Analysis of Epilogue, "The New Man in Charge"

Wow. It's been a while since I've done this. I'm a little rusty. I've been writing a post about the Finale, "The End" and my thoughts on the entire series, and the aftermath of everything for a few months now, but I still haven't even come close to finishing all of my thoughts and theories on the whole matter, so that's going to have to wait for bit. So, before I finished doing all of that, I figured I'd brush up on some LOST because I've been thinking about it again a lot lately.

I haven't bought the LOST Season Six DVD Set as of yet, and I have the first Five Seasons already, so I'll be holding off from buying the LOST Complete Collection Box Set for at least a little while, but I had a chance to watch  the 12-Minute Epilogue, titled "The New Man in Charge," online a few weeks ago when it was leaked, and now that the DVD has finally come out, I figured I'd do some writing about it. This is the last new footage that I will probably ever write about LOST, so that's kind of sad. Well, that is unless they come out with something new, which I could see ABC/Disney doing, so maybe that's a lie. 

After I finish this, and my post about the Finale and everything else, I'm going to be dong a re-watch of Season Six, in the same style that I've done Seasons before, and then a re-watch and analysis of the entire Series, which will be different than everything else I've done. I plan to focus on analyzing each episode with the knowledge of having watched the entire Series, which should be interesting and a lot of fun. I really want to go back and reflect on everything, because I feel like then, and only then, will this entire experience come to an end. But, let's be realistic, this whole thing is never going to be over for me. I'm going to be watching and thinking about LOST for the rest of my damn life, so deal with it. It comes with the territory now.

From Lostpedia

Initial Reaction to "The Package"

Okay, let's get the dirty jokes out of the way now. The title "The Package" can't help but make me laugh. I can only imagine the euphemisms being thrown out in the writers room as they wrote this episode. Between the title and Sun's undone sweater-buttons, this episode was all sorts of scantily-clad. There was also much more to it than that. There was more Season One nostalgia, lots of Korean (Including an annoying V promotional countdown clock that was subsequently blocking the subtitled translations of said Korean. Grrrrr, ABC!), Sayid Ninja-moves, Room 23, electromagnetism, more Evil-Tina Fey, and most importantly, our beloved Scots-brotha, Desmond David Hume. After the past two episodes, I can feel the momentum truly picking up. I can only hope that the pace continues. Now, let's talk about "The Package" (Giggle).

