Of Variable Quality

Lost! It can be such a frustrating show. There are so many details in each episode, sometimes you have to work at it to pull out all the meanings. This week's episode felt flat and a little cheesy, but included plenty of mindblowing details as well.



There were a lot of surface things I didn't like about this episode of Lost. For one thing, I hated the whole cheesy concept of humans as the variables. Daniel's entire speech rang false, like some goofy new age "Indomitable spirit of humanity wins out" ramblings. This, coming from the rational scientist character. And Daniel was one of the better characters, so I'm really sorry to see him die. I also dreaded the reveal of Widmore as Faraday's father. Must everyone be related to everyone else? Is this a soap opera now? And, as things come to their conclusions it's becoming difficult for the writers to cram all the details nicely into the story they have left. For one thing, they've announced they won't have time to return to Libby's "incredibly tangential" story. Then in this episode, we finally see the leadup and payoff of the first scene of season 5 - Daniel in the Orchid station. The only problem is, it didn't make any sense.

The scene of Daniel apparently in the 1970's that kicked off season 5 was incredibly enticing for Lost fans. How did he get there? This is the past, right? Is Daniel a member of DHARMA? Is this the Incident? We now know the answers to all those questions, but the reveal fell flat. Daniel has Miles drive him to the Orchid to confront Chang, then hides his identity in the construction area and tries to play coy. Moments later, he pulls a 180 and confronts Chang with a crazy story about time travel, the Incident and his son Miles. Why wouldn't Daniel just mention something before he goes down into the Orchid? What was the point of Daniel even going into the construction area, except that it was already written into the season opener? Well, it happened because it happened I guess.

With "The Variable" the writers add yet another crazy layer of predestination to the story, a theme I've mentioned in the past. The most apt analogy is the ouroboros, a snake devouring its own tail. The stories are getting twisted too! Eloise sends her son on a mission through time, ending with Daniel being shot by his own mother! It's like a reverse grandfather paradox. Not to mention the fact that Daniel must have been born by 1977. Daniel is a professor at Oxford in 1996 when he meets Desmond. Even being "the youngest doctor ever to graduate from Oxford" Daniel would have to be at least 19 or 20 by 1996. So, he must have been born before 1977.

Now poor Ellie has killed her own baby. I'd guess she's among the first to leave before the Incident. She knew all along, but she had to send him anyway. Daniel's journey culminated on the Island, but it began that day his mother told him he could no longer play piano.



Eloise sends Daniel on a journey that ends with his journal being passed to Jack Shephard. Daniel's whole life of science, giving up on dreams of music, the graduation gift presented by his mother...all so he could record these incredible details in his journal. He spent his life calculating equations and conducting experiments no one else would or could, including theories about time travel that have been proven to be true, like his meetings with his constant, Desmond Hume. What was it all for? Well, it was all written down in his journal, which has traveled to the year 1977. That's why Eloise had to send her son to certain death on the Island.



Of course, any meddling Jack and the rest try to do will only ensure that everything happens just as it happened - though a few people escape thanks to Daniel's warning, an "incident" will claim many lives and the arm of Dr. Chang, possibly causing all the mothers on the Island to die in childbirth, and resulting in the modifications to the Swan Hatch requiring the button to be pressed. There's no other way for things to happen. If, for instance, Jack prevented the Incident then the button would never need pressed, and Oceanic 815 would never crash. Therefore Jack would never board Ajira 316 and never end up in 1977, so the Incident would happen anyway because Jack wasn't there!

The key is that someone from 2008 was in 1977 to receive that journal. Whatever details are in that journal won't be any help in 1977 because the past cannot be changed. The Incident can not be stopped but, in 2008 two groups have gathered on the Island and are preparing for war. The information Daniel passes on through his journal will be instrumental in "the right side" winning that war, but it's still unclear who all the players are and who "the right side" is.

Lost is finally answering questions faster than new ones crop up. As it approaches its conclusion, some of the reveals seem a little "yeah, yeah...we guessed that months ago" but of course they have to be shown. The good news is that Lost continues to present stories that make you think, that you can spend time dissecting and conjecturing about, and that reward you even if you guessed wrong.

Next week, "Follow the Leader" Read more!

Amy & Freddy's Wedding Video

Amy & Freddy's Wedding from Matthew Ballantine on Vimeo. Read more!

Son of an Other?

This week Lost featured Ben Linus flashbacks, and among them we saw a teenager called Ethan. Ethan and Ben were seen sneaking around at night, and seemed to be "undercover" members of the Others. Is this Ethan Rom who infiltrated the beach camp back in season one and if so, what does that mean?


A highlight of Season 5 has been the chance to go back and see the origins of DHARMA, the Truce with the Others, and the events that will lead to the Purge. We've seen a lot more of Horace Goodspeed, and we met Amy who becomes his wife and the mother of his son. So what's going on with Amy and her son, Ethan?

