Lost thoughts and theories...
Back from vacation, tanned and posting again. Was in Mexico when the finale aired--it was available to watch, but it was my anniversary so I don't think so. So I just caught up on it last night with the missus and here are some thoughts.
1. The episode--good, but highly predictable. Interesting that the episode opened up on the baby's (left? i think?) eye--it's been some time since we've had an episode beginning with an eye-opener. Two things surprised me, the rest I theorized beforehand and ended up being right. Danielle goes for baby? Check. Danielle working with Ethan? Check--and doesn't that raise some interesting questions! Black Rock being a slave ship of sorts? Check. Some question about whether the Others are real? Check. Bad things happening to the raft folks, very much check.
The surprises being Arstz (I know, it's Artz) blowing hisself to kingdom come. In a pre-finale news article, he said his character would do something no one had ever done on TV before, and I guess he was spot-on. That really was a classic TV moment--didn't see it coming at all. The second surprise was the manifesting "smoke" or however we're referring to it--the shadow we see scurry across the ground, as well as the thing that grabbed Locke. There doesn't seem to be much substance to these things, which has planted in my mind a possible scenario involving nanotechnology--microbots? Small, intelligent robots that can organize and infect? Which segues nicely into...
2. The monster: sounds very mechanical. They really amped up the sound on the mechanical effects this time around. In the very first episode, black lady Rose (who isn't on the show right now because she's doing Broadway) says it reminded her of a sound back home in New York. Many have also commented that the roar sounded very mechanical, like a subway going through a tunnel or something similar. That fits. I was hoping to see more of it. Odd that the first time Locke saw it, he said he had seen the eye of the island and it was beautiful--this time, he looked terrified after a beat or two of optimism. Also odd that the effects of the monster almost seem to be underground--blowing trees straight up, etc. The first monster we saw pulled a pilot out of an airplane above ground and put him in a tree. Is there more than one monster/security system?
3. The Others/Raft--I *knew* that boat was bad! First off, no running lights--at night, there's only one reason for that--the pilot doesn't want to be found. Second, that was a small boat--almost looked like a small fishing boat, very short-range. It had to have come from the island, especially if they were only 15 miles offshore. The Others were sufficiently creepy--anyone catch the white-haired freaky captain? I'll be interested to see if/how Michael, Jin, and Sawyer make it back to shore. Destroyed boat, 15 miles offshore in the ocean? Not much there exept to grab onto some driftwood and start paddlin'. Before the final episode started, I was sure that one of them at least would be a goner--still think at least one will, especially since the writers have indicated we'll have another death early next season.
Walt with the Others -- obviously his being 'Special' has something to do with their interest, don't know how yet. How did they know about his abilities, BTW? The only person(s) on the island who would know about it would be Michael and potentially Locke--who is quite perceptive. (interestingly, Locke being the source would obviously infer that he's been "infected" and one of the Others--this would play into the Locke-is-a-problem thing quite nicely next season, he would then no longer be working in the interests of the survivors). By the way, someone on the backboard mentioned they thought Alex was one of the Others we saw on the boat, and that can't be correct--we already know that Alex is a she and approximately 16 years old.
Theorizing a bit: the above-mentioned nanotech theory would also explain the source of the "infection" that has taken over the Others--anyone read Michael Chrichton's "Prey?" Humans infected/controlled by nanobots? Perhaps the island was an early site for nanotech experimentation which went bad? No wonder it's not on any maps--it's been deliberately sealed off when the tech was released and went rampaging, and someone developed a little security system to protect the island's secrets. The Others would then be the original scientists who worked on the tech--they radioed out 'The Numbers' to communicate the source of the contagion, were overcome. In America, the Navy radiomen hear the numbers, one of them uses 'em to bad effect and tells 'em to Hurley later on in the nuthouse. Also at that time, Danielle's team hears the transmission, searches for the source, gets shipwrecked and killed by the infected Others, with only Danielle, Alex, and her husband, who she later murdered after he was infected. One way to tie things together--probably way off, but worth exploring I think.
4. Hatch--boring. Nothing about that excites me. Ooooh...it's a shaft and we don't see the bottom. How interesting. Thanks for nothing, writers. The only interesting part about that sequence was the interchange between Locke and Jack--the whole man-of-science v. man-of-faith thing. How exactly does that indicate to Jack that Locke will be a problem? Guess I didn't get that.
Anyway, obvious division coming up between the castaways next season--my guess is that the left/right eye opener episodes will clue us in as to who ends up in which flock.
I've got more thoughts on this, but I've typed enough for one night. Back with more later.
posted by Jake @ 11:46 PM
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