Lost, 5/9 Episode, “The Man Behind the Curtain”

May 9, 2007 by James

But real quick: Jeff Jensen at Entertainment Weekly was way ahead of the game…(see #5)

Posted in Lost | 6 Comments

6 Responses to “Lost, 5/9 Episode, “The Man Behind the Curtain””

on May 10, 2007 at 7:08 am1 Jackrabbit Slim

Let this go ahead and be the official thread, it’s a good place to start.

Jensen could be right except the name is not Aaron, it’s Jacob. I was going to write about the Jacob scene, “What the fuck?” but Jensen clarifies things for me (if he is right).

Looks bad for Locke, but not completely, for two reasons: he hasn’t been buried yet, and perhaps Jacob will help him. Although, as Lester pointed out last week, Locke’s backstory arc is complete, so perhaps it is time for him to go. Hard to imagine how they could kill off such a popular character, when we were all expecting Charlie to go.

So, the original inhabitants of the island don’t seem to age. (Richard looks the same when Ben was ten as he does now). Are there any other original inhabitants? If so, who? Ben said he brought most of them to the island.
on May 10, 2007 at 9:45 am2 joe webb

I’m going to go a different way here:

As advertised, we learned all kinds of secrets about the island.
Locke’s story of how he has a special connection with the island was wrapped up and completely understood, so of course they can kill him.
Jack certainly deserves to be the leader again after acting lame and keeping secrets from the rest these past few weeks. Everyone should clearly believe everything again.
Benjamin is an exremely good liar and manipulator…of course the Others/Hostiles would make him their leader and give him all the secrets of the island.
Of course the “natives” of the island speak perfect English in the South Pacific. It all makes sense!

Back to reality…
That Jacob scene was kuh-ray-zee…except right after Ben came out and hung the lamp I said “Didn’t that lamp just fall on the floor and start a fire?”
Maybe because Ben could see his mother in the smoke monster the Others trusted him? Obviously he has a connection with Jacob….or maybe he is schizophrenic or multiple personalitied. He could be Norman Bates…this could all be about his mother. That would have been cool if sitting in the chair was a rotting corpse he called Mother. Then all he would have to do is put on a dress and wig. The circle would be complete!

So the sonic fence was not set to a lethal level? Great…foaming at the mouth and bleeding from the ears is no big dealio. I loved it when Locke just beat him down. Awesome.
How did Alex know Locke would need a gun? To kill ben? For ben to kill Locke?

What happened to Annie? How did the gas kill everyone OUTDOORs? is it much heavier than air? Would you still be sitting on a bench in a kick-back position watching your friends fall all around you?

The woman at the window and in the forest looked more like a younger version of the Sherriff than Ben’s mom, but that could be my eyes playing tricks.

In short, an excellent episode but still not many answers we want or need…yet.
on May 10, 2007 at 10:47 am3 Jackrabbit Slim

I think Mikhail’s reappearance was explained by the “not lethal level” line. Sort of like phasers set on stun. I don’t see anything supernatural about it now.

Interesting theory on lostpedia: The Hostiles (Richard, Tom? Mikhail?) are either descendants of the Black Rock crew, or, given the lack of aging question, are the actual crew members. Of course, as Olaf points out, they speak in American accents (except for Mikhail).

I missed seeing Jacob’s face, but screecaps are floating around the Web. Some say he looks like Locke, wondering if Jacob is Locke in the future.
on May 10, 2007 at 12:11 pm4 Count Olaf

There was a flash of light in the chair that had to be put there on purpose. Also Jacob was shown sitting in the chair for a frame when the house was rumbling and there’s a screencap at Lostpedia. They’ve got 50 more episodes to do some explaining, so I hope they get it right.

And the preview for next week basically saying Charlie is going to die can only mean one thing: Charlie is not going to die.

EDIT: The producers are really trying to drive home the point that they DO provide answers:

A look at the questions that have been answered and the mysteries yet to be solved for the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 will be the focus of a new special — in anticipation of the upcoming season finale episode — on “Lost: The Answers,” airing Thursday, May 17 on ABC

The Special is Hosted by “Lost” Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ABC once again invites new and avid “Lost” viewers to take another look at one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed shows. “Lost: The Answers” will explore the series in a way that will bring new viewers up to date — but which current viewers will also find illuminating – in anticipation of the Season Finale episode. The special will take an in-depth look at the mysteries of both the island and its inhabitants and recap the secrets that have been revealed, as well as those that remain unanswered.

Hosted by “Lost” executive producers Damon Lindelof (also a co-creator of the show) and Carlton Cuse, the special will revisit mysteries that have been solved, including why a polar bear is on an island in the South Pacific, who the real father of Sun’s baby is, what caused the crash of Oceanic flight 815, who was in the hatch, what happened to the Dharma group, how Locke ended up in a wheelchair, what Kate did to become one of America’s most wanted, and the identity of the real Sawyer — who conned James Ford’s parents – leading to their deaths. In addition, mysteries that remain unsolved will also be explored.

And the cast list for next week foretells the return of Bernard & Rose!
on May 10, 2007 at 3:24 pm5 Jackrabbit Slim

Yeah, like when they killed off Libby, after tantalizing us with a brief cameo in the mental institution during a Hurley flashback. We still don’t know what’s up with that.
on May 12, 2007 at 9:15 pm6 lora

Sorry to chime in so late…when I tried to access the site on Friday night, I didn’t have any luck…

I don’t think Jacob resembles Locke, unless Locke has had a nose job. Jacob has a nose that looks like it’s had a run in with a fist or two. Judging from his dress and hairstyle, I would venture that he’s likely to be the captain of the Black Rock, which would lend credence to the Hostiles=Black Rock Crew theory.

I, too, love Locke’s beatdowns on Mikhail, perhaps because they’re so extreme. Mikhail’s been like one of those pop-up clown dolls…you keep punching, he keeps popping back up! I am wondering what Locke thinks Mikhail will say if he ever has the opportunity to finish a thought.

I was also curious about the nature of the gas used in the attack. It seems odd that it could kill so many people so quickly outdoors.

I don’t think Locke is really dead. His backstory may be resolved, but there’s still a loose-cannon quality to him that hints that his mission isn’t up.

As disenchanted as I am with jack, he better have all four aces up his sleeve to make up for his behavior in the last few episodes.