Season-wise, we’re officially halfway through the series, if you include the as yet unaired sixth season. I want to step back this week and take stock of the series as a whole… through the power of mathematics! Well, not really, but I’ll be tallying numbers and writing lists. That’s almost math-y, right?
Anyway, through this pseudo-mathematical analysis, I will answer the following questions: Who are the most important characters in Lost, really? Who’s evil-er, the Losties or the Others? And the big question: why watch the show when its major mysteries are never answered? Obviously, I won’t be able to come up with a real Grand Unified Theory of Lost just yet, but I’m hoping that, by stepping back and looking at the big picture numerically, I’ll be able to wrap my mind around the series a little better before I leap into season four.
But first, as usual, the episode summaries:
Episode 3.17 (“Catch-22”): In the past, Desmond was a monk, but apparently that wasn’t his true path. In the present, Des has a vision that Penny parachutes onto the Island, but it can only happen if Charlie dies. Unsurprisingly, Des does not let Charlie die. Somewhat surprisingly, the parachuter is not Penny. Also, Jin tells a hilarious ghost story.
Episode 3.18 (“D.O.C.”): I love Sun! I love Jin! Anyway… In the past, Sun paid off Jin’s whore mom so she wouldn’t tell Jin his mom’s a whore. But! This indebted Jin to Sun’s dad. In the present, Mikhail helps Des and the rest save the life of parachuter lady (Naomi), and Sun—who I love, by the way?—demands answers from Juliet, because Sun’s the only one on the Island with the cojones to do so. Juliet ultrasounds Sun, revealing that yes, the baby is Jin’s, but that Sun will die in the middle of her second trimester, like all the other preggers ladies on the Island. Also, we learn from Naomi that Oceanic Flight 815 has been found, along with all of the dead bodies of the crew and passengers. Which supports my new Grand Unified Theory of Lost: evil mirror universes, ala the ones in Star Trek! Please?
Episode 3.19 (“The Brig”): A week or so ago, Ben told Locke he could join the Others, but only if he killed his father. Locke couldn’t do it. So! Locke gets Sawyer to do it, ‘cause, unsurprisingly, Locke’s dad is the real Sawyer. Fabulous drama ensues nonetheless. As a reward for his cold-hearted act of strangling his dad with a rusty 19th century chain from the Black Rock, Locke gives fake!Sawyer (a.k.a. James) proof in the form of a tape recorder that Juliet’s working with Ben to capture Team Jack’s womens.
Episode 3.20 (“The Man Behind the Curtain”): Hey, I already called Ben the man behind the curtain five weeks ago! Nevertheless, GREAT episode. In the past, Ben was a shy kid who was verbally abused by his dad because his mom died giving birth to him. Little Ben sees his mom in the woods but she says it’s not time yet, whatever that means. He also sees Richard—who is the same age as he is now in the present! Thus supporting my ridiculous theory from two weeks ago that a group of immortal humans was placed on the Island by aliens back in prehistoric times! Or, time travel could explain this, too, I guess. When Little Ben grows up, he kills his dad—who by the way was the skeleton in Hurley’s VW bus—along with everyone else in the compound, for some unknown reason. Dude, Benny. That was cold.
Meanwhile, in the present, more craziness! Locke—who is just getting more and more awesome, isn’t he?—intimidates Ben into bringing him to the ever-mysterious Jacob. Ben brings Locke to a creepy shack and then talks to a chair. Locke, understandably, thinks Ben is a nutjob, but then invisible man Jacob starts throwing things and says “Help me” to Locke in a spooky voice. WTF! Then Ben totally shoots Locke in the chest! Okay, my sitting through all those shitty episodes at the beginning of the season was officially worth it.
Awwww! Ain't he cute?
Episode 3.21 (“Greatest Hits”): Desmond tells Charlie that he has to die—yes, for real this time, in order for Claire and the baby to get off the Island. Charlie’s going to have to swim down to the Looking Glass hatch and flip off the switch that is jamming all communications into and out of the Island. Then he’ll drown. So Charlie starts writing a list of the top five moments in his life and totally makes me cry. Damn you, Lost. I didn’t even like Charlie that much and now you’re making me cry over him?! But then when Charlie swims into the Looking Glass he finds out that A) it’s not flooded and B) he’s surrounded by crazy gun-toting women. I… I didn’t expect that.
Episode 3.22 (“Through the Looking Glass”): In the Evil Mirror Universe (or possibly the real future, although that’s way less interesting than alternate universes), Jack has a beard. Just like Evil Spock! Future Jack is a suicidal, drug-addled mess, ever since a certain unnamed someone died. (This might be crazy, but I think that someone is Ben Linus. Why else would nobody go to his funeral?) Mirror Jack wants to go back to the Island. He’s made a huge mistake.
