REVIEW 100!!! Lost: Season 2, Episode 17: Lockdown
Lockdown
Original Airdate: March 29, 2006
Writers: Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof
Director: Stephen Williams
As is the case with the multiple flashback arcs, this episode offers further details of how certain events in the castaways lives happened. Something happened between the events from the flashbacks of "Orientation" to "Walkabout" that explained how Locke went from a satisfying relationship (arguably the best thing that ever happened to him), to having to pay a woman to reenact this moment in his life for him. This episode answers that question. The biggest mystery in Locke's past could've easily been put it in with Locke having one of the blast door bars go through his legs, effectively limiting his mobility. Considering the information overload of the blast door map, it was probably better that we wait a little longer for that piece of information.
Locke is probably the best-developed character on the show. Initially, Locke was this super cool character who could do anything, unlocking the power of the island as well as knowing tons of valuable information. Now we see him as a very flawed human being, one who has been jerked around by almost everyone around him his whole life. Despite trying not to be fooled again, he still falls for his father's cons in hopes that he can earn his love and it ends up costing him the woman who truly loves him.
It happens again in the hatch, as Henry Gale provides him invaluable help during the lockdown, possibly saving his legs and taking care of the button. In the end, Henry lied to Locke just like Cooper, betraying his trust, although he didn't kill him after the Lockdown was over, which he easily could have.
This episode effectively brought back the theory that Cooper is the original Sawyer, one that has been around since we first saw him. Cooper is the right age to con Sawyer's parents circa 1976 and he has been a guiltless bastard every time he's appeared on the show. Of course, what kind of ramifications would that entail should Sawyer find out (and how could that happen on the island)?
Theories aside, there is a definite connection between the survivors revealed, as Locke inspects the house of Sayid's childhood love, Nadia. So between four and seven years, Nadia made it to America. A lot can be said about these connections, from they are just random Easter eggs that the producers throw in to reward fans who pay attention to something to show how interconnected all the survivors really are. It adds to the theory that each person was placed on the island for a reason.
We knew some lockdown was coming, as the blast doors were mentioned back in "What Kate Did". Of course, the lockdown spurs many questions. The consensus seems to be that this lockdown was triggered because of the food drop. But is that so? Now why would they lock them in the hatch while the food was dropped is unknown, nor why would they not drop the food off closer to the hatch (is there anything in there that they use to protect themselves from whatever contaminant they are so afraid of). Also, why is the lockdown apparently only for the living quarters and not the whole hatch? OK, the human sized air vents can be maneuvered around, but doesn't that wreck the point of a lockdown?
Ironically, the moment that is getting the most attention is something that only occurred for a few seconds on screen. While brief, this "map" is a crucial piece of the island mythology. They didn't need to show it for long since rabid Lost fans took high definition screen shots and clarified some of the harder to read items, also translating the Latin into English (it also appeared in an issue of Entertainment Weekly). Although it will be harder for Locke, who only had a brief shot while he was still in agonizing pain.
One of the theories that has sprung this season is is the island conning Locke? He has shown to be easily swayed and there is a thin line between that and faith. The hatch has turned out not to be what he expected, and it has been eating at him all season, now the hatch has given him an exclusive look at this map. Perhaps he sees this as another phase in his destiny that he claimed lead him into the hatch, and tha. If that's true, he will likely keep it secret, as he has the hatch when he and Boone first found it, along with his mysterious former handicap.
There are six stations, four of which are named (The Staff or caduceus, The Arrow, The Swan and The Flame). Some suspect The Flame is the underwater hatch some have theorized as existing, which would make its name ironic. There are several extensions springing forward to the question mark in the center, but do not connect. What does that mean? Were all the hatches connected at some point and obstructed by something, or was this a theory that was dashed? The CV's followed by a Roman numeral throughout the map are also curious, but I have no idea what that could mean.
A note near The Flame has one author writing that they suspected The Flame to be there, but later doubted it "due to Cerberus activity" (The Staff station may have been abandoned due to this as well). Cerberus was the mythological three-headed dog that guarded the gates of hell. Because of that connotation, the theory that Cerberus is the smoke monster has sprung up on the net, and some believe that is the official name.
There are numerous notes of failed operations, like The Staff station being abandoned after the "AH/MDG Incident". This could shed some light on The Others, who may have crashed that hatch like our castaways have The Swan, or perhaps they are renegade Dharma, or experiments gone awry. Nearby there is mention of several system wide failures, which could be what the incident was. There is also mention of a Magnus or M. Angus Hanso, whose resting place is at the black rock. If this is the Black Rock, it seems awfully close to The Swan station.
Below The Swan, there is a line reading "Fatalities: 5". This worth noting because Rousseau's crew consisted of six people and she was the last person alive. Did Rousseau write any of this? However many people drew this map, they had to know the island, and Rousseau would be a prime candidate for that (although one notation by The Staff suggests that they couldn't get there and back to The Swan in 108 minutes). Has Rousseau been in the hatch? How many, other than The Staff does she know about? Next time she pops up, Locke should talk to her about it, and perhaps consult her notes Sayid has, as Entil noted.
