Live Together, Die Alone

What a ride. We loved it. Some big answers, some new possibilities, and some major branches of the sprawling conspiracy tree mercifully pruned. Two hours that didn’t feel like two hours, and such delicious connections and brilliant moments that we’re a bit speechless. “I think we’re going to have to watch that again.” For now, […]

What a ride. We loved it. Some big answers, some new possibilities, and some major branches of the sprawling conspiracy tree mercifully pruned. Two hours that didn’t feel like two hours, and such delicious connections and brilliant moments that we’re a bit speechless. “I think we’re going to have to watch that again.” For now, I think we’re going to be limited to random notes and notions.

Desmond crashed the plane. Not a huge surprise, as it was probably the most plausible explanation, but I think it was handled perfectly. On the other hand, it’s now clear the crash was an accident. So, were our survivors on the plane by design? Are all these people on this island for a reason, or not? As far as grand theories go, this knocks a few big ones out of the running.
The last scene of this last episode, just like the first scene of this season’s opener, changes everything. (Imagine if we’d seen a glimpse of Desmond in the hatch at the end of Season One.) For the first time, we see the “outside world.” It’s still there. And people are looking for this island. What this means for Season Three boggles the mind.
Not sure what to make of the Others. They’re not cave people, but they don’t seem particularly intense, either. (“Where’s your beard?”) Either way, it’s good to see Henry again, and that he’s clearly going to be a bit part of the next chapter. Is he “Him”? Jury’s still out. Jen picks up a very strong Kaiser Soze vibe.
Zeke’s real name is Tom. That’s, what, five Toms in “LOST” now?
And Desmond’s full name is Desmond David Hume. Hume being another philosopher, who just happened to have been fond of the works of John Locke.
The button was real, the hatch was important, but both seem to have both come and gone this season. If the electromagnetic properties were what kept the island off the grid, though, and if the “fail safe” blew it all to smithereens, is the island visible again? And will weird things stop happening? I doubt it.
How else can you hide an island? Move it. I’ve liked this theory from the beginning, as it also explains the polar bear and drug plane. Penny Widmore seems to have known enough that the island is concealed by magnetism… but Henry’s instructions to Michael and the call from the monitoring station convinces me more than ever that there’s another reason the island is so hard to find.
Kelvin was Inman. A nice touch. But if the crash was indeed an accident, the continued emphasis on these pre-crash connections are problematic. A little hint here and there was great. Now they’re beating us over the head with them.
Speaking of which… Libby! Now really, can her meeting Desmond in a coffee shop really be a coincidence? “I just happen to have this boat I don’t need…” Either way, it was good to see her again, and it was a surprisingly strong scene.
The giant foot was especially unexpected. Colossus of Rhodes? But four toes. Animal? Cartoon character? It doesn’t look like this island will run out of stories any time soon.
So where does “LOST” leave us? Locke and Eko missing in action, Charile inexplicably unconcerned (but back in with Claire). Michael and Walt heading off to parts unknown. Jack, Kate and Sawyer in custody of the Others (or “the hostiles,” which is a new term for them), and Hurley’s in for a long walk. Will Sayid, Jin and Sun save the day?
Speaking of Sun, I loved seeing her joining the “merry band of adventurers,” rather than once again left behind to play in her garden or fret on the beach. Jen liked the morning sickness scene.
Jen also loved the discovery of the pile of canisters and notebooks. Positively eerie. My favorite scene has to be the reunion of Locke and Desmond. “Box man.” The hatch going kablooey was pretty awesome, too.
How about that Hurley bird? Seems like they’re just having fun with us, rather than dropping a big clue. The “snow globe” reference also falls into that category. Tommy Westphall, anyone?
Henry says, “We’re the good guys.” Coupled with his now disproven assertion to Locke that the button does nothing, our heads are swimming with what he might know or not know.
The shippers must be all a titter. Charlie and Claire, Sawyer’s short chat with Kate about nets, Jack’s valiant attempt to rescue Kate… But, what about “the look” Jack and Kate gave each other before they got sacks on their head. I thought I saw Kate give a deliberate blink signal to Jack, maybe a Plan B. Jen was most reminded of the “carbon freezing” scene in The Empire Strikes Back. Aww.
So the “girl in the picture” was Penny. Jen notes that rules out Penny as the would-be adoptive mother of Claire’s baby. A pity, I kind of liked that theory.
One thing I don’t get (besides the oblivious Charlie thing). If the Others were after Jack, Kate, and Sawyer, why not nab them when they surrounded them in the forest? They even had Locke to play the “go back and tell them to buzz off” role. And again, why them? At least now we know Hurley wasn’t in the “real” set.
“Mmm,” Jen said. “Desmond sure cleans up nice.”
Another book: Charles Dickens’ “Our Mutual Friend.” Summer reading! (I’m really trying to resist picking up “Bad Twin.”)
Locations: I think the prison Desmond walked out of was Oahu Correctional Center in town. The Pala Ferry pier looked like a combination of ‘Apua Fishpond at Kualoa (where Jin met his dad in an earlier episode) and a seaplane pier off Lagoon Drive near the airport. And the coffee shop was Honolulu Café downtown. That arctic monitoring station could have been anywhere.

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“Live Together, Die Alone” discussion threads at TheFuselage.com and Lost-Forum.com.