Lost: How, What, and Why
Here’s the problem with Lost. It asks “why” but answers “what” and “how.”
Spoiler alert!
In tonight’s episode, for example, the last before a month-long break, we see Michael, in flashback, go through the steps that led him to pose aboard the boat as a deckhand.
He’s told of the fake plane, and is informed that the boat’s crew have been ordered to kill everyone on the island. But when he’s given this information, he doesn’t ask the obvious question: Why? Why would anyone want to kill the people on the island? Why would anyone think the island, or its inhabitants, so important as to stage such a ridiculously complex hoax? It answers the simple why — why Michael would go to the island (to atone for his sins) — but not any of the whys that really matter. There’s no reason for these questions not to come up, no reason for Michael not to want to know the answers. The show just ignores them.
The same thing happens in the beginning of the episode, when Locke tells his people that he’s discovered that the boat crew intend to grab Ben Linus and kill the island’s inhabitants. Not one person asks the obvious question: Why? What would motivate this sort of mass slaughter? And why, in specific, do they want Linus?
Instead we get a lot of what and how answers: How Michael finds himself on the boat. What position Locke is taking as a result of the revelations. This is a pretty common pattern. Season two ended with a spectacularly useless revelation about how, exactly, Oceanic 815 was knocked out of the sky. It tells us a lot about what occurred, but after three and a half seasons, very little about why.
I thought it was pretty obvious – there’s something about the island (it’s magical healing properties or something to that effect) that what’s his name (Penny’s dad) thinks he can exploit to make a whole lot of cash. But if other people are aware of the island, then he won’t be able to make said money.
— bradm · Mar 21, 09:42 PM · #
The lack of why, at this point, is the point. That is what keeps people coming back, or at least is what makes me want to tune in. Yes, it’s frustrating at times, but if they told us everything at the end of this season or last night for that matter, I would only have one other show to watch (“The Office”) and it would be more frustrating.
— Bwiley · Mar 22, 12:58 AM · #
Didn’t click the link for awhile because I only watch online, outside of work. Anyways I think there is far too much progressing in the show without addressing so many of the compelling issues already brought up.
1) Dharma initiative – how did they find the island and who was behind such a massive project and how could a well thought out and funded project just halt and not have people coming in to at least pick up the pieces? Let alone have drops of rations for everyone well past the last time any communication has been made.
2) More on that last point and credit to my girlfriend for noticing just how easy everyone has it on the island now. There’s some fishing, but most of the people have houses now as well as dharma-supplied food. There are no surprise attacks from the cloud of who-knows-what or polar bears charging out of the woods. Why did that ever happen and how come it doesn’t happen anymore?
3) Jacob – personally I thought this was one of the more intriguing parts when the ghostly Jacob first spoke to Locke, and then he’s been basically missing since then in some traveling cabin.
4) They ended last season and started this season with everyone wanting to come back to the island in the future. What happened to that? Now there’s def. no rescue and who knows when they’ll ever address that again.
Basically, bring back the suspenseful mysterious parts of the island and get rid of these crap explanations where that “other” guy talks about how the island won’t let Michael kill himself.
I see that most people watch the office, I’m satisfied getting my TV fix from the newly brought back South Park and the Hills season premiere tonight for some good laughs. But I do hope Lost makes a big second half comeback.
— EJ · Mar 24, 07:59 PM · #
I think the theme of this series so far has been manipulation – especially how Ben manipulates everyone from Locke to Michael and the survivors don’t know which way is up. I agree with the why being answered by how and what but the frustration of this is what keeps you intrigued. Also I love the parallel between Michael and Sayid in how they were both manipulated to work for Ben (Sayid thought with his heart instead of his head in ratting out Michael) and did that gun really jam or did Tom (the other) switch guns with him when they fought?? I like that it raises more questions than it answers but am now annoyed that they are taking a 4 week break!
— CW · Mar 26, 06:25 PM · #
Enough hints and even blatant demonstrations of time travel have cropped up to take the concept for granted.
One of the more interesting explanations for why the island is still receiving Dharma drops is that the island is receiving the same drop over and over again – i.e. the island is in some kind of time loop.
The more esoteric corollary is that this also explains why babies die on the island – they are unanchored in time, and causality prevents a child from being born before it was conceived. The island/universe might also act to prevent folks from dying if their deaths would disrupt causality.
— Jordan Weber-Flink · Mar 26, 10:56 PM · #