When we first meet Amy she's being held by two of the Others - they've thrown a bag over her head and executed her husband, Paul. Has Amy committed the same crime that resulted in Widmore's banishment from the Island?



What if Amy actually was one of the Others, and she fell in love with a member of DHARMA. Amy was expelled by the Others in keeping with their traditions, but couldn't stand to leave the Island or her lover Paul. Under the terms of the Truce, the DHARMA Initiative kept Amy safe within the barracks, but on this day she wanted to share a picnic with her love out on the traditional grounds of her people. Of course, the Others weren't happy at finding Amy on their land after her banishment, and the penalty was death. Only the timely intervention of Sawyer and Juliette saved Amy from her punishment.


Flashforward three years, and Amy has completed her grieving for Paul and moved on, into a relationship with Horace. They have a baby son and name him Ethan. Ethan is the son of an Other, and still has some rights among his people. As they grow up, Young Ben Linus befriends Ethan and helps him grow in their secret society away from the Barracks. Sometimes at night, they sneak out and do the business of "the Hostiles". In 1988 or so, Ethan and Ben are told they must eliminate a dangerous woman living on the beach.

I think this is a compelling theory. It explains how Ethan was spared from the Purge, how he came to be accepted as Ben's sidekick, and why the Others were so ready to execute Amy and her husband. In episode 510 He's Our You Amy convinces Horace to call a vote to put Sayid to death. Either Amy knows he's not really one of her people, or she worries that the Others will send someone to take her son, and return him to their territory.

I predict it will be revealed that Amy was a "Hostile" before joining DHARMA, and Ethan is an Other by virtue of birth. Read more!

Dead is Dead

A few clever cues in this week's Lost have people wondering if the John Locke we saw in Episode 512 "Dead Is Dead" is actually an apparition of the Smoke Monster. The Monster has previously appeared as the dead seemingly come to life on the Island.

This week on Lost, Ben reveals to Sun that even on the Island, "Dead is dead" - the fact that John is walking and talking is a miracle. But it's not entirely true. In fact, John isn't the first corpse to be reanimated. As early as episode 105 "White Rabbit" Christian Shephard's body is missing from his coffin, and he's appeared many times since. I argue that the appearance of Christian in that episode is consistent with the Smoke Monster, even including the sounds made by the small wisps as they travel.

Also, in episode 305 "The Cost Of Living" Mr. Eko's brother Yemi has vanished from the Beechcraft plane, only to appear in a field of poppies and challenge Eko to atone for his sins.

Now John Locke, brought to the Island dead in a coffin as a proxy for Christian Shepard, has been seen walking and talking again. Meanwhile on the beach, there's a locked container from the Ajira 316 cargo hold just big enough to hold a coffin. And this week, Ben used his foolproof method to summon the Smoke Monster to the barracks. The powerful force emerging from the jungle was...John Locke. Now, that was just a moment of humor, a wink from the writers - or was it?

John's behavior on the main Island is interesting. Calling the Others "your people", he asks Ben if it was his idea to move into the DHARMA Barracks. Then, he says they're going underneath "your Temple". Contrast this with episode 503 "Jughead" where Locke stops Sawyer from shooting Charles Widmore, saying "he's one of my people." Could it be that the judgment of Ben starts at the beginning of the episode?

A lot of Locke's dialogue could be construed as a sort of interview of Ben, often putting him in his place. For instance, he asks Ben he if he likes having to ask questions, to put faith in someone else and hope for answers. "Well, now you know what it was like to be me." You could read most of Locke's lines as a stern judge, pointing out Ben's many missteps, and constantly asking about Ben's motivations.

After bringing Ben to the Temple and getting him to crawl underneath, John suddenly disappeared. In John's absence the Smoke Monster appeared and judged Ben, disappearing just before Locke returned. It's like a Scooby Doo villain! He's never around when the Monster is, or he's showing up when you're expecting to see the Monster.

Now, there are so many criticisms of this theory. The Monster hasn't ever been shown to take on a form for a long duration. Also, the apparitions have never claimed to be the dead, unlike Locke who tells Sun, "I'm the same man I always was." Further, the Monster has been shown to have limitations in where it can emerge (Cerberus Vents) and where it can travel - it can't get to high off the ground either. I'm not sure how the Monster could make it to the Hydra Island.

Personally, I really like the idea that the Locke in this episode is Smokey. It would tie into so many ideas, including my theory that Vincent the Dog was also a Smoke Monster apparition. "Reading" the episode that way is enjoyable for me. Is John Locke dead? No way! I really don't expect this theory will hold true, but it's a really fun distraction. Read more!

Predestination and The Numbers

Once again, Lost is proving to be one huge Predestination Paradox - a virtual Ouroboros devouring its own tail. The classic predestination paradox from the Twilight Zone:

A man travels back in time to discover the cause of a famous fire. While in the building where the fire started, he accidentally knocks over a kerosene lantern and causes a fire, the same fire that would inspire him, years later, to travel back in time.

