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Well, the big Lost premiere is tomorrow night! I had planned to do a lot more on this blog to build up to the big event, but due to other obligations and my desire to discuss the Royal Rumble (which was last night) and The Vampire Diaries cast Q&A, I really haven't had the time. If I can find the time, I'll post a special Top Ten Cases before the episode airs (don't hold your breath, though -- they tend to take me a while, and I haven't even started yet).
Also, I encourage everybody to check out my Preparatory Guide to the Final Season of Lost. This is ideal for anybody who has missed any episodes or simply needs a refresher course on what happened last season. Check it out!
Anyway, most of you have probably seen the awesome "Last Supper" promos that have been released, featuring the cast of Lost. As far as I can tell, three different versions have been released, and everybody and their mother have attempted to interpret them (I haven't indulged in any other theories -- I'm avoiding any and all Lost-related articles like the plague. So be assured, this will be spoiler-free!)
I thought I'd attempt to dissect the promo as well, however, I figured I might do it in a bit of a different way. For the purposes of my reading, I'm merely going to match up each character with the person they're taking the place of in the classic Da Vinci painting (as such, the promo I use is irrelevant, as their placement is the same in each photo), and in turn I'll attempt to determine the significance of the arrangement.
Click here to view my "cheat sheet" (handwritten by me!) that reveals where each Last Supper attendant sat
First and foremost, you have Locke sitting center stage, representing Jesus. I'm not going to delve into this, as the resurrection allusion is obvious. Shall we move on?
For those of you unfamiliar, the disciples in Da Vinci's Last Supper are broken up into four threesomes, with each group reacting differently to the news that one of them will betray Jesus. Do note, however, that this isn't a perfect person-to-person representation, as the Lost promo contains one extra person. I'll do my best to compensate.
First, you have Ilana, Alpert, and Claire as Bartholomew, Andrew, and James Minor, respectively. According to Wikipedia (yeah, I haven't turned against this valuable resource like the rest of the world) all three are shocked by the news. It's interesting that these three people have this particularly stunned reaction to whatever news "Locke" is revealing (is it that Jacob is dead? That he's not really Locke? For the purpose of this examination, lets assume the former (it was, after all, arguably the climax of the finale). If that's the case, this makes some sense. Ilana seemed to have a personal relationship with Jacob, and Alpert was seemingly the Other with the closest connection to him. Then there's Claire, who many speculate IS the Smoke Monster, or, at the very least, has co-mingled with the Smoke Monster (under the guise of Christian Shephard). If that's the case, she may have a vested interest in Jacob's fate.
Then you have Sayid, Kate, and Sawyer as Peter, Judas, and John, respectively (an argument could also be made that Sayid, and not Kate, represents Judas. It depends on your perspective on where each disciple is positioned). According to interpretations, Judas is withdrawn, as hints are given within the painting that he's the one that will turn against Jesus. He's also the only one with his elbows on the table (the Lost cast, on the other hand, clearly have not been to etiquette school). Peter is angry and holding a weapon, foreshadowing his violent outburst later. John appears to "swoon." Peter's angry and is about to react with violence? If that doesn't describe Sayid, I don't know what does. That leaves Kate as Judas, an interesting representation. While blowing up the hatch was Jack's idea, one could easily argue that Kate was the driving force behind it. When she opposed it, she raised an army to attempt to stop Jack. When she ultimately decided to stick with him, the army relented.
Follow me with this. If Jack's plot doesn't undo the plane crash, but instead jumps them forward in time to the moment that "Locke" and Ben killed Jacob, and ultimately results in fake Locke's demise, then Kate submitting to Jack and allowing him to take action (instead of fighting him, and possibly stopping him), could -- in a sense -- be interpreted as Kate betraying fake Locke's mission. Yeah, it's a stretch, I know. It seems a bit odd to me that they didn't go the more obvious route, with Ben acting as Judas.
According to dictionary.com, swoon means "to faint; lose consciousness." And in many interpretations, John is described as "feminine looking" (to you Da Vinci Code enthusiasts, this is who Dan Brown erroneously mistakes for Mary Magdalene). I'm sure Sawyer appreciates that comparison. I suppose this could be referring to Sawyer's emotional status at the end of the season (and, one might presume, the beginning of this season), after losing the love of his life, Juliet. Interesting, though, because it was actually Jack who lost consciousness during the climatic ending of last season.
