I'm going to try something wild, exciting, and new in tonight's entry: brevity. Apparently, it's like, the soul of wit or something like that. I mean, I enjoy writing 2500 words a night about Lost as much as any prematurely balding man with a wife who wonders when he'll ever get off the darn laptop already, but I'm willing to wager I can get across a few interesting ideas per week without creating a sum total of words that could rival the latter Harry Potter novels.

After last week's episode, "Something Nice Back Home," I thought a lot about Claire and Aaron. The reintroduction of these two characters into the centrality of the overall mystery of Lost was a welcome addition. For the majority of Season 2 and 3, they were present, but relegated to second-tier status. But now, they are back in the spotlight. Ironic, since Claire's now missing.

But there's a third party here that I should have thought about more. Someone intimately related to their lives. I'm talking of course about the late, lamented Charlie Pace, surrogate father to Aaron, friend/confidante/love of Claire, and all around Season 3 hero. Lost really couldn't have plotted his arc from junkie towards hero any better, with the apex of that character's role culminating in "Greatest Hits" and "Through the Looking Glass."

Then again, while it was the apex, was it truly the end?

We've already seen Charlie Pace in Santa Rosa Hospital, shooting the breeze with Hurley when not slapping his face. With "dead" is a relative term on Lost, it's useful to think of the end of Season 3 perhaps not as the ultimate act of Charlie Pace, but just one in a series of steps yet to be taken. In fact, I'd be willing to suggest that he actually played a huge role in "Something Nice," not only for his offscreen chat-fests with the increasingly loco Hurley.

He was onscreen the entire time, only you never knew you were looking at him. But all his trademarks were there: careful attention to Claire, watchful eye over Aaron, and a hoodie to hide himself from the world. You know him as Charlie, but you saw him as Miles.

I've spent so long thinking about Miles' communication with the whispers that it never occurred to me that this affinity with the whispers could, in essence, work both ways. The relationship, in other words, is bidirectional: each can cross over into the others' world/sphere. I'm not arguing that what we saw last week was simply a matter of Charlie's spirit hijacking Miles' body. Miles' dialogue consisted of pure Straume-isms all the way. But I think at least some part of his brain is being controlled/influenced by Charlie Pace, in ways Miles himself is more than likely unaware.

After all, Charlie's work is not really done. Claire and Aaron have not left the Island, and now Claire's in parts unknown. But Desmond's prophecy of the two of them getting off the island via helicopter from the beach is still in play. That means that either Claire miraculously makes it beach to the beach in time to leave with the rest of the Oceanic 6 (only to mysteriously not make it back to the real world), what Desmond saw in his vision was in fact thwarted by the figure of Christian Shephard at the campfire in last week's episode, or that what Desmond saw is in fact far, far in the future. Season 6 far in the future.

This would imply different whispers with different intents, and those differing sides seem to concern Claire's raising of Aaron. Something about this mother-son duo is incredibly vital to both the future of the Island and the future of Lost itself. And so long as these two are in any type of danger, I wouldn't count out Charlie Paces' involvement in the story of Lost, whether as a whisper, a ghost, or a tiny sliver of Miles' brain.

Because Charlie Pace still has work to do.

Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.

Comments

It's as if Miles inadvertently came accross Charlie's essence and is acting as some sort of temporary beacon for his thoughts and characteristics. Charlie definitely has work to do, not only for Claire but for the rest of them as well. It seems off the Island he is pulling the O6, through Hurley, back to the Island. His body may be dead, but his essence lives on.

Shaggysteve | May 5, 2008 6:55:07 PM | #

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totally splodey brains guiz.

thanks for the pic, Shaggysteve. crrreee-peeee. love it!

mri | May 5, 2008 7:23:17 PM | #

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I had commented about the exact same thing exactly in the last post, but someone said that it was propably not as much a "possession" but more Miles hearing Charlie saying something in the whispers that made him Charlie-like.

About Desmond's prediction, I don't think they would just dismiss it, so I believe That Claire is getting on that chopper this season, but somehow will not make it to the real world.

Waaaalt

Why do you think Desmonds' visions or flashes stopped? Will they return?

sin laden | May 5, 2008 9:23:30 PM | #

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I like the theory, but why would Charlie let notChristian walk away with Claire when he could've "possesed" Miles and stopped it? Especially since taking Claire and abandoning Aaron is what leads to Jack raising him, which Charlie apparently doesn't want.

