Lost 1/12/05

[WizarDru]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Locke is the Shaman. He's been through the fire, he's faced the spirits and he's working on the 'tribe's' spiritual well-being, even as Jack works on their physical well-being. To be the Shaman means to be separate from the tribe, even as you are a part of it. Jack is the Chief, of sorts. Or, if you prefer, Jack and Locke are both medicine men, but they are in competition for which kind will dominate...but I don't think they're in competition.

The real question we have to face is...which information, if any, is reliable? Can we trust the French Woman's words? She clearly wasn't very stable. Can we really trust Locke? What IS the creature? Are there other survivors?

Some quick thoughts:

• I didn't think I could like Shannon less. I was wrong. Boone makes more sense now and his behavior isn't quite as dangerous as I first feared. I like him more than I did...but I hated him before, so that's not saying much.
• The Survivors now have several different factions and allegiences, although it's not clear how much information has actually been shared. Group 1: Those who know about the French Woman and the Broadcast. Group 2: Those who know about the hatch. Group 3: Those who know about Kate's past (some of it, at least). Group 3: Those who know that Sun can speak English. Group 4: Those who had 'visions' on the island. Group 5: Those who live in the Caves. Group 6: Those who live near the beach. Group 7: Those who know about Locke's 'Miracle'. Group 8: Those who know about Charlie's addiction (past). Group 9: Those who have a criminal past. Group 10: Those who are planning for long term survival.
• Several episodes ago, it seemed that Kate was awash in suitors. Whether intentional or not, she's driven each of them away to some degree. Each has a different appeal: Jack for his leadership, Sawyer for his animal magnetism and Sayyid for his nobility. Only Jack seeks her out, though.
• As Sun and Jin illustrate, not everyone is taking such a short term view of their situation. Only Hurley, Sun and Jack have given any real consideration to keeping people going. Locke thinks of individuals, but less so of the 'tribe' as a whole. Each cares for the group in their own way: Hurley strategizes, Jack organizes and Sun quietly soldiers on, glad to be useful.

Thought exercise: could the cast members be lined up to the Tarot's Major Arcana?

Let's see:

Jack - The Heirophant or The Emperor
Charley - The Hanged Man or The Hermit
Kate - The Moon
Locke - The Magician
Hurley - The Fool or The Wheel of Fortune
Michael - Justice
Sun - The High Priestess
Jin - Strength
Sawyer - The Devil or The Star
Boone - Judgement or The Chariot
Shannon - Death
Claire - The Empress

Thoughts?

 

[Arnwyn]

I didn't think I could like Shannon less. I was wrong. Boone makes more sense now and his behavior isn't quite as dangerous as I first feared. I like him more than I did...but I hated him before, so that's not saying much.

Agreed. While I knew right away that the sequence was a hallucination, inside I was hoping that Shannon really was offed. For some reason, I can't even stand the scenes that feature that character. And I still intensely dislike Boone.

 

[CrusaderX]

Walt is shown throwing knives with Locke again. Michael threatens to kill Locke unless he stays away from his son. Walt is shown up a tree (or in a copse of trees) being threatened by another polar bear.

Anything else important?

Next week will show yet another Sawyer-related conflict when he steals Claire's diary.

 

[Hand of Evil]

WizarDru - very interesting, going to have to pull out my cards and look into it...46 from the plane, at least two on the island, plus the monster equals 49...mmmmmm.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I must say I love the little touches that the show provides... like seeing Michael looking at something personal (presumably from his past) setting up next week's episode (focusing on him and Walt). I mean, it's fairly blunt, but it's nice to see some minor foreshadowing. Hurley pointing at Little Jin and Jin backing off was great! And Hurley's right, Sun is hot.

