Television is the new movies
Lost 4.11 Cabin Fever
Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008
Usually the episode before a finale is slow paced and not much on answers, or plot other than setting up what is to happen in the finale. Since this is technically the last episode before the finale I expected this. We however were treated to only half of the episode based on setting up for the big finish of the season.
I got cabin fever it's burning in my brain.
I've got cabin fever it's driving me insane.
We got cabin fever, we're flipping our bandanas.
Been stuck at sea so long we have simply gone bananas.
I think Kemey has in fact gotten Cabin Fever or the "sickness". If not he is one evil dude. Those aboard the boat prepare for "Plan B". While Locke, Hurley and Ben have another kind of Cabin Fever in trying to find Jacob's cabin, which I thought was the most interesting part of the episode. Before we delve into any of that, let's start with Locke's flashback.
Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do!
A record playing "Everyday" by Buddy Holly is started up as a girl dances around her room. She is putting lipstick on in the mirror when her mother walks in. They talk about the fact that the girl is going out for the night. Her mother asks if she is going out with "him" and mentions that he is twice her age and she doesn't approve. The girl, identified as Emily, says that she is in love with the man. Emily runs out into the rain trying to escape her mother and meet the mysterious "him" when she runs out into the road and is hit by a car. Emily wakes up in the hospital being rushed through a hall on a gurney. She tells a nurse that she is almost six months pregnant. After giving birth to her child, the nurse tells her that it is a boy and rushes him away saying that he is too young to be held. Before being wheeled out, Emily tells the nurse to name him John. It's interesting that John was born 3 months premature; when on the island women loose their babies about 3 months before they are due. Later, Emily and her mother are standing over an incubator with John inside. The nurse enters and seems overjoyed at the fact that John is the youngest premature baby to survive at the hospital. He suffered from infections and pneumonia among other things, but successfully fought them off. Emily's mother seems less than thrilled at this information. At mention of taking John out and having Emily hold him, Emily becomes upset by the idea. She runs out of the room crying, saying that she cannot do it. Mrs. Locke is left in the room with the nurse and unemotionally asks who she should speak to about adoption. Before getting an answer, she sees a man standing behind the viewing window. Mrs. Locke looks disturbed to see him there. The nurse asks if he is the father of the baby, and she responds by saying that she doesn't know who he is. The man's face is shown to reveal that it is Richard Alpert.
A young John is playing backgammon in a living room when his foster sister Melissa knocks the pieces off the board. His foster mother scolds her before telling John that there is a man there to see him and that he should be on his best behavior. Richard Alpert walks in the house and sits down at the table across from him. He introduces himself as Richard and tells John that he runs a school for special children and has reason to believe that he is one of them. Richard asks John if he minds if he shows him a couple of neat things and John shakes his head. Richard sees a drawing on the wall of the room of a man lying on the ground while a mass of black springs from the ground and hangs over him, resembling an attack by the smoke monster. When asked if he drew the picture, John nods his head. The two walk to another table and sit down. Richard tells John that he wants him to look at a few objects, think about them, and tell him which of them are his. He lays out on the table a baseball mitt; a book entitled "Book of Laws" written in a Hebrew-type font, a small container of granules, a compass, a comic book entitled "Mystery Tales", and a knife. John inspects the container of the granules and the compass. John starts towards the "Book of Laws", at which point Richard looks hopeful, but finally he picks up the knife, instead. Richard seems disappointed and angry. He asks John if he is sure, and after he nods, Richard snatches the knife, and the other items on the table, away. He puts these back into his bag and stands up quickly. The foster mother enters the room and asks how John did. Richard responds that John is not quite ready for his school and walks out of the house. The woman scolds John asking what he did and he looks down dejectedly. How does Richard know that Locke is special? Why did Locke fail? Richard has obviously been following Locke's life, but for what reason? Is he trying to get him to the island earlier than with Oceanic 815? I think that until we learn more about Richard we won't get any answers to these questions.