Unless of course, notChristan was more powerful than the spirit of Charlie Pace, so he couldn't prevent it, which is very possible.

Honestly, I'm starting to get a bad feeling that Desmond's vision isn't going to happen and the writers will just make an excuse or retcon the whole thing. I know I should have more faith in them than that, but we've been burned before...

Other Sean | May 5, 2008 10:25:58 PM | #

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Could be that Miles "felt" Charlie's presence and his love for Claire and Aaron so strongly that he was compelled to watch over them. I still am angry that Miles just let her walk off into the jungle with "she called him Dad" notChristian. If he wanted to wise off to Sawyer, he could have done so without risking Claire's life. Perhaps Miles knows that Claire was supposed to go with notChristian or, like Claire, must have been in a dreamlike state, powerless to do anything but obey and follow. This is my theory based on the fact that Aaron was left alone in the jungle.

Chris | May 6, 2008 6:08:40 AM | #

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What's frustrating, to me, is that her initial "vision" (after her bungalow was RPG'ed) was edited from the show for time, so we as viewers are missing a potentially big clue in order to interpret what we saw at the campfire.

Does anyone know what that deleted scene entails?

Ryan | May 6, 2008 6:30:05 AM | #

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No. I didn't know about that cut scene!

I assume it had to do with Charlie.

Jeff | May 6, 2008 7:06:18 AM | #

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Where do you guys find out about these deleted scenes? Do you watch them somewhere?

Lauren B | May 6, 2008 11:14:45 AM | #

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I wish I got to watch it somewhere :/

Jeff | May 6, 2008 11:35:37 AM | #

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More importantly, how is Sawyer supposed to feed the spawn??? Unless his new-found sensitivity has caused some serious lactation, the best that they can hope for is some Dharma mashed peas or mayhap some pancakes, Smokey-links, and our favorite syrup.

Brian of the North | May 6, 2008 11:40:36 AM | #

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The deleted scene was mentioned by Jeff Jensen, who was on set the day they filmed it and was told by producers later they cut it for time.

This is why Claire mentions, quite conspicuously, "Well, at least I'm not seeing things anymore!" at the beginning of "Something Nice."

Ryan | May 6, 2008 11:48:44 AM | #

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ryan:

i picked up on this charlie thing, too. especially with claire's line last week and this week and milo's/charlie's ominous hooded shadow peering down at them from the trees.

i find it interesting that even though charlie "died" last season, when i rewatched episodes, it was clear he's sort of been there all along.

anyway, i caught onto the deleted scene and my bet is it was cut for time because it could easily be inferred that she saw charlie. my guess is we will soon get a claire-centric episode -- i hope we dont have to wait until next season.

i started to think about all of this dead/undead, hell/heaven, parallel lives sort of stuff and thought about the orchid station and ben's trip to tunisa and the overall theme of this season.

what if crashing into the island created some sort of paralell lives so that the losties were both alive and dead at the same time and this whole mania between charles and ben is the two trying to course correct how things shouldve been vs how they are? i dont know if im making sense, but its a thought that i havent quite fleshed out LOL.

love your blog ry.

mel-c | May 6, 2008 1:22:15 PM | #

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Mel-c:

That's actually a theory that has been out there since Season 1. Though still a good one, I'm just not sure it will pan out that way.

Shaggysteve | May 6, 2008 2:17:37 PM | #

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* 'CABIN FEVER' PROMO *

Not sure if any of you have seen this, but it is the new 'Cabin Fever' promo which aired the other night. Slightly different with some words from Captain Gault.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY115D6Agps

Shaggysteve | May 6, 2008 2:36:18 PM | #

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While I was reading these posts, I started thinking of something else. What if Claire wasn't kidnapped in S1 just because she was pregnant and on the island? The psychic back in Australia knew there was something special about Aaron and who would raise him. The others kidnapped WAAAALT because they knew he was special. Now, with Miles wanting to hold Aaron, something has to be up. Claire/Aaron could have a stronger link to the island than just the baby surviving a pregnancy.

Also, going on with this whole Aaron/Walt connection, doesn't it seem like Michael is meant to raise Walt, just like Claire needs to raise Aaron. When Walt was living with his mom, "fate" brought Michael back and they ended up on the island. Then in the future, with Michael's mom watching Walt, he still is in trouble.

A-Rob | May 6, 2008 2:46:13 PM | #

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I totally agree with your awesome topic. Thanks!

Remi | May 13, 2008 1:14:54 AM | #

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