A blog on all things LOST. From theories to analysis to pure admiration, I'll try to get as LOST as humanly possible! It'll surely be intense, but no worries. This is a nosebleed-free zone.
Yeah, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around a mother shooting her adult son before he's been born - and that her older self sent him back to fulfill this wonderful "destiny." Wow. Just wow. Bravo LOST writers, because even though Faraday was by far the most interesting "Freightie," that was one of the greatest deaths LOST has ever seen. Nothing could probably top Chahlie's death in season 3, but this comes very close for sure.
Things are definitely coming to a head, aren't they? Love it. With only one episode left until the finale (which is amazingly entitled, "The Incident"), where will this season end up? Will Jack, Kate, and the others (well, not "The Others"...you know what I mean) effectively change time and erase the so-called "misery" of the past three years? Will Ben, Locke, and Sun ever get out of 2007 and/or reunite with everyone else? What exactly IS this "incident" that Dr. Chang has preached about in all those Dharma videos? Why does he use so many alias names in those videos? And how did he lose his left arm? Here's a refresher:
I'm hoping that most or all of these questions will be resolved very shortly!
Another huge part of the episode: Widmore is Faraday's dad! I knew it. Loved that scene between Ms. Hawking (<3) and Charles. They obviously have a lengthy history between them going back to the island. I hope we get to see more of that in the next (...final...*tear*) season. A couple episodes ago when Widmore was exiled from this island, we learned from Ben that Charles had fathered a child with a non-Other. At the time we weren't sure if this was Daniel or Penny. But since he and Other "Ellie" obviously hooked up at some point, that would naturally imply that Penny is this "unclean" child. So...who's Penny's mom then? Is it even important to the story? Who knows. Have we even met any other Dharma women aside from Amy? I don't think so...
All in all, this was definitely a huge improvement from last time's slower-paced Miles-centric episode. A great 100th episode! Hard to believe we only have 20ish left before that final fade to a black screen with those four white letters...
Long time no blog! Alas, school's gotten a tight hold of me again. The good news is that I've only got three more weeks of it to endure! Woo!
So, with regard to the past two episodes, I'm just gonna jump around wherever my heart pleases...
"Dead is Dead" was a really great episode. If not for the "Jeremy Bentham" episode earlier in the season, I'd have decreed it the best of the season thus far. Overall I think it's easily a top-10 episode. So many delectable things: Ben with a horrible haircut as a youth, his compassion for little Alex (and also little Charlie), the exile of Widmore, the dock scene where Desmond somehow survives a bullet to the chest, all culminated by that epicK smoke monster scene at the end of the episode. Pretty cool stuff, huh? Obviously there are huge similarities (and constrasts) of that scene with the Eko-death scene from season 3. In that episode, Mr. Eko was not (NOT) sorry for killing a man as a child because it saved his brother's life. The smoke monster subsequently came after him and slammed him dead into the earth. Re-live this great moment now!
After Mr. Eko "non-confesses," I love how Yemi gravely says, "You speak to me as if I were your brother!" This followed by Smokey's entrance. Freaky stuff!
So with Mr. Eko, the smoke monster passed a rather harsh, rather lethal judgment. I had a feeling we'd get the opposite scenario with Ben. Sure enough, Ben repented for his sin (letting Alex die / killing her) and he was forgiven. Allowed to live. And then, just like that, Smokey disappeared into those mysterious little holes.
...and then Locke shows up. Hmm...he disappeared before Smokey arrived and returned after Smokey left...John Locke = Smokey, anyone?
As for the past episode, it wasn't as interesting, but it had its moments. It was actually one of the funnier episodes I've ever seen, the more I think about it. The scene with Hurley, Dr. Chang, and Miles in the Dharma bus has to be in the top-5 funniest scenes of all-time. Hurley prodding and trying to set up Dr. Chang with his long lost son? Hilarious! The fact that Hurley was writing "The Empire Strikes Back" also made me laugh out loud. Now we know how George Lucas got his inspiration.
"What lies in the shadow of the statue?" I love how this little line has suddenly carried on this big, huge, mysterious presence. What DOES lie in the shadow of the statue? Clearly the question is being used as a test for other people, to determine if they're on the "right side" of this battle. If you know the answer to the question, you're good. If you don't...well, then you get whapped with the butt of a gun a la Captain Frank. This password-question reminds me of Dharma Kelvin's, "What did one snowman say to the other?" when Desmond arrived on the island / at the hatch for the first time. ("It smells like carrots" is the correct answer.) I look forward to seeing who exactly is on which "side" and what exactly this "battle" is with regard to this new riddle.
The closing scene with Miles looking at his father and Baby Him was pretty moving. I wonder if this causes Miles to want to be around his father more...and perhaps that ultimately leads to his father finding out that THIS Miles is the same as his BABY Miles. And perhaps THAT is why Dr. Chang ultimately splits with his wife and Baby Miles. That's pretty mind-boggling to think you caused your parents' break-up - but not as your innocent baby-self, but rather as your intrusive adult-self from the future.
We've got a two-week break before LOST's epicK 100th episode starring the long-lost Daniel Faraday. Greatly looking forward to it!
Well, after a couple of the more slowly paced episodes in LOST history, tonight's episode dived right back into the mystery of this show and propelled us forward again. And a ton of stuff actually got revealed! Right off the top of my head...
1) Ben didn't die. Told ya! Turns out BOTH of my theories may have actually been right...sorta. For one, Sayid's bullet didn't kill Ben; I had a feeling. But I also had a feeling that if Jack didn't save him that something miraculous must happen to him. If not resurrection, then...something. Sure enough, we see Richard Alpert taking Little Ben into the temple as the episode comes to a close. The only thing we really know about the temple is that our good friend Smokey the Smoke Monster lives there, so it's anyone's guess as to what happens to Ben there and causes him to "lose his innocence." So foreboding!
