From Jeff Jensen at EW.com:
''NO PLACE LIKE HOME'': THE LINK BETWEEN LOST AND THE WIZARD OF OZ
The Land of Oz is a magical place. It is a land of witches with wands and charmed slippers, of walking, talking tin men, scarecrows, and lions. But it is also a place where not everything is as enchanted as it seems. Indeed, it is a land where its all-powerful namesake deity is an illusion — mere smoke and mirrors, invented by a clever little man hiding behind a curtain, fooling a lot of people into believing a very big lie that distorts a proper understanding of their world.
The Island on Lost appears to be a lot like Oz — but how far does the comparison go? Supernatural phenomenon abounds: ghosts, time travel, miraculous healing, Smokey. Nonetheless, an ill wind of hucksterism blows through the jungle. See: the self-serving manipulations of Benjamin Linus and mind-game madness of the Dharma Initiative. The show's storytelling reflects the ambiguity of the Island, where meaningful allusions and coy red herrings combine to create a tricky text that's challenging (and great fun) to interpret. Lost loves to wink at its audience — and curiously, in L. Frank Baum's book, there's a section of Oz called ''Winkie Country.'' More curiously — or ominously — it's the part of Oz ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West.
The role of Dorothy has been split between Locke and Jack. Locke yearns for adventure somewhere over the rainbow; Jack is the one that gets to pine, ''There's no place like home.'' Locke, the walkabout explorer, gets the magic slippers — that is to say, his new legs. Jack, the hyper-responsible doctor, gets Dorothy's basket, which held apples, the Tin Man's oil can, and a blankie for Toto — a proverbial physician's bag of ointments and comfort.
But in the past two weeks, Locke has carried most of the Dorothy load. He's gone to Jacob's cabin, received a mission to move the Island, and traveled to the Orchid to complete the task — though first he'll have to get past Keamy and his goon squad. Translated into The Wizard of Oz, we've just seen Dorothy go to the Emerald City, leave with a mission to swipe the witch's broomstick (that's the movie version; in Baum's much darker book, she was ordered to slay the wicked witch); and arrive with her friends at the witch's castle, teeming with soldiers and flying monkeys.
What will happen next? Well, let's look at Oz. Dorothy got the broomstick (and killed the witch); went back to see the wizard only to discover (and expose) the fact that he was just a big hoax; and after a failed attempt to return home by conventional means (a hot air balloon), uses magic that was always at her disposal. How might this apply to Lost, if at all?
We'll find out next week, won't we?
Read Doc Jensen's entire article
'Lost': Deja Vu All Over Again ç here
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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
On the Island
What is Ben's plan?
With whom was Ben communicating using the mirror, and what did he say?
Why were the Others wearing their "disguises"?
How did Daniel know the details of the secondary protocol?
What is the Orchid's function?
How do Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sun, Aaron and Sayid, currently separated,reunite as the Oceanic Six?
Why are the Oceanic Six lying about their ordeal?
Who are the additional 2 who "survived" the crash but died on the island?
Why is Kate lying about Aaron's real mother?
On the freighter
Who planted the explosives and why?
What is the trigger for their detonation?
What is causing the interference on the freighter's fathometer?
After the rescue
What plans, if any, does Sun have for her father's company?
Who was the second of the two people Sun claims is responsible for Jin's death?
Why does Oceanic claim that the crash happened in the Indian Ocean, when at Kate's trial, Jack says that the plane crashed in the South Pacific?
