LOST: THE VARIABLE

Another great episode obviously the counterpoint to the classic "The Constant". LOST is full of opposites: faith vs destiny being an example which is exactly what these two episodes represent. Is everything set in stone WHH (Whatever happened happened) or is Daniel's about face correct that it is Free Will which governs (people's choice being the "variable?") Damn these are profound questions that I think all of us grapple with and the show really makes you think about these questions. Can there be Destiny AND Free Will? Is there a Constant that will happen no matter what but variables can make how we get to it change? Or is history WHAT HAPPENED due to our free will and thus now cannot be changed? I am gonna be up nights pondering these questions, I kid you not!

I love how at the beginning of the episode we see young Daniel playing the piano. I noticed the song he was playing was "I'm always chasing rainbows" kind of a Wizard of Oz allusion as well as a literal one in Daniel's case. Was his destiny to be a music virtuoso and he was pushed by his mother to be the scientific wacko genius we all know and love? But then again, his Destiny, no matter what he wanted, was to ultimately be a corpus Delecti courtesy of Mommy Dearest. Maybe Miles and/or Hurley can talk to his dead self. I think he is dead--Dead is Dead, right? Wrong. This is Lost and anything is possible. Another interesting thing from this scene is Daniel telling his mother he can "make time" for both music and his scientific genius. "If only you could" is her resigned reply.

I loved the meeting of the time travelers at Juliet and Sawyers place. They pretty much know the jig is up what with Phil having blackmail evidence as he bleeds all over the cabinets of Casa de Le Fleur and "Twitchy" showing up out of the blue totally changing his WHH tune. Sawyer calling Kate "Freckles" leads poor Juliet to give up the sonic fence code as she aptly states "It's all over here for us anyway". How right she is and she's known that since Hurley, Kate and Jack showed back up. Finally Sawyer is resigned to the fact that his idyllic three year Dharma ride is over as well. Sawyer thinks taking Faraday to the Hostiles is a mistake and gets ready to lead his people minus Kate and Jack, to the beach. Sawyer's leadership days are numbered as it looks like Workman Jack is back in the saddle again.

The scene where Daniel confronts Chang has me a bit confused. I'm really not sure why Miles denied who he is and didn't back up Faraday's claims. Another weird thing is why Faraday wanted a weapon when A. He didn't know how to use it properly and B. There was no need for it. I mean, if he wasn't brandishing a weapon like an idiot then Radzinsky and company probably wouldn't have shot at him and going into the Hostiles camp with a weapon was really, really stupid. It's almost like Daniel had a death wish. Did he somehow know he was going to die? It did seem a surprise to him that it was his Mother who pulled the fatal trigger.

As for Eloise, what the hell man? Does she really have clairvoyance or perhaps, the reason she knows what she does is that after Daniel is killed in the 70's young Eloise takes his journal and knows due to the information from that and when Daniel is killed, that is the end of her knowledge. This is why she tells Penny for the first time she doesn't know what is going to happen next. She doesn't know because once Faraday is dead obviously the journal ends. So why is she so intent on preserving this timeline? If she is so sure WHH why doesn't she just let fate take it's course. Is something else supposed to happen ? Is she worried that somehow if there is a "variable" that can change things that it'll be worse than what originally happened? And why tell Desmond that the Island wasn't done with him? How does she know that if the journal ends? Does she perhaps have some knowledge that comes from something else? Perhaps like Desmond's flashes???? It is all so confusing but that's the beauty of the show. It makes you THINK.

I wasn't that surprised that Widmore turned out to be Daniel's Daddy but I'm still confused why Eloise knew how to get back to the Island but Widmore didn't. Of course Ben said once you turn the FDW you can't come back yet somehow both he and Locke made a return, why can't Widmore? Is Widmore bad? Did he fake the crash like he said or is he lying?

I had a weird theory that if the Losties change time than maybe instead of ending up on the island or landing back in LA safe and sound, they end up dead in the ocean just like the "faked" crash and that is the reason we are shown the scene of crazy mind trippy Daniel crying while he watches the TV footage and says "they are all dead". Maybe he realizes that he DID change things but instead of making things better, everyone died? Yeah I know, it has alot of holes in it for all kinds of other stuff (Smokey, the statue, Jacob etc) but hey, my mind had a mini light bulb so I had to share it however wrong it may be.

This leads me to my last point. WHY would the Losties want to try Daniel's very weird and scary plan of detonating jughead to change the future? They were all miserable people (druggie Jack, Arrested Kate, Revengeful Sawyer, etc etc.) Do they really think things will be BETTER? Wouldn't the Universe just course correct anyway? What happens to their 1970's selves, do they just disappear? So many questions! And yet another theory bandied about is that the Losties trigger the incident by trying to stop it. IRONY in a major way, another LOST theme. Much like Sayid shooting young Ben trying to stop him from becoming "bad Ben" when in fact, the shooting is what sets Ben on that course in the first place!

Only two more episodes left, I cannot believe it!!!! What the hell am I gonna do til next January? HA HA. I did read that the finale is going to show Vincent (YEAH!!!!!!) and give info on what happened to Rose and Bernard (finally).


BACK IN NH

Well I am back in NH homeless and jobless for the moment! It's like I never left really, which is odd. Much like LOST, I believe I was only meant to be in Texas for the time that I was there and that my real Destiny is to live in California. It's those damn variables though that keep getting in the way!!!! It's been great seeing my family and friends though. Hopefully things will be better, I will grow as a person, get a job and in the next couple of years finally realize my dream of living in CA which is where I feel I belong. Much like LOST though, who the hell knows monkey wrench will be thrown in to change things!!!!! But as far as I know, there is no smoke monster around. Unless......