Meanwhile, in Universe A (or should we call it Universe 1?), Sayid, Jin, and Bernard stay behind on the beach to blow up the Others while Jack and Rousseau lead the rest to the radio tower to shut off Rousseau’s creepy French message and use Naomi’s satellite phone to call for help. But this’ll only work if Charlie manages to turn off the jamming signal in the Looking Glass. He does, with the help of Desmond, but only after Mikhail, the man who never dies, grenades the station and floods Charlie to death. But before he dies, he gets a message from Penny: she’s not on Naomi’s boat.
Meanwhile, meanwhile, Ben finds out what’s going on and tries to convince Jack he’s making a huge mistake by trying to leave the Island. If he leaves the Island now, really Bad Things will happen! He also orders Tom to kill Sayid, Jin, and Bernard. Tom doesn’t, and is rewarded by being shot to death by Sawyer (James?) who I think has cracked a little bit since he killed Real Sawyer. Locke knifes Naomi, Jack beats up Ben, and they all get a message out to Naomi’s boat, which is coming over to rescue them. Yay! But, actually, boo! Because the boat will apparently bring them to Evil Mirror Universe Future, where people have grody beards and reenact scenes from It’s a Wonderful Life on a regular basis.
Before we start this week’s posts, a few disclaimers. 1. The numbers herein may not be completely accurate, but they’re at least close. I’m saying I tried. God knows, I tried. 2. I’m sorry I rushed on the numbers, but I’m about to go on vacation. Please excuse my vacation-induced laziness. I’ll make it up to you in the future.
And now, without further ado, Lost By Numbers.
Lost By Numbers (Seasons 1-3)
Number of flashbacks so far, in descending order:
9: Jack
6: Kate, Charlie, Locke
5: Sun
4: Sawyer, Sayid, Hurley
3: Claire, Michael/Walt, Jin, Eko, Desmond, Ana Lucia
2: Juliet
1: Boone, Shannon, Rose/Bernard, Nikki/Paolo, Ben
Analysis:
1. Charlie’s had as many flashback episodes as Kate and Locke, but they were mostly in the first season. It seems the writers thought he was a main character and then dropped him. In season two, they started hating him, turning him from a likable scamp into a friggin’ lunatic. Then they killed him off. Jesus. What did Dominic Monaghan do to the writers to make them change their tune so quickly?
2. Jack’s had nine episodes all about him, and yet all I seem to know is A) he likes saving people, B) his dad’s a drunk, and C) his wife left him. Likewise, Kate’s had six episodes, only one of them interesting (the one where she blew up the house). I’m starting to wonder if they should begin leaving out the flashbacks altogether unless they’re legitimately important. Actually, I’m going to say so flat out: “Lost, stop with the flashbacks unless they are legitimately important. Thank you.”
3. The show (rightly) loves Desmond. He’s only been a member of Team Jack for a little more than a season now, and he already has three (great) episodes about him. I assume that means we’re going to see more of him in the future. Or is it the past?
The mirror universe theory: believe it!
The death toll:
People killed by Team Jack, for any reason, past and present: 34 + Mikhail, twice
People killed by Team Jack, not including accidental deaths or euthanasia, past or present: 32 + Mikhail
People killed by Team Jack in cold blood (not including accidental deaths, euthanasia, or self-defense), past or present: 15
“Others” killed by Team Jack: 18 + Mikhail
“Others” killed by Team Jack in cold blood (again, not including accidental deaths, self-defense, etc.): 3
People killed by the Others, for any reason, past and present: at least 43
Team Jack members killed by the Others: 2, unless you count Ana Lucia, Libby, and Locke’s dad by proxy. In which case, 4.
People killed by the Island or the Monster: 5 (if you count Boone, which I do)
Analysis:
I decided to go through and count the number of deaths in Lost to see if what Ben was saying was true. Was Team Jack really more evil than the Others?
Originally, I was going to just count up the deaths caused by Team Jack and the deaths caused by Team Ben and compare. But that didn’t seem fair. Last week, I said there were three groups on the Island: the moral absolutes, who believe there is a strict line between Good and Evil, and that forgiveness is impossible; the moral grays, who believe that certain evil actions lose some of their evilness if done for a good purpose, and who believe that forgiveness is possible; and the fatalists, who think morality is all a sham.
I happen to come down more on the side of the moral grays. It’s not fair just to tally up the death tolls. Some of those deaths came about because someone murdered a person in cold blood. Others had more subtle moral shadings. The U.S. Marshal was killed out of mercy, for instance. Mr. Eko killed two Others because they were trying to drag him off into the woods and do who knows what to him. Ana Lucia killed Shannon by accident. These deaths should not carry the same moral weight as the time, say, the time Mikhail just shot Ms. Klugh for no reason, or the time Nikki and Paolo killed that rich guy for his diamonds. In other words, I’m making a distinction among first, second, and third degree murder. I’m also making a distinction between killing in self-defense and killing in cold blood.
