Lost 2.17: "Lockdown"

Written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
Directed by Stephen Williams

In which the hatch goes into an unexpected lockdown, trapping Locke and Henry together with little time to get to the computer by other means, while Jack and Sawyer match wits…


Status Report

As expected, this episode represented a turn towards the final leg of the season arc, as a great deal of information seems to have come together by the end. There are still a thousand questions that remain answered, but the writers have paid off the patience of many by providing some information that should factor into the season finale.

It’s not at all clear why the blast doors in the hatch would drop at this particular time, though it’s possible to speculate based on the evidence. Michael’s comment about the blast doors is clear evidence that this moment has been coming for quite a while, since the writers planted the seed very early in the arc. The intersection of the blast doors dropping and the arrival of the supply drop seems to be a little too coincidental, especially on the heels of Henry’s question about how old the food is in the previous episode.

So there’s two simple ways to interpret this. One interpretation would be that the announcement was meant as a warning that there was a supply drop coming and that the blast doors would come down to prevent contact with the outside world. But that doesn’t quite match what Desmond described. Another possibility is that the blast doors were routinely tested, and that the announcement was meant to remind the hatch inhabitants to reset the timer and get behind the doors. While the hatch inhabitants were safely in the hatch, unable to leave, the supply drop could take place for the Dharma personnel on the island. This is supported by the note on the map which reads “PRD every 6-8 months”, which probably refers to Parachuted Ration Drop. (Ignoring, for the moment, the idiocy of having vent lines open to other rooms if the blast doors have dropped!)

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to explain what happened, but one thing is strongly suggested: the blast doors have probably dropped several times before, giving someone the time and opportunity to hide that map where it couldn’t be found. It may not have been Desmond (who claimed to have been trapped in the hatch by himself for quite some time), but it seems written from the point of view of someone trying to understand what’s happening on the island.

The alternative is that the map was planted there. If the Others triggered the blast doors in an attempt to capitalize on the Henry’s presence there, since he definitely seems to be one of them, then Locke could have been meant to see that map. The Others could have been watching Sayid, Ana, and Charlie, and could have taken measures to advance their agenda by playing on Locke’s psychological issues.

At any rate, the map suggests that the general shape of the island is rather similar to the octagonal symbol used by the Dharma Initiative, which in and of itself underscores the theory that the entire island was converted into a massive playground for Hanso’s little endgame. At least three of the six stations are identified, as well as at least four “CV” installations. What “CV” might stand for is anybody’s guess.

The four identified stations do, in fact, match the hieroglyphics that appeared when the countdown dropped to zero, and there are lines connecting all many of the six “outer” stations, which adds credence to the theory that the stations are connected somehow. The possible locations of the two other stations are indicated. The map could include rivers, but there are also indications of tunnels in the area of the island that hasn’t been pinned down.

Why would that be the case? The simple explanation is that the “security system” is active on that side of the island, preventing exploration. The question is: does that also correspond to the area of the island controlled by the Others? That would suggest that the “security system” is keeping the JackLocke tribe from discovering the active Dharma sites. On the other hand, Ana seemed to suggest that the very center of the island was the stronghold of the Others, which would suggest that the big circle at the center of the map was the active communal Dharma facility referenced in “Orientation”.

The notes in conjunction with the “CV” notations translate to “Here Be Dragons”, which could indicate that the “CV” sites are actually the origination points of the “security system”. The repeated references to Cerberus (protector of the gateway to hell) are also very suggestive. Part of the problem is that the location of certain established places in the series (the drug plane, Black Rock, Danielle’s redoubt, etc.) aren’t indicated clearly on the map, for obvious reasons. There’s also no sense of scale, though one could assume that the drawing is not to scale and that the stations are perhaps a mile apart.

There’s a reference to experiments on polar bears using extreme climate change and gene therapy, which suggests that the polar bears were brought there by Dharma. The alleged incident is referenced as the “AH/MDG incident of 1985”, which definitely refers to Alvar Hanso. Is “MDG” a reference to one of the fields of study initiated by Hanso to “further the evolution of the human race”?

