Amy Smashes Through The Looking Glass: Jack, Jacob & Christian

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Jack, Jacob & Christian (posted 7/22/2009)

This [edited] post is part of a LOST Rehab Theory I worked on after “The Incident” (LOST Season 5 finale).  I’m reposting part of it here because I think it’s necessary background info for  ”Lighthouse” (Ep. 6.06), the Jack-centered show which is now on of my FAVORITES because it is PERFECT in EVERY WAY!!

Background info on Jack and Christian is useful for my (forthcoming) analysis of “The Lighthouse.”  Enjoy!

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Let’s take a closer look at JACK (of course, since he’s my FAVorite).

Recap:

Jack’s solo surgery hits a snag (that darn dural sack), and he starts to panic. Christian, standing nearby, tells him to calm down, count to 5 and “fix her, before I have to fix her for you.” After surgery, Jack berates his dad for humiliating him because “They think I got this residency because you’re my father,” and “I know you don’t believe in me, but I need them to.” Christian quips, “Maybe I’m not the one who doesn’t believe in you, Jack,” and toodles off with this coffee.

Then Jack encounters Jacob. Jacob is holding out TWO CANDY BARS at first, and then holds out ONE CANDY BAR to Jack, touching his fingers during the hand off. Jack toodles off, looking much happier and amazed (maybe chocolate makes everything better?).

Review:

This event is recounted by Jack to Kate as she sews him up right after the crash. The story becomes his testimony to her about how to deal with fear. His solution, to “let the fear in” but only for five seconds, is his own – no mention of Christian’s participation.

The primary reason put forth to explain the discrepancy is that Jack lied to Kate to calm her down, to impress her (not really necessary after the shirt comes off, I’d argue), to befriend her, or to maybe get a cult going. The problem with this is the lack of evidence that Jack would just randomly lie. In Season 1 especially, Jack is a nuts and bolts guy who never lies and gets really upset when others lie to him (Kate and Locke especially).

Another reason offered is that Jack is purposely disrespecting his dad. The lie is merely “Paternal Conflict Syndrome.” I couldn’t find any evidence about that either although I did notice something that I never noticed before.

Except for telling Kate that his father died in Sydney and the Sawyer Red Socks Story, in six years of the show, anytime Jack is on the island, he NEVER mentions his dad to anyone. EVER. Not to Juliet, not to Ben, not to anyone. He doesn’t tell anyone that he’s seen his dad walking around on the island (only that he’s chasing someone who’s “not there”). He doesn’t tell anyone that he found the coffin empty (before bashing it to bits).

Darlton MADE SURE to show us Jack’s Solo Surgery Scene + Christian.  Why?  What questions does it answer about Jack?

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Let’s look at Jack/Christian events more closely.

1. Christian tells a young Jack that he can watch a young patient die on the table and wash his hands and come home (and drink lots) because he “has what it takes.” He tells Jack, don’t be the hero because “when you fail – you just don’t have what it takes.”
2. Christian tells Jack to make sure and give his patient (with a crushed back) some hope. Jack calls it “false hope.” Christian says, “It’s still hope.”
3. Christian tells Jack that marrying the wife was “absolutely the right thing to do” when he gives Jack the watch (Missing Pieces). Before Jack’s wedding, Christian joins him at the pool and tells him “commitment is what makes you tick” even though Jack has “trouble letting go” (FYI: I never did figure out how that makes ANY sense).
4. Christian comforts Jack when the Italian guy croaks, and admonishes him to go home (to his wife) and ignore the charms of the Italian guy’s stunningly beautiful daughter.
5. Christian tells Jack to “let it go” when Jack stalks his wife after she leaves him. Jack attacks Christian at an AA meeting, accusing him of sleeping with the wife. Christian, drunk off his ass, calls the wife to bail Jack outta jail.
6. Christian stands by while Jack tries to save a woman’s life. They argue over who will bear responsibility for her death. Jack says the nurse came and got him because Christian’s hands were shaking. Christian says, if you were upstairs then why did they call me while I was (drinking lots) at lunch?
7. Christian convinces Jack to lie about the surgery. Jack see him “lie” to the woman’s father. Jack DOES lie, until he realizes that the woman was pregnant. Then he confesses everything.
8. Jack’s mom convinces him to go after Christian. He finds a hotel room with all Christian’s belongings. Jack defends Christian when the bellman reports that Christian got in a fight at the hotel bar and was too drunk to rent a car.
9. Jack identifies Christian’s body. He weeps.
10. Jack sees Christian on the island (and chases him). He finds the empty coffin.
11. Jack sees Christian in his office lobby (right after he and Kate get engaged) right before he spirals into Junkie Jack. Half-way to Junkie Jack, Jack tells lock that “none of it was real.”
12. Junkie Jack tells the young doctor to “go find my father” and tells the pharmacist that Christian wrote him an Oxycontin prescription.

After examining all of these interactions VISUALLY, I started to notice something weird. Prior to “The Incident:”

• Except for the AA meeting, the review board and the Italian guy (and superhot daughter), Jack and Christian are ALWAYS alone.
• Except for the dead wife’s husband and the Italian guy (and superhot daughter), Christian does not interact with ANYONE else when Jack is around.

AND

• Except for poolside before Jack’s wedding, Jack NEVER drinks when Christian is around and ALWAYS drinks when he’s by himself.

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In fact, Jack is drinking pretty much every time we see him off the island. He drinks on Oceanic 815. He sneaks vodka from the stewardess. He’s drinking at the airport bar. He’s drinking before his wedding. He’s drinking (LOTS) before he breaks up with Kate.

