Lost Discussion: “S.O.S.”

Rose is surprisingly and vehemently opposed to Bernard’s plan to create an S.O.S. signal; romantic sparks are rekindled between Jack and Kate when they trek into the jungle to propose a “trade” with “The Others”; and Locke begins to question his faith in the island.

17 replies on “Lost Discussion: “S.O.S.””

  1. Didn’t like the healing thing.
    I don’t like the mysterious healing aspect the Island is taking. It’s leading the plot into a suspiciously paranormal direction, or we’re going to be treated to a load of ridiculous pseudoscience later on in the show. The clues seem to point in this direction, but perhaps it’s a red herring… I don’t know.

    Locke’s regained ability to walk could be maybe explained on impact trauma from the crash, probably requiring amazing luck. However, if the Island is really having an effect, we should examine the circumstances where Locke lost his legs temporarily. I wonder if Rose felt the cancer at the same time? What caused the relapse?

    Anyway, Locke’s faith shaking in the Button seems to be giving him his Obi-Wan Mojo back. This is good because Locke is still one of my favourite characters, but he’s been in a rut lately. "It’s not my button." :)

    I really adore Rose and Bernard, I wonder why the relationships of older people always get to me. It may be because there’s a certain assured stability in an elder love story, whereas the ones with 20somethings or teens carry a taint of the fleeting and the temporary. The scene over the cop of coffee was really touching.

    However, I think the high point for me was when a wheelchaired Locke picked up that bottle and gave it to Rose on the airport in a flashback. I could feel the cogs in my head clicking. "Ooohhh! She knows!" Love it when that happens.

    On the flip side, the scene where Kate and Jack get trapped to have a "close moment" was some of the worst writing in this show. It’s straight from Scriptwriting 101, "force them into a situation". Only this time it wasn’t a broken elevator, like in Babylon 5, which also used this device, but in B5, it was actually awesome (G’Kar and Londo). It felt so hackneyed.

    It was a bit of a slow ep, but there was some development all around (Jack continues to emasculate Sawyer, the beans on the Caduceus hatch were finally spilled, etc). And HOLY SHIT, IT’S MICHAEL!

    • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

      On the flip side, the scene where Kate and Jack get trapped to have a "close moment" was some of the worst writing in this show. It’s straight from Scriptwriting 101, "force them into a situation". Only this time it wasn’t a broken elevator, like in Babylon 5, which also used this device, but in B5, it was actually awesome (G’Kar and Londo). It felt so hackneyed.

      I have to agree. I was watching that scene and immediately I thought "Chewie, don’t touch that" and then they go right into the "can you reach my lightsaber" part. Although they did actually have to free themselves instead relying on the help of a droid like in ROTJ ;-). Yes, I really am that big of a Star Wars Geek.

      What can I say the scene and the parallels just popped into my head.

      • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

        immediately I thought "Chewie, don’t touch that" and then they go right into the "can you reach my lightsaber" part.

        At first the toy made me think of Full Metal Jacket, but from the net on I was thinking of ROTJ too : )

        So, Rousseau was laying kid-traps to get Alex back?

    • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

      Anyway, Locke’s faith shaking in the Button seems to be giving him his Obi-Wan Mojo back. This is good because Locke is still one of my favourite characters, but he’s been in a rut lately. "It’s not my button."

      I thought the whole "button" thing between Locke, Ana Lucia and Henry was very cleverly done. Ana Lucia saying she had pressed Locke’s button, when it was really Henry pressing Locke’s button, albeit a more metaphysical one. I wonder just how much Henry knows, or thinks he knows, about the button anyway as he’s clearly not as afraid of it as Desmond was. I think he just left things until the last second on purpose to enable him to get to Locke later but that he was probably unaware of the blacklight map.

    • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

      I don’t like the mysterious healing aspect the Island is taking. It’s leading the plot into a suspiciously paranormal direction

      Er… yeah, it’s been like that since the pilot.

      Anyway, remember that Star Trek episode where they find a planet just like earth in the 50’s (more of less), where there’s the decaying remains of a city filled with 300 year old children?

