Follow along! The episode guide to “Hearts and Minds” is in Finding Lost, pp. 81-85.Aside from being the flashback for the “Dumb” half of “Dumb and Dumberer,” this is the episode where Locke goes completely frakkin’ nuts. I still remember watching this one and thinking, “Uh... what the HELL is he doing?” (I still loved him, though...) It’s also our first hint that Locke was actually the guy who clocked Sayid in the back of the head. Locke has a purpose, but at this stage in his spiritual journey, he’s already learning to hurt people in order to get ahead.
Fun things I noticed:
• I’ve often talked about Sayid’s active b.s. detector, and how he can usually see through the crap that brainwashes everyone else, but he’s definitely not yet on his game in season 1. First, he falls for Locke’s trick in “Confidence Man” by making him think Sawyer’s the guy who hit him, and now he seems surprised when Kate suggests that maybe Locke’s not actually hunting boar for them anymore.
• I’ve always laughed at how Hurley complains that Jin is holding a grudge. Watch that scene again where Jin tries to offer him sea urchin, and Hurley doesn’t decline, he flat-out refuses, then makes fun of him and then laughs his ass off at the poor guy. Remember that Jin was embarrassed by what his father did for a living, and now he’s actually doing the same thing, which is a necessity, but it must cause a pang of guilt for him. So for Hurley to laugh at him must have been very painful. I probably would have avoided the big guy, too, if he’d treated me like that and I didn’t understand anything else he was saying.
• It’s still so weird to me to see Jack and Locke having a normal, joking conversation.
• I mentioned in “Whatever the Case May Be” (which is the episode that precedes this) that Jack is an absolute dick and it comes out of nowhere. And once again, he’s very sweet to Kate in this episode, giving her the guava seeds. Definitely chalking it up to the changing writers.
• Shannon asks if by hatch he means door, and Boone says, “That’s what a hatch IS” but throughout season 2 (and right through to season 5 when Hurley says it in “Some Like It Hoth”) they refer to the actual station/bunker as the hatch.
• That crazy Batman-esque music that plays while Shannon and Boone run from the smoke monster is something we never hear again.
• Boone doesn’t actually see Smokey, and yet his sounds and presence are exactly the same, and you even catch a glimpse of the smoke as it’s uprooting a tree. Strange that a hallucination could be so accurate. Why did the island want Boone to see this particular thing?
Things that have new meaning:
• Seeing that hatch gives me CHILLS now that I know what it’ll be. It’s so weird to watch it now and know that Desmond is in there. What never ceases to baffle me is that in all that time they NEVER found the back door.
• Locke was full of his weird stories in season 1. In scenes like the Michelangelo’s father story (or the Norman Croucher story in “Walkabout”) I’m starting to look at him as if he IS the Man in Black, as someone suggested a few episodes ago. What if when he looked into the eye of the island he was momentarily possessed by the Man in Black, and then when he saw the monster as just that – a monster – he turned back into John Locke? OK, I’m being a little sarcastic now, but season 1 Locke is a lot like season 5 Locke, whereas the Locke in seasons 2, 3, and 4 is very different. Again, this could have been part of the growing pains, since Locke is definitely the most complex character on the island, and the writers were probably trying to figure out exactly which direction to take him in.
• Notice that Locke is making his concoction already and saying it’s for later... as if he can see the future.
• Wow, that Sydney marina looks a LOT like the one in L.A. where Ben visits Penny. Nyar nyar...
• John Locke hands Sayid the compass and tells him that he doesn’t need it anymore. Oddly, that’s exactly the instrument he needs – and gets – from Richard Alpert.
• Sayid’s story about the magnetic pull has always resonated with me, and was in the back of my head in season 5. Obviously we’ll find out the magnetic pull he can sense is the one from the Swan station, and it’s thrown off the accuracy of the compass. However, in season 5 when Locke returns to the island in “Follow the Leader,” he asks Alpert if he still has the compass. Alpert says yes, it’s a little rusty, but it still works perfectly well. Why does it work perfectly well? Shouldn’t it also be skewed? Is it possible that the Alpert compass is actually designed to be used specifically on the island, so the N is on a different spot?
• Locke is staring at the water the same way Jacob stares at it at the beginning of “The Incident.” Jack asks jokingly, “Any ships?” and at the beginning of “The Incident,” that’s exactly what Jacob is watching. Locke says no, but he’s patient. Jacob was patient, too, and no doubt sat on that beach waiting for decades for a new group of people to show up.
• Charlie says, “If there’s one person I put my absolute faith in who will save us all, it would be John Locke.” As I wrote in my season 5 book, the answer to the question, “What lies in the shadow of the statue” is “He who will save us all.” So... is Charlie’s comment a very early suggestion that that person is, in fact, John Locke?
