can't be just a coincidence that they were both on the same plane, and Kate will be wondering who she needs to sleep with to escape. OK, that was unnecessary.

But how do these realities merge? Or do they merge? A popular theory says the flash sideways is a result of a Faustian deal the survivors make with Smokey. Things appear better, but they aren't. What do you think?

Ken: I wish I had a clue. I hesitate to say things are better, mostly different, though I think you can make the case that life for Jack, Hurley, James and Miles is improved. Locke's situation was better, at least until Desmond plays a serious game of bumper cars with Locke and his wheelchair.

It seems like at some point this sideways world should disappear (can the two realities merge?), but I have no idea how that's supposed to happen. They can't physically return to the island when it's sitting at the bottom of the Pacific.

Eloise Hawking has to figure into this somehow because of her comments to Desmond about his questions asking about Penny being "a violation." I could see where she's made some "deal with the devil" aka Smokey/MiB in order to have a pocket world in which her son Daniel is alive.

I'm really curious to see how this works out. You have any ideas?

Chris: You know, I think I subscribe to the Eloise theory, because the flash sideways world seems to have benefited her the most. She's married to Charles (her first love, I'm guessing), her son got to follow his music career, and she living a life of wealth and leisure. Then along comes that meddling Desmond. The risk is these people will start to find each other and ruin her party. I bet Eloise figures quite prominently in the endgame.

Another big mystery we are sure to get the answer to is Desmond's purpose on the island. Since he's acting a lot like Jacob in the flash sideways, it's a possibility he's the real candidate.

Ken: I wouldn't be surprised if the sacrifice that Widmore is requesting of Desmond would be to stay on the island to remain its protector, though he ought to be allowed to live with Penny and their child Charlie. Seems to be the least Widmore could do. Teenage Charlie: "Grandpa, can I borrow the sub?"

I really want a good ending for Desmond. The poor guy has been through a lot. Then again, you can probably say that about most of the characters.

I would like an answer to the pregnancy problem on the island. What caused that? Surely not the electromagnetism if Ethan was able to be born there. Is that Smokey's fault? I read a comment somewhere questioning if the inability to have children on the island is due to the souls of the dead that can't move on (the whispers). Sounds like a starting point if not the answer to the question.

Is that an answer you want or is it pretty low on your list?

Chris: Yeah I think we need an answer to that. I assumed it's because the Others did something wrong and the island was punishing them, although I don't know what "the island" means anymore. Maybe when the Others are under the sway of Smokey, they get infertile.

Here's a season one mystery I forgot about: Walt. We never were told what made him so special, and what the Others wanted to do with his power. What are the odds we see Walt again?

Ken: I think the Walt ship has sailed, so to speak. I thought Walt was going to figure heavily into the story because of his gift, but after the writers sent him home with Michael and once the actor got older and had his growth spurt, it seems like they pretty much dropped Walt's story. We did get that short reunion off-island between Locke and Walt, but I don't think he'll put in another appearance. He might not even be mentioned again. I'm going to have to be OK with that.

Are you fine with no further mention of Walt?

Chris: No, I think we need something more about Walt. We've gotten no adequate explanation to his power. We know he can draw in birds when he's agitated, but why does that interest the Others? But you're probably right, they won't get to him again. That leaves a pretty big hole, but if the rest is strong, I can live with it.

OK, one last question and we'll get back to waiting for next week: Who is the Candidate? Above I said Desmond might be him, but they could pull a fast one and make it Kate or something. Despite my own argument for Desmond, I'm going Jack. He's recent conversion to man of faith seems like a step toward the Candidacy. What do you think?

Ken: I'd be OK with either Desmond (if Penny and Charlie get to stay), Hurley or Jack. Affable Hurley is probably the safe choice, but from a storytelling standpoint Jack's tale is the more powerful one. He's the former man of science who gave the rousing "Live together, die alone" speech, told Kate "We have to go back," and now appears ready to accept that he's there for a reason. It's pretty amazing when you consider that his character originally wasn't supposed to survive the first episode.

Now I'm curious to see which characters will survive in the remaining episodes.

      Email    Print