Yesterday, Joshua was telling me about his finger, how he got a cut on it. From a distance, it sounded like he was saying the word properly. But when he got up close, that’s when I heard it:
“See, Dad. I have a cut on my thinger.”
“On your what?”
“My thinger. It’s next to my thumb.”
Thingers and thumbs.
A quick house keeping item: you may have noticed a few new additions to my “Blogroll” sidebar on the left. My nephew Micah is a fledgling photographer and he’s had a photo blog for quite some time; I’m just getting around to adding it to my list, but I’m sure he’d appreciate it if those of you who are a little photo-savvy stopping by and giving him your thoughts re: his pics. I’ve also added a link to Allen’s new site; Allen and I went to high school together and he’s currently blogging some great Bible study thoughts as well as his reviews on some current reads. Finally, my friend’s wife, Kristen, has started a new blog this week; for those of you who know the Widicks, you will want to add her to your reader so you can keep up with their family.
LOST recap coming tonight. And I haven’t said anything about it yet, but am I the only one not really digging American Idol this year? Probably has something to do with that other little show that consumes most of my time / thoughts…
EW has a bit of a scoop re: upcoming episodes of LOST. Nothing too spoilerish here, but if you don’t want to know anything, I suggest you stop reading here.
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According to an Entertainment Weekly reporter who chatted with the producers as they were gearing up to write the finale:
The answer is “yes” to the following: Will Richard and Ilana exchange some words soon? Will we see another painting by Bender? Do some of the characters’ last names have significance, particularly Jack’s? Is Jack married to someone we’ve met before? Was Jacob telling the truth when he said someone was coming to the island? Will we learn more about Hurley and Libby’s connection? Will we see Vincent and Charlie again? Will we learn if Desmond was really on the plane?
The answer is “no” to the following: Will we get a conclusion to the story of Ben’s love, Annie? Do the purple circles in Bender’s mural mean anything? Did Juliet’s ex-husband get killed by a smoke bus? Will there be a DVD release of the show in chronological order?
The answer is “maybe” to the following: Will the Hurley bird be explained? Will we see Walt again?
The answer is “no comment” to the following: Will we learn why women can’t have babies on the island?
Radio silence: After being bombarded with questions about the show for six years, Cuse said they do not plan on commenting on the series finale after it airs.
Final spoiler from Lindelof: “Water.”
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So, quick recap:
Jack’s married to someone we’ve met before. I’m predicting it’s Juliet, although I suppose they could go completely against the grain and go with somebody like Libby.
And we ARE going to get some more info re: Desmond. I’m hoping he’s the one coming to the Island.
What do you think?
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5.10-12
With this final Beatitude, Jesus transitions from these introductory insights into the Kingdom life to the first imperatives of his Sermon. “Rejoice. Be glad.” The cause for this jubilation? The inevitable revilement — and for some, persecution — that necessarily follows discipleship. Following Jesus naturally puts one at odds with the world’s power brokers. Jesus repeats this theme to his disciples in their final time together before his death:
18“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
John 15.18-21
I heard somebody say once that Jesus needs better PR. If you’re looking to start a movement, this isn’t how you go about doing it. If you’re going to deliver a manifesto about the true meaning of life — which is what Jesus is doing in the Sermon on the Mount — you don’t begin by talking about impoverished spirit, meekness, and martyrdom. But that’s exactly how Jesus begins this seminal teaching. The way of Christ is fraught with peril. For some, it will even cost them their lives. For this very reason, Luke will record two separate encounters in his Gospel where Jesus implores would-be followers to “count the cost” before enlisting (9.57-62; 14.25-35).
Jesus doesn’t mince his words. The way of Christ is the way of the cross. No servant is greater than his master. As they’ve done to Jesus, so too will they do to those who dare follow after Him. This truth calls me to evaluate my own engagement with the world. We used to tell the teens in the youth group, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” In anticipation of what Jesus is about to say next, we might ask: Am I losing my saltiness? Am I shining His light? It is precisely this kind of deep reflection that this final, climactic Beatitude calls for.
But to be even handed, we must also acknowledge the very truth this final Beatitude reveals: that there is in fact a blessing in store for those who choose the path of persecution, rejection, and revilement. By taking up our cross and following Him — even following Him to death, as Thomas once quipped (John 11.16) — we find blessing and joy that He has called us to shine His light into His world.
