LOST discussion - thar be spoilers ahead!

[Darth Caedus]

I love that the old lady is connected to Ben, but now that time travel is such a crucial dimension of the plot, I see a lot of viewers who aren't long-time, die-hard fans becoming disenchanted. Time travel is the perpetual deus ex machina and concurrent death knell for so many franchises that I'm worried the fanbase could falter. Lots of viewers were probably expecting a better payoff than the island being a wellspring for time-travel syrup. I'm content with the direction the show is taking, though. Content but still a bit concerned.

I do agree that time travel is usually used as a deux ex machina to explain the conclusion of a story arc, but I don' think they're doing it here. Like Faraday said: "you can't change what's happened." Using time travel, I think they are going to bring everything together towards the end of the series. BTW, has anyone heard if the island is going to be continually jumping around times for the rest of the season? Maybe Faraday will find a way to return the wheel and return the island to normal space-time.

As for the new people coming to the show, I can almost laugh at the expression on their faces after watching that episode. They are probably looking like this guy...

 

[GrueSam]

Best Season Premier. Ever.

And for anyone who is having a hard time remembering who Ben's older lady friend is:
https://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Ms._Hawking

 

[Darth Caedus]

As she and Desmond turn around, a pair of legs with red shoes is shown sticking out from under the pile of rubble. As Desmond realizes this is the man she pointed out earlier, she admits to knowing that he would die. When confronted by Desmond as to why she did not warn the man she informs Desmond that he would have been hit by a taxi the next day, and if she had warned him about that he would have broken his neck in the shower. As Desmond stares blankly at her she explains that the universe has a way of "course correcting" (a phrase Desmond later recites to Charlie), and that death cannot be avoided

I forgot about that. So Desmond was time-shifting after turning the key. And his "attempt" to change the future was stopped by Ms. Hawking. Interesting tie-in to tonight's episode.

And DAMN, the site is already updated....someone has no life

 

[SwedishHeat]

It's so awesome to see them putting the pieces all on the table, and we're just going to watch them all slide together.

 

[DarthNeil]

Makes sense that the reason people's illness went away was because the island was "frozen in time"...

But why oh why does Neil have to be the whiney anxious guy (as referred to in the credits) who has to have the sudden (been done before to death--pardon the pun) fire arrow through the chest?

I'm organizing Neils everywhere to boycott.

Great start to the season.

 

[The ill Jedi]

Still the best show on TV hands down!!!

 

[lcummins]

Time travel will only lead to many, many paradoxes that won't or can't be explained... but since we knew time travel was involved already, I'll let it slide... great episode anyway!

 

[Agent0028]

I do agree that time travel is usually used as a deux ex machina to explain the conclusion of a story arc, but I don' think they're doing it here. Like Faraday said: "you can't change what's happened." Using time travel, I think they are going to bring everything together towards the end of the series. BTW, has anyone heard if the island is going to be continually jumping around times for the rest of the season? Maybe Faraday will find a way to return the wheel and return the island to normal space-time.

As for the new people coming to the show, I can almost laugh at the expression on their faces after watching that episode. They are probably looking like this guy...

Sometimes when I was watching the first two seasons of Heroes on DVD my grandma would comment the show makes no sense and I told her its because she didn't watch it from the beginning. Last night she was reading while I was watching Lost and she started to ask something about it so I told her that even for those of us who have watched it from the beginning the show makes little sense. She just went back to her book and left me alone.

Last night's episode didn't do a whole lot for me. I kinda felt like I could stop watching. Maybe I was too distracted to get into it or something.

 

[Scar]

It was a stellar episode, and I'm glad they're tying up Desmond's "talents". Interesting that the premiere, with the exception of Sayid's commentary, painted Ben in a more sympathetic and helpful light. I don't know how I feel about him as a good guy, I developed a rapport with him as an ^^^^^^^.

 

[FlyAndFight]

Excellent premiere.

The time travel twist was already known, though. It's just now "official".

So the white haired lady is Faraday's mom, right?

Interesting twist with Faraday and Desmond. The whole "can't change the past" issue is going to really make this season a screwy one. What I didn't see was if one could go back and see themself. Or is that one of the paradoxes that cannot happen? (no "back to the future" type scenerios, I guess.) So that would explain Faraday telling Desmond to go to Oxford and see his "mom". Since Desmond comes to see Faraday later, then he can't go back "again", so he see's his mom instead, who will notify Faraday. Ok, it's getting screwy...

