LOSTCasts 72: This Place is Death

Podcast 72 focuses on season 5, episode 5 of LOST, This Place is Death. Join Robert and John as we talk about the major reveals in this episode, including confirmation about the smoke monster and the sickness, speculation about the temple and the hieroglyphics, Charlotte's past, Christian Shepard, Ben and Locke, Ms. Hawking and more.

Download podcast #72 here

Links related to the podcast:
Lostpedia episode summary
Doc Artz on hieroglyphics
Wikipedia on Carthage
Wikipedia on Hannibal
The Fuselage thread on the well and fountain of youth
Caravaggio painting - Incredulity of St. Thomas

LOST links:
BBC on time travel and future outcomes
Nielsen - LOST most watched online TV show

See you next week! Stay LOST...

Comments

[Mark B]

Thanks guys ..... will make my bus journey home bearable.

[connor]

Thanks guys!

http://www.connorclements.tv

[Nik]

yay! thank you! :)

[LostinLindenhurst]

thanks again for the time you put into this, I'll listen to it in the morning

[stephanie]

Hiya
I'm glad you guys are back to liking Lost again - the podcasts much less interesting when you are all like Meh about it.

My idea, that I want to say now so that when I am proved right I can be all smug, is that they don't need to get back to the island at all, in fact they prolly shouldn't go back. Who started all this 'we have to go back' stuff? Benjamin Liar Linus did, that's who, and old Ellie Hawking is in cahoots with him. There are two forces warring over the island, (remember all the black and white symbolism, especially in the first season?), each of which is trying to make things pan out to its own advantage. We have seen a few manifestations of the various island forces (Christian, Jacob, smokey (there are at least two smokies though), various temporarily possessed people [Walt talking to DeathPit Locke, Charlotte in her lucid statements, the post-temple French people], etc.) but it's not yet clear which side each of these forces are part of. Ben and Ellie have been linked to one force, but this force is not trying to stop all the "bad things" that have happened, and it certainly doesn't care about who gets sacrificed to achieve its ends. So the O6 (-ish) will get back to the island in the next couple episodes, but then, in a very Losty mindfck they will be all OH SHIT. It will be a great moment and we will all go OMG like we did at the first flashforward... Except that now I have ruined it for you.

[MisterMingo]

Back in awesome form, guys! This is what I love about this podcast. Getting deep into the mythology and speculation, even if there isn't as much to dig into.

And "'This Place is Death', the unofficial slogan for Chuck E. Cheese." got a good laugh out of me.

[Dennis N Chicago]

You mentioned Flight 316....any ties to the Bible here? John 3:16? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John Locke dies and might come back to life? Would they be THAT obvious? Kinda seems weak...

[Kunal]

First of all, amazing podcast guys! A throwback to the classic LostCasts of season 2. And many times better than the rushed double podcast of episode 3+4. Great theories and quite in-depth stuff overall. Keep it up!

Now, can someone confirm that it was stated in Bentham's obituary that he had a son? Cause I have no memory of that revelation whatsoever. Did someone actually read that out loud in a scene or has the information been obtained by a closeup of the newspaper clipping itself?

[afan]

Do you know who you're podcasting with? That was not Robert.

[ebonX]

@Kunal -- I believe the idea that Bentham's obituary stated he was survived by a son was a theory posited after the S3 Finale, when everyone was trying to infer what the entire obituary said, based on limited evidence presented in the show ... It was never stated by TPTB, nor any character on LOST. It was only a theory that was out there, in the LOST Ether.

@afan -- I believe it is only John & Matt who were on the podcast this week.

[ebonX]

Great podcast, as usual! I just listened to it this morning, during my commute to work ...

1) "Island = Atlantis" - I love this theory and think it will proven to be more than just Atlantis ... I think it will be shown to be the basis for many a mystical place throughout mankind's history (i.e. Eden, Hades, Atlantis, Mu, etc.)

2) "How Time-Travel works on LOST" - Popular Mechanics had a great article describing how the Island is lost (pun intended) in space-time, as well as, why LOST time-travel is paradox-averse ...
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/4303509.html

3) "Christian brought them back to the Island" - I absolutely love this theory that Christian was somehow tasked to bring the Losties to the Island.

4) "Where will Locke re-appear after fixing the FDW?" - My guess, he shows up near Uluru and will become Jeremy Benthem, with the help of either Isaac or Richard Malkin,

5) "Others don't break deals!" - Have you noticed that Ben, as leader of the Others, has never broken a deal that was ever made with the Losties. I think this will hold true with John Locke & his promise to Jin, which will force Locke to accept Ben's help to get Sun back to the Island, without breaking John's promise to Jin.

6) "Widmore & Hawking's Age" - Alan Dale is 61, while Fionnula Flanagan is 67 ... Based on the assumption that their characters are the same age as the actors, and that Ellie did not time-jump when she left the Island (and round-off, say Hawking is 70 in S5, which would make her 16 on the Island), then I would theorize that Widmore time-jumped into the future (ala Ben) when he left the Island,possibly by turning the FDW to rid the Island of DHARMA ... Hmmmmm ;)

[Mark B]

@ebonX

6 : Gold, pure gold.

[mark b]

having listened to the transmission they have an audio clip of the numbers being read over the French peoles radio. If the voice isn't Hurley then I'm something I don't want to be. So Hurley reads the numbers which lead to Lenny coming to the island which drives him loony where he meets Hurley who hears the numbers he uses to win the lotto which provides the money for him to go to Oz to see Toomey which gets him on 815 .......

[Jackeduplockedown]

@ ebonx

OCCAMS Razor applied to Widmore's age:

Maybe you're right(it'd be pretty cool too), great leg work by the way, but maybe the even simpler solution is that Widmore is just probably in his early 70's also and they just cast a slightly younger actor because his persona fit the part really well.

Overall I'd be hard pressed to argue with you on your assumptions and hypothesis's.

[Andrew]

Hey guys I love your podcast

One thing about Charlotte's ability to speak Korean...It is not that surprising given that she has spent her life studying different cultures and languages. And if you recall the first time we see her, in Africa, she's reading all the newspapers in different languages and confronts a local in his native language.

Also I haven't seen anyone note the fact that in season 4 Christian says he is not Jacob but he speaks for him.

Last point: I think we are to assume that Sun was supposed to take Aaron to Korea because she tells Kate "you would do whatever to protect him" meaning let me take him back to Korea to protect him from the (then unknown) person trying to take Aaorn. And then she tells her daughter she's brining back an American playmate.

[Mark B]

I don't think Sun was planning to kidnapping Aaron. I think she was just saying that she had met a friend for her, just a something to say to a child. It's not like she was going to say what she did on the business trip.

Oh and I think Ben sent her the gun and chocs. Remember seeing Ben opening an airconditioning vent in the motel with Jack and removing a box and putting it in his bag.....

[Nik]

for all the Canadian viewers out there:

did anyone else not remember seeing the scene of Sun talking to Ji Yeon?

I was reading the entry of the episode on Lostpedia and thought it was funny I didn't remember it, then I rewatched the episode and the scene wasn't there! How weird is that..

[Dannydub]

Does anyone think Desmond did that to Ben?Did Ben go after Penny while they were in town.If not,Widmore heavies prehaps?

[Mark B]

Just watched the opening sequence to 316 ..... watch the ....

[Mark B]

watch = what ... my head hurts ....

[Memnoch]

Wow.

Darlton should write every episode. Even if it means 6 / season. Amazing.