Clarence Jordan writes:
It seems to me that he said something like this: “Folks, this is it. You think you’ve already been through a lot. You’re just getting started. As you walked up these steps and came into my kingdom, I made it clear to you that you were thereby making an all-out commitment. I charge you now to be faithful to it, cost what it may. But don’t let them scare you or bully you or make you back down. Rejoice that you’ve been counted worthy to be on our side. You’re in a great company of prophets whose glorious past stretches back to the beginning of time and whose future has no end. So go to it. I’m with you.”
As we reflect on our engagement with the world, we dare not lose sight of the fact that our guide along the Way has not abandoned us nor forsaken us. Rather, He is right where He promised to be — with us every step of the way, marching alongside of us, leading the way to the Kingdom, still carrying His cross, imploring us to step where He has faithfully stepped first.
So this was the classic pivot episode where our characters are all put into position for what comes next. The pace of this episode was more aligned with “What Kate Does”, more of a slow boil. But I really liked the episode and here are the reasons why:
In his LA X reality, we learn that Jack has a son, David — a piano playing prodigy (could he be the student of another piano playing whiz, Daniel Farraday?) who has communication issues with his old man. (And how cool / biblical is it that David Shepherd is a song lover who amazes audiences with his gift?) This flash sideways did more for me than any other to date; I guess I’m a sucker for the Daddy-son themes that this episode plumbed. Basically, Jack and David seem destined to play out the same tired relationship Jack and Christian experienced…until Jack reaches a place of brokenness and honesty and tells his son that his love for him isn’t predicated on any level of achievement or ability. “I will always love you. No matter what you do. In my eyes you can never fail.”
The episode begins in this LA X reality with Jack reflecting in a mirror again, this time trying to remember when he had his appendix removed. Of course, in the Island reality, Juliet removed his appendix toward the end of Season Four; but in this reality, Jack seems to have no recollection of this. He goes so far as to ask his mother about it, only to find out his appendix has been removed for years. But there’s something significant about what’s happening to these castaways in their off-Island realities. There are these moments in each episode — Jack with his appendectomy scar; Kate with the whale plush doll — where our characters seem to be experiencing deja vu. It’s like they’re aware of the significance of some of these things, even if they can’t put their finger on exactly why.
This moment is paralleled in the Island story, which begins with Jack looking at his reflection in a reflecting pool. But this reflection is in flux; the turbulence of the water keeps Jack from seeing himself as he truly is. I could make a sweeping reference to how this serves as a metaphor for five seasons of Jack story-telling…but you get the point, right? Things are going to be clarified somewhat for Dr. Shepherd in this episode, an episode that I think will reap huge dividends down the line.
It was also no accident that Hurley and Jack made that little detour at the caves. The producers are wanting to call to mind Adam & Eve from Season One. Remember these are the corpses they found, one male and one female, one holding a black stone and the other holding a white stone. Of course, these were alluded to last week with the much larger stones hanging on the balance in Jacob’s cave. Hurley’s question is one that we’ve been asking for a while now — what if Adam & Eve are actually two of our castaways who somehow end up back in time living out their days in quiet serenity in the caves? Is Hurley’s question a foreshadowing device? Or is it meant to through us off? This is one of the show’s mysteries that interests me the most.
Questions:
I’ve finally figured it out.
For weeks now, I’ve been voicing moderate levels of dissatisfaction re: the final season of the most daring and innovative show in network television history. Basically, I’ve had a really difficult time getting into the “alternate reality” or “alternative timeline” or whatever it is we’re supposed to be calling it. I’ve also been saying that this stage in the narrative process — 13 hours or so from the end — is not the time to introduce new characters (Dogen, Lennon, etc.) or give us “different” versions of the characters we’ve come to love (like Kate and Locke, whom we’ve seen featured in the new “flash sideways” episodes). And yes, I’ve even defaulted to the stereotypical mantra of many a forlorn LOST fan: it’s time for answers, Darlton! I have voiced these opinions — and more — right here on this blog.