 

[Sick Boy 82]

Well, remember, Desmond & Faraday are linked from when Faraday explained that everyone has their link person or whatever it was. So that's why he can talk to them.

So it seem right now they are on the island before the plane crashed, which is why "The Others" are hella surprised to see them there.

I really loved the opener for the season, very cool stuff so far!!

Can't wait to see what happens with Hurley and them getting back to the island.

Why the hell do they have to go back to the island though?? I am still pretty confused with that part.

And why is the cute redhead bleeding and dying??

 

[Sick Boy 82]

Zack, stick this in your pipe and smoke it!!

Yes, ok she is super smoking hot, but not "Kate". "Kate" is a filthy 2-timing c-word!!

 

[Darth Caedus]

Thought of another question. Why was it only Charlotte who was getting all the nosebleeds and headaches??? If she doesn't have a constant, is he going to eat it like Minkowski???

 

[tomandshell]

I like the idea that Faraday can hop all around in time and send messages to Desmond, who uniquely has the ability to flash back to his past and experience those conversations. It's a way of communicating and advancing the plot that sticks to the rules previously established in the show.

I had totally called Mrs. Hawking being Daniel's mother after he mentioned it, and was happy to see her under that cloak. But then it turned it that Hawking is in L.A. working with Ben and obviously not in Oxford, so now I'm not so sure that she's Faraday's mom after all.

 

[tomandshell]

My thoughts after last night:

I think that there is very likely some sort of time loop going on that Ben is aware of. All events on the show leading up to the rescue have "already happened" in the true/intended timeline string and have thus been predetermined--and Ben (through Jacob, a character communicating from the future with advance knowledge of the true/intended timeline) has been working to maintain the established chain of events and avoid any paradox from happening.

The set of rules that Dr. Candle referred to about time travel last night could be the rules that Widmore has apparently changed, according to Ben. My guess is that Ben knew that his "daughter" Alex was not destined to die, but Widmore intervened and changed history by killing her last season and putting into action a chain of events that doesn't mesh with the intended timeline string, and the results of that would be the kind of catastrophic paradox that (according to Back to the Future) would destroy the universe.

In the intended timeline, the Oceanic Six never left (hence the remarks indicating that they weren't "supposed" to leave) and they need to go back so that they, together with the remaining survivors, can flash together to a point in time before they left and the intended timeline (where the six stay on the island) is restored. My guess is that the survivors on the island will continue to flash around through time until the group is restored/reunited and they can all flash together to a point that restores the intended timeline--they are all each other's constants in a sense, and if they continue to flash without the Six, Sawyer and Juliet and the rest will ultimately die from the prolonged effects that have begun to impact Charlotte already from too much time shifting.

So Widmore broke "the rules" by changing history (killing Alex and allowing the Six to leave the island, things which weren't supposed to happen) and altering the timeline string, risking/causing a paradox that will destroy the world or something equally dramatic. Ben knows that if the Six don't get return, the island can't get things back on track and stop skipping around like a broken record. It's trying to course correct, but can't because the six aren't on the island like they were supposed to be.

So they need to get back ASAP, and Widmore is a big jerk for trying to mess around with the space time continuum.

 

[Kuzeh]

Ahhh! Great theories dude!!
The "rules" were then indeed changed, and now it's up to the O6 and Ben to fix it...
I'm interested in seeing how the Widmore-Sun deal develops...
also, this episode puts to rest my theories that a lot of dead people will resuscitate...
but, I wonder if Jin is indeed dead... I think not...
I also wonder how the hell will they convince Hurley to go with them...

This Season is going to be quite interesting!!

 

[lcummins]

The only problem with that theory Tom is that the Island didn't just start the time looping on it's on to fix the problem... Ben started it by moving the switch to move the Island as a last resort, and if Ben knew the timeline was messed up and moving the Island would set off the chain reaction leading to dramatic events, then why do it?

 

[Agent0028]

 

[Darklord Dave]

Which is the last Cylon?

 

[Darklord Dave]

The only problem with that theory Tom is that the Island didn't just start the time looping on it's on to fix the problem... Ben started it by moving the switch to move the Island as a last resort, and if Ben knew the timeline was messed up and moving the Island would set off the chain reaction leading to dramatic events, then why do it?

But the island has moved through time before hasn't it? Instead of Richard being immortal, he's just moving through time - and how is he doing it if not with the island?

But I think Tom's theories are probably pretty close.