Teenage Locke bangs on the door from the inside of a locker calling to be let out. A teacher opens the door and John finds everyone laughing when he exits. The teacher suggests that he come to the nurse's office with him because his lip is bleeding. Soon after, the two sit in an office where John says that he does not want to talk about what just happened despite the man's prodding. The teacher tells John that he got a call from Portland on behalf of Mittelos Laboratories who work with chemistry and new technologies. When he mentions speaking with a Dr. Alpert John looks up. The teacher tells him that Mittelos is looking for young, bright minds and they want John to go to their summer camp. When Locke asks how they knew about him, the teacher suggests that they sent a representative to a science fair where John had presented a model of an island. John gets upset and tells the teacher that he is not a scientist, but the type of person who is interested in sports and cars. The teacher kindly tells him that even if he wants to be more like the popular boys at school, it is just not who he is. He says that John simply can't be a super-hero, to which he responds, "Don't tell me what I can't do!" He hands him back the pamphlet and walks out. Richard doesn't quit does he? He's still pursuing Locke. I wonder if his teacher is a part of everything too. It's fitting that he doesn't want to go to the science camp. It shows that he has always been "a man of faith".
Adult Locke struggles to walk while undergoing physical therapy at a rehabilitative center. The trainer gives praise to Locke's good work and tells him enough for the day, waving an orderly to bring over a wheelchair. The orderly helps Locke into the chair and pushes him towards the elevator, talking with him and being revealed as Matthew Abaddon. He tells John that surviving an 8-story fall was a miracle and suggests John take an Australian walkabout and learn who he truly was. Abaddon tells Locke that he's "much more than an orderly", and again urges him to go on the walkabout, claiming that when they met again Locke would owe him one. I have no idea what to think of Abaddon. Who is he working for? Is he working for the island, or is he working for Widmore? He obviously is planting the groundwork to get Locke to the island. He must be very important to the future of the island.
Setting Up the Finale
Sayid and Desmond see Keamy and his men return. The doctor works on their injured man. Keamy sees Captain Gault and jams his gun right under Gault's chin. He wants to know why Gault gave him up to Ben. Captain Gault says he's not the one who gave him up. Keamy asks who did. Gault leads him to Michael's room. Michael confesses he was the one to told Ben all of Keamy's information. Keamy tries to shoot Michael in the head, but the gun jams. Frustrated, Keamy savagely beats Michael. Lapidus comes in and tells them that the guy attacked in the jungle just died. The doctor couldn't do anything to save him. Keamy takes a key from Captain Gault and uses it to open a safe. Inside is a document Keamy says is their secondary protocol. Which is complete with a Dharma logo on the cover. I have no ideas as to what is in this document, but I don't think it will take long for us to find out. If he is going to torch the island, it details where Benjamin Linus is heading. Gault says that wasn't the agreement it was supposed to be an extraction mission. Keamy says that's why there's a secondary protocol.
Captain Gault approaches Desmond and Sayid. He offers them a hiding spot so Keamy can't get to them, but Sayid has a counter-proposal. He wants the raft so he can ferry the survivors from the beach to the freighter. The only way to save their people is to get them off the island. Gault agrees. However, Desmond says he doesn't want to set foot on the island again, not with Penny coming. Sayid understands and speeds away. Lapidus uncuffs Michael so he can fix the engines. He asks why Michael didn't tell him was from flight 815. Lapidus was the only person who would've believed him. Michael pleads to Lapidus that he not fly Keamy back to the island or he'll kill everyone there. On their way, they pass by a room where Keamy and Omar are attaching something to Keamy's upper arm. They see Michael and Lapidus looking in and slam the door shut. What was he putting on his arm? As Keamy's team is loading their weapons onto the helicopter. Lapidus refuses to take them. Keamy threatens to kill him, but Lapidus points out that he's their only pilot. Keamy shrugs, pulls out his knife and in one swift move slits the Doctor's throat. Damn time anomalies make things so hard to keep track of. So it seems the island is currently in the future. Keamy asks Lapidus if he's changed his mind yet. Then Captain Gault fires his gun and tells them to stand down. Keamy moves fast, draws his own gun, and shoots Gault in the chest. Lapidus says okay, they're flying. Out of Keamy's sight, he slides his sat-phone into a bag, and they take off.
