"I Hear Dead People"

Obviously this episode's title, "Some Like it Hoth," refers to the planet Hoth, the snow and ice covered world that hosts the opening fight sequence in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Um, duh!

Okay, maybe I only know that because I consulted wikipedia; I'm not a Star Wars fan. At all. But apparently, I'm a little more Star Wars-savvy than one Miles Straume.

In fact, that might have been the most unrealistic element of this episode—when Miles is reading Hurley's version of The Empire Strikes Back, and he has to ask, "What is this?" You mean to tell me that he didn't even recognize Chewbacca's name? I mean, how could Miles be so completely oblivious? What, was he born on some isolated island in the south pacific, or something?

Well, as a matter of fact...

...but we'll get to that in a bit.

Season 5: Episode 13—“Some Like it Hoth”:

LOST always makes me wish I had a DVR or Tivo. Usually because I'm transcribing as much dialogue as I can and the ability to rewind or pause would make my life considerably easier. But this week, my dilemma was even more significant. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I missed a couple minutes of the opening sequence. (*hangs head*) Barbie tells me I missed just a little bit of cute-kid Miles, but I did get to the living room in time to see little Miles making his dual discovery: a dead body and his ability to "hear" the dead man talking to him.

Later in life, when Miles' mother is dying, Miles asks her to tell him about his abilities and his father. She says nothing about his abilities, but says Miles' daddy has been dead a long time.

Miles: Where’s his body?
Mother: Somewhere you could never go.

Hmmm, could it be "the island"? Or some place even harder to reach? (If that's possible.)

Confirming the suspicions of many, this episode goes on to reveal that Miles' papa is Pierre Chang. And near the end of the episode, we see him reading a children's book to 3-month-old Miles, but then his phone rang and he had to go pick up the team of scientists from the dock (more on that later). I think this scene was included to show us that Pierre did care about his young'un, but Dharma work kept getting in the way. A workaholic father? Maybe. Or maybe just one who is part of something so vitally important that the best way he can care for his wife and son is by continuing the Dharma mission, including his classified activities in the Orchid Station. As a result of that, maybe Mama Chang (Lara is her name) thinks Pierre didn't care about her and Miles.

Maybe. Or maybe Pierre told her to leave the island for her own safety and the safety of their boy. (Her exact words were: "Your father...kicked us out when you were just a baby." Hmmm, "kicked us out"? I'd think a father who didn't care about his family would just leave. But kicking them out? Interesting word choice. Almost as if he were sending them away...wait for it...for their own good.)

Maybe Pierre couldn't tell his wife the real reason (he does seem to take that "classified" stuff pretty seriously), and maybe she's bitter/resentful, completely unaware that he was protecting her and Miles. Or, maybe she's lying to Miles. Trying to protect him.

After all, remember how Daniel Faraday told a young Charlotte she would die if she ever returned to the island? Maybe Pierre believed the same thing would happen to Miles. So Miles' mama concocted the whole "Your dad never cared about us...he's somewhere you can't go...he never cared...yada yada" story so Miles wouldn't go looking for his dad.

Who knows, Pierre Chang might still be alive somewhere (or alive in some time). Unlike Roger Linus and Horace, we don't see a dead Pierre Chang following the Purge.

But back to pre-island Miles...

As we'd already seen in at least one past episode, Miles uses his special ability and his entrepreneurial instincts (otherwise known, in this case, as "greed") to launch a lucrative ghost-whispering business. Apparently he's taken out an ad that says he can talk to dead people any time or any place or anyhow, way, what, where, when, why, or something like that...(unless they've been cremated, but that detail was probably buried in the fine print.)

After he meets with a new client, Mr. Gray, Naomi approaches him and takes him to a restaurant, but not to the dinner for which Miles was hoping. Instead, she presents him with a dead body and says it will be Miles' "audition."

Miles is prepared to walk out, but then Naomi tosses him a wad of cash. Then, not surprisingly, Miles decides it's game on.

