The Season 3 premiere of Lost was of course much anticipated by it’s legions of fans. In fact, this third season has taken on more significance because we are finally on the cusp of figuring out just what the hell has been going on, and the Lost Experience game has enhanced anticipation for those who participated. However, in classic Lost fashion, with each question answered, even more questions arise.
Season 2’s last few episodes, especially the finale, gave us a lot to think about, and hasn’t necessarily dismissed any of the major theories. We witnessed the deaths of major characters Libby and Ana-Lucia; discovered that the cause of Flight 815’s crash was a magnetic force, unleashed as a result of not entering the numbers in time; were introduced to another bunker, seemingly designed to monitor the Swan, the bunker in which Locke religiously entered the mysterious numbers; found out that the Others are even more mysterious than we anticipated; witnessed an entirely new mystery in the form of a 3-toed relic of a statue; a snowy monitoring station manned by Portuguese speaking men; and were left hanging as Jack, Sawyer and Kate were captured by Henry Gale and the Others, while Michael and Walt seem to have been set free on a boat.
Season 3’s premiere episode opened with a shocker, as we watch a woman, whom we later discover is named Juliet, listening to music and making a poor attempt at baking. For all intents and purposes she looks to be living in an average suburban home. She later meets with her book club, which is interrupted by what at first appears to be an earthquake, but is actually Flight 815 crashing – yes folks, this average looking home is on the island! As the book club rushes outside to witness the plane descending on the island, we see Others, Henry Gale, Goodwin and Ethan, not looking disheveled as they usually do, but well groomed and “normal”. Then there is a cut to an aerial shot of the island, featuring a pristine looking enclave located smack dab in the middle – the actual village of the Others.
The episode goes on to reveal a bit more about Jack’s past, as well as a new Dharma Initiative research facility in which Kate, Jack and Sawyer are being held captive. But these, in my opinion, are not the most interesting developments. It could be that the most intriguing and useful revelation came in Juliet’s book club meeting scene. The book being discussed is Carrie, written by real life author Stephen King.
It has been rumored that Stephen King may be a writer for the show, or at least its inspiration, as there have been a couple of overt references to Stephen King lore, such as the logo for the fictional beverage, Nozz-a-la soda, on the side of Henry Gale’s balloon compartment. Nozz-a-la soda is featured in King’s mammoth Dark Tower series, as well as the Kingdom Hospital TV miniseries. It has also been rumored that Gary Troup, author of the Lost related novel Bad Twin, is in fact Stephen King. In any case, it is now a safe bet that King is in some way involved in Lost’s production (as if the obscure reference to Nozz-a-la soda were not enough to draw that conclusion), if only serving as its main influence.
It is indeed hard to ignore the parallels between Lost and many of King’s novels, most specifically the related works of The Stand, Insomnia and the Dark Tower. While there are many similarities between Lost and King’s legendary book The Stand, the more striking similarities are shared with themes, concepts and characters from the Dark Tower books, which are regarded by King as his magnum opus. Set in Mid-World, essentially a parallel world to our own, The Dark Tower series follows the adventures of a man named Roland, the last of a knightly class known as “Gunslingers”, and his quest for a mysterious “tower” at which all “worlds” meet. It is a sort of post-apocolyptic place in which, to quote the mantra from the novels, “the world has moved on”, where there are remnants all around of a highly advanced past still in the process of dying. It can be said that Lost’s island has “moved on” as well, with all that remains of the Dharma Initiative being hollowed out bunkers and dying technology.
Roland holds a strong belief in what he calls “Ka”, which dictates that everything happens for a reason, similar to Locke’s belief in fate, and the significance of the button and hatch, and is haunted and forever affected by his storied and tragic past (much like ALL the survivors of Lost’s Flight 815).
Roland eventually learns that in order to succeed in his quest for the Dark Tower, he must “draw” three people from what appears ito be our New York City. On the shore of Mid-Worlds Western Sea, Roland successfully “draws” three people to his world; Eddie Dean, a smart-alecky drug addict (think Charlie of Lost); Odetta Holmes, a wheelchair bound multiple-personality; and Jake, a young boy with special powers and a close father and son bond with Roland (think Lost’s Walt). Roland trains all three to be Gunslingers, in the process helping Eddie Dean overcome his addiction, guiding Odetta through melding her multiple personalities – the refined Odetta Holmes and the harsh Detta Walker – into a composite of the two named Susannah, and grooms and assists Jake in developing his special supernatural abilities.
Among these characters there are many parallels with those from Lost. Some of the more obvious of these similarities are found between Kings Dark Tower character Susannah. For example, Susannah is bound to a wheel chair, having lost her legs after getting pushed in front of a subway train, but is able to walk in some parallel worlds. This is strikingly similar to Locke from Lost, as he was paralyzed from the waist down until waking up after Flight 815’s crash having amazingly been cured. In fact, Susannah can at times be compared to almost any of the Lost characters.
The other notable character similarities lie between the Dark Tower character of Jake-a young boy with supernatural abilities know as “the touch”-and the character of Walt from Lost, who also seems to be gifted with his own set of supernatural abilities yet to be explained. Jake adopts and develops a strong bond with a Mid-World animal called a Billy Bumbler, while Walt adopted his dog Vincent on the island. But the most important parallel between the characters Jake and Walt has to do with their relationships to their adult father figures. Roland, the hero of the Dark Tower, while not Jakes biological father, takes on this role for Jake, but their relationship is strained and forever scarred by Roland’s sacrificing Jake to what are known as the “Slow Mutants”. However, Roland becomes determined to find and reunite himself with Jake, and “draws” him back as mentioned earlier. Walt, on the other hand, is let go by his father Michael through an act of love, but they are reunited after the death of Walt’s mother. On the island, Michael’s fervent quest to escape from the island (similar to Roland’s quest for the Dark Tower) results in Walt being kidnapped by the “Others”. Michael then embarks on a determined effort to rescue Walt, similar to Roland recovering Jake. Interestingly, while Walt and Michael struggle to get along, Locke forms a bond with Walt, and helps him tap into his special powers in the same manner Roland helps develop Jakes abilities. So there are dual father figures for Walt, which as a whole resemble the Roland character.
These examples, not surprisingly, are just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. But, what is most intriguing for those who are both Stephen King and Lost fans, is the growing impression that King himself may be involved in the shows production. However, it is probably more likely that the Lost producers are simply huge King fans. King has editorialized about the show in his Entertainment Weekly column as if he is simply another viewer; although this could just be part of the rouse. In any case, the most interesting among Kings commentary is his advice to Lost’s creators to end the show at the appropriate time. In his own words; “please, guys – don’t beat this sweet cow to death with years of ponderous flashback padding. End it any way you want, but when it’s time for closure, provide it. Don’t just keep on wagon-training.”
For a more in depth analysis of The Dark Tower and Lost, visit the link in the resources section to a woman named Laura’s treatise on the subject.
Reference:
Lostcasts.com’s posting of “Laura’s” observationsEntertainment Weekly