The events are both cause and effect at the same time, thus a paradox.

On Lost, thanks to the "whatever happened, happened" theory of time travel plus a bunch of writer tricks, just about everything is being revealed as predestination. John Locke is scouted to be the leader of the Others because he tells the Others to scout him. Recently, in a brilliant twist of irony, Jack refuses to save a dying Young Ben because he hates who Young Ben will become. Then, because Jack would not perform the surgery, Kate takes Ben to the Others and Jack has actually caused Evil Villain Ben.

Now, sharp Lost fans have caught a crazy predestination detail in episode 505 "This Place Is Death". Montand, a member of Rousseau's expedition has tuned in the radio transmission of The Numbers. This is the signal that brought the science team to the island. It's also the same signal heard by Sam Toomey and Leonard Simms, repeated by Leonard and responsible for Hurley's lottery win. I put a couple filters on, to clarify the sound a bit:




It's Hurley! The Numbers continue to taunt him - from the lottery, to the Swan Hatch, to the odometer on his restored Camero. Now, I expect it will soon be revealed that Hurley is forced to actually record that transmission of The Numbers. DHARMA transmits the core numerical values of the Valenzetti Equation, and any change in one of these numbers will mean DHARMA has succeeded in its mission. So, Hurley is responsible for passing those Numbers along to himself, and that's the reason he ends up on this crazy Island in the first place. Read more!

Continuity Hounds

Interesting article today about Perception on Lost, from DarkUFO. A lot of people are caught up in continuity conspiracy theories regarding Lost, on everything from Richard Alpert's hair and "guyliner" to the invention of dynamite in 1866 - 21 years after the Black Rock supposedly crashed on the Island carrying crates of the stuff. A Season One theory that pointed to a Golden Pontiac involved in accidents with Locke, Kate, Michael, and Hurley was debunked by Producer Damon Lindelof in 2005.

Now a big continuity error has lots of people talking. In the cliffhanger ending to Season Five's "He's Our You" Sayid shoots Ben in the heart. In this week's ""Whatever Happened, Happened" Jin turned Ben over and the wound was clearly on the right side of the chest. What's more, when Sawyer carries Little Ben to the Others, the wound is very low on the side.












DarkUFO suggests that the possible blooper may actually tie into "one big huge crazy no-fucking-way reveal". Meanwhile, a few on Lostpedia have called for a "grand unified blooper theory". Personally, I think the continuity hounds are barking up the wrong tree (You knew that was coming, right?) Little Ben getting shot was classic "serial TV cliffhanger" writing. There was never really any chance Ben would die, but the wound made for a great moment on TV. The next episode called for Ben to be kept in stable condition long enough to recover, so was produced with a wound to the side.

These episodes are being produced all out of order, with hundreds of different crew members and a dozen different directors. Most of the bloopers and continuity errors are simple mistakes that are inevitable with a show as complicated as Lost. Not to mention a show that's rewatched and dissected by millions of detail oriented fans.

As far as perception on Lost, I had a theory for a while that the flashbacks might be revealed as more than just a story device for the writers. Desmond's experiences often made me think he was noticing the flashbacks, the same ones that were happening to the rest of the survivors. Then, several of the encounters with the Smoke Monster seemed to reference the flashback structure, especially Eko's, where he is "scanned" by the Monster in "The 23rd Psalm" and elements of his flashback are physically manifested by the Monster in "The Cost of Living". In the end, much like the Continuity Conspiracists, I think I was looking a little to hard, but I love that Lost is a show that can reward that kind of thought. Read more!

Did Sam Raimi destroy Venom?

News all over the 'net today about an interview with Sam Raimi, to be published in May's Empire Magazine. MTV and io9 are quoting Raimi as saying, "there were different opinions on the third film and I didn't really have creative control, so to speak." So, we have Sam Raimi throwing Sony under the bus, "so to speak". But there's more.

Raimi appears to confirm the internet rumors that Sony shoe-horned Venom into the picture against his wishes.

"I don’t even want to comment on Venom, because I know he’s a great character and all the fans love him. I never want to say anything bad about a much-beloved character".

“The best way for me to move forward on films,” Raimi continued, “is that I’ve got to be the singular voice that makes the creative choices on the film.”

So, Sony was planning a massive spin-off akin to X-Men: Origins but instead Sam Raimi gave us Dancing Emo Peter and a truncated Venom arc that ends with the villain being vaporized on screen.



Is it possible that the crappy parts of Spiderman 3 were really a dig against the studio and producers who were trying to put their own stamp on Spidey? Could it be that Raimi was actually sabotaging what he saw as an intrusion on "his" series? God, I hope so. I'd given up on Spiderman after part 3. Here's hoping Raimi can get the series back on track! Read more!