2) When Sawyer whispered into Kate's ear in the season four finale, he told her to check up on his long lost daughter Clementine. This had long been speculated, so it wasn't that big of a shock for me. Still, it was nice to FINALLY see this part of Kate's story unfold. I like Cassidy too, so it was great to see her on the show again.
3)We got a little intentional playfulness/serious explanation when it comes to this whole timeline business with the Miles/Hurley exchanges. Basically they just reinforced what I'd already figured: everyone in Dharmaville minus the time travelers are operating on their normal timeline (the PAST) and therefore their lives CANNOT be altered. But all the time travelers are currently in their own PRESENT, so therefore anything can happen to them. Well, unless their lives interfere with the Dharma people in which case they're predestined to do whatever it is they're supposed to do to/with them (eg Juliet delivering Amy's baby, Evil Other Ethan).
4) Aaron was returned to his rightful owner. Like a lost dog. Naturally the whole episode had us thinking Kate would leave him with Cassidy and Clementine, but then at the end she gives him up to his long lost grandmother. That's gotta be a little awkward for a small three-year-old boy, right? Suddenly being abandoned by your mom for this old Australian woman? Question: will Aaron now grow up with an American accent or an Australian one? The plot thickens.
5) And finally, we know why Kate came back to the island. It wasn't (necessarily...) to see Sawyer again, but it was to find Claire. If I had to guess, I'd say Claire's hanging out somewhere with Charlie in the great mystical land of the Undead. So uh, good luck with that Kate!
Next week's episode looks like a GREAT one. Can't wait to uncover a little bit more of the mystery of Benjamin Linus.
I'm not really a big Jimmy Kimmel fan, but I thoroughly enjoy his obsession for LOST. (He's on the same network, after all.) In particular I love his hilarious "secrets of LOST" segments. Here's a couple short videos from his show where he gets LOST cast members to reveal "the secrets of LOST." Funny stuff.
All right, the moment has arrived for me to size up the latest episodes in this amazing (yet quickly dwindling!) fifth season. Neither of these last two episodes were particularly GREAT, but they've set a lot of things in motion. I look forward to the payoff that's sure to come in these last several episodes of the season.
Let's delve into "Namaste." Firstly: the runway! It's something a lot of people probably don't remember, but back in season three when Sawyer and Kate were being held captive by the Others, they were forced to build this random runway on Mini Island. I tried to find a video of this, but failed. Please forgive me. And just trust me that this did indeed happen (I nearly forgot about it myself). Well, back then we wondered what in the world the Others needed a RUNWAY for. Two seasons later, we find out. That's why I absolutely love this show. You never know when something - big or small - will be answered. As Ajira #316 went down, Frank saw the runway and successfully landed the plane on it with minimal damage (well...save for his co-pilot who got skewered by a tree limb).
This doesn't really fit in anywhere, but I'll post this video anyway. Have a listen at what's being uttered across the plane's radio:
It's the numbers! Part of them, anyway. I'm not that sharp on my LOST lore, but according to the dude who posted this video, Rousseau switched out a message with "the numbers" playing for her French distress call back in 1989. Which would imply that Ajira #316 just crashed sometime prior to 1989. All this time I've assumed they crashed in "regular time" (aka 2007-2008). So when are they, then? Ultimately, the only thing we know for sure is that they're in some year AFTER 1977. And we know that thanks to the scene with Christian, Sun, and Frank looking at the old '77 Dharma picture with Jack, Kate, Hurley, and all the other new Dharma recruits.
Which brings us to the Christian Shepherd scene. I loved his overly dramatic entrance with the light turning on in the house and the creaky door slowly winding open with his shadowed figure just standing there. Normally I'd scoff at such a ridiculously dramatic scene, but for Christian, it works. I still have no idea how he became Jacob's second-in-command, but I always love it when he makes an appearance on the show.
The following clip from inside the darkened Dharma house is something people have been looking at over and over again. Have a look yourself:
I definitely didn't see this the first time around. So, who's the woman behind Sun? Is it a real person or was it a filming mistake? Many people think it's Claire. It would make sense, considering we've not seen her since last season (and she was with her also-dead daddy, Christian, at the time). But by the somewhat reddish tint of the woman's hair though, I'm gonna go with Charlotte on this one. After all, she's dead too. And once you die on LOST island, you never go away! I'd love to watch a poker night at Christian's house (it's next-door to Jacob's cabin) with himself, Charlie, Claire, Boone, that random Frogurt guy who had a flaming arrow pierce his chest earlier this season, and all the rest of the deceased gang.
To wrap up "Namaste," I've gotta mention one of my favorite LOST moments ever (a growing list of approximately 158 items):
There's so much to dissect in this single minute of excellence. Just watch the creeping smile on Jack's face as he listens to Dr. Chang speak - THE ONE AND ONLY DR. CHANG FROM ALL THOSE DHARMA VIDEOS! Could you imagine watching all those sepia-toned hatch videos of this Asian scientist dude from 30 years ago and now, suddenly, you're sitting face-to-face with him? And then for Jack to be assigned a job as "workman" (aka UNQUALIFIED IDIOT) was just icing on the cake. Absolutely loved this scene.
I basically summed up "He's Our You" in the last post, so there's not a whole lot to really elaborate on here. I'd just like to reemphasize, though, that BEN IS NOT DEAD. He just can't be. I'm hoping for the resurrection theory to pull through, but I'm kinda leaning more toward the fact that Benny is only injured from the shot. Well, seriously injured. And the reason I lean toward this scenario is because it makes me giddy to think of a dying Benny being wheeled into a room with Jack watching and cleaning a floor to the side (or doing whatever it is a "workman" does). Maybe Sayid's bullet hit Benny's spinal cord or something, which would make it even more delectable if Jack somehow had this moral dilemma of whether or not to reveal his true identity as a spinal surgeon and save Benny's life (...again). The possibilities!
