Last night’s episode was entitled “316” — a proverbial pilot episode for a whole new chapter of the show.
”316” refers literally to the number of the Ajira flight that carried the Oceanic 6 back to The Island. ”316” could be also be an allusion to John 3:16, Christianity’s lynchpin verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
The episode is ripe with Biblical and literary references, and begins with our first look at an off-island Dharma station, The Lamp Post. Residing in the basement of a church, containing a map, a Foucault pendulum, and various computers that Ms. Hawking employs to make her case.
Later in the episode, the Oceanic 6 — minus Aaron — attempts to replicate Flight 815 for their return: Dead John Locke was cast as Dead Christian Shepherd. Hurley carried aboard the spirit of Charlie in a guitar. Ben replicated the late-boarding drama that attended Hurley when he had to hustle to make the original flight. And then there was Sayid playing the part of Kate’s fugitive, held by a new marshall.
HELPFUL TIMELINE
One time shift during the crash (?) of Ajira 316 sent (at least) Jack, Kate, and Hurley to the 1970s island, where they would discover a dharma-jacket-wearing Jin.
THEORIES TO DISCUSS
1. In this episode, Jack is briefly diverted to remind his grandfather that he shouldn’t try to escape the assisted care facility he’s living in. The diversion is random and has people throwing out theories. For example, Grandpa Ray really isn’t Jack’s Grandpa. He’s actually JACK. Older. Wiser. Off The Island. And here, at this moment in his history, he’s helping his younger self along his path of destiny by giving him what he most needs: his father’s shoes.
2. Last week we asked the question: If Ben really isn’t all about saving The Island, then what does he actually want? Theory: He’s trying to change time in such a way that will dramatically alter the nightmare of his personal history, and allow his mother to live. Remember, we know from ”The Man Behind the Curtain” that Ben’s mother died during childbirth. Later, he saw a vision of her on The Island, during his hard Dharma adolescence, when the only parenting he got was neglect and abuse from his sad, heartbroken father. When Ben saw his mother, all he wanted to do was run away with her … whatever she was. But she said, ”No. Not yet.” So … when?
3. Time travel explanation theory: Memories aren’t “uploaded” until both parties have the (memorable) experience. (See: The Constant; Daniel and Desmond at Oxford.)
4. Daniel Faraday was the original leader of The Others.
FACTS CONFIRMED
1. Through a suicide note from Locke, a reminder of the story of Doubting Thomas from Ben, and watching all of his previously doubting friends converge on the plane, Jack’s “conversion” was in process. The man of science took on a little faith. “Oh, stop thinking how ridiculous it is,” Ms. Hawking scolded, ”and start asking yourself if you believe if it’s going to work. That’s why it’s called a leap of faith, Jack.”
”Wherever you are, John, you must be laughing your ass off that I’m even doing this,” Jack said.
You could see the re-birth of Jack as he awoke on The Island in the same manner as he did in the Season 1 pilot. From the “leap” in the water right down to him (hilariously) reminding Hurley “you can stand up now,” in the shallow depths of an island pool.
2. In the Divine Comedy, Dante assigns cunning/ambitious Odysseus/Ulysses to the eighth circle of his Inferno, the one reserved for — get this — ”false counselors.” What was Ben reading on the plane? Ulysses. What else does Ben have in common with this book? Its main character, Leopold Bloom, is grieving the loss of a child. The other protagonist, Daedalus, is the famous dad whose ambitious machinations get his son, Icarus, killed. (See: Ben and Alex.)
BURNING QUESTIONS
Quite a few this week …
1. When Ben told Jack he was going to attend to an errand — a promise to an old friend — I think what he meant was that he was going to go kill Penny, per his pledge to Widmore. But clearly, something either went horribly wrong or horribly right, judging from all that blood that was covering Ben. What happened?
2. What did Kate do with Aaron and why does she demand that Jack never ask her about him? Looking at her face, she is almost the opposite of Jack: disgusted. ”Just because we’re on the same plane doesn’t mean we’re together.”
3. How much should we really trust Ms. Hawking and her tales about the true nature of The Island? Also, if we believe her and The Island was always moving, then why did Jacob need to “move The Island?” More specifically, did Jacob mean for Locke to speed up the movements of The Island? Finally, If Charles Widmore knows Eloise Hawking’s location, why can’t he use The Lamp Post to find The Island? It will be interesting to see if Ms. Hawking and/or Ben and/or Widmore is setting up our castaways for an old-fashioned double-cross.
4. I think in future episodes we’ll begin flashing back again and be allowed to see the circumstances that led each member of the Oceanic 6 to return to the plane when it seemed they were out of luck and out of time. Why did Hurley change his mind? What’s the story behind the marshall with Sayid?
5. What happened to the rest of our friends on Flight 316? Did Ben, Sayid, Sun, pilot Frank Lapidus, the marshall, and the guest land safely on the runway?
Post away!
[Note: In this column, many weeks I borrow from other LOST sites, primarily Doc Jensen and EW.com. I’ll try to put as much of myself in these as I can, but EW gets to screen the episodes in advance and I certainly don’t … so … much love to the Doc, we couldn’t dig in quite the same without you.]