Miles passes Naomi's test by revealing that the dead guy was a man named Felix who was trying to deliver "a bunch of papers, photos, pictures...of empty graves, a purchase order for an old airplane..." to a "guy named Wid...More."

That information helped him pass her test, but I want to know whether or not Naomi already knew that information. I also want to know if he learned anything from Felix that he didn't share. Like, maybe, how the guy died?

Oh, by the way, Naomi also said something to the effect of:

"I’m leading an expedition to an island, and on that island is a man who’s going to be very difficult to find. This island has a number of deceased individuals residing on it, and since this man is responsible for their being deceased…they might have some things to say that will help us find him."

I didn't get that quote down verbatim, but I know Naomi said that there are "deceased individuals residing on that island." Aside from the irony of "dead people residing..." this comment also piqued my interest because it begs this question: How does Naomi know these things? Maybe it's common knowledge that Ben has killed "a number of" people. But if Naomi is working for Widmore (we can assume this, right? After all, she was hired by Matthew Abaddon), I'm wondering if Widmore might have (or might have previously had) an on-island spy. Unless Ben killed people prior to Widmore's departure. Like, for instance, the Dharma Initiative. I just confused myself. Moving on...

Sometime after his rendezvous with Naomi, Miles buys a fish taco...and promptly gets jumped by some guys in a van. The guy who does all the talking introduces himself as Bram. I didn't realize it until after the episode ended, but this is the same Bram we saw working with Ilana on Sidekick (Hydra) Island in the last episode. So this Bram guy eventually gets to the island via Ajira 316. Worth remembering, methinks.

Bram tells Miles they had to do it this way because Miles' place is being watched, and then he tells Miles they're trying to convince him not to work for Widmore. Miles wants money, but Bram drives a hard bargain—offering our ghost-buster zilch. Bram does say, however, that if Miles will come with them, he'll learn why he has that gift and get details about his father. Oh yeah, and then he asks Miles if he knows "what lies in the shadow of the statue." Miles, of course, does not. Which, according to Bram, means he's "not ready to go to the island."

(Timeout: We know Bram and Ilana are working together. And they're both privy to knowledge about what lies in the statue's shadow. But who are they working for? Ben? That's my main thought, but I know others are suggesting a third party. Maybe Mrs. Hawking. Maybe a reconstituted Dharma Initiative. And now, after typing that, I think I'm leaning toward a new DI. Widmore and Ben are rivals warring for the same thing—kids playing King of the Hill. Dharma is the group trying to build laboratories and polar bear cages on that hill. So while Widmore and Ben will be enemies, I'm beginning to think we're seeing a mutual enemy of theirs creeping back into the picture...but we'll see. Want evidence that Bram might have Dharma ties: well, he just told Miles he can reveal how Miles has his special abilities, plus details about his father. His daddy was a Dharma man—a higher-up, too. Maybe Dharma is somehow responsible for Miles' gifts. Seems plausible to me, anyway. Need more evidence to support the idea of a reconstituted Dharma Initiative? If you haven't seen it already, watch the Comic-Con video from last summer. I included it at the end of this post.)

As we know, Miles does go to the island with Widmore's team. And then he ends up in 1977, working for the Dharma Initiative.

In this episode, the first thing we see Miles doing in 1977 is talking to Sawyer LaFleur via walkie-talkie. Sawyer asks him to delete the tapes that show him and Kate ushering baby Ben out of the Dharma compound. Miles complies, but not without a few questions and a bit of attitude. (And as we learn later, Miles might not have done a good enough job of clearing those tapes.)

Miles then lies to Horace to cover for Sawyer's absence, so Horace is forced to bring Miles into his "circle of trust." (Didn't this guy have any confidants prior to the arrival of Sawyer and Miles?) So Miles goes on a mission into Hostile territory—where Dharma is building the Swan. He takes something (which turns out to be a bodybag) and is given something (a dead body for the bag) to take back with him.