      It doesn’t have to be supernatural, this is a sci-fi show, so it could be a virus that heals people, something like that… there would be some kind of ironic catch to go with the benefit… in Star Trek it was near-immortality, but only for prepubescent children. Grown ups died shortly after exposure.
      I don’t know what the catch is for the healing island… possibly the opposite? So children would need an antiviral or something… it would explain Ethan and his creepy needles. Or… if you leave the island you’ll die, etc.

      • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

        Er… yeah, it’s been like that since the pilot.

        Now that I stopped to think about it, yeah, you’re right.

        Anyway, remember that Star Trek episode where they find a planet just like earth in the 50’s (more of less), where there’s the decaying remains of a city filled with 300 year old children?

        Yeah, Star Trek is a good example to use here… and one thing that clearly demonstrates an obvious paranormality in Lost are those damn numbers! They keep showing up everywhere, there’s really no rational or "scientific" way to explain them.

        It doesn’t have to be supernatural, this is a sci-fi show, so it could be a virus that heals people, something like that… there would be some kind of ironic catch to go with the benefit… in Star Trek it was near-immortality, but only for prepubescent children. Grown ups died shortly after exposure.

        The Map in teh Hatch read "The cure is worse than the illness." I’m thinking the cure is the Island, but it’s worse because you’ll never be able to leave the Island. Maybe the finale will have rescue arriving and all the Losties declining to leave.

        It’s kind of interesting how Rousseau thinks the Island will make people *sick*, though.

        • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

          and one thing that clearly demonstrates an obvious paranormality in Lost are those damn numbers! They keep showing up everywhere, there’s really no rational or "scientific" way to explain them.

          Fibonacci? Euler’s number? Pi? There are all kinds of numbers that appear "magically" in the natural world.

          The Map in teh Hatch read "The cure is worse than the illness." I’m thinking the cure is the Island, but it’s worse because you’ll never be able to leave the Island. Maybe the finale will have rescue arriving and all the Losties declining to leave.

          That’s interesting, but I think it’s a little unoriginal for the series.

          • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

            There are all kinds of numbers that appear "magically" in the natural world.

            Oh, and of course 42.

          • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

            Fibonacci? Euler’s number? Pi? There are all kinds of numbers that appear "magically" in the natural world.

            The numbers were in the jerseys of a group of soccer players (?) on the airport when the plane was about to take off! Please.

            • Ah, Huley’s effort to reach the flight…

              The numbers were in the jerseys of a group of soccer players (?) on the airport when the plane was about to take off! Please.

              And on the dashboard when Hurley’s rental dies on the way to the airport, he’s at 42 km, it’s 23 degrees outside, his speed goes from 16, to 15, to 8, to 4 kph.

              He’s taking the plane on the 4th, flight 815, he pays 16 hundred to an old man for his scooter to get to gate 23… guess where this is going? ;-)

    • Re: Didn’t like the healing thing.

      Locke’s regained ability to walk could be maybe explained on impact trauma from the crash, probably requiring amazing luck. However, if the Island is really having an effect, we should examine the circumstances where Locke lost his legs temporarily. I wonder if Rose felt the cancer at the same time? What caused the relapse?

      If it’s just Locke, then his paralysis could all be pyschological (as a friend of mine suggested during the pilot). If it is not related to the Hurley disaster, then it could be a result of the disaster with his father and… um, Peg/Leela. The second loss seemed to come and a time of great personal stress and conflict for him, though you do bring up an interesting point about Rose feeling it too.

      However, I think the high point for me was when a wheelchaired Locke picked up that bottle and gave it to Rose on the airport in a flashback. I could feel the cogs in my head clicking. "Ooohhh! She knows!" Love it when that happens.

      Agreed. I think they set up that she knew before they showed the scene at the healer’s, so I watched it over and over (before the airport scene) to see if Locke was in one of the "Thank You" pictures. (Though, in retrospect, he was still in the wheelchair when the plane departed.)

      On the flip side, the scene where Kate and Jack get trapped to have a "close moment" was some of the worst writing in this show.

      I thought everything Jack did in this episode was foolish. He took the gun, which is the only one Sawyer doesn’t have, to meet with the people who have more guns and took all his guns last time. Further, he rushed to Kate as he realizes she is about to spring a trap. He has to know it’s either a snare or an explosion, so why not just keep your distance. Then, when they’re ensnared, they both try to shoot the rope far beside them, instead of the rope closer and above.

