Jack7
First Post
Think back RM to the experiments done on the rats in the maze.
What moved through time, and what didn't?
That tells you a lot about the more general time movements in relation to the island, and their neurological effects, as well as their perceptual effects.
Personally I loved the particularly apparent religious symbolism of this episode.
Of course the show is chocked full of religious symbolism, but I've seen some of these images and ideas coming for a long time.
John - 316 (3:16), the Doubting Thomas, the body of the Father who has been improperly prepared for burial and therefore cannot rest, the Substitute Savior (JL, Locke - the Locke to the Keys of the Kingdom, he must be "Un-locked" for the island to work properly), and I really liked the allusion Ben made to Jack about Thomas saying, "let us go to die with him."
This was an obvious reference to Jack who had failed to stand beside Locke and therefore had misunderstood his role. Jack never got that Ben was talking to him. (Ben is Judas by the way, serving as both the manipulative SOB seeking his own self-interests, and the one seeking to redeem himself by pushing others to fulfill their own destines.) Jack never gets what others are saying to him, he is as slow as molasses. He is intelligent but his intelligence constantly interferes with his ability to understand anything going on around him. Then again Ben has the same problem in many ways.
Indeed, he is the Father of Lies.
I also very much liked Foucault's Pendulum as the method of "tracking the island" both through time and space. The pendulum, along with the calculations, could track the island even when it was "off the Wheel" and adrift, before Locke made the course correction and regained some control of the Wheel. Meaning the island is a Ship of the Soul, as well as a Ship of Time, but what is interesting to me is the fact that the Wheel must have existed long before the Dharma Initiative or anyone introduced thus far. Or the pendulum would not be able to be aligned like a compass to the positional course set by the island. in a way the pendulum is the compass meaning the island is naturally set to the course of the surrounding Earth, and yet distinct enough to be traceable by the curvature movement of the tilt of it.
I suspect that the guitar is indeed Charlie's (they need to recreate prior conditions, and they've already lost several key players and what those players represent) and that several resurrections will occur as the show continues, though not necessarily in the anticipated manner.
He will be, as will some others. They need resurrectional substitutes, remember that is what is going on at this point, as well as the time shifts.
I also found it extremely interesting that Locke hangs himself, i.e. Judas-style in order to make his "sacrifice for the Others." (Notice the irony on the twist on the idea of "who are the Others?" - "Why, the Others are my people too.") And I'm not sure because I had left the room for a moment but when I came back I think Ben was kneeling below him begging him to hang himself. If that was indeed Ben and true then how ironic. I had originally though Locke would get someone to kill him, maybe James or Jack, but if Ben convinced him to commit suicide then he talked Locke into acting as substitute and surrogate not only for Jack and the others, but also for Judas himself (in the guise of Ben). But consider this as well, "not a bone will be broken." Yet another clever prophetic plot twist on the compound fracture at the Well of Time.
Now if Desmond is indeed like Saint Paul then he and Penny and their child may very well shipwreck there in the near future. Or Desmond may simply be "cast overboard" to save the others, but i suspect they will all hit the beaches eventually. And I also liked very much that Lapidus was the pilot. If Desmond can convert Ben and turn him away form trying to kill Widmore's daughter as vengeance for his own stolen daughter's murder then Ben will also be saved. But we'll see.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Lost is like church for television. It may very well be the best show in the history of television. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Though Battlestar Galactica and Heroes are awfully good too, and also chocked full of interesting religious and metaphysical symbolism.
I'm looking forwards to what happens to Aaron.
I'm also glad to see them all reconverging on the island.
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