We've hit episode 1x19, "Deus Ex Machina." It's the last episode of the week, marking the end of our first three-episode week of the rewatch. After a mysterious dream,
Locke sets out with
Boone to find a crashed
Beechcraft, in the hope it will lead him further on his quest to open the hatch. Meanwhile, at the beach,
Sawyer begins to suffer from severe headaches. Flashbacks in this episode concentrate on
Locke's first meeting with his biological
mother and
father.
- Okay, I have to start with an analysis of the mousetrap discussion that Locke has with the kid at the beginning of the episode. "Well, you start with all these parts off the board. And then, one by one, you build the trap - shoe, bucket, tub - piece by piece it all comes together. And then you wait 'til your opponent lands here on the old cheese wheel. And then if you set it up just right, you spring the trap." Does this not eerily remind you of the way that Jacob's nemesis meticulously plotted out a way to kill Jacob, eventually changing his appearance to be like that of Locke, in order to kill Jacob, or "spring the trap?" It's very interesting.
- Emily tells Locke that he was immaculately conceived. While this is obviously a lie in order to get Locke to seek out his real father, it's rather interesting to look back at Locke's birth, which we saw in "Cabin Fever." Emily was forced into premature labor when she was hit by a car after running from her mother, who did not want her going out with a man who was almost twice her age (presumably Cooper, Locke's father). She was then put into premature labor and delivered the baby, giving him a name but eventually giving him up to a foster home.
- In Locke's vision, he sees a bloodied Boone. Bloody Boone has popped up again in another vision he had, in the sweat lodge. Though Boone appeared to be normal at first, after Locke climbed an escalator who found a bloodied Boone.
- In another part of his vision, Locke sees the Beechcraft crash, an event he will later actually witness during the time flashes in "Because You Left."
- Cooper pours Locke some Scotch. He later pours Locke another kind of alcoholic drink, some MacCutcheon whiskey (the kind that Widmore likes) before pushing him out of a window. While Cooper's actions in this episode aren't quite as drastic, pouring a drink for himself and his son is a dead giveaway that this character is up to no good.
- Sawyer mentions that his uncle died of a brain tumor. There's a very good chance that he's referring to his uncle Doug, the uncle who took him in after the deaths of his parents. You'd know uncle Doug from his conversation with Sawyer in the flashbacks of "The Incident," during which he begged Sawyer not to continue writing that fateful letter.
- Locke pulls a rosary from a branch and hands it to Boone. He then pulls down the body of a Nigerian priest, who is known by fans as "Goldie." Locke's not so sure that Goldie's a priest, and he's right on the money: Goldie, like all the Beechcraft's passengers (save one) is a drug dealer who actually saved Mr. Eko's life when he shoved him out of the plane in a selfish act.
- Sawyer has a sexually transmitted disease. This fact has fallen by the wayside, but he's been quite the spreader, potentially giving it to Ana-Lucia, Kate, and Juliet.
- The Island seems to be taking away Locke's ability to walk, perhaps as he strays further and further away from his purpose (opening the hatch). He's lost the ability to walk several times while on (and off) the Island. Is his ability to walk contingent on himself following his purpose?
- Boone throws Locke the Virgin Mary statues filled with heroin, which will be a big hallmark in Charlie's redemption story on the Island.
- This is the first time we hear the voice of Bernard, during his conversation with Boone over the radio while in the Arrow station. The voice says "We're the survivors of Flight 815," though some believed it said "There were no survivors of Flight 815," which would have tied in nicely with season four had the communication been with someone on the outside.
- The plane then falls to the ground, mortally injuring Boone. Tom, the Other, will later move the plane to cover the hatch leading to the Pearl, though it will be uncovered by Locke and Eko several days later.
- Locke pounds on the hatch door, unwittingly giving hope to a suicidal Desmond, who turns on the light. This event was later seen from afar by Locke and Sawyer. Locke will, in retrospect, say that he needed the pain of this event to get to where he was.
And that's it for the episode. Look for the blog for the next episode, "Do No Harm," soon. You can discuss this episode in this
forum thread, read others' posts about it at the
rewatch hub, and
edit the episode's article.