As for Sayid, this episode only reaffirmed my shot-in-the-dark prediction from a while back that he'd be the "major" character to die this season. The whole episode focused so heavily on "purpose," and ultimately, I think Sayid has finished serving his with that gunshot to Benny's chest. I think Benny makes a miraculous recovery, makes people (and himself) think he's special, and he becomes the mighty man he becomes. And meanwhile, Sayid dies having accomplished everything the island had for him and passes on...where he'll be at Christian's next poker night.
I know this is kinda random, but I'm still looking forward to the scene when Ben (not Little Ben, but "Big Ben"...haha, you see what I did there?) wakes up from his cot and reunites with an arisen Locke. They can't hold this off forever!
To be honest, this wasn't my most favorite of episodes. And I guess that correlates with the fact that I've not been a big Sayid fan over the past season-and-a-half. When I made my "death predictions" several posts back I included Sayid simply because I don't know why he's in the show anymore. I don't know what his "purpose" is, if you will. Well, things certainly got interesting toward the end of this here episode, didn't they?!
Some of my "quick hitz" before I delve deeper this weekend:
* I really loved the opening scene in Iraq with Little Sayid and the chicken. You don't see much of these old-fashioned flashbacks anymore thanks to all the flash-forwards and time-jumping of the past couple seasons. So major kudos to this simple scene! RIP chicken.
* I loved the Dharma outcast dude living in the middle of the jungle with his hippie music and southern drawl. I was hoping it'd be somebody we already knew because of the dramatic reveal, but I dug his odd quirkiness. The dynamic of watching Sawyer react to what was going on to his old Arabic friend was pretty intense. And the "he's our you" line was pretty poetic too. Nice, LaFleur.
* I absolutely loved the scene with Little Ben and his dad. Makes you feel kinda sorry for the little bug-eyed booger, huh? Random sidenote: they found the PERFECT little kid to play young Ben. Seriously, those eyes...
* "Ann Arbor"...during the Dharma meeting where they voted to kill Sayid, Radzinski mentioned something about Ann Arbor...which I do believe is Dharma Headquarters. Hmm...
* Where was Dr. Chang during that meeting? You know, the Asian dude in all those Dharma videos who made a great (GREAT) appearance last week with Jack? Does he not matter in the to-kill-or-not-to-kill Dharma votes? And who's really in charge here? Horace? Dr. Chang? Ann Arbor?
* Obviously the highlight moment was the final scene where Sayid shoots an innocent Benjamin Linus. Shocking indeed! The scene is naturally made to make us think that Sayid just drastically changed history with one fell-swoop...but hoooooold your horses there. I don't think it really works like that. The writers of this beloved show of ours have frequently said that none of this is "Purgatory" or "a dream" because it would lessen the stakes of everything we've experienced. Basically, if it's all not real, then what would be the point of the journey? Similarly, if Ben died (as in, permanently) then none of what we've seen of him ever even happened. And that's just stupid. So, as of now my primary theory is that Ben gets resurrected a-la Locke in the future. It would explain how he had that knowing look with Jack in the future that Locke wasn't really dead. That's my number one, far-out theory. My second theory...quite simply, is that Ben isn't dead. Period. Just because he was shot doesn't mean he died then-and-there. So, perhaps with the aid of a doctor (Jack?) and a little island healing, young Bengie will be back on his feet in no-time.
Firstly, so sorry that I haven't recapped the last episode, "Namaste." School be crazy! Hopefully I'll touch on it briefly whilst recapping this next episode tomorrow night, "He's Our You." There were definitely plenty-o-moments to talk about!
Let's sidetrack for a moment though. Lately a bit of a LOST controversy has been brewing. Ever since Daniel saw Little Charlotte prancing about in 1974 DharmaVille a couple episodes ago, the following clip from the second episode of season four has been brought to the forefront. Take a watch:
Did you catch it? Near the beginning of the video, at the :11 mark, Ben shouts out that Charlotte Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis...haha, I love it) was born in 1979.
1979.
As in, five years after 1974 where Faraday, "LaFleur," and the others were transported. Given the fact that Little Charlotte looked to be about three years old in 1974, well, it can be assumed she was born around 1971.
1971.
So...huh? What's going on? I honestly have no idea. Apparently there's more to the controversy though than these conflicting birthdates. Like the actress playing C.S. Lewis was accused of changing her character's age in the script or something? I don't know; weird. You can read it all here.
But let's get past any potential feud between the actress portraying Charlotte and the LOST writers. And let's focus on this eight-year difference. How in the world to rectify it? You could argue that after Charlotte's mom pulled her off the island, she gave her a new birthday and a new identity. We'd already learned from Charlotte herself that her mom tried to make Charlotte believe that the island was just all a dream. So, that could work I guess. But...an eight-year difference? I could understand one, MAYBE two years, but EIGHT YEARS? There's no way a ten-year-old kid could pretend to be living life as a two-year-old. Unless you claimed the kid had some kind of "JACK" disorder (an old Robin Williams movie...anyone remember it?). You could argue that Ben's a liar and he could've just lied about Charlotte's age during that scene...but why? And wouldn't Charlotte, who was kinda standing right there, have said something like, "Uh...dude, I don't know who you are with those big creepy bug-eyes of yours, but you're a little off with my birthday."
Is this a big, pressing issue for the show? Not really. But surely the writers have got to be thinking about this, about how to fix it. Maybe it was supposed to be like this all along and they do have a way out? I guess it shouldn't be that hard to explain, since time travel is now a part of the show, right? Anyway, I refuse to believe this show will ever be flawed in some way!
I'm not counting the whole Nikki and Paolo incident. They never existed.
Just thought I'd pop in and give a link to a brief EW article I came across the other day. It says that we can expect (at least) two major-slash-majorish deaths by season's end.
My predictions?
