Follow the Monkey…Through the Work of JJ Abrams

On page 352 of S, Anca tells S to “Follow the monkey.”   Jen Heyward circles the phrase and adds a comment, “Sound advice.”  I believe this ‘sound advice’ can be followed through many, if not all of the works of JJ Abrams.

Let’s begin with Felicity (1998–2002) which was JJ Abrams first TV series.  In 3.3 Hello, I Must be Going, Felicity wakes up next to Ben and is clearly upset.

The following dialog ensues:

Ben :What ?

Felicity : I just had this dream.

Ben : What happened?

Felicity: You were wearing a suit and I had this really long dress on and as we were going up the escalator it got caught and I was pulling on it and you were pulling on it and then all of a sudden we were being attacked by these like rabid monkeys?

(Ben laughs)

Felicity: It wasn’t funny, it was scary and you didn’t protect me very well.

Ben: Oh, so are you mad at me for something I didn’t do in your dream ? O.k. I promise that the next time we get attacked by monkeys on an escalator, I will save you.

Felicity: You better.

Ben: I promise.

Felicity: You better.

Was it a coincidence that in 2000, JJ Abrams chose to use monkeys as a sort of motif early in his career.  I would suggest that this is not the case or at the very least, it became an ongoing motif across his many varied projects.

Let’s move ahead several years to Alias (2001–2006).  I must credit An Alias Fan @Alias_Geek for the help in finding this particular scene.  In Alias 4.18 The Mirage, Jack Bristow visits a lab. Upon entering there are two Capuchin monkeys in a cage.

Jack walks by the cage and says, “cute.”   The gentleman working in the secret lab says, “Listen, I need you to promise me that there is no way this gonna get traced back to me.”  Jack later says, “Curious morality coming from a guy who kills monkeys for a living.”  The man in the lab replies,”What I am saying is be conservative. A few cc’s at a time or you’re going to be out of fun before it begins.” Jack then says, “Thanks for the advice.”

In Alias 1.11,  Jack, Sloane, Dixon, Marshall and Sydney are in the SD-6 Conference Room.  Marshall is asked by Sloane to go over the needed Op Tech for the next mission.

MARSHALL: Thank you. Um… actually, did anyone see that documentary on-on monkeys last night? Oh, it was great. They did this… sign… I guess… no one saw that.

Wasn’t the ‘sign’ that led S. to his objective a carved face of a monkey? Was this purposeful?  Did JJ Abrams who actually wrote this episode have this in mind when S/Ship of Theseus was conceived?

Again, coincidence?  If it is just a coincidence, then how would the subject of monkeys come up in four separate instances, in three different projects?  Why would Jack in Alias use the same word ‘advice‘ and  Marshall use the word ‘sign’ in relation to monkeys?

Moving ahead to Lost.  In 1.1 The Pilot, the Losties have heard a noise in the jungle and are discussing what it could have been. The following dialog takes place:

MICHAEL: It didn’t sound like an animal. Not exactly, I mean.

ROSE: That sound that it made, I keep thinking that there was something really familiar about it.

SHANNON: Really? Where are you from?

ROSE: The Bronx.

CHARLIE: Might be monkeys. It’s monkeys, right?

SAWYER: Sure it’s monkeys. It’s Monkey Island.

Interestingly enough, there were no monkeys on Lost, yet Sawyer calls the island, “Monkey Island.”

Let’s continue to ‘follow the monkey’ through Fringe (2008–2013).  In 1.1  “Pilot”, a screen shot was noticed in front of Massive Dynamics.

In this shot, you will note the glowingmonkeys.com bumper sticker on the post. The glowingmonkeys website.  The site was registered in June of 2008.  According to Fringetelevision, there were 237 posts to the website all concerning Fringe science.

It was speculated that a Fringe writer ran this website.  Take note that the readers were to send links, comments and questions to Capuchin and Howler, both mentioned in S a novel by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst.

Glowing Monkeys went so far to post the screen shot from Fringe on the site:

Move ahead to season Fringe 3.13 “Subject 13” where a monkey’s howl causes a main character to fall through floor in a warehouse and onto a table where she makes a discovery.

Again I ask, coincidence?  You decide…Follow the monkey.

Where to begin…At the water?

“What begins at the water shall end there, and what ends there shall once more begin.”

In my previous post, I mentioned Mystimus and his influence on my thinking when I read or watch anything JJ Abrams creates.  Back in July of 2013, Mystimus once again peaked by interest in a book he was reading written by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst.  My first thought was, “JJ Abrams co-authoring a book…You have got to be kidding!”

After a long drawn out stint with Lost, I wasn’t sure I was ready for a book of fiction co-authored by the genius story-teller.  Sure, I loved his all TV series and movies, but a novel?!  Knowing that nothing in a JJ Abrams’ project is ever just a coincidence, I knew that S would be no exception.

I put off the idea of reading the novel knowing the time commitment that such an undertaking would involve.  Mystimus was persistent.  He gave me his hardbound copy of the book including all the inserts and once again, I was hooked.

At the time, I was watching Fringe another JJ Abrams TV Series.  As I began to read S, I began to notice similarities between the novel and Fringe.  In fact, it wasn’t long before I saw common themes in many of JJ Abrams projects.  Water was the first connection that I made.

In Fringe, water was a consistent element throughout the show.  Reiden Lake was the “zero event” that set off a chain of events that culminated in the series Fringe. The subsequent events and action in Fringe literally began at the water.

I would theorize that “What begins in the water shall end there and what ends there shall once more begin” applies not just to S but to every Abrams’ project that he has co-created and co-written.