TV - Lost Season Four

So Season Four is all about getting off the Island and the freighter folk. We meet Daniel Faraday, Charlotte, Miles (my favorite of the new crew), Frank Lapidus and a whole slew of meanies out to get Ben Linus. Instead of flashbacks, we have flash-forwards where we learn about the lives of the Oceanic Six off of the Island. Although this Season was cut short by the writers’ strike, it actually seems the longest, placing itself as my second least favorite year of Lost. Read on for a discussion of some interesting ideas presented in this season.

Good v. Evil

A major element to Season Four is the debate over who is good and who is evil. This is a key theme to the entire series, but it’s especially highlighted in this year. Are the freighter folk really out to kill everyone on the Island?  Is Charles Widmore the bad guy, or is Ben the bad guy?  Is it good to get off the island or is it bad to get off the Island is sort of an extension of this.

Regarding the intentions of Widmore, naturally his hired-hand Evil Keamy didn’t hesitate to do a “shock and awe” on New Otherton in his attempt to get Ben. Was it Charles Widmore’s plan to kill everyone on the Island after apprehending Ben?  I’m not sure.

Certainly the science team was looking out for the livelihood of the castaways in an attempt to gain trust and because they are not bad people. Daniel and Charlotte made the journey to the Tempest to render the evil poison gases inert in order to prevent Ben from gassing the non-Temple folks on the Island.  Was Ben really going to gas the Island? I believe Ben was willing to sacrifice the lives of the castaways in order to kill the freighter folk, knowing his Others were safe in the Temple.  So Charles and Ben were both willing to kill those who interfered with their objectives (capturing Ben / not getting captured).  Thus we’re sort stuck in a stale-mate in the debate of who is good and who is bad.  

This brings us to the War these two characters discuss.  We are unsure of who represents what side.  They both have been leaders of the Others with the assistance of Richard Alpert, and thus they both have theoretically been serving Jacob.  But is that the case?  I think it’s possible that Widmore could represent the Man in Black somehow. 

Another reason to think that Ben represents Jacob and Widmore is on the side of the Man in Black is their discussion in Charles' penthouse suite.  Ben charges Widmore with changing the rules by killing his daughter.  Widmore questions if Ben is there to kill him.  Ben says “You know I can’t do that” leading me to believe that there are larger Island forces governing their behavior.  Remember in Season Five how the Man in Black wanted to kill Jacob, but knew that he’d need to find a loop-hole in order to do so?  Interesting parallel!

However, we still don’t know which of the leaders (Jacob or the Man in Black) is evil, therefore learning that Ben and Widmore are indeed working for these guys doesn’t solve the mystery for who should really be wearing white and black.  I’d put my money on Ben and Jacob somehow being on the side of goodness.  If nothing else, Widmore’s henchman Abbadon (whose name is a reference to Satan or the anti-Christ) certainly looks evil…

Tunisia:

Maybe you’re wondering what the deal is with Tunisia being the exit for the Island.  It may interest you to know that Tunisia is the anti-podal point of some empty South Pacific ocean spot not too far from Australia.  Do the characters travel through the center of the Earth when they turn the frozen donkey wheel?  Very Jules Verne!

Aaron:

What’s the deal with Aaron?  Claire was told by the psychic that no one should raise the baby but her.  If we are to believe the psychic, why should Aaron not be raised by anyone else? Was the psychic foreseeing that Claire would run away with Christian leaving Aaron behind, and that this would be bad news for Claire and the Island?  Or was he reacting to Aaron being adopted by Kate (essentially) because they got off the Island, and this is the negative experience the psychic was picking-up?  Or could it be something truly about Aaron being raised by other parents?  We’ll have to leave this to Season Six.

Best Moment:

Sawyer jumping out of the helicopter.  I know that this scene has a possible underlying element that Sawyer wasn’t in fact being heroic, but rather being a coward unwilling to take the risk of pursuing a future with Kate.  I don’t care.  Those folk want to get on the freighter, and he allows that to happen.  Also, he is embracing the thinking Kate should have adopted: nothing but trouble awaits Sawyer on the mainland, why bother?  He is rewarded with three blissful years as a respected head of security and boyfriend to Juliet.  <>