In a delightful turn of events, Miles has to carpool with Hurley out to the Orchid Station (which is where Horace had instructed him to take the body). I loved the dialogue on the ride there. First, Hurley is writing in his journal and he asks Miles how to spell "bounty hunter." My first thought was that Hurley had obtained some sort of knowledge of Ilana, which I'm sure is what the writers wanted me to think. But no, Hurley is just writing an improved version of The Empire Strikes Back to save George Lucas the trouble. Ha.

Meanwhile, Roger discovers that Ben is missing. And Juliet does a superb job of lying to him. And then she turns to Kate and, so matter-of-factly, says, "Well...here we go." Maybe I'm wrong, but it seemed like Kate was just a little bit disgusted by how easy it was for Juliet to lie to Roger. Or maybe it's because Juliet didn't seem the least bit bothered by Roger's concern for his missing son.

Roger said he went to call security, but we never really saw much of a response to Ben's absence. You'd think the abduction of a dying kid would be the kind of thing that would bring everyone out of their little Dharma house...but I guess not. (If they don't care when one of their kids gets shot and then abducted, well, maybe they deserve to get purged. Yeah, I said it.)

We don't see anyone concerned with Ben's absence until the very end when Phil brings a tape to Sawyer, one that reveals that Sawyer was the one responsible:

Sawyer: I got a perfectly good explanation for what you saw on that tape.
Phil: I sure as hell hope so.
Sawyer: You talk to Horace yet?
Phil: No. I thought that after three years of working together, I'd give you the benefit of the doubt—
[Sawyer shuts the door to his house, then spins and knocks Phil out with one punch. Phil lands on the floor, unconscious.]
Sawyer to Juliet: Get some rope. [Sighs]

So Sawyer and Juliet are both jeopardizing their Dharma lifestyle to cover up their actions. I suppose they had no choice, but I am wondering what's to become of Phil. If he lives, I think he will have learned a valuable lesson: Sawyer really doesn't deserve the "benefit of the doubt."

Kate finds Roger sitting on the swingset drinking Dharma Lite, and she sits down to have a brewski with him. But when she tries to tell him that she's sure Ben will be alright, Roger gets suspicious and accuses her of being involved—or at least guilty of being too interested in his boy. The scene culminates with Kate walking away and Roger yelling after her: "You want to help, Kate? Why don’t you just mind your own business?"

And then, believe it or not, we finally see Jack fixing something! Then again, maybe he was just protecting Kate. Whatever his motive, Jack does his best to convince a concerned Roger that Kate "would never do anything to hurt Ben." Not only that, but Jack also goes to Sawyer's house so he can let the Head of Security know that Roger is suspicious of Kate. And then we got this very civil, respectful exchange:

Jack: I had a talk with Roger. I don't think he's gonna say anything to anyone for now. I just wanted you to know.
Sawyer: Yeah? Well... [sighs] thanks for filling me in, Doc.
Jack: No problem.

Wow, no sarcasm, no tension. That's nearly a first for Sawyer/Jack. It was nice. I think that scene, short as it was, says a lot about the new Jack. What it means for the coming episodes, I don't know. But I liked it.

I'm wondering what prompted Jack to go talk to Roger in the first place. As Roger said, the room wasn't part of Jack's rounds. Maybe Kate let Jack know she blew it, tipped him off? Of course, Kate would know that Jack is always there to help her (unless, of course, she's asking him to save Ben's life again. That's where the "Good Doc" draws the line).

Over at the Orchid station, Miles and Hurley show up bearing their dead guy and sandwiches, and Pierre Chang greets them by saying, "We're ready for him." (ready for the dead body?) This is especially interesting considering Pierre's words just a little while later when they're leaving the Orchid:

Miles: What happened to the body?
Dr. Chang: What body?

Methinks we have some mysterious happenings at the Orchid. Which could also be why Pierre Chang was so quick to threaten Hurley with a job hauling polar bear poo. Interesting that Dr. Chang didn't threaten Miles with any consequences...I guess the inclusion into the "circle of trust" is both complete and instantaneous.

