Lost - The Variable

The Life and Death of Daniel Farraday

*** / ****

Daniel is going over all of his research, all the physics, the time-space complexities that have shaped his life and career, with Kate and Jack deep in the jungle before drawing near to the camp of Alpert and the “hostiles” arriving at a potential conclusion that the variables (people) might could alter the “what happened, happened” mantra he adopted, considering that through all his tests and experiments no matter what he (or anyone else) could try to do in action or word to fix matters regarding Dharma and the island, nothing would change the inevitable. Yes, the episode establishes that Eloise and Charles were the parents of Daniel, quite instrumental in his activities on and off the island. Despite the nudges in influencing Daniel to continue his experiments, go to the island, work through all the calculations, put education before the joys of life and love, his parents ultimately cost him his life. In 1977, in a time where he doesn’t truly belong (or does he?), Daniel Farraday is killed by the younger version of his mother in the camp of the Others…the tragic irony of that, eh? So ultimately, despite the change of mind regarding altering outcomes and perhaps repairing the future (stop Dharma from tapping into the electromagnetic field where The Swan is being prepared for construction, as the dig into the spot will release “catastrophic energy”), his own mother will shoot him dead before he can carry out plans to set off the H-bomb buried in order to destroy the energy set to cause so many problems on the island. The extraordinary story involving how younger and older versions of Charles and Eloise serve to influence island developments by way of their son is a lot to unpack, for sure, and the episode does what it can to give us a great deal of information, along with tying close to the vest with other episodes already involving Daniel. That Desmond’s story is also included makes sense considering the two are so intertwined within the time travel narrative, as Eloise heavily continued working to direct them in the course both were seemingly fated. That whole “fate against free will” theme that has permeated every single episode of Lost once again is quite apropos…inevitably, despite all Daniel’s attempts to stop the release of the energy—whether attempting to talk sense into Dr. Chang and Miles or going directly into the camp of Alpert to gain access to the buried bomb—it is his own mother who will stop him. She watches as her older son’s life leaves him, while nothing appears to have upset Chang’s ongoing mission to build The Swan. Desmond at least survives the bullet that Ben plugged him and got to once again kiss a relieved Penny in the hospital, Eloise leaving them with regret that her involvement in their situation was considerate. The episode continued to show how Eloise and Charles were there time and again to provoke Daniel towards his destiny (or was it his destiny to die? was he right about “what happens, happens”?), even as the results are their son’s death.

Note from mother inside journal gift key to all Daniel's time notes

Farraday before he commits to the destined time travel experiments

Farraday and young Charlotte

Farraday playing piano one more time, considered a distraction like Theresa by Eloise

Trying to explain "the variable" to Jack

Group meeting

An audience willing to listen unlike Dr. Chang, Sawyer, and Miles

Jack and Kate accompanying Daniel to the camp of the Others recognizes that they agree with him that they don’t belong in 1977 and want to return to their own time. Sawyer and Juliet realize, much to their disappointment, that three years of real satisfaction together within the Dharma lifestyle had met its end, with Radzinsky arriving at their home with a gun and gunmen, soon discovering Phil tied up in a cabinet. So now Sawyer and Juliet are held captive with some explaining to do. Radzinsky has surfaced as the resident Dharma asshole, not exactly so “Namaste” as his peers. In fact, many among the Dharma community are not what they appear in their welcoming videos to fresh recruits that might come to the island. Radzinsky and his men arrive to find Dan, Jack, and Kate with guns and preparation to leave. Gunfight and fuel explosion reactions result.  Hurley, Jin and Miles, meanwhile, have plenty of problems to consider themselves. It is all a big mess, and despite Daniel talking to young Charlotte about getting off the island and listening to his parents who urge him to end up right where he does, what happens will more than likely inevitably happen.
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1_Davies has not always been an actor I enjoy. Whether it was his whispery, off-kilter style in Soderbergh's Solaris rendition or his similar didatic approach to a filmmaker in CQ, he's often annoyed me. But as Daniel Farraday, I will miss him.