On the far reverse side of the table, you have Frank, Miles, and Sun representing Simon, Thaddeus, and Matthew, respectively. In this threesome, Matthew and Thaddeus have turned to Simon, seeking him out for answers. I find it interesting that, if we follow this correspondence, Sun and Miles are turning to Frank for guidance (I'm also wondering if it was deliberate that Sun was paired with Miles instead of the more obvious Jin. It's also interesting that Miles is part of this threesome instead of Ben, who was grouped with them in the "present day," while Miles was in the past). Frank's role as a guide, of sorts, is an interesting one. But it's not unfitting, either. It was Frank who was SUPPOSED to pilot that fated Oceanic flight. He was the one who safely landed the freighter helicopter there. And he was the person who successfully brought them back in 2008. He was also the one who took Jack and co. from the island to the freighter, and he was the one who brought Sun to the island. Has he provided "answers"? No. But he has gotten them out of precarious, seemingly impossible, situations.
Then, near the center, you have the foursome of Jack, Jin, Ben, and Hurley standing in as Thomas, James Major, and Philip (it's worth noting that Thomas and Philip are standing, as are Jack and Ben). Wikipedia describes their reactions as Thomas being upset, James Major being stunned, and Philip requesting additional information. With four people matching up to three, we can obviously be a bit more liberal with this comparison. Right off the bat, what I find interesting is Thomas being upset. Could this represent Jack? After months and years of denying that there was anything special about Locke, Jack finally became a believer. Hell, he's the one who urged Alpert not to give up on the walkabout (and who knows how different things might have been had Alpert not heeded Jack's advice). Imagine how deflated Jack must feel when he finds out that there might no have been anything extraordinary about Locke after all. And make no mistake -- Jack is the type of guy that would beat himself up over drinking the proverbial Kool Aid.
I also like the idea of Ben being James Major. Like Jack, despite his resistance, Ben became a believer in Locke. When he finds out it was all a ruse, and that he was a mere pawn, I'm not sure I necessarily see Ben getting "upset." He seems far too manipulative and cunning. He seems more like the type that would roll with the punches and re-evaluate his next move. To me, "stunned" would be a better word. For that matter, I can also imagine Jin in this role. The poor guy is CONSTANTLY thrown into situations where he's out of his element (whether it's a language barrier or the fact that he's seemingly always out of the loop). "Hey! Lets mix him up with the tailies! No, lets put him on the freighter where Michael is aboard! Nah, lets throw him in the past and introduce him to Rousseau!" The poor guy is constantly confused.
I feel fairly comfortable comparing Hurley to the inquisitive Philip. Just think back to the hilarious time travel discussion between Hurley and Miles. He's another guy who doesn't necessarily know much, but certainly asks for more information.
Well, that's just one (long winded) approach to this clever marketing campaign. Be sure to check back later, I'll try to post more Lost goodies before the premiere tomorrow!
Also, I encourage everybody to check out my Preparatory Guide to the Final Season of Lost. This is ideal for anybody who has missed any episodes or simply needs a refresher course on what happened last season. Check it out!
Anyway, most of you have probably seen the awesome "Last Supper" promos that have been released, featuring the cast of Lost. As far as I can tell, three different versions have been released, and everybody and their mother have attempted to interpret them (I haven't indulged in any other theories -- I'm avoiding any and all Lost-related articles like the plague. So be assured, this will be spoiler-free!)
I thought I'd attempt to dissect the promo as well, however, I figured I might do it in a bit of a different way. For the purposes of my reading, I'm merely going to match up each character with the person they're taking the place of in the classic Da Vinci painting (as such, the promo I use is irrelevant, as their placement is the same in each photo), and in turn I'll attempt to determine the significance of the arrangement.
Click here to view my "cheat sheet" (handwritten by me!) that reveals where each Last Supper attendant sat
First and foremost, you have Locke sitting center stage, representing Jesus. I'm not going to delve into this, as the resurrection allusion is obvious. Shall we move on?
For those of you unfamiliar, the disciples in Da Vinci's Last Supper are broken up into four threesomes, with each group reacting differently to the news that one of them will betray Jesus. Do note, however, that this isn't a perfect person-to-person representation, as the Lost promo contains one extra person. I'll do my best to compensate.
First, you have Ilana, Alpert, and Claire as Bartholomew, Andrew, and James Minor, respectively. According to Wikipedia (yeah, I haven't turned against this valuable resource like the rest of the world) all three are shocked by the news. It's interesting that these three people have this particularly stunned reaction to whatever news "Locke" is revealing (is it that Jacob is dead? That he's not really Locke? For the purpose of this examination, lets assume the former (it was, after all, arguably the climax of the finale). If that's the case, this makes some sense. Ilana seemed to have a personal relationship with Jacob, and Alpert was seemingly the Other with the closest connection to him. Then there's Claire, who many speculate IS the Smoke Monster, or, at the very least, has co-mingled with the Smoke Monster (under the guise of Christian Shephard). If that's the case, she may have a vested interest in Jacob's fate.
