EVIL PUPPET MASTERS

Wow. What an amazing episode! Gotta love those Alias writers Here are my thoughts:

• The Smoke Monster — Where to begin? Smokey the Monster seems to manifest itself into whomever (or whatever) the person encountering it is seeking judgment from. Jack sought the judgment of his father (”White Rabbit”) — which he STILL has guilt over and still seeks redemption over, so he has not been “judged” by the Monster yet. Locke sought the judgment of the Island (represented as a “bright white light”? — multiple episodes) — the first time he saw the Monster, he was spared because he was still seeking to please the Island in repayment for being able to walk again; but the next time he was confronted by the Monster, he was grabbed…because he was DOUBTING the Island and whether or not he owed it still. Eko sought the judgment of his brother Yemi (this episode and “?”) — when he first met the Black Smoke version of the monster, it seemed to “read” his memory, maybe to determine who he sought judgment from; as he followed the wishes of “Yemi” (building the church, pressing the button), the Monster let him live; but when he faced “Yemi” (in the Smoke Monster form) and REFUSED to repent his sins (those things which he believed that Yemi would have judged him for) — he paid the ultimate price. Judgment was the cost of living. Eko chose not to be judged anymore, so his life was forfeit. Now, if this theory is correct — what the hell did that Pilot do to make Smokey take judgment on him so quickly?
• [Related to previous]Is it really a “sickness” on the island? Or does Smokey invoke evidence of “guilt” in those it is seeking to judge?
• White tunics donned for the funeral. White = purity. Part of Ben’s ploy to manipulate Jack into believing that the Others are the “good guys.” Wants him to see them as pure. Wants him to see them mourn and invoke feelings of pity. Of course, Jack blew that out of the water by bringing up the X-rays.
• Locke taking the mantle of the Kinder, Gentler, Fearless Leader of the Lostaways. Asks if there are others who want to go on their trek to the Pearl station, and Hurley comments that Jack never asked — he just went alone or chose Sayid or Kate to go with him.
• “Don’t mistake coincidence for fate.” Locke says this to Desmond in this episode. This line was originally spoken by Eko TO Locke in the S2 episode “What Kate Did” — when they first meet in the hatch and Eko reveals that he has a missing portion of the Orientation film that was hidden in the Tailies hatch.
• Ben seemingly “confesses” to Jack that he had meant to break Jack, then get him “invested” in the Others, so that Jack would “want” to save Ben’s life (it’s Ben’s spinal tumor, by the way). But since Jack knows about the tumor already, now Ben is at a loss. He asks Jack if he believes in God. Jack doesn’t really answer yes or no — asks Ben why he asks. Ben claims that 2 days after he found out he had a life-threatening tumor on his spine, a spinal surgeon “dropped out of the sky” — then says “If that’s not proof of God, I don’t know what is.” Ben admits that is it “no coicidence” that Juliet resembles Jack’s ex-wife Sarah. That was part of the attempted manipulation.
• Juliet’s video is a play on the famous Bob Dylan video “Subterranean Homesick Blues”. You can find the video on YouTube, but it originally came from the “Don’t Look Back” documentary — which I HIGHLY recommend.

Juliet’s placards tell Jack that Ben is a liar and that many in their group are looking for changes. She wants Jack to kill Ben during the tumor surgery, but make it look like an accident. She tells Jack that she will protect him. It is unclear whether or not Jack is going to go along with Ben or Juliet.

• After Eko commits murder in Yemi’s church, the villagers board the church up. Eko says it is Yemi’s church, and the villager lady tells him that Eko “owes him one church” — THUS why Eko was building a church on the island. This was part of him fulfilling the judgment. When Smokey the Monster grabs Eko and begins to beat him to death against the ground and trees — Eko is starts to recite the 23rd Psalm (which was the name of the S2 episode that was also Eko-centric).
• As Eko is dying, he whispers something in Locke’s ear. After he dies and Locke closed Eko’s eyes, Sayid asks what Eko said. Locke responds that he said, “We’re next.”

That’s all I got for now. Anything I missed? Let me know

On a personal note, I for one am going to miss Adewale. He has one of the most commanding screen presences I’ve ever witnessed and I hope to see him in many, many more television and/or film projects. He knocked my socks off tonight.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 2nd, 2006 at 2:04 am and is filed under Adewale, Easter Eggs, Lost, Reviews (Lost), Theories (Lost). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.