There are several phrases in Latin, like "I think, therefore I am depressed", "It's a bad plan that cannot be changed" and "the cure is worse than the disease". All of these, with the corresponding dates, point to things going wrong with the experiments after the incident (which happened before 1980 if we are to believe what the Orientation film told us).
Some places, like the survivors' camp, aren't labeled, and the map is likely not drawn to scale. Perhaps the island is shaped similarly to the octagon of the Dharma logo. This could add some credibility to the theory that the island is man made. It does work as a reference point, so perhaps they were looking for something that they could design their stations from.
The writing on the wall (so to speak) appears to have been written by several generations of Dharma employees. Its location also warrants discussion. Why is this on the blast door? What use does it have only be shown in lockdown for a few seconds in black light? Who are they hiding the map from? Did The Others have something to do with it? What goal were they trying to accomplish with the map? This opens so many possibilities for the future.
Sayid's confrontation at the end of the episode begs one big question; did Sayid prepare that little speech the whole way back, asking Charlie and Ana-Lucia "Does this sound cold blooded and cool?" Now that Sayid knows that his gut instinct was correct, Henry is in deep trouble. Had Sayid and Ana-Lucia been alone, Sayid's speech would've likely been the last thing Henry ever heard.
Like other recent episodes, much else doesn't happen outside of the hatch. There are some lighter moments with Sawyer, Hurley, Kate and Jack playing poker, but the other players don't seem as eager to get back what Sawyer took from them a few days earlier (it's easy to forget that, especially with the long gaps between some of the episodes). Plus Jack knocks down Sawyer's status so quickly that it renders his power play in "The Long Con" moot. It does set up Jack's past in Thailand, which is likely after his divorce, but perhaps they could've done it differently.
One thing that they didn't have enough time for was Jack and Kate's relationship since Jack didn't tell her about Henry until this critical moment. Clearly she was siding with Sawyer, but after his con, she found herself out of the loop as Jack got a little jealous and spent his time trying to start an army with Ana-Lucia.
Libby still feels like the most likely candidate to be one of The Others besides Henry. Of the tail section that haven't died or disappeared, we know the least about Libby. Ana-Lucia and Eko both have had a flashback episode and Bernard is vouched for by Rose, who we know was on the plane. All we have are a few morsels of information and a look of discomfort when Libby realized Hurley recognized her.
Since this episode confirms that Henry is an imposter (he will still be referred to as Henry Gale until we learn his true name, the man Sayid dug up will be called the real Henry Gale or something to that affect), Jack and Locke now have to decide what to do with him. Will they use him to confront the others? Keep him there indefinitely as they have before?
This episode really gets the final arc moving, as the blast door map gives the audience more than enough to chew on to make up for the episodes that focused more on characters. Although it seems anti-climactic that they waited three episodes to tell us what we already knew about Henry, knowing what I know from the end of season two, it was a good step in the seasonal narrative.
Locke is probably the best-developed character on the show. Initially, Locke was this super cool character who could do anything, unlocking the power of the island as well as knowing tons of valuable information. Now we see him as a very flawed human being, one who has been jerked around by almost everyone around him his whole life. Despite trying not to be fooled again, he still falls for his father's cons in hopes that he can earn his love and it ends up costing him the woman who truly loves him.
It happens again in the hatch, as Henry Gale provides him invaluable help during the lockdown, possibly saving his legs and taking care of the button. In the end, Henry lied to Locke just like Cooper, betraying his trust, although he didn't kill him after the Lockdown was over, which he easily could have.
This episode effectively brought back the theory that Cooper is the original Sawyer, one that has been around since we first saw him. Cooper is the right age to con Sawyer's parents circa 1976 and he has been a guiltless bastard every time he's appeared on the show. Of course, what kind of ramifications would that entail should Sawyer find out (and how could that happen on the island)?
Theories aside, there is a definite connection between the survivors revealed, as Locke inspects the house of Sayid's childhood love, Nadia. So between four and seven years, Nadia made it to America. A lot can be said about these connections, from they are just random Easter eggs that the producers throw in to reward fans who pay attention to something to show how interconnected all the survivors really are. It adds to the theory that each person was placed on the island for a reason.
We knew some lockdown was coming, as the blast doors were mentioned back in "What Kate Did". Of course, the lockdown spurs many questions. The consensus seems to be that this lockdown was triggered because of the food drop. But is that so? Now why would they lock them in the hatch while the food was dropped is unknown, nor why would they not drop the food off closer to the hatch (is there anything in there that they use to protect themselves from whatever contaminant they are so afraid of). Also, why is the lockdown apparently only for the living quarters and not the whole hatch? OK, the human sized air vents can be maneuvered around, but doesn't that wreck the point of a lockdown?
Ironically, the moment that is getting the most attention is something that only occurred for a few seconds on screen. While brief, this "map" is a crucial piece of the island mythology. They didn't need to show it for long since rabid Lost fans took high definition screen shots and clarified some of the harder to read items, also translating the Latin into English (it also appeared in an issue of Entertainment Weekly). Although it will be harder for Locke, who only had a brief shot while he was still in agonizing pain.
