'Lost': 'Letters from the Flame,' 'LaFleur' edition

Your Lost

questions were overflowing in the aftermath of "Lafleur." So I put together a super-sized version of "Letters from the Flame" to address as many as humanly possible! Strap in, this is a long one.

I agree with everyone asking, Where are Rose and Bernard?
Kevin 25

Rose is making Bernard carve, "I am not Rambo," 100 times into a tree.

I know everyone's worried about them, but I don't have any good answers. Some think they are already Adam and Eve, having died in the "Jughead" era of the Island. In "House of the Rising Sun," Jacks notes the pair must have died 40-50 previously, though that's a best guess.

Here's what I'd say: if Rose and Bernard are indeed Adam and Eve, then we'll at least need to see a scene in which they end up with the black and white stone. Who has the stones right now? Jack. So, they aren't gone forever from the show. But general angst about their state is warranted: before, we could just assume Rose was berating Bernard about his organizational skillz in the makeshift beach kitchen. But their prolonged absence now is more worrisome.

Where did Horace get the dynamite? Was he lying when he said he hadn't heard of the Black Rock? Does Dharma have it's own supply of dynamite?
Chris

I won't theorize about whether or not Horace knew about the Black Rock, but I have to assume dynamite was plentiful in the DI. Not only is it a useful weapon, but useful for Island excavation. In "Because You Left," the foreman of the Orchid even talks about blowing the wall impervious to their drill bits.

Regarding Horace's ability to build Jacob's cabin outside the "truce" zone: isn't Horace dead at that time? Haven't we seen Locke meet Horace in ghostly form?
William Robinson

Horace died in the Purge. We saw Ben pass by him as he observed the carnage in the now open for business New Otherton. So he had fifteen years after the birth of his baby boy to build his dream getaway with the missus, as described his record-skipping encounter with Locke back in "Cabin Fever."

I won't even venture a guess as how such a getaway turned into Jacob's home away from body. And given that the Horace in "Fever" is potentially a vision sent from malevolent forces, I don't want to jump to any conclusions. Jacob is such an impenetrable mystery at this point that the less I postulate about him now, the less crow I will have to eat later.

I'm slightly confused on the off island timeline, perhaps you could help?

As I was watching the "Previously on LOST" to start tonight's ep, I was confused why Jack's beard was short and nicely shaven when he visited Locke in the hospital, yet when he reads about Bentham's death (in "TTLG"), it's crazy beard.

I realize that you're not the biggest fan of "TLADOJB", but do you think it was just a continuity issue or a plot issue. It seemed like Locke wasn't off island for that long a time. And it certainly seemed like immediately after seeing Jack he went all Shawshank. Not time enough for Jack to grow the bread or to pop all those pills.
Kevin

I'm actually less a fan of the acronym "TLADOJB" than I am of the episode itself. But the timeline for Jack doesn't bother me that much. When he greets Locke, he's already split with Kate, seen his father, and started on the Booze-and-Pills regimen. Hearing Locke say his father's name just escalated things over the following four weeks, as he started flying across the Pacific on a weekly basis and upping his alcohol/drug intake. In fact, having this compressed so much helps answer a nagging question I've had: how did his hospital let such a clearly messed-up man still practice medicine? The rapid decline helps explain that to me.

I'm more concerned with conversations in "There's No Place Like Home" making absolutely no sense after watching "Bentham." As many of you have already noted, both Jack and Walt convey things that simply didn't happen in their conversations with Locke. That's more annoying than Jack's Grizzly Adams look to me, continuity-wise.

I'm really curious about the situation with Amy, her dead husband, and the two Others pre- Sawyer/ Juliet intervention. The setup implied that the Others had killed Amy's husband and were about to off her as well. If that was indeed the case, wouldn't the Others then be the real truce-breakers?
Rachel

I think the romantic picnic lunch was the truce-breaking activity. Now, you might think death is a strong punishment for enjoying a ham salad sandwich, but I imagine the truce concerned territorial occupation. The DI gets to live in the Barracks and conduct their experiments, but can't conduct scenic day trips via Dharma van in their off hours.

The specific terms are sketchy to me, but here's the take-away: the Others are giving the DI an EXTREMELY short leash on their Island lease, and are smarter, savvier, and stronger than the visitors to their Island. I wouldn't be surprised if the "consequences" that the DI would have had to face has they not given up Paul would have been the kidnapping of DI children. Think Stephen King's "Wolves of the Calla," Book 5 in his "Dark Tower" series.

Right off the bat, Sawyer and company immediately change the future for Amy, Horace, the DI and The Island. I'm wondering if these changes will prevent the Purge and Ben's becoming leader of the Others. What do you think?
Lady-in-Gray

I think, "Slow down a bit." They didn't change the future, they just played their part in history. But funny you mention Ben...

Let's assume we meet young Ben Linus in upcoming episodes. Could you imagine a scenario where somehow Desmond ends up in the 70's like everyone else, and he comes face to face with young Ben with the full rage of what older Ben did (or tried to do) to Penny? This is especially important since Des is "outside the rules" and can seriously harm the timeline.

Also, if Des does end up in the DI, wouldn't it be SO WIERD if he was stationed at the Swan? What if HE is Radzinsky?!
Other Sean

Yes, let's definitely assume we're going to meet Ben in upcoming episodes. And when we do, Lost is going to either going to come out the other side as the greatest show in history, or this storyline is where the cart falls apart just miles before reaching San Francisco.