30 comments:
I completely agree with you about how Hurley treated Jin. I thought it was pretty cruel and "over the top". He humiliated someone who was trying hard to relate to him. I laughed the first time I saw it (I am a jerk, apparently) but this time (knowing what I do now) I viewed it totally differently.
I got a blogger account!
I thought the same thing about the back door to the hatch. That sure would have saved them a lot of trouble! They even speculated that there must be another entrance, but no one ever went looking for it. It wasn't particularly well hidden either, if I'm remembering correctly.
Great observation about the compass maybe being specifically designed to work on the Island! That had never occurred to me.
Warning: there is a certain ick factor to this posting. Let me start by first setting out the conclusion: Shannon Rutherford may be pregnant (you can fill in the blank, by whom). Okay, now that you’ve gagged over your coffee, I’ll set out why this might be the case with three pieces of evidence (yeah, I know, the evidence is really weak, but . . . ).
Evidence one (swelling feet): At the beginning of Heart and Minds, Sayid presents Shannon with a pair of shoes. Following Sayid’s banter, Shannon, the kind, appreciative, sunbathing damsel, says, “They are actually my size. Well, half a size off, but I swear this place is actually making my feet swell.”
In some cases, swelling feet can occur if the mother-to-be is residing in a warm weather locale and tends to have little exercise. Shannon certainly is in warm weather on the island, and she spends an inordinate amount of time sunbathing (i.e. doing nothing). So, she says her feet are swelling, and she isn’t doing a thing about it.
Evidence two (enough time): I calculated (and very roughly) that when Sayid presents Shannon with the shoes it is about 19-21 days since they crashed on the island. The Pilot episode is about four days, with roughly one day for most of the other episodes, and two days for The Moth, and Raised by Another each. In Raised by Another, Kate mentions to Jack that Sayid was gone nearly a week (so the gap between Solitary and Raised by Another is nearly 5-6 days).
When people generally talk about the occurrence of swelling ankles and feet, they mean in the third trimester. How wrong! Swelling can occur in the second and even the first trimester (I agree with those of you about to point out even 21 days is not enough; this is the weakest part of the evidence). Given Shannon last had sex with Boone some 3 weeks ago, who knows. Maybe the power of the island is at work here.
Evidence three (not really evidence, but I thought it would explain one nagging problem). Why is Sayid attracted to Shannon, some might even suggest falls in love with her? Well, maybe it isn’t the glow from the sun glistening off her suntan lotion, but that other glow that is attractive to Sayid.
Okay, now you can go, eeeeewwwwwww!!!!!!
I found this episode rather annoying to watch, since I don't like Boone and Shannon (and their little games), and I thought the story was weak and didn't go anywhere. Charlie's line about Locke was interesting, though.
So what's stopping Lock and Boone from finding the back door to the hatch? I'll pull a page out of Locke's book and cryptically answer, "white horse." (Now you're supposed to look at me puzzled before I elaborate.) The old question, "What color was George Washington's white horse" stumps many people because they're too focused on one part of the puzzle to look at the whole for clues. John is too focused on the hatch - and getting in - to look at the bigger picture. (Well, that's one theory anyway. My other theory is that the writers had not yet invented the back door.)
I think Kate is pregnant. Maybe Shannon was too. Hell, maybe Juliet is too. Maybe every major female role on Lost is/was pregnant on the island! Claire, Sun, Kate, Shannon, Rousseau, Juliet...
Joan: Glad to see you got a blogger account! And EXCELLENT avatar to go with it!! Always great to have another Rome fan on here. ;)
@Nikki: Thanks! I thought it was time to go legit ;) I love Rome - the scene where Servilia offs herself while saying "Atia of the Julii, I call for justice" is one of the most amazing things to ever happen on TV. That Atia, gotta love her!
Oh I could go on forever about why I think Kate is pregnant (Claire proxy anyone?) and I have seriously contemplated why Juliet might be pregnant (blonde baby and a dark haired baby born so close together? Hmm....) but I've never contemplated if Shannon was pregnant. It's an interesting and mildly revolting thought, but then--she's dead so I guess it doesn't matter now. :/
Great to see you as an official blogger too Joan! :D I'd always wanted to watch Rome too when I saw the commercials, but just like what happened with Lost way back in the day, I always seemed to forget when it was on. And contrary to the teenager stereotype, I literally never watch TV apart from Lost and The Office.
Nikki: Richard doesn't need a special compass because the swan station got blown up. There wouldn't be a strong magnetic force anymore...right? I'm not sure if the energy is still there or not, but the station is definitely just a giant crater.
Nikki: I love that you bring BSG language into your talks about Lost. And can someone explain why there's talk of Kate being preggers (I know that eventually she's put on that list but I never understood...)
