5.01 - Because You Left

Title’s significance: Ben says that all the bad things that have happened occurred “because you left.”

Recap: Curiously, this episode begins by introducing the man from the Dharma videos – his real name’s Pierre Chang, and he’s not happy that something’s going wrong at The Orchid. But somehow, Daniel’s in Dharma Days, too... This episode also begins splitting the plotline in two: on-island fritziness and off-island shenanigans. After Ben moves the island, Sawyer and Juliet notice the smoking freighter is gone, and Rose and Bernard reveal that campsite is gone, too. Daniel theorizes the island is time-traveling a la a skipping record, and the group notices that Locke is separated from them; he’s busy witnessing the crash of the Nigerian drug plane, but when he tries to help them he’s shot by Ethan before the island jumps. Daniel cautions that time travel can’t affect the past; “Whatever happened, happened.” Locke is found by Richard, who treats his gunshot wound, gives him a compass, and tells him he has to die to save the island. The island jumps again, and Sawyer tries to get into The Swan for supplies before being told by Dan that it didn’t happen and so it can’t happen; Charlotte gets a nosebleed, and Daniel makes contact with Desmond, telling him to find his mother.

Off-island, Jack feels hopeless about going back to the island, confiding to Ben that Locke fretted about everyone they left behind dying. Kate’s visited by Dan Norton, a skeezy lawyer who thinks Kate isn’t related to Aaron, so Kate skedaddles. As Sun tries to fly to Los Angeles, she’s detained by Widmore, who accuses her of not respecting him and asks what their common interests are; she reveals that they both want Ben dead. Sayid brings Hurley to a safehouse, advising Hurley to do the opposite of anything Ben says before roughing up some hooligans inside. Now married to Penny, Desmond wakes up with a new memory of Daniel

Thoughts: I’m not going to bother patting Damon and Carlton on the back, because you know that’s coming. What I am going to do is point out how fluidly the “skipping in time” element is explained and integrated. Note also that Locke isn’t told that he’s time-traveling; like so many other things in his life, he has to figure it out for himself.

Favorite moment: Richard isn’t fazed by Locke saying that Ethan shot him: “What comes around, goes around.”

Characters introduced (in order):

• PIERRE CHANG, the temperamental artist formerly known as “Marvin Candle”
• NEIL FROGURT, 815er we’ve heard so much about
• DAN NORTON, a lawyer after Kate and Aaron

What we learned:

• The Arrow was designed to research The Hostiles.
• The Dharma Initiative didn’t build the frozen wheel.
• Ben moved the island in time, not space.
• Sun and Widmore both want Ben dead.
• Sayid brings Hurley to one of Ben’s safehouses.
• Daniel says the past can’t be changed.
• Daniel was hired because he’s been researching The Dharma Initiative.
• The rules don’t apply to Desmond.

Questions:

• How did Daniel get back to the Dharma Days?
• If the island is time-traveling, why don’t The Others jump with it?
• Can the past be changed?
• When will Locke tell Richard about his gunshot wound?
• Why don’t the rules apply to Desmond?
• Who is Daniel’s mother?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• I think we haven’t seen the last of The Orchid. Though The Swan gets a lot of play with the Jughead plan, The Orchid can actually time travel. Is this how they’ll save Jacob?
• Daniel says that “whatever happened, happened.” But the entirety of the Jughead plan hinges upon Daniel being wrong. Is he?