From Lostpedia

3.07 Not In Portland

1. Juliet sitting on a beach, crying, she goes into a building, Ethan passes her in the hallway, she enters a room, takes out a vile, draws something into a syringe, a woman wakes up, it's her sister, Rachel, she appears to have cancer, Juliet says that they don't have to keep doing it, but Rachel asks if she's afraid it won't work, Juliet injects her, opens the curtains in the apartment, they live in Miami, an Oceanic plane passes by. From Lostpedia
2. Jack tells Kate to go, tells Tom that Juliet can't fix Ben, not a surgeon.
3. Sawyer beats the crap out of Pickett, Kate and Sawyer run.
4. Juliet, Medical Research Lab of Miami Central University, the bio-research building, Diana from Mittelos Bioscience calls, she has an appointment at 2 with Dr. Alpert, she steals 2 viles marked "Test Sample," while her ex-husband, Edmund, who is there with another woman, Sherry, catches her in the building when she's not supposed to be.
5. Juliet tells Jack about that Kate and Sawyer aren't going to make it back to their side of the island because they're not on that island, they're on a smaller island 2 miles off shore, Jack tells Tom about her plan to kill Ben, Tom tells her to leave.
6. Pickett goes after Kate and Sawyer, who are looking for a boat, Alex comes to save them, she helps them hide in a hole she dug underground.
7. Tom asks Jack if what he said about Juliet is true, Ben wakes up, he says to get Juliet. From Lostpedia
8. Edmund wants to see Juliet, Sherry is the new research assistant, wants in on her research, knows what she took from the lab, read her notes, says potentially genius, ethical questions, could be criminal, but they could collaborate, with his reputation, cutting edge science, win prizes, drink champagne, do good, give time to think about it.
9. Tom gets Juliet, tells her Ben is awake, that he wants to talk to her.
10. Alex has a boat, says that she'll help Sawyer and Kate if they help her with Karl.
11. Jack tells Ben that he stopped the operation, he says that he's been able to hear him for a few minutes, he talks to Juliet alone, Jack gives them 3 minutes.
12. Tom introduces himself to Jack, tells him Juliet and Ben have history.
13. Juliet tells Jack to continue the surgery, that she's going to help Kate and Sawyer escape.
14. Juliet has her meeting with Dr. Alpert, Mittelos Bioscience, Oregon, just outside of Portland, privately funded, means freedom, she asks why they would want her, he says Juliet successfully impregnated a male field mouse, she says it didn't carry the term, he shows her an x-ray of a human womb, Juliet says it's a woman somewhere in her 70s, but Alpert says she's only 26, that he'd give her the complete freedom and money to find out about it, thinks she's special, lead a team, she says her ex-husband wouldn't let her, Alpert says that maybe they could reach out to him on her behalf, she says he would only let her go if he were hit by a bus, she says no to the job, that she's not a leader. From Lostpedia
15. Juliet sees Kate, Sawyer and Alex on a monitor in The Hydra.
16. Sawyer, Kate and Alex see Aldo guarding a door, reading A Brief History in Time, Alex says that Karl has to be in there, she's looked everywhere else, they play the wookiee prisoner gag, Aldo calls Pickett on the walkie, Kate threatens to shoot Aldo in the knee, he tells her Karl is in the building, in Room 23.
17. Room 23, very loud music, screen, flashing pictures and words, flowers, coins, keyboards, the moon, Gerald DeGroot, "Plant a good seed and you will joyfully gather fruit," "Everything changes," Karl with an IV, wearing some kind of lighted glasses, "We are the causes of out own suffering, "God loves you as he loved Jacob, "Think about your life," Sawyer seems to be hypnotized, transfixed by the screen, but Kate yells at him and he snaps out of it, Alex removes the IV and glasses from Karl. From Lostpedia
18. Pickett arrives at the building, finding Aldo knocked out, Juliet tells Pickett that they're letting them go, Ben gave the order.
19. "I know Ben would rather die than let them go." Pickett
20. Juliet tells her sister the Portland job wasn't for her, too far away, the research doesn't work, Rachel says she's pregnant, her whole life she waited to have a baby, now she can because of her, now she just has to get healthy. From Lostpedia
21. Edmund is talking to his mother on his cellphone, Juliet shows up and tells him Rachel's pregnant, he wants to see the labs, but she tells him that she's not interested in publishing, he steps out into the street and gets hit by a bus, just like Juliet said to Dr. Alpert, there is also an Apollo Candy logo on the bus. From Lostpedia
22. Jack asks why they wouldn't just go to a facility, Tom says because every since the sky turned purple, but then gets interrupted by Jack nicking an artery and the heart monitor beeping.
23. Sawyer, Kate and Alex take Karl to Alex's boat, Pickett shows up, is going to kill Sawyer, but so does Juliet and she kills Pickett, tells them to leave, but Alex can't go, she says goodbye to Karl.
24. Kate tells Jack that they're safe, that the blonde woman helped them, she tells him the story from the day of the crash, he tells her to promise she'll never come back there for him, Kate, Sawyer and Karl leave Alcatraz island. From Lostpedia
25. "You were doing surgery on a girl and you messed up. You made a mistake. You tore something on her back and all the nerves came loose. And you said you were so afraid. And you said the fear was so real. And you didn't know what to do, so you counted to five. And then you weren't afraid anymore. And then it was just gone. And you fixed her. You saved her." Kate
26. Jack fixes Ben, tells Juliet he removed the tumor, to do a biopsy, see if it's malignant, he asks her what Ben said to her.
27. Juliet is identifying the body of Edmund at the morgue, filling out paperwork, she's upset, Ethan offers her a tissue, she asks if they've met, Alpert shows, she tells them she said that she wanted him to get hit by a bus in the interview, Richard claims that he doesn't remember it, that they still want her to work for them, 6 months, and then she'll be back before her sister gives birth, that they're thorough in their recruitment process, she asks if her sister can come, he says that the job is not quite in Portland. From Lostpedia
28. Juliet's tells Jack what Ben said to her when they were talking.
29. "I've been on this island for 3 years, Jack. 3 years, 2 months, and 28 days. He said that if I let him live and I helped you, that he would finally let me go home." Juliet

Questions:

1. Why did Ethan pass Juliet in the hallway when she was going to see her sister?
2. Is Richard Alpert really a doctor?
3. Why does Danny Pickett say that he knows Ben would rather die than let them go? Was there another plan for them? What was it?
4. Why does Tom say that they didn't take Ben to a facility because the sky turned purple?
5. Did Richard Alpert and Ethan have involvement with Edmund Burke's death?

