We all know the excitement of re-watching episodes of Lost; it can be just as exciting as seeing the episode for the first time! With the finale less than a week away, I've reviewed season 5, keeping a lookout for any subtle continuities that, following the long-awaited airing of "The Incident," will make each of us have an "omg how could I be so blind" moment.
When Ajira 316 lands, we already notice something is different: the runway. The last time we saw the Hydra island was season 3: Kate and Sawyer were hauling rubble, clearing the way for the supposed runway. We watched, from the edge of our seats, as the construction of said runway was interrupted by Jack's retaking of the reins, giving Kate and Sawyer the chance to get away. Not long after, we see the relocation of the Others to the main island, back to the barracks. Now, unless the Others picked up their pick-axes and wheelbarrows and completed the runway themselves after their supposed leader Mr Locke got sucked through the spacetime continuum, something in our perceived timeline since Season 1 has changed, and it's going to be big.
Now, I'm anticipating the "the runway still wasn't finished, therefore this proves nothing" defence. Yes, the plane had a VERY messy landing, and a full runway would have prevented that right? Wrong. The plane lost all power: hell, we hear "STALL" repeated just before we hear the radio transmission of 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Didn't Jack and co shut down the radio tower? And didn't Rousseau replace this transmission? Unless they were never there to do so... we'll see. But I've strayed from my point, being: you try landing a plane that has just completely failed on a rocky island runway. Their speed wasn't adjusted, landing gears were probably failing, and they overshot the beginning of the runway. The completed runway.
Don't believe me? Let us take a look at the Barracks.
These are not the Keamy-blasted houses Locke and co. deserted in season 4. Despite looking aged and broken down, it doesn't really seem that the Smokey express ever arrived on schedule. There aren't too many signs that a sociopath with guns and explosives tore through there, either. What would have been Ben's house still has old, DUSTY, Dharma recruitment photos hanging on the walls. You'd assume he'd have pictures of Alex, or something expensive and classy (perhaps a nice Monet or Picasso.) Why would those pictures still be there? And why are there still Dharma "Inoculation" and "Recruitment" signs hanging everywhere? You'd think when the Others settled in they would have done some slight remodelling, unless they like being reminded they committed genocide.
The writers have said that Kate saving Ben was 'course correction.' Meaning Sayid shooting Ben was a bit of a hefty rock thrown in this river of time, though not quite a boulder. What I'm getting at is: with everything winding towards The Incident, perhaps season 5 has given us a look at the 30 years in the future that occurred as a RESULT of whatever happens in the Finale, and it is not the same island the O6, Locke, Ben, Lapidus, and Desmond left behind.
When Ajira 316 lands, we already notice something is different: the runway. The last time we saw the Hydra island was season 3: Kate and Sawyer were hauling rubble, clearing the way for the supposed runway. We watched, from the edge of our seats, as the construction of said runway was interrupted by Jack's retaking of the reins, giving Kate and Sawyer the chance to get away. Not long after, we see the relocation of the Others to the main island, back to the barracks. Now, unless the Others picked up their pick-axes and wheelbarrows and completed the runway themselves after their supposed leader Mr Locke got sucked through the spacetime continuum, something in our perceived timeline since Season 1 has changed, and it's going to be big.
Now, I'm anticipating the "the runway still wasn't finished, therefore this proves nothing" defence. Yes, the plane had a VERY messy landing, and a full runway would have prevented that right? Wrong. The plane lost all power: hell, we hear "STALL" repeated just before we hear the radio transmission of 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Didn't Jack and co shut down the radio tower? And didn't Rousseau replace this transmission? Unless they were never there to do so... we'll see. But I've strayed from my point, being: you try landing a plane that has just completely failed on a rocky island runway. Their speed wasn't adjusted, landing gears were probably failing, and they overshot the beginning of the runway. The completed runway.
Don't believe me? Let us take a look at the Barracks.
These are not the Keamy-blasted houses Locke and co. deserted in season 4. Despite looking aged and broken down, it doesn't really seem that the Smokey express ever arrived on schedule. There aren't too many signs that a sociopath with guns and explosives tore through there, either. What would have been Ben's house still has old, DUSTY, Dharma recruitment photos hanging on the walls. You'd assume he'd have pictures of Alex, or something expensive and classy (perhaps a nice Monet or Picasso.) Why would those pictures still be there? And why are there still Dharma "Inoculation" and "Recruitment" signs hanging everywhere? You'd think when the Others settled in they would have done some slight remodelling, unless they like being reminded they committed genocide.
The writers have said that Kate saving Ben was 'course correction.' Meaning Sayid shooting Ben was a bit of a hefty rock thrown in this river of time, though not quite a boulder. What I'm getting at is: with everything winding towards The Incident, perhaps season 5 has given us a look at the 30 years in the future that occurred as a RESULT of whatever happens in the Finale, and it is not the same island the O6, Locke, Ben, Lapidus, and Desmond left behind.
