LostZone:
Thoughts and Theories from the Mind-Blowing Season Six Premiere
By
Louis Bedigian
Flashbacks and
flash-forwards are trumped by something brilliant, unexpected and entirely new.
“Surgery isn’t
going to do anything to help me,” Locke remarked, speaking to Jack shortly after
Oceanic 815 landed safely at LAX. “My condition is irreversible.”
“Nothing is
irreversible,” Jack responded. The irony of his words is crystal clear.
After the fifth season finale in 2009, fans argued about whether or not time
would be reset. If the show took us back to the beginning and the plane didn’t
crash, what would that mean for the survivors of Oceanic 815? Would it make
their previous journey irrelevant? Do the fans want that? Would the writers ever
do that to us?
On the flip side, if time did not change, the whole story of Season Five would
be irrelevant – an outcome that would have been just as lame as if the nonsense
from Season Two (hours of pushing “the button”) had not led to something big.
Thankfully, it did: when the button wasn’t pushed, an electromagnetic field was
released, causing massive destruction to everything on the island and everything
within the island’s vicinity – including airplanes.
Season Two was a reminder that if you’re going to spend a whole year building a
story, there better be something huge waiting for us on the other side.
Once again, there was.
The sixth season opened exactly as many fans had predicted: with the castaways
back on the plane, which no longer crashed on the island. After showing us a
glimpse of what their lives will be like in LA, the show jumped back to Juliet’s
fateful moment and took an amazing twist by continuing from where things left
off last season. The castaways were, in fact, still on the island; they were
transported back to the present day and were completely devastated by results of
their efforts. They were under the impression that nothing had changed, when in
fact everything had changed. They just couldn’t experience it because –
if what we are seeing is to be believed – their lives are now split into two
parallel universes: one where the plane still crashed, and one where it landed
safely at LAX.
The time-resetting
conclusion of Lost: Via Domus doesn’t seem too crazy now, does it?
Universally
Connected
Considering Jack’s reaction to Desmond* – and the news from Juliet (via Miles)
that “it worked” (“it” being the plan to reset their lives) – it’s pretty clear
that both versions of the story are deeply connected.
The big question there, of course, is will the show end that way – with both
universes moving forward – or will they somehow merge together? None of the
castaways are consciously aware of both existences (yet), but both lives have
consequences. In the off-island rebooted world, Locke may never walk again, Rose
might die of cancer, Kate might go to prison, and Claire might give up her baby
or lose it before she has the chance. The only life that has seemed to improve
is Hurley’s, as the once-unlucky castaway now believes he has the best luck in
the world.
But if their current, on-island consciousnesses win out, Juliet, Boone, Charlie,
Mr. Eko, Daniel and Locke are all gone. For good. Even if Jack – poor, messed up
island-dwelling Jack – could find peace, and even if Sawyer and Sayid could get
over the loss of the women they love, and even if the other castaways could find
salvation, there is no way that this could be the outcome the writers intend to
provide. As dark as the reboot may be (and I believe it’s going to be very
dark), if I had to pick a single universe to end the show with, I’d take my
chances with the new one.
But They ARE
Connected…
…Which is why it’s inevitable that the two universes will merge in some
capacity. Juliet’s words are a clue, but I believe it’s what Miles saw (when
trying to connect with Juliet’s spirit) that is the key. He is now (presumably)
aware of the other side. But is he aware of his own other existence, if he does
indeed exist in the other world? Hmmmm…
What might happen when the rest of the castaways find out, and how will they
react? For the off-island castaways in the reset universe, this revelation would
be like giving them a second chance at life – which it is, they just don’t know
it yet.
For those on the island, it might feel like a nightmare; the parallel universe
represents a life the on-island castaways may be unable to live despite their
successful attempt to create it.
This is a paradox no Lost fan saw coming. We all spent months wrestling with
questions like, “Can you really change the past? And if you can, wouldn’t every
move you make erase the events that allowed you to change things in the first
place?” And then the show takes a turn like this. Bravo, Lost writers.
*This assumes
Jack was having a faint memory of his island life, which is definitely what the
writers wanted us to think. But Jack met Desmond before he ever got on Oceanic
815, which could be the real source of his memory. Or maybe that’s what
the writers wanted us to think about?
Final Thoughts on
the Premiere
While Season Six did not open with the best shocker (that crown goes to Season
Two and Three, whose deceptive intros were unbelievable), it is by far my
favorite season premiere. There were more questions than answers, but there was
also this great sense of wonder. This is the first time since 2005 that I am
more excited for the show itself and whatever it is that the characters are
going to do next than I am for the shocking twists and turns.
We may never get answers to the smaller questions, like how Locke’s dad came to
the island (the producers have reportedly confirmed that the Others brought him
there as most fans thought). Before the premiere, the thought of not getting
those answers would have killed me. Now it seems irrelevant. Now I am completely
consumed by the parallel worlds and how they will impact each other through the
finale in May.
It’s a beautiful new beginning for a show that is nearing its end.
LostZone is a new,
ongoing feature on GameZone aimed at discussing the show’s most breathtaking
moments (and, if necessary, its most depressing bombs) while dissecting its most
intriguing mysteries. Stay tuned for new installments.
