LOST: Cabin Fever [Analysis]

The Concept of Destiny

Clearly the over-arching theme of the episode was destiny, namely the destiny of one John Locke. It's awesome how they've woven John into a character so bound by destiny, first with his acceptance of them being stranded on the island, then the "mission" of entering the code in the hatch. He's always known that this is what he's supposed to do. And as it turns out, he may very well be right.

Of course you have to contrast that with Desmond, who seems hell-bent on taking the side of free will over manifest destiny, despite having it explained to him by the "timelords" so clearly.

Richard Alpert

Ah, but what exactly does Mr. Alpert, DHARMA, and Mittelos have to do with John's destiny? Quite a lot it would seem. Of course the question of "why does Alpert not age" has been asked before. But more important now, is why John. Why has he been chosen, from birth it would seem, to end up on the island?

Pull from that this thought, everything that has happened, happened to bring John to the island, and to Jacob. The crash, his accident... All this in spite of Alpert trying overtly to bring him there.

DHARMA

The episode also puts a bit more detail into DHARMA's timeline. We can probably say that the DI has been around since the 50's, and so has "Mittelos Bioscience." (Was "Bioscience" even in the vernacular then?) That would make a lot of sense, as the concrete installations on the island seem to date back to early-postwar days.

Christian Shepard

So. (long pause) Is it really him? Just another apparition? Jacob in disguise? Why would Christian appear to Locke, who wouldn't know him from Adam?

I'll tell you why.

Claire

Claire is dead. There, I said it. So did she. "I'm fine, I'm with him." Also note the way Christian spoke of Aaron. "He's where he's supposed to be. Not here." Where is here? Dead, apparently. Just like someone else.

Horace Goodspeed

Why would Jacob choose Horace as his messenger? Only to get Locke to find the map? Possibly. OK, probably. I'm sure there's something further. Maybe the mathematician figured out the equation? Maybe Horace is Jacob?

But what of the 'repeating' message? A "glitch in the matrix" as it were? Seems a little mechanical to me.

Abaddon

Ah, what the hell is going on here? Isn't he the right hand of Charles Widmore? The one ordered to organize the entire freighter mission?

Here's a thought: What if Widmore also knows about Locke's destiny? (remember the scotch in Cooper's high-rise? Maybe Locke is at the center of the "battle for the island," and both sides are trying to get his future to unfold, but in a certain manner.... Yeah, I just came up with that, just now, so I'll have to explore that further.

Another thought: Widmore, Abaddon, and DHARMA are somehow all intertwined... witness...

The Secondary Protocol

The book which Keamy took out of the safe on the freighter. The first page had a big obvious DHARMA logo, we were meant to see it. Either Widmore acquired this document through nefarious means... or he got it legitimately.

Still my theory: Widmore is DHARMA, and they're looking for their lost island. Discuss. I think I've brought this up before, and it's been smacked down, but I keep seeing things that lead me there.

Move the Island

Honestly, I don't even know what to say to that. Either they're actually going to physically move the island, or its a metaphor for something. Maybe "the island" leaves with the Oceanic Six? Total mystery at this point.

Doctor Ray

Somewhat related to destiny, I suppose, was the fate of the doctor. Somehow, the timeline is getting far enough out of whack between the ship and the shore, that the doctor does end up dead.

Now, let me just say that if you're going to try to explain that away with some Einstein relativity nonsense, I won't buy it. It would affect radio waves the same as ocean waves, and would make it impossible for one thing to happen before or after the next, as it did. No explanation for it, except that wonderful thing called 'artistic license.'

Next time, are the "Oceanic Six" really going to make it off the island? If Desmond's on the boat, why doesn't he get to go? I'm dying to know.