After this scene, we see Hurley playing two new roles. First, he was the not-so-subtle family therapist. It's a tough job, though, considering the distant father doesn't know he is the father and the son is resistant, snarky, and in denial. So what we end up with is Hurley asking ridiculously pointed questions like, "That's your name, too. Right, Miles?" Followed by, "We should all... get together for a beer sometime. How awesome would that be?"

Those lines are so great because Miles is hating every moment of it. But then the family therapy session comes to an abrupt halt when they arrive at the secret worksite for the Swan. Hurley sees them adding those oh-so-familiar serial numbers to the hatch door, and then he brings Miles up to speed on what happened/will happen in that hatch after their plane crash.

And then it's time for Hurley to play new role number 2: specialist in Star Wars-style psychotherapy. I thought it was funny. And I suspect actual Star Wars fans probably enjoyed it even more than I:

Miles: I never knew him. And I don't want to. It's not happening.
Hurley: That was Luke's attitude, too.
Miles: What?
Hurley: In Empire, Luke found out Vader was his father, but instead of putting away his lightsaber and talking about it, he overreacted and got his hand cut off.
Hurley: I mean, they worked it out eventually, but at what cost? Another Death Star was destroyed, Boba Fett got eaten by the Sarlacc, and we got the Ewoks. It all could've been avoided if they'd just, you know, communicated. And let's face it. The Ewoks sucked, dude.

Other odds and ends:

—Miles says his mother lined up behind him in the cafeteria on his third day there. That was his "first clue" that Pierre Chang is his father.

—Pierre Chang refers to the Polar Bears and the Hydra Station, calling those activities "ridiculous experiments." Hmmmm. Not a fan of zoology, Dr. Chang?

—Miles is able to see baby Miles, so they're co-existing on the island at the same time: 3-month-old Miles and roughly 31-year-old Miles.

—The episode concludes with the arrival of scientists from Ann Arbor, which is where the DI headquarters are located. Oh yeah, and Daniel Faraday is part of that team...and he recognizes Miles.

Summary:

I enjoyed learning more about Miles Straume. And I liked seeing Jack doing something admirable; it's been too long. I also enjoyed seeing Sawyer hit Phil. I'm not sure that was admirable, but I enjoyed it. It was also good to get confirmation about Pierre Chang being Miles' father.

But the most intriguing developments were these three:

3) Daniel Faraday is back!

2) Our time-travelers can co-exist in the same place with a younger version of themselves (which destroys the theories that Ben couldn't flash back to 1977 because a younger version of himself was already there...and subsequently destroys the theories that younger versions of Sun, Frank, and Locke might be on the island circa 1977...or maybe it doesn't debunk those theories, since Miles came to the island in 1974, but baby Miles wasn't born for another 2-3 years. So maybe we don't know for sure...but hey, we at least know that Miles' birth didn't make baby Miles or older Miles blink out of existence. Miles, as far as we know, hasn't had even as much as a nosebleed.)

1) Bram, the Ajira 316 passenger, was working for someone (and against Widmore) prior to his island arrival, and he asks Miles that same question: "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Whatever this means, I think it definitely sets the stage for what is to come (war, anyone?).

New Characters (introduced or referenced):

Lara Chang—Miles’ mother and Pierre’s wife.

Trevor—the landlord who rents an apartment to Miles' mother, Lara.

Mr. Vonner—dead guy in the beginning (Miles heard him calling for his wife, Kimberly, even though Kimberly died the year before).

Alvarez—the Dharma worker who had a filling pulled through his brain while daydreaming about a woman named Andrea.

Bram–not new, but suddenly his role is more pronounced. And he had a van full of lackeys in Miles' flashback.

Mr. Gray—man who paid Miles to find out if his son, Russell, knew that he loved him.


Glenn—the Dharma worker who read the serial number that needed to be printed on the hatch.

Felix—dead guy who had been delivering something to Widmore.

Evelyn—Lara Chang’s caretaker.

Scientists from Ann Arbor—they arrive by sub, and Daniel Faraday is one of them. And considering their point of origin (from a city that houses such a vile university), I immediately knew these people could not be trusted.