But I’ve finally figured it out. It’s not the flash sideways per se that have been bothering me — it IS at least passably entertaining to get a glimpse of the “what if Oceanic 815 never crashed” reality. It’s not the introduction of the new characters that’s really bothered me that much either — there are relatively few of them this go around and they DO serve the narrative by giving us access to some of the Island mysticism that has always been an elemental feature of “the Others”. It’s not even the lack of answers that has bothered me, despite last week’s rant to the contrary.
What has bothered me so far is that the story-telling hasn’t been as satisfying as I’d hoped it would be. I realize this is completely subjective. And I realize we’re only a quarter of the way through the season. So I am totally giving Team Darlton the benefit of the doubt. They’ve always pulled it together in the past and they deserve some modicum of trust at this point. BUT, my frustration is that the flash sideways just hasn’t produced a satisfying result for me yet. And yes, I know they said we’d have to be patient with these sideways deals, so like I said, I’m prepared to judge the season as a whole, not as individual episodes. But after five seasons of “traditional” story-telling, it’s been hard to be satisfied with episodes that are 50% off-Island, alt-reality.
Anyway, I promise to stop bellyaching about this from here on out. I just felt the need to clarify and properly articulate the reason for my frustration thus far.
In other news, tonight’s episode is Jack-centric, which means it should be chock full of mythology. Can’t wait to see it. While we’re waiting, here are a few bullets to whet your appetite for tonight:
Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave"
So it’s no secret that I’m a Johnny Cash fan. I mean, I named a son after him, so clearly he’s been a big influence. So it’s with great anticipation (and not a little sadness) that this week marks the release of his last album, “Ain’t No Grave”. Excited because it’s a Cash album; sad because we’ll never again have any new music from this iconic performer. The album will be released Friday on what would’ve been the Man in Black’s 78th birthday and it marks the final chapter in Cash’s storied American Recordings period. Rick Rubin, wherever you are, thank you.
If you’d like to stream the haunting title track, click here. First time I heard it, the song gave me chills. This marks my own little three minutes of utopian auditory bliss, as the brothers Avett (another favorite of mine) provide appropriate levels of banjo and footstomp on this track.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. — Matthew 5.9
We often define peace as an absence of violence. This is not a terrible way to define peace, just an incomplete one. The Hebrews used their word for peace (“shalom”) to describe a state of wholeness and completion. Shalom is about living and living well, both vertically (with God) and horizontally (with others). Jesus has this in mind in Mark 12 when he teaches the two great maxims of life lived well: Love God (Deuteronomy 6) and love others (Leviticus 19).
With his teaching on peacemaking, Jesus appears to be making a politically subversive statement. Residents of first century Palestine were surely aware, as was the rest of the world, of the imperial propaganda with regard to peace, the “Pax Romana” as it has come to be known. Roman peace was the product of power. Assault, conquest, assimilation; this was the imperial formula for peace and a reflection of the sovereign rule of Caesar, a “son of God” in his own right. In contrast, the peace Jesus offers takes the form of powerlessness: turn the other cheek, go the second mile, lay down your own life, take up your cross. Jesus counters the empire’s vision of peace with the peace-producing love of the God He reveals.
But Jesus is also speaking a direct word to the Zealots in his audience, the revolutionaries bent on birthing God’s kingdom reign through militarism. Righteous indignation no doubt fueled the Zealots’ desire to prove that they were the true “sons of God” through armed hostilities. But Jesus will speak the same prophetic word to these brethren. The peace spoken of by the prophets will not be brought about by the sword and “eye for an eye” foreign policy; God’s sovereign peace can only be achieved through revolutionary love and self-sacrifice.
Clarence Jordan clarifies this well:
It is the Father’s nature to make peace. He is called the God of peace. His Son was called the Prince of Peace. Paul says, “He is our peace.” The consuming desire of God seems to have been voiced by the angels at the birth of his Son: “…on earth, peace!”