The timelines appear to work out that while Ben learned all about volcanoes and bitter fathers, several faces from his future show up on the Island. As such, we're about to experience a complete recontextualization of Ben Linus' childhood and subsequent actions. And while I have faith we'll soon get greater insight into his overall actions (including his initial entry as "Henry Gale"), I worry that we'll come out going, "Nothing makes any sense anymore." It's gonna be one or the other.

As for Des=Radzinsky, I am not seeing it. That means he 1) will go back to button-pushing, which seems unlikely, that 2) Kelvin Brown saw him shoot his brains out, and didn't really blink upon seeing the same man years later, and 3) the show decides to punk out of its most popular characters by giving him an ignoble death. Speaking of jumping to conclusions...

Who is the child born in this episode?
Tempest

It's the show's fault that we feel the inherent need to apply meaning to everything that happens in each episode, but I truly feel that the important takeaway is simply that babies could be born on the Island around the time the first Star Wars movie appears in cinemas. The DI didn't send expecting mothers away due to an inherent problem with birth on the Island, but rather due to a medical staff untrained in obstetrics.

Now, having said that, I'm not ruling out the child's identity as being important in the way I rule out Des as an eventual stain in the Swan, but the birth, not the child, was the important part. It gave a timeline for the later fertility problems, and gave Juliet a fantastic character moment. That's enough for me for now.

One thing I noticed in the ep is that in 1974, as in 1954, Richard is the face of the Others. With so many people claiming leadership, why does it seem that Richard is always Da Man? Are Ben, Widmore, & now John just delusional in thinking they were (are) the leader, or is leadership almost a figurehead position with Richard "Rasputin" Alpert always in the shadows running the operation?
Andrei

It still appears as if Richard is the "others" leader. How can Charles Widmore tell Locke that he was their leader? Richard played leader in 1954 and is still their frontman in 1974. What's up with that? How does Jacob fit into all this?
Chris

Looks like you both are wondering the same thing. I'll give the same answer I gave after "Jughead" and "Bentham": Charles Widmore was never, ever the leader of the Others. He had the ambition but not the inherent qualities necessary to truly be Island Leader. Richard sits atop the Others hierarchy in the absence of a true leader, but never sits on the metaphorical throne.

Now, that being said, Ben absolutely was the leader of the Others post-Purge. Whether that title was earned, stolen, or mistakenly bestowed is another issue altogether, but Richard is clearly subordinate to Ben in Season 3 and 4. Richard's subversion of Ben's rule shows his true allegiance: Island first, leader second. He's there to prevent corruption of the Island on all levels, whether it come from outside visitors or corrupted natives.

The Left-Behinders' last flash was to 1974. The Oceanic 6 arrive in 1977. When was Daniel in the opening scene of the season? The DI were talking about contacting The Arrow in "LaFleur", so why would Daniel be in a time when The Arrow's orientation video was being taped?
griffey

Well, first, we only know that three of the Oceanic 6 landed in 1977. The jury's still out on Sun and Sayid. But you're right, the timing of the tapes are unusual. My best guess? They were made as precautions against the Purge. Since they were all going to die, but the work needed to continue past their lives. Thus, tapes made on coordination with off-Island forces, designed to give specific information to specific people, with no one truly getting the full picture lest their capture or curiosity undermine the work of the Initiative.

Anyway, if Charlotte was supposed to have been born on the island (or maybe not...this blog confuses me), why does she have a British/Australian accent when so many others that were there at the time did not?
Kara Mel Apples

Technically, she wasn't born on the Island. If the intern in "LaFleur" is correct, then her mother left temporarily to give birth off-Island. But after leaving the Island after sharing a candy bar with scary ol' Faraday, she grew up in England, she developed the accent. Accents derive from socialization, not birthplace. (Thanks to the wife for taking my two-paragraph version of that and distilling it to one sentence. A good egg, she.)

And I agree with commenters who square Ben's assertion of her birthplace and her true lineage thusly: if Charlotte's mother spent years convincing her that the Island never existed, she also would have forged Charlotte's birth certificate. So when Michael feeds Ben her info, it's based on the tall tale concocted after Charlotte leaves.

Who are the Others? Are they descended from Egyptians? Do they have a purpose on the island (like preserving it) or do they just live there because their ancestors did?
Chris

We've spent years looking at literature, philosophy, and science to help explain the mysteries of Lost. Clearly, we should have been studying the back catalog of The Bangles. Many of you pointed out the "eyeliner" joke was actually a hint, pointing towards kohl. Looks like both men and women in ancient civilizations, including Egyptian.

I wouldn't jump on the Egyptian bandwagon just yet, as I have an instinct that original inhabitants are a lost tribe of sorts, related to ancient civilizations and possessing similar qualities, but unknown to man due to the unique nature of the Island itself. I can see the link between the omnipresent ankh symbol in this episode and Richard's agelessness, but remember that ancient civilizations plagiarized the living hell out of each other. So while "Egyptian" is easily the best guess right now, don't rule out a wild card civilization unique to the Island.

OK, that's all for today: remember we're hosting a live chat this Wedneday, though. Come back tomorrow for all the details!

Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude. He invites you to join the hundreds already in Zap2It's Guide to Lost Facebook group. He also encourages you to subscribe to the Zap2It's Guide to Lost Twitter feed.