While not one for the history books like last week’s mythology-defining, Richard-centric episode, “The Package†still had a lot of titillating goods to offer, as it reminded us the good that comes when Jin and Sun having speaking parts, not to mention the return of island hottie Desmond. And there was much to puzzle over: Zoe’s map, Smokey’s inability to fly over water, Sun’s sudden inability to speak English, and Widmore’s endgame. For insight on these topics and more, we turned to our favorite recappers, theorizers, and commenters.
• Don’t think we’re done figuring out who’s on the roster of candidates yet. Jacob told Ilana that Sun was a candidate, but there must be a reason he touched Jin at the wedding, too. As for Kate, her surname is in the lighthouse but not in the cave, so we’ve still got to see what that means. [Watcher/Chicago Tribune]
• As the weeks go on, this blogger becomes more and more convinced that the Kwon on the list isn’t Sun or Jin, but both of them as one — which is why someone’s been conspiring to keep them apart all this time, even putting them in different decades. MIB’s not the one doing it; this episode, his goal was to reunite the Kwons. So could Jacob be the one keeping them separated, to help keep at least one candidate out of MIB’s reach? Also: Mikhail being shot in the eye is the first solid evidence of course-correction in the sideways timeline, and probably a hint that there’s a lot more to come. [Televisionary]
• Washington Post bloggers think that while Jacob and Widmore are definitely on the same side, they have pretty different ideas about what to do with MIB. Jacob wants to keep him in place via the candidates, appointing a replacement for himself that can keep MIB in check. Widmore seems to be taking a more scientific approach, somehow employing the island’s electromagnetic pockets. Maybe he plans to, say, sink the island? Candidate-wise, they think all signs point to Jack: They saw echoes of Jacob touching the candidates when he reached out to Sun. [Celebritology/WP]
• Will sideways Sun, last seen leaving for the hospital after being shot, be the first in a series of major character deaths? If she dies in the sideways timeline, then maybe island Sun can get together with sideways Jin without evil Mr. Paik ever knowing. But if so, it would mean that island Jin definitely has to die. [Magic Lamp]
• Does Sun and Jin’s alternate plot prove that the flashes sideways are functioning collectively as an “epilogue-in-advance� If that’s the case, it’s crucial to note that they seem to be happier in this version of 2004 than they were originally, which could be based on their decision not to side with Smokey. Sayid, on the other hand, was much less happy in his sideways world. [What’s Alan Watching?]
• Could Smokey be pulling a long con on Richard? Doc Jensen thinks so. He wonders if Flocke is trying to get Richard and Co. killed by Widmore’s team when they move to destroy the Ajira plane. Another theory? Flocke’s trying to get all the candidates on the plane—but not himself—and hoping Widmore will destroy it as it tries to take off. And speaking of Smokey, notice how the night vision equipment short circuited when he stepped into the picture. [Totally Lost/EW]
• Silly Jack, Sun isn’t experiencing aphasia! It’s just that her sideways consciousness is bleeding over into her island self. But it looks like this process works in both directions, as evidenced by Sayid’s decidedly non-heroic reaction when he found Jin in the walk-in. [Dark UFO]
• Widmore’s choice of code name for Desmond reveals that he thinks of latter as nothing more than a tool to get what he wants. But does Widmore want to neutralize the island’s electromagnetism, kill Smokey, or both? And since that could put Des in danger, maybe that’s why Widmore never wanted him to be with Penny. [Buddy TV]
• Electromagnetism is going to be a key in the upcoming war, but why is it so important? Smokey seems to have had a vested interest in the Swan’s button being pushed in order to contain the EM energy there, explaining why he appeared in Eko’s dream to convince him to push the button. And when the Swan was destroyed, Smokey lashed out by killing Eko. Why so angry? It could be that if all of the island’s energy is released, Smokey will die. And as for Zoe’s map displaying pockets of electromagnetic activity, you can bet that the Swan and Orchid stations are two of the spots, but that leaves a mysterious third location we probably haven’t seen yet. [Mistaking Coincidence for Fate]
• What’s Desmond’s purpose on the island? Just as he turned the fail-safe key to save the world before, he will serve as the fail-safe to keep Smokey from escaping and presumably save the world from destruction once again. And if Desmond destroyed the Swan, does that mean he’ll somehow have to destroy the island now? [DocArzt’s LOST Blog]
• Another take on Des’s return: Could Zoe’s purpose on the island be to re-create what happened when Desmond turned the fail-safe key? Specifically, is Widmore’s goal to flash him into sideways Oceanic 815 and other places in sideways world, to fix things in that timeline and reconcile the two? [It Happened Last Night]
• Tom and Lorenzo wonder which doctor sideways Sun is going to need for her gunshot wound. A spinal surgeon, perhaps? Or maybe a certain obstetrician who’s been known to work to help pregnant women in precarious situations? They also point out the significance of Widmore’s words to Jin: that if Smokey gets off the island, “Everyone we know and love would simply cease to be.†Notice that he didn’t say “die.†Is that proof that MIB’s victory is the sideways timeline? If so, will the characters take sides over which timeline they want to live? [Tom and Lorenzo]
• Ilana trusts Jacob because he’s never lied to her before. But didn’t it occur to anyone that Jacob could just be wrong? [Videogum]
• Tuesday’s episode confirmed that the Dharma Initiative used Room 23 to experiment with subliminal messaging. But when the Others used it on Alex’s boyfriend Karl, the pictures included the line “God loves you as He loved Jacob.†Was that part of Dharma’s original material, or did the Others tape over it? If it was part of Dharma’s material, does that mean Dharma’s whole presence on the island was a big candidate recruitment ploy by Jacob? [Lost Blog/FilmFodder]
• Is Smokey’s constant presence around island inhabitants a relatively recent phenomena? Widmore knew Smokey primarily as someone of legend and distant noises. Of course, this doesn’t explain how he knew about the pylons. [Crave Online]
• This blogger doesn’t think Sun and Jin will ever reunite, because Sun is going to die. Island Sun has been alienating herself from the group, and Lost history tells us people need to stick together to survive (“Live together, die alone,†anyone?), and obviously things aren’t looking too good for sideways Sun. Also, rumor has it that next week’s episode, “Happily Ever After,†is not only Desmond-centric, but similar in tone to (Ed: in your loyal editors’ opinion, the greatest hour of Lost, ever) “The Constant.†[TV Guide]
• Commenter smokemonster points out that it appears Flocke can’t mess with free will, since he didn’t just take Sun with him after the tree collision knocked her out.
• Haunt_fox wonders if the Widmore we’re seeing is from the sideways timeline, and he did something crazy to get to the island in the original-flavor timeline. Wild idea, but this is Lost, after all.
• Blahblahblah12 notes that both Widmore and Sun’s dad have now hired Keamy and Co. See, we were right about the International Conspiracy of Bad Dads! But wait — does that mean Sun’s dad and Widmore know each other?
• A_K wants to know if the reason we always hear mechanical, metallic noises when we hear Smokey is because he is, quite literally, chained to the island.
Finally, we leave you with this. Happy April Fools!