One of the theories that has sprung this season is is the island conning Locke? He has shown to be easily swayed and there is a thin line between that and faith. The hatch has turned out not to be what he expected, and it has been eating at him all season, now the hatch has given him an exclusive look at this map. Perhaps he sees this as another phase in his destiny that he claimed lead him into the hatch, and tha. If that's true, he will likely keep it secret, as he has the hatch when he and Boone first found it, along with his mysterious former handicap.
There are six stations, four of which are named (The Staff or caduceus, The Arrow, The Swan and The Flame). Some suspect The Flame is the underwater hatch some have theorized as existing, which would make its name ironic. There are several extensions springing forward to the question mark in the center, but do not connect. What does that mean? Were all the hatches connected at some point and obstructed by something, or was this a theory that was dashed? The CV's followed by a Roman numeral throughout the map are also curious, but I have no idea what that could mean.
A note near The Flame has one author writing that they suspected The Flame to be there, but later doubted it "due to Cerberus activity" (The Staff station may have been abandoned due to this as well). Cerberus was the mythological three-headed dog that guarded the gates of hell. Because of that connotation, the theory that Cerberus is the smoke monster has sprung up on the net, and some believe that is the official name.
There are numerous notes of failed operations, like The Staff station being abandoned after the "AH/MDG Incident". This could shed some light on The Others, who may have crashed that hatch like our castaways have The Swan, or perhaps they are renegade Dharma, or experiments gone awry. Nearby there is mention of several system wide failures, which could be what the incident was. There is also mention of a Magnus or M. Angus Hanso, whose resting place is at the black rock. If this is the Black Rock, it seems awfully close to The Swan station.
Below The Swan, there is a line reading "Fatalities: 5". This worth noting because Rousseau's crew consisted of six people and she was the last person alive. Did Rousseau write any of this? However many people drew this map, they had to know the island, and Rousseau would be a prime candidate for that (although one notation by The Staff suggests that they couldn't get there and back to The Swan in 108 minutes). Has Rousseau been in the hatch? How many, other than The Staff does she know about? Next time she pops up, Locke should talk to her about it, and perhaps consult her notes Sayid has, as Entil noted.
There are several phrases in Latin, like "I think, therefore I am depressed", "It's a bad plan that cannot be changed" and "the cure is worse than the disease". All of these, with the corresponding dates, point to things going wrong with the experiments after the incident (which happened before 1980 if we are to believe what the Orientation film told us).
Some places, like the survivors' camp, aren't labeled, and the map is likely not drawn to scale. Perhaps the island is shaped similarly to the octagon of the Dharma logo. This could add some credibility to the theory that the island is man made. It does work as a reference point, so perhaps they were looking for something that they could design their stations from.
The writing on the wall (so to speak) appears to have been written by several generations of Dharma employees. Its location also warrants discussion. Why is this on the blast door? What use does it have only be shown in lockdown for a few seconds in black light? Who are they hiding the map from? Did The Others have something to do with it? What goal were they trying to accomplish with the map? This opens so many possibilities for the future.
Sayid's confrontation at the end of the episode begs one big question; did Sayid prepare that little speech the whole way back, asking Charlie and Ana-Lucia "Does this sound cold blooded and cool?" Now that Sayid knows that his gut instinct was correct, Henry is in deep trouble. Had Sayid and Ana-Lucia been alone, Sayid's speech would've likely been the last thing Henry ever heard.
Like other recent episodes, much else doesn't happen outside of the hatch. There are some lighter moments with Sawyer, Hurley, Kate and Jack playing poker, but the other players don't seem as eager to get back what Sawyer took from them a few days earlier (it's easy to forget that, especially with the long gaps between some of the episodes). Plus Jack knocks down Sawyer's status so quickly that it renders his power play in "The Long Con" moot. It does set up Jack's past in Thailand, which is likely after his divorce, but perhaps they could've done it differently.
One thing that they didn't have enough time for was Jack and Kate's relationship since Jack didn't tell her about Henry until this critical moment. Clearly she was siding with Sawyer, but after his con, she found herself out of the loop as Jack got a little jealous and spent his time trying to start an army with Ana-Lucia.
Libby still feels like the most likely candidate to be one of The Others besides Henry. Of the tail section that haven't died or disappeared, we know the least about Libby. Ana-Lucia and Eko both have had a flashback episode and Bernard is vouched for by Rose, who we know was on the plane. All we have are a few morsels of information and a look of discomfort when Libby realized Hurley recognized her.
Since this episode confirms that Henry is an imposter (he will still be referred to as Henry Gale until we learn his true name, the man Sayid dug up will be called the real Henry Gale or something to that affect), Jack and Locke now have to decide what to do with him. Will they use him to confront the others? Keep him there indefinitely as they have before?
This episode really gets the final arc moving, as the blast door map gives the audience more than enough to chew on to make up for the episodes that focused more on characters. Although it seems anti-climactic that they waited three episodes to tell us what we already knew about Henry, knowing what I know from the end of season two, it was a good step in the seasonal narrative.
Score: 8/10
posted by Matt @ 6:54 PM
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