I write this just a few days removed from two tragedies in our community. Two weeks ago a ninth grade student shot a fellow classmate in the back of the head in the hall of their middle school. Last Friday, a faculty member at a local university murdered three colleagues and critically injured several others. This is where our definition of peace as absence of conflict breaks down. Clearly the weeks and months leading up to these events were devoid of such senseless violence, but for these two shooters, shalom has surely been absent for quite some time. We long for something more: something more than a monastic existence, reading Scripture on some remote mountain top, cut off from the rest of society; and surely something more than the godless humanitarianism that drives many of our celebrity telethon aid-relief campaigns. Deep in our marrow, at the core of our being, we long for each of these spheres — the vertical and the horizontal — to intersect, for things to be right with God and with others. This is the peace, the shalom, of which Jesus speaks. More than that, this is the peace which he lived to reveal, which he died to achieve, which he rose to bequeath to our weary souls.
What’s been bugging me about this episode is the portrayal of a faithless Locke. The flash sideways is just not a story I’m interested in; nor is it a story-telling device that intrigues me that much. I guess this is the inevitable part of having such high expectations for a show like LOST. You run the risk of those expectations not being met. It’s not that the sideways stories are BAD; it’s that it’s not the story that I was hoping to see. I know that sounds like a pretty selfish way to view the show, but I can’t help it.
Back to Locke losing his faith: We’ve been here before (Locke’s decision to stop pushing the button was pretty much his most despondent moment in the Island timeline), but the Locke that emerged from that experience was a fierce devotee to the Island’s mysticism, and I loved him for that. But this alternate reality Locke is different. His declaration — “There’s no such thing as miracles.” — is a radical (and unwelcome) departure from the Locke I’ve known and loved for 5 seasons. Sure, he’s domestically happy with his life with Helen; but something is dying or has fully died in this Locke. And I can’t stand watching it.
HOWEVER (Dylan, you’ll like where I’m going with this), I CAN get really excited about what might be coming down the pike. I have a feeling all of this is a major set up for Dr. Jack Shepherd (our original “man of science”) to burst onto the scene and perform a miracle, healing Locke (the new science teacher — the newest “a man of science”) and restoring the faith that we’ve all seen Locke exhibit on the Island for five seasons. The prospect of such an encounter alone gets my juices flowing with this whole flash-sideways deal. I still don’t care much for alternate universes or parallel realities or whatever we’re supposed to be calling these things, but a Jack / Locke partnership that completes both of these conflicted characters would be great.
I found this over at another blog and decided to share it. I think its a great theory on who that kid may have been that FLocke and Sawyer saw.
I’ve been giving this some thought and it occurs to me that the young boy that UnLocke saw last night might be …. his own son. We’ve seen characters from our LOSTaways’ past appear to them before, to remind them of their past transgressions or evoke in them remorse and regret. Now, a lot of these times we’ve later assumed that this apparitions were just Smokey (and perhaps they were) but I’m not sure.
Jack obviously sees his late father. Kate sees the horse. (interestingly, so did Sawyer) Hurley sees his imaginary friend, Dave. Eko sees Yemi. Juliet sees Harper Stanhope. Locke sees Taller Ghost Walt. Then last night, UnLocke sees … a little boy, his arms held out from his sides, smeared with blood.
When he sees him again, he chases after him through the jungle. When he returns to Sawyer, he talks about how he was once a man, who knew what it was to lose someone he loved and to be betrayed. I’m starting to wonder if MIB had a son on the Island who was gravely wounded … and grew angry and embittered when he couldn’t save him, perhaps after a trip to the Temple of his own.
At some point, he aligned with the dark energy of the Island and became one with Smokey. Thereafter, he lurked on the fringes of the Temple, wreaking havoc on those Jacob brought to the Island time and again. Finally, his rage became all-consuming and Jacob’s followers had him imprisoned at the Cabin, keeping him surrounded by ash … until that was disturbed one day and he leapt free to seek his loophole and thereby have his revenge.
This would make sense. Clearly Smokey / MIB is haunted by some experience (or experiences) from his past. He’s loved someone, lost someone, been betrayed at a deep level. It would make sense that Smokey would have harbored hard feelings if he had an injured son and the Island’s healing hot tub didn’t restore his health. In that case, we can see why Smokey would want to destroy the Temple and why the Temple’s inhabitants would take such drastic measures to ensure it’s safety.