Character Development (in 10 words or less):

Roger Linus: suspicious of Kate

Jack Shephard: Protecting Kate, respectful to Sawyer—I like

Sawyer and Juliet: Covering their tracks and watching their backs.

Pierre Chang: Miles' daddy.

Radzinsky: Still a jerk—annoying

Naomi: Bringing her team together. Knowledgeable. Professional. Skilled. Scary.


Top 10 Quotes:

10) Miles (to Radzinsky): Horace sent me instead. [pause] I'm in the circle of trust.

9) Pierre Chang: You say a word, Hurley…
Hurley: Polar bear poop, got it!

8) Bram: Do you know what lies in the shadow of the statue?
Miles: No, I can’t say I do.
Bram: Then you’re not ready to go to that island.

7) Bram: You’re playing for the wrong team.
Miles: Oh yeah, what team are you on?
Bram: The one that’s going to win.

6) Hurley: Maybe he’ll let you hold baby you, or you can change your own diaper.

5) Hurley: That's how it works for me.
Miles: Great. I'm happy for you.
Hurley: You're just jealous my powers are better than yours.

4) Horace on phone: Pierre, if it was caused by the electromagnetism, we need to know. (Note: I assume this is a reference to Alvarez, the Dharma worker who had a filling pulled out of his mouth and through his brain, killing him. It also implies that Horace might not be privy to all of Pierre Chang's "classified" info.)

3) Hurley: That guy is a real douche.
Miles: That douche is my dad.

2) Daniel Faraday: Hey, Miles. Long time no see.

1) Hurley: We can carpool. It will help with global warming, which hasn’t happened yet. So maybe we can prevent it.

Questions:

1)How does Naomi know that the island has dead people "residing" on it? Even if Widmore hired her (which it seems he did), how would he know? Is this a reference to the Purged DIs? When I heard this, I assumed "residing" meant walking around, interacting with living people (like Christian Shepherd, Yemi, Ben's mom...), but maybe "residing" just meant their bodies are still on the island. If it's the latter, this question is much less intriguing.

2)So if Miles is the son of Pierre Chang, why is his last name "Straume"? His mom's maiden name? Or did he change it? Maybe it's irrelevant, but given the seemingly endless connections between characters and the significance of names on this show, I always prefer to assume there's an underlying reason. Your thoughts?

3)Daniel Faraday? So many questions...

4)Did Ilana come to the island knowing the question, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Or is her partnership with Bram a new development? Maybe Bram told her to ask people that question so he can tell who's on his side? I'm asking this only because my first reaction was that Bram and Ilana must have been in cahoots prior to the Ajira 316 crash. But it would be just like LOST to mislead us by showing Ilana asking the question first when in fact, chronologically, it's Bram who firsts asks that question. And Ilana could be more of a lackey than "Dead is Dead" may have suggested. I don't know, but I'm going to keep it in mind.

5)Was Miles born on the island? We see him there as a three-month-old, but on a show that has focused so much on the infertility issues on that island, this omission could be quite relevant. In 1977, Ethan was born on the island. Alex was born on the island in 1988. In 2004, Aaron was born on the island. Those are the only on-island births we've seen. I suppose we can assume Miles was born on the island (or taken to the mainland for the operation), but are there any other possibilities here?

6)Pierre Chang: Dead? Living in another time period? Working in Ann Arbor? If dead, was it due to the Purge? Something else?

7)Maybe I'm looking too deeply, but why did they need to add serial numbers to the Hatch? That seems like something that would be added on a production line, not during the installation process. Once you're building it, what's the point of adding serial numbers to a part...unless they're planning to build more than one of these hatches...? Is that a stretch? Trying too hard? Yeah, maybe.


Video from Comic-Con 2008:

According to Lostpedia, this video was filmed in 1978 (Feel free to skip the first 50 seconds or so...and the end):



If the right side is a little cropped off on your screen (as it is on mine) I apologize, but I don't know how to fix it.