LOST: Review of The Season Premiere

It’s currently very early morning. I have to be in San Francisco today, so I should be asleep right now. However I’m not. That’s because I’m still thinking about what happened in the LOST season premiere. If you were fortunate enough to see the two hours of fantastical goodness, then you know what I’m talking about.

Damon Lidelof and Carlton Cuse had explained that they would answer all our burning questions. They promised results, and I feel they came through with some of them tonight.

They gave us two timelines to wrap our brains around. One where the Oceanic flight lands safely in LAX, and people are going on with their lives. The other timeline consists of the island inhabitants dealing with the fact that they are still stranded on the island, and now… Jacob is dead.

This new strategy of showing us the timelines is fascinating. No flashbacks. No flash forwards. No present and past. Just following the stories of people who are unaware of what’s going on. But enough about that, let’s talk about the biggest news of all. What is the smoke monster?

Smoke Monster and Jacob

Since the first season that pesky smoke monster has been tormenting the islanders, and the burning question on everyone’s mind was: What is it? Why is it there?

Turns out it’s not a what, but a who. The smoke monster is a person, and that person is occupying the body of John Locke, who consequently was also the man in black… I think. Beyond that, this powerful being can deflect bullets like superman, and transform into the smoke monster at will. The only thing that can stop him from entering into a general perimeter is laying out some ashes. Although, that doesn’t mean it can’t cause jagged rocks and pieces of wood to fall and stab you through the chest with in that perimeter. If you watched, you know what I’m talking about.

I think the general consensus on the situation is this: Jacob and Smoke monster have been fighting for centuries now. Jacob has always had the upper hand, and the two beings travel in and out of the bodies of dead people as they see fit. Kind of weird, but hey, it’s LOST, so I’m okay with it. Finally when the loop hole that is talked about in Season 5 presents itself, Ben is manipulated into killing Jacob, and now Smoke Monster Locke has the upper hand which is a problem for all of Jacobs followers, namely the others. This leads me to my next topic.

The Other "OTHERS"

We get to see the inside of the temple, and it turns out there are people that look like they came right out of an Indiana Jones movie. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, just wondering where these people have been the whole time?

So now it seems two factions exist among the others. There is one group that lives inside the temple grounds with the magical spring, and one group that lives with Richard in the jungle.

As I watched the other others appear, my friends who were watching with me groaned. Who can blame them either? Here we have a brand new question popping up in the final season, and all we can think of is, “How are they going to explain this?” However, despite the turbans and the Japanese translation that took up more time then I cared for, I am still pleased with everything.

Alternate Timeline

I’m especially pleased with the alternate timeline at LAX. Thus far, it seems more interesting then what is happening on the island. That’s a first for me, as I have always hated watching anything that happened off the island. But for some reason watching Locke talk to Boone about his walkabout, Charlie choking on heroin, Kate thwarting authorities again, and Jack still struggling with his father’s death brought back fond memories of the pilot. As for Desmond appearing out of nowhere… Where did he disappear to?

Questions

Now here are some things I would like to ask.

Is it just me, or does anyone else want to know what happened to that coffin that was on board. Is it possible that the coffin is still on the island, or that Christian plays a role in the overall plot?

Where are Michael and Walt? Were they not shown because Walt went through a growth spurt, and they can’t show him until later, or are they just avoiding that completely?

Why does Ash Repel the Smoke Monster? I find the idea interesting, but what’s with him being pushed back by something so simple?

Is Sayid Jacob now? LOST has always had the religious connotations, but nothing was more apparent to me then the obvious baptism, or rebirth, and the way Sayid had his arms laying in the shape of a cross. Was this supposed to mean that he would live again? My theory is that, he is no longer Sayid, but rather a vessel for Jacob. That would support my taking over bodies theory.

Are they going to bring back the lame love triangle between Jack, Sawyer, and Kate? I thoroughly enjoyed the Sawyer with Juliet story, and was brought to near tears when they forced me to watch her die again; no homo. However, this leaves the door open for the rehashing of something that has already happened, and I pray that what I think will happen, won’t.

What did Juliet mean when she said, “it worked.”? I have no theory on this, so please enlighten me fellow LOST fans.

According to Smoke Locke, Locke’s last thought was, “I don’t understand.” Does anyone else find that depressing?

I could go on and on, but for the interest of time, and the fact that I need to be in San Francisco in about 12 hours, I will end with this question: Is there any significance in Jack’s statement to Locke in the airport when he says, “Nothing is irreversible”?