Sayid ("major") Penny ("majorish")
I think Penny will ultimately die (if she's not dead already [thanks Ben!]) and force Desmond back to the island (per the words of my love, Ms. Hawking). As for Sayid...that one's really just a shot in the dark. Personally I just don't see what Sayid's point is anymore. What purpose does he serve? There's no way Jack, Kate, Sawyer, or Hurley can die before the final season...so that basically just leaves Sayid along with a few other "major" characters.
We'll eventually see how good my crystal ball vision is!
No new episode this week?! Bah. Apparently we might get another LOST-less week before the season runs out. It's all about May sweeps. Ah well. Gives me a chance to catch up to myself here!
There have been many romances in LOST. Yes, even in the midst of potentially demonic smoke monsters, pissed off polar bears who so desperately want to transport (or time travel) back to the North Pole, and Others who do frightening Otherly things, there has been time for romance. You have the Desmond/Penny Separation Saga, Jin/Sun's Messed Up Marriage, and Charlie/Claire's Accented Attraction (non-Americans in English-speaking countries only). There's also Rose/Bernard, Sayid/Nadia, Sayid/Shannon, Sayid/Whoever Else He Falls In Love With Who Will Die, etc. By far the most fascinating (or obnoxious, depending on who you ask) romantic relationship has not really been a single relationship though. It's been the love triangle-turned-quadrangle involving Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Juliet. And by now, we've seen every combination of these four imaginable except for, well...
"LaFleur" started out really rocky for me. Coming off the greatness that was "Jeremy Bentham," this was to be expected I suppose. I was initially disappointed with what I saw happening in the first 15 minutes of the show: cramming THREE YEARS of island life into 43 minutes. Seriously? We'd spent the first three seasons absorbing just 108 days, we'd spent the entirety of season four and the beginning of this current season absorbing the three years off-island. And were we really to believe that three years on-island could be squashed into a single episode here? I kinda dreaded where this would go. But, in the end...it most definitely worked for me.
But first things first...the statue! The statue! Don't blink, because you might miss it! Or rather, another time warp will come wisk you away from it. Technicalities...
I'd been looking forward to this moment for quite some time now. It blows my mind (in a good way) that the writers could come up with something so deliciously odd and random as a giant four-toed statue on the shoreline in SEASON TWO and then just set it aside until the time was right to reintroduce it again. Seriously, how do these writers see that far into the future of their story? Incredible.
Take a look at the comparisons. The first would be what Sayid, Sun, and Jin saw in the season two finale; the second what "Jim LaFleur" and Gang saw after Locke disappeared into the netherworld.
Naturally we're led to believe that each of these images are one-in-the-same, just taken from different angles (and different time periods, obviously). Wouldn't it be cool though if they're NOT the same thing? Like, what if there's ANOTHER statue out there somewhere? What if it's one among many? Or what if the four-toed foot is just that: a four-toed foot that always has been, always will be. The statue from this past episode certainly looks Egyptian from the back, which begs the question...HUH? Did a group of Egyptians go out on a trade expedition down the Nile one day and get horribly lost on the way to Ethiopia? The only explanation I can sense is time travel's buggersome counterpart: teleportation. We've seen Ben and Locke teleport (AND time travel) to the Tunisian desert after cranking The Wheel (it's "the exit," according to Charles Widmore), but is there a "reverse" to this teleportation? Can one transport from Tunisia (...or nearby Egypt?) to the island? According to that Egyptianesque statue, I tend to think yes. And did the Egyptians bring some Hebrew slaves with them? Because we all know that Egyptians themselves don't do squat. Wouldn't that be something if Moses and some of his Hebrew comrades were temporarily transported to LOST island to help build this statue(s)?
I'll have to ask God that in Heaven someday.
I was definitely disappointed we didn't get to see more of the statue before the final flash, but finally my appetite for this mystery was met.
For now.
The Egyptian imagery was fairly prevalent throughout the episode as Dharma Amy's dead husband wore an ankh necklace. Something similar to this:
According to the great minds at Wikipedia, the ankh is the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. It's something worn by the Egyptian gods to symbolize their immortality.
Makes you wonder if Richard Alpert's got one of those things hidden 'neath his shirt...
Yes, we finally got the line we've all been waiting for:
"The guy with the eyeliner, let me talk to him."
Thank you, Sawyer. Thank you! It's about time somebody questioned Mr. Alpert's choice in eye-fashion. Now if only somebody will question why he's frikin hundreds (or thousands? or...more?) of years old! Apparently Egyptians were all into the eyeliner thing, so that little line may indeed be more significant than the typically comedic Sawyerian jab-at-another-character.
Richard Alpert, whose initials "RA" could stand for the Egyptian sun god Ra (or, if you'd prefer, "rheumatoid arthritis" [that's it! I knew he had to have some kind of weakness!]), has clearly been on this island for quite some time. With the time flashes apparently over, I wonder if we'll ever fully understand his role in the island's history though. Would that seriously not have rawked if we had gotten a (longer) time-flash to the Ancient Egyptian LOST era and we saw Alpert leading about this ancient group of people?
Loved Sawyer's and Alpert's conversation on the bench. Only in LOST could a potential Egyptian god and a con artist-turned-hero with a knack for nicknames sit on a bench in the dead of night and have a nice talk about hydrogen bombs and time travel. Man I love this show.
But clearly the overarching theme of this episode was the kindling relationship between Sawyer and Juliet. We've seen the clues all season long (and even in the past couple seasons, if you were paying attention). I've been predicting this to happen ever since Sawyer and Juliet broke from the group in the season three finale to head back to the beach and save Sayid, Jin, and Bernard. So for me, it was thoroughly rewarding for their connection to finally come through. And honestly, I love this relationship. Love it more than Desmond/Penny; even love it more than Sayid/Shannon! (Although to be fair, I think I'd love the relationship between Vincent the Dog and a polar bear more than those two.) Let's hope this relationship lasts! Long live Sawiet.
