1x19 Deus Ex Machina

[Aaronia]

Does anyone else get the similar feeling between Locke's dream and the one Desmond had early in season 5? (Desmond from the past meeting Faraday and then Desmond in present time now has that memory). Is it possible that a Locke in the past saw the plane crashing and that is how the dream comes to be?

I had the exact same thought on rewatching this episode. Now we know Locke was there the day the Nigerian Plane actually crashed on the island (due to a time flash). Maybe this was some sort of "future memory." I don't know how it would work, but the thought definitely came to mind.

That's exactly my explanation of Locke’s dream in this episode, actually my assumption is: When Locke sees the Beechcraft falling to the ground in BYL (ep. 5.1) this is happening right in that moment before his eyes because the island had moved (in time and space – around 2 to 10 years prior and at a closer range to Nigeria) as a consequence of Ben moving the frozen donkey wheel. We know the little plane would have been unable to reach the island’s situation in the South Pacific (near Fiji), so that the only way for it to crash on the island was some kind of displacement, as the one that probably happened in that extremely singular moment of Ben turning the wheel. It would also be fitting that the plane would crash if it experienced an island appearing before it out of nothing, with who knows what kind of effects in the surrounding atmosphere.

So, we have Locke in the island, obsessed with his hatch in 2004, and he then dreams of something that will be happening to him about two months later in his first trip back in time: a Beechcraft falling from the air. It seems to me that he enters some singularity there, where he can commune with his future/past self: he sees the plane falling, sees Boone badly hurt (Locke would easily remember Boone’s death when he saw the plane during BYL) and begins having problems with his legs (his future self was injured by Ethan in one leg). He even has a look at the compass when looking for the Beechcraft!

Somehow, perhaps because in his exploring around he had gotten close to that place where the plane shouldn’t yet be but was (because of the law of “what happened, happened” and there being just one time line, at least until something else is revealed to us in the show) he was attuned to that singularity and got a dream and a lot of rare experiences out of it.

This extremely strange situation would be the proper “Deus ex machina” from the title, I mean, past Locke getting insight from future Locke in a quite unusual (normally impossible) way. (As noted by spartan32, this is something that has happened to Desmond in a few different ways and occasions).

I believe this possibility of an unconscious communing with the future self travelling through the past would be facilitated here and there because of some geographical or psychological situation. I do think this is the main reason why Rose was so sure that Bernard did survive the crash. The future selves of Rose and Bernard had lived together in that island for at least three years by the time they crashed, so that, due perhaps to the stress of the situation, the near-death experience, or just because this couple (in their future) had happened to be together in that same beach before, Rose could have just deeply felt the certainty that she was going to meet her husband again.

[Sawyerstyle31]

man, y did boone gotta die

[Joe1983]

How can Lock be so gullable pre island, like getting his kidney swindled etc.. then so switched on when he hits the island.. like knowing charlie was on dope knowing walt burned the raft all his rambo skills..

"I've dont everything you wanted me to do.. so why did you do theis... whhyy?"
Lock talks like he has gotten specific instructions. So yeah I bet smokey had a bit of a DnM with him.

[Launcher]

My take on Boone's death is that it was a sacrifice required by the island [Oh! Locke says as much in the season finale]. Clearly, Locke was manipulated to take Boone to the aircraft crash site and have him go inside. But why did the island demand a sacrifice? Was it to put into motion events that would allow Locke to open the hatch? Was it because the island "knew" a baby would be born and had to balance out the new life with a death?

I wonder then if other deaths on the island will open up new paths for the survivors: Eko's? Shannon's? I'll have to wait and see (as you can tell by the date of this posting, I'm WAY behind the re-watch).

I also like how the LOST producers took their time fulfilling Boone's Star Trek "redshirt" comment from several episodes past. Poor Boone.

[Launcher]

If I'm not mistaken, the light aircraft makes a "Deus ex Machina" in a later episode. I'm a little vague on the details, but doesn't the plane mark the location of the hatch to the Pearl station? Not unlike Locke, Eko became obsessed with this new hatch.. and like Boone he died for his trouble!

[ThememanXX]

looks pretty easy.

lol

[juclan07]

i really liked this episode! It gave us a new look into Locke's life.

And although I know it was "a sacrifice the Island demanded", I still think that he would be upset by Boone's death. I mean, he had been spending most of his time with the guy for the past couple of weeks.

[sdorian]

So this is why Locke has to serve the island so dogmatically. Not only out of appreciation for being healed, but out of fear his paralysis would come back if he failed to do so. The first time I saw this, I was so worried for Locke that he'd lose his legs again.

[sdorian]

(by the way, I love Swoosie Kurtz. You should see her as Aunt Lily in "Pushing Daisies")

[sdorian]

locke is a seriously amazing character...terry o'quinn is a seriously amazing actor....

locke had such a shitty life....its so sad when his mother asks if he was adopted and he says he lived a foster homes....he has never had a family..
anthony cooper is...words i will not use on here. he is a horrible person.

I agree! I think what Cooper did to Locke is one of the most emotionally horrible things you could do to a person. It really shows how strong Locke is to overcome from this, to push to do what people tell him he can't, and to not just crumple up and go off and die after what they did to him.

I think, whether it's true or not, Locke had to believe that Boone was a sacrifice as the only way he could deal with his grief, that, because he was helping him, Boone died. I don't think Locke knew Boone was going to die (just get hurt or something?) and he tried to warn him to get out. I also agree, with what someone said earlier, that when he's pounding on the hatch, it's probably after Boone dies...and/or he just can't face being in the cave because his grief and guilt is so immense, he needs to be alone to scream and cry...

(also, here it looks like a light just comes on but, in S5 timeshift, it's a column of light way into the sky)