316
I really enjoyed this episode for a number of reasons, but most importantly it marked the return to the island. Now, I thought the beginning was great, it felt like the kind of reveal that would have in the past been either the beginning of season of the very end of a season, but this was only the 6th episode. That the other thing, they spent four seasons trying to get of the island and after only 6 episode off the island (not counting that they were off the island in the flashbacks in season 4) they’re back. I wasn’t really expecting them to move things that quickly. I read several posts after 316 aired with people complaining that the reveal at the beginning of the episode spoiled the rest of it, I disagree, I think it made it better because we knew it was going to happen we just weren’t sure how. And to be perfectly honest we still aren’t too sure.
The Lamp post station
Ben may or may not have know about it, depends on if he was lying or not, but Widmore mustn’t know about it or he would have already found the island long ago.
Who was/is the clever fellow who built the pendulum?
And also how long has it been there? Ms Hawking says that it was how Dharma found the island, but how long was there between them finding it and actually get there? One suggestion I’ve heard was that perhaps it was Dan who was responsible for the pendulum, not sure about that theory myself, it goes against the “you can’t change the future” idea a bit too much. Pierre Chang maybe? He seemed to know plenty about the mysterious energy lurking beneath the orchid station, so it could be the sort of thing he’s be involved in building.
Why doesn’t hawking react when Des says that it was Dan who sent him?
One theory is that it was just poor acting, to go with the terrible overacting, making Hawking appear psychotic instead of mysterious. The other possibility is that she already knew that Dan had sent him, how I’m not totally sure, but it could be possible.
Locke apparently committed suicide
Did he really though? Or did he get some help? Maybe he did do it just because Alpert told him he’d have to die in order to convince them to return.
Ben’s story about Thomas the apostle
Is there a hidden meaning behind him telling of how Thomas didn’t believe in the resurrection until he’d seen Jesus’ wounds for himself. Could it be he’s saying that none of them will believe they can get back until they actually do, or perhaps that they won’t believe Locke’s resurrection until they see it for themselves. No I’m not saying Locke is going to spring back to life when he gets back to the island, but there’s every chance they will come across him in the same way that they see all the other dead people, in particular Christian Shephard.
Ben says he made a promise to an old friend, and a loose end to tie up.
Remember that ‘promise’ that he made to Widmore, when he said that he would find, and kill, Penny in retaliation for the murder his daughter (even though she wasn’t technically his). That seems like a pretty good loose end to tie up… and would provide a good reason for Des to have to return to the island.
Why does Kate turn up at Jacks?
Who or what changed her mind about returning? Same who/what that changed Hurley’s mind? Where is Aaron, and why does she refuse to talk about him? My initial thought was that she may have taken Aaron to Claire’s mother and told her the truth. Aaron seems fairly important to the whole show so I’d say we’ll find out where he’s gone at some point.
What happened to Ben?
See my theory above. He’s calling from a pay phone at a marina, with lots of boats just like Desmond and Penny’s boat. Perhaps he’s beaten because he tried to kill her and failed or maybe there’s another reason altogether.
Who is the random middle eastern man?
He got a speaking line in the airport and he was in the front section of the plane with the rest of the Oceanic 6. Will he have time warped onto the island with the rest of them?
What did Sayid do to get arrested?
And why is he being transported to Guam? Maybe the police caught up with him over the murders of the people he’d been killing. MAybe Ben tipped the police off, resulting in his arrest and somehow managed to get him deported to Guam.
What changed Hurley’s mind
He doesn’t seem willing to give up the info easily when Jack asks he just points out that the important thing is that he is there.
Frank Lapidus is the pilot of 316
Nice touch, and one of the best lines after he spots the rest of the Losties on the plane with Jack. “We’re not going to Guam, are we?”.
Locke’s note says “Jack, I wish you had believed me”
Could have double meaning, in that if Jack had believed him back on the island he wouldn’t have left and there never would have been a problem, and second that if when he visited Jack as Jeremy Bentham, that Jack had believed him then, then he wouldn’t have had to commit suicide in order to convince him to return.
A mid air time flash brings them back to the island
Looks like they flew into range of the island as one of the time flashes occurred, sucking them out of the plane and onto the island. It easy to understand why it seemed to confuse them, since unless Locke told them, they wouldn’t know of the time jumping adventures that have been going on on the island since they left.
Dharma van turns up
And out gets Jin! He’s all dressed up in what appears to be a Dharma security uniform. So ‘when’ did they land on the island? Dharma was the 70’s and 80’s so somewhere in there. But since Jin has apparently had enough time to work his way into Dharma and start working with them, may be the flashes are less frequent or perhaps have already stopped?
Keep in mind the deteriorating health of those on the island due to the time jumps, and that was all in the couple of days after Jack and co left the island, would they even still be alive three years later? Maybe by landing back in the early 1980’s they’ll get the chance to change things prevent the bad things that happened from happening.
It certainly going to be interesting, I’m looking forward to “The life and death of Jeremy Bentham”, I wonder where Locke is going to materialize after he turn in moving the island, Ben wound up in Tunisia (10 months later), so who knows where Locke might end up maybe he’ll go back in time?