LOST
ep.0505 – This Place is Death
Since the first day Rousseau pointed a rifle at the losties of Oceanic 815, her backstory has taunted us. Finally, FINALLY we get the juicy bits we’ve all craved so much. The sickness. Montand’s arm. And Jin? With timejump flashes wreaking havoc on our dear losties, it makes sense (in a LOST sort of way) that Jin might find himself displaced in time, but this raises all sorts of questions about time and those pesky little things called paradoxes.
Case in point, when Danielle’s scientific team decides to explore the tunnel below the hieroglyph adorned temple, Jin senses danger and implores her to remain with him above ground. Later, Jin witnesses as Danielle murders her husband, believing that he has become infected by smoky. This certainly fits with the story present-day Danielle has told Sayid (and others). We know that the fate of Danielle and her team is a direct result of her decision to stay above ground. The question is, was Jin always the reason she decided to stay above ground in this crucial moment? Did she have any recollection of Jin in the present timeline?
“You’ll find it at the well.”
Time flashes wrought more than merely nosebleeds. Consider the case of Charlotte, who mutters a few of the most headscratchingly prescient lines in the episode, all while sporting a wicked nosebleed that eventually results in death. The titular “This Place is Death” line hits hardest, but the revelation that Charlotte was actually on the island before, knew of a significant well, and had actually met Daniel Faraday as a child causes the mind to reel. The how and why are sure to come, but for now the questions dangle overhead — haunting us.
“I can’t do that.”
After promising Jin to leave Sun on the mainland, Locke manages to find his way into a series of tunnels, with broken legs from a time flash enduced fall, and is visited by Christian Shephard. Locke’s broken limb prevents him from standing up with ease, but Christian urges him on. The pirate wheel must be turned again! When Locke struggles to get a helping hand, Christian shuts him down by simply stating that he cannot help him at all. The question is, why? Can ghosts not lend a helping hand? This seemed oddly perplexing.
Meanwhile, off the island Ben convinces Sun and Jack to accompany him on a visit to Eloise Hawking. His life hanging in the balance (both Sun and Jack have promised to kill Ben should he be lying) and Desmond questioning why they are all in the same place at the same time, Ben seemingly has his work cut out for him. Eliose is less than pleased to find such a small group of losties coralled by Ben. Only time will tell whether she has all of the answers.
Questions persist! How is it that Faraday met Charlotte with such a gap in ages? Granted, the season opened with a Dharma Initiative clad Daniel investigating a drill site while Pierre Chang insists that drilling be ceased to prevent a catastrophe. Will we see how Faraday arrived at this point in time soon? Also, is that Faraday of present day, or will we learn that Faraday is somehow akin to Richard Alpert, the man who never ages? And was Jin always the catalyst for Rousseau’s refusal to journey below the temple? If Jin were not present, would something else have kept her from taking that trip below the temple? And speaking of the temple, what do those hieroglypics mean?