I am going to preface this by saying that this episode really makes me mad that this story was on TV. Had it been a book, they could present whatever story they wanted and wouldn't have to worry about Malcolm David Kelley growing. (And by the way, I would have been FINE with a 20 year old looking 13 year old on the island. Stranger things have happened there!) Since they totally sent Walt's story on a boat, it makes me feel that this episode was slightly pointless. They were going to do something awesome with him and I'm sad we never got to see it. Was the epilogue really the long-story-short of it? I know we will never really know but, it is so much fun to theorize. Even though it also makes me mad. Haha.
This episode opens us with Michael looking for Walt, as usual. Michael finds him. He was with Locke, opening up his mind. This to me is more important than throwing the knives. We see Walt manipulate his environment several times before this. A good example is Michael telling him that he will look for Vincent when the rain stops. And then, the rain stops. We also see it a little bit here in the flashback with Walt's mother and the bird. Locke tells Walt to see it in "your mind's eye." And when he does that the knife goes into the tree. How does this happen and how does Locke know he is "different", as he says to Michael?
I have an idea about this. So, it is my opinion, based on the epilogue, that Walt returns to the island and is groomed to be the new protector. Thus, allowing Hurley to eventually move on. I am talking maybe several hundred of years later. Walt has these weird and unique powers because of his status as protector. It was obvious Jacob had powers. He can control the magic box (on and off the island) because he could always control the magic box. He can appear places he shouldn't because he always could. He can appear on the island as a child at different times, similar to Jacob. Walt wasn't at the church because he has never died. Maybe time and space doesn't affect Walt because of this. I'm probably entirely wrong, but it makes me feel better about Walt and this story line with this in mind.
So, now that I have gotten my explanation of how Walt isn't entirely pointless to me, I want to get a few of the awesome things that did happen in this episode discussed. It was a Walt/Michael-centric story but the central themes that are always there were there. The messed up parent situations were there. Letting go is always there. There is a little bit more letting go in this episode. Last week I should have called that Lost Axiom #6. There is too much letting go in this show for it to go unnoticed.
Here we have Michael let go, unwillingly, of baby Walt to Walt's mother. And then Michael lets go of Walt a little bit more after the polar bear incident. But he never really can let go of Walt entirely. Maybe that is what is keeping him on the island as a whisper and not really the Libby/Ana Lucia stuff. Maybe Walt will go back to the island to help Michael with letting go. And then we have Boone, graduate of Lockepaste University, now free of Shannon's manipulation. The best part of letting go is being able to ignore that thing that gave you so much trouble and feel good about doing it. I was really proud of Boone here. Totally awesome moment.
I kind of want to get back to what Locke said - "using your mind's eye." Walt says he saw the knife go into the tree "like it was real." Strange things happen on this island based on people's memories. This is true and real. From Walt's knife throwing to Richard's Isabella appearing to Hurley. And after watching this episode, now that the show is entirely over, I kind of want to focus a little bit on why this is going on. The first few episodes I thought that it was just MIB playing tricks on them. But maybe it isn't that at all, maybe it is the island giving them something "special", allowing them to experience things to let go and move on. Almost like the island is a third force in this light v. dark game. I don't know if my ideas on this are changing or not, I just need more evidence.
The more I get through these episodes, the more I am starting to feel disconnected to the end of the series. Not that this is a bad thing, but I think that we are starting to head into their uncharted TV land territory. The part that had no real plans. I think that it will stick to the central themes of the story, but I think that most really apparent Season 6 reflections will kind of fade out at this point. But that is ok. This show was filled with a lot of mystery and now that it is over, I can't wait to see how much of it will connect. I came into this with no theory to prove. My ideas that I have about a certain thing may change as it goes on. I'm watching it with new eyes now. I just want Lost to make sense to me.
