Follow the Leader

What struck me most about last night's episode was how lost and confused Alpert and Ben seemed at times. These two seemed the most confident and competent of anyone on the show, and now that's shot. On to the learning:

1. Daniel is dead dead. No taking him to the temple for saving.

2. Jack is sold on Daniel's theory of "blow up the Island and everything reverts back to the original timeline."

3. Richard says he watched Jack, Kate, Hugo, etc. die in 1977 (or somewhere after that point).

4. Locke gave Alpert the first aid kit and instructions on what to tell time-skipping Locke.

So not a whole lot of questions answered, but a few new ones have been posed. Good ol' Lost.

Theories on "The Variable"

Here are some of the better theories on Wednesday's episode from Lostpedia.org. 

On Daniel's age:

Daniel would have to have been born by 1977. He was a professor at Oxford in 1996, which would be impossible at less than the age of 19. This raises a question as to why he didn't have a nosebleed before Miles earlier in the season, however. it's possible the writers have mixed up their own time line again, as they did with Charlotte.

• While I agree with this, Daniel says he's the youngest doctor to ever graduate from oxford, so who knows how young. If he was already as much of a genius as he seemed as a kid, he could've gone to college at 12 or 13, and been a doctor by 20 or 21.

-On the Comic-Con video

Provided that Daniel's prediction about the massive energy discharge about to pass from the Orchid Station to the site of the Swan Station is correct (which will become known as "the Incident"), then the video Dr. Chang recorded must have been taped shortly after the Incident. The Incident would prove that Daniel Faraday really was from the future and already knew that such an event was going to happen. Somehow Dr. Chang will find out more about the time period from which Daniel originates (including information about the current president and the internet) though of course not from Daniel himself.

Most importantly, Pierre Chang will learn of the Purge, and seeing how Daniel was unable to change the past, Dr. Chang will figure that his future cannot be changed either. Therefore he makes this video to be shown after the Purge has already occurred, Pierre himself is dead (and missing an arm somehow) and the DHARMA Initiative is inactive. However, he makes sure that the video is not played until 2008 because that is after Daniel's time loop with the past has ended.

More:

The Dharma Booth Video was filmed after Daniel was shot and after the Incident. Based on Sawyer comments in 1977, it seems Daniel has been off the Island for awhile. When Daniel returns to the Island, baby Miles is a few months old. Daniel doesn't die from the gunshot because Young Eloise takes him to the Temple to be healed like Ben. While Daniel's in a coma or passed out, the Incident takes place. Baby Charlotte left the Island before the Incident but not baby Miles. The Incident is what gives Miles his psychic ability and causes Dr. Chang's arm to be amputated. The video was filmed shortly after the Incident. In the video, Daniel's voice is heard behind the camera, baby Miles is heard crying in the background and Dr. Chang clasps his hand/arm as if in pain.

-On Eloise's seeming ability to see into the future:

Eloise can't see into the future. She got her information from Daniel, Jack, Kate, Sayid and anyone else who flashed to the 70's and came into contact with her. They tell her everything. In her scene with Penny in 2007, she said she doesn't know what's coming next and it's the first time she doesn't know what's coming in a really long time. The reason is, that they can only tell her what happens between the time they meet in 1977 and the time she sends them back to the island in 2007.

I like that last one. Makes sense. Your thoughts? 

Significance of Daniel's death

To start off, you need to realize that Eloise is fully aware that she is the reason her son is dead. She might not understand it right away (ie. in 1977), but by the time Daniel is an adult, she has to know what will happen.

Yet she sends Daniel to the Island (in 2005) anyway. She is the reason he accepted Widmore's offer, and this is what she is talking about when she angrily tells Widmore that he knows nothing of sacrifice.

The question is why does she do it? He's her son!

There are two options here, in my opinion.

A.) The "course correction" theorem is inviolable. She knows she kills Daniel, and also knows she can do nothing to stop his death. She must simply live with the consequences.

B.) Daniel has gone rogue, and is disregarding the laws of time travel. Hawking's role in The Constant seems to be one of a Time Cop of sorts. She exists to stop Desmond from changing the timeline by proposing to Penny, among other things. If Daniel is now working to change the timeline, then it is her duty to stop him, and the way she does that is by convincing him to return to the Island and his certain doom (at her hand).

Tragic.

It also lends more meaning to Eloise writing "I will love you no matter what" (paraphrased) in the journal she gives Daniel.

Of course, if Daniel survives being shot in the back, then none of this is valid. But I'm 99% certain that he's gone.

The Variable

This episode was packed with stuff, I suppose to make up for that lame clip show last week. Let's get into it:

1. First of all, The Return of Faraday was a trap. Writers had Miles overreact a bit to make it seem amazing that Daniel was getting off the sub, when really, it was no big deal. We didn't know where he was, but Miles and everyone else did.

2. Lots of Daniel information here. Obviously, the big reveal is that Widmore is Daniel's father (probably). While Eloise's slap at the pronouncement indicates it's not that clean-cut, I'm taking the statement at face value for now. My guess is that Penny is Widmore's daughter with another woman (a mainlander), making Daniel and Penny half-siblings.

3. Daniel is entirely unaware that Widmore is his father. I wonder who he thinks his dad is.... All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues.

4. Widmore personally recruits Daniel to go to the Island. The main reason is to help Widmore gain control of said Island, and the secondary reason is that the Island will heal Faraday. It explains the scene with Charlotte and Daniel and the memory cards last season, and explains why Faraday has gotten progressively more lucid.