But in true LOST fashion, once you think a part of the Quadrangle is set...something disrupts it. Sure enough, here comes Kate (carrying Jack's baby...I'm calling it right here!). I'm definitely looking forward to the "what next?" to come. We've spent all season wondering how and when the Oceanic Six (minus Aaron) would get back to the island. But now...well, now what do they do? I'm very curious to see what the rest of this season has in store. Can't believe it's half-over already! Time flies when...well, when you're flying through time.
It was the best episode so far this season. It was the best episode in many seasons. By my count, it was the best episode in 86 swings of those white letters "LOST" amidst a black screen and that eerily delectable screeching sound.
For those that are curious, here's my running tally of the five greatest LOST episodes of all-time (subject to change, of course):
#5 - "Greatest Hits" (Episode #321; I was never a huge Charlie fan, but this episode about the greatest moments in his life and his willingness to sacrifice himself for everyone else was probably one of the most emotionally-charged episodes ever.)
#4 - "Exodus, Part II" (Episode #122; LOST's first finale. I'll never forget those WHAT-THE-#$*% feelings as Walt was stolen away on that boat and as we peered down into our first ever Dharma hatch, not knowing what in the world would be inside for several more months. These were the days!)
#3 - "Through the Looking Glass" (Episode #322; Season three's finale. A crusade against the Others! ZOMG FLASH-FORWARDS! MYSTERY COFFIN! "WE HAVE TO GO BAAAAAACK!" Purely epic.)
#2 - "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" (Episode #507; as this post will explain)
#1 - "Walkabout" (Episode #104; John Locke was in a frikin WHEELCHAIR! Nobody totally saw that coming. It was the episode that first pulled me into the power of this show. It hasn't ever let me go since.)
So let us consider the things that made this ninetieth episode of LOST so amazing.
I liked the opening of the episode with Ceasar and Illana (who?) in a darkened Dharma station. I wasn't too big on Locke "de-cloaking" himself after Ceasar asked for his name though. A little hyper-dramatic, I think (especially considering that we already knew he was to be resurrected based on the previews [and even without them]). But eh, that random cloak puts him right up there with Obi-Wan Kenobi as my favorite cloaked film/television characters of all time.
I'll be sure to formulate a top-5 for Favorite Cloaked Characters too.
"You asked me what I remember...I remember dying."
Truly one of the greatest things to ever come out of John Locke's mouth. And I loved his eating of the mango! John Locke + fruit = money. Every time.
See?
This scene on the shore showed Locke looking OUT at "the" island, so obviously Flight 316 landed on the small "Alcatraz" next to "the" island (where all those polar bear cages and everything are). Interesting that they'd crash there...
Can I just say that Charles Widmore is amazing? All this time we've been led (albeit through Ben's eyes) that he's this big, evil uber-villain...and here we see him having the pleasantest of conversations with Locke. I expected him to offer him some Earl Grey tea and a blueberry scone.
"There's a war coming, John. And if you're not back on that island when it happens, the wrong side is going to win."
So what is, pray tell, "the right side"? Is Ben "good," or is Widmore? My thought: neither is. I think they both want control of the island to themselves and the only true hope for the island sits with John Locke. But that's just me. Clearly this conversation was meant to steer us more toward the middle of this debate since over the past season or so we've been fed by Ben (again, by Ben) that Widmore is the bad guy.
And plus, Ben frikin strangled Locke. That helps make him look pretty bad himself.
Sayid speaks Spanish?! That's almost as shocking / borderline-ridiculous as Charlotte speaking Korean.
I loved that Abaddon played a much larger role in this episode than he's done in his other spot appearances on the show. He just has this amazing, dark aura about him (I promise that's not racist). If I ever have a personal chauffeur in a limousine (which, I mean, is a given for me someday), I want a Matthew Abaddon.
I absolutely LOVED the quick line he said to Locke when they were in New York and they saw Walt coming out of school.
"Boy's gotten big."
Little line; huge possibilities. I mentioned in one of my prior posts that the sexy theory out there is that Abaddon is indeed Walt - though of the Future Variety. Whether he really is or isn't, this line was absolutely written by the writers in response to all these theories. Either it's just a throwaway line intended to make us all astir...or it has actual meaning. Because how would Abaddon know what Walt used to look like?! Only if he was actually looking at HIMSELF, of course! After that line he then says something to John to the effect of, "I'll give you two some privacy" as he steps away. Interesting, interesting...
I was shocked (and sad) to see Abaddon meet an untimely end at the cemetery. A great place to die though as it saves a lot of the travel expenses in getting into the ground.
The acting in this episode was extraordinary. LOST has been blessed from the beginning with incredible acting, and this episode exemplified it perfectly. I've already mentioned that great interaction between Locke and Widmore at the start; well, there were plenty of other great conversations as well.
Listening to Locke tell his heartbreaking tale of Helen with Kate was amazing. This is why I love Locke! The way the camera slowly pans in on him, the way he contorts his face and says he was "obsessed"...the way Kate solemnly states, "Look how far you've come." Really heart-wrenching stuff.
Now, moving on to the conversation Locke had with Mr. I'll Never Believe: Jack. Re-live it with me...
I've never been a huge Jack fan. And that's basically since I've always been a huge Locke fan. Jack has always - for over four seasons - been Locke's counterpart. The staunch unbelief to Locke's faith. The accident to Locke's destiny. The miracles-can't-ever-happen-even-though-my-former-wife-was-suddenly-able-to-walk-again to Locke's absolutely-I-believe-in-miracles-because-I'M-FLIPPIN-WALKING-AGAIN.