Favorites:

1. "Tell him I said hi--get to the point!" Sawyer telling Kate to talk to Jack.
2. "Nice to meet you, Sheena." Sawyer
3. "Shephard says he's a spinal surgeon, not an anesthesiologist." Tom
4. "This a hobby of yours, Underdog--digging holes?" Sawyer "Yep. That and basket weaving. Want one?" Alex
5. "I'm Tom, by the way." Tom
6. "I've got an idea." Kate "Of course you do." Sawyer
7. "Don't get mad at me just because you were dumb enough to fall for the old Wookiee prisoner gag." Sawyer
8. "Damn, good con, Freckles. I almost believed you were going to shoot that boy." Sawyer "It wasn't a con." Kate
9. "Because you're insufferable. And you're mean. Well, you asked me for the truth, Mom." Edmund Burke
10. "You okay?" Jack "Yeah, I just don't like blood too much." Tom "Well, then you probably won't want to be looking at that [holding a chunk of tissue in the air]." Jack
11. "So, you're the boss's daughter, huh? I never saw that coming. Let's go, Cheech, we're going for a little ride." Sawyer

Notes:

1. Kate tells Jack the same story that he told her the first time they met, in The Pilot, Part 1.
2. When reversed, a voice repeats a phrase in Room 23, "Only fools are enslaved by time and space," which clearly foreshadows upcoming events in the series, including the episode which starts it, Flashes Before Your Eyes.
3. Juliet says that she's been on the island 3 years, 2 months, 28 days. That would make her arrival to the island September 5, 2001.
4. This is the first episode where we meet Richard Alpert!

2.22 Three Minutes

1. 13 Days Ago--Michael asks John about guns, knocks him out, talks to Walt on the computer, Walt tells him to go North, to a rock with a hole in the middle, by the beach.
   
   From Lostpedia
   
2. Today--Michael with paper, burns it, Jack says they need to talk, they plan to go across the island, Sawyer says there are 11 rifles and pistols, that they took 5 off them, Michael says if they leave now and move fast, they can get to the Others camp in the middle of the night tomorrow, that just the 5 of them should go, Jack questions Michael's decision making, says they'll bury Ana and Libby tonight, then figure out what's next.
3. 13 Days Ago--Michael runs through the jungle, checks his compass, runs into a man taking a piss, Danny Pickett, Mr. Friendly comes up from behind, Michael runs, firing, Pickett fires back, and the Others capture him.
4. Today--Eko tells Michael about boy at his church who killed his dog.
5. "For a brief time I served in a small parish in England. Every Sunday after Mass, I would see a young boy waiting in the back of the church. And then one day, the boy confessed to me that he had beaten his dog to death with a shovel. He said that the dog had bitten his baby sister on the cheek, and he needed to protect her. And he wanted to know whether he would go to hell for this. I told him that God would understand, that he would be forgiven, as long as he was sorry. But the boy did not care about forgiveness. He was only afraid that if he did go to hell, that dog would be there waiting for him." Eko
6. Michael tells Jack that everything has to go his way, that it has to be just the 5 of them, that it puts them in more danger, that it's his son, Jack says that's the way it will go then.
7. Charlie gives Claire and Aaron the vaccine from the pallet, that they have to take it every 9 days, that it's a pneumatic injector, he says that he tried it, that he wanted to make sure that it was safe for her and the baby, that he feels fine.
   