5. The nature of Faraday's illness is explained. He retains some level of base knowledge; he knows who he is and know his mother. He knows he used to be brilliant, and knows he's forgotten things. But he is unable to remember specific information from his past, and anything new he learns will be forgotten by the next day.

6. This is the result of the experiment he ran on himself at Oxford, presumably the same experiment he ran on Eloise the rate and Theresa, his lab assistant. If you remember, the experiment with Eloise (that Desmond witnessed) was transferring the rat's future consciousness into the present animal. The rat then successfully navigated a maze that Daniel would not teach it for another five minutes. The rat died as a result of this expirement, and we assume the same experiment put Theresa the lab assistant in a coma.

7. Daniel believes his mother was wrong in sending the 316-ers back to the Island. We're not sure why.

8. The Incident Chang referred to in different Dharma orientation videos was the result of Dharma workers drilling into the ground at the Swan site and releasing a ton of energy. Daniel confronts Chang not to prevent the Incident from happening, but to make Pierre worried enough to send the women and children away. This is presumably how Charlotte and her mother get off the Island and maybe how Chang is separated from his wife and Miles.

9. Faraday is currently on a mission to try and "change things", even though he previously believed he could not. I think Charlotte is the catalyst for this. He believes that if he stops the construction of the Swan, then Charlotte will never return to the Island, and she will survive. This ignores Hawking's "course correction" speech to Desmond in The Constant, in which she teaches that the universe will fix any attempts at changing the timeline. Daniel may prevent Charlotte from returning to the Island, but then she might die in a car crash around the same time anyway.

10. Daniel is shot (and killed?) by a young Eloise Hawking in 1977, as he threatens to shoot Alpert. I will get into this in my analysis post.

Good episode. Seems like the writers are ramping up for a great season finale in four or five episodes.

Commentary and theories on "Some Like it Hoth"

-Faraday. Like I mentioned earlier, it seems that Miles is astonished to see him. Last we saw Daniel, it was within hours of Sawyer snowing Dharma into thinking he and the other Left-Behinds were legit. Daniel is distraught over Charlotte's death. Next thing we know, it's 1977 and Sawyer is telling Jack that Daniel is "not with us anymore."

So here are my theories:

1. Faraday somehow managed to sneak off the Island without anyone in Dharma noticing, get back to the mainland and get recruited into Dharma as a scientist working out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

2. OR 2008 Faraday died in 1974-ish, and his consciousness was transferred to 1977 Faraday, leading him to want to return to the Island, and therefore seek out Dharma.

We've seen consciousness be transferred through time and space before, both in "The Constant", with Desmond and Eloise, the rat.

Or 2008 Desmond just went on a trip and came back, and Miles is overreacting. Trap by the writers.

Of course, we've seen Daniel in the Orchid, dressed a construction worker, hiding from Pierre. This could indicate he's with Dharma as a scientist, but not allowed to see the Orchid or Swan, so he has to infiltrate the sites.

-Miles shows his human decency for the second time by refunding the money of the dad of the dead football player. He did a similar thing when Ghostbusting the room of that grandma the first time we see him.

-What the heck does Pierre want with a dead body at the Orchid?

-Hurley writing The Empire Strikes Back is awesome.

-How dumb is Phil? "Have you told anyone else about this?" Any time ANYONE asks you this question, watch out for a gun to the head or punch to the face. Or crowbar to the back of your head. Sheesh.

And what are they going to do with Phil? Either they keep him locked in a closet forever, kill him, or bring him in on their secret.

-Miles was recruited to help find Ben, but never exactly gets to do that. Kinda weird.

Some Like it Hoth

On to the learning:

1. Pierre Chang is definitely Miles' dad. This has been the speculation since Miles was introduced (go go racism?), and now it's confirmed.

2. Hence, Miles was born on-Island and left it at a very early age. Either that or Pierre left.

3. Miles' powers are explained. He doesn't hold conversations with the dead, he is only able to glean impressions and feelings off a body (not ashes) as to who the person was. (I assume he'd have an equally difficult time reading someone who'd been eaten by a lion.)

4. Dharma is currently building the Swan and Orchid stations (1977).

5. Bram tries to convince Miles to not accept Widmore's offer. That allies him with Ben, right? Making him an Other? So is Ilana an Other?

6. Pierre really does care for lil' Miles. Why Miles never knew him growing up is a mystery. The Purge doesn't happen until 1992, and Miles was 15 then.

7. One can get very, very close to one's past self while time-traveling and there do not seem to be any negative effects.

8. Faraday is not dead. Miles seems very surprised to see him, indicating that Daniel has not merely been on an extended trip to the mainland.

Some Like it Hoth - Questions

Since I'm an author on here, I figure I need to make some contribution. So for all those anticipating tonight, some questions that I'm pondering.

Some Questions to Ponder Tonight

1.) What is Miles' role in the Lostie's "destinies?" Is it a coincidence that a man who talks to dead people lands on an island where dead people randomly appear?

2.) In 1977, does Pierre Chang already know "the truth?"

3.) Where is Faraday? Is he still alive, is he planning something? Has he gone all "Anakin Skywalker" in a misguided quest to prevent the death of his love, Charlotte?

4.) "Some Like it Hoth?" Let me guess: The Empire finds the Island, only after Admiral Ozzel (in a mistake that costs him his life) brings the fleet out of lightspeed too early, alerting the DHARMA of their presence in time to raise their shields, putting the Imperials in the position of having to wage a costly ground battle with AT-AT Walkers.-- (OR maybe they just talk about Star Wars for a few minutes and make a metaphor poignant enough to give the episode its name. Whatever.)

Let's hope we get some answers tonight. (And if we know Lost, likely more questions.)