When DHARMA Roamed the Earth
If Lost hasn’t jumped the shark yet, it’s certainly jumped a decade or three.
John Locke reset the off-kilter donkey wheel and fixed the island’s unstable time travel. The problem? The island wound up in the wrong time, seemingly for good. Left behind are James ‘Sawyer’ Ford, Juliet Burke, Jin Soo-Kwon, Miles Straume and Daniel Faraday. So how does their new time period suit them? For some — like Saywer and Juliet — it fits them quite well. By the look of it, however, everyone’s cozy hippy excursion is coming to a screeching halt with the arrival of the Oceanic Six, their old pals and would-be saviors.
Click inside for the full scoop on the latest episode of Lost, “LaFleur.”
Suited for the ’70s
It’s straight to the days of DHARMA for Sawyer and friends, trading their tattered beach clothes for a pair of DHARMA jumpsuits. Shortly after Locke’s departure, the Left Behinders stumbled upon Amy (Reiko Aylesworth of 24 fame), a young woman whose husband had been killed by the Others. Sawyer and Juliet make short work of the assailants and are led back to New Otherton, known then as the Barracks, to join the legendary DHARMA Initiative.
The theory that Daniel posits is that “whatever happened, happened,” meaning that the pseudo-permanent fixture of our heroes in the ’70s has always been a part of history. When Sawyer asked in 2004 if the DHARMA Initiative were aliens, he had no idea that he’d been part of the hippy science crew back in the island’s history and in his future. Sounds trippy? Those tree-hugging DHARMites wouldn’t have it any other way.
By the look of it, the ’70s has had a profound effect on our favorite castaways. Miles is more friendly and laidback, Jin speaks perfect English, Sawyer and Juliet are making kissy-face and Daniel is… well, we’re not quite sure where Daniel is, but this whole time-shift thing certainly explains why he was at the construction of the Orchid back in the season premiere. The Sawyer and Juliet relationship is particularly interesting, firmly adding a new edge to the previous Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle. Even better is that Sawyer and Juliet appear happier than any other prior combination of the love square — what? I need to come up with a poetic name for it? — proving once and for all that Sawyer > Jack and Juliet > Kate. I’m not a ‘shipper, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased as punch about this new dynamic duo.
Whatever Happened, Happened
The ever present Richard Alpert’s age isn’t any closer to explanation, but at least we’re getting a clearer picture of some important Lost mythology. If Daniel’s words are true that “whatever happened, happened,” then Sawyer’s conversation with Richard was always fated to happen in 1974. It’s worth wondering then if the crash of Oceanic 815 was foretold by Alpert, if not caused by him. (The current explanation that Desmond’s lapse of button pushing brought the plane down isn’t completely satisfying.)
Richard has to know who Sawyer is in present times as their ’70s conversation was very profound for Alpert, who had already been visited by John Locke in the ’50s. Further, Richard had detailed files on several of the castaways including Locke, in which it was revealed that John’s father was the infamous “Sawyer” that James Ford had been hunting his entire life. During all that time compiling information about the castaways, you have to imagine that Richard took one look at Sawyer’s picture and went, “Oh, that’s right. That guy. Totally forgot about that guy.”
The best example other than Sawyer is Juliet. Perhaps Alpert learned of her role in delivering Amy’s baby. When all the baby problems start to go down in present times, Richard would think back to the ’70s and remember Juliet, the woman who successfully delivered a DHARMA baby. That’s why the Others recruit her into their fold so aggressively. She is a tried and true success in the DHARMA days which makes her a valuable asset on the island.
Basically, the coexistance of eternal Richard Alpert and our temporally displaced castaways — which includes Jack, Kate, Hurley and maybe the others — is more fated than coincidental and also more circular than some might like. It’s a chicken and the egg conundrum that might be telling of Lost‘s typical non-answer answers — everything is Alpha, Omega, beginning and end all at once and, ultimately, there might not be any answers. Kind of a bummer, but such is life.
Walk Like A Four-Toed Egyptian
It’s a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment, but there it is — the four-toed statue back from the dead. Not seen since the season two finale, the four-toed statue is one of Lost‘s most compelling mysteries. Fans long wondered why the statue hadn’t been addressed by the show since its introduction, but last night’s return sheds some light on the mysterious figure.
The shape of the statue has a distinctly Egyptian vibe to it. On a superficial level, the shape of the ears and the style of the hair are reminiscent of ancient depictions of Anubis, Horus and other Egyptian deities. There’s also the skirt, a dinstinct characteristic of the Egyptian gods. Further, if you look at the hands, the statue appears to be holding an ankh — the same symbol that Amy retrieved from her dead husband’s necklace. The ankh is a symbol commonly held by Egyptian gods — that’s just research, baby — and it represents eternal life, magical protection, purification and a slew of other Lost related themes.
The idea that there’s some sort of Egyptian element on Lost isn’t totally new. When the numbers used to go haywire in the Swan station, they would flip to reveal ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Similar markings have been seen elsewhere on the island, most recently at the black smoke monster’s underground temple in this season’s “This Place is Death.” What’s the significance of Egyptian mythology in relation to the show’s greater meaning? Hard to say, but there’s very little doubt now that the exotic island has much in common with Ancient Egypt.
Bonus Points
When Charlotte told Daniel that she’d lived on the island before, it seemed obvious that we’d see her again at some point — but so soon? And you have to admit, baby Charlotte is a heck of a lot cuter and less annoying than older Charlotte. Also note that Daniel repeatedly muttered “I won’t, I won’t, I won’t tell her” when the Left Behinders rediscovered him, yet he’s the one talking about how events cannot be changed. Poor Danny boy is in for a let down.
Another excellent moment is Sawyer’s latest insult, this time towards Richard Alpert — or, as Sawyer calls him, “the guy with the eyeliner.” Nestor Carbonell, the actor who plays Alpert, maintains that he just has very dark eyelashes, so it’s pretty funny to see the argument taken into the proper series.
While the numbers stayed relatively quiet last night, there’s a new number that’s come front and center — three. That’s how many years the Oceanic Six were off the island, and how many years the Left Behinders have lived in DHARMA’s time. It’s tough to admit, but we really don’t know our cast very well anymore. Three full years of their lives have elapsed since the main events of the fourth season. While we’ve seen glimpses here and there, there are major chunks of time missing that we haven’t witnessed. It will be very interesting rediscovering the cast of Lost and to see how their being off the island, being displaced by time and, in one case, being dead will influence the show’s dynamic.
Check back in two weeks for an all-new edition of Lost: Island Fever.
“What’d you say this part of the island was called, Eyelashes?”