      And HOLY SHIT, IT’S MICHAEL!

      If they hadn’t left his name in the credits, I would have figured he had left the show.

  2. pale
    There’s a scene at the beginning where the beautiful Evangeline Lilly is gathering snails(?) with Sawyer. As she looks up to talk to Jack, I notice how pale her skin is. Then, I remembered reading that the actors are contractually obligated to not alter their skin tones. They are shooting on location in Hawaii, but they’re all supposed to remain pale? I started to think that maybe the characters are to remain pale because of some effect of the island. Or because–as I’m still inclined not to dismiss–they’re all dead.

    • Re: pale

      There’s a scene at the beginning where the beautiful Evangeline Lilly is gathering snails(?) with Sawyer.

      I think they were mussels. At least I’ve seen people harvest mussels by cutting them off rocks when the tide is out and that is what they seem to have been doing.

      (not a big contribution to the discussion, I know. How about this: the healer was Wayne Pygram a.k.a Scorpius from Farscape. I saw his name in the opening credits and was hoping he would be a character on the island. I was dissapointed that he was not but you never know with Lost)

  3. A Developing Theory
    Ok, so in this episode we had some reaffirmation of the healing power of the island, some strong indications that Lost will be using elements of Ley Lines and foci, and further indications that the "Others" are a bit whacko.

    My poet theory right now:

    The island sits on an intersection of Ley Lines. That it is a foci. The electromagnetics on the island are about channeling the power of the island in order to effectively make its inhabitants immortal (but while the system enhances and improves the healing process a severe and/or sudden trauma may still result in death).

    The planes, balloons, and ships brought to the island are incidental. The electromagnetic fields manipulating the foci’s energy simply screw up electronic and magnetic navigational systems.

    The "Others" are remnants of the original Dharma initiative experiment to manipulate the energy of the ley lines and study the effects. After the accident in which one or more of the electromagnetic manipulating fields went haywire and wiped out a chunk of the researchers/subjects the Dharma researchers sort of devolved into a religious cult worshiping the energy and power of the island.

    Innocence (the undamaged, mentally and physically; notice how almost everyone we have met in the show has had a severe traumatic experience in their past) is prized probably because the energy of the island reacts to emotional/spiritual energy (Echo’s Church is going to be interesting).

    Physics are even more prized as they can acts as living conduits for the energy of the island. Manipulating it and focusing it (as the Australian healer was doing in the outback on top of another foci of Ley Lines). Much like the giant machine that Dharma built. That’s why they grabbed Walt.

    Anyway, that’s my current thinking on an overarching theory of Lost.

    • Re: A Developing Theory

      Anyway, that’s my current thinking on an overarching theory of Lost.

      That’s very good. However, it (and all) theories conflict with mine: that any theory we make publicly available will henceforth be avoided by the writers. That way, they can say nobody saw it coming. (Of course, given how greatly outnumbered the Lost writers are by the Internet writers, that would be very hard for them to do.)

      • Re: A Developing Theory

        That’s very good. However, it (and all) theories conflict with mine: that any theory we make publicly available will henceforth be avoided by the writers. That way, they can say nobody saw it coming. (Of course, given how greatly outnumbered the Lost writers are by the Internet writers, that would be very hard for them to do.)

        And given how many people were disappointed with the resolution of Nip/Tuck’s "Carver" story, it goes to show that sometimes the people’s theories are much better than what the writers come up with.

        I’m sure the people behind Lost are much more creative, though. :)

  4. More proof that it’s all in their heads :)
    I posted this on another forum, too, but it seems nobody saw the humor in it there. I’ll just point out ahead of time that I am kidding, in case anyone decides to take the subject seriously. :) It’s just an interesting coincidence.

    Did anyone else catch that Isaac was played by Australian actor Wayne Pygram, who was Scorpius/Harvey on Farscape?

    I suppose here I don’t need to go into detail about what ol’ Scorpy did with Crichton’s brain, making him see things that weren’t there (namely, himself).

    Kind of interesting given the content of last week’s episode.

    Also, interestingly enough, Scorpius (as in the mythological variety) also has some relationship to Apollo, which people seem to link with Dharma based on the candy bars and some of the station names.

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