However, I do see the point Ben is making. If you believe that the action of killing another human being is wrong, regardless of the reasons for it, then Team Jack’s got lots of ‘splaining to do. More than thirty deaths. Wow. Actually more, if you count Tricia Tanaka, her camera man, and Hurley’s grandpa as deaths under the Hurley Curse. Even if you weed out all the accidental deaths, deaths by euthanasia, and killing in self-defense, Team Jack has killed fifteen people. Fifteen! Ethan, Ana Lucia, Libby, Locke’s dad, Tom (who I’m not counting as self-defense—he was defenseless), Goodwin (who I’m also not counting as self-defense: Ana Lucia started it), Kate’s step-dad, the man who wasn’t Sawyer, the thief Ana Lucia killed, the four guys Eko killed, the guy Nikki and Paolo killed, and Kelvin.
Moreover, if you don’t count the forty guys Ben killed in his flashback, the Others have killed a grand total of four people: Ms. Klugh, Charlie, Scott (not Steve), and (theoretically) Juliet’s ex-husband. You may also want to count Ana Lucia, Libby, and Locke’s dad, since those deaths were Ben’s fault. And if you don’t count those people, the Others have killed just two member of Team Jack thus far—and even then you can say “fate did it!” and call it a day.
It bears repeating. Before I made this list, I was pretty sure the Others were the bad guys and the members of Team Jack were the good guys. (Remember my D&D alignment chart from last week?) But if you count deaths and deaths alone, clearly Team Jack is much, much worse.
I think Lost’s writers figured that out along the way, too. Why else would they have Ben kill off forty people, including his dad, in a flashback? If that didn’t happen, we wouldn’t know that Ben was a true villain. In fact, we might have even started to believe him when he said he was with the good guys! While I loved Ben’s flashback episode, “The Man Behind the Curtain,” you have to admit it made Lost’s morality a bit more blunt. “Of course Ben is the real villain,” the episode seems to say. “Look how many people he killed! Subtle moral questions be damned!” (Also he used his pet bunny to see if the Ear Bloodinator Fence was still on. That was harsh.)
So let’s remember, everyone: the Others may be nasty, unlikable people who like to keep annoying secrets and kidnap children. But! Other than Ben and Mikhail, they’re not murderers. Eko, Sawyer, Kate, Ana Lucia, Charlie, Michael, Nikki, and Paolo are.
Another thing to notice: the Monster hasn’t actually killed that many people. It growls and tears down trees and scares everyone, but it doesn’t actually do much that matters. Just pointing that out.
Before dying, Charlie turns off the jamming signal by playing the theme to Funkytown.
The major mysteries:
Solved Mysteries
What’s in the hatch?
Why did the plane crash?
Who is the French woman?
Why hasn’t anyone rescued them yet?
What did Kate do?
Why was everyone trying to kidnap Claire back in season one?
Where did they take Walt?
How did Locke get paralyzed?
What happens when you don’t put in the Numbers?
Kinda Sorta Solved Mysteries
Who are the Others?
What are the Numbers?
Unsolved Mysteries
What’s the deal with the Dharma Initiative?
What is the Island?
Why doesn’t Ben want anyone to leave the Island?
Who is Jacob?
What’s the deal with the Monster?
Why did they take Walt?
What’s with the creepy four-toed statue?
Why is Jack in the future with a beard?
Why the polar bears?
Solved: 9
Sort of solved: 2
Unsolved: 9
Analysis:
When I wrote this list, I was surprised. I was under the impression that Lost’s critics were right. The writers brought up multiple mysteries but never answered any of them. I didn’t really mind, because I like the show on an episode to episode basis.
But we do have answers: nine major answers to nine major questions. We know significantly more about the Island than we did in season one. Things that were blurred are starting to come into view. So here’s my answer to those people who ask if Lost is worth watching, even though the mysteries never get solved: some of them do. And when that happens, it’s pretty freaking sweet.
Now I have a lot more faith in the writers. As I look back over the list of the answered questions, I have to say that most of them were answered to my satisfaction. The explanations made sense in the context of this universe, and most of them were quite interesting. The writers have a good track record going, and I hope they can continue that as the seasons progress. Onward to season four!
Next time on Overthinking Lost: We travel to the fuuuuuture! Where Jack has a beeeaaarrrd! Cue theramins.
A note: I’m going to be on vacation this week, so I may not have a post up next week. I will have Internet access, but I may not have time to write up my Lost-related thoughts while I’m cavorting around the topless beaches with my cadre of sexy foreign men. (By which I mean I’m probably going to sit around eating Indian food and reading. Probably not on a topless beach; possibly on a regular beach.) But! If I don’t have a post up next week, I will almost certainly have up a super-special post up the week after to make up for it.
Another note: AHH no spoilers.