@Katey, you will love Rome, it is fantastic, but, sadly, it only lasts two seasons. I really, really, believe Kate is knocked up (I hear you on the proxy thing). Everyone else I say this to is like: No, that is stupid. I am glad you agree! The whole random sex with Jack thing - the "recreating" the original flight - I mean come on! Of course she is pregnant!
@Jennifer:
Read this. It's my detailed explanation of why I think Kate's preggers...I also go into the whole "proxy" idea a bit. I wrote it a long time ago so some details are outdated but the basics still hold true. :)
Exactly! I'm with you Joan! All those random scenes where she's out of the blue afraid of babies (even though she's seen a number of times taking care of Aaron in season one with no problems) and all this deal with pregnancy issues has to start somewhere! Why not with the de facto female leader and Jack's romantic love interest? Proxy, random hate-sex, it all makes sense. ;)
I'll have to check out Rome now! It'll give me something to do during the hiatus. :D
@Katey: Yes! Kate is Claire (preggo), Hurley is Charlie (guitar), Sun is Sayid (going to be reunited with a lost love), Sayid is Kate (criminal), Locke is Christian (dead) and Jack...well, I actually have no answer to that, do you?
I see it as either or two ways:
1) he's simply himself since he's still a doctor escorting a dead body, or he's tailing on with Hurley to proxy for Charlie--a recovering drug addict. OR, and this one I just thought of right now--he's Locke. A broken man trying to find himself. Locke was looking for a Walkabout, Jack is looking for his Destiny. AND he does tecnnically have something of Locke's--the suicide note.
Also, I think Sun could also be Rose--they showed her specifically fingering Jin's ring as the plane was taking off, which reminded me of that scene with Rose back in the pilot where she's fingering Bernard's ring. In both cases it's the story of two lovers who are inescapably separated, although Rose and Bernard are only separated after the crash... But he was in the bathroom so I guess it can still count!
If you read my theory explanation I also talk a bit about the idea that Claire was pregnant with Christian Shepard's grandchild (she being his daughter) and that, if Kate was in fact pregnant with Jack's child--it would, again, be Christian Shepard's grandchild!
I agree with Katey. In respect to the proxy theory—Jack would be Jack. It seems to make the most sense, since he's repeating his original actions. He's accompanying a body to a place he's apprehensive about (first time, home, second time, island). The body that he happens to be transporting each time is one that holds a certain level of mystery to him.
May I be so bold as to suggest that each body that Jack accompanies represents great conflict. Jack and his father had a strained relationship defined by power struggles, and Locke and Jack are, of course, in "the war" of Fate v. Free Will.
@Katey and Jenn
Hmm, maybe you are right, he could be just Jack (all the pieces are there) but I am thinking this Locke idea may be right. Remember how Alpert asked if John was special and all of the sudden now Jack is all "Yes, he is the most specialist boy ever!" - totally different from "Science Jack" who thought Locke was a deranged nutbar. Maybe Jack is Locke now, returning to the island as Mr.Destiny?
Joan--that's what I was thinking! It had just occurred to me as I was typing out that comment. He really does act very Locke-ish during Season Five--even Kate mentions it in Follow the Leader! Jack really does become a man of faith after this. He has Locke's note so that could be his link...and both he and Locke were men desperate to belong somewhere. Men of faith looking for their destiny...I think I'm starting to lean towards that now!
@Katey: It is decided! This is our new theory; let them flock to it! I really think it makes sense - in a weird Lost-ish way. I mean, of course, right? It makes perfect (non)sense!
When that scene with Locke on the beach and then Jack coming up and asking about the ship came on I totally freaked! How crazy was that!? Lost blows my mind!
I LOVE that theory about Jack being Locke. It's crazy sense according to Lost. haha :)
Random thought when Jack asked if Kate had found a coffee bar... Can you imagine the caffeine withdrawal all the coffee drinkers had to go through :P
Locke to Jack: "Between you and me?"
Jack to Locke: "Always."
Me: hahahahahahahahaha! because everything is between the two of them. The two sides, the two groups, the two leaders!
Jack was seriously chatty happy in this episode.
I see I am very much in the minority on this position, and I can't remember if it was at this point or not, but I actually liked the Shannon character development and the Shannon/Sayid thing. I was getting pretty invested in her character and then she died and I cried.
The moment when Locke stands up and says to Boone, "Follow me," is quite heavy with religious overtones. It's as though Locke is calling his disciple in the same way Jesus called his in the Bible. Also, Boone is willing to follow him and sacrifice everything, even his own life, much the same way the early disciples put everything on the line to follow Christ.
I also noticed how Smokey-like Boone's hallucination was. When you see the shadow hovering over Boone & Shannon, it looks like smoke.
