Episode thoughts
Hurley can be a little thick. I know: Why does this surprise me? Granted, it’s an old TV trick to have a character who doesn’t understand what’s going on so another, smarter character can explain it to them. That’s half the reason The Doctor always had a companion on Doctor Who. “Look, Doctor! What is that?” “Well, Jo… It’s a giant heela monster from Bixor Delta 5.” But still, hasn’t he ever picked up a copy of Amazing Stories from the spin rack at the 7-11? If I died in 1977 then why wouldn’t I have known last year when I was in the 21st century? We’re talking about Time Travel For Dummies stuff here.
He did raise a good point, though, which was nicely asked and then answered by the end of the episode. Why wouldn’t Ben remember them all? The real question is broader than that: Why would they have run into references to old DHARMA people like Radzinsky but not LaFleur? Why wouldn’t Kate have been digging around in the DHARMA bungalows last season and found a belonging of hers that hadn’t been touched in over three decades? Maybe, in fact, a replication, since the same scarf could be new in 2004 and also old in 2004 (after being taken to 1977 a few years down the line and abandoned or 30 years until it’s 2004 again?)
The Flashback to the Future scenes lacked some of the emotional resonance they might have, only because we already knew Aaron was somewhere. Far from being sad he was left with his grandmother it was sort of a relief that nothing worse had happened to him than, well, that he had been abandoned by both his mothers now.
Next week it looks like Joe vs. the Volcano, Ben vs. The Island. Should be lively.
“Why would they have run into references to old DHARMA people like Radzinsky but not LaFleur?”
This seems obvious to me, but perhap I’m wrong. The reason is simply because Sawyer/LaFleur didn’t exist in 1977 until *now*. Sawyer is still moving forward in time and is living his present, it just happens to be in other peoples’ past. So when the survivors were on the island in 2004, there *hadn’t* been a LaFleur yet.
Granted, I have absolutely no idea why Miles (and the writers, apparently) is insisting that what’s happening now in 1977 (Sayid shooting Ben, Miles and Hurley’s conversation, etc.) has always happened. That does not seem consistent with the rest of what the show is telling us.
As far as I can tell, despite Miles’ insistence that it always happened that way, LaFleur did not exist in 1977 until *now*. Sawyer is basically operating *outside* the normal 1977 timeline.
Comment by John Salerno — April 3, 2009 @ 5:21 am
Actually, I’m sticking to the theory that LOST time travel follows the straightforward “whatever happened, happened” model, not the “Back to the Future” changes-in-the-past-revise-the-future model. Here’s why.
1. Mrs. Hawking explained to Desmond that the future can’t be changed (in a significant way). The guy in the red shoes will get hit by a bus or a safe will fall on him, but he will always die. (There does seem to be a little wiggle room in this rule, because the circumstances of the death - i.e. the details of the timestream - can vary.)
2. This explanation is reinforced by the series of episodes where Desmond tries to save Charlie’s life, but ultimately fails (or stops trying).
3. According to Daniel, Desmond is the only one who can operate outside of the rules. That’s why he sends Desmond for help.
4. So far, we have not seen any case where a change in the past results in a change in the future…other than the “wiggle room” effect surrounding Charlie’s death. And it may be that only Desmond can create the “wiggle room” effect - that would make sense.
Personally, I am disappointed that Richard said that the Temple-healing would cause Ben to forget that this (the shooting) happened. I think it makes more sense that Ben knew all along about Sayid, but never let on. It also explains why Ben has always been focused on our main characters (since he has encountered them in the past), and not e.g. Rose and Bernard or the other castaways.
Oh yeah, and to the reader who commented on the unbelievability of Ben’s gunshot survival, let’s not forget that this is the Island, with its healing powers, and young Ben has already been flagged as special (seen the image of his mother).
Comment by Mike B. — April 3, 2009 @ 6:10 am