Stranger in a Strange Land--A sociopolitical analysis

[spicedogs]

A lot of people will think that the episode "Stranger in a Strange Land" downright bad. Not I, I think this episode will be a very pivotal episode that will change how we think of the Others, the LOSTies, and maybe our lives in general.

This episode made me start thinking that maybe I am not watching the show with the right attitude. I think that LOST also touches upon social commentaries about us and the world around us.

Throughout the two completed seasons and now, as the third season unfolds, I always got the idea that the show has some religious-based message, some sci-fi undertones, and something else. I couldn’t put my finger on the something else. The "Stranger in a Strange Land" episode just clenched it for me.

Of course, as any theory that anybody develops about LOST, mine may be shot down to oblivion once the next episode comes along. However, I think I will get to keep this theory for a while, as it has been lurking in my thoughts for a while now.

In the scene whereupon Sawyer and Kate ask Karl about the kidnappings, Karl reveals that the children are taken and given a better life than the LOSTies have. I got the impression that Karl was very condescending, and the my-life-is-better-than-your-life attitude was very prevalent. I got the same impression from Goodwin when, in he beginning of Season 2, he told Ana Lucia that the kidnapped children are in a better place now. We may think, while watching, that perhaps the children were taken off to a place with plumbing, food supply, medical attention, etc. Hence, they are better off. Not I, I took the message to mean something very demeaning, and I thought I was just being supersensitive.

Then I heard Godwin and Henry say that they are the "Good Guys." The two statements “better off” and “Good Guys” got me thinking. And the condescending remark coming from someone who has been beaten by his own people (Karl), clinched it for me. We should view LOST as a political commentary as well.

Don’t all countries have the attitude "We are better than others"? For example, let us look at our own backyard: Doesn't our government's administration attack other countries and “encourage” them to be a democratic society? Aren't we always positive about democracy being a better form of government? Don’t we consider ourselves to be the good guys, while we are bombing and killing people overseas? Don’t we find it hard to believe that anyone would consider us the enemies? Aren’t we arrogant enough to go to other countries, fiddle with their economy, and then cry out that they are the enemy when they rebel against us?

I know that what I am saying is not going to be taken very well, but I think that LOST is telling us something: In one of the beginning scenes, Jack is being moved from the aquarium to give room to Juliet, but he thinks he is being moved to be killed. Tom says, "What kind of people do you think we are, Jack?" To this, Jack replies, "I don't know, Tom. What kind of people would take a pregnant woman; hang Charlie from a tree; would drag our people out of the jungle; who'd kidnap our children? That's the kind of people I think you are." Tom walks over to the glass of the aquarium, taps it, and says, "You see this glass house you are living in Jack? How about I get you some stones?" So which side is guilty? Who is the bad guy? Who is the good guy?

Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s more to LOST than this social commentary. But I think that we should really look into the show’s deeper sociopolitico meaning.

All in all, I did like this show. It was not as spectacular as "Flashes before Your Eyes." But "Stranger in a Strange Land" did not give me the headaches I felt with "Flashes before Your Eyes." It did give me lots of things to think about. It satisfied my curiosity about the Others and how they live, their government. I got to see Ben (a character that I just adore). What more can I ask for?

Next week, we will see "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead," which is Hurleycentric and, chances are, will be a humorous episode.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Excellent comment on the Others' perspective, spicedogs. I actually found this to be a more intimate, if that's the right word, episode. It certainly wasn't as sweeping in terms of progressing the storyline as others, nor as revealing. But what made it enjoyable for me was the detailing.

• The new character, Isabel, with her bemused, condescending yet not completely dispassionate demeanor. For sure, I want to know more about her. I like her, even if she is a dangerous Other. She's smart, self-assured, well-rounded and keeps her focus. How come only the Others have smart women in key positions?

• Alex's little brat antics (knocking out the camera with a rock) are hilarious. Who of us can't remember how she might feel right now. Carl's story of the two looking at Ursus Theodoris is sweet. Those two are the real romeo and juliet of this show, IMO.

• Ben's "oh, no" expression and gestures when he sees Alex in the OR. I can almost hear him saying, " There is no easy or good way out of this one."

Tom's lines are never disappointing. Kudos to the writers and actor for making them come alive.

I also like the advancement of the Kate/Sawyer thread with the two falling out. Two bad everybody can't just agree to a polyandrous arrangement and have done with it.

Although I suspect Phuket plays a key role to the overall plot line, I found the flashback scenes a bit annoying. It is now time for Jack to set aside the clueless act or be forever branded as the stupidest man who ever earned an M.D.

[(Anonymous)]

Very interesting analysis on the show! Definitely delves into the realm of possibilies that the writers seem to be throwing in there!

Katie

www.katiescrazyride.com

[jade-melody.livejournal.com]

That was facinating! Thanks for bringing up issues that usually only float in the background of our minds. :)