Whose funeral?

So Jack shows up at the funeral parlor. There are several things going on here all of which are relevant but could be treated in separate discussions. I will mention them here and discuss them mostly in the context of determining who is in the casket. Of course I reserve the right to digress at any moment.

I will go through each of what I consider to be the possibilities and rule them out as necessary.

Ben - I have heard several opinions, perhaps even the prevailing opinion, that it was Ben in the casket. Supporting that argument is Jack's refuting that this person was either friend or family. Additionally, we know that Ben's health has been questionable so it would not at all be surprising if he died shortly after returning to "civilization". Also, it would not at all be surprising if noone showed up for his viewing. So there is pretty good evidence suggesting it is him right? I do not think so. Jack seemed pretty upset when he saw the article that this person died. Upset enough that he needed some sort of closure by attending. Upset enough that it threw him in a funk that nearly pushed him to suicide. I hardly think Ben's death would have had that much impact. Also, Ben seemed to have power and influence and, possibly, access to funds that could be used for his funeral. Therefore, if there were a viewing at all, it would probably not be in run down seedy area that this viewing was held. I would be surprised, too, that his daughter Alex, despite her feelings towards him, would not at least show.

Sawyer (Ford) - While it would not completely all surprising that no-one would attend and that it would be in a bad area for him, I think Kate would end up going even if they did not have a relationship. I don't think he fits. My supposition is that he is together and is the other person to whom Kate is referring but I have no real proof of this. I could see Jack saying he was a friend or not as an equal possibility.

Locke - As it seems that Locke has alienated everyone it is easy to see that noone would come to his funeral. Given his recent interaction and nearly constant conflict with Jack, Jack would probably not see call him a friend. He would though, probably show some interest in his death and be upset by it. Especially since he did not want them to leave and Jack seemed to be developing a relationship and dependency with the island. The location seems to be consistant with somewhere you would find Locke. He seems a pretty good canditate though I am not at all sure his "work is done" as Walt put it. Perhaps leaving the island killed him? While that seems a possible scenario, his leaving the island is questionable except, maybe to convince everyone to return. I am hanging on that a bit though it seems a long shot.

Michael - Sure it has been quite some time since we have seen him but I do not think he is gone for good. We just saw Walt so it may make sense that Michael is gone. Of course you might expect that Walt would attend but he may be elsewhere per his mysterious appearance to Locke. I don't have a strong feeling for or against Michael especially since we have not seen him. I suspect that he did not really get away and is held in a station or prison somewhere so he probably would not have gotten off the island but who knows...

Desmond - He is another character who is not real popular with the other folks both at home and on the island. Penelope would probably visit him though, especially if it was in the newspaper thus he is pretty unlikely.

Charlie - Ok since I don't think Charlie died under water does that mean he couldn't be here? Well, he would probably be buried in England so he doesn't fit well.

Jack's Dad - Well given that his dad is apparently alive, it doesn't really fit. Plus he is family so he does not make a whole lot sense.

Hurley - Not only do I think the other survivors would visit, but I don't think he would fit in the size casket shown.

Sayid, Claire, Jin, Sun - All would have someone show for the funeral.

Of course it could be one of the peripheral characters such as Rose or Bernard, they just wouldn't have the pull or significance to Jack or to the views so I rule them out.

So, I would say, though not conclusively, that it was Locke. Yes, he wanted to stay but if you build a whole scenario where he tries to bring everyone back to the island where they are supposed to be, it makes more sense. Plus, he seems most dependent on the island where leaving it may be to his serious detriment. I think Jack would be affected by his death even if they are not close. What do you think?

The question: Who was in the casket?
The answer: Locke (low confidence)

Of course there is a more important question of whether any of the stuff with Jack actually happened... that is the next discussion...

J

What happened to Charlie?

Ok, so I could have chosen anywhere to start. But this one is fresh in my mind. Do you really think Charlie is dead. Sure we see him struggling to hold his breath then relax and float away but. Is it impossible to think that he would fit through the porthole window that was blown open? Especially since Desmond had access to underwater gear that he could don in with a few minutes and get drag Charlie to the surface. Supposing this scenario, it would be somewhat plausible that Charlie could survive if wasn't without Oxygen too long. Not that plausibility is a huge requirement for a show like this. Moreover, is it possible that Charlie may "come to" and swim of his own accord to the surface. Both scenarios rely on the question of motivation. If Charlie or Desmond still believe that Charlie's death was necessary for rescue, would they change their mind and back out of the decision? Would the realization that it was not Penny's boat make any difference the interpretation of Desmonds premonition? My answer is that I believe Charlie survives. Not only that but this process has somehow altered Desmond such that his visions are gone. Maybe the interference from the station was messing with his brain waves or something like that. Desmond's vision likely only sees Charlie drown, it does not necessary confirm his death. Reminds me of the spider couple when they were buried alive as we are "burying" Charlie until next season. Again, since what Desmond actual foresaw came true, that may complete his days as on oracle of sorts.

Quick scorecard:
Question: Is Charlie Dead
My answer: Maybe but will be alive early in next season

Question for next post: Whose funeral did Jack attend?

First Reaction

Well, the third season of Lost is over and my first reaction is.... we did not get any answers! I suppose I went into this episode not expecting much in terms of resolutions and with a sneaking suspicion that we would get a pseudo rescue. I approached this as the penultimate season finale, which would leave us wanting more for what I think will be the final season next year. Now I know many have said that there will be three more seasons or what have you but this is what my expectations were.

As a quick disclaimer: for those of you that have TIVO'd®, DVR'd, taped, or otherwise have not yet seen the episode, there may be spoilers in my posts, so continue with that knowledge in mind. This is designed to be post-viewing commentary and not vice versa.

So anyway, it was nice to see our Plane-surviving heroes win over the others but we were hardly given anything to answer the mysteries of the island. We did not learn much more about the main characters personality or history and we really do not get to know much of what happens to anyone. In fact, the whole thing about Jack's actions after the rescue is questionable because we really are not sure if the rescue ever happened or it is some dream, theoretical reality, alternative vision (Desmond or maybe even Charlie).

I plan on going into each of the components of this episode and opening a discussion on where they may be going in the next few days but I just wanted to give my initial reaction here. Suffice it to say there is plenty to discuss and/or gripe about.

Interestingly, I think the producers of the show missed their mark a bit. As with any show, you have to give the viewers something, especially in a season finale, to satisfy them while leaving some mystery to build the desire to come back for more. Lost, however, plays a fine line between maintaining a mystery and alienating an audience so desperate for answers. The producers decided to resolve a major plot element, the quest to get off the island, at least in theory, but did so without giving any tangible answers. My guess is that viewers want answers to questions such as, what the heck is that black smoke thingy, much more than they wanted to see the whole lot of them rescued. With the decision to limit resolution to an apparent rescue of sorts along with eliminating a few others I bet that more than a few viewers will abandon the show out of frustration. Don’t get me wrong, I will not be one of them, but I would have liked to gain a bit more insight on the big picture. Oh well, I guess there is next season for that. For now, we will have plenty discuss on the mysteries of this episode alone.


-- J