Characters off island mention his drinking twice. When the ex shows up after Junkie Jack’s pre-suicide heroics, she specifically asks him if he’s started drinking again. He denies it with a laugh (I don’t need to drink, honey! I’m already doped outta my head! I LUUUV me some oxycontin!). When Junkie Jack wants to operate on the woman he rescued, the young (very cute) doctor tells him to “go have a drink. You’ve earned it.”

However, ON island, Jack’s pretty sober. He tells Kate to “save some for me” when she pours vodka on her hands. She gives him a bizarre look, and he quickly and sheepishly says, “for the wound.” Jack has access to all the drugs on the island, heroin too, and never touches it. (Did it bother anyone else that Jack knew how to cook heroin for consumption?) Juliet downs the Dharma Rum and Sawyer throws back warm Dharma beers, but not Jack.

Weird, right?

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Did you see “Sixth Sense?” When did you figure out Bruce Willis’s character was dead? Were you totally surprised at the end? Did you watch that movie again, perhaps with someone who’s never seen in? Did you “see” how you were visually tricked in to believing he was still alive? (I figured out he was dead when his wife didn’t yell at him for missing their anniversary dinner. Duh!)

Review all the Jack/Christian moments above, and it makes sense. For MOST of them, it’s completely feasible that Christian isn’t there. In surgery, no one looks or notices him (both times). He sits alone at Jack’s wedding. When they are arguing about what Jack should do or not do, they are alone.

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Jack admires, hates and resents his father.  Christian was “hard on him” to turn him into a gifted surgeon, but told him nearly from birth that he “didn’t have what it takes.”  Christian’s disapproval became the source of all doubt, fear and self-loathing in Jack.

But WHAT IF:   Jack’s father is internal, ANOTHER PERSONALITY, the one that will “fix her for you” if he can’t do it?

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With that in mind, Junkie Jack’s behavior at the pharmacy makes a lot more sense.  He tries to use a prescription written by “Dr. Christian Shephard” after the pharmacist tells him he can’t write his own.  He makes excuses when she wants to talk to Christian (“He’s outta town”) then FREAKS when she tries to call the number (she was challenging his delusion-that tends to freak these guys out because their delusions are their reality. When you challenge them, you are crumbling the world around them that they trust and believe in as real).  His irrational outburst, the self medicating & booze and just the general look of the moment speak volumes to his mental instability.  His delusional behavior at the hospital (wanting to operate on the woman he saved, telling Dr. Cutie Pie to go find Christian) and Dr. Cutie Pie’s gentle redirection (from operating) and pity (which Jack REALLY doesn’t appreciate) also makes more sense.   Junkie Jack says, “Do you know how many YEARS I’ve worked at this hospital?” which makes no kinda sense to me.

Jack’s mind is literally split down the middle, and he is unable to accept responsibility for his behavior: he puts it on Christian.

This ALSO makes Jack’s interaction with his WIFE, Sarah, fairly interesting upon review.  Her mantra: “It only matters who you’re not.”  Um, pretty obvious in hindsight, right?

Also, before Jack embarks on Male Self Defeating Behavior # 23 [purposely drinking when you're not supposed to in front of your girlfriend then acting like a COMPLETE ass for no good reason], he sees Christian in the lobby of his building.  He’s completely freaked, then specifically asks a colleague for anti psychotics.  Why?

All of these things would makes sense if Christian’s behavior was how Jack behaved.  And if Jack stuck to his delusional guns about his Dad actually existing.  (No wonder everyone is so freaked by Junkie Jack’s hoe down!)

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That’s why I think the island is a subconscious, directed-dreaming world, much like the one I described for Jane. I think that Jack is suppose to BURY HIS FATHER, that is, realistically let go of the extra personality. One clue supporting this is his father’s watch. Is Jack wearing that watch when he lands on the island? NO. When does it appear? (Anyone? I’m away from my DVD’s at the moment). We know that he re-lands on the island with a DIFFERENT watch on (with a note from Locke instead of booze).

Remember Locke’s peyote-smokehouse-bloody-Boone vision? Boone wheels Locke through an airport. Jack is lined up at security with a few of our losties while Ben wands him. What does Jack do? HE TAKES OFF THE WATCH.

If the airplane is a symbolic transitional device, which makes sense for hypnosis or “decent” into the subconscious, then taking off that watch before getting on the plane would be symbolically significant as well. (If you’re balking, consider this: hypnosis often begins with prompting the patient to visualize opening a door or decending a staircase—some symbolic way to begin the (also prompted) directed dreaming or visualization.

Oh, and one more thing. Locke’s body is in his coffin when they hit the island. If Christian was real, then his body would be in that coffin when Jack opens it. Why do you think Jack is so pissed off when he can’t find it?

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Jacob’s Touch Revised

Remember the candy in Jacob’s hand? First he has TWO, then he has ONE which he hands to Jack. It doesn’t happen magically, he moves one bar to the other hand, but the symbol is there.

When Christian approaches Jack in the hallway, he yells right in the ear of a man on a cell phone. That man doesn’t flinch or move away or anything. Also, when Christian leaves Jack alone, the coffee in the coffeepot is at the same level it was before Christian had a cup.

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[I'll be using a lot of this information for examining "Lighthouse," but until I get there (VERY soon), can you think of any OTHER reason there's two versions of Jack's solo surgery story?  Interesting, right?]

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