Then you have Sayid, Kate, and Sawyer as Peter, Judas, and John, respectively (an argument could also be made that Sayid, and not Kate, represents Judas. It depends on your perspective on where each disciple is positioned). According to interpretations, Judas is withdrawn, as hints are given within the painting that he's the one that will turn against Jesus. He's also the only one with his elbows on the table (the Lost cast, on the other hand, clearly have not been to etiquette school). Peter is angry and holding a weapon, foreshadowing his violent outburst later. John appears to "swoon." Peter's angry and is about to react with violence? If that doesn't describe Sayid, I don't know what does. That leaves Kate as Judas, an interesting representation. While blowing up the hatch was Jack's idea, one could easily argue that Kate was the driving force behind it. When she opposed it, she raised an army to attempt to stop Jack. When she ultimately decided to stick with him, the army relented.
Follow me with this. If Jack's plot doesn't undo the plane crash, but instead jumps them forward in time to the moment that "Locke" and Ben killed Jacob, and ultimately results in fake Locke's demise, then Kate submitting to Jack and allowing him to take action (instead of fighting him, and possibly stopping him), could -- in a sense -- be interpreted as Kate betraying fake Locke's mission. Yeah, it's a stretch, I know. It seems a bit odd to me that they didn't go the more obvious route, with Ben acting as Judas.
According to dictionary.com, swoon means "to faint; lose consciousness." And in many interpretations, John is described as "feminine looking" (to you Da Vinci Code enthusiasts, this is who Dan Brown erroneously mistakes for Mary Magdalene). I'm sure Sawyer appreciates that comparison. I suppose this could be referring to Sawyer's emotional status at the end of the season (and, one might presume, the beginning of this season), after losing the love of his life, Juliet. Interesting, though, because it was actually Jack who lost consciousness during the climatic ending of last season.
On the far reverse side of the table, you have Frank, Miles, and Sun representing Simon, Thaddeus, and Matthew, respectively. In this threesome, Matthew and Thaddeus have turned to Simon, seeking him out for answers. I find it interesting that, if we follow this correspondence, Sun and Miles are turning to Frank for guidance (I'm also wondering if it was deliberate that Sun was paired with Miles instead of the more obvious Jin. It's also interesting that Miles is part of this threesome instead of Ben, who was grouped with them in the "present day," while Miles was in the past). Frank's role as a guide, of sorts, is an interesting one. But it's not unfitting, either. It was Frank who was SUPPOSED to pilot that fated Oceanic flight. He was the one who safely landed the freighter helicopter there. And he was the person who successfully brought them back in 2008. He was also the one who took Jack and co. from the island to the freighter, and he was the one who brought Sun to the island. Has he provided "answers"? No. But he has gotten them out of precarious, seemingly impossible, situations.
Then, near the center, you have the foursome of Jack, Jin, Ben, and Hurley standing in as Thomas, James Major, and Philip (it's worth noting that Thomas and Philip are standing, as are Jack and Ben). Wikipedia describes their reactions as Thomas being upset, James Major being stunned, and Philip requesting additional information. With four people matching up to three, we can obviously be a bit more liberal with this comparison. Right off the bat, what I find interesting is Thomas being upset. Could this represent Jack? After months and years of denying that there was anything special about Locke, Jack finally became a believer. Hell, he's the one who urged Alpert not to give up on the walkabout (and who knows how different things might have been had Alpert not heeded Jack's advice). Imagine how deflated Jack must feel when he finds out that there might no have been anything extraordinary about Locke after all. And make no mistake -- Jack is the type of guy that would beat himself up over drinking the proverbial Kool Aid.
I also like the idea of Ben being James Major. Like Jack, despite his resistance, Ben became a believer in Locke. When he finds out it was all a ruse, and that he was a mere pawn, I'm not sure I necessarily see Ben getting "upset." He seems far too manipulative and cunning. He seems more like the type that would roll with the punches and re-evaluate his next move. To me, "stunned" would be a better word. For that matter, I can also imagine Jin in this role. The poor guy is CONSTANTLY thrown into situations where he's out of his element (whether it's a language barrier or the fact that he's seemingly always out of the loop). "Hey! Lets mix him up with the tailies! No, lets put him on the freighter where Michael is aboard! Nah, lets throw him in the past and introduce him to Rousseau!" The poor guy is constantly confused.
I feel fairly comfortable comparing Hurley to the inquisitive Philip. Just think back to the hilarious time travel discussion between Hurley and Miles. He's another guy who doesn't necessarily know much, but certainly asks for more information.
Well, that's just one (long winded) approach to this clever marketing campaign. Be sure to check back later, I'll try to post more Lost goodies before the premiere tomorrow!
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