Jack Must Be On Drugs
Back at the beach camp, Jack is searching and indulging in food in the kitchen when Juliet appears and scolds Jack for being out and walking around so soon after his surgery. Jack smiles and flirts stating he is hungry. Juliet flirts back exclaiming that doctors are always the hardest patients. As the two share a moment, the noise of a helicopter is heard. The entire camp runs to the shore to watch the Freighter's chopper pass directly overhead. As they watch stunned and shocked, a package is dropped from the chopper as it flies above. Jack runs over, opens the bundle and finds a new Satellite phone; it appears to be tracking the helicopter. Jack states, "I think they want us to follow them."
Destiny Is A Fickle Bitch
Locke, Ben and Hurley are walking through the jungle, and Hurley asks why they are looking for Jacob's cabin, and Locke tells him that Jacob will tell them how to stop the freighter people from coming and killing everyone on the island. Locke asks Ben how much longer, and Ben replies that he doesn't know he's been following Hurley. Locke then decides to set up camp for the night. Later Locke awakens in the jungle and hears the sound of an axe. He follows the sound and finds a man in a DHARMA jumpsuit cutting down trees. Locke asks him who he is, and he informally answers that his name is Horace and that he is building a getaway for his wife, and that he needs a break from the DHARMA Initiative. Seeing the confused look on Locke's face, Horace asks if he makes sense, to which Locke replies that he does not. Smiling, Horace turns to Locke, bleeding from his nose, and replies that it is probably because he's been dead for twelve years. John is told that he needs to find Horace in order to find Jacob. Strangely, Horace begins cutting down the same tree he just toppled, which has replaced itself. Horace repeats several previous sentences, and cuts down the tree for a third time. John then awakens, revealing that he was simply dreaming, to find Ben awake and looking at him. Locke brings Hurley and Ben to the Mass Grave, revealing that Ben killed off approximately 100 people of the DHARMA Initiative, to which Ben doesn't comment. Locke rummages through the bodies, reading the names on the jumpsuits until he finds Horace's decaying body. He opens the pocket on the jumpsuit and finds blueprints to a cabin and a map to it. Locke offers Hurley a chance to return to the beach, though it would be at night and alone. Instead, Hurley remains with them and Ben commends Locke's ability to force Hurley's choice. Wait so it was Horace that built Jacob's cabin? That doesn't make any sense! Did he actually build the cabin or was the island just using him as a vision because he some how came across the cabin, and drew up blueprints and a map so he can find it again?
In the jungle, Hurley, Ben and Locke find the cabin. Ben tells Locke he has to go in alone. Ben's time is over and it's Locke's turn to step forward. Locke enters the cabin and sees a man sitting in a chair. It's Christian Shephard, Jack's dead father. Never knowing Jack's father, Locke doesn't recognize him. Christian introduces himself, and Locke asks if he's Jacob. Christian says no but he can speak on his behalf. Christian asks if Locke knows why he's there. Locke says because he was chosen. Then he hears something and realizes there's someone else in the cabin with them. He looks over and it's Claire! What the hell is she doing there?! Claire says not to worry, she's fine. She's with Christian. Locke asks "where's Aaron?" Christian says that Aaron is where he's supposed to be. So Aaron is supposed to be with Sawyer so he can get off the island, but Claire is supposed to be in a creepy cabin with her dead father?! Christian tells Locke the people from the freighter are already on their way back and these questions aren't important. Locke then asks how he saves the island. We cut to outside where Ben and Hurley wait. Locke comes out, and Ben anxiously asks what Jacob wants them to do. Locke says, "He wants us to move the island." There was so much in that scene that boggled my mind I don't know where to begin. The first thing that stands out in my mind is Claire's complacency. She's just kicking it with her dead father. Why is she not worried about Aaron? Is Claire actually dead? If she is my theory is that Jacob can take the form of people whose dead bodies are on the island. For example, Yemmi, Boone, Christian. By that measure, it opens up the question of is Richard Jacob? If Claire isn't dead what did Christian tell her to make her so placid? Jacob wants Locke to MOVE THE ISLAND?! What?! How is that gonna happen? It does give a lot of credence to Ben's line that Widmore will not find the island. And gives a lot of credence to the theories I have read that the island isn't anchored in time or space (the ocean).
Next week is the first hour of the 3 hour finale. It looks like we have a big face off coming up. Until next week,
Namaste!
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