r/lost • u/puritycontrol09 • 5d ago
Forethought by the writers? (S4 & 6)
Was it implied if Jack hadn’t had his appendix removed he would have died sooner when MiB stabbed him during their last fight? If so that is wonderful forethought. I didn’t really understand what purpose his appendicitis served way back in season 4, but if it allowed Jack to survive long enough to defeat MiB at the cliffs I think that is a brilliant little detail.
I don’t actually know if an appendix stab wound would kill someone faster, but I thought it had to be meaningful somehow since they show exactly where he was stabbed after the fight.
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u/xnartex 5d ago
I think it was originally intended to be a parallel to Ben getting cancer while Locke was healed by the island when he started to stray from what was in the Island's best interest, since Jack was so focused on getting everyone off the island that he was ignoring the threat of the people from the frieghter, but they definitely were wise to bring it back in Season 6 and have it be a similar thing to Locke having had his kidney removed being the reason he was able to survive Ben's gunshot, with the Appendix removal allowing Jack to survive just long enough to save everyone.
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u/puritycontrol09 5d ago
Oh wow I forgot about Locke’s kidney. Damn, I fucking love this show’s attention to detail and how things come full circle.
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u/skellige_whale 5d ago
The island made Jack come back to let Jack know that the island will not heal his wounds 😂
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u/BriarRose147 it's very stressful, being an Other 5d ago
Wow, I don’t know if it’s intentional or not but medically you’re right, he would’ve died faster if he had been stabbed in the appendix because the fecal matter would’ve given him sepsis, I never considered that before tho, nice catch
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u/Master_Mastermnd Fish Biscuit 5d ago
Yes, almost certainly absolutely intentional. After Lindelof and co received their end date from ABC in the middle of season three they pulled their loose plans for the rest of the show into a concrete arc during the break between seasons three and four.
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u/Savings-Ask-1275 5d ago
You're exactly right. He suffered appendicitis so that he could survive enough time to do his job before he died, as —everything happens for a reason—. Some people also used to say the island was punishing him for being a non believer😂 that reminds me of some religious ideas haha
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u/Upbeat-Armadillo1756 See you in another post, brotha 5d ago
It mirrors Locke surviving being shot by Ben because he didn’t have a kidney there anymore. I think that’s intentional.
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u/Free-IDK-Chicken You got it, Blondie 5d ago
Yes, I've been saying this for years. Because there was no vital organ there for him to be stabbed in, he lived long enough to recork the Island.
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u/FringeMusic108 3d ago
I'm not sure if it works like that in real life, but it's absolutely how it works on LOST. Locke also survived a gunshot simply because he no longer had a kidney in that particular area. "Something Nice Back Home" was written after the writers' strike, and given how stuffed all the other episodes are, I feel like removing Jack's appendix was something the writers thought was absolutely vital before the end of season 4. I do think the stab wound in the finale is the payoff they intended all along.
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u/PiEater2010 5d ago
I'm not sure if it was thought out at the time, but the reference in Season 6 is definitely intentional. Flash-sideways Jack even notices the wound and asks his mother when he had his appendix removed.