As far as Shannon and Boone go... the way I see it is that Shannon uses all the guys around her. Boone was the only guy that I think really cared about her, and I'm willing to guess that Shannon actually does feel the same way abotu Boone, based on the drunken appearance at his hotel room. It doesn't stop her from using him, but there you go. The next day I think she gets scared off by the whole thing, knowing there's a guy that really cares about her and vice versa, and even more so that they're step-siblings, which makes it muddy. So she hooks up with Sayid, who she's using to make her feel better about herself, IMO.

Locke - creepy, wacky, and very much cool. Also, Boone seems to be following him around almost like a dog. The way Locke says the last line isn't peer to peer, it's master to servant.

If Locke is the ringleader of one side, who is the ringleader of the other? And what was Sawyer being arrested for?

 

[fett527]

Why the dislike for Boone? I thought they were making him out to be pretty creepy with the stalking of his own sister, but he is obviously a victim now. I never really disliked the character though.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

About the compass

Don't forget that compasses do not point to north. They point to magnetic north. It is not the same. And something that one might learn canoeing in Northern Minnesota, certain areas will throw off the compass wildly because of massive iron concentrations in the rocks below.

The compass may be pointing to a strong magnetic center. Someone wise might remember this in a future episode and decide to follow it to its source.

Another thing. If this is in the southern hemisphere, as most Pacific islands are, I don't believe it would be pointing to magnetic north, but rather magnetic south. I dunno if the creators of the show are covering all their science bases in that way, but maybe they are. If so, we now know at least this island should be in the northern hemisphere. However, if the compass is indeed pointing to a strong articifial magnetic source, not a magnetic pole, north or south hemisphere is irrelevent.


Regards,
Eric Anondson

 

[WizarDru]

Why do I dislike Boone? Let me count the ways:

1. He's an arrogant jerk who doesn't seem to know he's an arrogant jerk.

2. He's a danger to himself and others. He's rash and fancies himself a hero, but I don't think he really grasps the concept. He doesn't understand the concept of sacrifice, really. Compare him with Jack. Jack does what he does out of compassion and a sense of justice...Boone just comes off as a glory-hound. He thinks that he's the only one qualified to solve a problem when he finds it. The situation with Sawyer and the medicine didn't have to play out the way it did: Boone took it upon himself to 'handle' it. And now that we've seen the past, we see that Boone isn't very good at handling things (though I suspect he thinks he is).

3. His constant sniping with his even more obnoxious sister is tedious and kind of irritating. I keep expecting one of them to say "I know you are, but what am I?"

4. He comes across, to me anyhow, as somewhat whiney. His affected moral superiority, particularly towards Shannon, is like fingernails on the blackboard to me.

5. Out of all the characters, he seems to contribute the least to their survival. He and Shannon are the only characters who don't regularly seem to contribute to survival in any meaningful way.

I'm more sympathetic to Boone now than I was prior to this episode, but I don't really like him at all. He seems to be everything about the "spoiled little rich kid" archetype that I don't like, and now we throw in his wacky love/hate relationship with his half-sister, and we're halfway to a lifetime movie special. Gah.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Why the dislike for Boone? I thought they were making him out to be pretty creepy with the stalking of his own sister, but he is obviously a victim now. I never really disliked the character though.

Used by his sister: yes but he has always depended on money to solve his problems, while I do not dislike him it explains why he has been trying so hard to be his own man. As pointed out, has he given his mother/his sister control over him to Locke and will Locke use it wisely, no matter what you think about Boone he is loyal...to a fault.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Why the dislike for Boone? I thought they were making him out to be pretty creepy with the stalking of his own sister, but he is obviously a victim now. I never really disliked the character though.

I don't know that I'd call him a victim- he knows what sort of person Shannon is, and continues (at least up until now?) to allow himself to be drawn into her drama. The old, "fool me once" concept. Shannon probably suffers from borderline personality disorder. Having been involved with a girl like that once, and allowing myself to remain involved for a long time even after I knew how she treated people, I can sympathize with Boone, but he's made his choice, and can't really be considered a victim.