But as of the airing of this episode...I have become a Jack fan. Yes, yes, I've been converted. The end is near. We saw him become "born again" the week before after Ben talked with him about Doubting Thomas (in a church, of all places...), but I loved seeing the exact MOMENT when it all started happening for Jack (he bought a plane ticket to Sydney later that day, according to Ben). Amazing kudos to Matthew Fox for this scene, because I was totally sold on it. The semi-slurred speech, the anger in his eyes, that pause as he walked away from Locke, and how he blinked his eyes when John said, "Your father says hello." Loved it. It's in my top scenes of all-time, for sure (definitely a much longer list than five items though!).
What a great cap to the episode with John's would-be suicide scene. All along I never seriously thought he actually committed suicide. Because...really? The savior for the island, for all these people, committing suicide? It just didn't fit right in my mind. And sure enough, just as Locke is about to step off and let gravity do its job...Ben shows up.
I don't know entirely what to make of the scene. Would it have been a "mortal sin" for Locke to commit suicide, and then his body wouldn't have resurrected upon his re-arrival to the island? Perhaps. Did Ben know all this, so that's why he talked him down, and later strangled him himself? Maybe so. When Jack asked Ben at one point if Locke was "really dead," Ben froze for a second and then just changed the subject. So why did Ben give a seemingly genuine "goodbye" to Locke as he hung limply from the ceiling, if he knew he'd rise again? I'm "hung up" myself on that one. Ben's had some dastardly moments on the show, and that moment definitely ranks right at the top. I'm eager to see how his and Locke's first meeting on the island will go. What do you really say to a guy you've strangled to death (and also shot / left for dead in the Dharma Pit)? I don't think there's a "MAKING GOOD WITH THE GUY YOU KILLED, FOR DUMMIES" out there anywhere.
All in all, a spectacular episode. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! A "LaFleur" recap will be coming soon!
Even in the midst of Midterm Mayhem at UGA (the LAST TIME I'll ever experience this particular variety of chaos!), LOST beckons me to post something. This one won't be nearly as detailed and in-depth as the "Locke=Jesus?" post from a while back, but hey, it'll be something.
The plan from here on out is to come back here every Wednesday night and just post something really quick. My stand-out moments from the night's episode. Some "quick hits," if you will.
But naturally, "hits" will be spelled and formatted as "hi[tz]". Because I'm cool like that.
After the pure amazingness of "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" last week, I wondered how this episode would go. I'll admit that it felt a little shaky at first - zipping back and forth across a three year span, seemingly cramming the island's three years into just a single episode whereas we've been off-island with the Oceanic Six over the course of one+ seasons.
But the episode grew on me as it progressed. And in my opinion it was James Ford's (aka Sawyer, aka Jim, aka LaFleur, aka THEGUYINLOVEWITHJULIETISOFRIKINCALLEDIT!) most shining moment in nearly five full seasons of LOST.
But alas, I'm wading too deep for now. Time to touch on my standout momen[tz]:
(I told you, I'm cool like that.)
* ZOMG, IT'S THE GIANT FOUR-TOED STATUE! ONLY IT'S...IT'S...BIGGER! Anyone remember the four-toed statue from the season 2 finale? Anyone? Anyone??? Well, I sure do. Let's refresh our memories, shall we?
Sayid, Sun, and Jin spotted this odd structure whilst taking the "Elizabeth" (Desmond's sailboat) around the island in hopes of meeting up with the Michael-led group of their fellow survivors to trick the Others (if you'll recall, that didn't go so well). Anyway, this foot statue has been driving me crazy ever since they randomly showed it so long ago. Obviously we were led to believe that that giant Egyptianey statue Sawyer and Gang saw for a split-second was the REST of the structure. Question though: is it? And since when did Egyptians live on LOST Island? Seriously, what's with all the hieroglyphics on the island too?!
* Horace is back! I don't remember a whole lot from his prior appearance on the show. I'd have to go back and rewatch it somewhere. I do remember that he appeared in one of Locke's dreams/visions and he was chopping trees down with a bloody head. Oh Horace; just use dynamite. It's so much easier. And funner.
* Jin speaks fluent English now! Who cares about Rosetta Stone? Just get yourself stranded on an island for three years with a group of people who speak the language you wish to learn and you'll be speaking said language in no-time.
* Loved the moment where Daniel spotted Little Charlotte frolicking about. Poor girl. She has no idea that one day her brain will fry and blood will spew endlessly from her nose. I'm definitely looking forward to the moment when Daniel tells her to not come back to the island lest she attain the aforementioned bloody fate.
* Sawyer and Juliet finally connect! Woo! I've been predicting this ever since the season 3 finale. And I must say, I'm delighted to have seen it play out as such. But more than the satisfaction I've received from being right...I actually enjoy them together. I really do. Kate being with Sawyer has never really felt right to me. Jack's always been the hero, Kate the heroine. It only makes sense that THEY would be together. So ever since Sawyer and Juliet went on a mission together back to the beach to save the bound-and-captured Jin/Bernard/Sayid in season 3's finale, I've really been pulling for this. And I like it.
* And finally, the VW bus driving up to meet Sawyer. Talk about a great moment! Question now (aside from how conflicted our new hero must feel!): where are Sun and Sayid? And where (...when?) is Locke and the 316'ers? Something tells me our new group of castaways are not in 1974 with the Oceanic Six and Dharma Town...
That's all for Quick Hi[tz] tonight. But I'll be back to get LOST this weekend! Among many other things, you can guarantee I'll mention something of my distaste for the fact that we have TWO WEEKS until the next episode...
I believe I promised a "Jeremy Bentham" recap several days ago...but alas, Midterm Craziness is catching up to me right now. But, I definitely promise to do a recap of that episode some time this weekend considering it's my #2 favorite episode of all-time (yes, ranked considerably higher than the episode where we learned the origin of Jack's tattoos; oh the intrigue!). I've got a lot to talk about, for sure.
