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Thursday, April 13, 2006

Lost: For What Heals You

Last night episode continued the trend of keeping Season 2 interesting, even if it wasn't quite as strong as Hurley's episode. Hurley and Locke still provide the best material for the show, hands down.

Still, this was an important episode because it emphasized another part of the mystery which is often glossed over - the island's odd healing properties. Locke, Rose and probably Sun have been "cured" in some way. It's an interesting comparison to Boone, who was shown how to back away from his relationship with Shannon.

The explanation for the island's magic healing abilities was probably wrapped around the faith healer who said he focused certain energies into people, curing them. Perhaps his magic piece of rock wasn't strong enough for Rose ... but the island somehow kicks things up a notch. Perhaps the big generator in the hatch is an amplifier for the island's normal electromagnetics. It offers another idea to how people survive such a crash in these numbers ... maybe the island kept them alive.

So why didn't it save Kate's cop? Or Boone? Perhaps it has it's limits ... or maybe it's just finicky.

Finally ... what is up with (Not) Henry Gale? Why oh why does he not want Locke to push that button?

Next week we apparently get confirmation of an old suspicion - that the Others don't have vast numbers or force, but rely on subterfuge and fear to keep their operations going. Oh, the war is so on.



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3 comments:

Finster said...

I think HGI (Henry Gale Imposter) is just trying to sow discord. For whatever reason, he has latched onto Locke and has done everything possible to get inside his head. So far, it's working beautifully.

Also, Sun? I don't she had any physical ailments to speak of. If you remember from that episode explaining her pregnancy, it was JIN who had the medical problems, not Sun. And they purposely left it wide open whether Jin is "healed" or whether Sun cheated on him with Suave Bald Guy.

Overall, I wasn't super impressed with this episode. I felt the same way about their decision to stay as I did with Hurley's foodgasm. These people are acting in ways that go beyond what any reasonable person would do in such a situation. I dunno, maybe that's just another part of the Island's mystery.

I am very interested to see if they do more with the whole lack of communication problem. I think it's been mentioned at least once in every single episode in the last half of the season. It feels like everything is breaking down, and everyone is relapsing into the bad parts of their personalities.

Clamatius said...

The only things that have been healed were things that were already wrong with the Survivors when they got to the island.

(note, btw, it's not on next week - it's skipping a week yet again)

Josh said...

Jin, right, right, it was Jin. My bad. Still, if the island can cure cancer, I'd think impotency would be a freebie. Locke walking, Rose living. My money is that Sun was faithful.

were already wrong with the Survivors when they got to the island

Too true. Interesting. Maybe the island needs som prep?

Next episode, I'm thinking, things break down more seriously. Michael wasn't exactly right in the head when we last saw him ... and while I think the Others aren't a formidable army ... that's not to say they aren't formidable. They know the island and probably it's secrets. I mean, just knowing the lay of the land has kept Rosseau alive.

I do think HGI is trying to sow discord - but the button is critical. If we assume HGI know's it's function (which I'd say is likely) then it's unlikely that not pressing the button results in mass destruction.

The simple answer is that the button does nothing and HGI is trying to break Locke's faith. I'm not buying the "button as psychological expirement" theory though. Skinner boxes come a lot cheaper than The Hatch.

But we now have Backwards Walt (Bizarro Walt?) and HGI trying to get them to stop pushing it. This, of course, shouldn't surprise us ... since it's likely that The Hatch was to keep unwanteds out and buttonpushers in. We know that BW and HGI are "unwanted" ... we just don't know why.

Plus, I'm leaning that the island isn't a "test" as much as it's a method of perfecting humans. I don't think Hanso's goal was to "investigate human behavior" as much as it is to improve it.