   From Lostpedia
   
8. Michael returns to the beach camp, everyone is happy to see him, but then discover the bodies of Ana Lucia and Libby being buried.
9. "They were murdered." Michael
10. 13 Days Ago--Michael captured and Kate, who was following Sawyer, Jack and Locke.
11. "You make one sound and you'll never see your boy again." Mr. Friendly
12. Mr. Friendly speaks to the Hunting Party, Alex talks to Michael, tells him it's alright, that he's just delivering a message to his friends, she asks about Claire, if she's okay, if she had the baby and if it's a boy or a girl, after Mr. Friendly leaves the hunting party, Alex apologizes and then knocks Michael out with her rifle. From Lostpedia
13. Today--Jack and Sawyer go his tent to get the guns, Sawyer asks Jack about what happened with him and Kate in the jungle when they went to the line, Jack says they got caught in a net, Sayid asks about Benry escaping, asks who's going after him, he wants to go with them, but Jack says that he can't go, but Sawyer gives him a gun anyway.
14. Eko is in the hatch, Charlie visits, asks where he's been, Eko tells Charlie that he's not working on the church anymore.
15. Sawyer tells Michael that Sayid's on board to come with them, but Michael isn't happy.
16. "Oh, well I'm sorry. I just figure if we going to war, we'd want the one guy who's actually been in a war. That a problem?" Sawyer
17. 11 Days Ago--Michael at Others camp, big rock with hole in the middle, tents, dirty people, raggedy clothing, camp fires, a hatch door being guarded by two men with rifles, people with fishing nets, Danny Pickett draws Michael's blood. From Lostpedia
18. "See you in the funny pages." Danny Pickett
19. Ms. Klugh asks questions about Walt, if he's Michael biological son, age he first spoke, illnesses, headaches, fainting spells, Michael says he wasn't there, that Walt was halfway around the world.
20. "Did Walt ever appear in a place he wasn't supposed to be? You say he was halfway around the world, but did you see him?" Ms. Klugh
21. Today--Michael tells Sayid that he's not coming with them because he's going after the guy that escaped and Michael's going after his son.
22. Charlie works on Eko's church, Vincent brings him a Virgin Mary statue with the heroin inside, he leads Charlie to Sawyer's stash, Charlie takes all of the statues and throws them in the ocean as Locke watches from afar.
23. Sawyer tells Jack he screwed Ana Lucia, that was how she lifted the gun off of him.
24. "Why are you telling me this, Sawyer?" Jack "Because you're about the closest thing I got to a friend, doc." Sawyer
25. Hurley and Kate dig Libby and Ana Lucia's graves, Hurley questions why he'd go with them, Michael tries to convince him, he says because they killed her.
26. 3 Days Ago--Ms. Klugh tells Michael there's something he needs to do, that there's been a development, that one of their people were taken by one of his, Michael insists on seeing Walt, Ms. Klugh says Walt is right outside, she says he can talk to him, but only for 3 minutes.
27. "They make me take tests." Walt "We're not going to talk about that." Ms. Klugh
28. "They're not who they say they are. They're pretending." Walt "Walt! Do you want me to put you in the room again?" Ms. Klugh From Lostpedia
29. Ms. Klugh says Michael has to do something else after he releases their man, she gives Michael a list of four people, that he has to bring them but only them, and if he doesn't, he'll never see Walt again, the names on the list are Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, Hugo Reyes, James Ford, Michael asks who James Ford is, Ms. Klugh says that if he does it, that he and Walt will be let go, Michael says that he also wants the boat. From Lostpedia
30. Locke takes the splint off his leg and walks off into the sunset.
31. Jack tells Sayid about his dad, Sayid says that he thinks Michael has been compromised, that his actions are not that of a man that is telling the truth, that a father would do anything for his son, that he believes Michael may have freed Henry and he believes that Michael is leading them into a trap. Sayid says to let Michael believe that he's in control so that they can create an advantage.
32. "You believe a lot, Sayid." Jack "I also believed that Henry was one of them." Sayid
33. There is a funeral held for Libby and Ana Lucia, Jack speaks about Ana Lucia and Hurley speaks about Libby, gets angered and says he's going with them. From Lostpedia
34. "She probably helped a lot of people. She helped me and she was my friend. It's not fair that this happened to her. It's not. I'm going with you. Goodbye, Libby." Hurley
35. Claire grabs Charlie's hand, Sun looks out on the water.
36. "Boat." Sun

Questions:

1. Did Walt really talk to Michael on the computer?
2. How did Kate not know that Michael was there when she was captured by the Others?
3. What did Danny Pickett draw Michael's blood for?
4. Did Michael ever see Walt in a place he wasn't supposed to be?
5. What room would Ms. Klugh put Walt in? Room 23?

Favorites:

1. "You're Walt's old man, aren't you?" Danny Pickett
2. "So, what do you say, doc? I was thinking the Irish drink when someone dies." Sawyer "I'm not Irish." Jack "Neither am I." Sawyer
3. "Yeah, well, him says even though Pippy Longstocking and the damn Grape Ape are ideal candidates for the Dirty Dozen, I'm just going to say we might just want to bring the Red Beret." Sawyer
4. "We got caught in a net." Sawyer

Notes:

1. As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Eko, you still owe Yemi one church.
2. Libby dies as Desmond returns with her husband's boat to the island, how convenient.