One could go on and on with an analysis of the map, and there’s little doubt that it will come up again and again on fansites around the internet. The real question is not what the map means, but what it represents. If Locke has been waiting for a revelation, some sign meant for him to discover, like the shaman imploring his gods to deliver a message, then how will he react to this experience? Will he tell Jack and the rest of the prominent tribe members about the map, or will he keep this to himself in some kind of power play?

While Locke doesn’t look like he’ll be going anywhere for a while on his own, he could enlist a few other people with a vested interest in discovering the purpose of the island. If he remains true to form, he could set out to discover the facility at the center of the island on his own. One would hope that he would at least consult Sayid on the information that was stolen from Danielle, to see if those maps could be correlated to the map he saw on the blast doors. And of course, there’s the question of how much of the information Locke was able to retain. (It’s a lot easier to work out details on a screencap, with plenty of time to spare, than it would have been for Locke at that angle and for such a short period of time.)

It’s also quite interesting to watch the slow switch in Locke’s attitude towards Henry, counterpoint to Jack’s own shifting perspective. Locke started out as very suspicious of Henry, but by the end of this episode, he was ready to trust Henry at his word, all because Henry didn’t abandon him. (Yes, on top of his delusions of “destiny”, Locke has serious abandonment issues. Locke’s a seething cauldron of psychological chaos.)

Jack now has every reason to think that Henry is another plant by the Others, which puts him in an interesting position. Last time Jack encountered the Others, Zeke had a gun to Kate’s head; now, Jack has one of the Others at gunpoint. The difference is that Henry has Locke over a barrel, and he’s also very good at messing with people. (One would think, looking back on the whole series, that Locke is particularly vulnerable to psychological manipulation.)

Locke’s flashback helped to fill in a few gaps in his story, linking his life in “Walkabout” to the rest of his history, without giving up the one piece of information that would really make the fans happy. Frankly, it’s better that way. This wasn’t the episode to drop that particular bomb, even if the writers really built the episode in a way that suggested it might be relevant. But now it’s clear why Locke wasn’t with Helen, and reveals how far he had fallen to build up the fantasy that he could have his life back.

Though the flashback dealt with his abandonment issues, so often self-imposed, there were other nuggets spread throughout that part of the story. For one thing, Sayid’s lost love Nadia is alive and well, and living on her own, at least four years prior to the crash of Oceanic 815. Oceanic was in operation, which makes absolute sense given their connections to Dharma.

An interesting possibility arises, given the behavior of Locke’s father since his introduction in the first season. Is it possible that Locke’s father is, in fact, the read Sawyer? What would happen if “Sawyer” were to discover that? One thing the producers promised was that the connections between the survivors would slowly unfold, even if they didn’t impact the main story, and that is happening more and more. All of it continues to suggest that these individuals were chosen by Dharma to be on Oceanic 815 specifically because of their connected histories.

Obviously, Locke and the map aren’t the only items of interest in the episode. There’s the rather calm battle of wits between Jack and Sawyer. Jack manages to outwit and outplay his opponent, which should lead to some interesting jockeying later down the road. Sawyer was well on his way to becoming the merchant prince of the island, right down to the scoundrel personality, and now he’s lost control of an important asset to Jack. How will he respond to the fact that Jack has effectively demonstrated his power over him?

One small problem with the episode is Kate. She seems awfully chummy with Sawyer, given how he used her so terribly only a few days earlier. More than that, she’s back to her flirting ways with Jack. Kate is easily the least defined and least interesting characters right now, with no discernable motivations of her own. The writers need to remedy that quickly.

The rest of the characters are sidelined somewhat by the intense focus on the hatch, which would normally be a bad sign. In this case, the writers used the tension surrounding Locke and his status, past and “present”, to keep the episode gripping. There really was a sense that Locke could be a victim, betrayed by Henry in his moment of need, and the fact that it didn’t happen, leaving Locke to be manipulated even more, carries the momentum into the next episode. Things are really beginning to take shape for the end of the season, and if they do this right, the writers could make everyone forget the bumps along the way.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode dropped quite a bit of information into the audience’s lap, as if tempting the viewers to dig further and discover everything to be gleaned. Even more interesting is the circumstance and reason for the related events, which should prove a compelling turn into the final leg of the season arc. Tensions are rising on the island, and it won’t be long before it all comes to a head.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

(Season 2 Average: 7.3)