In the meantime, I just thought I'd post one of my favorite fan-edited LOST videos. This one is a compilation of all of Sawyer's nicknames from the first three seasons. It's pretty hilarious! So give it a watch and relive Sawyer's innate wittiness.
Some of my favorite Sawyerisms from the video:
"Skeletor seems to like it! Bottoms up!" *knocks beercan to skeleton head*
"Whatchu gonna do now, muchacha?"
"What do you think Captain Bunnykiller's gonna do when he catches us?"
"Well gosh, you sure know how to butter a man up, Stay Puff."
"Thank you, BOAR EXPERT!"
"If this were a scary movie I'd be with a hot chick, not you, Barbar."
"Ooh, looks like Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon got something good!"
"You too, Brutus?"
"Oh happy day; here comes Doctor Giggles."
"Yeah, yeah, Snuffie!"
Good ol' Sawyer! He's got the greatest one-liners ever.
So, just some quick thoughts on what I consider the second-greatest LOST episode of ALL-TIME. Yes; that's right folks. Better than the epic season 3 WHATTHE$&*# flash-forward finale, better than season FOUR's finale complete with big coffin reveal. Better than 99.99% of all LOST episodes ever assembled. Seriously, this thing was GOOD tonight.
You start out with a cloaked Locke uttering yet another incredible line to his long list of incredible lines: "I remember dying." You have the indescribably delectable confrontation between Locke and Widmore. You get a great comedic moment when Widmore "renames" Locke with the name of the British philosopher who OPPOSED the philosophies of the British philosopher John Locke. You have the amazing Matthew Abaddon ferrying Locke around the entire episode, only to meet a shocking end. You have the entire Oceanic Six rejecting Locke's pleas (minus Sun? but didn't Sun say she met with him or am I just imagining this?). And you have Ben going all PSYCHO on us at the end. Epic. No, EPICK. Incredibly epick.
I'll have more detailed thoughts in a day or two. But just thought I'd drop in with my initial ones!
In anticipation of tomorrow night's episode, "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," and the promise of the return of the mysterious Matthew Abaddon (aka "Future Walt"?!), I figured we'd refresh our memories on the more slender, darker version of the equally chilling (though infinitely more engrossing) Ms. Hawking.
His first appearance on the show came in a scene with Hurley (post-island) in the mental institution in season four's premiere episode:
In case you couldn't make out his final words to Hurley at the end of the clip, they were, "Are they still alive?" No, I don't think he was referring to the Rolling Stones here.
Sorry, but I couldn't find any video for his other appearances (well, unless you count this random Dutch version I found). Anyway, in Ep#402, "Confirmed Dead," we learn that Abaddon was largely if not wholly responsible for assembling the freighter folk ("freighties") togther for Widmore's ship to the island (Daniel, Charlotte, Miles, Frank, and Naomi).
And finally, we saw in Ep#411 ("Cabin Fever," via flashback) that it was Abaddon who first told Locke to pursue a "walkabout" while Locke was recuperating post-being-shoved-out-an-eight-story-building-by-his-scoundrel-father. Abaddon told Locke that if he did pursue said walkabout that he would "owe him one" if they ever met again. Assuming that Abaddon and Locke do indeed meet in this upcoming episode, then will Abaddon hold true to this promise? Or will it all be moot, considering Locke never actually did go on the walkabout?
The popular theory "out there" right now is that Abaddon is really Walt, though of the all-growed-up variety. This theory doesn't particularly fly with me, but I can see why people support it. Once you throw in the concept of time travel into a show, pretty much anything can happen, right?
And also, I'm not totally convinced that Walt no longer has any more relevance for the story. We saw Michael make an incredible (though short-lived) return last season, so shouldn't Walt "return" in some way as well? Will he seriously remain locked up in his grandmother's house in NYC till the end of time? I tend to think not. But that's the question though: will he "come back" as "himself," or is Matthew Abaddon really him? You make the call, and let's see what happens.
Just a couple of fun facts, courtesy of Lostpedia. The name "Abaddon" is actually the same name of the "Angel of the Abyss" in Revelation 9:11. Check it out:
"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
(I'm naming my first son Abaddon!)
Also worthy of note (or...maybe not really?), the full name "Matthew Abaddon" is an anagram for the phrase, "What Bad Boatmen." Pointless information? Perhaps. But whether you go with "Bad Boatman" or Top Dog of the Bottomless Pit, there's not a whole lot of positive connotations associated with the guy.
Which makes me all the more eager to figure out who the frak this guy is.
No, I promise this won't be as heretical as you fear (or hope?). I love LOST for many reasons: amazing depth and breadth of characters who we learn about both on- and off-island, a beautiful location with such complex and cascading mysteries past and present (mammoth four-toed foot statue?!), and so much more. But perhaps one of the facets of LOST which I've most latched onto is the spiritual element. Mr. Eko is a Nigerian drug dealer-turned-priest, Rose clutches her crucifix necklace and prays often to her Heavenly Father, "The Others" make mention of some kind of mysterious "list" which separates the "good" from the "not-good," and characters with names like "Jack Shephard" and "Christian Shephard" conjure up images of David and even Christ Himself.
Since the early season one episode, "Walkabout" (Ep#104) with its epic closing scene, John Locke has been my favorite character on LOST. Far and away. He was rarely seen in the first three episodes, gets the fourth one dedicated to him with an incredible flashback, and from then on (in my humble opinion) the show has completely revolved around his presence.
I never really saw a metaphoric relationship between John Locke and Jesus Christ until the finale of season four and on into the beginning of this current season five. But looking back to the beginning of the series, the similarities are quite astounding...
"No offense, mate, but if there's one person on this island I would put my absolute trust in to save us all, it would be John Locke." These are the words spoken by Charlie to Jack very early on in the show's history (Ep#113: "Hearts and Minds"). At the time they didn't appear to carry much significant weight, but now five seasons in, these words stunningly foreshadow (or since we're in the Bible Zone today, should I say "prophesy"?) the things to come several seasons down the road. Just as Christ is prophesied to do the exact same thing. Before He's even born, Jesus is described as the One who will "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). And in His famous words to Nicodemus in the dead of night, Jesus explained that "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him" (John 3:17).