Kate is either a habitual liar or she lies for practice. When she and Sun are working in the garden she starts prattling away about her trip to Bali. Her surprise at Sun knowing English looked genuine to me, so I don't think she was trying to trap Sun.
I liked how Jin and Hurley were beginning to bond in this episode. At first Jin wanted to remain separate from the rest of the group, and wasn't very likeable. He's become one of my favorite characters.
SonshineMusic, I loved your line about the caffeine withdrawal. I definitely didn't like Shannon at first, but her relationship with Sayid improved her character.
Even given how uneven these early episodes seem upon review, the sheer volume of stuff that went straight over our heads at the time - but now stands connected to all that we will learn in the seasons to come - is phenomenal!
I was always a bit ambivalent towards the Boone/Shannon characters, reacting negatively to their immaturity and selfish behavior but appreciating that they were portrayed well by these two actors. Of all the early roles, theirs seem the most clunky in service of the story as we know it to unfold. Boone serves chillingly well as Locke's willing acolyte and Shannon allows us to see Sayid's softer side in contrast to his tough persona.
Had to love the fact that Kate is lying to Sun when she find out the truth about her English. How many times will we see this repeated? People lie for their own reasons and discover truths about others as a result.
While Locke's actions seem bizarre, even in retrospect, I was struck by the emphasis in his last line here. "Follow ME", he says as he strides into the jungle. *chills*
Since I haven’t posted much, and that has all been late until now, let me just say “Thank you” for the re-watch discussion opportunity. It is such a pleasure to have someone to “talk to” about all the minutia. These were my initial gut reactions:
1. I thought the fishing scene was hilarious, but when Jin carried Hurley I nearly laughed myself silly. Sadly, I can’t even remember this happening during the original airing. I must have been distracted!!
2. Sayid and his Webelos compass! Now we know about the odd magnetic activity on the island.
3. In the near future we see Boone offer to help Shannon financially, but she refuses. So scamming him is a better alternative? No wonder I disliked her character from the beginning.
4. I had to laugh when Jack gave Charlie an aspirin for his withdrawal symptoms. I do remember some comments made by Dom to the effect that they had to sanitize and accelerate his recovery since this is a Disney production, which as a shame as playing the recovery would have been more realistic and more of an acting challenge.
5. There is an interesting moment at the discovery of the hatch where you hear what sounds to me like the flutter of bird wings. It made me think of all the dove references in season 3.
6. I knew that people would die on the show from season 1 on, and was appropriately shocked and horrified by Shannon’s body. It felt really contrived then when she turned out to be alive. This is the second time they let us think a major character was dead, and then switched it up. That really bothered me when I first watched the show. Now it seems like a cruel tease, and the third time someone really does die.
Celandine
At first I thought the compass that Locke gave to Sayid was the compass that Not-Locke gave to Richard in 2007 to give to the Real-Locke that was time-travelling to give to Richard in 1954 to test Kid-Locke to see if he was the Chosen One. In other words, I was wrong about it being the same compass from 2007/1954/1961.
Did that confuse you as much as it confused me?
The first thing that came out of my mouth when Jack and Locke spoke about any ships coming was, "This is a mirror of the awesome opening from The Incident!"
Although I stick by my previous suggestion that Jack is Jack in the proxy theory, I am admittedly very intrigued by the Jack is Locke theory. I actually hope that I am wrong! Jack as Locke would be an amazing transition to watch!
@Joan Crawford
Jack is all "Yes, he is the most specialist boy ever!"
LOL!
Just needed to drop my two cents on the Kate being pregnant debate. Won't give my opinion, but just food for thought.
The writers hinted at a theory that the reason some 316-ers went back in time is because the circumstances of 815 were not recreated accurately. IF this is the case, then can the proxy argument be used in favour of pregnancy?
Although it does not refute pregnancy, I don't think the proxy argument is strong in this theory. Especially since Kate did not know about recreating 815.
But that's only a floating theory... which leads me to this question: In the context of this theory, what other circumstances to you believe were met accurately?
Thoughts?
**were NOT met accurately?**
I always thought that John Lokce was a very different character in season 1. For the better almost. i love his story's about the past, they are so damn inspiring.
The compass Locke gives sayid is not the same one Alpert gives locke while they're time traveling... Alpert gives him one that is much smaller and does have those flip up components that you see on locke's season 1 compass.
I mentioned in “Whatever the Case May Be” (which is the episode that precedes this) that Jack is an absolute dick and it comes out of nowhere. And once again, he’s very sweet to Kate in this episode, giving her the guava seeds. Definitely chalking it up to the changing writers.
Ah yes . . . "Whatever the Case May Be" . . . when Jack was acting like a dick, because Kate was trying to manipulate him with a whole lot of bullshit. But yes, their chummy attitude in this follow-up episode seemed a bit odd.
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