Other tidbits:
I have to say this at the outset: I’m just really still not digging the whole flash-sideways thing. Here’s my problem: If I didn’t know this was the final season — if I didn’t know we only had 12 episodes or so left, I would be completely frustrated by this stuff, I’d think the producers were just flying by the seat of their pants, and I’d be tempted to change the channel. I know all the homers out there will cry heresy here and they’ll tell me to just roll with it, but I just can’t fake it. The stakes are too high here. I’ve been notoriously brutal in my condemnation of some of my favorite shows when they jump the shark (see: 24, Heroes). Suffering through the final couple of seasons of The X-Files will do that to a guy. I’m not saying LOST has jumped the shark just yet, but the Dharma shark is circling. The ONLY thing that gives me hope at this point is that we are, in fact, barreling down the home stretch and I still hold some modicum of faith that the producers WILL in fact bring all of this stuff together in a satisfying way. But I’m just going on record by saying that the “man of science” in me is ready for some stinkin’ answers. Given that we’re a quarter of the way through the final season, I think that’s a reasonable expectation.
In “The Substitute”, we’re given heaping doses of Alterna-Locke (on the Island) and Alternate Locke (in the sideways 2004 reality). John Locke appears to be much the same sad sack we knew before: crippled, working at the same box company, haplessly trying to go on the same walkabout in Australia. But we find that some things are quite different for John, most notably his relationship with Helen.
Her mention of John’s father as a guest at the wedding has me wondering if this iteration of Locke has a more traditional relationship with his father. By traditional I mean, “Maybe Anthony didn’t con a kidney from John before plunging him eight stories and breaking his back.” But if that’s the case, then why is John in a wheelchair?
Maybe the most disconcerting difference is that we’re witnessing the erosion of Alternate-Reality Locke’s faith. By episode’s end, he makes the same blundering pronouncement Jack Shepherd make at the end of Season Four: there’s no such thing as miracles. This is frustrating, since Locke has always been vital to the show as a man of faith. In Locke’s case, maybe that’s true; the faith John so vehemently subscribed to turned out to be nothing but stone cold manipulation by MIB who has been playing John like a fiddle since their fortuitous encounter way back in Season One (when John looked into the eye of the Island and beheld something “beautiful”).
Meanwhile, Terry O’Quinn’s FLocke is quickly becoming a bad guy for the ages. What a fun role that must be for him: to get to play a more nuanced version of John Locke in the sideways-story while indulging the inner villain for his scenes as FLocke. FLocke is all over Sawyer in this episode. The question is why? We know Sawyer is a candidate. What we don’t know is why Smokey needs Sawyer to help him go home.
I thought it was a little hokey that Sawyer could so immediately pick up on FLocke’s identity. One minute Sawyer is angry at the world; the next minute he’s giving FLocke the stare-down, saying things like “You’re not John Locke.” I know it’s a convenient plot point to get Sawyer and FLocke on the move again and all, but it seemed like a stretch to me.
My friend David pointed out that each of the three sideways characters that these episodes have focused on thus far (Jack, Kate, Locke) have been shown staring at themselves in a mirror at some point. Perhaps an Alice in Wonderland reference? The producers have long proclaimed their love for the Dodgson classic. Or maybe they’re simply in cahoots with Tim Burton. Who knows?
Anybody wanna bet that weird kid in the jungle was an older version of Aaron? And what does it mean that Sawyer could see him?
Coolest scene of the season so far: the first person prerogative of Smokey roaming the Island and New Otherton.
What is Illana going to do with Jacob’s ashes? And how does she know anything about Jin?
When FLocke / MIB shows Sawyer the names of the Oceanic passengers, one name is conspicuously absent from their discussion: one Kate Austen. This scene gave us corresponding images from the Season Five finale where Jacob touches each of the individual “candidates”: Locke (4); Hurley (8); Sawyer (15); Sayid (16); Jack (23); and either Sun or Jin or both (42). But in the same episode, Jacob has the same kind of encounter with Kate. What does it mean that she’s not listed as one of the wall’s “candidates”?
Does Locke’s burial mean that we’ve seen the last of him in the Island reality? I certainly hope not. But Ilana says MIB is “stuck” in his current form, so I’m afraid we might not see John Locke as we formerly knew him again.
Ben’s remorse over murdering Locke was endearing, or ast least as endearing as Ben can be.
Your thoughts?