The word "save" has many meanings for many different people. There's the temporary kind of saving: the physical, the tangible, the temporary. As in how I'll feel come May 9th after I graduate from college (76 days!). And then there's a more lasting kind of saving. The beyond-physical. The intangible. The eternal. Naturally, the word "save" on a show about a group of planewrecked survivors conjures up the image of rescue boats, helicopters, and a return to normal civilized life. But not for Locke, however. For Locke, crashing onto the island is what seemingly-paradoxically did save him. For not only did it restore his physical ailments, but it also restored his emotional ones. Psychological. Spiritual, even. Suddenly, his sucktastic life as office worker at a box company (can you honestly think of anything more mundane? perhaps working at a foam-peanut company?) had been fully infused with actual purpose. Destiny. Over the course of the next several seasons, John Locke serves as the link between the mysteries of the island and the survivors. Just as Christ serves as the link between God and man.
So while the Oceanic survivors' notion of "saving" falls upon the tangible/physical/temporary variety, Locke's notion naturally falls upon the opposite. For Locke, the island isn't a place of isolation, hopelessness, or death. Not in the least. "It's not an island," quips Locke to the continually unbelieving Jack. "It's a place where miracles happen" (Ep#413/4: "There's No Place Like Home, Pt. 2"). And over the course of the series, Locke's made it his own personal mission to make sure the survivors not find temporary rescue off the island. Instead he destroys every opportunity for such rescue and in turn hopes for the survivors to discover a deeper kind of rescue. He quietly approves of Walt's destruction of Michael's first raft and even explodes The Others' submarine just as Jack and some portion of Otherville prepared to board it for "home." These various notions of "rescue" and "saving" interestingly parallel with Scripture and with there only being "one way" to be truly, permanently, eternally "saved" in Christ. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). With both Locke's actions and Christ's words, this concept of being "saved" is pinpointed to pursuing one and only one path, despite the many paths out there.
Like Christ, Locke is sent on a mission that he knows beforehand will result in his death. As he agonizes over this reality with Christian in Mystical Donkey Wheel Land (Ep#505: "This Place is Death"), Jack's supposed-to-be-dead-Daddy offers Locke with one of the most powerful lines in the series' history: "I suppose that's...that's why they call it sacrifice."
Matthew 20:28 succinctly describes Christ's own mission: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." It's pretty mind-boggling, actually. That Jesus lived his life knowing that He was going to die for all humanity. And that He was going to die the cruelest death in history, at that. And yet despite knowing all this, He fulfilled His mission. And after staggering to his feet, Locke turns the wheel that sends him off the island and, ultimately, to the fulfillment of his own mission. His death.
Which finally, brings us to Locke's death. As of the writing of this post, we've yet to see how exactly Locke has died and the specific details leading up to said death. Though we've currently never seen him alive off-island, we've been able to piece together the reactions of those he met with during the course of his post-island life. A basic summation? They hated him. They found him both crazy and vile. Who was once the hero who would "save them all" suddenly becomes the spurned and rejected one. Similarly after Christ received the embracing acceptance of much of the people, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and speaking the Truth...he was rejected. Greeted with shouts of "Hosanna!" one week; shouts of "Crucify Him!" the next. "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Just as Christ was slain for our sins, so Locke's life was taken so that his own people could be eventually healed. Like Christ, Locke is the "proxy," the "substitute," as eloquently stated by my beloved Ms. Hawking (a heart-stirring topic for another day).
And just as Christ astoundingly rose from the grave and brought hope to all humanity, so Locke will rise again upon his return to the island (courtesy his own Christ-like "tomb": the belly of an airplane's cargo hold) and restore hope to the remaining crash survivors. It's only fitting that with a dead Locke in tow, that this plane's flight number, 316, correspond to the penultimate verse in all of Scripture: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
People either love Locke or hate him. There's not a lot of middle ground. Obviously I fall into the former of these two categories. One of my favorite scenes from the entire series thus far involves Locke, Walt, and the game of backgammon. There's no roaring smoke monsters, no Others attacks, no Sawyer nicknames, and no Dharma hatches. But I just find Locke's quiet storytelling about the birth of an ancient board game incredibly relevant to the larger-scale goings-on of the show. A battle between purpose and aimlessness. A battle between good and evil. A battle between light and dark. The formers of these comparisons all being things that the island can provide. Things that God the Father can too provide, as told by Christ.
Hey everyone! Or should I actually say: "Hey, one"? I'm not really sure how much readership I'll get out of this, but suddenly I've gotten an itching to blog about all things LOST, my most favorite non-SURVIVOR show. I guess the life of this blog will depend on a lot of various factors (readership, my own personal schedule with classes and work, etc.), but ideally I'd like to be able to write something here once a week. I might focus solely on the previous episode, or jump around to "others" (oh boy, I foresee a lot of lame jokes like that to come...). Basically, I'll just write about whatever comes to mind!
And here's a spoiler for what's first on the docket...
John Locke. Jesus Christ. Oh yes. Bring on the heresy.
I was born and raised in Pennsylvania before moving to Georgia in 1999. Several years ago I graduated as valedictorian of the Athens Christian School class of 2005. After that, I fled the coop and attended Brewton-Parker College down in the bubbling metropolis of Mt Vernon, GA. Had a great first year of college there, but then decided that it was best to make a transfer to the University of Georgia. I'm now a senior in my LAST semester of college, majoring in English and minoring in Computer Science. After I graduate, I plan on taking (at least) a year off before I even think about pursuing graduate school. In the meantime, I'll definitely catch up on some reading and get some writing done as well! 2009 twill be a fun, fun year...
