Lost 6.04: The Substitute, Part 2

I really am trying to figure out how convoluted to make things. How much should now be taken at face value? Nothing ever could be on this show, so I want to ascribe 5 different possible purposes to every action still. But will that be the case?

For example, a drawn-out Sawyer’s-in-danger sequence played out on the ladders to the cave. Why bother with this drama? If we’re all killer no filler at this point, then that sequence mattered for some reason. Were we supposed to believe that MIB wanted to save Sawyer for some purpose or was SAWYER supposed to believe that, thereby MIB earns some of his trust?

Last week I felt Sawyer was ripe for the pickin’ for MIB, but this week it was obvious Sawyer’s not falling for anything. He saw through Flocke immediately, and he began playing him immediately. Something’s up with this dude, and especially when a hilariously freaked-out Richard popped out of the jungle, Sawyer may have realized a perfect opportunity to make Juliet’s death not in vain and save everyone. (How awesome if Juliet’s last message to him through Miles, “It worked,” was actually referring to his own future plan?) Though he has no idea what’s going on yet, he’s ready to accept the challenge or die trying. What’s he got to lose?

The “candidate” thing. I think it’s probably true that any of the people on the Island could vie for Jacob’s position. I don’t know how they would do that or obtain it. But with no Jacob, if they really are forces of dark/light, then a position appears to be open. But I don’t think Jacob called these people here for the reason of replacing him. I think, too often, bad guys project. They assume motivations for others based on their own thinking because they cannot fathom any other kinds of reasons. For example, Sawyer could not understand why Jack would want to blow up the Island for unselfish reasons, so that all those who died in the crash could survive. So Jack had to illustrate it in Sawyer-speak: “Because I wanted something, got it, and lost it, and want it back whatever way I can.” My point is that MIB’s understanding of Jacob’s motivations was likely warped, and even if he were telling Sawyer the truth, which is unlikely, he was telling that truth from his own perspective, tinged with dark motivations that weren’t built in to Jacob’s intentions.

Other entities on the Island… the possibility that there are entire casts of characters such as Jacob and MIB on the Island. I agree this is possible, but I return to the question of how much to dilute or complicate matters. We don’t even have Entity Christian (possibly always Smokey? Sometimes Smokey, sometimes something else?), Entity Walt (once a projection of Walt’s own mind? Once a Smokey?), the Whispers (lots of great theories here), the off-Island manifestations such as Libby to Michael, all the dead people Hurley sees (are some different kinds of manifestations than others?), the appearance of Harper to Juliet, and probably a slew of others. We are still so vague on these. I think we need the answers to these before introducing a whole new class of entity, OR a way of answering that they are all sort of the same. But even so, I must admit a bit of a disappointment if there are a lot of people we never knew doing all this stuff we never knew about or didn’t understand rather than the people who we learned about all this time. It’s not a rip-off if this is game of two main guys, but if all the people had parts they played, I have no idea how it could be explained, and if it is, how will it be explained where I don’t feel like I got to know the wrong set of characters? I do, though, think that this could explain the Island’s possible need for certain characters and maintenance of them. For example, if there is an entity that likens itself to a Rousseau, then there will always be a Rousseau, and if that Rousseau dies, the entity finds itself another person to make into a Rousseau, hence Claire, and hence the idea of being “claimed.” If various entities take over their eternal roles, it could also explain why bodies must be buried. The dead don’t rise, they are claimed by the various existing entities on the Island. And the Whispers would be a given. So, see, this could actually be explained pretty easily in one fell swoop. I love it when I talk long enough to see the obvious solution. Yeesh. *rolls eyes*

Names on the cave list: Having heard some of the names and who is crossed off, what does that mean? If “Littleton” was crossed off, does that mean she died (again, that has been the theory) or just that she was no longer viable as a “candidate”? If “Linus” is crossed out and it refers to Roger, then it could mean he’s dead, but if it refers to Ben, and Ben is not dead, then what does crossing out mean? (Or did he technically die when he was a kid after Sayid shot him?)

OK, going to have a second look at this episode, but I honestly have a headache and I haven’t had even one good idea yet.